Margaret Carvey, a vice president at American Express, and Stephen Hallenbeck, who works at a healthcare-focused investment firm, enjoy telling people that they were amusingly first connected through a now defunct online dating platform called Grouper. The website connected two groups of three friends for a blind date  and was ahead of its time. The date went swimmingly, but they ended up dating a few years later.

After four years together, Stephen proposed in Cape Cod on the beach at the lookout spot called the Knob. Once engaged, they started planning for a wedding weekend in Wyoming with planner Augusta Cole. “Brush Creek Ranch was recommended to us and had the perfect mix of intimacy and adventure that we were looking for in a venue,” Margaret says. “The wedding weekend also included welcome drinks, Ranch Olympics during the day Friday, and a Westworld–themed rehearsal dinner.”

To set the tone for the festivities, Margaret’s brother created a beautiful watercolor of the venue’s entrance for the Save The Date, and Amber Moon put together a lovely invitation suite—both were sent digitally to save paper.

“I had a real vision for what I wanted for my looks throughout the weekend and enlisted stylist Anny Choi of Over The Moon to help make it happen,” the bride says of her wedding wardrobe. “It was the element of wedding planning I most enjoyed,  especially as we had the opportunity to really lean into the western theme.”

Starting on Wednesday night, Margaret wore a vintage dress from the ’40s that she snagged from Happy Isles for an intimate dinner with immediate family. The next evening, the couple welcomed guests with drinks in the main lodge. The bride-to-be wore Khaite’s Ista top with a blue Johanna Ortiz skirt, and Anny found adorable Aquazzura fringe heels.

For the highly-anticipated Ranch Olympics, Anny brought a particular western inspiration image of Margaret’s to life with Nili Lotan corduroys, a men’s H&M Oxford shirt, and Isabel Marant cowboy boots. And to attend the Westworld–themed rehearsal dinner, the bride built her look around a favorite Brock Collection dress. “I added an amazing Ralph Lauren fringe jacket that reminded me of Sloan from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Cindy from Can’t Buy Me Love,” Margaret says. And she completed the ensemble with an ivory Stetson hat.

To walk down the aisle, Margaret had her eye on a Brock Collection dress from the spring 2020 season, called The Quarrie—“an ivory dress with a light floral pattern, which would make a unique wedding dress,” she explains. However, two months before saying, “I do,” Margaret starting doubting her choice—her mother had suggested she may regret not wearing white, and the bride knew Stephen would appreciate something more traditional. “Anny presented the perfect solution, knowing that Brock Collection was about to release the same dress I loved in a beautiful delicate Chantilly lace for Over The Moon.”

On October 23, 2021 in the ranch’s garden area, overlooking the horse pasture, guests were greeted with blankets and hot toddies, as they took their seats for the ceremony. Margaret walked arm-in-arm with her parents down the aisle. “[Margaret’s] brother, Duncan, married us, and did an amazing job delivering a heartfelt wedding sermon,” Stephen shares. “Margaret arranged for my dad to surprise me and our guests with a favorite John Prine song on the guitar, which made the ceremony even more special.”

After exchanging vows and being announced as a married couple, the reception began at The Farm at Brush Creek. Everything served was from the ranch, which has an on-site distillery and greenhouse, and tables were magically set with greenery and white florals from Poppy’s. For dessert, the traditional wedding cake was cheerily replaced with affogatos and warm chocolate chip cookies.

For entertainment, the Diamond Empire Band played all night, and the dance floor didn’t seem to get a break. The newlyweds had their first dance to Sister Sledge’s “Thinking of You.” “Our favorite part of the reception was coming out for our first dance,” Margaret says. “We were expecting everyone to be seated and were anxious to see how everything ultimately turned out in the main room. When the doors opened, the dance floor was already swinging and the band was on fire.”

“Towards the end of the night, Stephen’s dad, Sam, joined the band onstage to play Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ and channeled his inner Marty McFly from Back to the Future,” Margaret shares. “And my brother, Duncan, graced us with his own rendition of ‘California Love.’”

After the reception, the remaining revelers went to the ranch’s saloon for late-night pizza and more dancing. “It was a magical setting because, despite being 60-degrees and sunny the day before, it had just started snowing, and no one seemed to care one bit,” Margaret concludes.