Holman Ranch Wedding // Ali & Bo

It is always a pleasure working with Paradise Catering and Studio Mondine and this 200 + person wedding at Holman Ranch last October was no exception. I'm sharing just a few of my favorites from this beautiful day in Carmel Valley. Vendor details and a weather report (for those looking at getting married in Carmel Valley and need some weather deets!).

Venue: Holman Ranch // Catering: Paradise Catering // Coordination: Engaged & Inspired // Photographer: Perfect Circle Photography // Floral: Studio Mondine // Lighting: Chic Event Rentals // Desserts:

Weather Report: October 18, 2014 - No sign of rain. Warm throughout the day. Started getting a bit chilly toward the end of dinner. 

Style It: Ceremony Sign

Ceremony signs are one of my favorite wedding details. I think they are one of the most special decorations you could have on your wedding day. Whatever you choose to do with that altar, make it a true reflection of you. I get lots and lots of emails about my ceremony sign, and even more emails about those fabulous doors. So how do you achieve the look? And where does it all come from? So here it goes!

Style It:

It is so easy to style a fabulous ceremony sign for your wedding day. Check out what you need to make it happen!

{Our Wedding} Featured

Over the past few months I have seen our little wedding pop up here and there. It is fun to see what people are saying about it and how they arrange the images and all that. So I thought I would post a few of the spots that I have seen our little Holman Ranch wedding.

First our photographers posted a little something. Then our wonderfully amazing planner Shannon Leahy posted a few words about us and the wedding. And of course Ian's proposal was featured on Wedding Chicks. Oh and did you see our feature in Exquisite Bride's Magazine?

Other sites included:

Our Wedding Video

Today is finally the day! After almost 5 months, our wedding video is done. I'll start out by saying that when the time came to make the decision about the videography, I was really really lost. I was a few weeks away (short notice, I know!) so the idea of shelling out even more money didn't seem like a very fun idea. I did a bit of surveying and everyone that spent a lot on their wedding video said it wasn't really worth it. I wasn't getting a feeling that it was a must-have item.

When the wedding was over, the only thing I wanted to do is look at video coverage of the day. Pictures worked, but I wanted to see everyone, hear the speeches and just watch it all over again and again. That was the big reason that I decided video is very important. Ya maybe I won't watch it ALL the time, but at least I have it to watch again and again, show kids, etc.

So I went the craigslist route. I paid a few hundred dollars for a guy to shoot it, and I paid to get it edited. Luckily for me I have a friend, Matt Cross, who is an incredible editor because most videographers won't even touch footage they didn't shoot themselves. And I can see why. The footage we had to work with from the shooter was, well.....not good. Literally you could easily throw away so much of it that you wouldn't be able to actually put together a video.

Matt took the footage and worked it like crazy. You can tell he is really passionate about having a great product even when that is really hard to do. Baring in mind the coverage we had, he created this 7 minute video of our wedding.

So the lessons for today are two-fold. 1 hiring a wedding videography is more important than you might think. Anything is better than nothing. Second, if you have an incredibly professional videographer, the product will turn out amazing no matter what (although I would never recommend going my route with the super cheap craigslister. That just wasn't worth it!)

And just in case you missed this: here is Ian's wedding speech.

{Venue Love} Holman Ranch, Carmel Valley

Time to talk venues today :) I have received a lot of e-mails from readers asking about Holman Ranch, but also general questions about splurging on the venue, what style is good, etc. etc. etc. So here is my side of the story, and I would love to comment with other questions, your story on finding the perfect venue, etc. Was it easy? Did it take a long time? Let those stories lose!

The moment I stepped foot, I got excited about my wedding again. Until that point I was feeling defeated and like there was no right place to have the day. My needs were pretty simple, a vineyard, a barn, gorgeous views, and firepits.

I ended up deciding on an off season Friday. And can I just say, Friday weddings are the way to go! I have been to several now and they are always the best. First you get to take the day off work, which most people really don't mind doing. Then you dance the night away, wake up and have a whole weekend ahead of you! I had a lot of out-of-town guests and it was really nice to be able to spend all of Saturday with them without stress and worry and all that other stuff.

 

This venue was a bit of a splurge but I made up for it in other areas. I found a wonderful deal on a caterer, we brought in our own drinks, cut transportation and other decor choices for it. From the moment I signed the contract until the day of the wedding I never regretted the splurge. It really depends on your scene, budget, and what you are willing to sacrifice.

