Boho-Sweet!

Chris and Brittany brought their romantic boho dreams to our Ranch for their special day, and we couldn’t have been happier to have them!

We were head-over-heels for Brittany’s vintage-inspired croche lace gown!

For a lively group of Bridesmaids, we always recommend a free choice on bodice style.

Now everyone can look and feel their best on your big day!

Chris went with a light gray, almost linen suit, which is perfect for our sunny San Diego Summers!

His troop of Groomsmen sported a slightly darker suit to help Chris stand out.

Florist Lily Benjamin wound a lush garland around our Pepper Tree for the ceremony, and we love to see it all dressed up!

As guests arrived, our Coordination team helped them find the card box and encouraged everyone to sign in before finding their seats.

Full of laughter, tears, and infectious smiles, the ceremony made everyone present feel included.

After a quick ring exchange, it was officially time to seal the deal with The Big Kiss!

The newlyweds made their way back to the Hacienda, guided by one of our feathered friends, who are always ready for their closeup!

Personal Touch Dining served guests tray-passed appetizers to pair with their specialty crafted cocktails after the ceremony.

We loved the look of the engraved charger plates on the Sweetheart Table!

This style of charger is unique, elegant, and a beautifully sweet way to accent their tablescape.

Happy Camper Photo Bus entertained everyone for hours with their multitudes of fun photo props and instant-print photos to take home as a memory of the night’s festivities.

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music brought the happy couple back to the party with the Grand Entrance and First Dance!

Personal Touch Dining then opened the buffet for hungry guests to get their fill of the hearty dishes they provided.

The Tri-Tip is always a crowd favorite of the many fresh dishes made on-site!

A hilarious family heirloom cake topper decorated the Couple’s Cake from Flour Power Custom Cakery.

Personal Touch Dining served slices of cake and added extra sweets for guests to grab and go, perfect for on their way back to the dance floor.

We’re so thankful to Madeline Barr Photography, and the newlyweds, for allowing us to share such a fun and loving day with our readers!

We absolutely loved having Chris and Brittany’s special day here at the Ranch!

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

Thanks to all the wonderful vendors who helped make this day so flawless.

Especially the staff at Personal Touch Dining for their Event Coordination, Catering, and Venue Management!

Vendors

Personal Touch Dining

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music

Lily Benjamin: Florals

Happy Camper Photo Bus

Madeline Barr Photography

Flour Power Custom Cakery

Vintage Elegance Meets Historic Charm

Inspired by our Historic beauty, this couple intertwined their classic “Roaring 20’s” wedding theme with our timeless rustic charm!

Ariana’s stunning feathery layered lace gown perfectly complemented her edgy smokey eye and luscious maroon locks for her Vintage Alternative look.

We love the halo of peacock feathers around her bouquet, so striking and romantic!

Her band of gorgeous Bridesmaids followed the vintage 20’s theme by finding exquisite emerald and sapphire toned flapper dresses to finish off the effect.

The ceremony beneath our majestic Pepper Tree needed only simple decorations along the aisle, and a flowing piece of white cloth to frame the happy couple!

The heartfelt vows, and including their daughter into the ceremony, caused more than a few misty eyes in the crowd.

After the Big Kiss, guests showered the newlyweds in dried flowers and endless love as they came back down the aisle as Husband and Wife.

While the happy couple took formal pictures with family, the rest of the guests moseyed over to the reception area for food, drinks, and lawn games!

The table centerpieces doubled as favors at the end of the night for the guests and were hand made by the Bride and Groom with tall vases, red velvet roses, and ostrich feathers.

Davin Lindwall Photography took these two all over our Ranch to find the perfect pictures, and they look meant for this iconic shot among our bougainvillea.

Rejoining the party with their daughter, they made their way to the center of the dance floor to kick off the rest of the evening with their First Dance!

We’re so thankful these lovebirds chose us to help them celebrate their love!

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

A round of applause for the fantastic team of vendors who helped us keep everything running so smoothly!

Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for our Special Event Catering, Coordination, and Venue Management.

Vendors

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music

Flower You Beautiful

Davin Lindwall Photography

Personal Touch Dining

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

Love the Earth as You Would Each Other

These two Earth-conscious love birds didn’t let the craziness of wedding planning distract them from their constant efforts to be as eco-friendly as possible.

Lindsey and her Bridesmaids looked so elegant in their color-coordinated gowns!

We love the depth of this option for dresses offers through pictures.

John and his Groomsmen also looked very sophisticated in their dark blue suits.

The wedding colors were prominent, but not overdone, resulting in a very tasteful presence.

The centerpieces and other floral arrangements from Cherry Blossom Floral Designs had a magnificent pure beauty and grace.

The Farm Tables the happy couple chose to go with looked like they belonged in our large open dining area!

All the tables needed for decoration were eucalyptus runners and some classic lanterns for the centerpieces!

We love the idea of having the Mason Jar water glasses; it adds a playful feeling to an otherwise traditional motif.

For their wedding favors, each guest received an aluminum engraved reusable straw.

This gift was perfect for Lindsey and John’s Earth-friendly lifestyle.

These two are just the sweetest.

During their first dance, their love could be felt by the whole party.

For dinner, Personal Touch Dining served food from four different food stations where guests could choose the dishes they preferred, or have all four!

(Between Herbed Chicken Roulade, Fresh Grilled Quesadillas, Short Ribs with Waffle Fries, and Salmon with a Coconut Curry Sauce everyone went home more than well-fed.)

Have we mentioned our iconic sunsets?

Not to sound too biased, but they’re some of the best in San Diego.

So we’re thrilled Meurer Image Photography helped prove us right!

Flour Power provided a dainty cake topped for Lindsey and John to cut together

which Personal Touch Dining helped supplement with a fantastic Ice Cream Sundae Station accompanied by a mountain of incredible topping choices!

Thank you, John and Lindsey, for choosing our beloved Ranch to spend your special day!

Your love for each other and the Earth is a shining example of what our futures could be if we put our hearts into it.

Thanks to all of the vendors for the hard work and excellent professionalism as always!

Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for Managing, coordinating, and Catering all our events.

DJ: Nick Weiss

Florals: Cherry Blossom Floral Designs

Photo: Meurer Image Photography

Food and Coordination: Personal Touch Dining

Cake: Flour Power