Dessert Action Stations!

Raise The Bar for Your Desserts!

As we discussed, dessert bars are fantastic for groups who want a little something sweet on the go. However, a dessert action station is raising your dessert bar to the next level! These stations focus on one type of dessert and offer countless topping combinations to delight you and your guests. From Icecream Sundaes with all the toppings to roasting your own S’more, these stations elevate the feel of your event and provide the perfect cherry on top of your perfect night.

S’mores

Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, Chocolate Bars, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Guests of all ages love this station. No matter the time of year, everybody is ready for a S’more! You, too, can delight in roasting your mallow to perfection and then deciding between a peanut butter cup or a hearty chunk of milk chocolate to finish off your summery sandwich.

Sundaes

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream Topped with Your Choice of Chocolate Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, Nuts, Candies, Sprinkles, Whipped Cream, and Cherries.

Icecream is a rising trend for couples who’d rather go the creamy dessert route over the cakey ones. At this station, all the classic toppings from nuts to strawberry syrup are included! See something missing? It’s no trouble to customize your toppings selection to fit your unique tastes.

Pie A la Mode

Sweet & Tart Cherry and Apple Oozing with Cinnamon, Served with Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream.

The Pie A la Mode station is definitely a crowd favorite during our Autumn weddings and festivities. Served with a heaping scoop of ice cream on top, this station brings about a heartwarming feeling that guests go crazy for!

Churros

Crispy Churros Cooked on Site Dipped in Cinnamon & Sugar, Served with Chocolate Sauce, Carmel Sauce, and Whip Cream.

By far our most popular station here at the Ranch, the Churro Station is the perfect dessert to complement our Spanish heritage and style. Fried on-site, these crispy treats taste best topped with caramel, chocolate, and a healthy heap of whipped cream!

Ginny + Michael | Singler Photography

Bohemian Bold!

 

This resourceful pair combined stunning desert scene photographs, a wild romantic ceremony arch, and minimalist table centerpieces to convey their love of adventure and modern bohemian spirit.

 

 

This gorgeous bride thought of every detail, using the accent colors in her bouquet to inspire her fabulous accessories!

Ginny paired her elegant lace bodice wedding gown with fun pale salmon fringe statement earrings and a set of gorgeous burnt orange satin heels.

 

 

To add a deep contrast to all the warm color tones, Michael and his groomsmen looked sharp in their navy suits.

 

 

In the privacy of the Hacienda’s side garden, the love birds snuck in their First Look.

 

 

Guests made sure to drop off gifts, cards, and any other wedding “responsibilities” at the Welcome Table before finding their ceremony seat.

 

 

Michael and Ginny fell in love with our Washouse’s rustic charm and chose to use it as the base of their incredible ceremony arch.

Rebecca Eichten Floral Art and Design blew us away with her spectacular array of dried desert flowers!

 

 

After the heartfelt vows, everyone cheered for The Big Kiss!

 

 

 

Glowing with excitement, the newlyweds made their way back down the aisle together as Husband and Wife.

 

 

We were so impressed by the statement this bar sign makes with its mesmerizing background!

As Singler Photography stole the happy couple and some choice family away for formal pictures, the rest of the guests helped themselves to the bar from Personal Touch Dining.

 

 

The theme continued to the seating chart as well!

Guests enjoyed the Pixster Photo Booth, and fresh appetizers made on-site from Personal Touch Dining before finding their tables.

 

 

The custom table markers explained the significance of each name to the Bride and Groom.

We love the ingenious use of cement pots to add modern flair to the rustic desert foliage in the centerpieces.

 

 

Every place setting showed an incredible amount of heartfelt attention to detail by Michael and Ginny!

It included a custom menu card, a bundle of sage as a wedding favor, and thank-you-note escort cards.

 

 

After an incredible dinner from Personal Touch Dining, the guests took to the dance floor with Sound Illusions and rocked the night away!

 

 

We’re so happy for this beautiful couple, and are beyond grateful for the chance to be part of their special day!

 

Thanks to the fantastic team of vendors who helped us make the magic happen!

Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for the Special Event Coordination, Catering, and Venue Management!

 

Vendors

Singler Photography

Sound Illusions DJ services

Rebecca Eichten Floral Art and Design

Personal Touch Dining

Pixster Photo Booth

Hillary + Jacob | Chasing Light Photo and Film

 

Soundtrack of Love

 

We loved working with this fun-loving couple and honestly enjoyed every minute of their gorgeous Wedding and Reception here at Our Ranch!

 

We reached out to the newlyweds, asking a few questions about their big day, and they gave us a list of all their favorite memories. 

 

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? 
Hillary: “The moment we arrived at the Ranch, we knew it was special. It was the first of four venues we toured, and nothing else compared. I envisioned simple, elegant decor with pops of reds, pinks, and oranges. The Ranch is so gorgeous. I really didn’t think it needed too many additional touches to highlight how pretty the venue is.”

 

Getting ready in the bridal suite, Hillary was a vintage vision in white, thanks to the help of her bridesmaids.

