Texas Weddings

You know what makes me happy?  Beautiful blooms.  Beautiful blooms in every shape, color and size of the rainbow.  From rose-filled bouquets to dahlia-dotted centerpieces, I love them all.  And this darling Camp Lucy wedding?  Well, it’s boasting beautiful blooms aplenty from the talented designers at Petal Pushers… works of art, really, that have me completely mesmerized.  Add in some pretty pink hues, a gallery of lovely captured by EE Photography and a stunning bride and groom and, well.  It’s my kind of Tuesday.  See it all in the full gallery.

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From the Bride… Josh and I met 5 years ago when I was a college senior at the University of Arizona and he was playing minor league baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks. We had an instant connection and became great friends. After a few years, our friendship developed into a relationship and Josh proposed in February 2012. Shortly after, Josh retired from professional baseball and we decided to make Austin, TX home.

I am from Southern California and Josh is from Baytown, TX but we knew after looking at Camp Lucy that that was where we wanted to get married. We both just felt something special there and knew it was the perfect place to say our vows in front of God, our family, and our friends. The venue is so beautiful and we wanted to use every inch of the space. We were married in the Chapel, had our cocktail hour in the Open Air Pavilion, and held our reception in the Events Hall. I have to confess, I am one of those girls who had always dreamt of my wedding day and had a very clear vision of what we both wanted. Our wedding was casually elegant and a true reflection of who we are as a couple. We wanted everyone to leave our wedding thinking “that was very Josh and Rachel” and they did. The colors and decor were a combination of neutrals, blush, mercury glass, and candles. Our caterer created the perfect Tex-Mex menu and we served Texas Martinis as our signature drink. In lieu of a champagne toast, we toasted with tequila in monogrammed shot glasses that our guests took home as favors.

We were married by a family friend who knows both of us well and exchanged traditional wedding vows. As opposed to writing our own, we felt there was something romantic about saying the same wedding vows people have said for years. Our wedding day truly was the best day of our lives. We were surrounded by 75 of our closest friends and family members and were humbled by the love and support we received that day.

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Photography: EE Photography | Flowers: Petal Pushers | Event Planning + Design: The Bride | Wedding Venue: Camp Lucy | Invitations: Ruffled Ink | Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale | Caterer: Pink Avocado | Cake: Classic Cakes by Lori | Rentals: Whim Event Rentals + Marquee Rentals + Loot Vintage Rentals | Wedding Gown: Vera Wang | Flower Girl Dress: Tutu Garden | DJ: Altared Weddings | Makeup: Maris Malone Calderon

When bloggers become brides, we get all sorts of giddy. Not just because their weddings tend to be some of the best (can you say, style for miles?) but because celebrating the Big Day of a fellow friend in the blogosphere is something really special. And today we’re raising our glasses — err, coffee mugs — to the fabulous Jenna of Eat, Live, Run. Along with the help of Eventfully Yours’ and Astrid Photography, this super stylish foodie managed to pull off one of the cutest country-chic days EVER. Oh, and in case you want more (we know you do!) you can find it all waiting right here.

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From Astrid… Jenna, the famous food and lifestyle blogger of Eat Live Run and author of “White Jacket Required :: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story” married her best friend, Adam on May 25, 2013 at the brand new Austin, Texas venue Pecan Springs Ranch. It was like walking right into a land of retro-vintage furniture, wild flowers, cowgirl boots, and of course all organic, locally grown food. From her blissfully sweet short wedding dress, to the hand painted signs, the details and thought put into this wedding made Jenna + Adam’s vision come together perfectly.

From the Bride, Jenna….The theme we embraced for our wedding was somewhere between casual Texas ranch and vintage chic. I had grown up loving the Little House on the Prairie books, and had always envisioned an outdoor prairie-like ceremony for my big day. I envisioned burlap, lace, reclaimed wood and vintage bottles holding brightly colored wildflowers on all the tables. Nothing too fancy — just simple and enjoyable. I knew the moment I walked into Pecan Springs Ranch that it was perfect for us. At that time, the venue was still under construction but I loved the owner’s vision for the place and knew it matched our own. All of the vintage rentals came from the venue and were the icing on the cake. All of the wooden signs were handmade by my mother in law out of reclaimed wood found on their East Texas property, except for the Eat Local Organic one, which was made by me. For my dress, I wanted something simple and something I could move in. To be honest, I was much more concerned about the food than the dress! When I found my dress online, I knew instantly that it was the one and it fit perfectly right out of the box. My grandmother gave me her cherished pearl earrings to complete the look. Our guests noshed on gourmet comfort food — organic, free-range roast chicken, macaroni and cheese with brie, dates and bacon, roasted heirloom carrots and brown butter cornbread. At the last minute, all electricity was lost so we just lit hundreds of candles and danced the night away, as the soft Texas breeze whispered in through open doors. It was truly a night to remember; a night full of good friends, laughter, love and delicious food. What more could I ask for? [dotted]

Wedding Photography: Astrid Photography | Bride: Jenna Weber of Eat Live Run | Wedding Venue: Pecan Springs Ranch | Floral Design + Wedding Planner: Christine Seiler of Eventfully Yours’ | Catering: Royal Fig Catering | Cake: Hailey Lange of Cecelia’s Austin | Cinematography: Abby Pound | Ceremony Programs: The Memory Trunk | Wedding Dress: There is Only You and Me exclusively via BHLDN | Bride’s Shoes: Corral, Vintage | Bride’s Necklace by BHLDN | Earrings: Grandmother’s Pearl Earrings | Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Bridesmaid’s Dresses: BHLDN | Bridesmaids’ Gifts: Stella & Dot Rhea Bangles + Noonday Collection Bone Carved Leaf Earrings + FashionABLE scarves | Groomsmen’s Gifts: Ties, Shirts, Pocket Silks via Men’s Wearhouse | Vintage Props + Furniture: Pecan Springs Ranch | Band: The Pearl Tones | Makeup: Morgan Stephanian

There are DIY duos and then there are, you know, duos who travel the world together on The Amazing Race and then return home to craft every last detail of their wedding.  Those are the kind of duos that take DIYing to an entirely new level… and those aforementioned details?  Amazing (but of course).  I’m talking everything from the fab signage to the beautiful blooms, all crafted by two of your favorite sweeties (Trey and Lexi) and their devoted friends and family.  It’s a day that celebrated love in every which way and you can see it all captured by Everest Road Photography in the full gallery.

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From Everest Road Photography… You might recognize this couple from the last season of The Amazing Race, but that’s not how I know them. When Trey and Lexi came to me about photographing their wedding I knew nothing of their reality tv fame. All I saw was an unbelievable love. From the moment she hopped out of that antique red pick-up until their procession back down the aisle, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. And it makes sense. Anyone who has met Trey and Lexi feels like a part of their story. This bride and groom love people well! Their incredible DIY country chic wedding day at Kali Kate told a story of adventure and love. These two have already experienced a lot of life together, and their wedding day showed that off to everyone in attendance!!

