Timeless Elegance Meets Rustic Charm!

Among his squad of groomsmen, the stylish surprise of Adam’s white jacket and black bow tie made him stand out as the prominent star of his show!

We love the fun mix of blues in Julie’s Bridesmaid’s dresses; the effect gives depth and personality to her side of the bridal party!

As their guests arrived, everyone stopped at the Welcome Table to drop off cards, gifts, and grab a quick refreshment before finding their ceremony seat.

As a cute activity for the guests, instead of a sign-in book, Julie and Adam asked for well-wishes or advice to be slipped into wine bottles for them to read years later!

Everyone waited excitedly for the ceremony on our patio, while they listened to Nick Weiss Music artfully sing and play his guitar.

Our Pepper Tree had a miniature makeover for the big day, thanks to KO Floral Designs, with a stunning garland of eucalyptus and pops of bright corals, pinks, and peach blooms.

The last to leave the Hacienda, the Bride and her Father get to share a private moment before they make their trip down the aisle.

What a spectacular backdrop this scene makes for The Big Kiss!

You can’t help but catch the excitement coming from The Glow off of these two!

As soon as the ceremony finished, guests moved to the reception area where Personal Touch Dining served craft cocktails and fresh appetizers made on-site!

KO Floral Designs and Ivory + Stone Event Co. worked together to make sure each dining table had the perfect tablescape.

Finally, after some romantic sunset pictures, the love birds made their way back to the party with their Grand Entrance.

The First Dance as Husband and Wife is such a heartwarming moment for the newlyweds to have, especially surrounded by their family and friends!

For dinner, Personal Touch Dining offered guests a delicious and well-balanced buffet full of Julie and Adam’s favorite dishes, all made fresh on-site!

A champagne toast after dinner brought laughter and happy tears right before opening the dance floor for the rest of the evening.

KO Floral Designs decorated the adorable Couple’s Cake and Dessert Bar shelves for the cake cutting later in the night.

Personal Touch Dining made sure to gather a wide variety of sweet treats for guests to grab on their way back to the dance floor!

Nick Weiss Music kept the dance floor rocking the rest of the night, much to the delight of the groovy guests!

We are so proud to be part of this beautiful couple’s love story!

Thanks to Ivory + Stone Event Co., Mike Thezier Photography,  and the rest of the incredible vendors for working with us to make this day so special!

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

Vendors

Mike Thezier Photography

Ryan Films SD Videography

KO Floral Designs

Nick Weiss Music

Personal Touch Dining

Ivory + Stone Event Co.

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

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

Thanks to Joe & Kathrina Photography, we’ve got some beautiful pictures to share.

After a heartfelt ceremony on our Wash House Patio, guests made their way down to our reception area.

Refreshing craft cocktails and delicious appetizers, made fresh on-site from Personal Touch Dining, circulated the area while everyone enjoyed mingling with their family and friends.

A vintage lounge area, from Sundrop Vintage Rentals, overlooked the patio games.

New lounge areas like this are high quality, comfortable, and perfect for any Instagram-worthy photo opportunities!

Beautiful Savage Flowers brought vibrant blues and pops of pink into their floral arrangements.

Overall, it had a wild romantic quality that blended seamlessly with the happy couple’s decor!

After cocktail hour, the newlyweds joined the party with their Grand Entrance, soon followed by their First Dance!

Guests enjoyed the heartwarming champagne toasts from the Bride and Groom’s parents, and then the buffet opened.

Personal Touch Dining served up another fantastic buffet dinner.

The guests were thrilled with the savory carved-to-order Tri-Tip and extra spicy Horseradish Cream Sauce!

Nick Weiss Music opened the dancefloor to everyone after dinner, and guests danced off just enough of their dinner to make room for the dessert!

The love birds decided to have a Couple’s Cake for their cake cutting ceremony.

We love the floral decoration on this beautiful cake!

Personal Touch Dining provided a full dessert display on our Dessert Bar for the guests to enjoy.

Between the Brownies, Lemon Squares, Cheese Cake Bites, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, everyone got exactly what they wanted!

We’re so happy for this incredible couple, and wish them all the best in their beautiful future together!

Thanks to all the excellent vendors who helped make this day so unique for Shelby and Emily!

We couldn’t do what we love without all your help.

Extra appreciative of Personal Touch Dining for the Catering, Event Coordination, and Venue Management of all our special events!

Vendors

Joe & Kathrina Photography

Personal Touch Dining

Nick Weiss Music

Beautiful Savage Flowers

Sundrop Vintage Rentals

Primavera en El Rancho

Our favorite time at the Ranch is Spring!

Especially around April, when the peacocks are active and inspire our clients with their beautiful foliage and bright personalities.

Katy and her bridesmaids took their time getting ready in our historic vintage Bridal Suite while waiting for the ceremony to start!

We can’t get enough of the stunning embroidery on Katy’s gown!

Eamonn looked fresh in his Spring-inspired ensemble!

A light suit with a splash of color in a floral pocket square is the way to go for an April wedding.

