There are oh-so many elements that I absolutely adore about this ranch wedding by Half Orange Photography. The first being the bride’s awesome description of her concept: Cowgirl chic or Studio 54 meets the Hill Country. Totally amazing, right? And their rustic glam soiree definitely fit the bill. I also love that she described her wedding as being a big deal but not the biggest day of her life instead choosing to focus on the real adventure: the incredible marriage that comes after! Big deal or not, the day was absolutely breathtaking!!! See it all in the full gallery!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… I felt my vision began with the concept that this wedding was a big deal, but not the biggest day of my life. Each day after the wedding was more important than the day before, in that growing together was the whole reason we decided to get married! It was almost like I envisioned this wedding as a send off party. We both were leaving our individual lives and individual needs to share needs, concerns, struggles, debt, etc. with each other. In other words, life was no longer going to revolve around our own needs, so we were gonna need one fabulous night with friends, family and dancing because things were gonna get craaaaaa-zzzy after that wedding! When trying to explain the style vision, I kept going back to Cowgirl Barbie and Cowboy Ken (people actually told us that’s what we reminded them of at the wedding — I loved it!!) Now this was not a hayride and BBQ shin-dig though — think Studio 54 in it’s glory days (minus heavy drug usage) meets the Hill Country … confused yet? Cowgirl chic is all I can say to sum it up. Designer wedding dress with a pair of Luchesse boots. I wore my grandmother’s vintage jewelry, and my 15-year-old stepdaughter was my hairstylist. Chandeliers and lace-covered hay bales. Patron and jalapeño cheddar grits. It was so us!
Three things we felt strongly all tied into our relationship with God. Metallics made me think of our own life events where God had purified us through fire, as metals are. Strong, beautiful and unique metallic colors were centered in every part of the wedding. Second, the lights in the bridesmaid lanterns where meant to represent following God’s light (1 John 1:5). Third was the wedding date (9/10/11). A year before, Travis had felt a strong presence from God while driving on a business trip. At that time, his truck odometer hit 111,111 miles while his clock hit 11:11 a.m. Feeling shocked, he pulled over into a nearby church parking lot, and on the front doors of the church, huge signs said CHANGE. That moment opened his eyes and heart up to God’s desire for Travis to seek him more consistently. Ever since we have been intrigued by number patterns. This probably makes us sound like crazy, blue-haired ladies, but we have fun with it and were thrilled to get married on 9/10/11.
The ceremony was short and sweet and to the point. No need to go into great detail. Travis and I knew what our commitment was to each and to God long before that day. The reception was a blur. Without the photography, I think I would have cried, feeling like the night was moving faster than I was able to absorb. Since most of my family is from the west coast, we were going to need some professional help teaching them to two-step along to the Southern Roots Band. The world famous Aggie Wranglers came and showed us how it was done to kick the night off! Great steaks, top-shelf whiskey and nightfall propelled the dance lesson into full party mode. The most profound moment of that night was the moment shortly after our first dance. I was holding hands with my wonderful husband and we looked out into a sea of our favorite people in the world, all in one room. And they were glowing! It took my breath away. I wish I could have taken that moment and captured it. A tip to the wise: under no circumstances should you fail to hire a wedding planner. Susan Keough was the secret ingredient to a stress-less event. In the words of Ferris Bueller, “It is soo choice.”
Wedding Photography: Half Orange Photography / Wedding Venue: Rock Lake Ranch in Anderson, Texas / Wedding Coordination: Susan Keough of A Moment in Time, LLC / Floral Design: Unforgettable Floral / Catering: Eccell Group / Wedding Cake: AllyCakes Bakery / Band: Shawn Jennings and the Southern Roots Band / Dance Lesson: Aggie Wranglers / Wedding Dress: Martina Liana / Bride’s Heels: Aldo / Bride’s Boots: Lucchese / Makeup: Kim Maracchini and Company