Sara & Luke // Foxen Canyon Ranch Wedding
Sara & Luke originally crossed paths in college when they were both students at ASU, but remained *just friends*! It wasn’t until a few years later when Sara gathered some courage & *elegantly* slid into Luke’s DMs to say hello that they really got to talking. She must’ve been excellent with her emoji work, because in 2020 she made the big move from California to Texas to live with him & they began their lives together as boyfriend & girlfriend.
Two years and a sweet doggy-child later, they traveled to Kauai with family in April 2022. In an unprecedented April Fools move, Luke got down on one knee with an EMPTY RING BOX and asked Sara to marry him. Seeing how confused she was, he pulled the actual ring out of his pocket and asked her to be his wife. Although I would’ve probably thrown the man in the SEA after that joke, Sara said yes & the couple celebrated during the rest of their trip.
Sara is my good friend & past client’s cousin (are you following? No? That’s ok), & when she initially reached out and told me she was a part of Keegan’s family, I was sooo STOKED to talk with her about her wedding. She described a rustic but chic celebration at a gorgeous ranch venue in Los Olivos, and I couldn’t put the date in my calendar fast enough. Not for nothing, this Sarebear LOVES working for other Sarebears… and I WILL proceed to ONLY call them Sarebear their entire wedding day. :’)
Fast forward to the big day—
The last time I was in Los Olivos for work, it was 114º… so IMAGINE my JOY when the forecast read 73º and breezy! Little did I know I was about to totally fall in love with a venue. For real… if Foxen Canyon Ranch were a man, I’d marry him.
Sara & Luke’s wedding day was pure perfection: from their kind & high-energy wedding parties, to their sweet and loving families, to their visceral and soft-spoken love for one another… I can’t pick a single thing from the day that wasn’t just easy, fun, and a total delight. All day, a soft wind swept through the ranch. Sara glided down the aisle with her dad between soaring oak trees, and guests cackled as Luke IMMEDIATELY went in for a kiss the second he suspected their ceremony was over. The already flawless venue was enhanced with simple & elegant florals by Ella & Louie Flowers. Inside the beautifully sky-lit barn, a fleet of rustic farm-style tables created a perfect reception setup. At cocktail hour, half a dozen cows that still live on & roam around the ranch added extra charm when they visited guests. It was a wedding-meets-petting-zoo moment for the ages, as the couple’s baby nephew and a big group of guests enjoyed getting to know the neighboring animals.
One of the most magical parts of the day was when the couple & I were escorted by one of the venue owners to an expansive 360º view of Los Olivos. We pulled up as the sun set, and discovered that the venue staff had already gone up the hill to set up an ice bucket with champagne with glasses for the couple to enjoy during their sunset portraits. I can’t emphasize how WILDLY impressed I was with the client experience Foxen Canyon Ranch provides—every detail is thought-through, and the owners were there to support all of the vendors & our clients from the moment we pulled up until the very end of the night.
After having the time of our LIVES running around taking sunset photos, the couple & I headed down the mountain where they cut their cake and danced the night away with all of their loved ones. Sara & Luke were SO fun to work for, and I am already counting down the DAYS until I can return to their freakin’ DREAM of a wedding venue.
Congratulations Shurtleffs!!!
