Considering I immediately fell in love with this couple as I read the Brides story below, seeing all of their personal touches play out in their wedding is even more fantastic. From the cotton bales and Festive Design‘s bright blooms, to the rustic (him) and glam (her) combination, this wedding is 100% them. Jen Rodriguez captured every one of these details in this glowing gallery right here.
From the Bride… Wes and I met at Cal Poly in 2007 in a calculus class. The week of finals I got a Facebook message from Wes asking if I was in his calculus class (we had never spoken, only glanced at each other a time or two), and I instantly thought he was going to ask me for help or to study. After exchanging a couple messages he asked for my phone number. At that point it was Christmas break and we were both back home for the holiday, so over those couple weeks we talked on the phone for countless hours. A few days before school started back up for Winter Quarter we decided to get together. It was the first time we would meet ‘officially’ in person… and the rest is history. We hit it off and never looked back. Almost seven years later, we are so excited to finally make it forever!
Wes proposed last November on the 24th, it was a Sunday… We were at my house getting ready for our trip to DC we had been planning for months. It was an exciting time for us, and Wes made it even more exciting by popping the question! I had no idea it was coming, and it was so special since it was just us and our beloved dog child Ace, at a place we had so many memories. We no longer live there, but it was such a good home for a few years, and now I will always have a special memory about that little house.
When wedding planning, most importantly we knew we wanted to get married in San Luis Obispo. Some of our best memories are there, and we met there. It will always be a special place to us. We also wanted a venue that reminded us of the beauty of SLO, and could create a whole wedding weekend to be enjoyed by our closest friends and family. Greengate Ranch does all of that. Wes grew up on a ranch, and now we live on our own ranch so that lifestyle is important to us. Our wedding vision is definitely rustic glam. Joyce my coordinator took care of decor, and she understood me perfectly. I wanted to incorporate both of those details since they are so very much Wes and I. He will always be a cowboy at heart, and as I learn the ropes (hehe) I will never lose touch with my girly self. We are doing a rustic bbq, signature cocktails, mini cupcakes, and mini donuts! Field to Table hit the nail on the head with our menu that fits us and our venue perfectly. Having a live band was also really important to us, since we are such big live music lovers. We are so excited to have Matt Cross and the One Night Band. We also thought it fit our venue and over all theme really well.
My family grows cotton in the Central Valley (Corcoran, CA) so it was important to me to have it in our florals, and anywhere else we can incorporate it. Our favors are mini cotton bales made especially for the big day. People will probably wonder what to do with them, but I like to keep one on my coffee table as a convo piece. Joyce (our coordinator), played up the charm of the old vintage barn using draping, grape vine, and lots of votive candles. We really wanted to set the mood in the barn for dinner.
I so looked forward to marrying my best friend, seeing family and old friends, and dancing! Wes and I wanted to just soak it all in and laugh, cry, and have some fun. The planning process had been fun but definitely had it’s ups and downs, so we couldn’t wait to see our vision come to life and just enjoy it surrounded by the most important people in our lives. We have been a long time in the making (almost seven years) so we were ready to seal the deal!
Photography: Jen Rodriguez Photography | Videographer : Ryan Wood | Coordination: Hope Stanley | Floral Design: Festive Designs | Cupcakes : Seabreeze Cupcakes | Catering : Field To Table Events | Make-up: Twist Studios | Hair: Twist Studios | Bride's Boots: Corral Boots | Bride's Dress: Mori Lee | Bride's Earrings : BHLDN | Ceremony And Reception: Greengate Ranch & Vineyard | Groom's Tie : The Grunion Run | Grooms's Attire: Calvin Klein | Hair Flower (worn During Reception): The Yellow Peony | Live Music : La Cuesta Ranch