From the Bride… Our forever began on 05.25.13. Next to Heaven it doesn’t get any better than this. We absolutely could not wait for that very moment to finally hear the words, “Trey and Lexi, you are now husband and wife.” Our forever day was just how we imagined it. We wanted all our families and friends to come relaxed, dressed in their cowboy boots ready to witness our vows and to celebrate– our Country Chic wedding day. We wanted the day to be very intimate and personal so we wanted to make everything ourselves– spending thoughtful time on each and every detail. My entire family helped me to have the sweet Southern Wedding I had always dreamed.

We made everything ourselves… Our invitations, Save-the-date & Thank you Cards were designed by my mother and me. I knew Trey and I would love to have an icon that would symbolize our marriage, so we started there and the rest fell easily into place. Our love for the great state of Texas– deer antlers and our initials, super easy and so representative of who we are.

I work in our family business, ATX Mafia Apparel Co., so we were able to create cute tees for our family and bridal party to celebrate our special weekend! We had our wedding icon on the front and the phrase “THE HUNT IS OVER!” on the back of the tee. Trey and I had so much fun giving them. Everyone couldn’t wait to get theirs and put them on immediately to celebrate our day!

I had always dreamed of wearing my Mom’s wedding dress. So we had a wonderful seamstress alter it. We de-poofed it a bit since my mom got married in 1986, removed the sleeves, cut out the back of it to make it more dramatic and added a free hand-sewn accent and left everything else the same. This was a really special moment for us when I tried on the final dress. I topped it off wearing my sweet cousin (and bridesmaid), Sara’s veil who was just married four weeks before. It was really special for us.

When I dreamed of my wedding day, I always dreamed that I would wear my Mama’s wedding dress and a pair of my cowboy boots! I wore a beautiful pair of Corral Boots– they were stunning and I never had to worry about my feet hurting. My focus was always on the man I was about to marry– and not how uncomfortable I was in stuffy high heels. I highly recommend it to any bride!

It was important to me that my sweet and wonderful girls did not spend more that $60 to join me on my wedding day. So I hand-picked 11 unique short casual dresses off of the internet… each wearing a certain color: coral, mint, lilac, beige and vintage pink. My maids of honor– my two sisters, Brooke and Jade wore the same short dress in light pink. They all wore their own favorite cowboy boots and they looked incredible! And they were comfortable too! Love that!

Our 12ft Cross wrapped in 1250 ft of rugged rope was built by my daddy and my mom did all the flowers. At first she was super anxious about it, but they turned out perfectly! Can’t ever go wrong putting some gerbers, magnolia, peonies and lilies together with tons of baby’s breathe. Our wedding aisle was decorated with 14 stained old crates with oversized Mason jars filled with some of our favorite white flowers, all hand-cut and placed by my Mama. Awesome! She also hand-wrapped and decorated 45+ old-fashioned mason jars of all sizes (and has the glue gun burn marks to prove it).

My bouquet was handmade and filled my favorite pieces of vintage jewelry from my great grandmothers, my grandmother, my mom’s and my collections. I also had a picture of grandmother and great aunt who are longer with us. Two women that I admire with my whole heart. My bouquet was so personal, so special & something I will keep forever as a token of our super special day.

We repurposed old shipping pallets for signage and quotes that are so important to Trey and me. My sister, Brooke, stained them and hand-lettered each one. And pillows– we had pillows galore! We love, love, love pillows as accents to showcase our personalities. We just had so much fun decorating each one. My mom and I made several burlap oversized pillows and then hand stitched a couple of deer heads on them. Trey is an avid hunter, so it was a most perfect accent. They now decorate our bedroom. We also had about 6 other pillows monogrammed with our new initials.

A few other special touches included tons of candles! You can never have too many candles. We had a candle company hand-pour our favorite scent into old galvanized containers and my mom then decorated them with coordinating burlap and fun ribbon. The venue smelled amazing and lit up the room to give it a wonderful country evening glow.

Trey’s Grooms Cake – I don’t believe I know anyone more patriotic than Trey. He requested cake balls shaped in our country’s beautiful great flag….we added more mason jars and candles decorated in the beautiful red,white & blue. (Note the cakes are about the only thing we did not make ourselves—-other than Rudy’s BBQ we had catered. No one can grill better BBQ than Rudy’s! Hometown favorite!

It was very important to me that everyone walked away from the wedding knowing a little more about Trey and me. The program was an important part of that. It explained how Trey proposed, the history of my wedding dress, gave insight to my bouquet and went through all the key important dates of our entire relationship.

We wrote our own vows. It was so incredible crafting some of the most important words we would ever say to each other. Saying our vows was definitely the most incredible part of the whole wedding.

We dedicated a small area to show our family and friends a handmade World Map where we travelled during The Amazing Race. Four weeks racing with Trey around the world solidified that we can battle through anything– hunger, exhaustion, testing our physical abilities to the limits and tough translation issues from country to country. And… We leaned on each other.

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Wedding Photography: Everest Road Photography | Day Of Coordinator: Samantha Conley of Kali Kate | Wedding Venue: Kali Kate | DJ: Ryan Williams of The Beat Connection | Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Flowers: Mother of the Bride | T-Shirt Favors: ATX Mafia

Austin is one of the most awesome cities in the country; it’s fun, vibrant and full of life.  The kind of place that simply screams fabulous wedding, from its amazing venues to its uber-stunning bride and grooms tying the knot.  Case in point?  This gorgeous duo, who said “I do” at the amazing Plantation House amongst bundles of beautiful florals from Luanna Clara Design, breathtaking moments and vibrant purple hues.  See it all captured by Ashley D Photography right here.

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From the Bride… Our wedding day was better than I had dreamed! It was just small enough to be intimate, but just big enough to have all of our closest friends and family there.

After searching dozens of venues, there was one that stood out from anything we had seen. We had our wedding at The Plantation House right outside of Austin, Texas. The venue is romantic, elegant, and surrounded by greenery and gardens, which made it the perfect place for us to have our wedding.

We wanted our wedding to be uniquely “us,” so we kept it simple and threw in vintage inspired details like lace table runners, a birdcage for our guests to leave us notes, and vases my mom found at thrift and antique shops. We wanted to go with colors you don’t see often so that’s how we settled on bright purple with bright flowers—after seeing how well the colors went with the venue, I am so glad we decided to go bold!

The ceremony was perfect. It was supposed to rain all day, and the fact that it cleared up was a complete miracle. Guests were greeted into the reception with a lemonade bar and a leafy archway lit with twinkle lights. Ending the night with everyone who gave us so much support and love was amazing; our hearts are overflowing.

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Wedding Photography: Ashley D Photography | Second Photographer: Kayla Gonzales | Wedding Venue: The Plantation House | Floral Design: Luanna Clara Design | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals | Bride’s Shoes: Antonio Melani | Veil: Erica Koesler | Bride’s Earrings: Mariel | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy Group | Cake: Cakes by Kathy | Men’s Attire: Jean Yves Savoy Collection

If this bride isn’t the cutest bride in the whole wide world, I’ll eat my keyboard. She is so stinking cute. And nothing is sweeter than a ridiculously adorable bride on the happiest day of her life, especially when the wedding day is just perfect. Seriously, just perfect. Forever Photography Studio captured the aforementioned wedding, and holy cow, we are smitten!

