Biddle Ranch San Luis Obispo Wedding | McCall & Stu
An epic, mid-summer party in the middle of San Luis Obispo’s vineyards—
We knew it would be this way from the moment we first met McCall and Stu. We’ve logged hundreds of hours on video calls with potential clients hearing about their wedding visions, and we deeply cherish the moments when it feels like we’re just catching up with our life-long best friends. This was how it felt talking to McCall and Stu the first time, and the many hours that followed dreaming up their summer wedding at Biddle Ranch Vineyard. There likely hasn’t been a time when I felt we’ve seen more artistically eye to eye with a couple, and I am so excited about the way we were able to collaborate to bring that to life in their wedding photos.
McCall and Stu, and architect and a project manager, met and fell in love in San Francisco, knitting together an incredible group of high energy, loving, and supportive friends along the way. They wanted every ounce of their wedding to exude their personalities and celebrate the moment, and their thoughtful design played so well into this. Here is what they first shared with us about their love and vision for their day:
”Stu and I met through my friend from 4th grade at her engagement party! She had been trying to set me up with him for months but he randomly just showed up at the party! We basically never stopped hanging out since then and it has been nearly six years now. Stu and I are both creatives, he takes his film camera wherever we go and I am an architect. We both love painting, the mountains, sunshine, and are simple, subtle people. Stu and I selected Biddle Ranch for our wedding because it outwardly expresses who we are: simple, minimal, classic California, and sunny! We fell in love with the decomposed granite open courtyards, axial olive tree groves, and modern farmhouse buildings. We envision our day as a minimalist yet bold aesthetic that emphasizes the physical beauty of the venue itself. Our colors are charcoal black, slate grey, and mustard yellow. We can’t wait to have our family and friends flow between the awesome nooks at Biddle Ranch from the ceremony in the open decomposed granite courtyard to cocktail hour in the vineyard house backyard by the fountain to a reception between the olive tree grove with one single long dining for all 120 guests and back to the vineyard house backyard for cake and dancing with the fireplace going! We love how Biddle Ranch feels like classic California landscape but is intimate like a backyard wedding.”
Boy, was this vision brought to life. One of my favorite parts of working together was during the timeline call we have with all of our couples, to make sure we’re allowing them to spend every moment of their day the way they want to be, and to get in their heads so we’re thinking with their priorities in mind when we are actually photographing them. McCall and I talked for literally hours late into the evening, that she literally got to have (virtual) dinner with Joseph and me because of how late it got. It was so fun hearing all her brilliant ideas, and we were so grateful for her and Stu’s vulnerability in sharing with us how they hoped to spend their whole day, and what catches their eye at each point too.
So we began in Biddle Ranch’s guesthouse getting ready. We arrived to an already very high energy bridal party so excited to celebrate McCall and Stu’s marriage. These two put together one of the best vendor teams in San Luis Obispo (they’re all listed below in case you want to work with them too 😏), so stress was not at all an element of the wedding morning. Once McCall and Stu were ready, we set them up for their first look. They didn’t want to lose the aisle first look moment some couples opt for, but wanted to get all their formal photos finished before their wedding (smart), so they chose the next best thing— McCall and Stu had their own aisle moment on Biddle Ranch’s olive-tree-lined entryway. There are no words for how beautiful this was, so I’ll just invite you to scroll for the photos.
These two film enthusiasts love the look of direct sunlight in the early afternoon, so they opted to take most of their bridal portraits featuring a bunch of Biddle Ranch’s architectural design in full sun. I was excited for the creative challenge, and we were treated with some of the most clean, gorgeous sunlight all afternoon. We brought the wedding party for a tour of all of Biddle Ranch too, capturing the whole rowdy group in various locations around the stunning property. After family portraits in the backyard, we were on to the ceremony.
As creatives, McCall and Stu wanted their whole wedding day to feel like art. Instead of the traditional wedding aisle and altar, they designed their ceremony layout to look more like a fashion show, with guests’ chairs facing in toward the runway, where McCall and Stu and their immediate families and bridal party walked in to the wedding. The ceremony decor was simple, as to not take away from the natural beauty behind them. Biddle Ranch’s ceremony space opens up into lush vineyards which were in full bloom in August, and behind those, the famous rolling hills of San Luis Obispo. Sweet, emotional personal vows were exchanged, everyone cried and cheered, and we were off to the celebration!
We transitioned with the guests back into the farmhouse’s backyard for cocktails under the oak and olive trees as golden hour set in. We took all of McCall and Stu’s formal photos before the ceremony began, so they got to simply enjoy their whole cocktail hour. We love it when our couples have the chance to actually partake in their wedding, and all the hugging and laughing photos including the bride and groom do this such justice. As the sun began to dip behind the hills, we were back to the tasting room area for dinner.
I love the look of one long table under a symmetrical row of olive trees for a wedding reception dinner, and was so excited to hear this was part of McCall and Stu’s design. The all black design with subtle pops of yellow played so naturally with the dancing sunlight and olive trees blowing in the breeze, and photographing the entirety of their dinner was such a treat. We snuck the couple away for a few quick photos in Biddle Ranch’s namesake vineyard as the sun disappeared, but mostly got to let them hang out and have dinner with their people. This dinner table layout was so ideal for capturing everyone talking and celebrating and listening to the various toasts that were shared throughout dinner. SLO in summer is absolute magic, with the sun setting so late in the evening, offering the opportunity for a long, lazy, conversation heavy outdoor reception dinner.
But, in addition to their intentional side, McCall and Stu also have a fun, party animal side, so dancing was a must. Once it was dark, we headed back to the courtyard for dessert and dancing. The newlyweds brought the energy with one very fun rendition of a first dance, and their people responded accordingly. This was one incredible dance floor that had literally everyone on their feet.
From the gorgeous design, to the deep intentionality throughout the day, to the unmatched quality of the couple we get to call our friends now, we could not be more grateful to have been the ones chosen to photograph McCall and Stu’s Biddle Ranch Vineyard wedding. We hope you enjoy looking through all of these photographs, and to be back on the Central Coast for another party soon 😜.
A special thank you to the incredible team who made this day possible, some of San Luis Obispo’s very best wedding vendors.
Venue - Biddle Ranch Vineyard / Coordination - Sandcastle Celebrations / Catering - Field to Table / Dessert - Milk Bar / Bar - Crafted Cocktails / DJ - DJ Jas Productions / Beauty - Amanda Olson Beauty, The Queens Bees / Rentals - All About Events, Bright Event Rentals, Avenue Twelve / Transportation - Jump on the School Bus / Dress - Anthropologie / Groom’s Outfit - The Black Tux
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Hello friends! We’re Katie & Joseph, a husband & wife team, and destination wedding photographers!
We are big fans of documenting wedding days in an unposed, raw, genuine, and honest way that allows our couples to maximize their experience on their day while also receiving a gallery full of stunning images that communicate how it felt to be there.
Though we’re based in Arizona, we’ll travel anywhere (like our second home of SLO!) for a good love story (and dance party). We invite you to follow the links below to learn more about us and our services, and to get in contact with us!
