Location, Location, Location!

It's all about the location, right? Well in most cases yes. This is not an exception to that rule either. Back in August of 2010, Heath and I decided we wanted to have a destination wedding and we chose Belize as the place to be. It is beautiful, has so many options for scenery, and doesn't have to be decorated! And we wanted something very authentic and memorable. Belize offered all of this, and more. We wanted the ceremony held at a Mayan temple and the reception back at the hotel or on the beach. With Belize's beautiful canopy jungles and natural colorful flora, it would be the perfect spot to have a beautiful wedding/honeymoon all in one place. 

After some rather bad news though, regarding a very special family member who wouldn't be able to make the trip, we decided to circle the wagons and reconsider our options. Even though we were told not to change our plans, there was no way I wasn't going to have my step father present at my wedding. So, we put our heads together and came up with the only logical solution (which was pretty easy since we were getting one heck of a deal on the place) which was to have it at Storybook ranch, where we board the horses at!

This works out rather well since I've kind of always wanted to have horses involved in my wedding. I always though of just having a carriage or something, but actually having them standing by is way more fun! The place is located in Frisco, Texas and is next door to where we currently stable the horses. The owner is a friend of ours and a jovial person with a big heart. 

I wanted to share some of the pictures of the venue so you can get an idea of what we have in mind. It's an old historic western town motif. A lot of the buildings have been transported in from elsewhere to make up this "storybook" western town. 

There is a little white chapel where you can have an out door wedding in front of the steps of the quaint church. Or if you rather have a less traditional wedding, but still have the iconic representation of a wedding, you can have the ceremony in front of the pond which sits about 100 yards in front of the church. This picturesque setting places the church in the background of the ceremony and makes for beautiful pictures. 

For more of a natural setting without the embellishment of buildings in the background, you could have the ceremony in front of the waterfall feature. This area has a lot of room for guests and can accommodate a number of seating options. Or if you prefer, you can get even closer to nature and have the ceremony down by the sparkling creek with the limestone bed. This setting is picturesque for nature lovers.  

One wedding party  chose to have their ceremony in front of the historic town hotel. This created a unique and beautiful western setting for a wonderfully creative wedding. The bridesmaids greeted guests atop the hotel balcony as their guests were seated, and for the ceremony, the bridal party moved down in front of the hotel. There they met the bride and groom on the porch of the hotel entrance to say their vows. 

For the reception, they have two main halls and an outdoor gazebo setting to accommodate large groups. I particularly like the Opry house. It will hold up to 300 guests and has a rich wooden interior which paints the perfect setting for a western themed wedding.

The saloon style bar sets the mood for a night in the old west, back when Billy the Kid rode and Marshal Dillon ruled the streets. You can almost imagine a gun-slinger sliding up to the bar stools and ordering a shot of whiskey, while the pianist plays a lively tune. Decorations consist of a western motif, using lots of wood, saddlery and other natural designs. 

I have considered using this building for both the ceremony and reception as it also has a beautiful stage with two staircases leading from the upper balcony down to the dance floor, right in front of the stage. 

The ceremony could be held on the stage with enough room all around for guests to watch around the dance floor. After the ceremony, while pictures are being taken, the band can set up on stage and entertain the guests. Guests can also filter to the streets of the town and wander around and take their own memorable pictures while bridal party pictures are being taken.  

The town itself is a cut out representation of the west, with many unique buildings, such as a bank, general store, hotel, a livery (stable), blacksmith, saloon and a jail. Each building sets the romantic theme of the 1800's, virtually putting the visitor back at the OK Coral where they can practically see themselves standing next to Virgil and Wyatt Earp . With horses added to the mix, the guests can experience a unique old fashioned western wedding, where once whole towns gathered together in the square to dance and celebrate with their loved ones on these special occasions. I think this will be a fun and entertaining celebration that won't be forgotten.