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From the beautiful bride… Jonathan and I met at The University of Texas Cheerleading tryouts in April 2007. For me, it was definitely love at first sight, but I was confident that he was probably already seeing someone because he was so adorable! After a little research, I discovered that he was actually single and we really clicked over the summer. He was from Dallas, I was from Houston, but that summer in Austin was unforgettable. We started dating the day after cheer camp. We had been dating for three and a half years and I was blessed to share three of those years cheering on the Texas Longhorns alongside my partner and best friend. We had talked about marriage for some time but knew that it would be difficult with him starting law school in San Antonio in August 2010. He also knew that my dream proposal would occur on the UT football field after one of our games. The 2010-2011 season has been a record-losing season for Texas, which was very disappointing coming off of a National Championship Game last season. Our last game/my last game to EVER cheer at Texas was on Thanksgiving Day vs. our in state rival, the Texas A&M Aggies.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Thursday/Thanksgiving/my LAST football game to cheer at EVER (excluding alumni games of course), the cheerleaders ran over to the front of the band to sing “The Eyes of Texas” for one last time. Of course, I was bawling crying, just soaking it all in and thinking of all of the wonderful memories I had had out on that field. Afterwards, all of the seniors were having a moment, namely Alyssa Durrett, our team captain and I. As we were hugging, my coach grabbed me around the neck and started walking me towards the 50 yard line. In the middle of that beautiful burnt orange longhorn on the 50, stood Jonathan, decked out in his Texas Cowboys gear. Jono (his nickname that I gave him) kept walking backwards because he knew I would want it to be RIGHT on the 50 yard line. He said, “Why are you so sad?” and as any good longhorn would I replied, “Because they’re playing the Aggie war hymn…”  The Aggies had just beaten my beloved Longhorns by a measly seven points, to end my cheerleading career forever. He took my hands and said, “It’ll be okay. And besides, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a really long time.” And as he got down on one knee he said, “Brittany Elise Wier, will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?” I immediately tried to say “YES!” but had no voice from yelling the entire game, so I just shook my head violently and mouthed “yes, yes yes!” I was so excited and overwhelmed with emotions. I was closing one chapter of my life and opening another! The other best part was that all of our friends and family were cheering on the sidelines and almost all of my very best girlfriends were all there to share my special moment with me!  I will cherish that moment forever. Even though Texas lost the game, Brittany Wier and Jonathan Richardson won. Not only was I thankful for friends, family, and the Texas Longhorns that day. I was SO thankful for my wonderful new fiance. Not only had he moved to a new city to take on law school, but he somehow found the time and money to get me the perfect ring and pull off the PERFECT Texas Proposal!

We knew we wanted a Texas’y wedding, so what better place than the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum? In all seriousness, I grew up in the Houston area, Jonathan grew up in Dallas and we met in Austin. We both love Austin and that’s where we plan to settle down, so it seemed like the obvious choice. The museum is beautiful and would house our 350+ guests, so it just worked! It was absolutely perfect!

Being born and raised in Texas and meeting at The University of Texas, we wanted our wedding to be very Texas inspired. At the same time, I had always dreamed of a large, extravagant and elegant wedding. So I would say our style was Texas elegance. We thought about burnt orange for a wedding color or a metallic copper, but that was too difficult to incorporate and too fall-like for our winter nuptials. We went with metallic gold with rhinestone, bling detail everywhere. Our flowers were ivory with subtle hints of blush pink. We wanted lots of rich gold tones throughout the reception space from the metallic gold bridesmaid dresses to a sparkly gold sugar rim on our signature drink, The Grandioso. We served Salt Lick BBQ for dinner, as another tribute to our Texas heritage.

I mentioned that I was very close to my grandparents who lived three houses down growing up. I wanted to pay tribute to my seamstress grandmother who would have given anything to make my wedding dress and to be at our wedding. At the reception, we displayed my mother’s wedding dress and my grandmother’s wedding dress, both made by my grandmother. We also had their bridal portraits next to mine.

Everything went by so fast; I really enjoyed brunch the morning before the wedding and hanging out with my 13 bridesmaids at the Driskill all afternoon. I loved seeing Jonathan’s face as I walked down the aisle. I loved the photos we took with our two golden retrievers (bow tie and tutu clad) after the ceremony. I really loved seeing the reception space for the first time and catching up with so many people who love us so much. It was so neat seeing my two year long vision, come to life.

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Photographer: Jona and Jerry Blackwell, Forever Photography Studio | Videographer: Richard Lizama,  Lizama Videography | Floral Designer: Amy Bodle, Merveille Events | Event Planning + Design: Aimee Villa, Lizze Belle Events | Invitation Designer: Vanessa Pischer, Posh Posh Designs | Cake + Desserts: Judy Lee, Simon Lee Bakery | Wedding Gown Designer: Pnina Tornai, Kleinfeld | Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Lula Kate from Bella Bridesmaid | Any special jewelry: Grandmother Dorotha Hurst’s wedding ring worn on right hand, along with tennis bracelet, given as pre-wedding gift from the groom.

On first glance, I was totally certain this shoot took place in some far-away village in Spain –a quaint little gem with centuries of history and forgotten beauty a-plenty. But as it turns out, every pretty moment was captured at Texas Hill Country’s Rancho Mirando. A locale that makes the perfect backdrop for this Spanish-inspired shoot. With beyond-stunning styling by Sweet Sunday Events and photo-perfection from Loft Photographie, I think it’s safe to say this labor of love was a 100% success. Gather up inspiration galore in the gallery right here.

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From Loft Photographie… A few months ago we reached out to Sweet Sunday Events for some business chit chat over coffee. Fact: everything is better with a latte on the side; especially vanilla lattes. Within about 2 seconds we could tell that these ladies ran in the same tribe and would be amazing to collaborate with. And poof, we were planning a shoot! With our powers combined we decided upon a Spanish Inspired photo shoot preferably staged in some kind of hacienda. After some investigating we found Rancho Mirando, the most beautiful estate out in the hill country, to be the perfect location.

It literally felt like we had left Texas and landed in a quaint mountainside town in Spain. Inspired by a color palate of soft tan, white, and ivory with pops of peach and emerald, the bouquet and table centerpiece were over the top beautifully romantic and lush. Terra cotta additions of hand crafted skulls, pots, and brown leather trimmings pulled it all together. The Stationery Bakery provided stunning hand painted paper goods and signs and Catering with a Twist took Spanish favorites and made a delicious dessert display. Talk about working with the cream of the crop! This shoot was a ton of fun and we loved teaming up with everyone to create something fresh and exciting.

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Photography: Loft Photographie | Venue: Rancho Mirando | Styling, Floral, Rentals: Sweet Sunday Events | Stationery + Paper Goods: Stationery Bakery | Desserts: Catering with a Twist | Cake: Moxie Bakery | Models: Zypher Talent | Hair + Makeup: Loud Looks by Summer | Dresses: Serendipity Bridal

I’m not going to lie, this might be my favorite Austin wedding. Ever. It’s a little bit of spunk mixed with a whole lotta sweet and the rustic-sweet design embodies Texas to a T. There’s about a 101 other reasons to fall in love with this Mother’s Day “I do” (can you say, “choreographed first dance”?) but I’ll leave you with the very best reason of all — Loft Photographie’s full gallery waiting right here.

