Rustic Chic Summer Wedding at Flying Caballos Ranch
Props to this Bride and Groom; not only did they combine their hometowns but they did so in a fun, creative way, mixing a bit of Dorothy and her red sparkly shoes with some Boston and Red Sox style. It came together in a way that leaves me just plain jealous I wasn't a guest at this rustic chic celebration. But with all of Mirelle Carmichaels' pics in our VAULT, we've got the goods on this delightful day!
From the Bride... Alex and I met within a couple months of him moving to Los Angeles about 4-1/2 years ago. We were introduced through a mutual friend and became virtually inseparable right away. We initially bonded over conversations of baseball and other sports, believe it or not. I like to say that I “snatched him right off the boat!” After three years of dating, Alex planned the ultimate surprise and flew to Kansas over the Christmas holiday to propose in front of my entire family! That takes guts, I think!
We gave ourselves a good 18 months to plan the wedding so that we could enjoy the process and relish every moment building up to the big day. As an Interior Designer, the wedding design and process was fun and came first hand for me. The execution was a collective effort between my family, Alex, and myself to turn our ideas and dreams into reality. In addition, we worked with who we feel are the very best and nicest vendors around SLO!
With Alex being from Boston and myself from Kansas, it was important to us to find a destination where our family and friends from afar would all love to visit. We wanted to give everyone a reason to take a vacation and visit California, where we met and fell in love. With that in mind, we found that the central coast offered the ideal California experience for our guests. We also liked the idea of making our guests feel at home and inviting them to our backyard bbq. The Flying Caballos Ranch with it’s laid-back, rustic atmosphere and sprawling views was the absolute perfect setting for this. We loved being able to move into the ranch with our family and wedding party and know we would have the whole weekend to relax, play, and get married!
Our May wedding ceremony overlooked the hills of Edna Valley. As a symbol of Alex’s faith and our new beginnings, we chose to stand under the chuppah which was beautifully draped with whimsical green foliage and hanging glass teardrops. One teardrop for each grandparent not able to be with us. We sealed the ceremony with a kiss and the traditional glass stomp!
The decor was a soft, romantic color scheme of blue, mint, sage, and teal. Blue gingham accents, rustic wood, metallic copper accents, and lots of fresh white blooms and whimsical green foliage were added to the mix. My bridesmaids wore flowy chiffon dresses in different shades that they chose of blue and green. Alex’s groomsmen wore navy suits, gingham shirts and coordinating striped ties. He wanted them to look like they belonged in a whiskey bar serving up craft cocktails.
As creative people, Alex and I took every opportunity to incorporate unique and personal elements into the decor and guest experience. The flower boxes on the dinner tables were fabricated by my parents from reclaimed wood from an old barn where my mother grew up in Kansas. It was the perfect touch of rustic filled with so much meaning. My mother also made the guest favors, which were homemade jams from the fresh fruits on our farm. I designed the gingham labels for her jams: Mint to Be, Berry Good Life, Hot Love, Plum Perfect, Life is Peachy, Appley Ever After, and Cherry in Love. Together Alex and I designed and created a custom photo opportunity for guests: a carnival cut-out picturing Dorothy and the Lexington Minuteman - hinting to the marriage of a Kansan and a Bostonian!
Our signature cocktails were an homage to our favorite baseball teams the Royals and the Red Sox, ‘the Bo Jackson’ and ‘the Big Papi’. Our backyard bbq dinner, catered by the local Old San Luis BBQ, was a perfect taste of home. A variety of homemade relishes, also by my mother, were served with dinner. For dessert, cupcakes and an ice cream truck surprise! We loved seeing the surprise on everyone’s face when the truck pulled up ringing the classic music. The kids went wild!
Our first dance was another special moment when Alex’s musician friend and groomsmen sang an acoustic version of our favorite song, Junk of the Heart (Happy) by The Kooks. During the dance, my 7-year old nephew and ring bearer also surprised us with his joke-telling skit. He just might be a comedian one day!