As guests made their way down the path from the parking lot, enjoying the natural beauty of our Ranch, tray-passed champagne and sparkling water welcomed them into the ceremony area.

The intimate ceremony was for closest friends and family only, but right after, everyone enjoyed delectable appetizers and craft cocktails from Personal Touch Dining!

Below are pictured some of the Mini Beef Sliders with Muenster Cheese and Bacon Jam made on-site.

Our seating chart went with their rustic motif perfectly, and is flexible enough for escort cards or more extensive table arrangements!

We always appreciate when a happy couple wants to customize their tablescape; it allows us to show off our variety of options!

This gold flatware matched the vintage champagne glasses, and a menu-fold napkin has endless possibilities to tuck all kinds of thoughtful treasures for your guests.

These simple, yet gorgeous centerpieces were all from the Bride and Groom!

A tablescape can feel complete with a few hand-potted plants and a chic source of light for after sunset.

After the Grand Entrance, this glowing couple gathered everyone and expressed their sincerest thanks for all the love and support they’ve received.

Soon after, guests found their seats and staff from Personal Touch Dining poured more champagne as guests helped themselves to the buffet.

The rich assortment of food on the buffet, provided by Personal Touch Dining, included their heavenly Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes and tasty Herb Crusted Mahi Mahi with Lemon Chardonnay Sauce and Fresh Herb garnish.

As a final touch, their second protein was their famous Citrus & Oregano Marinated Grilled Tri-Tip, carved to order!

 This pairs best with their fresh Horseradish Cream Sauce, a Tomato and Corn Relish, and decadent Au Jus.

As thoughtful wedding favors, the lovebirds offered guests cozy blankets that matched our royal blue peacocks!

We loved working with this terrific couple, and wish them all the best in their bright future together!

Huge thanks also to our team of incredible vendors who helped us make such a fun day flow flawlessly!

Especially with all of Personal Touch Dining‘s hard work Catering, Coordinating, and Venue Management of the event!

Vendors

Bill Calhoun Mobile Music

Florals: By Client

Rentals: Adore Folklore

Personal Touch Dining

TK Photography

Pixster Photo Booth

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. 

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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

Fun Custom Detailed Wedding!

So much genuine care and creativity went into the planning process of Derrick and Kathleen’s Wedding here at our Ranch.

We loved helping these love birds put everything together to create such a fun-filled event!

Nick Weiss was back at it again, entertaining guests and displaying his incredible skills and his melodious voice for guests’ entertainment.

When guests first arrived for the ceremony, greeting them was this little DIY sign made by the Bride and Groom!

Right before the ceremony began, Kami Olavarria Photography caught this precious moment where the flower girls were giving Derrick a little pep-talk.

We asked Kathleen to share some thoughts about her wedding with us, and she was so sweet to answer us!

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day?

Kathleen: “Given that Leo Carrillo was such a gorgeous outdoor venue, we just wanted to play off of that and have a really natural, simple wedding.”

Tell us about the proposal!

K: “Derrick proposed to me after three years together on a hike of the Torrey Pines Reserve, with both of our sisters and best friends.”

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

K: “The most special moment for us was our first look. It was the perfect time for us to really just experience the roller coaster of emotions between just the two of us.”

“It’s the one part of that day where you get to slow down and really take in everything together.”

Along with the caricatures, guests enjoyed playing our complimentary lawn games like Giant Jenga, and Corn Hole.

During cocktail hour, Personal Touch Dining kept guests well fed and encouraged keeping a cold beverage always on hand!

Guests helped themselves to the hearty buffet from Personal Touch Dining.

The newlyweds made their way around to each table during dinner, making sure no guests left without a quick kiss and hug!

Kathleen commented, “I would also have to say make sure you really take time and let your guests know how much it means to have them there; they really appreciate it.”

The happy couple had personalized Tic-Tacs made as another fun wedding favor for their guests!

Flour Power baked up the cutest personal Couple’s Cake for the ceremonial Cake-Cutting while pre-cut slices floated around the floor for guests to help themselves from another cake.

Nick Weiss kept the dance floor rocking the rest of the evening, and the guests danced away into the night!

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

K: “My advice to others, which sounds so cliché, but it really is the best advice is just to enjoy the day. You spend months planning and making sure everything is perfect for it just to pass in a blink of an eye.”

“It’s the best day, and you just wish that you could do it over again.”

We’re so happy these two enjoyed their special day, we loved celebrating with them!

Huge thanks to all the vendors who were part of this night, we sincerely appreciate all your hard work and commitment to your crafts!

Special thanks to Personal Touch Dining for the Catering, Coordination, and Venue Management of all our Special Events here at the Ranch.

Vendors:

Kami Olavarria Photography

Personal Touch Dining

Flour Power

Jamul Flowers

Nick Weiss

Caricatures By Dave

The ceremony, accompanied by musician and DJ Nick Weiss, was beautifully heartfelt.

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!

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!

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.

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:

Anna Delores Photography

Catering, Coordination, and venue Management: Personal Touch Dining

KO Floral Designs

DJ: Nick Weiss Music

Cake: Flour Power

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!

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