Rustic, Glamorous Mission Ranch Wedding
Set in the stunning Carmel valley, this glamorous affair is a total showstopper! With the expert planning from Coastside Couture, Bridesmaids bedecked in the prettiest pink, a stunning chandelier studded tented reception, and Ryon:Lockhart Photography on board to capture it all, there's no way you won't be swooning after peeking at the gallery here.
From the beautiful Bride... Ryan and I first met in the dorms while attending our freshmen year at Cal Poly San Obispo. Although only friends throughout college we both knew something more was there. Amazingly, five years after college we reconnected in San Francisco and began dating. Eleven short months later, in early November, we were engaged on Chambers Pier while spending a winter weekend in Tahoe. Great things are worth waiting for!
Planning started immediately. Location was the first thing to nail down. We were living in Northern California, but both had family in Southern California and out of state. It was a must that our entire families could join in on the loving day. After we were able to gather our wild thoughts of getting married in the snow we decided that the Central Coast could be the perfect meeting point.
While spending Thanksgiving weekend in Carmel we decided to check out a few locations in the charming seaside town, and Mission Ranch made a huge impression. Once we stepped on property we were completely smitten with the views of Point Lobos and the Pacific Ocean, this was the perfect place for us to get married. California Central Coast has this thing called Indian summer where the coasts are warmer during September/October than in the summer months. Date nailed down with that in mind, September 13th, now on to vendors.
My creative mind started turning after we chose the location, that’s when you are really able to visualize what you can do with a property. Now we just needed to find vendors who could make that vision come to life. Choosing vendors can seem like a daunting task at first. Where to start when there are so many details to care about and such talented people in the wedding industry. Destination weddings can be an extra challenge; you want your wedding day to be perfect with the perfect people surrounding you, but usually getting a feel for someone is done in person.
Fortunately we were only a few hours away and made the trip quite a few times, but we also had Skype dates with some vendors to see how we fit together. This is how we first met our wedding coordinator Sonia and how we met photographers Sarah and Tim with Ryon:Lockhart Photography. Truth be told I knew Sarah from high school, but it had been over ten years since we had spoken or seen each other. Sarah and her husband Tim made an incredible photography team with one photographer dedicated to both the bridal party and groomsmen on wedding day. For flowers, Melody was such a pleasure to work with; I knew when I met her in her studio that she was the calm creative type I mesh well with. In addition to the wedding experts we had incredible support and help from my mother and mother in law, I would have gotten lost in the details forever without them!
Now that I had picked my dream team to engage with during the process I wanted to get to work creating a romantic and loving environment for us to get married in and our guests to fall in love with. Given that I already had the perfect groom my one big ask for our wedding day was a chandelier. Luckily Mission Ranch was just starting to play around with the idea of tenting their small barn. This would allow a larger guest list on the barn with the breathtaking views. Not only did we get a large chandelier, but the tent allowed for tooling and lighting which gave the whole space the romantic glow I was dreaming about. That’s when the day started to feel real and within reach, a clear tent to see the night’s sky, a meadow with sheep behind us, a glimpse of the Carmel River and Point Lobos through the meadow, a sunset over Carmel Beach and my chandelier! The framework for our beautiful day was set.
The Big Day could not have felt more right. The wedding party stayed on property all weekend. The guys took the lower meadow and the Bridal Party stayed on the top ½ of the property. Both the Groom and I had balconies off our second story rooms that faced each other and the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. It was so fun to see Ryan and his Groomsmen across the meadow getting ready while my Bridal Party and I were getting ready in the Bridal Suite. The pictures say it all: we had the time of our lives!
Our wedding was more than either of us could have hoped for. Surrounded by the most loving friends and family, we had a night full of love and laughter. All vendors were incredible to work with and I have to say the band was a major highlight, perfect for all ages! All guests were from out of town and were able to enjoy the charming town of Carmel during the weekend. Best of all Ryan and I were married! I still love creating our love story every day.
Planning started immediately. Location was the first thing to nail down. We were living in Northern California, but both had family in Southern California and out of state. It was a must that our entire families could join in on the loving day. After we were able to gather our wild thoughts of getting married in the snow we decided that the Central Coast could be the perfect meeting point.
While spending Thanksgiving weekend in Carmel we decided to check out a few locations in the charming seaside town, and Mission Ranch made a huge impression. Once we stepped on property we were completely smitten with the views of Point Lobos and the Pacific Ocean, this was the perfect place for us to get married. California Central Coast has this thing called Indian summer where the coasts are warmer during September/October than in the summer months. Date nailed down with that in mind, September 13th, now on to vendors.
My creative mind started turning after we chose the location, that’s when you are really able to visualize what you can do with a property. Now we just needed to find vendors who could make that vision come to life. Choosing vendors can seem like a daunting task at first. Where to start when there are so many details to care about and such talented people in the wedding industry. Destination weddings can be an extra challenge; you want your wedding day to be perfect with the perfect people surrounding you, but usually getting a feel for someone is done in person.
Fortunately we were only a few hours away and made the trip quite a few times, but we also had Skype dates with some vendors to see how we fit together. This is how we first met our wedding coordinator Sonia and how we met photographers Sarah and Tim with Ryon:Lockhart Photography. Truth be told I knew Sarah from high school, but it had been over ten years since we had spoken or seen each other. Sarah and her husband Tim made an incredible photography team with one photographer dedicated to both the bridal party and groomsmen on wedding day. For flowers, Melody was such a pleasure to work with; I knew when I met her in her studio that she was the calm creative type I mesh well with. In addition to the wedding experts we had incredible support and help from my mother and mother in law, I would have gotten lost in the details forever without them!
Now that I had picked my dream team to engage with during the process I wanted to get to work creating a romantic and loving environment for us to get married in and our guests to fall in love with. Given that I already had the perfect groom my one big ask for our wedding day was a chandelier. Luckily Mission Ranch was just starting to play around with the idea of tenting their small barn. This would allow a larger guest list on the barn with the breathtaking views. Not only did we get a large chandelier, but the tent allowed for tooling and lighting which gave the whole space the romantic glow I was dreaming about. That’s when the day started to feel real and within reach, a clear tent to see the night’s sky, a meadow with sheep behind us, a glimpse of the Carmel River and Point Lobos through the meadow, a sunset over Carmel Beach and my chandelier! The framework for our beautiful day was set.
The Big Day could not have felt more right. The wedding party stayed on property all weekend. The guys took the lower meadow and the Bridal Party stayed on the top ½ of the property. Both the Groom and I had balconies off our second story rooms that faced each other and the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. It was so fun to see Ryan and his Groomsmen across the meadow getting ready while my Bridal Party and I were getting ready in the Bridal Suite. The pictures say it all: we had the time of our lives!
Our wedding was more than either of us could have hoped for. Surrounded by the most loving friends and family, we had a night full of love and laughter. All vendors were incredible to work with and I have to say the band was a major highlight, perfect for all ages! All guests were from out of town and were able to enjoy the charming town of Carmel during the weekend. Best of all Ryan and I were married! I still love creating our love story every day.