Farm-to-Table Wedding Weekend

This past weekend, I had the deep honor of hosting a wedding that was personal on so many levels. My best friend since elementary school, Trevor, married the love of his life, Zayla, and they chose to celebrate their union right here on our regenerative farm in Bandera, Texas.

It wasn't just a ceremony--it was a full farm-to-table, destination ranch wedding weekend filled with meaning, joy, laughter, and real food grown from this land.

Trevor isn't just my lifelong friend. He's also my former brother-in-law from my first marriage--the kind of person who, even after life takes its twists and turns, never stopped being family. So when he asked to have the wedding here at our venue, The Barn, our farm-to-table restaurant, I said yes with every part of my being.

After all, I was wearing all the hats this weekend: host, best friend, mother of the flower girls, and ring bearers. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Friday Night: Sourdough Pizza, Homemade Wine, and a Texas Sunset

We kicked off the celebration Friday evening on the patio of The Barn, our farm-to-table restaurant. Long wooden tables were set under string lights, decorated with fresh wildflowers from the ranch.

Guests arrived to the smell of our wood-burning oven turning out sourdough pizzas, topped with housemade sausage and bison meatballs, all smothered in a red cream sauce made from our own farm-fresh cream. We also served bowtie pasta tossed with farm pesto and greenhouse vegetables harvested just that morning.

Wood-fired pizza crust being baked

Drinks flowed from pitchers of sangria made with wine Trevor and I crafted ourselves years ago, back when I still lived on my old ranch in California.

We served herbal farm iced tea with mint and lemon verbena grown right here, and fresh-squeezed lemonade made with organic sugar.

As the sun dipped below the hills and lit the pasture in gold, guests mingled, laughed, and shared a beautiful evening that set the tone for everything to come.

Saturday Morning: Brunch on the Farm

Saturday morning began with a nourishing ranch brunch. We served sourdough French toast, pancakes, farm bacon and sausage, pastured eggs, and crispy organic potatoes.

Guests lingered with coffee in hand on the porch or under shady trees, savoring every bite and every slow moment of life during the farm-to-table wedding weekend.

Saturday Afternoon: Relax, Play, and Connect

After brunch, everyone spread out to enjoy the land and the freedom of the day. Some took a dip in the pond. Others jumped into the safari vehicle for a farm tour, visiting the greenhouse, animals, and composting systems. A few guests headed out to the field for skeet shooting, and the kids ran around playing yard games.

Saturday Evening: A Golden-Hour Ceremony and Farm Feast

The ceremony took place under our 4,000-square-foot shade pavilion in the middle of the field. At 6:30 p.m., the sun was at the perfect angle, casting the whole field in a golden glow. After the ceremony, the newlyweds climbed into my husband's old Jeep, decorated with streamers, "Just Married" signs, and tin cans clanking behind.

They drove a slow loop around the field, waving and soaking in a quiet moment together away from

the crowd.

Just Married!

Dinner began at 8 p.m. and featured grass-fed, grass-finished steak from our ranch herd, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables from the farm, and a vibrant harvest salad with mixed greens, grilled peaches, figs, blackberries, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. We served sourdough wood-fired garlic bread alongside it.

For the vegan guests, we offered stuffed cabbage rolls filled with mushrooms, lentils, and rice, topped with persimmon BBQ sauce.

Cake, Cocktails, and Dancing

The wedding cake was beautifully decorated with flowers from a local farm. The 4-tier cake was baked from scratch by my sister-in-law, Sarah Engelhart, using organic ingredients and was displayed on a thick slab of pecan wood cut right from our farm.

The Wedding Cake

Trevor and Zayla cut the first piece together, and then Sarah stepped in to serve the rest so the newlyweds could enjoy the party.

We poured local beer, more of our signature sangria, and farm-to-glass cocktails made with herbs grown just feet away from the bar--rosemary, mint, basil, and more.

As the stars came out, the music turned up. Trevor and Zayla's family and friends from all walks of life mingled, danced, and celebrated together, lit by string lights and laughter. One of the most unforgettable moments of the wedding weekend for me was joyfully twirling around in my dress with my four children, barefoot in the dirt.

Nearby, we had a kids' zone set up with games and a bounce house. It was close enough for parents to enjoy the evening while knowing their little ones were safe, busy, and having a blast.

Sunday: A Morning to Remember

Everyone stayed right here on the ranch in tiny homes, glamping tents, safari tents, shipping container

cabins, and a few of the farmhouses. Sunday morning, we gathered one last time for a farewell Mexican-style brunch: organic espresso, chilaquiles topped with farm eggs, sausage, rice and beans, and bowls of fresh fruit. People lingered--swimming, sipping coffee, and saying slow goodbyes.

What A Farm-to-Table Wedding is Really About

Hosting Trevor and Zayla's wedding wasn't just another event. It was one of the greatest honors of my life. This is what a farm-to-table wedding is really about. Not just beautiful photos or amazing food (though we had both), but connection--to each other, to the land, to the moment.

We weren't just throwing a party--we were building memories, grounded in truth, beauty, and the abundance of nature. I'll hold the images from this weekend in my heart forever: the golden light in the field, the sound of laughter through the barn doors, the taste of that garlic bread, the sight of my children spinning under string lights.

The weekend was everything I hoped a wedding on this farm could be--and more.