My country girl heart is swoooooning over today’s ranch wedding from Ashley Cook Photography! Cheerful blooms by Wildflower Portland and Summer Robbins Flowers, a tented reception, and the sweetest floral adorned, four legged friends – I mean, what more could a girl really ask for, are we right?! Gallop on over to the full gallery to see all the beauty of the day.
From Ashley Cook Photography… Ransom and Brandice were married overlooking the beautiful mountains of Tumalo, Oregon on a private estate. The couple focused on celebrating with friends and family and their four-legged family. From the family dog to Ransom and Brandice’s horses who watched over the whole ceremony from their field. When Brandice told me how she wanted her wedding to feel, she said she wanted an upscale cowboy wedding. Horses and country music, but also chandeliers, lush blooms and tuxedos for the men.
From the Bride and Groom… We were high school sweethearts who first started dating in the fall of 2008. It only seemed fitting to choose the first Saturday in October for our wedding day, as it was just a few days after our 11 year anniversary of dating. It was risky to choose a fall outdoor wedding in Central Oregon, but the day ended up being everything we could have hoped for and more. The week leading up to our wedding left the Cascade mountain range covered in a fresh coat of snow, making the most beautiful backdrop for our sunny and 65 degree outdoor ceremony. We were married in the hay-field of my childhood home as my horses watched and grazed on the same grass they grew up on. As my father and I walked down the aisle, we heard the horses whinnying in approval behind us. The weather, and the whole day, ended up being nothing short of perfection. To the best of our abilities, we added sweet surprises to every detail of our wedding day. My husband wore golden tiger’s eye cuff-links that belonged to my paternal grandfather, who passed away at the beginning of our relationship. I wore one of the first diamond rings my father ever gave my mother, and my mother wore my paternal grandmother’s wedding ring. Each bridesmaid wore hand-tooled leather earrings, made by one of my friends from high-school – the same friend was also hired to make beautiful leather-tooled wedding gifts for my husband and I from our best man, my husband’s brother. My mother hand-made every linen napkin as a favor for the 300 guests, and the menus and venue were adorned with our agricultural brand “B H R” signifying our first names joining with our last name in marriage.
Outside of all the planned details, we also had some serendipitous surprises. We were introduced for the first time and “Mr. And Mrs. Hayden” as our dog joined us on the grand entrance, bounding across the dance-floor with as much enthusiasm as anyone else attending the reception. She stayed for dinner, shifting back and forth between the sweetheart’s table and the bride’s family table – absolutely making herself at home among the guests. We also had a surprised arrival of our florist’s first-born child a day before the wedding – a beautiful surprise that taught us a lot about love, friendship, and trusting that everything works out in the end. Even with a few last-minute changes of plan, our wedding florals were the perfect, stunning bow-on-top of our wedding day decor.
From the Florist… As a Florist I often get asked by fellow vendors, “What event are you looking forward to the most this year?” Last year the answer to that question was always top of mind- Ransom & Brandice’s wedding on October 5th. Somewhere along the planning process Brandice became much more (!) of a friend than a client and I jokingly dubbed myself her fairy godmother. I was so smitten with this couple, with their love story, and I could not wait for their big day! I got busy planting flowers I would use at their wedding, sourcing leather to wrap their bouquets (etc, etc, etc) and then I got pregnant with my husband and my first child- due in October! The week of their wedding I shopped early- I was just so excited, and good thing because hours after leaving the flower market I was induced at the hospital! I remember asking the doctor if it would be alright to leave (go home and arrange, I thought) and come back. No such luck. So I thought, “If I have this baby today, it still gives me time to make it to the wedding;” that was Wednesday, and by Friday reality was setting in, I would miss the wedding of the year- that I had spent all this loving energy dreaming and planning. From the hospital bed, in labor, I coordinated with my Floral Designer friend- Summer Robbins. She and her team would take my vision and all of the flowers I had sourced, and they would deliver Ransom and Brandice’s wedding flowers. It was a collaborative effort I’m so proud of, eternally grateful for, and will never forget. Our baby girl was born one day before the Hayden wedding and yay- I’ll never forget their anniversary!
Photography: Ashley Cook Photography | Stationery: Minted | Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. | Rings: Marrow Fine | Hair and Makeup: Kate Tuma | Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux | Bridal Gown: Chic Nostalgia | Bridal Gown Shop: Bespoke Bride | Bridesmaids Attire: Show Me Your Mumu | Custom Leather Jewelry and Shoes: Kasey Jean Leather Designs | Floral: Wildflower Portland | Floral: Summer Robbins Flowers | Print Lab: PhotoVision Prints | Rentals: Incredible Events Bend | Ring Box: The Mrs Box | Wedding Submission Services: Published Pretty