I will probably never get sick of ranch weddings. I adore the laid-back, organic vibe that seems to always be a part of these events. When they’re mixed with soft, romantic details, like this California beauty from Summer & Boyd, then you have a win-win situation. Loads of crafty, DIY touches, gorgeous florals and a weekend full of fun with a few of your closest loved ones just always feels (and looks) so right! We’ve shared even more loveliness in the full wedding gallery!
Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!
James and I spent our engagement living in Japan and have friends and family all over the country so we always knew we wanted a wedding that allowed for plenty of time to enjoy our celebration. We wanted a location where our guests could stay for a few days and something that provided a comfortable natural backdrop for our low key celebration. With James having grown up in California, Sonoma seemed like a great place for our guests to visit and the Dawn Ranch Lodge was actually the first and only place I looked at in the area! As soon as they mentioned a Labor Day weekend celebration and I saw the cabins I was sold!
When I was able to start planning our wedding, I never could decide on colors or a theme, I just knew I wanted a celebration that seemed organic, casual and a bit DIY. I spent a lot of time looking for inspiration on the internet and selected vendors based solely on whether they seemed to understand our personalities. (Considering I picked them all from Japan and solely through email, I can’t believe how incredibly well everything turned out!) I also focused on incorporating a bit of James and I into everything we did. The snacks and candies left in everyone’s rooms were our personal favorites and hand packaged. We’re both pretty crafty, so all of the stationary at the wedding was handmade, done using individual stamps by ourselves and some incredibly patient friends. And because cake cutting seemed to traditional for us, we decided to do cupcakes and apparently it worked out. Everyone raved about how fantastic they were.
My favorite part of that weekend was probably waking up the day after our wedding and knowing we had a full day of celebration still to go. We had a really fun low key day after photo session, a labor day barbeque and topped the night off with a bonfire and s’mores as a last goodbye to all of our guests. In the end it turned out exactly how we wanted, a celebration of our commitment to one another, but most importantly an incredible chance to really enjoy and share ourselves with the friends and family who were able to attend.
Wedding Photography: Summer & Boyd / Flowers: Viola Floral Design / Hair + Makeup: JS Makeup Artistry / Cupcakes: Sift / Wedding Dress: Casablanca Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: JCrew / Groomsmen shoes: Chuck Taylor by Converse / Wedding Venue: Dawn Ranch