The ceremony spot is breathtaking. I am not a fan of grass, but it really didn't matter with such a unique space. Standing at the alter there was nothing but rolling hills and wonderful valley below. It was one of those magical moments looking at such a vast amount of space.

Something you always have to plan for is a chance of rain. I was very anti, even though I was pretty sure it was going to rain. I couldn't imagine the wedding indoors and Shannon, the planner, knew how against it I was. When I arrived on site she said it was time to make the call and it was probably going to rain. I ended up choosing the outdoor ceremony and moving the dinner to the barn. The indoor reception ended up being much more intimate and romantic than I had ever pictured. And rain it did! It poored, it hailed and it stopped at all the right moments :)

For the small amount of time that it wasn't raining, guests could hang out on the lawn which was so amazing.

There is a small downside to the venue though. It is so spacious and so vast, that it can becoe overwhelming when trying to plan. Have anyone else had trouble with picturing things in such a big space? It took a bit of getting used to, but the nice thing was that if I didn't add anything to a space, it looked great as is.

I ended up having a lot of details and things because there was so much space to fill. It was definitely over-kill! But in a good way :)

Lastly, I can't say enough good things about Hunter and the team at Holman. After what I went through finding a venue, I felt like I hit the jackpot with the most perfect service and the nicest team.

And today I was surprised with this super awesome gift from Hunter. Aww, I can't wait to break this open on a special occasion.

So let's hear some stories! Have you found the one, are you still looking? What design and decor issues have you been running into? Spill the beans

Oh, and ff you haven't seen our wedding, check out the feature here and here.

{Our Wedding} DIY Holman Ranch Wedding Part 2

:: View Part 1 of our wedding ::

So how did you like part 1 this morning? I am here again with the reception side of our wedding. Let me just saw that there are TONS of details packed into this one. And that credit goes to my amazing planner/stylist Shannon Leahy Events. She took all the inspiration from my head and created something far better than I could have imagined. I couldn't believe the work she and the other vendors (Floral Theory and even my cake lady) to excede every possible expection I could have possibly had for this day.

So here goes the second half of my day. I hope you enjoy :)

My amazing husband had something amazing up his sleeve. A cute proposal during our wedding. Wedding Chicks featured the film so you can see exactly how it went down!

Wedding Photography: Jason + Anna Photography / Cinematography: Matt Cross / Floral Design: Floral Theory / Event Design: Meeeeee! / Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events / Venue: Holman Ranch / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: DIY, Ian Silber (The Groom) / Vintage Rentals: Milk Glass Vintage Rentals / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet (“Uma”) / Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry / Bridesmaid Gifts, Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Designs

{Our Wedding} DIY Holman Ranch Wedding

Wow, do you know how hard it is to post your own wedding? I have a hard enough time narrowing down the weddings I feature, and those I am not emotionally invested in. This was crazy and I apologize in advance for throwing SO much at you in one post. I didn't realize how much I put into this wedding. Every photo I saw there was something that I had to put my hands into and DIY.

I can't say my wedding was perfect and everything I hope and dreamed for, but I will say that it was one hell of an event and I loved every second of it anyway. I have received so so so many amazing compliments from guests telling me how absolutely amazing everything was. People have said that this was by far the best wedding they have ever been to and will remember it forever more. Even one of the staff said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. And though that doesn't mean anything in comparison to what this day was about for both Ian and I, I am incredibly happy that I could show the people I love the most a good time and give them a chance to enjoy themselves.

Our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty a few weeks back, and here is another feature including some of my favorite photos of our day.

Let me just saw that there are TONS of details packed into this one. And that credit goes to my amazing planner/stylist Shannon Leahy Events. She took all the inspiration from my head and created something far better than I could have imagined. I couldn't believe the work she and the other vendors (Floral Theory and even my cake lady) to excede every possible expection I could have possibly had for this day.

My amazing husband had something amazing up his sleeve. A cute proposal during our wedding. Wedding Chicks featured the film so you can see exactly how it went down!

