Galiana and Jorge’s wedding was a labor of love designed and carried out by the two of them and their family members, who worked for nearly a year not only doing the normal tasks like choosing table linens, but also transforming the family ranch from a property of dirt and orange trees to a lush, landscaped wedding venue, complete with a modern gazebo they built themselves.
“We spent almost every weekend for nine months driving from Oakland to Fresno leveling land, planting trees, making flower beds, planting flowers, installing a sprinkler system, planting grass and building a gazebo,” Galiana said.
“The Ranch,” as the family calls it, now belongs to Galiana’s parents. It was owned by her grandfather before he passed away shortly before Galiana and Jorge got engaged. Galiana was born and raised there. Her family lived in the main house, and her grandparents lived in another house about 50 feet away.
“The ranch was my grandfather’s second love,” Galiana said. “He worked that land every day from dawn till dusk. One of the reasons we decided to have our wedding there was because it was our way of honoring him. Ever since my grandfather passed away there has been this shadow of sadness on the ranch, where before it was such a happy and magical place. We wanted to bring a happy memory back to the ranch which we could share together and with our whole family.”
Another reason Galiana and Jorge held their wedding at the family ranch was so they wouldn’t have to kick people out at midnight. One of their favorite memories from the day was looking out at the dance floor at 2 a.m. and seeing it totally packed.
“Our primary goal was to make sure everyone had a great time,” Galiana said. “So to look out at the dance floor at 2 a.m. and see that it was still going strong so late made all the work worth it. Jorge and I reminisce a lot about this day, and we always say with so much certainty that this truly was the happiest day of our lives.”