Although the day surprised us as one of the windiest and coldest days in the valley, it did not stop our guests from dancing and hanging by the fire all night long. Looking back at our beautiful photographs now, we miss our wedding and wish we could relive it over and over again! You never really know until you experience it, but this is certainly true: to have our family and friends in one place to celebrate with us is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and is the greatest feeling imaginable. We are completely fulfilled by these memories and by knowing that our loved ones were able to live it up and make our celebration into an unforgettable vacation for themselves.
We gave ourselves a good 18 months to plan the wedding so that we could enjoy the process and relish every moment building up to the big day. As an Interior Designer, the wedding design and process was fun and came first hand for me. The execution was a collective effort between my family, Alex, and myself to turn our ideas and dreams into reality. In addition, we worked with who we feel are the very best and nicest vendors around SLO!
With Alex being from Boston and myself from Kansas, it was important to us to find a destination where our family and friends from afar would all love to visit. We wanted to give everyone a reason to take a vacation and visit California, where we met and fell in love. With that in mind, we found that the central coast offered the ideal California experience for our guests. We also liked the idea of making our guests feel at home and inviting them to our backyard bbq. The Flying Caballos Ranch with it’s laid-back, rustic atmosphere and sprawling views was the absolute perfect setting for this. We loved being able to move into the ranch with our family and wedding party and know we would have the whole weekend to relax, play, and get married!
Our May wedding ceremony overlooked the hills of Edna Valley. As a symbol of Alex’s faith and our new beginnings, we chose to stand under the chuppah which was beautifully draped with whimsical green foliage and hanging glass teardrops. One teardrop for each grandparent not able to be with us. We sealed the ceremony with a kiss and the traditional glass stomp!
The decor was a soft, romantic color scheme of blue, mint, sage, and teal. Blue gingham accents, rustic wood, metallic copper accents, and lots of fresh white blooms and whimsical green foliage were added to the mix. My bridesmaids wore flowy chiffon dresses in different shades that they chose of blue and green. Alex’s groomsmen wore navy suits, gingham shirts and coordinating striped ties. He wanted them to look like they belonged in a whiskey bar serving up craft cocktails.
As creative people, Alex and I took every opportunity to incorporate unique and personal elements into the decor and guest experience. The flower boxes on the dinner tables were fabricated by my parents from reclaimed wood from an old barn where my mother grew up in Kansas. It was the perfect touch of rustic filled with so much meaning. My mother also made the guest favors, which were homemade jams from the fresh fruits on our farm. I designed the gingham labels for her jams: Mint to Be, Berry Good Life, Hot Love, Plum Perfect, Life is Peachy, Appley Ever After, and Cherry in Love. Together Alex and I designed and created a custom photo opportunity for guests: a carnival cut-out picturing Dorothy and the Lexington Minuteman - hinting to the marriage of a Kansan and a Bostonian!
Our signature cocktails were an homage to our favorite baseball teams the Royals and the Red Sox, ‘the Bo Jackson’ and ‘the Big Papi’. Our backyard bbq dinner, catered by the local Old San Luis BBQ, was a perfect taste of home. A variety of homemade relishes, also by my mother, were served with dinner. For dessert, cupcakes and an ice cream truck surprise! We loved seeing the surprise on everyone’s face when the truck pulled up ringing the classic music. The kids went wild!
Our first dance was another special moment when Alex’s musician friend and groomsmen sang an acoustic version of our favorite song, Junk of the Heart (Happy) by The Kooks. During the dance, my 7-year old nephew and ring bearer also surprised us with his joke-telling skit. He just might be a comedian one day!
Although the day surprised us as one of the windiest and coldest days in the valley, it did not stop our guests from dancing and hanging by the fire all night long. Looking back at our beautiful photographs now, we miss our wedding and wish we could relive it over and over again! You never really know until you experience it, but this is certainly true: to have our family and friends in one place to celebrate with us is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and is the greatest feeling imaginable. We are completely fulfilled by these memories and by knowing that our loved ones were able to live it up and make our celebration into an unforgettable vacation for themselves.
