Rustic Bohemian Wedding | Carriage House Stable | 85 Guests
Erin + Ryan’s Rustic Bohemian wedding was worth the wait! During their planning process, they made the tough decision to postpone their special day due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, they pushed forward and the result- a picture-perfect wedding day filled with so much love and joy. Keep scrolling to see their stunning images and get an inside look into their celebration through the bride and grooms perspective.
Contact us for more information regarding our Carriage House Stable weddings. Call us at 813.651.0934 or email us at info@crosscreekranchfl.com. Images by Stacy Paul Photography.
Tell us a little bit more about the deciding factors that led you to book your day with us
“Shortly after our engagement, we started looking for wedding venues in the greater Tampa area. We wanted to find a venue that would allow us to have all of our family and friends there while still having an intimate feel. We came across many beautiful venues in the area, but loved what we saw online when we came across Cross Creek Ranch. We immediately booked a tour to visit the venue, as well as a few others in the area. As soon as we toured the property and had the chance to enjoy the incredible atmosphere across the property, with so much attention paid to every detail, we knew this was where we wanted to get married. The icing on the cake was truly the kind, caring staff who genuinely were interested in our love story and wanted to make our day one to remember. On top of everything, the fact that Cross Creek is all-inclusive really made our decision effortless. They really think about anything you could possibly want or need for your special day.”
What was your inspiration for your wedding style?
“Our wedding style inspiration evolved throughout the wedding process, from originally planning a rustic, shabby chic wedding, to one that was a blend of bohemian and southern styles. Our original wedding date was planned in 2020, however, we made the decision to postpone the big celebration until 2021 due to COVID-19. In the meantime, we had a small wedding in the backyard of our first home. In our backyard ceremony, we used a lot of rustic elements to compliment our farmhouse style home. In our ceremony at Cross Creek, we wanted to honor those aspects of our backyard wedding, while also introducing the bohemian style because we loved the natural and romantic feel this style added.”
What was your inspiration for the colors you picked out?
“When we were picking out our wedding colors, we wanted to use a color palette that was less conventional, yet still appropriate for the fall season. I have always loved shades of orange and dark purples, but love how romantic soft pinks can be. I have always been a huge fan of pampas grass and greenery, so we worked closely with the Cross Creek team to find a combination of these colors that was complimentary and unique.”
How did you feel about your design meeting?
“I am not going to lie, I was very nervous going into the design meeting because I had so many ideas of what I wanted for our wedding, but was not sure if I would be able to articulate them. I was blown away at how responsive our wedding designers were to each of our ideas and how they were able to provide us with so many options that complimented our ideas so beautifully. They really made the entire design process so smooth. They truly listened to us and pulled everything together into such a beautiful, unforgettable final product. I am definitely someone who likes to stress over the little things, especially a few days after a decision has been made, and when I had doubts about something we picked in our design meeting, they were so quick to respond to my questions and offer suggestions to change anything I did not like to make me feel more comfortable. I could not have asked for a better design team.”
What were some of your must-haves for your wedding day?
“Some of our wedding day must-haves were a place for the bridal party and family members to get ready, a way to remember our loved ones who have passed, easy accessibility for all of our guests, and a day-of-coordinator. During our ceremony, we had a small table with pictures dedicated to my grandfather and my husband’s aunt who had recently passed away, which meant a great deal to us. As for accessibility, we had some older family members attending and the Cross Creek team was incredible with providing our guests rides via golf cart to different areas on the property when needed. A day-of-coordinator was a huge must-have for me as the bride and I was completely floored with what Cross Creek provided us with on our wedding day. I had the most INCREDIBLE coordinator with me all day, and my husband also had a Cross Creek coordinator with him throughout the day. The team anticipated every need we may have, they always made sure we had a drink or food accessible, and even ran to find me a pair of comfortable shoes when my heels weren’t doing the job!”
How did you make the day feel personal to you and Ryan?
“We made our day feel personal by having our pictures from our backyard wedding, engagement, and more, hanging on a wall in the front of the reception barn. We picked our party favors (scratch off tickets) with personalized packaging to pay tribute to a long-standing tradition in our families of handing out scratch off tickets during holidays or special occasions. We also chose to keep our wedding guest count on the smaller side to make sure we had enough time to really interact with all of our loved ones and close friends.”
What was your inspiration behind your wedding attire? What about your wedding party attire?
“Our inspiration for wedding attire largely came from the season/time of the year and the unique color palette we choose for our décor/floral. We decided to have the groomsmen wearing navy pants with white button down shirts and customized leather suspenders with their initials monogrammed on the back, while the groom wore a matching full suit. For the bridesmaids, I provided them a picture of the color palette we created and asked that they find a long dress that fits into the color scheme. Each of the bridesmaids wore a solid color dress with my maid of honor wore a patterned dress to tie it all together. From there, we made a few slight tweaks to our floral colors (thanks Alta and CCR!). I got my dress at Ivory and Lace in Tampa with our overall rustic/boho feel in mind. My veil was actually borrowed from Ryan’s aunt and my ribbon tied on my bouquet from my sister (she had at her wedding too) to bring in aspects of both of our families coming together.”
Where did you go to customize your wedding stationary?
“We got our save the dates from Basic Invite and our wedding day invitations/thank you cards from Minted.”
What was your favorite moment of the day?
“Our favorite moments of the day were the time we got to spend together in the cottage before heading over to the reception as well as our first dance. These moments felt so intimate and gave us time to be together in the presence of our loved ones.”
What helped inspire you as you were planning your wedding?
“I spent many hours on Pinterest trying to figure out our wedding design inspiration. I also explored to Instagram pages of all of our chosen vendors (CCR, florist, photographer) to pinpoint things that I loved / wanted to include in our planning. I also referenced the Cross Creek wedding blogs that covered topics such as floral or color inspirations to get additional ideas.”
Anything else you would like to mention about your wedding day?
“Overall, we could not have asked for a more special day. We are so appreciative of all the hard work of the entire Cross Creek team. We love to look back at our pictures taken by our incredible photographer as well as the sweet photo booth album with messages from all of our guests. There was so much attention paid to all of the details of our wedding day, and it truly brings so much joy to reminisce on the entire experience.”
Rustic Bohemian Wedding at Cross Creek Ranch. Florida Wedding Venue. All-Inclusive Wedding Package at the Carriage House Stable. Planning, Decor, Floral, Coordination & Venue by Cross Creek Ranch. Image by Stacy Paul Photography. Bouquet, Boutonniere by Alta Fleura. Cake & Desserts by Alessi Bakery. Entertainment & DJ Services by Grant Hemond & Associates. Wedding Gown by Ivory and Lace Bridal Boutique. Wedding Stationery by Minted. Hair and Makeup by Femme Akoi Beauty Studio.