Oklahoma Wedding Full of Rustic, Outdoor Charm

Kate Johnson and Randy Dameron share a love for the great outdoors, whether it's a weekend camping or a day trip hiking. So, it was only fitting that Randy proposed to Kate while the couple was on a ski trip in Telluride, Colorado.

To keep with the wedding’s simple and rustic charm, the bride wore J. Crew’s simple and elegant “Heidi” bridal gown.

Offering both style and comfort that will last through all the celebrating, the bride wore nude, Jessica Simpson ballet flats.

“My favorite details included the table centerpieces that combined colorful florals with hand carved cedar logs made by my brother, and vintage wood bowls full of succulents nestled among pine needles.”

“One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was having our shepherd-mix dog Kaiya with us,” the bride says. “She had such a blast running in and out of cabins and chasing sticks with our nephews. I couldn’t imagine the day without her smiling face!”

The majority of the ceremony and reception décor were handmade by the bride and her family, including a felt, floral backdrop of camellias and a hand-painted banner.

In lieu of a traditional, live bouquet of flowers, Kate opted to have her mother design a faux floral arrangement of camellias, roses and greenery.

The couple wanted guests to enjoy a casual, ‘summer cookout’ inspired atmosphere, and included traditional backyard games like horseshoe and bocce ball at the reception.

Since the bride and groom loved the outdoors and wanted to incorporate those elements in the design, Kate and Randy handed guests pine seedling plants as their parting favors. Each plant was wrapped in paper with a personalized nametag for each guest.

Kate designed the theme for the wedding invitations and save-the-date cards through Vista Print, using nature-inspired elements such pine trees, arrows and muted colors for the overarching theme.

“Having my dad as our officiant was very special,” the bride says. “Especially the moment when he recited a poem he had written for us. It was not uncommon to receive funny, acutely poignant and often sentimental poems from my dad growing up, but this was the first one celebrating Randy and I as a couple.”

The bride loves baking in her spare time, so she opted for a simple, homemade wedding cake with rustic leaves and succulents and white icing adorning the layers.

“The dessert table meant a lot to me. Baking is something that I’ve always enjoyed so I had originally planned to bake all of the cakes myself,” the bride says. “When reality settled in, this huge task fell on my mom who handled it with patience and grace. She brought to life my vision of an eclectic dessert table, complete with vintage stands and plates bought at estate sales and antique shops.”