We love a pretty barn wedding and Santa Margarita Ranch has one of the prettiest barns arounds! Sydney + Adam wanted to celebrate their love with their family and friends and choose Yuna Leonard Photography to capture the day. I really love what Sydney shared about their wedding day…

At first I didn’t believe that a wedding day could be the best day of your life. I thought that it was too hyped up and I didn’t want to be unrealistic in my expectations. I can easily say now that our wedding was hands down one of the best days of our lives. To be surrounded by so much love and support and happiness by our friends and families, our favorite people in the world, was a feeling that can’t be rivaled. 

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Our Save The Dates were really labor intensive. I made my own stamp using a rubber print block. Then onto kraft paper card stock that we cut to size and hole punched the border, we embossed them. We loved the final product and we loved that it was completely hand-crafted and designed!

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During our ceremony we had Adam’s uncle officiate with a ceremony we wrote ourselves highlighting what was most important to us. Then we had family members read two Pablo Neruda sonnets in English and Spanish. (Sonnet XVII & Sonnet LXIX). I can’t believe so many people were crying at our wedding and everyone tells us they have never been to a wedding when two people seemed so happy to be getting married and so in love.

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We scavenged and antique-hunted for months for enough windows to make something taller and wider than us for our ceremony altar. We built the entire thing together and it was actually a really great pre-wedding project. We had fun building, sanding, and painting. And it was so rewarding that we did it just the two of us as a team.

Our favorite part of the day was how well our families got along, everyone loved each other and we felt like we created a whole new family together. If I could go back and change anything, I wouldn't. If I could go back and re-live it, I would every day for a million years.

photography: Yuna Leonard Photography // venue: Santa Margarita Ranch Santa Margarita, California // dress, veil + shoes: BHLDN // hair + makeup: Bluebird Salon // florals + event planning: Allure Event Designs // catering: Guest House Catering // cake: The Cakery // dj: SLO DJ // photo booth: SnapCubby

Lauren + Bud never viewed their wedding as a wedding – to them it was a big party to celebrate the start of their new life. :) They choose to get married around the corner from Lauren’s parent’s home in Missouri. It was a special location to them and they got to build the venue into their own unique creation. When they first started the barn was filled with scrap metal and the weeds were as tall as they were! The entire ceremony site was a complete reflection of all the hard work put in by their  families and was a total transformation. I just love the giant frame they had built that they were married in front of! Such a perfect backdrop for the ceremony, right?!

Thanks so much to Alec Vanderboom for the photos and congrats to Lauren + Bud!

We had such a hard time deciding our first dance song. We went back and forth between The Beatles and Van Morrison for an entire year. Finally a week before the wedding my husband played “Thank You” by Led Zeppelin and it was a no brainer. That song represented every part of us and that day. “And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles, Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one”

Bud’s favorite part of the planning was picking out the late night snacks – chicken fingers and queso (a representation of his bachelor days). Since Bud is from the East Coast, I was really excited to introduce local moonshine to all the New Yorkers flying into small town Missouri. We arranged for Copper Run Distillery to come down and serve our favorite moonshine margaritas during the cocktail hour. We also passed out mini bottles of champagne and confetti poppers to pop when we were announced husband and wife. It’s the small stuff!

And their wedding film by Something Blue Cinema

Fun Tip: Don’t be afraid to make a weekend of your wedding! Our guests loved participating in karaoke on Friday night and brunch on Sunday. It keeps them entertained and gives you a way to pay back for their travels. It gave us so much more time to catch up with friends and relatives and meet new ones. We weren’t trying to fit everyone in the night of our wedding and that made it so much more relaxing.

photography: Alec Vanderboom Photography // venue: private property, Missouri // event design: Jim Faulkner of Encore Gallery, Gabe Jackson, Los Angeles, CA & Swept Away Rentals // event planner: Gabe Jackson, Los Angeles, CA & Gracious Occasions // floral design: The Thicket // wedding dress: Enzoani, Dimitras Bridal // hairpieces: Fascinating Creations // shoes: Glint – Nordstrom, Cowgirl boots – Lucky Brand // bridesmaid dresses: their own selection to reflect their personal style // hair + makeup: makeup by Ty Harshman, hair by Chelsea Gregg, Swank Salon // groom suit: Karl’s Tuxedo // cinematography: Something Blue Cinema // paper goods: Posh Paperie // catering + cocktails: Infused Catering // cake: Beth’s Bake Shoppe // music: The Stanton Strings , The Galaxy Band

Tareeda + Jesse have a passion for music and love that that influenced their day! From the gold painted record-turned-plate chargers to the tambourine wedding favors to the fun backdrop for the sweets table to Tareeda belting out Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” with her band filled with their family + friends, they day was filled with musical details! I also love all the paper flowers that they used for the ceremony – so creative!

