By Monique
The Tahoe Queen was a perfect match for Keri and Ryan’s wedding, with a little bit of country (imagine most of the men in attendance in cowboy hats, boots and wranglers) and a lot of close knit family and friends dancing on a jam packed dance floor into the night. Keri and Ryan live on a California ranch, so the theme of their wedding could be described as modern cowboy meets vintage Tahoe, with the paddle boat bringing the two together for the reception. The most unique part of this wedding for me was something that happened, as a planned surprise, during the ceremony. It was called “Operation KR – Top Secret” by Keri’s brother, Adam, who was the officiant, and involved Ryan running away down the aisle right before the ceremony was over …. he then came back up the aisle with a cute little goat on a leash. Adam then explained to the guests that when Ryan asked Keri’s father Tom for her hand in marriage, he literally told him, “I’d like to trade you 2 goats for your daughter.” Adam explained that Ryan had never followed up with the trade, so before the ceremony was complete, Ryan wanted to honor his promise, and proceeded to hand over the goat to Tom during the ceremony. (He only gave him one goat, and that is another story, something about the value of the goats increasing since the deal had been struck!) For me, it was one of the all time highlights of any ceremony I have ever documented!
Towards the end of the ceremony, Ryan runs down the aisle, prompting some guests to later comment that they thought he was the “run away groom.”
It turns out, Ryan ran down the aisle because he had remembered that he promised to give Keri’s father a goat as payment for his daughter, so he wanted to follow through with his word, and presented him with the goat before the ceremony was complete.
Jars of home made jam were placed at each guest’s place setting, and the centerpieces with Keri and Ryan’s KR wedding brand were flower boxes handmade from an old barn that was on their ranch.
Sunset cocktail hour on the deck of the Tahoe Queen.