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From Loft Photographie LLC…From the second we met Emily and Robert we were instant friends. They have kind personalities, and laid back charm. This sweet couple had a Mother’s Day morning wedding just outside of Austin at Vista West Ranch. From the choice in venue to serving lemonade & bar-b-q to their guests, their day was all about relaxing and enjoying the people they love most (including all the mamas in attendance)! Emily & Robert had the best first dance we’ve ever seen. They choreographed the steps to a compilation of country hits, hip hop lines, and classic tunes. And by the final dip they had all their guests cheering. 

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Photography: Loft Photographie LLC | Event Coordination: Coordinate This | Floral Design: Petal Pushers | Wedding Venue: Vista West Ranch | Cake: Classic Cakes by Lori | Lemonade Stand: The Lemonade Company | Catering: Pok-E-Jos Catering | Hair: Belle Mariee  | Wedding Dress: Watters | Bridesmaid Dresses: Francesca’s

This color palette easily had me at hello. It’s fresh and fun without being over the top girly. It pops without being too wild and it’s perfectly folded into the details by Yellow Umbrella Events and the florals by Cherry Lane Floral. The result is a wedding that combines pattern (hellllooo bridesmaids), color and a ton of gorgeous photographs from Sharon Nicole. Have a look at so much more right here in the full gallery.

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From the Bride...No words can describe how much we loved getting married! From the start, we wanted our wedding to truly be a reflection of “us” and for our guests to feel at home at our wedding. Our relationship started in Austin so I knew from the start that I wanted our day to be at Laguna Gloria off of Lake Austin—to me it’s the perfect combination of nature and elegance. Our vendors were amazing and understood our vision for what we wanted the day to look like. Our wonderful photographer even lent us her mint and coral tablecloth from BHLDN! We wanted to keep our day intimate and relaxed (with some sparkle, of course!). Our bridal party’s outfits were coordinated around mint, coral and gold tones, and they all looked stunning.
 
Chad was a great partner in the whole wedding planning process. He was incredibly organized, thoughtful, generous, and a surprisingly good craftsman (although he will probably hate that I made this fact public). Together we crafted wedding signs, a large wooden program, and various DIY details. Several Etsy vendors also played a role in our wedding, from the guest book to the floral pin in my hair. We loved the feeling of having elegant details mixed with a touch of DIY to create a wedding that was our own.
 
Our ceremony was held under a gorgeous natural tree arch, with a chandelier hanging from the top (one of my favorite details of the wedding!) We wanted our ceremony to be a reflection of how much God has grown us as a couple, and how excited we are for our next adventures together. Chad helped me craft (and by helped, I mean he really did it himself) wooden boards with our bridesmaids names on them so that their heels wouldn’t sink in the grass. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was seeing the secret message that Chad had written on the wooden board he made me. The weather turned out to be perfect, with the sun peeking out of the clouds right in the middle of our ceremony—I couldn’t have been more thrilled. The forecast had looked dreary for two weeks leading up to our big day, which made us appreciate the perfect weather that much more!
 
The reception tables lined the long walkway behind the villa, with festoon lights criss-crossing over the tables. Our table faced the sunset over Lake Austin, and it was truly magical. Our table settings included gold chargers, gold flatware, and DIY menus with the help of PaperSource. My mom also made lace runners for our head table (she also made my veil, garter, and ring bearer pillow!). The most special part about our tablescapes was the assortment of gold and brass vases that my mom had helped me collect in her visits to the antique markets in the Netherlands—my family lives there, so we were thrilled to be able to include a little piece of our home in our Texas wedding. Our florist also made sure to include tulips in the centerpieces to represent a little more of the Netherlands.
 
Our dance floor was in the open, with festoon lighting draping from four vintage lamp-posts to the villa. Each strand of lighting had individual glass bulbs with mint and coral flowers hanging inside. It was the perfect setting to wrap up the night with our family and friends, who have been so amazing and encouraging throughout the whole experience. We are so thankful for the love that surrounded us on our special day!

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Photography: Sharon Nicole Photography | Floral Design: Cherry Lane Floral | Event Design + Planning: Jordan Monday, Yellow Umbrella Events | Ceremony + Reception Location: Laguna Gloria | Lighting: Intelligent Lighting Design |Hair + Makeup: Studio Tilee | Cake: Sweetish Hill | Catering: Whole Foods Catering Austin | Fans + Bride + Groom Forks: BHLDN | Bride’s Dress: Parvani Vida | Shoes: Badgely Mischka | Bridesmaid Dresses: Vince Camuto | Bridesmaid Earrings: Anthropologie | Junior Bridesmaid Dresses: BCBG | Groom + Groomsmen Suits: Zara

Raise your hand if you are are a lover of a “relaxed dinner party” with an “awesome dance party” to follow.  Because that, my friends, is exactly what we have in store for you today.  Two awesome components wrapped up in devastatingly gorgeous details captured by Valeria Duque Photography; a slice of wedding heaven with enough stripes and sophistication to keep you drooling for days.  It’s a Mercury Hall masterpiece with pretty, pretty blooms from Posey Floral and Events and a big ol’ dose of Southern awesome.  See it all in the full gallery.

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From Valeria Duque… One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to travel, A LOT! and I like it even more when it takes me across oceans and to places I’ve never been before, and such was the case with Kate and Justin’s wedding that took me for the first time in my life to Texas!

I met these guys a couple of years ago while shooting Kata and Sam’s wedding in Cartagena, Colombia, and the minute I met them and all their friends, sparks flew and it was instant chemistry– I was in love with them all. So, as you can imagine, when we all met again last year for Josh and Meg’s wedding in Palm Springs we were not just photographer-client anymore, we were friends! So, when Katie called me up to shoot her wedding not only was I happy to travel somewhere new but also to be meeting up with these lovely people again!

Kate and Justin got married on April 6 in Austin, and I was lucky to be there from Wednesday until Sunday photographing all the pre-wedding extravaganza and sharing tons and tons of laughs with all my lovely friends.

For the welcome dinner, the day before the wedding, the couple decided to do it the Texas way, so we went to The Salt Lick, an amazing barbeque place just outside of Austin, where I was lucky enough to try the Texas triad of meat: brisket, sausage and ribs, all covered in yummy bbq sauce and with sides of cole slaw, mashed potatoes and pickles. As many of you know I’m a bit of a foodie, I love eating and besides taking pictures that’s what I put most of my energy into in Texas!

And then the wedding day was up, everyone got ready at the Radisson Hotel. Everything was mint-inspired and lots of lovely flowers were to be seen. Katie was calm and having fun, and the minute she was ready we went down to the river edge for their first look which was, if you don’t mind my saying, awesome!

After the family shots we went to McKinney Falls State Park, an amazing place with beautiful huge oak trees where we shot the bridal party and the couple pics. I loved shooting Katie and Justin, they are so much fun! They are the king and queen of odd funny faces, but they also love each other so much and have such a great time together that my job was almost entirely done! After an hour of fun it was ceremony time. It was held under two gorgeous trees, everything was planned outside and the decoration was so beautiful! Long tables filled with my favorite American flowers: Peonies and Ranunculus.

After the ceremony the couple went inside to have some alone time, rest and share, but the minute I saw the sunset light hitting the trees and making them look oh so golden and pretty I had to get them back out for some more pictures of looooove, and it was definitely worth it!

