Katie and Jake’s COVID-19 Saddlerock Ranch Wedding
Katie and Jake were set to get married on May 16th of 2020 with 200 of their friends & family! Given the current state of the world, they found it would be impossible to make their wedding vision come to life the way they were hoping. They decided the best thing to do was delay a year so they could have the celebration they desired.
As the weeks past after their decision to postpone, they decided that they wanted to keep their original date and move forward with an intimate ceremony. They didn't let their celebration be dampened and moved forward with an intimate celebration that ended up so romantic.
Read on to hear about what their venue, Saddlerock Ranch, allowed them to do, and how the family was able to attend. It was a beautiful intimate celebration.
Wild Whim Photography was there to capture all the fun details, Lake Effect Films to film, and HoneyFitz Events planned every detail. You can see all the images in the full gallery.
Their Love Story
Jake and Katie met during their senior year of college at University of Wisconsin - Madison. Hailing from the midwest, the couple moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue a life in music and entertainment. After six years together, Jake proposed on top of a sand dune in Morocco and from there, the wedding planning began.
COVID-19 Paused The Wedding
All of this came to a sudden halt when the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic paused the entire world in March of 2020. Jake and Katie were not sure if they should completely postpone their wedding, secretly elope or hold an intimate ceremony on their original wedding day. The most difficult decision came down to who could attend the ceremony and celebration as the couple’s family and friends were predominantly located outside of California.
Ultimately, Jake and Katie decided to send a cheeky “Un-Save the Date” notice and postpone the entire celebration to 2021. As May 16 drew closer, the couple wanted to tie the knot and decided to move forward with their original wedding date in the form of a tiny elopement in the hilltops of Malibu. Katie ordered a last-minute dress on Lulus and it fit like a glove. With only two friends as witnesses present and Katie’s sister, Griffin, as officiant, the elopement ceremony was intimate, emotional and more magical than the couple could have ever imagined.
MALIBU WEDDING VENUE
Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu graciously allowed the couple to come to the property on their original wedding date for the elopement ceremony. The bride's sister served as the officiant and their two best friends served as witnesses.
The Vineyard Setting (formerly The Dome) of Saddlerock Ranch boasts beautiful views of the ranch and the sprawling hills of Malibu. It provided the perfect landscape for the couple to forget everything that was going on in the world and focus on each other.
Wedding guests were invited to join via Zoom and Katie’s father, David, made a heartwarming Father of the Bride toast at the end of the ceremony [wearing his tux of course!]. HoneyFitz Events pulled together trusted vendors to add beautiful details to the last minute elopement. Pavan Floral created a show stopping bouquet featuring cymbidium orchids, peonies, bunny tails and several dried leaves. Wild Whim Photography captured every moment with beautiful images while Lake Effect Films caught the entire day on film.
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COVID-19 Did Not Stop Their Wedding
The ceremony ended with a small picnic-style celebration featuring a beautiful cheese board from Lady and Larder, a red velvet cake from Magnolia Bakery and plenty of champagne as the sun set behind the Santa Monica Mountains.
You would think that a couple of eight years would have seen it all, but nothing could have prepared these two for the curveball that life threw them leading up to their wedding day. A testament to the endearing spirit of these two beautiful souls, Jake and Katie found beauty and solace in a situation that would almost certainly produce anxiety and stress. As a “COVID couple” as they like to say, they didn’t get the wedding that they thought they wanted, but they got the wedding that they needed.
- Cake: Magnolia Bakery
- Catering: Lady and Larder
- Event Planning & Design: HoneyFitz Events
- Flowers: Pavan Floral
- Groom & His Men: JB Clothiers
- Jewelry: Marrow Fine
- Jewelry: David Yurman
- Photographers: Wild Whim
- Venue: Saddlerock Ranch
- Wedding Dresses: Lulus
- Wedding Films: Lake Effect Films