Jessie and John’s wedding at Red Tail Ranch

In honor of May Day, we’re sharing Jessie and John’s wedding at Red Tail Ranch. It’s a true testament to the power and brilliancy of great florals. Rain poured down on the couple’s outdoor wedding day and their planners, GATHER Events, hustled behind the scenes to keep the day beautiful and comfortable for family and friends. The result was a tented reception filled with graphic florals by Of The Flowers in a vibrant palette of yellow, tangerine, coral and ocher complimented by clean lines and natural textures like those in the paper pieces by Swell Press. The bold beauty of the floral palette and joy of the lovely couple was only enhanced by the grey backdrop of the rainy day and lucky for us Katherine of Max & Friends captured it all.

What made the wedding special and unique?

Well — it POURED rain for what we had planned to be an outdoor wedding! Although we were initially worried, this turn of events morphed into an incredible opportunity for us to feel the love of our community, who just took the whole thing in stride. Our GATHER planners and other vendors moved heaven and earth to make sure our friends and family were comfortable and having the best time ever despite the weather. It ended up feeling special, memorable, and intimate in a way that we certainly hoped for, but never could have planned!

We also ended up having a welcome hour / cocktail hour prior to our ceremony, where we got to welcome our guests to our wedding. We had been nervous about the whole “ta-da” moment of the ceremony feeling not “us” — getting the chance to see all of our favorite people show up for us was a great way to make the ceremony more meaningful and feel more connected. Another cocktail hour also gave The Whaling Club another opportunity to wow our guests with their incredible cocktails and hospitality, a true wedding highlight!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it.

We found Jessie’s dress at Sarah Seven — the first place we visited.  The experience was incredibly uplifting, affirming, and reasonable — and gave Jessie and her mom some really wonderful memories.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We had some incredibly thoughtful and creative people help us make things personal. All of our wedding paper was created by Britt Rohr of Swell Press — she in particular helped us honor loved ones who couldn’t be there in our ceremony program. Natasha of GATHER miraculously turned some of Britt’s work into the coolest bar signage we’ve ever seen and which still graces our apartment bar today. We also wrote each guest a note on their place card  — it was a big priority for us to communicate to our community how much their support meant to us and GATHER helped us make that happen.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

It’s trite, but the best part of the day for both of us was saying our vows in front of our village. We felt so much love and support as we took this next step together.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met at an HR training at work — such a snooze!  Once we got to the point where we decided to truly build our lives together, the thought of one person asking the other didn’t feel right. So, after doing the dishes following a big dinner party at our tiny apartment, we decided to “go public” with that decision. For us, the highlight of becoming “engaged” was the chance to share that decision with our friends and family and get all sorts of support and advice for our next steps together.

Planning/Design: GATHER Events // Photographer: Katherine of Max & Friends // Florals: Of The Flowers // Invitations: Swell Press // Ceremony Venue: Red Tail Ranch // Calligraphy: Red Letter Day // Gown: Sarah Seven // Makeup/Hair: Page Beauty // Dessert: Knead Baking Company // Laser Cut Signs: Spoken Glass // Dj: Dart Collective // Caterer: Whoa Nelly Catering // Bar: The Whaling Club // Furniture Rentals: Found Rentals // Table Top Rentals: Borrowed Blu / Casa de Perrin // Linen Rentals: La Tavola Linen // Rentals: Town and Country Rentals / Marborg Industries // Transportation: Dutch Details Ojai