SANTA FE RIVER RANCH WEDDING BY TONYA BEAVER

As a wedding photographer in Jacksonville Florida, I don’t typically take wedding outside of our town.  But when Sydney contacted me about her wedding at Santa Fe River Ranch, I just had to say yes!  This venue is in Ocala, Florida – right outside of Gainesville.  Weddings in the country just hit different for me.  Sydney is a family member of one of my previous brides – SO SWEET – so I was just ecstatic to meet her fiancé Conner.  

Showing up to Santa Fe River Ranch brings you in on a long road through the most gorgeous oak trees and moss.  It’s a great introduction to the grand finale of the property which is the venues to hold your wedding event. First you come to the boys cottage where they get ready and I believe the couple had their rehearsal event the night before as well.  Right outside from there is the huge oak tree perfect for ceremonies.  Further in is the girls cottage and finally the reception barn.  

I met the girls getting ready where we did our wedding details shots, getting ready, and all of the girls photos.  Once done we shifted over to the boys to stage some getting ready, their formals, and then finally it was time for the ceremony.  

The ceremony was so beautiful..  They had a live painter at the back of the crowd to create a beautiful portrait of the two of them.  They had their dog as the ring bearer and so perfectly timed he ran over to deliver the rings.  And finally their family gathered at the altar for a prayer with the couple before they had their first kiss and exit.

Once ceremony was over we zipped through family formals quickly.  Took a few really fun wedding part photos, and then we took the rest of the time for formals of just Sydney and Connor.  The staff at Santa Fe River Ranch are SO hospitable and drove us to the best/favorite photo spots.  He was very attentive to the couple to help them in and out of the golf cart, pick them up closest to the photo place as possible.  It’s just really those red carpet features that some venues have and others don’t put as much emphasis.  For their final portrait, they brought some feed out to the cows for Sydney to feed them.  She had a cow as kid on her ranch in Montana so to her this was super special (and made for great photos!)

Once we had our intros to reception, they did a first dance and dinner time.  The ballroom/eating area is very grand.  The whole venue is very equally a combination between country but also done VERY elegantly.  Once the cake cutting was done, we all made our way out to the stable area where the real dancing began.  The couple each did parent dances, and then the DJ had the guest partying!  The photo booth was a huge hit and as always, guests really love to watch the paint artist finalize his masterpiece. 

Once all the partying was done, Sydney and Conner had their final dance alone under the twinkle lights in the barn alone.  It was a beautiful quiet peaceful moment for them as the finalized their night.  After their picture perfect sparkler exit, they perfect day came to an end.

I could not be more thrilled and honored to be a part of their wedding day.  Sante Fe River Ranch not only offers the most gorgeous venue for photography (and I mean that), but they have to be some of most kind and hospitable crew I’ve worked with.  Their family owned and operated business really shines thorough in the effort they give to their couples (and vendors).

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Hotel accommodations for guests: holiday inn express Alachua
Rehearsal Dinner Location: The lodge at Santa Fe River Ranch
Ceremony Location: Oak tree at Santa Fe River Ranch
Reception Location: Barn at Santa Fe River Ranch
Caterer: Hills Catering
Wedding Coordinator: Marsha Barnard
Photographer: Tonya Beaver Photography
Videographer: Valcinema
Cake: Carey Sweet Cakes
Florist: Alachua Flowers
Officiate: Jimmy Wilder
Hair: Studio Bride
Make-up:Studio Bride
Entertainment: Footloose Entertainment
Wedding Dress: One Bridal
Wedding Shoes: Dolce Vita
Bridesmaids Dresses: Birdy Grey
Groom and Groomsmen Wear: Men’s Warehouse
Live painter: Event painting by Jamie

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How did you two meet? My cousin Kayla set us up. She had us picked out for each other 6 months before I moved to Florida.

How did he propose? Conner’s sister ,Casey, invited me out to Fernandina beach for “family photos”. At
the end of the session Conner got on one knee and popped the question. It was on the boardwalk right
in front of the restaurant Salt Life. All of our friends and family were on the rooftop watching and after
we went and celebrated with them after.

Wedding planning:
How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake? I am a huge fan of simple and elegant but
since our wedding was in October we wanted a touch of fall. So we chose white decorations, flowers and
cake. The bridesmaids wore Terracotta for our fall color.

How did you decide on your invitations, and who did you use? Again we wanted something simple and
elegant so we went with Zazzle. They were great to work with and very affordable.
What was the most fun part of wedding planning? I loved working with our florist to make my vision
come true.

Which part did you not like as much? We made our own wooden arches and seating chart, it turned out
gorgeous but was very time consuming
What are the biggest pieces of advice you wish you would have known before the wedding day. Stress
less about the little things cause it’ll all work out

In your words, can you give a storyline of your wedding day? My wedding day was perfect start to finish.
I really got lucky. I spent the morning getting ready with my girls. I had a first look with my dogs and my
dad. Had a beautiful ceremony with the best weather. Got to take pictures with the cows and had a great
reception. We nailed our choreographed first dance that we were stressed about and enjoyed the rest of
the night.
What was the high point of your wedding day that you hope to remember forever? I really loved the
ceremony. I will always remember walking down the aisle in front of the gorgeous oak tree with the light
coming through and seeing Conner at the end. Seeing everything come together

Tonya Beaver Photography Studio Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL

318 First Ave N

Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

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https://blog.tonyabeaverphotography.com/category/maternity-photos

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Hi, I’m Tonya, a Jacksonville Florida Photographer. I specialize in photographing weddings, families, and babies. I would love to hear all about your photography needs to see if we’re a right fit for each other. As a photographer, I get to capture the most exciting and life changing experiences in people’s lives. 

Not only in Jacksonville, but all over North Florida: Ponte Vedra, Amelia Island, St. Augustine, etc. 

I know there are quite a few photographers in Jacksonville so it can be overwhelming. But I invite you to check out my wedding, family, and newborn portfolio. Also, feel free to check out some of my reviews that my previous clients have given me. Jacksonville is one of the most beautiful areas for photographing engagements, weddings and family photos. From the beach, golf clubs, parks, downtown, gorgeous churches and so much more. I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know you more!

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(904) 382-6354

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