Inspirational DIY Boho-Chic Wedding!

Matt and Maddie had a gorgeous fall wedding here at the Ranch, and we loved all the intricate DIY details they incorporated into their special day!

These lovebirds were the perfect couple to get married here, and they were so kind as to answer some follow-up questions we had about their special day!

What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style, or color palette?

Maddie: “We were inspired by the bohemian beauty of Leo Carrillo and Southern California sunsets. We wanted our wedding to be fun, have a lot of texture and color, and be full of details that represented our guests and us!”

Maddie: “We incorporated a range of terra cotta, light pinks, and pops of yellow and white throughout, as well as palms and pampas grass!”

How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

Maddie: “We had such a blast designing with our amazing florist KO Floral Designs! Leo Carrillo is so effortlessly beautiful, so we wanted to just highlight and play off of the character at the Ranch.”

Maddie: “We wanted to focus our ceremony décor on the tree by using a garland with palm fronds and pampas grass.”

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

Maddie: “Matt and I met when we were 15 years old in high school biology class! We started dating shortly after and have been together ever since! Fast forward ten years, and Matt decided to surprise me with a day of all my favorite things. He took me on a scavenger hunt around all my favorite places in LA and ended the night with a surprise in Malibu. We hiked to the top of a mountain and at the top, he lined the path with candles and rose petals and had a “will you marry me” sign, then he quickly got down on one knee and proposed!”

Tell us about your wedding!

Maddie: “At our ceremony, we included a wine box tradition, where we included letters to each other that we will read at our first anniversary, and replace every year to reflect on our relationship grew over the years.”

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

Maddie: “We loved our ceremony!! It was so emotional and fun, and really captured our love for each other (we thought we wouldn’t cry…and we all cried a ton!)”

After this heartfelt ceremony, guests were encouraged to move down to the reception area for the rest of the evening’s festivities!

Personal Touch Dining worked in collaboration with the newlyweds to whip up some fun signature drinks!

Cam Ham Photo Booth delighted guests with their vast array of photo props and instant prints to take home!

Maddie: “We also incorporated a ton of DIY projects, such as:”

• Our seating board
• All of our signage
• Our custom laser-engraved coasters with each guests’ name
• Our table numbers
• Custom dyed table runners
• Our laser-engraved cake topper

We were in awe of this gorgeous and unique seating chart!

It’s such a personalized touch that makes guests feel special for seeing that bit of extra effort for them.

Every guest just needed to find their customized antiqued polaroid to find their seats.

Imagine looking up pictures for every guest!

Maddie: “For the reception, we wanted everything to look warm and blend with the sunset. One of our favorite décor items were our peacock chairs during our reception!”

The Grand Entrance, after some romantic sunset pictures, was immediately followed by the First Dance!

We love this shot by Vee Taylor Photography!

It visibly shows the tidal wave of love a Bride and Groom receive from their friends and family when they’re announced as Husband and Wife.

Always such a beautiful moment!

As soon as the Bride and Groom sit after their first dance, Personal Touch Dining offers them their tray of appetizers.

That’s when our Event Coordination Team plates-up their dinners for them, so they can take a minute to relax.

Maddie: “Matt and his groomsmen and friends also choreographed a dance for the wedding, and it was such an epic moment! It was such a fun and exciting part of the day, and our guests loved it!”

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music took over for the rest of the evening, always keeping the dance floor grooving!

This adorable Couple’s Cake had the customized cake topper mentioned earlier!

Personal Touch Dining made sure to have plenty of other desserts for the hungry guests to nibble on.

Here we see Red Velvet Cake Shooters, Cannolis, and Churros with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, all made fresh on-site!

What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

Maddie: “Ahhh – all of it!! Haha, we absolutely loved every part of our wedding, from our awesome vendors and décor to our fun-loving guests, to the music, and the amazing food  – everything was even better than what we had envisioned! We had so much fun dancing with family during the reception and loved getting to sneak away for romantic sunset photos!”

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

Maddie: “The advice out there is true! The day goes by so quickly, but you will have memories for the rest of your life. So, prioritize what will bring you and your partner joy as you celebrate the beginning of your future together! Having an amazing vendor team makes all the difference!”

There aren’t enough words to properly thank this gorgeous couple for including us on their special day!

We loved working with them and wish them nothing but the best in their future together!

Huge thanks also to our phenomenal team of vendors who helped us put together another dream wedding!

Special acknowledgment to Personal Touch Dining for their multiple roles and faultless commitment to our clients!

Vendors

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music

KO Floral Designs

Vee Taylor Photography

Reel Thread Films

Cam Ham Photo Booth

Personal Touch Dining: Catering, Venue Management, and Event Planning/Coordination

Invitation Designer: Bride DIY

Men’s Attire: Kenneth Cole, the Tie Bar

Dress Store: Ellie’s Bridal Boutique Alexandria

Jewelry: Bride – custom ring made out of family heirloom, Groom – Grandfather’s wedding band

Bridesmaid Dresses: Lulus

Dress Designer: Essence of Australia

Hair: Hair by Jordan

Makeup: Makeup by Nancy J

Roarke and Stephanie brought all the colors of their love to our Ranch for their wedding and reception.

