I can only imagine the moment this Bride and Groom first opened these gorgeous images from Feather & Twine Photography. I am sure they shed a happy tear or two, because these images tell the beautiful story of their picture perfect (and super personal) day on the Bride’s family farm. It’s a day I am sure all their guests still talk about today, and you can see all the reasons why right here.
From the Bride...When I was just 16 years old my Mom and Dad came to be the proud new owners of a wild, undeveloped piece of property near Sulphur Springs, Texas. We could only access a small fraction of the property by vehicle and had to explore the rest by foot. The land was overgrown by vines with thorns, trees with thorns, bushes with thorns, weeds with thorns, and just about every creature of wildlife you could imagine would live in East Texas – all breeds of birds, deer, skunks, armadillos, snakes, insects with varieties of bites and stings; it was a rugged piece of land, but it was our piece of the country. We spent our weeks in Rockwall working and attending school, but we spent our weekends in Sulphur Springs. My mom and dad, my younger brother and myself devoted our blood, sweat and tears to that land until it started to look habitable. Roads were laid, creeks were bridged, lakes were dammed, and that little piece of untamed wildlife became our haven where we spent quality time around the campfire, on horseback, and simply being together as a family. It wasn’t long before Mom and I were discussing the idea of hosting my fictitious wedding at their new home in Sulphur Springs – the Running Six Ranch.
Six years later while in college at the University of North Texas, I met Max Buck. He and I were both music majors – he played double bass and I played clarinet. We were in the same band for many semesters before we spoke to one another, but I had always noticed the red headed fireman playing bass from across the room. We were performing a concert one fall night in 2009. As the members of our ensemble were headed out to the stage, I dropped every last page of my music on the floor. It was a huge mess and I was panicking, but Max the fireman came to my rescue. He stopped to help me gather my things, we hurried through a brief introduction, and then we were rushed on to the stage to begin our concert. It was several weeks after that before we spoke again. When Max stopped me during rehearsal one day and asked for my phone number, I was giddy with excitement. I gave him my number and we agreed to meet for dinner the next night. After our first date it was once again several weeks before I spoke with Max. Something about this prolonged period of absence drew me to him, and I was still interested when he finally called me back. After that, we saw each other as often as we could. We had only been together a short six months when he left to pursue his Masters at the University of Maryland in the spring of 2010 after we both graduated with our bachelor degrees from UNT. Soon after Max left the state to further his education, I accepted a job in Lubbock, Texas teaching his school band. We were worlds apart it seemed, but were bound and determined to make our relationship last. After two and half years of long distance phone calls and flights, I accepted a job in the Dallas area and moved back home. After only having been there a few months, Max surprised me with an impromptu visit, a nice dinner in the city and a walk by the lake. At the water’s edge he took a knee and asked for my hand in marriage on August 25th, 2012 – this day would have been my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Max moved back to Texas in December of that same year, and we started planning the dream wedding at my parentsâ?? home in Sulphur Springs.
The property was now home to horses, donkeys, cats, dogs, a beautiful horse barn and my parents’ new house. It had become a beautiful haven in East Texas. Though we had a long engagement it seemed as if the months flew by, and May 3, 2014 was here before we knew it.
The wedding day couldn’t have been more perfect! After a year and a half of planning, the Running Six Ranch was transformed into a fairytale for an evening of celebration, love, laughter, music, good times, friends and family. Our friends and relatives from around the country gathered in our small piece of paradise to celebrate the beginning our marriage. It truly was, and still is, a dream come true.
Photography: Ruét Photo | Event Planning: Foster Blue | Floral Design: Di Fiori | Wedding Dress: Providence Place | Cake: The Luscious Crumb | Invitations: Inviting Ink | Catering: The Fatt Apple, LLC | Band: Gig Masters - PartyPosh | Rentals: All American Party And Tent Rentals