Julia and Matt are both from the Bay Area and met pretty much at birth! Their parents are close friends, and so the two grew up interacting with frequent family gatherings. Their wedding website has a pretty spectacular photo of the two of them as toddlers, holding hands, both looking a little unsure. But the romance between them blossomed much later in their early twenties. The speeches and stories shared by their families at their Holman Ranch wedding dinner were pretty magnificent!

The couple, now based in the Santa Cruz mountains, were searching for an all-outdoor wedding venue. And they found it nestled in the Carmel Valley. Beauty abounds at every winding pathway and sweeping vista at Holman Ranch. There is a casual and welcoming warmth as you walk the property, and yet it’s rustic with sophistication. Julia and Matt also loved that Holman Ranch is an actual working vineyard, with historic ranch buildings throughout the property, framed by majestic California oaks and lush gardens. The private estate covers 750 acres and is filled with winding stone covered pathways that lead to gardens, historic spanish buildings, majestic oak trees, courtyards, and an expansive lawn that looks out over the vineyard and onto Carmel Valley.

Getting Ready at Holman Ranch

The day started out with a touch of nerves; it was June and there was rain in the forecast! But what we had instead was a deep sky filled with gorgeous textured clouds, a touch of humidity, and only the slightest misting that arrived at dinnertime. Julia and Matt’s Holman Ranch wedding day felt airy and light and came together with amiable ease, with a big thanks to coordination by Duke and Pearl. There are separate spaces at the ranch for the wedding couple to get ready in, with plenty of space if they have a wedding party along with them.

The rings and the dress in the inner courtyard.

Julia and her family get ready in the Glam Room at the Hacienda Suite.

The finishing touches of getting ready, and the bride’s beautiful bouquet.

While Holman Ranch on its own is a place that has no bad angles with majestic oak trees, lush gardens, and vineyard, it was brought to life even more so by the absolutely breathtaking florals from A Bit of Earth flowers.

The ceremony site overlooking the vineyards and Carmel Valley.

Dyana from A Bit of Earth Flowers said that in her floral planning with the couple that they asked for the look of “Lake Tahoe in the springtime with the yellow fiddlenecks, lupins, and poppies in bloom.” The overall aesthetic goal with the flowers was “natural, organic, and romantic.” All the flowers sourced were California natives as well. Dyana said, we got all her flowers locally. The most lovely ones came from two small farms: Kate from Starlight Farm and Christina from Localife Flowers.”

The bride mentioned to me how much she LOVES film photography, so it was an absolute pleasure to include about a dozen rolls of medium format color film into their Holman Ranch wedding day. Also these 35mm point-and-shoot cameras the couple made available to guests yielded some pretty fun photos as a surprise later on!

Guests arriving on the Hacienda lawn at Holman Ranch.

The bride shared that another reason that Holman Ranch was a perfect fit for their wedding was that “it has so many neat little areas for people to congregate, and of course it’s just very naturally beautiful.”

A sweet moment as the bride finishes getting dressed with her mother.

The Ceremony

As weddings are often a formal affair, it was a fun surprise when the guests spontaneously began cheering for each and every family member as they took their walk down the aisle. The bride chose to walk herself down the aisle. Julia said, “I remember waiting to walk down the aisle and hearing everyone cheering as each family member processed, and just feeling so grateful to have such a wonderful and loving community.”

bride walking herself down the aisle to groom — A beautiful moment as the bride walked herself down the aisle.

The groom’s emotional reaction was so sweet as the bride walked down the aisle. The officiant was his best friend.

The mountain views from the ceremony veranda are so picturesque as a backdrop!

The bride reads a quote from The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.

“Our ceremony was just perfect and after being stressed about the weather, feeling the sun on my face at the altar was so great.”

bride and groom holding hands at Holman Ranch wedding ceremony

bride and groom walk down aisle after wedding ceremony

bride and groom kiss during family photos

Cocktail Hour at Holman Ranch

After the ceremony, the cocktail hour began on the patio. Julia and Matt asked me that we not spend a super lengthy amount of time taking family photos after the ceremony. They wanted to take just a few photos with their immediate family, and then get on to enjoying cocktail hour! I was happy to oblige. The choice of how many family photo groupings we take are entirely up to you, not the photographer. So a pro tip is to be sure to fill out a list of “must have” family photos before the wedding day, and share that with your photographer. Many couples are eager to get to their cocktail hour and enjoy spending time with guests.

And as the day progressed, there were so many opportunities to photograph wonderful candid moments with their family; those authentic moments make for the best photos anyway! Later, the bride shared that one of her most special moments of the wedding was being able to chat with all her guests at cocktail hour. One of the joys of your wedding day is having the time to spend with your guests. After all, they are the most important people in your lives. I’m all for making sure my couples get to enjoy their day. More tips on that here!

guests mingle on outdoor terrace for cocktail hour at Holman Ranch wedding — Cocktail hour on the Stone Terrace.

Holman Ranch offers so many spaces for you and your guests to enjoy themselves. They can host events up to 400 people!

The Dinner Reception

Dinner was held inside the Rose Patio at Holman Ranch. The long farm dinner tables were so inviting and did not need any kind of linen or runner. The beauty in their simplicity was the eye popping rustic elegance of the floral team’s creations. I could not get enough of these blush and wild looking flowers!

The couple wanted to keep an organic feel to their wedding, and opted to not have linens. Instead they kept the wooden farm tables as is, and adorned them with A Bit of Earth's incredibly beautiful and locally sourced floral arrangements.

“I loved our entrance into the dinner area with Fleetwood Mac playing and everyone cheering. All the speeches were wonderful, especially our dads’ and Daniel’s. Really it was all so fun!”

bride giving speech holds up champagne glass to guests during toast

Dinner was served family style, which was a perfect fit for the vibe of the wedding day.

The perfectly summertime wedding cake and the getaway car, the groom’s 1969 cherry red Stingray.

winding walkway past the guesthouses at Holman Ranch wedding venue — A winding walkway past the ranch room guest houses at Holman Ranch.

Sunset at Holman Ranch

After dinner and with the sunlight starting to fade, a Holman Ranch team member drove us up in a golf cart to the top of the hill. Here we were treated with an epic old oak tree and a pinky orange sunset. As if that wasn’t enough, that little bit of moisture in the atmosphere created a rainbow!