Becca and Ashley’s outdoor ranch wedding was uniquely them in every way. The Florence, Texas, couple created a beautifully gothic wedding in San Antonio, Texas, with creative details such as black linens over wooden picnic tables, a custom bird-skull-and-crystal crown, shou sugi ban cholla wood pieces, skulls on the tables and black envelopes that were hand-sealed with a blood-red wax stamp of our their initial. Becca and Ashley combined their two last names to create a new family name for themselves: Heisinger and Strimple became Stringer.
The Stringers were engaged for 13 months. They proposed to each other on different occasions. “Funny story,” they shared with us, “Becca had always planned to propose first but Ashley beat her to it with a huge surprise proposal. A month later, Becca proposed as well with a song she wrote about their relationship. After we had both proposed we realized we had both started planning our proposals at the same time! Becca would have beat Ashley to the punch if the ring had been ready!”
They chose Elm Creek Ranch for the wedding ceremony and reception after their first venue choice turned down the opportunity to host a lesbian wedding. “After we got turned down by our favorite venue we felt like we needed to check with every vendor to see if they were OK with LGBTQ+ weddings (cake, catering, venue, flowers, even down to the cake topper). Despite some descrimination, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of support we received. Most of the vendors we had to ask about their acceptance of LGBTQ+ weddings responded with something along the lines of ‘Of course, duh!.’ Leis, the owner of Elm Creek Ranch, our venue, was shocked and sad that we felt we even needed to ask.”
For LGBTQ+ couples planning their weddings, Ashley and Becca shared this advice: “Be unashamedly you but check with the venues you are looking at to make sure they’re LGBTQ+ friendly before you get attached! Also, only invite the people who really support you and your relationship, because those who don’t will find any excuse not to come and it can be very painful. You only want people there who want to celebrate with you.”
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VENDORS
Photographer: Leah Thomason Photography
Venue: Elm Creek Ranch
Florals: Artistry in Florals
Attire: Calvin Klein, Anomalie
Invitations: Vistaprint
Jewelry: Americus Diamond + Alonso’s Jewelry Design
Catering: Top Taco
Cake: Funny Farm Bakery
Styling, table decorations, skull crown, boutonnieres: Renee Lofaso
Wedding submission services: Published + Pretty
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