Ronald Reagan’s granddaughter, Ashley, 40, married her cop beau, Joe Dunster, in an intimate ceremony in California.
The couple tied the knot on May 5 at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church in Montecito, Calif., before having their reception at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara.
The ranch was the vacation home of Ronald and his wife Nancy, and the location was just one of many tributes paid to the former first couple.
At their reception, the newlyweds were surrounded by photos of the nation’s 40th president and memorabilia, including his Jeep with the “Gipper” license plate.
Ronald Reagan’s granddaughter Ashley, 40, married her cop beau, Joe Dunster, in an intimate ceremony in California
The couple tied the knot on May 5 at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church in Montecito, Calif., before having their reception at nearby Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara.
Although they saw “a ton of beautiful places”, Ashley, who is a school principal, and Joe settled on the ranch because of his “personal connection”, according to People.
And it was a family affair in every way, with best man duties performed by the groom’s son, Colt, seven, and the bride’s brother, Cameron, as best man.
Ashley and Cameron are President Reagan’s only grandchildren.
Their father, Michael, is the eldest son of the former leader.
The reception menu also featured a little nod to Ashley’s grandparents with a Ronald and Nancy favorite – West Hollywood celebrity Chasen’s chili – served with BBQ as well as fish and chicken. from the region.
‘[Chasen’s is] actually where my grandmother and grandfather met,” Ashley said.
Ashley and Joe shared their first dance as newlyweds to Lady Gaga’s hit song Hold My Hand.
“Joe, in particular, doesn’t necessarily like a lot of attention,” the bride told People.
Ashley said she is not only committed to Joe, but also to her three sons, Colt and five-year-old twins Duke and Walker.
Ashley is pictured left with Ronald at the Reagan ranch and right with Nancy
“I think at that point we were both like, ‘Oh my God, everyone’s gonna be staring at us. It’s gonna be overwhelming.
“Then at that point, when we had our first dance, I felt like there was just the two of us in the room. We just had a great time between the two of us.
The couple knew each other as children, but reacquainted in 2021 as adults after Joe “randomly reached out” to Ashley, she told People.
Joe asked if she wanted to join him for coffee and “the rest is history,” Ashley added.
She described their wedding day as “beautiful and ‘everything I dreamed of’.
The reception menu also featured a little nod to Ashley’s grandparents with a Ronald and Nancy favorite – West Hollywood celebrity Chasen’s chili.
A top down view of when Ashley walks down the aisle of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
Ashley and her brother, Cameron, are pictured as children with Ronald and Nancy
Ashley said she is not only committed to Joe, but also to her three sons, Colt and five-year-old twins Duke and Walker.
Reagan Ranch Center, now owned by the Young America’s Foundation, is home to Rancho del Cielo, which was purchased by the former first family in 1974, years before Ronald became president in 1981 and while he was governor of California.
“From the first day we saw it, Rancho del Cielo enchanted us. No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it provides,’ he said, according to the ranch. website.
The Young America’s Foundation goes on to say, “The Reagans viewed the Ranch as a private retreat – a refuge from the frenzy of public life. There, in a setting that is both wild and bucolic, they could spend time alone or with family and friends.
