First in the Wedding Venue Series

he Said Yes to the Dress!

My daughter and I have enjoyed watching episodes of the famous TV show featuring dresses from the reasonable to the extravagant. This last year several very close family and friends have gotten married. This has enabled me to see several venues. This is the first in a multi-installment series on wedding venues. We will culminate our series with the most cherished wedding I have decorated to date, the wedding of my daughter Hannah.

In December of 2019, my daughter’s best friend married her high school sweetheart. As I watched them together, I saw a love that has weathered some hard times and has come out the other side strong and secure. They danced at their reception as if no one else was in the room, sharing smiles, whispers and laughs. The venue that they chose for their wedding was Stone Oak Ranch in Murchison, Texas.

When we first visited the ranch for a walk through to get ideas for decorations for the reception and the wedding site, I was very impressed with the beauty of this little gem. Stone Oak Ranch is nestled on a small country road next to a large fenced field that houses some peaceful cows. The venue is rustic and well maintained. The lady who owns the venue is professional and seasoned. There is not much that she hasn’t seen or heard. Therefore, the unexpected is professionally and competently handled.

There are three areas on the grounds that are set up as ceremony sites. The first one is down a short path to the edge of the pond. The pond has a fountain in the middle, several benches set up for ceremony guests, and a vine covered arbor punctuated with a chandelier. The rustic next to the sparkle of the glass is breathtaking. The guests are treated to the beautiful view of the pond with its fountain as the bride and groom say their vows framed by the arbor. Pictures in this particular spot are indescribably beautiful.

The second spot is to the right when you enter the property. After walking through beautifully landscaped garden areas, you emerge onto the grass dotted with benches focused on an open air pavilion. The beams of the pavilion are architecturally interesting and visually appealing. The pavilion has a raised platform area so that every guest has a full unobstructed view of the bride and groom.

The third spot is also the reception area. Stone Oak has a large barn for an indoor reception area or if the weather is in-climate (in Texas this can mean it is just hotter than blue blazes), you can have your ceremony inside. Because the staff is seasoned and professional, they have plans in place that should you choose the pond or pavilion for your wedding and the weather takes a turn for the worse, they are poised and ready to jump into action to move everything inside. The inside of the barn is vaulted with exposed beautiful beams. It will comfortably seat 150 people while still leaving a nice size dance floor for everyone to dance the night away.

Stone Oak works with several local vendors for food, cake, disc jockey services, and material draping in the interior of the barn. Personally, the barn is beautiful but the draping of white fabric in and around the dance floor takes beautiful up a notch to breathtaking. There is a bar area in case you wish to serve alcohol. But keep in mind that the venue requires security if alcohol will be served. Management will make these arrangements for you.

To round out the amenities at Stone Oak Ranch, there are well appointed bride and groom suites. The ladies’ suite has lots of mirrors, an in suite bathroom, and lots of counter tops for all those hair brushes and makeup trays. The men’s side has everything a person could want in a man cave – TV, mini-fridge, and a play station. On top of all the natural beauty the venue has to offer, the owner also has an array of items that are free or low cost to rent.

The bride and groom suites are handicapped accessible as are the bathrooms for all the guests. All three ceremony sites are also handicapped accessible although the path to the pond is a little uneven so I would recommend taking the arm of someone when walking to the pond if you are at all unsteady on your feet.

From a florist point of view, this venue is pure eye candy. My mind went into overdrive with the beauty of the place and how completely effortless it would be decorate for a wedding here. So much beauty everywhere that additional decoration can be kept to a minimum.

As the wedding moved inside, the barn doors were opened wide to let in the mild December Texas air and to allow the party to freely move from the inside to the outside. The lights in the trees were turned on and the party carried on smoothly into the night hours. The staff is organized and kept the schedule moving. Not too fast, but just fast enough that every important milestone was achieved and the bride and groom were on their way without causing extra expense for overstaying the contract period of time.

Today the trend is to have a wedding in a barn or outside surrounded by nature. As such, anyone with a barn or nice gardens is opening as a wedding venue. Your wedding day is the biggest day you will ever celebrate. You do not want to trust your big day to someone who has no experience and cannot handle the unforeseen. Believe me, the unexpected and potentially disastrous does happen quite often on a wedding day. Therefore, you don’t want to have someone inexperienced in charge. This venue is owned and operated by the same lady. She has many years of experience. She is heavily invested in making your day the best day possible. I have worked in many different venues and I can say with a great amount of confidence that this venue is ready and able to handle just about anything that you could throw at it with professionalism and finesse.

Check out their website Stone Oak Ranch.

RATING: of 5.

SPECIAL OFFER: To my readers, the owner is offering a 10% discount on the venue rental or the venue portion of any package. Mention offer code: Simply Beautiful.

Simply Beautiful By Design was not reimbursed in any way by Stone Oak Ranch for this blog post or its contents.