Real Weddings
Camels and Blue Bell bar among the Texas touches at couple's Mansfield ranch wedding
Jace and Ciera Lynch met nearly six years ago while working at a Weatherford veterinary clinic. At the time, they both thought they wanted to be veterinarians, but fate had other plans.
After meeting Jace, Ciera told her mom she’d met a guy “with the prettiest blue eyes” she’d ever seen and just knew they’d end up dating. Her hunch was right.
Ultimately, both realized veterinary medicine wasn’t their calling. But they discovered something better: love. After four-and-a-half years of dating, Jace proposed on a beach in Turks and Caicos.
“He totally surprised me on a family trip,” Ciera remembers. “He had a whole set-up with flower petals and candles on the beach. We walked to the water before dinner one night and he asked me to marry him. My family, of course, was peeking from the bushes the whole time.”
After basking in the engagement glow for a few weeks, the couple set a date — November 4, 2017 — and started planning. With years of Pinterest pinning under her belt, Ciera knew she wanted a fall wedding filled with whimsy, elegance, romance, and myriad flowers. Bringing that vision to life, however, was a different story. So she consulted wedding planner Ambra Costner-Portillo of Query Events.
“My planning experience was great, thanks to Ambra,” says Ciera. “It wasn’t too stressful and I loved everything she suggested.”
As for the venue, when the couple discovered Classic Oaks Ranch in Mansfield, it was love at first sight. A working cattle ranch and equestrian facility with a climate-controlled event barn, the space was ideal for the romantic and rustic day they envisioned. (And the onsite camels, says Ciera, were a huge hit with wedding guests.)
With the date set, the venue booked, and an experienced planner managing the minutiae of creating a perfect day, Ciera and Jace focused on the things that were most important to them — like finding the perfect officiant.
“We both wanted our officiant to be someone we were really close with,” says Ciera. Rising to the occasion, one of Jace’s best friends got ordained and agreed to perform the ceremony. “It was so meaningful to have him share that special moment with us.”
With white doves flying overhead, the ceremony was especially picturesque.
“I was so nervous, I barely saw them,” says Ciera. “But everything was perfect. I wish I would have taken more time to take everything in because it really was a total blur. I didn’t even get to see half of the decor.”
Thankfully, there are photos. From the scenic outdoor ceremony to the barn reception brimming with flowers, candles and Blue Bell Ice Cream — as quintessentially Texas as it comes — every detail was picture- (and Pinterest-) perfect.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff and stay focused on what’s really important: marrying your significant other,” Ciera advises brides-to-be. “Enjoy every single moment because the day goes by in the blink of an eye. Also, make sure to get an amazing photographer and a videographer, if you can.”
Venue: Classic Oaks Ranch
Wedding Planning + Florals: Query Events
Photograhy: Sarah Delanie
Videography: Go Man Productions
DJ: LeForce Entertainment, Matt Murtha
Cake: Moonlight Cakes
Hair and Makeup: Beauty and the Blush Artistry
Rentals: Grand Events & Party Rental
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen
Caterer and Bartender: Abuelos
Exit Vehicle: Rolls-Royce DFW
Officiant: Cole Beauchamp