Adore Folklore provided the fun rugs that went down the ceremony aisle, further incorporating the southwestern vibe of our beautiful patio area into their motif.

Tiny Victories was responsible for the incredible florals placed all over the Ranch.

They helped knit together all the different parts of decor that brought vivacity to the event, and we were so taken by Stephanie’s stunning bouquet!

Personal Touch Dining greeted guests to the ceremony area with Cucumber Watermelon Mojitos!

Nick Weiss not only sang and played guitar during the ceremony, but he transitioned effortlessly into the cocktail hour, where he continued singing and playing in the background until the grand entrance!

Personal Touch Dining served appetizers and provided the bar service, with more of those delicious mojitos, as guests enjoyed the casual atmosphere.

Adore Folklore finished off the rest of the tablescape with their amber goblets, chargers, plates, and festive napkins.

The sweetheart table had an exclusive table setting, while the family and head tables had less extravagant similar versions.

Personal Touch Dining served another bountiful buffet with their fresh Mahi Mahi and addicting Mashed Potatoes!

We love the look of this long feasting style head table where the Bride and Groom sit like royalty in the middle of their friends and family.

We wish these two all the best in their bright future together!

Thanks to all the vendors who helped us make the magic happen, we couldn’t do what we love without you all!

Hallmark, Eat Your Heart Out!

We don’t think you’re ready for the limitless amount of cuteness that is Maddy and Mike’s wedding and reception here at the Ranch.

These childhood sweethearts are the real-life inspiration for every sappy guilty pleasure rom-com we’ve watched.

In fact, their story was almost too perfect!

We were checking behind corners all day in hopes of finding a Hallmark Channel hidden camera somewhere.

Forget Romeo and Juliet, let’s all re-vamp the definition of a love story and aspire to be Mike and Maddy.

Tayler Ashley Photography did such a phenomenal job of capturing the feel of the day: breezy, sunny, warm, and full of sheer joy.

Evermore Floral was the genius behind the day’s floral arrangements, and Maddy’s Romantic Vintage vision was made real in this white rose masterpiece.

After their first look, the happy couple exchanged gifts and enjoyed a quiet moment together before the whirlwind of wedding fun swept them off their feet.

Tayler Ashley Photography took time with the whole bridal party, exploring the grounds and finding the best spots for these fantastic pictures.

The Stables offered some of the best pictures for both groups, with its iconic blue door and shaded alcove perfectly out of the sun.

This crew had a blast during this little photoshoot, and kept all of us laughing throughout the night!

Evermore Floral also worked their magic on our Wash House Patio Ceremony Site.

These breathtaking aisle markers doubled as the Sweetheart Table decorations after the nuptials.

As guests walked into the ceremony area, they were ushered in by Personal Touch Dining who provided refreshing Watermelon Cucumber Coolers as a welcome cocktail.

On the Welcome Table, friends and family could sign in, drop off gifts, and read the diary entry made by a tiny hopefull Madison long, long ago.

*Cue the waterworks*

If we’ve got any Boy Meets World fans out there, you’d know what we mean when we call them a “Corey and Topanga.”

These two grew up going to middle and high school together, were friends for years,

and first started dating right before Mike graduated high school–much to the surprise of their families!

And so began the love story.

(Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for! )

As they were pronounced as Mr. and Mrs. to a round of tears, laughter, and cheers, we couldn’t help but feel included in the contagious excitement!

As the love birds went to take more pictures, and guests were encouraged to enjoy the cocktail hour.

Folklore Vintage Rentals had a stunning lounge area set up for guests to relax as they watched the lawn games.

Personal Touch Dining staff expertly set the dining tables while in collaboration with Evermore Floral and Folklore Vintage Rentals. 

The result was this exquisitely dreamy tablescape!

The Photo Bus was ready and waiting for revelers who wanted to add their best pictures to the newly-weds’ guest book.

Personal Touch Dining continued to serve delicious cocktails throughout the night and made sure to pass out the adorable custom koozies from the bride and groom.

After a lively grand entrance and loving first dance, Andy from The Groove encouraged the guests to join Maddy and Mike on the dance floor just before toasts.

Personal Touch Dining served dinner soon after, and the buffet was magnificent as always.

They never cease to impress!

To finish the formal events of the night on a sweet note, Maddy and Mike cut their cake together.

The Groove took over for the rest of the night and kept the dancefloor rocking as guests grabbed foam light-up wands to light up the night!

These wands also doubled as perfect tunnel-building tools and the grand exit transformed into a colorful trip into the future for the bride and groom.

We could not be happier or more in love with this love story.

We are beyond honored that these two wanted us to be a part of their special day, and we wish them a lifetime of wedded bliss.

Thanks to all the fantastic vendors who help us make these magic moments happen.

We couldn’t do it without help from you all!

A special thanks, as always, goes out to Personal Touch Dining for Coordinating, Managing, and Catering all of our special events here at the Ranch.