I Do Venues: Flying Caballos Ranch Wedding Inspiration

Photography by Mirelle Carmichael Photography
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As you know, I Do Venues is all about showcasing real weddings at unique venues, but when Mirelle Carmichael presented us with this fun 'styled shoot' at Flying Caballos Ranch, we couldn't help but share all the great DIY elements with our readers!

Flying Caballos is one of the most fantastic places to tie the knot on the Central Coast. I wanted to do an inspirational wedding shoot at the venue that would tie Spring into Summer with handmade kites, fairy light jars, watermelon pinks mixed with yellows and greens, and loads of vintage lace. The incredibly talented Erin McClellan of Sprigs Floral Designs designed a Ceremony area just south of the main house, hanging clusters of button mums, spider mums, amsterdam roses and crespedia from the trees, accented with a hanging vintage window to frame the altar. Vintage lawn chairs with orange cushions and a burlap runner polished off the look.

A dessert table sat outside the main house, with the bright teal door and yellow walls serving as the backdrop. Judy Knapp of Cakes by Judy presented a beautiful two tiered white cake with raspberry filling and vanilla butter cream cheese frosting, which was accented with strips of vintage lace bands, and topped with a bright watermelon pink peony. Jessi Skipton Campbell, an in-demand hair and makeup stylist created vintage-inspired looks for the bride and bridesmaids, based on a combination of their dresses and their personalities. The custom letterpress was provided by Alissa Bell Press, created on Holyoke Paper. The announcement cards featured 3 color letterpress and paper ink edging. The menu cards were formed in the shape of a kite with lace attached as a string. Alissa's inspiration was derived from the vintage kites and lace details that were incorporated through the shoot- lace is such a chic detail and yet so traditional!

Erin McClellan (florist extraordinaire) of Sprigs was also gracious enough to take us 'behind the scenes' and shared some of her ideas and inspiration for this gorgeous design.

Farmhouse Flair was my first impression when Mirelle Carmichael approached me about a stylized shoot. Immediately my mind was whisked away with ideas of sheep, horses, fine china from grandmother's cabinet and home baked goodies. A color palette of watermelon tones with touches of yellow and splashes of lime green made my mouth water in excitement and anticipation of what pretties would come to be. Once the color palette was established it was all about creating what we interpreted a farmhouse wedding in 2012 would be.

The bouquets were my starting point, with an idea of what the vintage dress looked like I was able to mix our tones of watermelon, yellow and cremes into an amazing mix of fun. From there, the ceremony area made me feel like being in a forest and all I would want to see while "I" was getting married would be looking up into the tree tops and instead of seeing leaves, branches and the norm... see colors of the day showering the couple with love and happiness.

The table top decor was my favorite, with the vintage milk bottle glassware and the natural wood boxes, it made a recipe for decadent fun. Once set up began we had pure enjoyment playing around with petals in bowls and adding flowers here and there.

Soon after table top decor was created my nose let me know that Judy Knapp arrived with her yummy goodies! I had an amazing time creating that special touch for the cake area.... I just couldn't stop from placing flowers on top of the cake, around the cake, next to the cake... I just couldn't!! We were all having so much fun with the whole process!!

In a nut shell, my inspiration for this stylized shoot was summer fun and flair at the farmhouse. I immensely enjoyed working with this team!

I Do Venues wants to recognize the talented team of wedding professionals who helped to make this bride's dream a reality: Photographer - Mirelle Carmichael Photography; Planner - Captivating Events by Megan; Floral - Sprigs; Caterer - Giuseppe's Cucina Italiana; Cake Designer - Cakes by Judy; Invitations - Alissa Bell Press; Etsy Designer - Divine Domestication.