This Ranch Wedding in Santa Barbara Was All About Queer Cowboys, Casablanca, and Dazzling Florals
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Rolling Stone art director Josie Bunce and finance associate Nick Fergie say their love story is a true case of “right place, right time.” Nick first saw Josie at a friend’s party, but they never chatted. “Josie was quite preoccupied with other things and we didn’t hit it off as well as I wanted,” Nick shares. Later, Josie spotted Nick as she was walking through an art gallery and left her number for her in the gift shop. Nick jokes, “I’m not much of a gift shop person so I never stopped in.” Finally, the two connected in June 2019. Josie tagged along as her friend (“in true gay fashion”) visited Nick to borrow some clothes. Nick recalls, “I was pretty much immediately smitten, but Josie was seeing someone. We just became really good friends.”
A year later, Josie was single and Nick had just undergone ankle surgery. Despite the injury, she invited Josie to come visit her in New York. “I did my best to show her around the city with my little knee scooter. We walked from 30th Street down to the Staten Island Ferry landing, stopping off at all the parks so I could take a break,” Nick says. “It was a magical week.”
The couple both worked remotely during the early years of the pandemic, so they moved to Santa Barbara, where their relationship blossomed. When Nick decided to propose, she knew it had to be in that coastal town. “We both fell in love there so that was the natural place to do it,” she shares. Just before Labor Day weekend in 2022, the couple spent the morning working early New York hours. Nick insisted on going out to pick up lunch, but also went to scout a perfect spot on the beach and meet with a photographer. “Josie fell asleep for a nap and I had a bunch of people texting me to see if I had already done it. It was stressful to watch her sleep,” remembers Nick. “Once she got up, we went down for a sunset beach walk and drink. I managed to keep it together for three minutes before asking her to marry me.”
The pair decided that they would have to return to Santa Barbara for their nuptials. As a queer couple, Josie and Nick didn’t want their wedding to be anything near traditional. “The cool thing about planning a gay wedding is that you can make up the rules! We didn’t think about one of us being the groom and one of us being the bride,” Josie says. “We simply wanted to shape the day around how we wanted to represent ourselves.” She had a clear vision for the weekend, complete with three days of events including a colorful cocktail rehearsal dinner, a “cowboy chique” welcome party, and a “formal on the ranch” wedding. “Growing up in Idaho, I wanted a western flair, vibrant colors, and the chic edge of NYC,” Josie explains. “Being from Brazil, Nick wanted a touch of the jungle—almost tropical—mixed with classy and traditional. I know you are probably thinking how in the world can you blend all those styles, but we just did it! Being who we are somehow made it cohesive.”
Delegating wedding planning tasks was also an exercise in collaboration. The pair hired Nina Moore to take on planning, while Josie tackled the aesthetics and Nick kept contracts in order. “Luckily with my skills in graphic and environmental design and Nick’s superb financial skills, we had all our bases covered,” says Josie. “Nick reviewed vendor contracts and was keeper of the budget, while I got to hand-pick and design all the visuals.” Another important task to dole out? The role of officiant. “When we were talking about who would marry us, we had two requirements. First, they had to know each of us very well. Second, they had to have been married for a long time,” says Nick. The couple realized only their parents would fit the bill. “So, instead of having our dads give us away, we had them marry us. It was a nice way to get to know each other and bring our families closer.”
While Josie took charge of the visual design, the two “brooms-to-be” were both very involved with their wardrobe plans for the weekend. For the colorful rehearsal dinner at a private residence, Josie and Nick both donned Bode shirts, prints, and Gucci loafers to spice up their ensembles. While Josie wore a repurposed tablecloth shirt to bring color to her outfit, Nick balanced patterned Perte D’ego pants with a white lace top. “I think it was the summer of crochet and lace shirts,” she adds.
Next on the itinerary was the rustic Cowboy Chique welcome event at Cold Spring Tavern. The couple made sure their ensembles were perfect as they rolled up in a Brokeback Mountain–embellished bus. “I’ve always dreamed of being a cowboy, so I’ve had a beautiful Stetson hat and Lucchese boots just waiting for this moment,” says Nick, who wore a white fringed set by Bode. “I wanted a fun bridal moment since I wasn’t going to be wearing all white during the wedding.” As for Josie, she wore a look she calls “all-black cowboy that cruised up to a disco slightly confused about what to wear.” Accessories were key to the outfit, including a pair of glam boots from Boot Barn and a Kemo Sabe hat—“it has a little authentication note inside it that says ‘don’t fence me in’ and I thought that was cheeky.” Josie adds, “Now this may be a shock, but the star piece was the belt and it was probably $10 on Amazon.”
