Lily + Ross | Anna Delores Photography
Springtime Sunshine at the Ranch!
Anna Delores Photography shared these pictures from Lily and Ross’ charming Spring Wedding and Reception here at the Ranch last year!
We reached out to the newlyweds and asked for a little inside scoop of what they remembered most about their big day, and if they had any tips for future couples.
How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
Lily: “We met via OkCupid in D.C. in October 2011. I was a speech-language pathology grad student at GWU, and Ross was working at the Treasury Department. We hit it off on our first date and have been together ever since! Four and a half years, two cross-country moves, and three Brooklyn apartments later, Ross proposed in Central Park in March 2016. A mutual friend’s grandmother made the ring from an heirloom diamond my grandfather found on a Brooklyn street in the 1950s.”
Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day?
Lily: “Our biggest inspiration was the ranch itself. We were and are absolutely in love with the space, and it was important to us that our aesthetic choices serve as complementary touches to the existing structures and gardens.
That said, I had the hardest time making decisions on almost everything wedding-related! It took me months to settle on yellow and white with lots of greenery for our flowers. Luckily, Kristin Osterloh,” of KO Floral Designs, “did an amazing job with the garland and repurposing flowers from the ceremony to re-use at the reception.”
During this time of the year, our feathered tenants are bold, beautiful, and always ready for their glamor shots!
Anna Delores Photography caught this one showing off for the bridal party.
The ceremony, accompanied by musician and DJ Nick Weiss, was beautifully heartfelt.
What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
Lily: “Saying our vows – I didn’t know it would make me so emotional, but I cried the entire time!”
Anna Delores Photography added a special treat to Lily and Ross’ wedding shoot by snapping some priceless polaroids for the happy couple to take home with them that night!
Pictured here is just a sampling of them all, but having an expert take polaroid pictures sure makes a difference in quality!
How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
Lily: “LOL, this was the hardest part for me! I was SO stressed out about how to decorate the cabana, and I spent hours scouring the blog and LCR’s Pinterest for ideas. Most of our decor was DIY – we bought a bunch of frames from eBay and Goodwill for family photos, and I went to Target for streamers and paper flowers. Kristin probably contributed the most with her gorgeous floral designs, which we used for both the ceremony and reception.”
Kristin, of KO Floral Designs, added a little extra sunshine to everything she touched that day!
We love the delicate white and yellow floral choices she went with, it added so much to the romantic feel of the whole event.
After the ceremony, Personal Touch Dining kept guests thoroughly entertained while the love birds took some family pictures.
Between the lawn games, delectable bite-sized appetizers, and craft cocktails, guests of all ages were having a blast!
We love the way the main dining area turned out!
The crisp white linens are perfect for a fresh Spring day, and our dark wood chairs always create such a pleasant contrast.
KO Floral Designs provided the floral centerpieces, placing a sweet and simple arrangement on each table for guests to enjoy.
A little bit can go a long way on these round tables!
How did you both choose your wedding day look?
Lily: “After we got engaged in 2016, I was totally overwhelmed with the multitude of options for my wedding! I had no idea where to start, so I thought, well if I pick a dress first, I can use that as a springboard for everything else (style, theme, color, etc.). I actually ended up buying a dress before we even set a date! But finding my dress really did help inform every other decision I made, including the location and venue.”
“Ross knew he wanted to wear a blue suit, but was having trouble finding the right shade and cut. He initially bought a $500 suit online, which ended up looking terrible because the fit was all wrong. Luckily he found a beautifully cut wool suit at Bonobos about a month before the wedding, which fit perfectly!”
Nick Weiss played music for Ross and Lily’s Grand Entrance and First Dance.
We love Lily’s choice of her flowy strapless gown, it fits our Ranch’s motif perfectly, and she looked incredible!
Personal Touch Dining treated everyone to another fantastic buffet dinner, and we’ll never get tired of their famous Citrus Marinated Tri-Tip, always carved to-order!
What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
Lily: “Our favorite parts of our wedding were the sweet speeches from our family and friends, our first dance, and getting to spend time with the people we love but don’t get to see often enough. It was really special to have our dear friend read the poem Ross read to me when he proposed (Having a Coke with You, by Frank O’Hara) during our ceremony. Another special moment came from Ross’s aunt, Annie Leibovitz, who took portraits of us before our ceremony, something we will always treasure.”
Flour Power provided the adorable personal cake for the ceremonial Cake Cutting.
KO Floral Designs decorated it, and we can’t get over how cute all the dainty yellow flowers were!
Personal Touch Dining supplied the rest of the sweets for guests, who helped themselves to cupcakes from our dessert bar.
Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
Lily: “Wedding planning is stressful! We decided early on what was most important and where we were willing to splurge versus what we didn’t really care about, so that definitely helped our decision making. Remember that you can pick and choose what to include in your celebration – you don’t have to follow every tradition or do things that are trendy right now if they’re not important to you. For instance, Ross and I never bring home wedding favors, so we didn’t have favors! Think about weddings you’ve attended or been part of – what worked and what didn’t work? What did you like/what did you not like?”
Lily: “I would also advise couples to keep the not-so-fun yet essential logistics in mind! Plan these out first so you have a better sense of what ‘fun stuff’ you can afford – for example, figure out transportation to and from the wedding for you and your guests before you book that photo booth or late night snack! Remember that you can almost always add things at the last minute if you have extra room in your budget, but it’s a lot harder to get back a deposit you’ve already put down or figure out how to cover an expense you didn’t plan for late in the game.”
Huge thanks go out to Lily and Ross for choosing us to share in their special day, and for taking the time to answer our questions!
Hopefully, your words of wisdom will help any future couples looking for a starting point in their planning process.
From the Leo Carrillo Ranch Team, we wish these two all the best and can’t wait to see what their bright future has in store!
Thanks also to the fantastic vendors who helped us create such a magic-filled day!
We can’t do what we love without you all!
Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for the Venue Management, Event Coordination, and Event Catering of all our Special Events here at the Ranch!
Vendors:
Catering, Coordination, and venue Management: Personal Touch Dining
DJ: Nick Weiss Music
Cake: Flour Power
Invitation Designer: Minted
Men’s Attire: Bonobos
Veils and headpieces: KO Floral Designs
Dress Store: Poppy & Rose Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaid Dresses: Reformation and BHLDN
Dress Designer: WToo by Watters