Thanks so much to Brandon Kidd Photography for the photos and congrats to Tareeda + Jesse!

I love how bright and festive poppies are but because our wedding was in October, they weren’t going to be in season. So we opted to make paper poppies [if you love this idea, but don't want to make your own, West Elm carries lots of lovely paper flowers] which gave us liberty to include a wide range of colors. They were nice splashes of color that added a lot of whimsy to our wedding.

There were lots of great DIY elements for their day! My mom made all the boys’ bowties and the ribbon chandeliers as well as my second dress for the evening. My sister hand-painted all the signs. My aunt spent 3 months piecing over 300 paper poppies for our tables. Jesse and I did all the paper goods.

Our planners surprised us by adding in a last minute tabletop design element. They had spray painted 200+ vinyl records and used them as gold chargers. Our guests ended up flipping the records over to see which artist they got and some even did a bit of swapping! It became an unexpected game that gave our guests another fun souvenir.

Having been to many weddings that featured wedding singers and bride/groom serenades, we had joked about having me perform a love ballad as our guests would expect. What I actually wanted to sing was Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” (but not to some worn out karaoke beat)! Instead, knowing that we have musically-talented siblings and friends, we thought we should put together an impromptu band and perform it live.

From Respect, more Motown songs were included to the set in order to keep the feel-good vibe going through the night (eg. Heatwave, Uptight, I Feel Good, My Girl). And as an added surprise, we featured our parents and aunts as they individually came up on stage and sang their hearts out! Tambourine favors were passed out to all our guests and they danced and sang along. It was truly a festive celebration!

The short reception dress I changed into for the performance was made by my mom. I had always been in love with Vera Wang’s horsehair trim design element and asked my mom to modify it into a shorter version. I was so thrilled with how it turned out and it was definitely one of the highlights!

photography: Brandon Kidd Photography // planner + florist: Gather Events and Occasions // venue: catering: Strawberry Farms Golf Club Irvine, California // videography: Son of Sharkpig // desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop // dj: DJ James Dunn // sound + lighting: Mike Willson MAPS, Music & Arts Production Studio // officiant: Alexandra Armstrong, The Merry Ministers // ceremony musicians: Organic String Quartet

Both Meagan + Kevin are from small towns in North Carolina, so when they started planning their wedding together, they knew they wanted a simple, laid-back, backyard style wedding that was fun, sweet, and a little bit vintage. After finding the Beaver Dam Historic House, they knew they found the perfect venue with the aged barn for their ceremony – so sweet and serene!

From Megan, “I am a lover of all things old and he is a musician, so we knew we wanted to incorporate lots of vintage items and good music into our day together. All of the items in the table centerpieces were found at thrift stores, antique shops, and old warehouses. We also used an antique dresser, crates and other vintage items around the venue. We both worked together to pick out all of the music for the seating, ceremony, cocktail hour, and during dinner. Most all of the songs that were played or artists we used, have a special meaning to us and sharing those with our guests was a lot of fun.”

Thanks so much to Emily Chidester Photography for the photos and congrats to Meagan + Kevin!

There was definitely a lot of DIY involved in our wedding. I created a pink pinwheel backdrop for our cake table, our cake topper, a fabric strip entryway for the reception tent, and made the guestbook out of a vintage map Kevin and I found antiquing together. I also wrapped vintage book pages into cones to hold the lavender our guests would toss on us as we exited the ceremony and created mason jar luminaries to hang in the trees. Like most couples, we were on a tight budget and wanted to keep costs low, but we also just wanted it to be a personal, handmade process. I tackled most of the projects myself, but I also had a lot of help from the amazingly generous people in our lives.

