Modern, Rustic, Vintage, Yellow & Grey Ranch Wedding

Okay I don't even know how to begin this real wedding feature…

There's just so much loveliness.

From the heartfelt ways in which the bride and groom incorporated their family (and cute dog), to the vibrant grey and yellow colour palette and the stunning photography by Erin of EE Photography. Emily, the bride, has a degree in design, a passion for events and an eye for detail. Here she shares an insight into just how an event planner goes about planning her own wedding!

I have to start by sharing what made the whole event so special and the ceremony so picturesque. We were able to get married on the ranch where I grew up spending weekends and many holidays with my Aunt & Uncle and cousins – it was a ranch that had been in the family for nearly 100 yrs and belonged to my Uncle’s family. Aaron had also grown up living in the country on a ranch so the peaceful and beautiful location was a nod to both our childhoods and reflected where we had come from.

Don Crandle (a family friend) played the piano for our ceremony music and my dad (an incredible guitarist) played and sang a song during the ceremony which made the day that much more special. We also wanted to make Aaron’s boys feel special and important as this day wasn’t just about us, it was about all 4 of us and our love and commitment not only to one another but to the boys as well, so they were his groomsmen. And for those who know me, know I come hand in hand with Ellie, my lab, so there was never a question that she too would be part of the big day.

The Inspired Bride

Being in the wedding industry as an associate planner with Viridian Design Studio at the time, I wanted something unique, clean, beautiful and timeless and knew I wanted Erin Woolsey of EE photography to be the one to capture all the details! The overall look & color of the wedding were determined by a picture of a cake, and a linen sample. The cake was a gorgeous chocolate & cream damask square tiered cake with orange poppies. I knew I wanted that exact cake & color palette until La Tavola’s 2010 spring linen line launched. I fell head over heels for their beautiful yellow, cream, and grey damask print linen – and had to have it & those colors so that cake I loved was just going to have to change to charcoal, cream and yellow.

The ranch (ceremony site) had a very rustic/natural feel and the club house (reception location) had a Mid-Century Modern look with some rustic/natural features. With the help of Tricia and Christin at Viridian we worked to marry to the 2 locations and styles, a modern rustic vintage wedding it was! I sent a snapshot of the fabric to our graphic designer, Merydwen with Delightful Designs and described the Modern/Vintage/Rustic look and told her I had an affinity for all things square and symmetrical. The print was such an important aspect of the overall look because it is what set the stage and the color palette for the event. We used the square as a continual theme, from invitations, to stir sticks, to our lampshade centerpieces.

The arbor was built by Aaron off a drawing I scribbled out one day and a vision of sweeping drapes in the beautiful fabric I fell in love with and we modernized the look with the painted hanging vintage chandeliers. The old door with “WEDDING” on it had come from the barn on Aaron’s family’s ranch and made the perfect entrance to the ceremony site. Chairs would not have worked on the uneven ground and Tricia had come across a great picture of hay bales with quilts and we fell in love with the idea of hay bale seats for the guest. Instead of using quilts we used a complimentary fabric in a gray and yellow stripe as runners on the hay bales. The flavored ice tea bar allowed quest cool refreshment for the warm October afternoon.

Sunshine Florals

The bridal bouquet was made up of yellow Tulips, Freesia, Roses, Cymbidium Orchids, Ranunculus, Calla Lilies all wrapped in a grey velvet and finished with a crystal detail. The bridesmaids carried a gathering of Billy Balls surrounded by Salidago and wrapped in a velvet grey trim with yellow button accent and the buttonholes were made of yellow Billy Balls with a grey fabric leaf and berzillia berries wrapped in grey satin ribbon and finished with a yellow cloth ribbon tie. While the flower girls had yellow spray roses, greenery, & Salidago Halos with grey satin ribbon trim and yellow mum pomanders to carry.

DIY Details

We had lots of DIY ~ we assembled all the invites (they were layered and quite intense and a family project with my parents and then my cousins all gathered around the dining room table), stir sticks, programs, cupcake in jar labels and flower toppers, arbor, fabric panels, painted chandeliers, the “wedding” sign, lampshades.

The other DIY I have to give credit and a shout out to my sweet husband, father and Uncle Hoyt. They prepared the hill top by mowing, trimming, and removing cactus in the ceremony site, as well as clearing a path for the shuttle vans to maneuver in. They also brought and set up all the hay bales and built the infamous Hay Bale Sofa!

Simple Elegance

I wanted a dress that was elegant, yet not over the top and chose a strapless Anjolique silk sweetheart gown with a chapel length train . The simplicity of the silk dress had just enough drama to it with the pleats and ruching and a touch of elegance from the gathering of beads and jewels. I wore simple pearl drop earrings and of course yellow high heels for the ceremony and yellow sandals for the reception.

The bridesmaids wore custom dupionique silk dresses in yellow that ballooned at the bottom. The had a bow on the shoulder, a V-neck and a ruched waist. (These were a disaster, the original ones I picked ended up out of stock and the lady didn’t tell me until 4 weeks prior to the wedding!)