I SERIOUSLY need to be friends with this bride and groom. Not only was their Vista West Ranch wedding one of the sweetest, most amazing weddings of all time, but they also happen to be one of the cutest duos you will EVER virtually meet – and when you take a look at these brilliant images by Forever Photography Studio, you’ll see just what I mean. It’s vibrant hues meets a really FUN time meets a whole lot of whimsy… and it’s all wrapped up in an entire gallery of pretty, pretty pictures for us to peruse. Click here for more.
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From the Bride… Phil and I met our freshman year at Trinity University in San Antonio. I thought it wasn’t likely that I’d find “the one” at a school of only 2,500 students, but fate had other ideas. As luck would have it, we moved in to opposite ends of the same dorm room floor. He said “Hi, I’m Phil Avocato.” We made a lot of guacamole jokes, and somewhere along the way, we fell in love.
It was very important to Phil that we get married in a church. Unfortunately, at least in our part of Texas, a lot of the Catholic church options are beautiful, but HUGE. We looked at each other and thought, “Do we know enough people to fill a space like this? And, maybe more importantly than that, do we WANT to?” We have the most amazing friends and family, and we wanted our day to feel like a celebration of them too. Most of all, we didn’t want to look out at our ceremony and see a bunch of strangers looking back at us. When we found Queen of Angels Chapel, everything just felt perfect. Phil and I have a simple kind of love — we’re about holding hands, singing songs, Shiner beer and good times with friends. I couldn’t imagine incorporating anything into our wedding that felt super-formal. We wanted our wedding to feel relaxed, laid-back, easy and overwhelmingly happy.
Staying true to our lack of formality, we never did establish a legitimate color palette (I often described ours to our vendors as “moss and rocks”). We had a macaroni and cheese bar at the reception. Our cake toppers were a pair of dancing bears. Instead, we focused on adding personal elements that meant a lot to us — the base of the floral arrangements were peppered with loose cotton blooms to honor my grandfather, who farmed cotton in California for 25 years. Phil decorated a paned window with tickets, programs, photos, and post-its from four years of our dates. We ditched “Ave Maria” and “Canon in D” for a four-piece bluegrass band and “I’ll Fly Away.” In the end, we wound up with a perfect day that felt just like us. We had hot chocolate at midnight (and lots of stronger drinks along the way), tables full of family photos, and a cold but sunny February day we won’t soon forget.
Wedding Photography: Forever Photography Studio / Ceremony: Queen of Angels Chapel in Spicewood, Texas / Reception: Vista West Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas / Wedding Coordination: Wedding Warriors / Floral Design: Sarah Francis (A Friend) / Catering: Austin Catering / Wedding Cake: Polka Dots Cupcakes / Ceremony Music: Tennessee Valley Authority / Rentals: Vista West Ranch / DJ: DJ Mark Kibodeaux of Vista West Ranch / Transportation: Star Shuttle / Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca / Hair + Makeup: Melissa Campos of Lovely Day Hair & Makeup