Heritage Ranch Wedding | Stephanie + Steve
They wore yellow socks. Her bouquet included one single yellow flower. Yellow was her mother’s favorite color.
Stephanie and Steve were married at a gorgeous Heritage Ranch wedding last week! It has taken me longer than my usual 3-5 days to write this post because I wanted it to mean something. I wanted it to be more than just a wedding blog, but a dedication to the most important person who was unable to attend the wedding.
These two were some of the first 2022 couples to book me, so I’ve had the opportunity to get to know them pretty well over the last year and a half. When they first started planning, their day was going to look a little different. Stephanie’s mom Judy, who was a cheerleader in their relationship from the very beginning, was supposed to be there. Judy passed away in February after a long battle with cancer.
Even though Judy could not physically be at the wedding, her presence was very much felt. From the socks to the flowers to the memory chair to the jewelry, their wedding was a loving dedication to her.
As Stephanie read her mom’s letter, a letter she wrote in the event she was unable to be at the wedding, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard this must be on all of them. As Stephanie’s sisters helped her into her dress and fitted her with her mom’s cross necklace, I was reminded of the little moments that are so important on a wedding day.
Too often on wedding days, I’m all go go go. We have a timeline and my mind is very one-tracked when it comes to sticking to it. As one sister helped Stephanie with the necklace and I noticed the other sister tearing up behind me, I remembered that these are the moments that matter. These little moments such as putting on an heirloom necklace are more important than being 15-minutes late to the first look. These are the moments that you will remember for the rest of your lives.
Thank you Stephanie and Steve for allowing me to be part of your gorgeous Heritage Ranch wedding! Here’s your preview!
Venue: Heritage Ranch
Florist: Pigeons Nest Floral
Cake: Specialty Cakes by Stephanie
Hair and Makeup: Studio A Salon
Catering: BK’s Catering
Gown: Fabulous Frocks, KC
Signage: Pen Oak Calligraphy
Photography and Videography: E. Golden Moments
– Hear from the bride –
Share the inspiration and atmosphere you’re creating for your wedding:
We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of ourselves with a sprinkle of classy. Our vibe for the day is “simply-rustic-elegance” is really how I’ve described it. I wanted a way to capture Steve’s outdoors-man style with my love for pink and Harry Potter. With the beauty of our venue, we really didn’t have to do a ton of decorating or recreating in the space, we really just needed to add our special touches and that’s where the simple comes in.
Share how (or why) you chose your wedding venue(s):
We loved our venue for its simple rustic charm and beauty. It was a huge bonus for us that the owners are former photographers and they used their photographer’s eye when planning out the set up of their venue. There are multiple photo-op locations all over the property.
What is your most valuable piece of advice you can share with future couples planning their wedding?
The most valuable piece of advice I can share about wedding planning is to take it all in spurts. There were times I would go weeks without touching any of my wedding planning details. It was just healthy for me to have that break from it all and when I was ready I would tackle the next thing or things on the list. I also gave some decisions over to my partner for him to research and decide.
I told him I was great if he researched and came back with a couple options and then I picked or he could pick entirely, but having him handle one thing from my plate was super helpful. Obviously you’ll want to make sure that you don’t pass along to him something that you have a huge opinion on because I’m certain that won’t end well! For us, he designed and ordered our koozies. He also picked out our first and last dance song.
What was your favorite part of the planning process?
I really want to say when it’s over, ha! However, my favorite part has been having a partner that’s willing to do the work with me, and has an opinion when it’s helpful. I can’t imagine putting in all this work and him not going through it with me or not caring about any of the details. It will truly be the day that we planned together.
