There are few things I love more in this world than a California ranch wedding, but when the Santa Margarita stunner is designed + planned by the bride herself and captured by Jen Rodriguez Photography and Selah Video Productions? Consider me seriously smitten. With a A-list of vendors (most of which were found through SMP!) and some old-fashioned creativity, these midwestern transplants wowed their guests with a vintage west coast celebration! Click here for all the rest.
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From the Bride… Russell and I are both from the Midwest — I’m from Kansas, he’s from Oklahoma. We actually both went to the University of Kansas at the same time and had a lot of mutual friends, but we didn’t meet until 4 1/2 years ago at an alumni function in Los Angeles, where we both currently live. Our love for our alma mater and Midwestern roots brought us together, so we wanted to make sure to have a bit of that incorporated into our wedding. Another favorite past time of ours is wine tasting, so when Russell proposed at a beautiful winery in Lompoc, we knew immediately that we wanted to share the natural beauty and rustic elegance of the California Central Coast with our family and close friends. When we found Santa Margarita Ranch, we were instantly drawn to the gorgeous views and rich history of the property — and it also reminded us a lot of home! The train ride available to guests sealed our decision as my family’s business is in the short-line railroad industry.
The planning process began immediately after we secured the ranch with lots of research on vendors as well as creative, affordable, DIY decor elements to stay within our budget. I worked in Event PR for several years when I first moved to LA, so I knew I could manage the wedding planning myself with the help of Russell and a few family members. I also knew that we could find everything we wanted and stay within budget if we just took a little extra time to do our research or make things on our own. I had Russell build the place card box, the wooden cross for the altar and the cornhole games (with our two favorite teams — the KU Jayhawks and OKC Thunder), I made the garland display behind our dessert table and framed table numbers, my grandmother wrote the place cards, and my aunt created the wedding album. We also purchased my dress, my shoes, the groomsmen’s ties and shirts, the bridesmaids’ dresses and many more items for the wedding at discounted prices, saving us thousands of dollars that we were able to apply towards a wine tour we had for our guests the day before. Not only did we save money, we loved being so involved and having our family and friends help with every aspect and detail of our special day.
To help complete our vision, we found some AMAZING vendors — most through SMP! :) April Flowers did a beautiful job selecting vibrant shades of pink, peach, purple and red flowers to complement our wedding colors and bring life into each space. The pieces we chose from Forever Vintage Rentals brought out the country chic vibe of the venue, while Trumpet Vine’s food and donuts to-go, as well as The Cakery’s cake and cookies, were a hit! The festivities could not have run more smoothly thanks to our day-of coordinators, Sarah Thorne Hames her husband Matt, from Rhone Weddings. And of course, Jen Rodriguez and Selah Video did an amazing job of capturing special moments and memories throughout our day so that we can remember them forever!
Wedding Photography: Jen Rodriguez Photography / Wedding Venue: Santa Margarita Ranch in Santa Margarita, California / Event Design + Planning: The Bride / Floral Design: April Flowers / Wedding Day Coordination: Sarah Thorne Hames of Rhone Weddings / Wedding Cinematography: Graeme Johnson of Selah Video Production / Catering: Trumpet Vine Catering / Wedding Cakes: The Cakery / Wedding Invitations, Menus, Programs + Cocktail Napkins: Designed by the Bride + Lindsay Stair via Black Ink / Ceremony Guitarist: Tom Rigby / DJ: Kramer Entertainment / Rentals: Forever Vintage Rentals + All About Tabletops / Framed Table Numbers + Dessert Table Garland: DIY by the Bride / Cornhole Games: DIY by the Groom / Table Linens: La Tavola / Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca via Lili Bridals / Bride’s Belt: GlamHouse / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Hair Flower: Brandi Reed of Silver Pencils / Bride’s Earrings: Nadri via Nordstrom / Hair + Makeup: The Queen’s Bees / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Suit: John Varvatos via Nordstrom / Men’s Shirts: Charles Tyrwhitt / Men’s Ties: Robert Graham / Flower Girls’ Dresses + Ring Bearers’ Suits: J.Crew / Flower Girls’ Shoes: TOMS / Ring Bearers Shoes: Sperry Top-Siders