When Spencer Long and Morgan Kulik got married in Powell in August, they decided it was the perfect opportunity to brand their first brand.<\/p>\n
As part of their wedding at the Diamond View Ranch, the couple unveiled their new brand to family and friends, then used it on a cowhide they intend to hang in their home in Brookville, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Eventually, their goal is to start their own ranch where horses and cattle will bear their family\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cA brand is your name,\u201d Long told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cWhenever it comes to a business, it’s your name you’re putting on the line. We just got approved for our own brand, and we figured we would mark it down with our wedding day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life And Love<\/p>\n
Long and Kulik share a mutual love of agriculture and of each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both grew up in agriculture, showing in 4-H,\u201d Long said. We have always wanted to have our own brand, so whenever we start raising our own animals, we will have something to signify our good bloodline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having a wedding branding wasn\u2019t a spur-of-the-moment decision. It\u2019s been a dream of Kulik\u2019s for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was on my Pinterest board for a couple of years now as something to do at my wedding,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought it was cool to represent who we are in a brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the couple set their wedding date, they started the process of acquiring a brand to represent their life and love.<\/p>\n
They submitted three designs to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which would choose one as the couple\u2019s registered brand. A week and a half before their wedding, they got their brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had been gone for a couple of weeks hauling cattle,\u201d Long said. As soon as I got back, I had to hurry up and weld the metal together to make the brand and get it to Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diamond Of A View<\/p>\n
Jamie Blankenship has been doing weddings at the Diamond View Ranch since 2022. What started as a great view with a horse-drawn carriage has grown into a venue with all the facilities needed for a full wedding and reception in northwest Wyoming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve got a beautiful view of Heart Mountain and the Beartooths, the natural sagebrush smells so pretty, and we\u2019re easy to get to,\u201d Blankenship \u00a0said. \u201cWe have three buildings on-site, including a hall and private suites with restrooms for the bride and groom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long and Kulik were more interested in the landscape than the amenities, as nice as they were. Kuli said they wanted \u201ca western venue\u201d that reflected themselves and their love for the outdoors, agriculture, and tradition.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWe both really liked (Diamond View Ranch), and we liked Jamie,\u201d she said. \u201cShe gave us a virtual tour and was being very flexible about working with us. And we both loved it. She was awesome, and the view was awesome. I don’t think we could have had a better venue to describe either one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Kulik mentioned that they wanted to do a branding at their wedding, over a year before they had their brand, Blankenship showed them the firepit. That clinched the deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had another couple do a branding here,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cThey saw my firepit and asked if they\u2019d be able to do it, and I said, \u2018Oh, absolutely. That would be super cute.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonds And Brands<\/p>\n
After a perfectly picturesque Western wedding, Long and Kulik stuck their branding iron in the firepit and prepared their first brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe bought the cowhides from Dandy Leather in Cody,\u201d Long said.<\/p>\n
Having changed out of their formal attire, the couple put on their work gloves and spread the cowhides out on a wooden cable spool. Then, together, they did their first brand with their brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoyed it,\u201d Kulik said. \u201cIt was something different and always wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blankenship enjoyed watching the newlyweds \u201ccreate a memory that will last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat brand will be passed on to their kids,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s another very special thing that ties them together on their special day, and it was very special to make that happen for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Brand<\/p>\n
Long and Kulik built a home together in Brookville a few years ago. The cowhides bearing their brand are now decorating the interior.<\/p>\n
Their eventual goal is to start raising cattle and horses that bear their brand. Long said it was their way of \u201cstaying on horseback.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople use dirt bikes and side-by-sides and everything all over now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe feel like you’ve got to keep the traditional lifestyle alive, and that means staying on horseback. Whenever we get the property, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Blankenship is promoting branding as another reason to plan western weddings at Diamond View Ranch. Brands are on-brand for her venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love giving couples special ways to make their wedding day unique and unforgettable,\u201d she said. \u201cThat brand is going to be on all their horse babies, and that will live on. It\u2019s kind of like a last name. They\u2019ll share that name and that brand for the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n