An Al Fresco Wedding With a Campy Twist at Dawn Ranch

When it came time for Casey and Gavin to select a venue for their wedding, their hearts settled on a charming venue in Guerneville. Gavin’s family has owned a home in the area for more than 80 years. He spent summers growing up along the Russian River. Casey and Gavin fell in love with each other among those redwoods. They loved the ideas of inviting their guests to enjoy an area that is a bit under the radar that holds so much meaning to them. A Dawn Ranch wedding was the perfect solution – with 50 cabins on site, guests were able to enjoy a whole weekend away and experience an “adult summer camp” of sorts while celebrating Casey and Gavin. We wanted to balance a modern style with the natural aesthetics of the surroundings at Dawn Ranch, chic accents that balanced the ethereal vibe of a meadow. For the ceremony, we enhanced the orchard by adding a trailing pathway of creamy white flowers for guests to stroll through to reach the ceremony at the opposite end. For dinner, guests made their way across the creek to the meadows where they were greeted with sparkling rose accented with a edible garden bloom. Guests then sipped their way through the floral pathway of the meadow to dinner. Dinner was a modern al fresco dinner in the meadow, with a sophisticated yet soft white palette where guests dined and danced under the evening stars.

Gavin proposed to Casey while snowshoeing in the mountains of Lake Tahoe. After sitting through 11 hours of traffic driving up to the snow that weekend, Gavin pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. They enjoyed a night together before hitting the ski slopes with friends the next day to celebrate.

Casey is a timeless, elegant beauty. She wore Lucia by Chosen By Khya - a simple, yet elevated gown that fit her perfectly. The gown was purchased from Unveiled Bridal in San Francisco. The dress was timeless and beautiful - and importantly very comfortable on the dance floor! Her sister helped her into the dress, as Casey tucked a handkerchief from her mother into the bodice of her dress. She wore her hair down in loose, beachy waves.

The bridesmaids wore mismatched dresses in hues of "moss" - from silky to patterned velvet - the gowns were so beautiful. They were designed by Jenny Yoo and purchased through Bella Bridesmaids in San Francisco. Each girl picked their favorite satin style - including a few girls who opted for the patterned look.

The groomsmen kept it timeless with black tuxes.

Leaning into the al fresco meadow vibe, Dawn Ranch served a beautiful garden to table family style meal accenting local farmers and ranchers where guests could try various meats and vegetables with a wide reach of flavor profiles. The salad was colorful with ribbons of heirloom carrots, radishes, and crisp little gem lettuces. The next course was highlighted with Italian inspired braised chicken with fennel, capers, and lemon and locally raised lamb shoulder with tzasiki sauce all paired beautifully with summer succotash and potato tabouli. The couple hosted a bar of local wines representative of the area, craft beers, and a signature margarita. We ended the night with espresso martinis and a delightful display of mini desserts before guests headed to the after party at the lodge for late night savory bites.

Modern meadow florals were created using mostly locally foraged product such as scabiosas, queens anne lace, and cosmos among others. We artfully chose blooms that felt both whimsical and bold to artistically showcase a playful balance of modern and meadow. We last minute decided to add asparagus ferns which felt like the perfect accent for a wooden river ambiance such as Dawn Ranch Lodge.

We worked with Ora Beth at Flower and Bloom for our perfect wedding cake! After doing our tasting we landed on three different flavor: chocolate with raspberry filling, vanilla with raspberry filling, and almond cake with apricot filling. The cake had a clean white frosting finish with beautiful flowers decorating it.

We had a live guitar trio from Bella Rosa String Quartet for ceremony music. They perfectly set the tone and played a combination of old classics and more modern hits.

Their wedding ceremony was held in the orchard at Dawn Ranch. Tucked among the apple trees, Casey and her dad walked down an aisle that was lined with white blooms and greenery. To honor Casey’s late mother, the groomsmen each handed out a corsage to the women in Casey’s life that had helped fill that role. It was a heartwarming tribute, and I felt her presence in the sun as it warmed guests through the redwood trees and created radiant flare in some of our images throughout the ceremony.

Both Gavin and Casey's families have spent decades enjoying the Russian River. Gavin's family has had a cabin there for over 80 years. When the couple found Dawn Ranch in Guerneville - it was an obvious pick for them and they couldn't have been happier to tie the knot in a place so special to them and to their loved ones'.