Sculptural Fall Blooms and Celestial Details at Mae’s Ridge in Austin

Lauren Megerdichian
February 20, 2024
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Whimsical

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Pear Green, Juniper, Tawny, Ivory, Brick, and Iron Black[/field]

[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Alie and Andrew’s wedding was a classic celebration with a modern twist in the magic of the Texas Hill Country. The design was artistic and organic with dramatic elements. The bride has an Art History background and really enjoys experiential installation art, and we approached the day with a series of large scale unexpected moments. The wedding was on Halloween weekend (one of Alie and Andrew’s favorite holidays) and we landed on an earthy Autumn Equinox meets a sophisticated moody vibe. This concept was carried through every aspect of the wedding from invitations to exit and it was fun to see all the layers unfold as a nod to Halloween Spirit.

For the ceremony, guests were escorted to a grove of trees to take a seat amidst a wild color blocked floral aisle. Explosions of fall color, deep toned curved wood chars, and a sculptural arch with sweeping views of the landscape set the tone for their heartfelt vows. As guests made their way to cocktail hour they were met with trays of signature drinks as they were invited to experience the property while listening to the string quartet. The highlight of the cocktail hour was the Ukrainian Bread Ceremony performed by Alie’s mother to honor her roots and pass this tradition down to the next generation.

As the celebration moved indoors, guests were invited to find their seats with a magical celestial escort display accompanied by a custom fluted bar. The ceiling was draped in ethereal tones of sage and gold to soften the space and accent the grand chandeliers so that the reception felt like an intimate candlelit dinner among friends and family. We paid homage to one of Alie’s favorite art installations with translucent black draping so the colors would pop and the space would feel more grounded. Everyone kicked off dancing with a traditional Czech Grand March dance from the Groom’s family and there wasn’t a single guest seated. The DJ kept the party going and the reception was a blast with dance party props and fun lighting. After a private dance to Sun to Me by Zac Bryan the couple exited in true rock ’n roll fashion in a vintage Mustang through a sparkler tunnel.[/field]

[field title=”Proposal Story”]Andrew had been planning to propose to Alie for a while, and was waiting for the right time. Unfortunately, he was thwarted not once but twice due to weather—so he finally decided to just make it happen. Andrew and Alie’s first date in 2015 was at the Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, so when Andrew asked Alie if she wanted to visit it again the upcoming weekend, Alie’s suspicions were on HIGH alert (the woman is impossible to surprise; it also helped that Andrew had inquired multiple times over the past few weeks about when Alie was going to get her nails done….).

On the big day, Andrew made up a flimsy excuse about being busy with a friend, and told Alie to just meet him there and he’d catch up with her. When Alie showed up, Andrew had left a handwritten letter at the front desk with a map and instructions on where to find him. She walked through the gardens and then found him in the center, where he got down on one knee and proposed. Alie cried a lot but also 10000% knew that the day would end in a ring, which she was very grateful for after 6 years of dating[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]Reception: Pronovias, Ceremony: Bespoke Suzanne Neville[/field]

[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]Azazi[/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]Ceremony- Hugo Boss, Reception-Modern Man Austin

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]The bride and groom are both foodies and had modern farm to table with southern flair for their food and drink. Their dinner was served family style with baskets of buttermilk biscuits and jam, bbq vegetables, and Texas inspired meat cuts. Their drinks were spooky fall themed: The Birdfeeder with gold glitter and a strawberry rim, a Blood Orange Margarita with a black salt rim, and a spiced cherry Old Fashioned.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]The floral design was an array of sculptural fall blooms with just the right shades of brick red, deep orange, bright green, and aubergine with hints of fiery coral. The florals were at the top of the wishlist for Alie and we had them at every turn in varying scales to bring the outdoors in to the reception. The decor had layers of tone on tone rich texture with hints of copper, black, and green. Traditional Texas and equestrian inspired accents (the Bride is an avid rider, and the groom from Texas) of leather and wood materials were woven into the overall design.[/field]

[field title=”Wedding Cake”]Alie loves everything Autumn and grew up on the East Coast and the cake was a cinnamon spice with cream cheese and apple filling topped with caramel buttercream as a nod to crisp fall days. For the design, we paired the taupe frosting with delicate pressed flowers and surrounded the cake with deep green toned linen and wallpaper. The couples home has many emerald green elements and we wanted to tie in their personal style as they wanted the wedding to feel as if they were hosting a gathering in their home.[/field]

[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]As avid rock n’ roll fans, the groom walked down the aisle to Thunderstruck by ACDC, and the bride walked down to First Day by Blink 182 on the strings. The incredible and emotional ceremony included readings by Mark Twain: A marriage and Love Is Friendship Caught Fire by Laura Hendricks. They first walked down the aisle as a married couple to Heaven is a Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle. Their first dance was Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves. The last song was Sun to Me by Zac Bryan. The bride had an epic sing along with her favorite karaoke song in the crowd with the mic to Eminem Lose Yourself during their reception party and it was one for the books.[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #1″]Ukrainian Bread Ceremony performed by the Bride’s family and the Czech Grand March performed by the Groom’s family[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″]The couples dogs Mae and June were celebrated with custom illustrations on their napkins and had their own signature drink at the bar. Alie’s late dog Bentley passed away during the planning and his collar was her something blue and wrapped around her bouquet for the ceremony.[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

Autumn Equinox/Celestial Vibe: Celestial details were sprinkled throughout the design, the custom sun monogram on the dance floor, invitations, menus, and swing garlands. The event branding had elements of tarot typography and shapes and all the bridesmaids wore elegant halloween themed skull earrings as a nod to Halloween spirit.

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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