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Winter Wedding at Pine River Ranch | Snowfall, Homemade Shawls, Rustic Barn Venue

Welcome to Tony and Kato's beautiful winter wedding at Pine River Ranch in Leavenworth, Washington. Kato was nice enough to send her wedding pictures our way after their February wedding to share with future brides the snowy wonderland we have to offer for winter weddings at Pine River Ranch.

I loved Tony and Kato's "he said, she said" version of how they met. To some, Tony sounded like a die hard romantic, to others (Tony included) he sounded "awkward and creepy." I laughed when I read their wedding website at the "he said" version when Tony shared: "I was in love. I knew I was way out of my league, but I was determined. I just knew I needed to ask this woman her name and let her know just how impressed I was with her as a person or I would regret it forever. So I left without saying anything." Luckily his determination payed off and he frequented Kato's workplace (every night) until he worked up the courage to talk to her. Almost 10 years later and they are just as smitten as the third date. (The first few dates didn't go so well!) If you have a minute to read the entire story, it will put a smile on your face: http://tonyandkato.com/more.html

Your favorite detail/decoration:* My mom knitted all the bridesmaid's shawls, including mine and a scarf for my "John of Honor." They were beautiful and it was the sweetest gesture. John (my best friend and said "John of Honor") also did all the flowers himself and they were more beautiful than my wildest dreams.

Inspiration for the wedding/approach to your wedding style:* We LOVE Leavenworth. No matter what season, or how many times we've made the drive up Hwy 2, we are just awestruck by the natural beauty and giddy over the festive vibe of the town. Since most our friends and family are from the Seattle and Bellingham area, we wanted to set the wedding in a bit of a "destination" and make it fun for everyone, but not an expensive plane ride away... and before we knew it our vision of a winter wonderland wedding in Leavenworth was taking shape. Elegant but unpretentious, with exceptional food and drink (all our friends are bartenders, musicians, or non-profit workers), and just really, really fun. The beauty and uniqueness of the venue really helped to set the tone for the whole event. And it was really important to us to be able to bring in our caterer, bar, and decor - so with those details and once we visited in person, Pine River was a no-brainer.

We provided two large shuttles (Leavenworth Tours) for all 150 guests, and they even let us serve a Hot Buttered Rum to each guest as they boarded the shuttle. A fun touch!

The rustic dairy barn served as both the ceremony site and reception site for the winter wedding. Although we have had winter weddings where guests brave the outdoors!

What was your favorite part of the day:* That's a tough one! Getting ready in the bridal room was perfect... and the ceremony of course - set in the doorway with the mountains as a backdrop was just stunning and special. Tony and I wrote our own vows and didn't share them with eachother before the ceremony. There truly was not a dry eye in the place. I loved watching people laugh and eat and have fun. We had an afterparty at a dive bar in town called The Post Office, and one of my favorite moments was getting onto the packed shuttle at the end of the wedding and heading into town, through the gorgeous night drive, stars in the sky, the river reflecting the mountains, everyone laughing and feeling great... and when we arrived at the bar, Tony surprised me by having my band there, set up to play! I'm in a classic country band, and they played the rest of the night, all my favorite old songs, and I even joined them for a rendition of Stand By Your Man, in my wedding dress. :)

I love the fairy lights in all the indoor barn shots! I think they are so romantic and whimsical!

If you could tell a future bride one thing about the wedding planning or advice for the day of the wedding what would it be:* Get help. Plan all you want but on the day of the wedding make sure someone other than you is "directing." The best money we spent on the entire thing was hiring our day-of coordinator, Lauren Guy from Manette Gracie.

Vendor Shout Outs:

Caterer- Bitterroot from Seattle. People went CRAZY over the food, and it's the first thing everyone mentions when I talk to them now. It was incredible, affordable, easy, and just SO. GOOD.

DJ- Just a playlist of our own.

Cake- My older sister made it! An apple, rosemary cheesecake, AMAZING.

Photographer- Kapchur us Photography. The pictures speak for themselves and Richard is wonderful to work with. He did my little sister's wedding too!

Make-Up- Jessica Dodge from Caruh Salon in Seattle.

Dress- Purchased at I Do Bridal and altered at Fragile Fit.

Hair- Also Jessica Dodge from Caruh, she is a friend and my regular colorist

Transportation- Leavenworth Tours - we provided two large shuttles for all 150 guests, and they even let us serve a Hot Buttered Rum to each guest as they boarded the shuttle. A fun touch!

Day-of Coordinator- Lauren Guy from Manette Gracie. I wanted to do the planning and she let me have total control leading up to the day, we met twice and she asked great questions that made sure I was thinking of details I might not have considered and on the wedding day she was a complete angel and rockstar all in one! Sweetly getting 150 people to do exactly what they needed to do for everything to run smoothly.