A Greenhouse Wedding at Riata Ranch | San Luis Obispo, CA
A Spring Wedding in the Hills of San Luis Obispo—
Name something better, I dare you! We were so excited to be home in SLO for Megan and Avery’s gorgeous April wedding at one of our favorite venues on the Central Coast— Riata Ranch. We were particularly excited for this one, because this past offseason, Riata replaced their iconic teepee reception space with a beautiful glass greenhouse, and we got to be the first to photograph a wedding in it! This venue has always been gorgeous, nestled on a hill in Santa Margarita, overlooking miles of vineyards and the iconic rolling hills of San Luis Obispo, but it’s even better now with the greenhouse. I love the way the sunlight sparkles through during golden hour, and how, throughout the entire day, you never have to worry about the views being obstructed.
Megan and Avery were a dream couple to work with! They live in Arizona and got married in SLO, so the perfect combination of our two home bases! I got to venture up to Sedona for their adventurous engagement session— an off road drive and then a hike up to a big rock overlooking the backcountry and red rocks, and then, of course, visit our second home in San Luis for their wedding! A win-win scenario all around 🥲. These two are the epitome of best friends. They met in Avery’s native Flagstaff, where Megan also went to school, and built a community and home in the picturesque northern Arizona mountain town together. Megan grew up in SLO, their dream destination for their spring wedding at Riata Ranch.
If you know anything about springtime in San Luis Obispo, you know this season for the rolling green hills, making the place look absolutely magical. As their wedding was at the end of April, we were praying the green would hold on long enough to be part of their day. This year’s later rainy season did the job, and we were surrounded by Irish looking hills at Riata Ranch! The morning of Megan and Avery’s wedding, we woke up to a wildly rainy day. Throughout getting ready time, the rain poured down heavily. We dodged downpours as we snuck in and out of the houses on property, trying to get formal photos done without getting rained on.
This year, I’ve decided to keep note of the little ways God has shown up for us in our business. This became one of those. Up until quite literally five minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, it was raining sideways (you’ll see some photos below of Megan and her girls watching it absolutely come down mere moments before she was due to walk down the aisle). We were having to make the decision whether or not to move everything inside the greenhouse, as this wasn’t just a little rain. Megan and Avery were positive as ever, chatting about how much they loved the rain, and wouldn’t mind exchanging vows in the middle of a spring storm. Then, suddenly, it was if someone had turned a shower head off. The rain ceased and the clouds parted, the sun glistening off the freshly watered hills. It remained sunny the entire rest of the day, and we got to enjoy the ceremony, cocktail hour, and golden hour outside in the golden SLO sun.
The whole day was beautiful and deeply personal. Megan and Avery were so intentional about the family and friends they chose to surround them on their wedding day. Riata Ranch’s new greenhouse did not disappoint, as day turned to a colorful sunset, and cafe lights glowed in the evening light. Dinner in the greenhouse was magic. I loved the intimate feel, like being embraced in a warm hug, as siblings and childhood friends shared stories and everyone laughed. The greenhouse even made the perfect backdrop for the lively dance party that unfolded after. If you are planning a wedding in San Luis Obispo, be sure to check out Riata Ranch— this venue is so unique and stunning, with the best team to manage it too!
A special thank you to the incredible team who made this day possible, some of San Luis Obispo’s very best wedding vendors.
Venue - Riata Ranch / Coordination - A Perfect Day / Floral Design - Open Air Flowers / Catering - Grape Vine Catering / Bar - Bottles & Ice / DJ - Kramer Events / Rentals - SLO Party Rentals / Second Photographer - Ockenfoto
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Because this is one of our favorite wedding venues in San Luis Obispo County, we’ve been fortunate to photograph a number of weddings at Riata Ranch—
Though our editing style has evolved over the years, the heart behind the photos remains the same. In this post, I am going to be sharing recaps of a few more days we cherish still, and offer a few different perspectives of how to best use the gorgeous space Riata has to offer. Keep scrolling to see more!
Bri & Ryan’s Golden
Hour Teepee Wedding
Oh, and I forgot the best part— Bri and Ryan, our lovely bride and groom for this picturesque wedding, are some of the most kind, intelligent, and accomplished people we’ve ever met. When we first received their inquiry, I had that gut reaction that this was gonna be a good one, and knew we had to do whatever we could to be a part of it. Luckily for us, Bri & Ryan wanted us to be a part of their day too! So badly, in fact, that they planned their date around our availability (what in the world!! We don’t deserve couples like this 🥺).
We hopped on a FaceTime with them and immediately connected, trading stories about all our adventures, and most importantly, hearing theirs. Bri and Ryan met at a party toward the end of their time at UCLA and never quite forgot about each other. Years later, they were spontaneously reunited at a music festival in Las Vegas, and they began talking again. Fast forward through years of moving all around the country for each other and their (very accomplished) careers, and we found ourselves helping them plan their November wedding at a venue we’d never visited before- Santa Margarita’s Riata Ranch.
Bri & Ryan have spent so much of their lives moving around the southwest of the United States, have spent their years together traveling to snowboard all over the place, and got engaged at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. It was a big dream of theirs to incorporate these elements into their wedding day, and Riata Ranch, with its boho-southwest design and feel, was the perfect setting to gather their people for their wedding! Y’all, this venue is stunning, and I sincerely hope we’ll get to photograph a hundred more weddings while we call this our job.
The ceremony site looks out over the lush valley in Santa Margarita where the ranch is located, and the reception space is made up of literal tipis. Where else on the Central Coast (or beyond) will you find a space as unique as this? (Answer— no where). Pair that with the ranch houses and airstreams for getting ready, and a property dotted with cows and horses, and you have yourself a place that will make your wedding weekend a real experience. Since San Luis Obispo is such a wedding destination, you’ll be able to offer all your out of town guests that upscale ranch vibe in the middle of wine country that just about everyone comes here looking for!
Enough about the venue, let’s talk this gorgeous wedding. Bri and Ryan included subtle, very “them” details to accentuate the natural and available beauty Riata Ranch provides. Keeping with the snowboarding theme, the couple’s guestbook was their very first snowboards, and their seating chart featured lift tickets corresponding to a table appropriately named after one of the many ski resorts the couple had visited. Simple, white florals elevated the space, and the bridal party wore neutral champagnes and navy, complimented with bolo ties for the guys.
Their sunset wedding ceremony was officiated by a close friend and included personal vows. Bri was driven to the aisle in a lifted Jeep, and I’ll never stop thinking about how the expansive lawn allowed us to capture every single person smiling at her as she and her father walked toward Ryan. I’ll also never forget the gravity of the moment catching up with Ryan after he and Bri were pronounced husband and wife. Sunset turned into a stunning blue hour under a full moon, when Bri and Ryan shared their first dance while their people looked on from the tipis. Some sweet, emotional toasts were shared by their parents and closest friends, before Bri & Ryan branded a pie instead of cutting a cake.
We are so grateful to have been included in this special day, and can’t wait to be back at Riata Ranch photographing more beautiful weddings soon!
Venue - Riata Ranch / Coordination - Carson Weddings / Florals - Glenna Joy Flowers / Catering - Trumpet Vine Catering / Bar - Copper And Crystal / Dessert - Bramble Pie Co / Makeup - Rozetree Bridal / Rentals - SLO Party Rentals & All About Events / Transportation - SLO Safe Ride
Hello! We’re Katie & Joseph, San Luis Obispo 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 + SLO, we’ll travel anywherefor 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!
