Referring to their Big Day as a “fancy picnic”, this couple planned the ultimate casual-classy fête. It’s a day where romance reigned supreme and darling details followed. Complete with wooden pews, vintage decor, and plenty of DIY touches, their wedding proves that love is in the details, and thanks to Sposto Photography you can see it all right here!
From Sposto Photography…This enchanted evening took place at the iconic Whispering Rose Ranch in Solvang California. Home to some of the most prestigious animals in the world, this working ranch is a sanctuary for horse lovers. The bride got ready in the stone cottage while her groom buttoned up in the groom’s salon adorned with childhood relics of The Horse Whisperer himself. They celebrated under the twinkling lights of sycamore lane, a tree-lined roadway transitioned into the most beautiful reception area.
From The Bride…When Mike and I got engaged, we knew right away the most important thing we wanted in our wedding day…an outdoor venue that embodied a beautiful space for our friends and family to celebrate our day with us in a relaxed, causal atmosphere.
We originally had booked our wedding at an outdoor space in Laguna Beach, not too far from our home in Orange County, but as fate would have it, that venue just wasn’t in the cards. When we begin looking again we decided to look outside of Orange County, and instead ventured to the Santa Ynez wine region, where we got engaged. It was there that we were introduced to Whispering Rose Ranch, which coincidentally (or not?) was directly across the road from the private winery where we were engaged. Upon entering the tree lined, gorgeous horse farm we knew it would be the perfect fit for our big day.
When planning out the décor and details we wanted them to be a true representation of our personalities. I wanted a romantic, rustic feel; a “fancy” picnic as one might call it. Mike just wanted everyone to have good food, drinks and a massive dance party under the stars! The flowers were probably the most important detail to me and Laura from Passion Flowers Design was one of the first vendors we chose. I’m a pink girl at heart, so I wanted soft peaches and blushes with natural green accents. I wanted all the flowers to have different textures and volume. Laura did the MOST amazing job with all the floral details and her design was truly magical. To accent the amazing floral displays, and beauty of the ranch we rented vintage furniture and décor from Teddy at Sweet Beginnings Vintage Rentals. From the wooden pews, to the vintage pink couch, rose handled buffet, vintage china and white rustic bar, the décor added to the overall look we wanted. We chose Polka Dot Caterers to create our fancy, yet causal BBQ menu to complement the large bar menu Mike had created. We opted to forgo many of the traditional wedding details such as bouquet toss and caking cutting so we could have more time to do what we do best: dance! DJ Patrick B, was amazing at putting together a play list that we help to create that had people dancing for hours. And to capture it all, Sposto Photography was there to mark the special moments and tell our story through photos. Our photographer came highly recommended by two mutual friends, and her artistic, romantic style was exactly what I wanted. She was another vendor that I secured early, and had confidence at our first meeting that she was someone I wanted by my side throughout the entire wedding process.
Last but not least, we wanted to add our own touch to many of the details. I hand wrote all the seating assignments, bridal party program and menu on windows and we made the wooden signs, table numbers and even the corn hole game ourselves (Mike is quite handy!) to add a personal touch.
Every detail turned out just how we wanted it. We couldn’t have been happier that day. And most importantly, everyone had an amazing time in a space we can say we created to celebrate all of our friends and family coming together to the party of our lives.
Photography: Sposto Photography | Coordination: Ann Johnson Events | Floral Design: Passion Flowers | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Invitations: Minted | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: Polka Dot Planners | Hair And Makeup: Liz Rivas For Sweeter Than Honey | DJ: DJ Patrick Butler | Venue: Whispering Rose Ranch | Bridal Boutique: Blush Bridal Couture | Rentals: Sweet Beginnings Vintage Rental