When the bride and groom couldn’t find the perfect place to tie the knot, they quickly realized there’s just no place like home. Shannon Leahy Events brought their intimate, romantic vision to life on the bride’s 2,000 acre family ranch and the results are absolutely breathtaking. They exchanged vows under a gazebo the bride’s father built just for the wedding (cue the waterworks) and danced the night away under strings of lanterns as a subtle nod to Disney’s Tangled. The entire day captured by Larissa Cleveland Photography can only be described as a fairytale, don’t miss out on the full gallery of images for major inspiration!
From the Bride… Planning a wedding that feels unique to yourself is a challenging and invigorating process, especially for California-casuals like Jeff and me. We generally are much more interested in hiking or sweatpants than getting dolled up and dancing, so we wanted to strike a balance between a wonderfully glamorous event (it was our wedding, after all), and something that felt comfortable and fit our personalities. Looking through potential places for our venue, we kept ruling things out. We wanted something bigger, we wanted to fit more people, we thought it would be too cold- until finally we decided on something that truly was home. My parents were so excited to hear that we wanted to have our wedding at “Siberia,” our family’s ranch house out in Valley Springs, CA. Siberia was always a big part of our lives for family events such as Thanksgiving and big friend events like New Years, so many of our guests were quick to say they were so excited about the best Siberia party- EVER. Already feeling at home in our location helped so many things to fall into place.
This was our family’s place, and we wanted to make the event feel like our own as well. Jeff, not liking traditional ties, decided on Bolo ties to help capture our California ranch aesthetic. All of our siblings were part of our wedding party, and our wedding parties did the traditional things we do to make each other comfortable and less stressed- cups of tea for a calming moment with the bridal party, and a trip to Taco Bell as a delightful contrast to the actually delicious food later for the groomsmen. Seeing each other for the first time, all dressed up, under the tree where we regularly go watch the sunset brought back so many magical memories, and created so many more. Our friends ministered for the ceremony, and could not have captured the spirit of our relationship better.
Jeff and I started dating on Cinco de Mayo, so we decided to tie the knot that weekend, and we had the best tacos ever and cute mini margaritas at the cocktail reception. Dinner, dancing, and more dancing was wonderful and we really enjoyed our day with everyone- we felt just as relaxed as we would at any other party, but overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. Every detail we decided helped us feel like a true celebration of our relationship, our families, and the lives we love to live.
From Shannon Leahy… Mado and Jeff approached us with a wonderful challenge for their wedding – to produce a beautiful, romantic event in Siberia, their family ranch set on 2,000 acres about 3 hours outside of San Francisco. Mado ( Madeleine ) is a romantic at heart, loves flowers and had in mind a palette of cream, blush and thistle blue. Ceremony would be down by the pond in a gazebo that her father built for the wedding. With her 4 sisters and best friend as bridesmaids in beautiful blue dresses and Jeff’s groomsmen in bolo ties (Mado had them specially made), the two said I Do in front of all their loved ones in a beautifully whimsical ceremony officiated by two of their best friends. The cocktail hour cantina tent had delicious margaritas, a taco bar and tons of gorgeous passed hors d’oeuvres. One request the Bride had was for a recreation of the candlelit lantern scene from the Disney movie Tangled, so we hung a ton of lanterns over a greenery adorned trellis that was constructed for the event over the dancefloor and floated orbs in the pool.
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photographer: Larissa Cleveland Photography | Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events | Floral Design: Shannon Leahy Events | Catering: Componere Fine Catering | hair and makeup: Maria Chang, Professional Makeup Artistry | lighting: Got Light | band: Dart Collective | music: Starlite Strings | paper: Anticipate Invitations | photobooth: TME events | rentals: Standard Party Rentals | rentals: Zephyr Tents | signage: Arrow Art Studio | stylist: Jaime Cole | video: Reel Eyes Media