Sweet Summer Rustic Woodland Wedding at Canyon Run Ranch

Summer Rustic Woodland Wedding at Canyon Run Ranch

This lovely couple held a sweet woodland wedding at Canyon Run Ranch, which is one of the best venues in all of Dayton, Ohio. It’s hard to beat the impeccable style of the owners, Amy and Gary Ward.

The property is quite large and offers couples a wooded setting (The Forest Chapel) for their ceremony. On the land, you’ll find bubbling brooks, fields of wildflowers, old-growth trees, picturesque wetlands and acres and acres of woods.

Additionally, the reception barn isn’t your typical Midwest “barn wedding venue.” It still boasts its classic historic beauty like other barns in Ohio, but the owners have added a modern edge, again with their flawless eye for beauty and design. When the sun sets, the already dreamy setting is magically lit by thousands of twinkling fairy lights.

It’s a stunning venue for those who love nature but still desire to have a classy and hip wedding.

Christina & Austen met on an intramural soccer team in Washington, DC. Christina was a travel nurse, in DC temporarily, soon to find out that Austen would permanently change that. A few months into playing together, they started talking more and enjoying each other’s company. They went on a date in Georgetown and sat overlooking the Potomac River, drinking coffee, and talking for hours. From this day on, it was never a question if they would see each other again, it was only a matter of when the next date was. He proposed in that same spot a year and a half later.

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or colour palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

A: Our overall feeling towards the wedding was to let the natural surroundings of the venue property be the decor. The beautiful forest chapel is what inspired us to keep the added decor simple. The colours were blush, pale pink, and peach with sort of a floral garden theme.

Q: Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

A: The ceremony decor was kept minimal. The ceremony spot was already a lush forest and had a lovely wooded arch, so we let that be enough. We added a quote sign at the entrance to set the tone for the ceremony. The reception was decorated using a mix of white, peach, and blush linens with bud vases and eucalyptus as table runners. We hand-wrote thank you letters to each guest and used these as seat assignment indicators. The table menus and numbers were all DIY.

Q: What were the florals like at your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centrepieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

A: The flowers were important to our wedding because they are what pulled the various colours together. The bridesmaids wore a mix of peach, blush, and coral dresses, some with prints and some solid colours. So the bridal bouquets incorporated all of these and really pulled the look together. Austen works for a flower company and we have both come to love anemones. This has been a theme through our invitations, and website and saves the date, so having these carry through in the bouquets, boutonnieres, and bud vases kept the theme going.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favourite parts of your wedding?

A: We created a cocktail hour game where guests scanned a QR Code and found their names on a list. Each name was attached to someone else’s name who they likely didn’t know and a silly activity or conversation starter. It was important that everyone felt unity as part of our community. We also knew that it would be hard to convey how grateful we were for everyone coming and for some who travelled far to be with us. So we hand-wrote thank you cards to each guest, and it felt really great that we were able to communicate with quality even if it wasn’t with spoken words. I also love to bake, so made all the desserts. I baked the cake and then baked a few hundred chocolate chip and snickerdoodles. When they were gone in minutes, I realized I should have made way more!

Q: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: Going back to the venue, we wanted our look to generally fit the face we were getting married in a forest. I loved lace and also wanted to be comfortable. My dress was probably the 4th one I tried and I teared up a bit knowing that it was perfect. I went ahead and tried on about 8 more dresses at a different store, but there was nothing that compared to the comfort of the Grace Loves Laces dresses. I went back a month later and purchased it. Austen wanted something other than the average navy blue suit. He went with a lighter blue that ended up looking great with the girls’ dresses.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: We met playing on the same intramural soccer team. We started out as friends and started texting travel recommendations which slowly turned into curious convos to know each other as we both travelled abroad, Austen to Peru, and myself to London. When we were finally in the same city, a date was scheduled for paddleboarding on the Potomac. Severe weather left the waters high – cancelling paddling boarding. So instead, we shared a coffee along the Potomac and a few drinks on the Graham Rooftop bar. About a year and a half later, we traced those same steps of the first date becoming engaged and celebrating with family after.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: We both were really excited for the moment of me walking down the aisle to meet him. We did a first look, but still seeing him while walking down with my Dad was a special feeling I will never forget.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: I had taken the whole week off prior to the wedding and made sure to block off the two weekends leading up to it knowing it was going to get crazy right before. I felt busy but never overwhelmed, there was enough time to get everything I needed. We also did a “prepare and enrich” pre-marital counselling program which was really fun and informative.