Finally it was party time: there was dancing, there was roaring laughter, there were speeches, there even was a speech made like a rap by the fabulous Maid of Honor, and there was lots of fun in the Photobooth.

From the Bride… When Justin and I started the wedding process, our goal was to have a relaxed outside dinner party with an awesome dance party at the end of the night. When we found Mercury Hall we knew we had struck gold. It had the typical romantic feel of the Texas venues but was fun and bright and the grounds were gorgeous. The color palette was due to the fact that I’ve always been a lover of black and white stripes. From there we went with gold as a metallic accent and pulled mint/aqua since they pair well together and it was one of the colors in the stained glass windows of the venue.

Our wedding was everything we wanted it to be. It was relaxed and comfortable, the food was fantastic and culminated in awesome dance party.

My favorite moment was after Justin and I were married we went to the back room to sign the marriage license and just to have a moment to take it all in (and have a drink). It was so relaxing and such a happy moment.

My advice to brides is not to be afraid to delegate. People want to help you out so make sure you utilize them. It will also be a proud moment for those guests to see what they helped with on the day of the event. Also, have fun. It’s the best day ever so if things go wrong, it’s ok! Just relax and enjoy the day.

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Wedding Photography: Valeria Duque Photography | Wedding Venue: Mercury Hall | Wedding Coordination: Alison of The Simplifiers | Floral Design: Bonni Taylor + Madeline Landry of Posey Floral and Events | Catering: Word of Mouth | Cake + Cupcakes: Word of Mouth | Decor + Programs + Signage: DIY by Bride | Balloons: Arne’s Warehouse, Houston | Lighting: Ilios Lighting | DJ: Jeremy of Spacecraft Entertainment  | Transportation: R&R Limo Bus | Favors: DIY by Bride — Coffee, Starbucks Kimodo Dragon Blend + Texas BBQ Rub | Invitations: Smitten on Paper | Wedding Gown: Wedding Bell in Washington | Shoes: Sam Edelman from Nordstrom | Groom’s Suit: Dragon Inside | Groom’s Shoes: Aldo  | Groom’s Tie: The Tie Bar  | Groomsmen’s Ties: Mercy Streams | Flower Girl Dresses: J Crew Factory | Makeup: Gertie of Rae Cosmetics  Hair: Brittnee Pope

Weddings are obviously all about the love but sometimes they are transformed into pure magic by the people you choose to help you showcase that love. They are the experts after all. These wedding warriors (in this case The Nichols and The Nouveau Romantics) sprinkle the day with know-how and expertise, leaving you to enjoy all the pretty aftermath which for this Texas wedding includes a ceremony arch that we could live under for the rest of our days. Head to the full gallery for even more.

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From the Bride…I’d by lying if I said I hadn’t been planning out my wedding day since forever. Add to that my fiance James and I were in a long-distance relationship for three years, so when he finally popped the question, I had already had plenty of time to dream up our “I dos” instead of focusing on my thesis. Fortunately, when it came time to go from dreaming to planning he was just as involved (read: opinionated) as I was. We both wanted something personal, small, and totally awesome. Unfortunately, we both had very different ideas of what those words meant. Luckily I found Liz Lewis of  The Nouveau Romantics, who basically is a part-time mind reader along with event designer and florist extraordinaire. Combine that with the planning power of Mary at The Simplifiers and an open bar and you’ve got yourself a party! Trying to coordinate a wedding from across the country for a family of project manager engineers is no easy feat, but these ladies pulled it off beautifully. The whole day was a blur of zen and cloud nine and The Nichols captured that perfectly. Everyone said the epic feasting tables were straight out of a prettier version of Harry Potter. My favorite moments were squeezing my great grandmother’s hankerchief for dear life as I walked down the aisle to Sigur Ros’ “Hoppipolla,” my friends piling under my huge dress after the ceremony, when our DJ Byrne Rock dropped the Daft Punk single the day after it got released, and driving off in his dad’s ’69 Camaro (which was its own wedding project).  But what took the dinosaur-topped cake was when I got up to the altar, took a look around and stared at all the amazing family and friends that had gathered under those magnificent oak trees. *Bonus fact: it was actually James that got me hooked on SMP with this baseball themed wedding.

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Photography: The Nichols | Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Wild Onion Ranch | Event Coordination + Planning: The Simplifiers | Floral & Event Design + Paper Goods: The Nouveau Romantics | Catering: 2 Dine 4 | Calligraphy: The Pink Pen | Cake: Sweetish Hill | DJ: Byrne Rock | Lighting: Ilios Lighting | Officiant: Spike Gillespie

They say nothing is truly perfect, but I have to say this Barr Mansion designed by 36th Street Events and captured by Half Orange Photography is pretty darn close. With florals worth drooling over by Merveille, a ceremony setting you can’t help but swoon over and details you’ll be pinning for the rest of the day – this gallery is the perfect place to be today. See why here.

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From the Bride… Will and I both love the laid-back feel and beauty of Austin. We knew immediately after getting engaged that we would get married there. I knew planning a wedding from a few hours away (Dallas) would have its challenges but having Bethany Hanson at 36th Street Events was so helpful to coordinate all of the Austin vendors. For the overall feel of the day, we wanted it to be a relaxed and intimate celebration with friends and family. The wedding “must-haves” were excellent photographers, a beautiful venue, and a rustic but classy look.

We both loved the idea of getting married outside, but since we were aiming for early March it was hard to decide. That is why Barr Mansion was the perfect fit: a wedding and reception combo venue! We could have a beautiful outdoor ceremony and after, walk to an indoor reception in the ballroom. To complement the natural look of the venue, I wanted a light and springy palette. I love all things soft and light. For the details and decór, my vision was ivory lace, warm peaches, sky blues, dusty pinks and light grays. Both Bethany and our amazing florist, Merveille, captured the colors and the idea of bringing a classic wedding ceremony outdoors. One of my favorite ceremony details was the beautiful antique church pews that we paired with mismatched chairs for the seating. It made the outdoor space very unique and like it was intended for a wedding ceremony. Another favorite moment of the day was having my precious nieces and nephews roll down the aisle in a wagon covered in baby’s breath. It was the most precious sight, and I love that they got to take part in the wedding.

Our reception was just as I imagined: tasty food, amazing decór (not to mention the gorgeous, personalized backdrop for our cake!), and a phenomenal band. The family style dinner turned out to be one of the best decisions we made for the reception. It complemented the relaxed feel of the evening and really fit our overall intimate theme. Also, I love that my precious mom hand wrote all of the place cards giving it that extra-personal touch. I chose a simple white cake, but Will is not a huge cake lover so he opted for a variety of pies. It was so fun to be able to infuse our interests and tailor the celebration to reflect our personalities.

My advise for brides and grooms planning their wedding… Focus on the top 3 or 4 important details of the wedding, share your desired theme and look with the vendors, and then let everything else fall into place. Once I had my must-haves taken care of, I shared my style with Bethany and the florist and trusted them to help me fill in the gaps where I had questions or lacked an idea. At the end of the day, I am not sure which napkin color I picked, but I do know that Will and I loved every minute of our day.

