Childhood Roots and Outdoor Romance at The Lazy P Ranch

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”][/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The green, ivory, and brown color palette for our wedding was completely inspired by our venue and our love for the outdoors. Thomas and I got married on my family’s ranch in the Piney Woods of East Texas. We pictured a day filled with varying green tones and rich browns reminiscent of the oak tree where we said our vows. I often stated that I wanted the elements that were brought in to look like they belonged there, as if the tent and chairs were simply a part of the scene rather than additions.

My father bought a 70-acre property in East Texas in 2019 and dubbed it “The Lazy P Ranch” after my maiden name, Pierce. From the first ride on our ATV exploring the property, I knew I’d want to get married there one day. When I got engaged to my childhood neighbor Thomas in 2024, we eagerly started planning our woodland fairytale vision. We wanted an outdoor, twinkle-light-filled, whimsical vibe with modern florals that still looked like they belonged in the space. I lived at the ranch when Thomas and I reconnected in 2022. We spent countless hours riding around the property, hiking in the woods, learning about constellations while looking for shooting stars, feeding the cows, and building fires. Thomas and I love camping, gardening, and using what we find in nature to be self-sufficient. I wanted lots of ferns, an homage to the summer camp, Camp Fern, I attended for many years in East Texas, just 20 minutes from The Lazy P. It curated my love of the outdoors, stars, camping, and fires, and four of my six bridesmaids had also attended Camp Fern. Green is one of our favorite colors, so we knew that would be the primary color we wanted featured.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

Thomas proposed to me on Easter in front of our childhood homes on Beaver Creek Drive where we first met almost 25 years ago. My family moved in next door to Thomas’s in June of 2000. I became best friends with his little sister- she and I spent many years avoiding her big brother and finding ways to annoy him until I moved away. Thomas and I reconnected on Tinder in 2022, just two days after I moved to the farm from Dallas. We became inseparable, and our families reconnected in the best ways. On March 31, 2024, he drove me to the Simms family home on Beaver Creek, seemingly to have an Easter brunch with his family. When we pulled into the driveway, he got out and opened my door for me, and said, “You should leave your purse in the car.” I was instantly in a puddle of tears as I looked up and saw his family coming out of the front door into the yard and saw my family standing in the yard of my childhood home we’d moved from ten years ago. He held my land and led me to the spot right in between the two homes and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him! We popped a bottle of Dom Perignon my grandfather had bought for me as an infant to open on the day I got engaged. While he was in poor health at the time, we were able to share a glass with him later that afternoon and share the good news. It was truly a perfect day.

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

I purchased my Allure wedding gown from Happily Ever After Bridal Boutique in Shreveport, LA. I love my dress! It’s strapless and A-line with a full skirt filled with layers of tulle and a long train. The top layer is lace and tulle with beautiful flowers embroidered throughout the gown. The corset bodice was embroidered with flowers and leaves. The veil matched completely and had leaves embroidered throughout the lace. I changed halfway through the reception into a House of CB bridal mini. A strapless corset top, a full skirt with a layer of polka-dot tulle underneath, and a big bow on the back made it a perfect party dress. I added a short lace veil to my reception look from Etsy because I just love a veil! I wore a pair of ivory Tecovas boots all night and had “Simms” branded on the bootstraps.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

My bridesmaids all wore emerald gowns, but I let them choose their dresses in order to make sure everyone felt their best that day! The dresses came from Revelry, Dessy Group, Azazie, and Anthropologie.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

The groom and groomsmen wore matching black tuxes from Squires Formal Wear. They wore bow ties and cummerbunds. Thomas also wore a pair of black Tecovas.

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Our wedding was catered by the immaculate Upper Crust Catering based in Haynesville, LA. Due to our large guest count, we opted to do luxury food stations. Louisiana-inspired cuisine was the theme of the night. We love seafood and spice! Cocktail hour featured passed apps: shrimp tartlets, beef tenderloin crostini, fried oysters, and tomato basil chevre cones. For dinner, the stations featured wild-caught salmon with a jalapeno dill mayo, jambalaya, fried catfish filets, jalapeno hushpuppies, pork tenderloin a cream sauce, chicken and mushroom bowtie pasta, Natchitoches meat pies, and brisket and grits (omg!). Sterling Spirits provided cocktails, wine, and beer at an open bar throughout the night. Three special bourbons (Elijah Craig 18 Years, Elmer T. Lee, and Weller 12 Years) were brought by my father, a fine bourbon collector, to be shared with me, him, and his friends throughout the night.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

We began searching for the perfect planner to bring our outdoor vision to life. Hannah Lamb Events dove right in! She, along with our florist Everything Artsy Events, helped curate the nature-inspired vibe we were longing for. We got married under an oak tree on top of a hill in the pasture that overlooked the surrounding ponds on the property. Guests sat in oak cross-back chairs and had green fleece blankets to keep warm during the ceremony. For the reception, we chose a clear tent from Pelican Tents and Events nestled under the oaks and pines with string lights and greenery hanging from the ceiling. The elements brought out were directly related to our surroundings- greenery and olive velvet curtains at the entrance of the tent, baby’s breath, and bright white roses to provide contrast and elevate the space, walnut farmhouse tables, and a natural wood and ivory checkered dance floor. The cocktail hour space created a cozy environment on a chilly November evening. There were fire pits surrounded by leather chairs and avocado-colored sofas, and green fleece blankets, and the space was encapsulated by string lights above our guests. All specialty rentals were provided by Lilac Lane Rentals. Ferns were whimsically placed throughout the ceremony- the star of the show was the live cake skirt in the center of the tent! Our Camp Fern guests loved seeing the special plant displayed throughout the day.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

Our wedding cake was provided by Social Bites out of Ruston, LA. The multi-tiered cake was displayed at the center of the room and featured traditional almond wedding cake and lemon blueberry cake. The cake was ivory and had real flowers and greenery pressed into the side of the cake- truly jaw-dropping! Thomas’s sweet parents provided a vintage cake topper that was used by Thomas’s grandparents at their wedding in 1955. The groom’s cake was his favorite dessert- blackberry cobbler!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

I loved our ceremony music. The bridesmaids walked down to “Butterflies” by Kacey Musgraves. That morning, Thomas gifted me with a diamond necklace and a letter from his journal that he wrote the week we reconnected where he described that he was “finally feeling butterflies for someone.”

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

The wedding would not have been possible without my sweet dad. He spent months making the wedding site his passion project. He planted lush green rye grass, redirected hundreds of feet of hose from the pond to water the grass, fought millions of fire ants, and filled holes with dirt. He and Thomas built an electric fence to keep the cows away from the wedding site. My dad transformed the space into something that he was so proud of, and I am so proud of him. Getting married on the ranch gave him and Thomas time to bond and work towards a common goal. Timee was invaluable to our family. The wedding logo that we used on the napkins, cups, and koozies was derived directly from The Lazy P Ranch’s logo. We used the same font and the same tree- the one we got married under!

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

My favorite detail was my wedding boot! I love Tecovas boots and have worn cowboy boots frequently since I went to TCU and spent so much time in East Texas. The ivory boots with my new name “SIMMS” branded on the side made me feel so much like myself on my wedding day. Gorgeous, personal, and easy to dance in!

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

I loved our “something borrowed” vintage cake topper (two brunettes with an ivory tulle veil) that was used in Thomas’s grandparent’s wedding. Thomas’s wedding cologne was named “Ellerbe Woods,” an homage to the neighborhood we grew up in and came from a local Shreveport vendor Clean Slate Botanicals. I also wore a robe that my mother had made from her wedding dress, and my little sister wore it on her wedding day in May of this year!

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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