A venue that contains not only a gorgeous Malibu ranch but also zebras (zebras!) sounds like a sure fire way to capture our wedding hearts and oh how it does. The second we laid eyes on the photographs from Steve Steinhardt we were smitten. Smitten with the gorgeous details crafted by Beth Helmstetter, smitten with the fabulous calligraphy by Laura Hooper, smitten with the easy elegance of the whole affair. Yep, you name it and we are smitten with it. We have a feeling you are all going to fall head over heels for this lovely day as well. The gallery awaits with even more from this Malibu soiree.
see all the perfect-in-every-way details here!
and the pretty parade isn’t over quite yet. We also happen to have a lovely film shot by Aqua Vivus to share with you. So sit back and get comfy and we are going to finish off this Malibu Wedding the best way we know how…
Ryan and I knew that we wanted our wedding to be a reflection of us and to pull in a lot of personal elements. I have always wanted an outdoor wedding so that was a key factor when choosing to go with Saddlerock Ranch. Ryan let me know early that he didn’t want to wear a black tux, and with the beautiful garden-like setting of Le Chateau, we thought a grey suit would be nice. When my sister, Laura, picked out the Caspian Blue dress from J.Crew, we knew we had our color scheme! Laura designed our invitation suite with my personal tastes in mind, and I think it turned out beautifully – she even blind letterpressed dots on the invites since she felt that was very “me.” When my mom thought to line the envelopes with lace and then wrap the suite in lace with the twine it was just perfect! My mom and I spent months scouring EBay for vintage stamps that we liked, and it was really fun taking the time to select stamps for each individual or couple receiving an invitation.
It was important to us that nothing be too formal and that everyone have fun. We kept the ceremony on the shorter side and had a family style dinner so guests could enjoy some of everything – and the menu by The Food Matters was absolutely fabulous! The Dr. Pepper bottles (our favorite soda) were shipped in from Dublin, Texas (Ryan’s home state), the original bottling source, and we located the Dr. Pepper crates on EBay to create the escort card display. I found vintage horseshoes on Etsy that tied in perfectly with the venue and printed materials, my parents’ neighbor hand crafted the cake box, my dad assembled all of the wooden signs, and our lifelong family friend made the chocolates for the favors! My mom even purchased coordinating candles, hand soaps, trays and wastebaskets for the restrooms – there was no detail that was too small! My mom and I made many trips to various stores to find all of the dinner plates that were mixed and matched with a collection from our event designer, Beth Helmstetter. Everyone really came together to make the day beautiful and memorable, and we couldn’t have been happier with the result. The best part is that we have a lot of the detail items in our home now as special reminders our wedding celebration.
You can barely tell from the photos, but it was raining the day of our all outdoor wedding. When we pulled up to the venue and couldn’t see five feet in front of us because the fog was so low, I think it’s safe to say I was pretty devastated! But my hair and makeup began and I thought to myself, “No matter what you are marrying Ryan today, and that is that!” Fortunately, around 2pm the rain stopped, the skies started to clear and by the time the ceremony started, we even had a bit of sun! The ceremony went off without a hitch, dinner was absolutely delcious, and our wonderful DJ kept us all dancing into the night. Everything was perfect, and we are so fortunate to have had such an amazing team of vendors working on our wedding!
Event Design & Planning: Beth Helmstetter Events / Wedding Stationery & Calligraphy: Laura Hooper Calligraphy / Photography: Steve Steinhardt / Cinematography: Aqua Vivus / Linens: La Tavola Linen / Catering: The Food Matters / Cake: Susiecakes / Florist: Holly Flora / Rentals: Town & Country Rentals / Venue: Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu, California / Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew