Riata Ranch Wedding | Bri & Ryan
A sunny autumn wedding at one of SLO’s newest, drool-worthy venues? Sign us up!
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!
Meet the best san luis obispo wedding vendors!
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
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ENJOY Bri & Ryan’s picturesque autumn wedding at Riata Ranch~
Howdy friends! We’re Katie & Joseph, a husband & wife team, and Phoenix wedding photography duo.
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 are based in Scottsdale, we’ll travel anywhere 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!
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Hannah and Tom have spent much of their relationship living in an RV and travelling the country, and so it felt almost natural to have a national park themed wedding in one of their favorite destinations, Arizona.