There’s nothing quite like watching your daughter get married, especially when the wedding takes place in the same spot where you watched her grow up. Paige, Ree and Ladd’s younger daughter (and second oldest child), has been deeply connected to Drummond Ranch since she was old enough to walk, and after graduating from college, she was pulled back to her roots to work as a cowgirl. So from the moment they got engaged last August, Paige and David Andersen knew they’d get married right here, under a beautiful Oklahoma sunset that the Drummonds have seen thousands of times. “I couldn’t see it happening anywhere else,” Paige says. “It’s truly one of the prettiest places, and it’s so close to my heart.”
Paige and David met through mutual friends in college—she went to the University of Arkansas and he went to Oklahoma State—and hundreds of their friends and family gathered on Drummond Ranch on May 17 to celebrate the couple’s marriage. They danced to music from Drywater Band under a canopy of flowers, sharing their favorite memories of the couple.
Because Paige’s older sister, Alex, got married on the ranch in 2021, she could perfectly envision how the day would come together—with her own personal touches. Ree and Paige worked closely together to plan the wedding. (See Ree’s live post from the night here!) “It’s nice to have somebody there who has similar taste,” Paige says. In fact, Ree was so enthusiastic that she talked to Paige right away to decide on a date. “We literally got the wedding date figured out the day after I got engaged, which is hilarious,” Paige says. Allison Butcher with Keely Thorne Events stepped in to help plan the event.
The dress was one of the first details to fall into place. Paige wanted a simple, classic wedding dress, and she found the perfect one from Lela Rose: a drop-waist style that nods to the silhouette of Ree’s wedding gown from 1996. “It’s the dress of my dreams,” Paige says. In a nod to his future in-laws, David wore cowboy boots! The couple decided not to do a first look, though: They saw each other for the first time that day when Paige walked down the aisle. “I wanted to have that big moment of seeing him and him seeing me when I walked down the aisle,” she says. “I wanted it to be really special and emotional.”
The ceremony took place right on the ranch, before a cross covered in cascading flowers. Paige had 12 bridesmaids by her side: Her Maid of Honor was Anna Koch, a best friend from college, and of course her Matron of Honor was big sister Alex. Chase Roden was David’s Best Man for the event. The two met in college and became inseparable. “I don’t think there was a day in college from our sophomore to our fifth year where I didn’t see him,” David says.
After their vows, guests headed to the reception to celebrate in a magical, built-from-scratch venue that looked straight out of a dream—and just perfect for Paige. Every inch of the room was covered in flowers in bright, poppy hues, chosen by the florists at Jackson Durham to look as if they’d grown right out of the Oklahoma soil. “I always knew that I wanted some color at my wedding,” Paige says. “I wanted the florals to be really flowy and kind of wild looking.” She incorporated the flowers into her stunning wedding cake, too: a towering white cake with raspberry filling by Amy’s Cakes in Norman, Oklahoma. Not to be outdone, David had a fun (albeit a bit smaller!) chocolate groom’s cake shaped like a pickup truck.
Paige also wanted to incorporate Western details into the night, like saddles for bar seats, cowboy boot placecards to show everyone to their tables, and a station where guests could get custom embroidered bandanas.
No one was surprised that when Paige and David met on the monogrammed ballroom floor for their first dance, they chose “Joy of My Life,” by Chris Stapleton as their song. “We’re both big country music fans,” Paige says, and a Chris Stapleton concert was one of their first dates. Paige and Ladd had a father-daughter dance to “That Girl is a Cowboy,” by Garth Brooks.
Family is so important to Paige that it played a big part in every detail of the wedding. She wore one of her grandma Nan’s sapphire and diamond rings as her “something blue.” And she also tied a locket to her bouquet that held photos of her late grandparents, Chuck and Nan, on their wedding day. David’s mom, Heather, is happy to see her son become a part of the family, and always imagined that he would choose this kind of partner for life. “I knew she’d be somebody like Paige,” she says. “Somebody who’s strong, who knows who they are and can be an equal partner in life.” She loves how the two gel and how their personalities click. “When it happens, it’s such a blessing.”
Paige and David have been focused so on the wedding, and now they’re excited about what comes next: a honeymoon in Costa Rica, and then they finally get to start their new life together as husband and wife. It’s a whole new beginning after dating long-distance. “I’m looking forward to not having to say goodbye to her,” David says.
Kelsey Hurwitz is the associate features editor for The Pioneer Woman Magazine. When she’s not writing about ranch life, home decor and food, she can be found knitting and catching up on her favorite reality TV shows.
