Ronald Reagan’s granddaughter Ashley, 40, has married her police officer beau, Joe Dunster, in an intimate ceremony in California.
The couple wed on May 5 at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church in Montecito, California, before having their reception at nearby Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara.
The ranch was Ronald and wife Nancy’s vacation home, and the location was just one of several tributes that were paid to the former first couple.
During their reception, the newlyweds were surrounded by photos of the country’s 40th President and memorabilia, which included his Jeep with the ‘Gipper’ license plate.
Ronald Reagan’s granddaughter Ashley, 40, has married her police officer beau, Joe Dunster, in an intimate ceremony in California
The couple wed on May 5 at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church in Montecito, California, before having their reception at nearby Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara
Despite viewing ‘a ton of beautiful venues,’ Ashley, who is a school principal, and Joe settled on the ranch because of its ‘personal connection,’ according to People.
And it was a family affair all-round, with the duties of best man carried out by the groom’s son, seven-year-old Colt, and the bride’s brother Cameron was a groomsman.
Ashley and Cameron are the only grandchildren of President Reagan.
Their father, Michael, is the former leader’s oldest son.
The reception menu also featured a small nod to Ashley’s grandparents with a favorite of Ronald and Nancy’s – West Hollywood celebrity haunt Chasen’s chili – served up alongside barbecue as well as fish and chicken sourced from the area.
‘[Chasen’s is] actually where my grandma and grandpa met,’ Ashley said.
Ashley and Joe shared their first dance as newlyweds to Lady Gaga’s hit song Hold My Hand.
‘Joe, especially, doesn’t necessarily like a ton of attention,’ the bride told People.
Ashley said she was not only making a commitment to Joe, but also to his three sons, Colt and five-year-old twins Duke and Walker
Ashley is pictured left with Ronald at the Reagans’ ranch and right with Nancy
‘I think for that moment both of us were like, “Oh my gosh, everyone’s going to be staring at us. It’s going to be overwhelming.”
‘Then in that moment, when we were having our first dance, I felt like it was only the two of us in the room. We just had a great moment between the two of us.’
The couple knew each other as children, but became acquainted again in 2021 as adults after Joe ‘randomly reached out’ to Ashley, she told People.
Joe asked if she wanted to join him for a 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 small nod to Ashley’s grandparents with a favorite of Ronald and Nancy’s – West Hollywood celebrity haunt Chasen’s chili
A top-down view of the moment Ashley walks down the aisle at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church
Ashley and her brother, Cameron, are pictured as children with Ronald and Nancy
Ashley said she was not only making a commitment to Joe, but also to his 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 bought 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 cast a spell over us. No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it does,’ he said, according to the ranch’s website.
The Young America’s Foundation goes on to say: ‘The Reagans viewed the Ranch as a private retreat – a haven from the frenzy of public life. There, in a setting both rugged and pastoral, they could spend time alone or with family and friends.’
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