 

How did you both choose your wedding day look? 
H: “I didn’t necessarily have a specific vision I just knew what I didn’t want… the gals at The Bustle in Del Mar were so helpful!  After a long day of trying on what felt like a million dresses at a few other bridal salons, I described my preferences to the attendant. She pulled a few dresses and made adjustments based on my feedback. When I put on THE dress, she added the veil, and I started crying… something I certainly didn’t expect!”

 

H: “I knew Jacob would look amazing in a navy suit, and when we found “the one,” we knew we had to go with it!

 

 

Friar Tux suited up the rest of the groomsmen in the same sharp-looking navy suits to match Jacob.

We love the contrast of the red in the boutonnieres!

 

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
H: “Definitely our ‘First Look’ and of course, saying ‘I Do’!

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal. 
H: “Jacob and I both attended the University of San Diego but didn’t actually meet until our junior year while we were both stranded at LAX waiting to depart for our semester abroad in Madrid. He officially popped the question six years later at Sunset Cliffs on a sunny December day. He had a wonderful afternoon planned with lunch and a sunset gondola ride on Coronado.”

 

Chasing Light Fotography knows how to capture all the priceless moments of the night perfectly!

 

How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
H: “We kept it simple. Allyson from The Love Sparrows hit the nail on the head with our floral!”

Did you personalize the day in any way? 
H: “I’ve always been obsessed with photo booths, and the Can Ham Photo Booth fits perfectly with the vibe at LCR.”

 

After a private photoshoot at sunset with Chasing Light Photo and Film the Bride and Groom joined the rest of their party with a Grand Entrance!

 

Sound Illusions worked closely with the happy couple on the night’s music selection, and the First Dance fit these two perfectly!

 

 

After another incredible buffet dinner, the love birds revealed their sweet tooth!

A separate full Churro Dessert Station accompanied the Dessert Bar, which was all supplied by Personal Touch Dining.

 

What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
H: “We were super excited to get the party started and really looked forward to our music selection – we selected all of the songs for our cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. We got lots of compliments from our guests, which was awesome since we did take a lot of time putting the music selection together. Also, we were engaged for almost two years – we held out for our date, 9/21, because of Earth, Wind, and Fire. We closed out the party with ‘September’!”

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
H: “Using vendors who have previously worked at your venue is so helpful! Our DJ (Sound Illusions), photographer/videographer (Chasing Light), and photobooth (Can Ham Photo Booth) vendors were all familiar with LCR, which I think was a crucial part of having the day run as seamlessly as it did.”
“Also, the folks at Personal Touch Dining know what they’re doing – from the day of coordination to the food, our big day was perfect!”

 

We’re so honored to be a part of this special day for these two!

We wish them all the best in their bright future together.

 

Thanks to all the marvelous vendors for helping us bring everything together for this beautiful couple.

Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for the Event Catering Coordination, and Venue Management of our Ranch!

 

 

Vendors:

Can Ham Photo Booth

Chasing Light Photo and Film

Florals – The Love Sparrows

DJ – Sound Illusions

Catering/Coordination – Personal Touch Dining

Men’s Attire – Friar Tux

Dress Store – The Bustle

Bridesmaid Dresses – (each girl picked her own)

Dress Designer – Stella York

Carly + Albert | Swan Photography | Southern California Event Venues

South African Ranch Recreation!

Albert and Carly were a wonderful couple who brought an impressive number of their guests all the way from South Africa!

Carly and her Bridesmaids finished getting ready in our welcoming little bridal suite…
…and then went exploring with Swan Photography, a destination wedding photography husband and wife team, to find some priceless photo-op. spots!
All of the gorgeous floral arrangements were from the talented Flowr Box Designs and we love those bright pops of fuschia and peach!
The Groomsmen also got ready separately here at our Ranch and the photographers coordinated to make sure the Bride and Groom couldn’t sneak any peeks of each other before the ceremony!
These guys kept us all in stitches and the whole day was bursting with love and laughter.
The Ceremony was serenaded by the melodious Nick Weiss, one of our favorite DJs here at the Ranch, and he couldn’t have looked more at home!

Gotta make sure we included “The Glow” or “We Did It” shot!

This thoughtful and fun customized sign from Carly and Albert had some very important translations to make sure there were no language barriers during the rest of the festivities!
Here we see more of Flowr Box’s magic down at the reception site!
The dining area had a simple layout and a clean and soft tablescape with lots of cornflower blue and white.
Carly looks stunning poised in front of our beautiful bougainvillea.
After an adorable and lively first dance, Albert and Carly got to sit and enjoy dinner!
Personal Touch Dining served the happy couple’s choice of Mediterranean Chicken and Marinated Grilled Tri-Tip with Wild Rice Pilaf and Fresh In-Season Veggies.
After dinner, everyone joined the love birds on the dance floor!
A quick break from dancing allowed the cake, from Flour Power, to be cut and churros freshly fried on-site, by Personal Touch Dining, to be available instead of cake for the rest of the guests.
We just wanted to thank Carly and Albert for choosing to spend their special day with us here at the Ranch!
We loved working with them and their family and wish them all the best in the years to come.
Special thanks to all of our wonderful vendors mentioned above as well!
The night couldn’t have gone so smoothly without you all.
Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining who Manages, Caters, and Coordinates all our Events!

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