Melinda + Bryce had their gorgeous wedding on Melinda’s grandparents’ ranch on the Brazos River outside of Waco, Texas. The rolling hills and pond created a serene backdrop for their custom-built ceremony site. All of the lumber used was from cedar trees that were cut onsite by the bride’s family and they all worked together to build the benches, aisle, and alter. Melinda even rode down to the ceremony site with her dad in her grandfather’s 1934 Buick. Hues of coral, mint, and tan mixed beautifully to create a look inspired by the states where each of them is from. The lace and wood represented Texas style and the succulents in the floral arrangements represented Arizona. Shelly Taylor Photography captured their inspiring day. Read below for many more details!
From the Bride…
Before the Ring:
My dad’s girlfriend use to work for Bryce’s parents in Arizona, where Bryce is from, and she remained friends with them after she moved to Texas, where I am from, and they came down to visit her and that is when I met Bryce. After they left we stayed in touch through the phone and a few months later he decided to move to Texas to work at my family’s power sports dealership and we started dating August 12, 2008. We dated for almost six years before Bryce proposed to me; mainly because I wanted to finish college first.
The Proposal Story:
We were in Las Vegas to watch the last round of the Supercross series of the year as we had done for the past five years. Bryce sent my friend (maid of honor) and I to the lovely Canyon Ranch SpaClub in Vegas for five amazing hours! So obviously by this time I was thinking for sure this is a done deal; especially once I heard I was also getting my hair and make-up done.
I wear contacts and the make-up artist applied eye liner on my waterline; apparently when you wear contacts the eye liner, when applied like this, will slowly begin to rub off onto the lens. By the time we got to dinner I couldn’t see a thing but tried to play it off because I knew what was about to happen. I couldn’t even read the menu though so I had to tell Bryce. He was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see him so he postponed his proposal. The night went on and I couldn’t see a darn thing; finally we all headed back to our hotel and I took out my contacts and put on my glasses.
By this point it was pushing midnight, I was wearing glasses and sandals and thought nothing was going to happen. We all went back out on the town again for some Vegas fun and then FINALLY at 2:15AM on May 5, 2014 Bryce got down on one knee and proposed on Freemont Street in Downtown Las Vegas! I don’t really remember hearing anything because apparently I was crying, happy tears of course, and I guess I just stood there so consumed in the moment that I forgot to say yes because he had to ask me, “Well do you say yes?!” Bryce had the ring designed by a local jeweler, Waco Mastercraft.
Inspiration for / details of the day:
The “theme” of the wedding was taking the two places of where we were from and mixing the two, or what I call Texzona (Texas & Arizona). The inspiration for the color palette was softer desert colors: peach, mint, and tan. I wanted the floral pretty simple for the springtime wedding so it would feel more light and airy instead of large and bulky. The reception tables were all made out of cable spools and gave it a more rustic look. My flower girl’s flowers that she threw were actually Wild Indian Paint Brushes that we picked the morning of the wedding out in the field across from the ceremony site.
The guests signed the leaves of a tree that I painted on some cedar boards that we had left over from the building of the ceremony site. We also had bar tables that we made from cable spools and we painted the tops with chalkboard paint; we had a jar on each table with colored chalk markers and the guests were able to write or draw whatever inspired them and wanted to pass on to us…there is definitely some inspirational advice on some of them! We were able to put a clear coat on the tables after the wedding so we could keep them.
The Dresses:
I had a ceremony dress as well as a reception dress. My ceremony dress was white with pearl and crystal beading; it had straps with a sweetheart neckline; the back was open with pearl beads draping down. My reception dress was from G2 in Waco, TX and was also white. The top was sheer with white details throughout and the bottom was a jersey material with a slit on the side. I wanted two different dresses so I could actually dance at the reception. I wore cowgirl boots with both dresses. I decided two weeks away from the wedding that I no longer wanted to wear heals because of all the rain we had been getting and I didn’t want to sink down into the grass with the heels.
Advice to those in the planning process:
Most of my wedding was DIY all the way down to the ceremony site and tables for the reception. I planned my whole wedding from start to finish and I had a day of coordinator to help make sure everything ran smoothly. My advice for the DIY bride is to ask for help when you can, don’t be afraid to let others help you! I know it’s hard to let something you have worked so hard to create go into the hands of someone else parent, friend, bridesmaid, coordinator, but you will usually wind up with too much finishing touches to do for just one person and you definitely don’t want to stress the week of your wedding… so do yourself a favor and spread the tasks around. You will feel less pressure and others will be excited to help you!
Photographer: Shelly Taylor Photography / Cinema and Video: 4Rivers Videography / Equipment Rentals: Action Rental / Caterer: Blaneks Custom Catering / Shoes: Cavender’s Boot City / Groomsman Attire: Express Men / Dress Store: G2 by Georgios / Veils and headpieces: Georgio’s Bridal Salon / DJ: Joe Oliveras / Makeup Artist: Kimberly Cutler Professional Makeup / Cake Designer: Lily’s Cakes / Dress Designer: Maggie’s Fabric Patch / Ring Designer: Mastercraft Jewelry / Hair Stylist: On the Avenue Salon / Event Designer: Posh Events Co / Floral Designer: Rosetree Floral Design / Submitted via Two Bright Lights