1. Real Weddings

A Classic Ranch Wedding at Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita, California

Lisa Halsey (33, a senior marketing manager) and Ryan Halsey (35, a program manager) both lived in San Francisco but traveled a lot for work. They met

Lisa Halsey (33, a senior marketing manager) and Ryan Halsey (35, a program manager) both lived in San Francisco but traveled a lot for work. They met on eHarmony and had their first date at a bar in Lisa’s neighborhood. They instantly connected through their deep knowledge of food and wine, one drink led to dinner, and before they knew it Ryan was running to catch the last train back home. They were steadily dating when they went out to dinner one night to celebrate Ryan’s birthday, where he asked for Lisa’s hand in marriage. The couple held their wedding ceremony at Mission San Luis Obispo, which was a centralized location for both Lisa and Ryan’s families to easily get to. The reception was held just up the hill at a venue called Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita, with modern amenities and both an indoor and outdoor space to comfortably fit 120 guests. The couple chose to have a classic, vintage-styled wedding with a color palette of apricot, ivory, blush and yellow. From the bouquets and boutonnieres mixed with a variety of wildflowers to rented furniture and cigar bar to give the space a vintage feel, the couple stuck true to the theme they wanted to tell their love story to wedding guests from around the world.

Gold Banded Wedding Rings and Bands
Royal Blue Kate Spade Shoes
Colorful Bridal Bouquet With Spring Blossoms
“The goal wasn't to have the most expensive or high fashion dress, but more to have a dress that suited the setting of our wedding and my personal style,” says Lisa. “We got married at a California Mission that was built in 1772, and when I tried on my dress I knew that it had a bit of that old-time romantic style, so I thought it suited the Spanish architecture of the Mission.”rn
“My bridesmaids all are so different, so I just gave them the guidance of the dress being royal blue and not floor length and let them all choose what they liked best,” says Lisa. “I couldn't ask them to just wear one style.”
Custom-Made Gold Initial Cufflinks
Ivory Rose and Scabiosa Boutonniere
“Ryan and I felt, with the outdoor reception venue and the heat that time of year on the Central Coast, that the lighter colored suits would look and feel best,” says Lisa. Ryan wanted to stand out, so he wore a 3-piece navy suit and paired it with a Banana Republic white button up shirt, a Hermes tie and custom cuff links that had our initials on them.”
Flower Girls Walking Down Ceremonial Altar
“We chose the mission because of its history and beauty,” says Lisa. “Mission San Luis Obispo is located in the heart of downtown and during our wedding was actually the annual Jazz Festival in the Mission plaza. Not many people get to walk out of their wedding with a huge crowd roaring with cheers and congratulations.”
Bride and Groom First Kiss
Couple Shot With Natural Backdrop
Bride and Groom Near Classic Car
Bride and Groom Holding Hands
Wedding Party in Front of Barn
“We chose Spanish Oaks Ranch for many reasons, but mainly because it had modern amenities, with a perfect blend of a comfortable indoor environment for dinner and a stunning outdoor backdrop for the reception,” says Lisa.
Reception Dining Table With White Linens
“For escort cards, each table represented a place that had special meaning to us, from Zuni Cafe in San Francisco where we had our first date to the iconic Chez Panisse in Berkeley where Ryan proposed,” says Lisa.
Guests wrote a message to the couple on a board with a picture of the state of California, with a heart over San Luis Obispo, where their wedding took place.
Rustic Cocktail Bar at Reception Venue
Rustic Cigar Bar at the Reception
“Reception flowers were in rustic wooden boxes overflowing with delicate spring blossoms, hydrangea, lisianthus, roses and peonies,” says Lisa. “They were offset by tables with mixed décor ensembles, vintage glass containers and antique sterling pieces with blossoms.”
Homemade Mini Almond Cake Wedding Favor
“We were able to rent a seating area with a sofa, armchairs and coffee table, a vintage cigar bar, a beautiful sideboard to place the wedding cake, vintage frames with chalkboards that we used for our seating chart and bar menus, and a fewrnaccent pieces to bring it all together,” says Lisa. rn
A two-tiered ivory cake was served at the wedding, accented with a large yellow peony on top.
First Dance as Married Couple