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Wedding Photography: Half Orange Photography | Wedding Venue: Barr Mansion | Event Design + Planning: Bethany Hanson at 36th Street Events | Floral Design: Merveille | Cake: Barr Mansion | Wedding Dress: Nardos Imam at Stanley Korsak Bridal Salon | Hair + Makeup: Keep Austin Gorgeous | Reception Band: Professor D | Cinematography: Altared Wedding Productions | Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals + La Tavola Linen

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Three ingredients that guarantee a fabulous wedding?  Lush blooms, pink hues and sweet rustic meets romantic stylings.  And when you add those three ingredients to a breathtaking Wild Onion Ranch wedding, well… it’s pure, unadulterated perfection.  Case in point?  This drop-dead gorgeous affair from Ashley Garmon Photographers, which is boasting a stunning Lazaro gown, one seriously adorable duo and a whole lot of Nouveau Romantics pretty.  See it all in the full gallery.

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From Ashley Garmon Photographers… Elena and Andrew held their gorgeous fete at Wild Onion Ranch in Austin, Texas. The attention to detail certainly paid off as the event was romantic and vintage, yet also contemporary. In lieu of a champagne toast, the couple did a tequila toast with all of their guests, a tradition of the bride’s family. Guests were also treated to dessert tables instead of simply a wedding cake.

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Wedding Photography: Ashley Garmon Photographers | Wedding Venue: Wild Onion Ranch  | Floral + Event Planning and Design + Paper: The Nouveau Romantics |  Day-Of Coordination: Lizze Belle Event Planning | Catering: 2 Dine 4 | Desserts + Cake: Cake and Spoon | Photo Booth: Booth 66 | Ceremony + First Dance Musician: Reid Turner | DJ: DJ Mel | Cinematography: Bad One Pictures | Wedding Dress: Lazaro | Wedding Dress Hanger: Heirloom

I love, love, love a good Hill Country shindig. Not just because the surroundings are gorgeous but more so because it has this amazing rustic meets serene vibe to it. And that vibe shines through in each wedding we come across from this little pocket of Texas. Sometimes those affairs are a little more heavy on the rustic and this time it’s falling on the side of crazy romantic. And the flowers by Petal Pushers and event planning by Ashlee Voda have a whole lot to do with that. Have a look at the full gallery of images by Caroline Joy Photography for even more. It’s Texas romance done so, so right.

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From the Bride…I had always heard that the day that is suppose to be every girl’s dream often turns into the most stressful, anxiety-filled event of their life. Our wedding planning process could not have been a more enjoyable, exciting, and stress-free time in our lives. The way God orchestrated everything, down to the last detail, was so awesome to experience. A big thanks to Ashlee Voda (of Rachel Events) for planning one of the best weddings I have ever seen (I do realize that I’m partial). Having the opportunity to select Ashlee as our wedding planner was by far one of the best decisions we made during our planning process. Our wedding day at Camp Lucy was perfect in every way; Reflecting on the day, I would say we felt overwhelmingly blessed, calm, peaceful, ready, joyful, and full of love. We wanted our wedding to be intentional in every way, and it was just that. If I could share any advice, coming from a conservative, traditional person like myself, I would say SEE EACH OTHER BEFORE THE CEREMONY! We did a first look to have some alone time, take the edge off, and read our personal vows to each other. We also had the entire moment captured by our amazing videographer, Richard Lizama, and our oh-so-talented photographers, Caroline Joy and her husband Aaron. By seeing each other prior to the ceremony, it allowed a lot more time to take tons of pictures that every bride wishes she had more of after the day; we were able to get a lot of our wedding party photos done, as well. This was one of the sweetest moments of our day.

I LOVED having someone special to us, that knew us well and helped us prepare for marriage, preside over our ceremony. Scott Kedersha (from Watermark Community Church) more than delivered by glorifying Christ and making our ceremony not only special for us, but encouraged other married couples as well. Our exceptionally unique and artsy stationary was designed and printed by Lauren Essl, owner of Blue Eye Brown Eye. Leah Noble performed our ceremony music and was a fan favorite for the day. Highly recommend her if you want a sweet, Norah Jones/Sara Bareillis acoustic-type vibe for your ceremony or reception. Everyone loved our signature drinks: Mint Juleps and Strawberry-Champagne spritzers. Our good friend, Cameron Pharmakis, entertained by acoustic guitar during our cocktail hour while guests enjoyed some Southern comfort appetizers. Our florals were OUT OF THIS WORLD amazing. Stacy, and her team at Petal Pushers, absolutely nailed our vision – Think soft, earthy, whimsical, hill-country flowers: succulents, cotton, garden roses, berries, thistles, logs, wood, air plants etc. Guests raved over their work. Primizie Catering provided the delectable food, and had outstanding bar service. Our band, Suede, rocked out and kept all the guests dancing down to the very last minute. They even did a “last song tribute” to us and had us dance on stage to close out the night. Everybody loves them some Journey! Go check them out if you’re in the Austin area! They travel too!

Other details included Cakes by Lori – the best tasting cakes we tried in the Austin area, with the best prices! Linens and rentals came from Whim. We added a candy bar that everyone loved, and had a late night pass of chicken n’ waffles and grilled cheese! I think that was the guests favorite part!!! One additional “touch” that the guests really appreciated was having buses transport them to and from Austin (R&R Limousine). Highly recommend if you are having a Hill Country/destination wedding. More fun for everyone. We couldn’t have had such a perfect day without the above mentioned vendors (and of course, our parents). We know that is all a tribute to God’s provision, and we couldn’t be more thankful to all of you!

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Photography: Caroline Joy Photography | Event Planner: Ashlee Voda | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Camp Lucy | Floral Design: Petal Pushers | Catering: Primizie | Cake: Classic Cakes by Lori | Reception Band: Suede | Linen Rentals: Whim Event Rentals |  Vintage Rentals: Sweet Sunday Events | Invitations: Blue Eye Brown Eye | Makeup: Houston Puryear Makeup Artistry | Hair: Tamara Greer | Cinematography: Richard Lizama | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo

I’ve always wanted to attend a Texas wedding. After years of swooning over the beautiful Texas fêtes that have graced the pages of SMP, seeing the magic unfold in person is definitely on my bucket list. Particularly after drooling over this beauty captured by Photography by Vanessa. It’s Texas perfection complete with gorgeous florals from Petal Pushers, one cute-as-can-be, tutu-wearing flower girl, and a new Mr. & Mrs. so in love I just want to hug them. They keep my theory alive that Texas weddings are just darling, and you can see all the reasons why right here.

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From the Bride…We had about a year to plan our wedding, so we were able to take everything one step at a time. I am a full time graduate student, so we had to be creative as we planned a wedding on a budget. We initially wanted a small, intimate celebration, but we realized we had too big of a family to leave out of the fun. Choosing the Umlaf for our location set the entire event in motion….we wanted to keep the feeling relaxed, outdoors, romantic, and still have that Austin feeling. We even had wedding crashers from Barton Springs!  We fell in love with the venue the first time we visited, the sculptures added so much beauty. The ceremony felt magical…the breeze and swaying trees created a sense of peace as we stood up there and read our vows we had written for each other.

