WHERE TODAY'S COWBOY
LOVE STORIES ARE TOLD

Ivory + Grace in Pinetop-Lakeside Arizona became the perfect Plan B for Ryan & Victoria’s wedding. Originally the idea was for Ryan & Victoria to get married on the ranch outside of Tombsone but when their date overlapped with the busy Helldorado Days they moved the location to the calmer and cooler mountains around Showlow.

While the day before had been too much cooler, on the wedding day the wind died and the sun warmed everything up to a perfect fall wedding temp.

In all the years I’ve been a cowboy wedding photographer a lot of couples have talked big and gotten my hopes up about branding a calf as their unity ceremony. And after years of heartbreak, I had a jaded “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of mood about it. So when I pulled up the morning of the wedding and saw the horse trailer complete with honest to goodness live calf I did a happy dance. Which I hope nobody saw.

Most people end up not actually branding a calf during the ceremony because logistics are just real complicated. But Ryan & Victoria’s bridal party worked hard to make the branding ceremony happen. The calf was roped and flanked by a best man and groomsmen. A bridesmaid ran the hot iron and then held up the wedding dress. And by the end, the calf was sporting the new Lightning Spear Ranch brand that merged Ryan & Victoria’s separate brands together.

Now if I had to pick a favorite between the branding or Bopper Cannon’s biscuits…I’d go with biscuits. Holy moly.

It’s been a long hard year for so many in the wedding industry. And while it was a wonderful year with amazing clients…it kicked my butt. Ryan & Victoria’s was the last wedding of one of the craziest seasons in all my 11 years. And I came rolling in heaving a big sigh of relief because I knew Mica & Tommy of VPL Events had a beautiful timeline and everything under control. I love working with wedding planners but I LOVE LOVE LOVE working with a good one. I’ve been around and can tell you they aren’t all created equal. So I mean it when I say it was a joy to work with Mica & Tommy to make Ryan & Victoria’s wedding a beautiful one.

I couldn’t have asked for a better couple, wedding, bridal party, and view (SEE: SUNSET PORTRAITS!!!!) to bring to a close the 2021 wedding season.

Ps. You’ll notice the bridal party made out like bandits with all their custom MJ Leather Designs @mjleatherdesings goodies. And if you look close you’ll see a little Hatrack branded camera wrist strap they got me as a gift too! #spoiledrotten