A Texas Style Wedding at River Bend Ranch

Kacy & Spencer | River Bend Ranch

WHY DURANGO

We got engaged on top of Engineer Pass and knew that Durango was the place that we had to get married. Durango is so beautiful with so many activities for your guests to enjoy. It was fun seeing pictures of our friends making week-long vacations around our wedding day. We had guests that went rafting, golfing, hiking, jeeping and zip lining. It made for such a laid-back vibe the entire time. We all stayed together in downtown and could walk to all the restaurants and bars (Durango has some of the best food). It couldn’t have been a more perfect place to have a destination wedding!

Birdesmaids wearing navy blue dresess and cowboy boots | Durango, Colorado

THE STYLE

Our wedding style was simple and rustic. I really wanted our wedding to reflect who we are. We are pretty simple, so having a wedding that was traditional or contemporary would have made us feel out of our element. Plus, I had to bring a little bit of Texas to Colorado. Our goal was to have a laid-back celebration where guests walked away saying “that was so them”.

Wedding bouquet and cowboy boots on wine barrel | Durango, Colorado

THE FLOWERS

I wanted something pastel and soft mixed with succulents. I showed April’s Garden a few pictures I liked and then let them use their creativeness to design the flowers. They turned out better than I could have dreamt!

Wedding bouquet and boutonnière with succulents, roses, peonies Rustic cowboy boots, ring, wedding dress hanging in old jail building Embroidered Handkerchiefs for mom and dad from bride

wedding bouquet on wine barrel. Fleece blankets for ceremony Ceremony on the pond under a huge willow tree with hay bale seating

Bride and dad arriving to ceremony via old west stage coach - Durango, Colorado

THE CEREMONY

Our ceremony was held at River Bend Ranch underneath a willow tree with our guests seated on hay bales. The ultimate highlight was stepping out of an old stage coach with my dad.

wedding ceremony under a willow tree with hay bale seating

CEREMONY DETAIL

We planted a tree together with soil from both our parent’s homes to symbolize our roots and growing together.

wedding ceremony tree planting

outdoor wedding reception in the mountains Bride + Groom kiss Outdoor wedding reception dancing | Durango, Colorado Wedding Cake Rustic DIY Smore's Bar at Wedding Reception

THE DANCING

My one request was to have the dance floor outside underneath the lights and stars. From the very first song played to the last, I believe everyone was on the dance floor.

Wedding reception dancing outdoors under the stars

LOOKING BACK

After everything that had gone into making our dream wedding, we finally got to let loose and enjoy the party. We loved every minute and laughed the entire time! So surreal and we didn’t want the night to end! I want to go back and do it a thousand times over!

Happy, singing bride with microphone

ADVICE

Enjoy this time and your engagement! Try not to let the planning process get the best of you. It’s easy for “wedding talk” to consume your conversations with your fiancé. Try to have nights where you put that aside. In the end, it’s about the two of you. Take a step back at some point in the night and soak it all in.

sparkler exit for bride and groom

THE WEDDING TEAM

Venue: River Bend Ranch. It’s just a beautiful venue to say “I Do” and convenient because it was only 8 miles outside of town. When the sun started to set the mountains were glowing red and it was absolutely gorgeous. Dave, the ranch hand, is the absolute nicest man that I have ever met. He did anything and everything to make our wedding perfect.

Photographer: Illuminarts. Drew and his staff shot the most beautiful pictures of our wedding. Drew is extremely talented and nice as can be. He was helpful with any questions that we had during the planning process and met up with us a few days before to go over exactly what would take place the day of. We can’t thank them enough for the long day spent with us in unusual heat. Both our engagement and wedding photos will be something that we will cherish forever. They were a huge part in making our wedding perfect!

Florist: April’s Garden. Hands down the best flower shop and people to work with. They sat down with me in the beginning and took what I was trying to say that I wanted and turned it into more than I could have ever wanted. My flowers at my wedding were beautiful and absolutely perfect! They quick to respond to any questions that I had. With no hesitation, they even made a last-minute arrangement for us the day-of when we realized that we needed one more. I can’t say enough about the staff. Such a cute shop and such great people. They also made a couple of arrangements that were sent to my hotel room from a couple people. They were gorgeous as well. Thank you so much for everything and for making my wedding beautiful! Y’all are amazing!

Favors: Honeyville Honey– Delicious!