Wedding Photography: Jason + Anna Photography / Cinematography: Frame 44 / Floral Design: Floral Theory / Event Design: Engaged & Inspired / Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events / Venue: Holman Ranch / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: DIY, Ian Silber (The Groom) / Vintage Rentals: Milk Glass Vintage Rentals / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet “Uma” / Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry / Bridesmaid Gifts, Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Designs

Featured on The Wedding Chicks :: With a Film

Remember how I said there was a surprise proposal at our wedding? Today is the day we are showing that off! The film is featured on The Wedding Chicks with a few images from our wedding. I'm so excited for you all to see it! Thanks so much to The Wedding Chicks for the wonderful feature!

Oh and in case you missed our wedding feature on Style Me Pretty, check that out as well. Our Wedding was a lot of work, but SO worth it :)

{Featured} Our Wedding on Style Me Pretty

I have been very hush-hush about these little babies up until now but I am very excited to finally them off. This morning our wedding is being featured on Style Me Pretty!

And this is one of my favorite photos from the day.

I have to take this chance to thank you to EVERY reader who has supported me, helped me and been there for me during the wedding planning process. There were challenging times and this blog really helped me get through it. And I must give a huge thank you to each and every one of my vendors. IN-CRED-IBLE.

That said, Engaged & Inspired is staying right where it is despite the wedding being over. In fact, we are re-designing, re-launching and offering up so many more amazing features, services and ideas than ever ever before. And we will be dishing the dirt on all things our wedding from now on, which I can't wait for. Next week I'm talking table numbers...exciting.

Oh and if you want to find out where I got certain things or if you want to purchase something, Shop Our Wedding or check out my Etsy Shop, or simply get in touch {e-mail: allison@engagedandinspired.com} and I will help you out. My dress is for sale on Smart Bride. Oh and if you need a little extra help tackling all this wedding stuff, let me help you. {Get the deets on that}

Last but not least, OMG is this a big day for me!, we released the deets on The Lab! WOOT WOOT!

Venue: CHECK!

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY! The venue has been found and booked! Yep, there is officially a backdrop to this wedding.

I have seen this place many times before, but the price tag always scared me away. ( But I can't tell you how much I appreciate them putting their prices on their website). Finally I decided to call and what do you know, they had options, they had solutions, and they were going to try to make it work. After talking to the Hunter and calling a few caterers, it was clear that it could actually work with my budget.

After viewing practically every venue in the Bay Area, I can finally say picked the best venue in a few hundred mile radius. So, here is a look at the venue:

The Entrance: Gorgeous trees fill just about every inch of this place. From the moment you drive up the ambiance is set. Horseshoes and a bocce ball spot are to the left for guests to entertain themselves prior to the ceremony starting.

The ceremony spot: The photos don't do the ceremony spot any justice. In person, it is breathtaking. The view beyond the altar is vineyards and rolling mountains. It is actually incredible. Those wood chairs that come with the venue. They are nice, right? Definitely better than what they could look like.

The cocktail patio: The thing I love about this place is that each piece of the wedding takes place in a different area. The cocktail patio opens to a sitting room (pictured below) for guests.

Courtyard Patio: This is the coolest little patio I have ever seen! So many options for this little spot. Place cards will likely go here, however I haven't quite decided yet.

Reception: This is the dinner spot. So excited for all this place has to offer. I think I am going to do long tables like this. I am definitely going to look into renting picnic tables, because I was totally obsessed with that idea, but that all depends on price.

The Carriage House: After dinner people end up at the Carriage House (MY FAVORITE PART!) for the dancing portion of the event. This is where the s'more and cigar bar come out, fire pits get lit and music starts up. I can't wait to do something incredible with this space. See those fire pits?? This place really was meant for me! Incredible.

So this is the venue! Great neutral colors, great photo spots, overall gorgeous space. A bride rented those lounge tables and chairs. Oh and the guests all arrive by golf cart and cars are parked elsewhere so those won't be obstructing any kind of view.

The girls have a huge room to get ready (with LOTS of table space) and the boys have a pool table, darts, a TV and a small bar. We are going to have fun!

This place is perfect. I couldn't be more excited to see my wedding finally come together in such a beautiful space. On top of that, I love the events person, Hunter! She truly cares about each and every one of her brides and has so much pride in this place she has created. I am incredibly excited to work with someone that really gets it, and acts like we are her only clients even though in reality they are booked solid all year long!

So, we sent in the check and it is official! This place is ours! Now I get to do all the fun stuff, I can't wait to see it all come together. Oh and our wedding date? April 8, 2011.