Karly de Jong and Carson Beedle grew up attending the same church and youth retreats before becoming high school sweethearts. After five years of dating, Carson proposed during a picturesque trip to Oregon with Karly's family.
As they began planning the wedding, it was an easy decision to wed at Stone Hill at River Ranch, Karly's family's property in her hometown of Hanford, California. The land boasts no shortage of olive tree orchards, palm trees galore, and natural water features. The couple knew their guests would be similarly enchanted.
They reached out to Vanessa Noel Events for her insight and expert planning abilities. Next, the bride-to-be turned to stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz to pull looks for her, her bridesmaids, her mother, the groom, and his groomsmen, too. After five appointments around Los Angeles, Karly decided on a dress from Monique Lhuillier. From there, they accessorized with Verstolo rental jewels and a pair of Valentino heels. Samara Beauty from Santa Barbara styled her hair and finished off her beauty. "My sister used them for her wedding, and they specialize in a more effortlessly beautiful makeup look," Karly notes. Carson looked dapper in his shawl lapel suit jacket and classic black-tie ensemble.
The groomsmen wore black notch lapel suit jackets and suits, while the bridesmaids wore a mix of blue and orange dresses in both patterned and solid styles. "My stylist put together this amazing design and flew out from New York to style my bridal party for the wedding," Karly adds.
On October 19, 2024, their guests gathered at the church, the very same one where Karly and Carson first met. It is also where both of their parents were married. To complement the special space, their planner Vanessa and florist, Max Owens Design, created a beautiful ceremony with vibrant fall colors. Ashley Ludaescher captured every detail on camera.
The event was well-attended, and the pews overflowed with their friends and family who all wanted to witness the exchanging of vows. They even needed to bring in more chairs to accommodate the crowd! While the bride and groom admit they usually suffer from stage fright, they were perfectly at peace as they exchanged their vows in front of their 400 guests.
And then, it was time to celebrate. Vanessa created different table designs to keep the space interesting for their many guests. Round tables along the side of the tent had plaid linen and cozy green velvet banquettes; blue farm tables with runners and an abundance of warm candles were paired with orange faux suede chairs; and a stunning floral linen was set on our head table and other round tables with boucle and slipcover chairs. Not only were the linen distinct and unique, but the floral arrangements and chairs were also different and the chargers and flatware were selected to pair with each individual design. Karly elaborates, "To add richness and to bring the eye up to the ceiling, we draped dramatic blue velvet with a Champagne chenille valance that made the bright fall foliage on the posts pop even more."
The menu was delectable with Field to Table Events's catering: rounds of passed hors d'oeuvres, a plated dinner with three entree selections, a candy bar by The Candy Coach, and cake by Frosted Cakery. Sidecar Cocktail Co. served drinks all evening long. The bride's father gave the first toast and a prayer over the meal. Then, the bride's sister and matron of honor, Reagan, delivered a tender speech. Carson's brother and co-best man gave a toast. LoveStoned from West Coast Beverly Hills, their live band, brought the energy to the reception and infused it with electricity and vibration. "We still have guests from our wedding telling us how amazing they were," Karly gushes.
The bride and groom shared their first dance to "More Than Me" by Ian Munsick. She confesses that the best part of the reception was seeing all of the hard work that her wedding planner Vanessa and her put together come to life in such a vivid way. "It was more than I could imagine," she says.
The newlyweds recovered from the excitement and enjoyed their honeymoon at the Unico 20 87 resort in Riviera Maya in Mexico.
