Meet Dianna Peña | Wedding Designer, Florist, and Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dianna Peña and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dianna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I started my business, I was fueled by pure joy. I was inspired by my brother, who gave me the idea in the first place, and I knew that doing this work would bring me so much happiness. I knew I was an excellent builder, a people person, and a professional joy seeker. I knew that if I led with the intention of helping people realize their dream of creating a beautiful wedding, and remaining grounded and joyous throughout the process, that my energy would be infectious; not only for my clients, but for the other vendors working to make the vision come together, and for the staff that works with me to make the vision come together. I’ve always worked for other small business owners, and the ones that I enjoyed the most, were the owners that loved what they were doing. It made me work harder for them, and in turn helped me enjoy the work I was doing for them. That’s the kind of business I hope to be running. One where they staff is happy to be doing the work that we do, with clients that are compatible with us, and love the work that we are doing for them. That synchronicity. That’s where the magic is.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I pride myself on being a good builder, and I love to be challenged. What that means for the work, is that I get the opportunity to build the most unique wedding backdrops for couples getting married in the high desert. The challenge is to build a backdrop that will be beautiful and impactful, but also have structural integrity. We need to make sure that these structures don’t fall over on people and can securely hold the weight of florals. What sets us apart from other companies, is that our wood work draws from theatre. Every time we do a wedding installation, we are installing a set for people to perform in front of. So we build 8 foot tall crescent moons, giant doorways, giant picture frames, etc. We take a simple things and blow up it’s scale so it’s like performing on Broadway, and that keeps us really excited about the work. Getting here wasn’t easy. I work a lot of hours during the season so I can be really thorough with planning weddings, building backdrops, and executing installations and floral jobs. There is no assignment that comes through the studio, that I do not touch. I wear all the hats, and for that reason, I’m up at 5am most days. I love what I do, but I recognize putting in those hours will burn you out. That’s a huge challenge of the wedding industry in general. I combat burnout by exercising regularly, eating well, and resting when my body asks me to. I’ve also learned to time block my schedule. Some days are build days, others are email days, and the rest of the days, I’m on the field. Because the work is seasonal, I can go on long vacations. This past summer, I went on a long road trip in my RV, I spent time with family and friends, and I unplugged in general. I came back rested, relaxed, and ready to get back to work! The most valuable lesson I learned this past year was that I cannot do this alone. I am nothing without my staff. I value them dearly, and I hold them in high regard. Without them, nothing gets finished on time. I can’t do all this work myself even if I tried. They are my most valuable asset and I let them know it. I want the world to know that anything is possible. It sounds cliche, but if you put in the time and the work into your craft, and you expect nothing but joy out of it, it will reward you. Doing what you love, with just the expectation of loving it, ultimately turns into doing what you love for money. Then all of a sudden doing what you love turns into a business you can scale over the years. All you have to do, is set the intention, find the daily motivation to keep going, love it, nurture it, and watch it grow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is easy! My friends come to visit me in Joshua Tree all the time. In fact, I think I see them more often now, then when we lived one neighborhood away from each other in Brooklyn.

Day 1: Hang out at the Mojave Beach Airbnb. It’s owned by a friend of mine, Greg. It has several homes on the property which spans like 35 acres in total. It has a pool, sauna, hot tub, steam room, and a masseuse on the property. We would hang at the pool, stay in and make dinner, and unwind ending the night hanging on the hammocks watching the shooting stars.

Day 2: Daytime hike at any of the local hikes or at the Joshua Tree National Park, followed by a sound bath session at the Integration if they’re available. If not, we can try to book Cosmic Nina. She’s local, a total sweetheart, and she’ll book a private session. For dinner, we’ll head down to the Tiny Pony Tavern for some scallops and delicious drinks. This bar is owned and operated by New Yorkers, and as a Native New Yorker myself, I feel right at home.. Tuesday night is karaoke night, so you get dinner and entertainment at the same place.

Day 3: We’ll start the day slow, so we can recover from the presumed Tiny Pony hangover, and hang at Mojave Beach making a big breakfast ,and spending the afternoon getting massages from Stephanie, of Traveling Kind Massage. Then we’ll head to Cedar and Sage for a Hot Yoga/ Sound bath Session, before having dinner at La Palapa. They make margaritas the size of your head! They also have delicious shrimp tostadas.

Day 4: Lunch at the Red Dog Saloon followed by a Palm Springs tram ride around Sunset. With beautiful views that cannot be beat, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to do this. It takes you to the top of Mount San Jacinto and you can have dinner at the restaurant. We’d then stop at Awe Bar for a night cap on the way home.

Day 5: We visit the Campbell Hill Bakery in 29 Palms. The food and pastry’s at this bakery are unmatched. It is totally worth the drive to 29 Palms for breakfast, followed by a visit to the Noah Purifoy outdoor museum. Dinner at Giant Rock Meeting Room for delicious pizza! They’ve got really delicious natural wine and make a fantastic cauliflower crust if you’re Gluten Free like me.

Day 6: We hang at Mojave Beach all day and rest!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this Shout Out to my twin brother David, and to a colleague Mariana Frenchel. I cannot do a shoutout without acknowledging the person that planted the seed, that started Palo Verde Party Rentals. My twin brother David, was the person that gave me the idea to start a wedding design business, after I built the backdrop for his wedding a couple years ago. Without that, I’m not sure where I would be today. That single suggestion of his, started my career. He didn’t even realize that would happen. To him, it just seemed like a no-brainer. After that, everything just clicked into place and changed my life tremendously. I will always remember that. He’s an integral part of the story. I also have to Shout Out Mariana Frenchel. She was a venue owner here in the desert, and encouraged me to get into Wedding Coordination, when she booked a wedding at her then venue called Penny Lane Ranch. They had never done a wedding there before, and they needed someone to run the show. Funny thing is, we met at a bar while I was working a shift as a bartender. She asked me if I was interested in the position, because she liked my personality. She had no idea that at the time, I was building my wedding design business but hadn’t gotten it off the ground yet. There is that synchronicity again. There I was, working a bar shift being offered an opportunity to add to my skill set in an industry I was already trying to break into, all because I was really joyous behind the bar. Magic!

Website: https://paloverdepartyrentals.com/

Instagram: @paloverdeparties

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paloverdeparties

Image Credits
Headshots: Hannia Sobrevilla @teocali_brand
Nomad Photo Audrey Dark Photo Xenia’s Photography Wheel House Design and Florals Areli Design and Florals Nomadic Notions Nicole Kirshner Photography KS Floral Concepts Spark and Sand 9 Lives Design Co