The colors for the wedding were shades of peaches, corals and light purples….I have always loved these colors and knew from the start I wanted a colorful, spring wedding! All of the vendors were so helpful, providing ideas and advice as I explained we were on a budget and wanted to utilize as much of the natural setting as we could. Petal Pushers did an amazing job of pulling my ‘romantic woodsy’ idea together, they brought all of our ideas into a unified feeling. Throughout the planning, we tried to have a consistent style and color choice….this can be hard when there are so many fun ideas out there! We had fun looking at Etsy for unique wedding party gifts, as well as our guest sign in ‘tree’…..which we thought would be a nod to the natural setting of our celebration. Our cake was so beautiful, and the coconut lime flavor with vanilla buttercream was one of the easiest decisions we made. Our DJ was a friend of the grooms, he had so much energy and turned the night into a dance party, blending Tejano, Country and funk to get everyone dancing.  The best part of the night was dancing with the most important people in my life, all together in what felt like a fairy tale.

Our invitations- we used weddingpaperdivas. I wanted to bring out the colors with a lavender ribbon, so I went to Michaels and bought an inexpensive purple ribbon to tie around the gold/champagne folding envelope. It really made the color pop! We bought frames and twine from craft stores to incorporate family photos into the ceremony. We had fun choosing baby pictures and wanted to be a little silly. We used these for the rehearsal dinner as well. Wedding party attire- Groomsmen wore black leather Vans to compliment the tuxedos and to give the wedding a more relaxed feeling. I loved the way the look turned out! Bridesmaids wore their own dresses- I let them have fun by choosing any tone of peach, coral or blush.

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Photography: Photography by Vanessa | Event Planning: Becky with Pearl Events | Floral Design + Decor: Petal Pushers | Venue: Umlauf Sculpture Garden | Linens + Rentals: Premiere Party Central | Lighting: Illios | Catering: Pascal’s Catering Company | Cake: Coco Paloma Desserts | Sweets: Central Market | Officiant: Rev. Ed Carter | DJ: Mark Denim | Ceremony Music: Musical Discovery Chamber Players of Austin | Program: Works on Paper | Transportation: Uptown Valet & Transportation | Hair: Rosalba Rodriguez with Garbo Salon Salon & Spa | Makeup: Vanessa Busbee with Garbo Salon & Spa |Wedding Dress: Anjolique | Flower Girl Dresses: Etsy | Groomsmen Suits: Mens Wearhouse

I am kind of obsessed with this engagement session.  And by “kind of” I mean I completely and totally am. Because not only does it feature one seriously sweet duo picnicking and bike riding the day away, it’s infused with vibrant Mexican culture every which way you turn.  And if that isn’t enough to make your Tuesday morning (+ afternoon + evening), then the cute pup ought to do the trick.  See every last glorious moment captured by Ashley D Photography right here.

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From Ashley D Photography… This adorable session was held in Austin, Texas and is full of love and vibrant colors (and an adorable Chihuahua!). Kathryn and Jacob wanted their engagement session to represent their Mexican heritage with vibrant colors and simple, but chic details.

They started off their engagement session riding their vintage cruiser bikes to an open, overgrown field with their little Chihuahua, Peter. They had fun hanging a vibrantly colored pinata and playfully swinging at it together, then enjoyed a chic Mexican-inspired picnic in the field at sunset. This session is full of color, laughter and a some beautiful lighting.

All the details were brought by the couple — including including a tree stump side table, Topo Chicos drinks, Pan Dulce, Vibrant/Primary Color Flowers in a Mason Jar & a traditional colorful Mexican Blanket.

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Photography: Ashley D Photography | Flowers: Whole Foods | Event Design: Jessica Bohne, Independent Stylist | Location: Shoal Creek Greenbelt, Austin | Food & Drinks: Fiesta Market

Sometimes a wedding is so awesome, it’s almost impossible to put into words; it’s sooo gorgeous, sooo amazingly beautiful, there’s not enough adjectives in the English language to really do it justice.  This, my friends, is one of those weddings.  A cultural fusion of Eastern and Western traditions mixed with the ultra-coolness of Austin and a sustainable celebration that is all kinds of crazy amazing.  It’s a day that was expertly captured by Nadia Hung Photography and planned (+ styled) to perfection by Darrelle Foore of Springdale Farm, all making for one uber-gorgeous gallery.  Join me there for sooo much more.

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From the bride… Coming from two different cultural backgrounds, incorporating both Eastern and Western traditions into our wedding was important. A tea ceremony took place in the early afternoon, where tea was prepared and offered to our elders as a sign of respect. It was a heartwarming gathering where a smaller group of family and friends spent time together before the evening celebration began.

For the evening, we wanted to pick a venue that could continue to be a part of our lives. Springdale Farm is a family-operated urban farm just 3 miles east from downtown Austin, Texas. With their commitment to local sustainable agriculture and their active involvement in the community, it made the perfect venue for our wedding. Food trucks are a big part of our lives in Austin. With half of guests from out of town, we wanted them to have a taste of that Austinite experience. We asked The Seedling Truck to prepare appetizers using fresh ingredients from Springdale Farm of that week. Chi’Lantro, who was part of our first-kiss story, was there to serve their famous Mexican-Korean tacos and burgers. For desserts, we had a handful of friends bringing homemade desserts, a warm gesture to our out of town guests saying “Welcome to Austin!”  We are also happy that with 140 guests, most of the waste generated was recyclable or compostable, leaving only one bag of trash at the end.

We are fortunate to be friends with many extremely talented folks. Most of the people we hired for the wedding were friends of ours – photographer, videographer, MCs, the band. Our officiant was a close friend of ours. All the signs were hand-written and our cake-topper was handmade. With so many of our friends contributing to the wedding, it made the day feel so inclusive and reminded us that we are part of an awesome community.

The night ended with a downpour of rain. Not only did it not ruin our night, we turned it into an epic dance party in the rain. When was the last time you danced in the rain?

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Wedding Photography: Nadia Hung Photography | Wedding Venue: Springdale Farm | Floral Design + Event Styling + Planning + Day of Coordination: Darrelle Foore of Springdale Farm | Catering: The Seedling Truck + Chi’Lantro |Invitations + Stationery: Paperless Post | Cinematography: Joshua Izenberg of Big Young Films | Wedding Dress: Balina Bridal | Men’s Attire: Al’s Formal Wear | Hair + Makeup: Lucie Marie

Our hearts are heavy as we keep Eric Langlois and his precious family in mind during this most difficult time. For more information and ways to help, please visit our LBB blog. #findericlanglois

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Tucked inside this affair is the flavor of Texas, the camera skills of the wildly talented Nichols and a classic wedding with punches of color and fun little details woven throughout. Now that is a recipe for an Austin wedding done so, so right. And with the crafting of Keely Thorne Events and florals by Merveille Events, that recipe was turned into pink-hued succulent perfection with a side of margaritas. See so much more in the full gallery.

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From the Bride…I grew up in Texas, spent most of my twenties in LA, and currently Andrew and I live NYC.  Andrew’s family is from Ohio and New Jersey, so.. to sum it up… 85% of our guests were out of towners traveling to Austin, and we wanted to show them a good time. When we first began our planning we were really searching for some exotic theme or story and then we realized that Austin and Texas in itself was everything we needed. We were asking a lot of our friends and family to travel to Austin so what better way to make everyone feel at home.  We created a website www.cometotexasyall.com which also became our hashtag, #cometotexasyall for our friends, family and guests to post pics on Instagram throughout and leading up to the weekend.

