We met Christine and Ray for their big day one warm summer’s afternoon on the gorgeous Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Simi Valley, California. Christine says she picked the ranch after seeing it on a TV show and immediately falling in love with everything about it. She says the best part it is that “Ray loves it just as much.”

The charming couple met through a mutual friend. As Christine tells it, one night while out at dinner, she found herself chatting with a new friend, Lisa. After spending just one hour talking, Lisa told her, “I want to introduce you to this guy that I feel like would be perfect for you.” That night Lisa gave Ray Christine’s number and he called her right away. The two of them ended up chatting for three hours straight and have been together ever since.

To start off the wedding day, Christine and her bridesmaids got ready in matching silk robes while sipping refreshments from personalized glasses. Christine’s makeup was done by Christian The Makeup Artist before she adorned her Elizabeth Fillmore wedding gown called “Lilly,” which she chose in honor of her recently passed grandmother, Lilly. The girls prepped in a large, sunlit, Spanish-style house, as the men prepared in their own home a little down the road.

The ceremony began with Ray, standing at the head of the aisle, in a Hugo Boss suit and Bostonian shoes. Following bridesmaids, groomsmen, and an adorable ring bearer-flower girl duo, Christine made her way down the aisle. Arm-in-arm with her father and stepfather, she carried a white 800Rosebig bouquet. Now, she recalls seeing Ray waiting for her as one of her most meaningful moments of the day. Both the bride and groom were brought to tears by the time they met in front of a white cloth-draped canopy to say their vows.

The wedding party concluded with poolside catering by Command Performance and music for the dance floor by Red Shoe LA. Additional vendors included event planner and designer, Tricia Dahlgren and A Rental Connection equipment rentals.