Texas weddings hold a special place in my heart. Over the years as I have cozied up with all the goodness on SMP Texas, I’ve learned something important – whatever the particular style of a Texas wedding, whether it’s ballroom or backyard – they share two common ingredients, heart and family. Anahi Weddings brought us just such a heart warming wedding, where family had a hand in every gorgeous detail, and you can see every last love-filled one right here.
From the Bride and Groom… When Ross and I got engaged, we knew 3 things. We wanted to get married within the year, we wanted to get married in my home state of Texas (where my dad is an ordained Deacon), and we wanted an outdoor venue which would provide a gorgeous backdrop for our interfaith ceremony.
After much searching, we found an amazing venue, Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, Texas. The gorgeous hacienda estate is also a bird and wildlife sanctuary. After only seeing pictures online, we knew it was perfect! As wedding planning went into full swing, I soon realized that I would be taking on a lot of DIY projects. I was very inspired by artists on Etsy and took so much inspiration from Pinterest and various blogs, but I had a very distinct vision of a romantic, shabby chic, Mexican, bird-themed wedding. That is a tall order to ask, but after some searching, I found the Etsy shop Vintagebabydoll by Claudia Lucio. Claudia’s papel picado designs inspired me and really allowed me to create a cohesive creative vision for our wedding.
So, now that I had found my inspiration, my family and an amazing group of vendors came together to help me execute our dream wedding. Being super organized was key to staying on budget and ensuring we never felt too overwhelmed. Everyone was assigned projects and knew what their responsibilities were. My dad handled the bigger carpentry work. He made various chalkboard signs, large wood display crates for the dessert table, the bamboo chuppah, and became an expert “shabby chic” painter.
My mom was responsible for monitoring the inventory that would ship to my parents’ home almost daily. Mason jars to make center pieces for the cocktail tables. Lace, ribbons, twine, raffia ribbons from various Etsy shops. Vintage china and serveware from eBay. Love and birdcage charms from Hong Kong. Gorgeous bird ceramics from Israel. Paper string lights from Taiwan. We had so many details and keeping track of everything was a great challenge!
Luckily, my grandparents were also a wonderful help, folding delicate vintage handkerchiefs I bought on ebay, which before the ceremony were handed to guests along with handmade paddle fans. Once seated at their tables during the reception, guests found painted gold maracas at their seats, carafes of sangria on the tables, adorable birdcage center pieces, and our DIY napkin rings which featured our birdcage charms which came all the way from Hong Kong. I made the table numbers, as well as all the bar menus, and dessert signs. In honor of my Aunt Gloria who passed away, we even made mini recipe books of my aunt’s favorite recipes. All my other aunts, Gloria’s sisters, baked the goodies and made the dessert table extra special.
Susana Rosser of Dream Weddings did an amazing job making the venue feel extra romantic by hanging chandeliers and strands of beautiful papel picado through the courtyard where the reception was held. Our wedding coordinator Valerie Vance was a rock star and queen of cool all day. We truly feel we had the best people there taking care of us all day. Our family and friends were so impressed! And now we have beautiful photographs and our DIY keepsakes to always remind us of the best day of our lives!
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Wedding Photography: Anahi Weddings | Wedding Venue: Quinta Mazatlan | Floral Design: Special Flowers | Event Planning: Bridal Trends Weddings by Valerie Ann Vance | Catering: Wray+Co. Catering by Design | Cakes: Cynthia’s Cakes by Cynthia Ebrom | Linens: Dream Weddings by All Party Rentals | Hair + Makeup: Beautiful Brides by Rosemary