ABOUT...the River Valley Magazine

When Doriane Woolley and Scott Wray, formerly of Russellville, exchanged vows

in a copse of cottonwood trees shaded from the heat of the Santa Fe summer, they were surrounded by family and friends and the warmth inherent in the nearness of loved ones.

was working for an advertising firm in Austin, Texas, and he was training horses there. Scott’s employer hired Doriane’s firm to do advertising.

“It just kind of evolved,” Doriane said. “He became one of my really close friends, and I just couldn’t imagine life without him.”

The two soon moved to Ringling, Okla., where for three years, they worked for horse trainer Bill Riddle. Through that time, marriage was on their minds, but because of their busy work schedules and financial constraints, they delayed it.

“We talked about getting married and talked about it and talked about it,” Doriane said.

Finally, in early 2010, Scott proposed to Doriane in the kitchen of their tiny temporary house.

“It came in a FedEx box,” she said, laughing. “It wasn’t romantic.”

It wasn’t a fairytale, but that was fine with her. She was happy to be marrying the love of her life. She soon realized though, that planning the wedding wouldn’t be easy.

“It was tough trying to plan my wedding from that remote place in Oklahoma,” she said.

The nearest grocery store was over 40 miles, Doriane said. Living so far from the nearest town made planning the wedding of their dreams difficult, and that combined with spotty Internet access and hers and Scott’s busy work schedules, it was almost impossible.

One thing they decided early in the planning was to have the wedding in Doriane’s hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, which during his visits, Scott has come to love, as well.

Four generations of Doriane’s family have called Santa Fe home. She and Scott chose La Mesita, the beautiful ranch where her father, Mott, grew up, as the site for their wedding. His family sold the property years earlier, so Doriane never lived there, but it was special to her to have her wedding at her father’s childhood home.

“I was able to get ready in my dad’s old bedroom,” Doriane said.

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