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Looking through these photos from Lauren Larsen, you would never guess that the ranch where Lauren + Tommy were married had caught on fire two months before the wedding. Thankfully, this Oklahoma event was the work of a community who cleared out charred trees and made Lauren’s family ranch beautiful. Guests took in the landscape over blackberry cobbler, champagne and other Southern treats. I love how the reception came together with a hay bale lounge area, orange florals and big wooden furniture. What’s even better is the last photo of the bride and groom on the dance floor. Big thanks for Lauren Larsen again, for sharing this beautiful wedding!

Describe your wedding flowers: Bright orange with apple green accents. My bouquet was a combination of softer orange and white hues. There were lots of peonies, hydrangeas, anemones, cabbage roses, and tulips.
Describe your wedding cake: We bucked tradition on this one, serving homemade blackberry cobbler instead of a wedding cake. The blackberries were meticulously picked and preserved throughout the year by my aunt and uncle, and my aunt proceeded, over the course of several weeks, to hand craft each cobbler served.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Roughly two months before the wedding, an arsonist lit a portion of the ranch on fire, resulting in a swath of charred trees and grass that covered much of the actual site of the ceremony (though, thankfully, the local volunteer fire department was able to save the barn and the ranch house). My father, family, and other helpers worked exhaustively to clear the charred areas and re-seed/fertilize the burned areas. By the day of the wedding the ranch was picture-perfect. What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? A good photographer whom I had known since junior high. She made everyone feel comfortable, despite the 40 mph wind and 103 degree heat. The photos were spectacular!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Toward the end of the evening, we looked out at a dance floor full of our friends and family, all dancing the night away. Having traveled from all over the country to the depth of a small town Oklahoma, we were thrilled to see how much joy they had brought to the most important day of our lives, and how each one seemed to have also found their own joy in the occasion.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did, though we kept them short, simple, and traditional. We also had a good friend sing “Amazing Grace” a capella, which was incredibly moving.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We just moved into a new apartment in New York and are looking forward to starting our lives together. I have one more year of graduate school, before embarking on a new and exciting career. Though there’s no telling what the next few years will bring, we look forward to facing the unknown together.

Photographer: Lauren Larsen // Planner: Gibson Events // Venue: Bride’s family ranch // Florist: Poppy Lane // Wedding Cake Baker: Bride’s aunt // Caterer: Abbey Road Catering // Paper Products: Dauphine Press // Bride’s Dress: Vera Wang // Bride’s Reception Dress: Alice & Olivia // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Vera Wang // Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Lula Kate

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
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  1. avatar Rustic Venues, Decor and Florals | Heart Love Weddings reply

    […] Photo by Lauren Larsen Photographs via Southern Weddings […]

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Oh my. Lauren + Tommy’s wedding is an Oklahoma beauty. Let me just start off by saying that it was a whopping 103 degrees the day of L + T’s wedding, and they both managed to look positively elegant. Lauren was cool and sophisticated in her ethereal Vera Wang dress, while Tommy and his groomsmen were knockouts in grey suits and black striped ties. A fiddler set the tone as the ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle carrying the same cowboy hats that had been used at the ranch for years! And the beautiful stone arch that the couple said they vows under? It was constructed by the groom, the bride’s father, and a local stonemason and remained a part of the ranch’s landscape after the wedding. Big thanks to Lauren Larsen for sharing! Can’t get enough? Come back for Part II!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. (From the groom) We were introduced by friends, though my roommate had been telling me about Lauren long before we ever met. We were brought together on a semi-blind date during trivia night at a local pub. Though we were too busy talking to answer any of the actual trivia questions, as reflected in our score, she did answer “can I get your number?” correctly.
Describe the proposal. (From the groom) Lauren is a very smart woman, and not easily fooled. In order to surprise her with the proposal, I had to devise a plan over a two-month period in which I convinced her that I was travelling to Russia for business, a plan which required nearly 40 people, a few secretaries, and an intern to pull off. On the day of the proposal, I had her meet a friend under the auspices of helping him plan an event at Conservancy Pond in Central Park. I was there, on a bench, which held particular significance for us. During the proposal, I had hers and my family across the pond watching, and a photographer friend taking pictures from a hidden spot. After the proposal, I took her to dinner, where I had planned a surprise engagement party with our closest friends and family.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Cinematic, transcendent, HOT.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: (From the groom) When we decided to have the ceremony on Lauren’s family ranch, her father and I took over the task of building the altar. After much research, we decided to make a unique altar that reflected Lauren’s, my, and our family’s shared faith, as well as the import of the occasion. We ultimately designed a stone arch, at the top of which sat a large cross. The stones for the arch were hand selected by Lauren’s family from the same stone used to build the ranch house nearly a century ago. Those stones were then individually cut and chiseled, and the arch constructed by a local stonemason, Lauren’s father, and myself. I constructed the cross that sat atop the arch was from the wood that made up the first kitchen table purchased by my parents. The arch is intended to forever remain a part of the landscape of the ranch.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The wedding was outdoors, in 103 degree heat (an Oklahoma record for that day). The scene was a working cattle ranch, so the land was dotted with freshly cut and rolled hay bales. The groomsmen were adorned in light cotton summer suits, complete with cowboy boots. The bridesmaids wore matching cowboy boots (gifts from the groom and bride). The ring bearer and flower girl carried their wears in authentic felt cowboy hats, the same ones used by the ranch hands for decades past. The bride was escorted from the ranch house to the altar while a fiddler and acoustic guitar serenaded her. Guests were served wine, local beers, and sweet tea vodka cocktails at the reception. A country-western band played Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, and everything in between. Guests hailing from New York, California, and everywhere in between posed for pictures on the authentic covered wagon photo booth and came together for an impromptu line dance and heartfelt rendition of “Family Tradition.”
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My vision was fairly all over the place. I knew that I wanted a unique look, and decided very early on that for me, this did not include a veil, but I was conflicted between modern and romantic dresses. In the end, I found a dress/bolero combination that solved my predicament.

Photographer: Lauren Larsen // Planner: Gibson Events // Venue: Bride’s family ranch // Florist: Poppy Lane // Wedding Cake Baker: Bride’s aunt // Caterer: Abbey Road Catering // Paper Products: Dauphine Press // Bride’s Dress: Vera Wang // Bride’s Reception Dress: Alice & Olivia // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Vera Wang // Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Lula Kate

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
9 Comments
  1. avatar elizabeth reply

    I would really love to know who made the groom and groomsman’s suits!!!

  2. avatar Jenna Kate reply

    Beautiful wedding!! Any clues on that adorable monogrammed blouse/robe’s origins?? I’d love to get my own!!!

  3. avatar Ashley reply

    I love the groomsmen suits as well! I have been trying to find this color everywhere!

  4. avatar Juliana reply

    I’m loving the bolero. Is it Vera Wang as well?

  5. avatar sarah g reply

    ditto on finding out about that robe! love it!

  6. avatar Kate {domestikatedlife} reply

    I would love to know where that monogrammed robe came from too!

  7. avatar Best of 2011 :: Ceremonies « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] Bow; originally seen here) and cowboy hat tossing petals (photo by Lauren Larsen; originally seen here) Save Facebook it Tweet […]

  8. avatar Gabriella Mendez reply

    Im planning my wedding but I can’t seem to find the perfect old barn to have my reception in. Would Lauren rent her barn out for another wedding?? Please let me know. Best barn I have seen so far.
    Thank you

  9. avatar kristen reply

    Is this something y’all would consider renting out for other weddings, the pictures are gorgeous.

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