Rustic Ranch Wedding in California

We are in sunny California today for this gorgeous Ranch Wedding, shot by the incredibly talented Brandon Chesbro , whose work I featured on the blog last year. It’s the wedding of Ariel and Paul who were married on 26th November at Smartsville in California. It’s a totally chilled out relaxed day, with plenty of gorgeous rustic details. The outdoor bridal portraits are just stunning, as is the beautiful sunlight, something we don’t get much of in this country. As for Ariel, oh my what a beautiful bride! She reminds me of a young Mariah Carey.

Brandon tells us a bit more about the day………..

I have been so blessed to know Paul and his brother Aaron my entire life. They aren’t my friends, they’re brothers. And so naturally, I was ecstatic when I heard Paul was getting married! I couldn’t have been more happy to fly out to California (where I grew up), to be there and have the honour of shooting the wedding. We pulled up to the gorgeous River Highlands Ranch, and there I met Ariel, the beautiful bride. She has more charisma and joy than a puppy! Paul has been truanting for the Army special forces, and so you can imagine my surprise when Ariel pulled out a giant machine gun as a “prop” for the photos. I was SO excited! The entire wedding was so beautiful, from the gorgeous flower arrangements to all the guests at the wedding singing “That’s Amore” while the Bride and Groom carved into their cake, to the adorable “Duck Cabin” where Paul and Ariel were swept away for for their photos after the ceremony. The most special thing about this wedding is that we were all “family”. Everyone there. And it made it one of the most intimate, amazing weddings I’ve been blessed to shoot.
For the last three years, Paul has been in training for the Army Special Forces. And I’m so proud to announce he graduated yesterday! We are so proud of Paul and his service to our country! And we are so happy he has an incredible wife to come home to!