A coffered ballroom, blush uplighting, and a first dance that floated on a low cloud of fog. A look behind the booth at Ashley and Ryan's Oakdale night.
Ashley and Ryan's reception in Oakdale was a polished, grown-up affair held in a handsome indoor hall, all warm wood ceilings, a big lantern-style pendant glowing overhead, and a parquet dance floor we washed in soft blush uplighting. The head table ran along one wall in sequined linens; the room felt elegant the second guests walked in, which is exactly the tone we wanted to set before anyone danced a step.
Earlier, out in the field, Ashley had come down the aisle to an acoustic "Speechless" by Dan + Shay, and Ryan, a big tough rancher type, completely melted. We kept the mingling music leaning into the setting, some Zac Brown Band, a little Chris Stapleton, before everyone moved inside.
The centerpiece of the night was their first dance, and it was a showstopper. They'd chosen "Tennessee Whiskey," Ashley's gown a dramatic mermaid cut with a long train, and we floated the whole thing on a low blanket of fog that rolled out across the floor and held there, knee-deep and glowing pink under the lights. He spun her through it and the train swept the cloud around like something out of a film. The trick with that effect is timing and air: too early and it dissipates, too much and you fog out the room. We held it for exactly the right window so the photos and the moment both landed.
Our booth sat at the end of the floor with LED towers and moving heads ready to go, and after the formal dances we shifted gears completely. "Wagon Wheel" opened the floor to an instant full house, then we bridged into a country-and-hip-hop mix that kept both halves of the room going. "Dancing Queen" pulled the moms and aunts up; "Watermelon Crawl" got a full line dance running across the hall. The blush wash gave way to punchier color, greens and blues sweeping the floor, and the crowd answered.
Late, Ryan's buddies requested "Friends in Low Places" and the whole room became one giant singalong. We closed it down with "Don't Stop Believin'" and a glow-stick send-off into the cool Oakdale night. The whole evening was about reading the temperature of the room and matching the lighting and the music to it, soft and romantic for the slow build, then bright and driving once people were ready to let loose.
Ashley and Ryan, congratulations and thank you. An elegant Oakdale night we were proud to be part of.
Want a night like this?
Tell us your date and venue — we'll help you fill the floor too.