I’m a lingerie designer for Victoria’s Secret and I have a penchant for all things vintage. Because of this I knew I wanted to wear a lot of lace. My dress was an all lace, body clinging sheath from Amsale and I wore my grandmothers veil.  That was my favorite part. It’s a hundred years old and she brought it back on a European cruise ship. Both of my sisters wore it and we all wore it differently.  I also loved my shoes. I saw them in a magazine, tracked them down and to my chagrin realized they were much too expensive.  A few months later I walked into the Ferragamo store on 5th ave and there they were half the price. I weeped a little. My clutch is their perfect counterpart. It’s also blue velvet and is from a best friend’s handbag line, Patrick Shannon.  To add to our vintage feel, Andrew had a suit custom made by a NYC tailor in navy, one of our colors, and I gifted him my grandfather’s pocket watch which was the ideal compliment to his look.

Our ceremony was perfect in message and sentiment.  A best friend’s serenade of our favorite Patty Griffin song and another best friend’s Dad officiating our ceremony while my twin sis, older sis and cousin stood at our side. Growing up in Texas was a unique experience that’s very close to my heart so we wanted to capture the color and friendliness of the great state.  We hand selected Mexican, Otomi embroidered table runners for the tables and my brother in law had piñatas custom made from a photo.  One of my favorite and most special touches of our wedding were our party favors.  My mom had the idea to give little yellow boxes of worry dolls.  It’s a Guatemalan tradition and you are supposed to give your worry to each little doll and sleep with them under your pillow and legend says they’ll take your worry away.

Our friends from LA gifted us the peached tortilla truck. Lucky for me, Andrew is a talented cook and we are both huge foodies so it was the perfect gift. Andrew worked with our friend, Will Sexton to bring together a group of talented musicians for the after party to play our favorite classic rock and country hits.  Tunes from CCR to Willie Nelson had the dance floor jumping til the early morning light.  My favorite moments were when everyone was on the dance floor, of course!  And when everyone got into the cascarón, mexican confetti eggs as we left the reception to head to the after party. It was really fun to see everyone let loose and really live in the spirit of Texas. That carefree sensibility, southern hospitality and comforting feel of the mansion made us all feel like we were right at home.

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Photography: The Nichols | Event Coordination: Keely Thorne Events  | Floral Design: Merveille Events | Ceremony Location: First United Methodist | Reception Venue: Mansion at Judges Hill | Cinematography: The McKellars | Cake: Blue Note Bakery | Taco Truck: The Peached Tortilla | Veil: Vintage (Bride’s Grandmother’s)

Umm… this wedding?  It’s awesome.  Awesome in that way that every single Austin wedding we see seems to possess.  You know what I am talking about – that crazy cool meets seriously sophisticated meets downright whimsical Austin charm?  This wedding has it, and it’s bursting from every last second designed by Ana Louisa Perkins, planned by Country Sugar and captured by Matthew Moore Photography.  It’s an Austin charmer from start to finish and it’s what we’re calling a definite must-see. Join me in the gallery for all of the pretty.

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From Ana Loisa Perkins… Planning this wedding with Dorothy and Mike was so much fun. The couple wanted a festive but elegant evening and, above all, a great party to celebrate with friends and family. The weather was ideal for the outdoor ceremony, held against a backdrop of bunting that Dorothy had made with her sisters and bridesmaids. Mercury Hall has a peaceful lawn that was perfect for the nuptials and since the ceremony was close to sundown, the whole scene was bathed in a rosy glow. As processional music, friends of the couple played a rendition of Santo and Johnny’s Sleep Walk—romantic and cool at the same time! Hard to pull off. Bubbly Palomas, vintage design elements and pink and yellow floral arrangements all gave the reception a celebratory feeling while the white tent kept it elegant. Instead of a guestbook, we used vintage floral tins and note cards in varying colors for guests to leave Dot and Mike a note. I loved the idea of the couple putting the notes up around their house after the ceremony to remember their special night.

Though it might sound corny, there really was a palpable joy in the air from the moment Dorothy walked down the aisle, luminous in her gorgeous dress, to the last sparkler going out when the couple made their exit. It was the perfect evening: a dreamy December night, two people in love surrounded by family and friends, and a little bit of magic.

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Wedding Photography: Matthew Moore Photography | Wedding Venue: Mercury Hall | Wedding Coordination: Country Sugar | Wedding Design: Ana Louisa Perkins | Floral Design: Margot Blair Floral | Catering: Word of Mouth | Hair + Makeup: Katie Moore | Brides Hair Piece: Katie Moore | Jewelery: Charlotte Harrigan | DJ: DJ Look No Further

Although I’ve never personally been to Hill Country, after spending some serious quality time with this gorgeous gallery from  Briana Purser Photography I’m pretty sure I need to make a stop soon. Because not only does it look absolutely beautiful, the people also seem to be the nicest, sweetest people in all the land. Take this couple for instance. I’m pretty sure I would want to be their bestie if they would have me just from seeing their wedding. So even though I can literally take a trip to lovely Hill Country this morning, you can bet your bottom dollar I am taking a virtual trip right here in the full gallery.

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From the Bride… Tom and I have been together six years and have lived together almost just as long, so this was a long time coming! For our wedding, we knew we wanted to spend as much time as we could celebrating with our friends and family, as this was the one time we could get them all together in one place. I was really involved with planning all the details, researching and crafting with friends. I collected vintage bottles from flea markets, made gold painted mason jars, chalkboards and chose all the songs for the wedding and reception. Our friends and family were also very much involved. My bridesmaids and I made the bouquets while our other friends put the flower arrangements together for the tables the day-of, my father made the stumps for the centerpieces, Tom’s uncle made the BBQ, and some other friends made our cake. Everyone helped out in one way or another, it was truly special. The best compliment we received afterwards was the “The wedding was just so US!” That’s exactly what we were going for! We rented a house near Jester King Brewery for the wedding weekend to hang out after the reception with friends and family. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing!

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Wedding Photography + Cinematography: Briana and James of Briana Purser Photography | Wedding Venue: Jester King Brewery | Floral Design: Austin Flower Company, assembled by friends and bridesmaids | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal via Classy Concepts, Mansfield, Texas | Groom’s Attire: Bar III via Macy’s | Catering: Groom’s Uncle Ron’s BBQ + Red’s Porch | Invitations: Etsy | Photobooth: Al’s Photobooth | DJ: Sean Costarell

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately completely at a loss for words.  I know, I know… my job is to talk all things pretty, but when something as gorgeous as this Austin engagement shoot comes my way, I really, really can’t help it.  Maybe it’s because two people THIS stunning (they sooo are) and THIS in love tend to make me lose the ability to speak.  And when you throw in an entire gallery of breathtaking images captured by Awake Photography?  Beyond amazing.  See it all in the full gallery.

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From Awake Photography… Katie, a web developer, and John, an entrepreneur, are getting married this September after being together for eight years. These two are the most fun couple that I’ve ever met – we had such a great time shooting their engagement. They are hilarious, kind, laid-back, sincere, stylish and gorgeous – everything you hope to have in a client! We stumbled upon this amazing antique stained glass dealer in Southwest Austin, and it was a dream location. I think it makes this engagement session uniquely beautiful.

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Photography: Awake Photography