Choosing a photographer was one of the most exciting parts of planning our wedding. I knew exactly the style I was going for and when I found Emily’s photos – it was seriously a dream come true! When I met Emily in person over coffee, I was ready to book her right then and make her my best friend. She is that great, and her photos are even more incredible. She became more than just “a photographer” at our wedding, but a friend who was celebrating with us. She was so professional and creative and captured amazing genuine images that Kevin and I will be able to have for the rest of our lives.

photography: Emily Chidester Photography // venue: Beaver Dam Historic House in Davidson, North Carolina // floral design: Bouquets – Flowers By Lingky // wedding dress: White by Vera Wang – David’s Bridal // bridesmaid dresses: their own from various locations // groom suit: his own attire // invitations + paper goods: Paper and Paper Co., printable from Etsy // catering: Armin’s Catering // cake: Katiebelle’s Cake

Growing up in the Midwest, Ashley always had a love for the fall and assumed two things. One, that she would get married in October and two, that the ceremony would be outdoors on a crisp, clear autumn afternoon. When the day finally came though, it turned out that Mother Nature had a different agenda. Due to a less than desirable forecast (40 degrees and 100% chance of rain), Ashley + Andrew made the decision two days before the wedding to relocate the ceremony. While they had a plan B location, they did not legitimately have it planned – so you can imagine the chaos only 48 hours prior to their vows! If I didn’t mention this though, you would never now since their ceremony was gorgeous! It ended up taking place in a family friend’s barn on a cold, soggy fall day. The new location in combination with the weather created this intimate setting for them and their guests that was just gorgeous!

Thank you so much to The Carrs Photography for the photos and congrats to Ashley + Andrew!

My sister-in-law sparked the idea of these “love letters” that turned out to be one of my favorite things. First I made a sign saying “I can’t wait to see you”. While I was holding it, a bridesmaid took a photo of the note and texted it to Andrew an hour prior to the ceremony.

Andrew and I then met in the farmhouse where I was waiting to read personal vows. We remained divided by a door since it was very important to us that we did not see one another before the ceremony. I think the traditional vows are so romantic, we didn’t want to omit that from the ceremony but wanted to personally tell each other how we felt.

Following our ceremony was the reception at Salvage One, an antique warehouse in Chicago which I have to give Andrew credit for. We visited the venue during store hours (prior to our engagement) and it was love at first site. Everything about it was exactly what I imagined but would be impossible to recreate. Andrew immediately started to do research, which I found out later. It turned out that availability was limited so he actually booked the venue prior to proposing. Two of the main tasks were taken care of, the date and the venue, immediately upon “Yes”! Needless to say, he gained major points for this surprise!!

photography: The Carrs Photography // assistant photographer: Josh Ohms // reception venue: Salvage One // catering: Occasions Chicago Catering // ice cream: Annie’s Café // florals: Flowers and Stones // band: XKrush // limo rental: Southside Limousine // dress: Anais Collezioni from Nancy’s Bridal // make up artist: Katie Swibes // hair: Reflecting Image in Grant Park, IL

Jamie and Scott met on a real-life cattle drive! Think city slickers minus the cattle and substitute over a 100 horses and mules being herded over 4 days across 100 miles of rugged terrain. So for their wedding, they knew it had to be inspired by how they met. :) They wanted to continue the western theme while at the same time incorporating their chic + modern style. Thanks so Ashley Maxwell Photography for the photos and congrats to Jamie + Scott!

From Jamie: My husband and I drove up and down the California coast twice looking for the perfect “barn location”. We truly found that at Santa Margarita Ranch in San Luis Obispo, CA. The historic Asistencia (barn) was originally built in 1817 and was established as a meeting establishment for the missionaries while they traveled from mission to mission across the California coast. It is truly magnificent. Original railroad tracks pass through the ranch and are home to the Pacific Coast railroad, a steam engine train originally from Disneyland. The history and special details that this location had to offer were incredible, and we had to have it as our wedding spot.

Jamie and her Mom traveled to 5 different flea markets in search for 250 vintage plates for the desert bar. They served homemade cookies and ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert.

photography: Ashley Maxwell Photography // venue: Santa Margarita Ranch, San Luis Obispo, California // event planner: Jenn Hocker // floral design: Allure Event Designs // wedding dress: Amsale // hairpieces: Jamie handmade it // shoes: Cowboy Boots by Shyanne // bridesmaid dresses: Adrianna Papell // hair + makeup: Bluebird Salon // groom suit: Jeans – Gap, Vest – Scotch & Soda // invitations + paper goods: Jill Parkin // catering: Pure Joy Catering // cake: Cassies Custom Cakes // music: The Silverados // linens: La Tavola Linen