Texas Weddings

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Traditional Dallas Wedding at The Room On Main

From The Bride…We wanted an intimate wedding with all the things we loved the most. Family, the outdoors, amazing food, beautiful guitar music, and a yummy cake! Everything came together perfectly and the unpredictable Texas weather turned out to be perfect and made for the best day ever! “Love is in the air” was the theme, with the LOVE letters at the reception representing the theme. Deep cassis and purple came together in the suit ties, the dresses and flowers. I wanted the table to be long and beautiful, full of candles and flowers. With soft guitar music playing in the background, romance was all around. We finished the night off with our favorite part-White Chocolate Liqueur CAKE and the first dance as husband and wife! Love was in the air all night, the most perfect night ever!

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Vera Wang

Spring 2015

Fall 2014

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When a gorgeous traditional wedding joins forces with a non-stop party, it’s allllll sorts of awesome. Especially when that party is filled with vibrant bursts of gold, purple, pink and red hues mixed with crazy cool balloons and non-stop dancing. Yes, this is the type of affair where the bride isn’t afraid to get up and sing. See it all captured by Shaun Menary Photography in the full gallery.

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Religious Institution Weddings in Historical Venues

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Classic Weddings

From The Bride… Our wedding was a dream come true! The whole day was meaningful, beautiful and filled with so much happiness. Matt and I were quite involved in every detail, so it was gratifying to experience our whole day as greater than the sum of its parts. We are very traditional, but we love a fun party! In keeping with our formal side, we chose classic elements including the color scheme, tuxedos, church ceremony, music and the choir (which was the jewel of the service!). The reception incorporated more fun elements including the amazing dance band, homemade photo booth and balloons!

From Shaun Menary Photography… Natalie and Matt are close personal friends of ours, so it was such a joy to shoot their wedding. These two are real-deal soul mates. It’s just bonus that she’s so stylish, and he’s one dapper gent. They had a traditional ceremony at the couple’s home church in the sanctuary luscious with dark chocolate wood and romantic dim lighting. Natalie has a musical background and loves choral music, so the church choir came in on a Saturday just to serenade their bride down the aisle.

The reception at Room on Main was STEMS of Dallas knocked it out of the park (duh!) on floral arrangements, and the bride did all her own calligraphy… she can do yours, too! She also had the idea of heightening the centerpieces with helium balloons (embellished with gold fringe) to fill the space to the soaring 30-foot ceilings. And that lighting on the cake table… Matt had that custom-made for the proposal! I imagine they’re doing something equally rad with it in their house now.

It was a lovely celebration of two people so deep in love and so wonderful for one another. It was a pleasure to photograph and even more of a pleasure to participate. Much love to Matt and Natalie (AKA, Mattalie) Wilson!

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Bridesmaid Dresses

Amsale

Amsale Bridesmaids Fall 2014

Amsale Bridesmaids Spring 2014

Additional Styles by Amsale

Amsale Bridal Fall 2014

Amsale Bridal Spring 2015

Amsale Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Amsale Bridal Blue Label

Amsale Bridal Spring 2016

Amsale Bridal Fall 2016

Amsale Bridal Spring 2018

Amsale Bridal Fall 2018

Amsale Bridesmaids

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Whimsical Autumn Engagement Shoot

In my opinion, simple and sweet is enough. A walk through the forest, a bottle of bubbly, a few giant garden roses… and that’s exactly what this crisp autumn e-sesh from Query Events and Cinnamon Dreams Photography embodies. With a touch of whimsy, this gallery is a perfect little dose of pretty.

From Ambra Costner of Query Events… This shoot was motivated by fall and the holiday season. I pictured this newly engaged couple on a Saturday evening attending one of their many functions and escaping for a romantic evening in nature. I was really inspired by a neutral color palette and love the pops of pink with the fantastically huge garden roses. One of my absolute favorite aspects of the photo shoot is the juxtaposition between the glamour in the bride-to-be and accessories with the rawness of nature. You have a young woman in a full length chiffon dress standing in a severely cracked and dried creek bed and crystal wine glasses displayed next to a fallen tree. You could see this couple during the shoot and just how in love they were, nudging each other when we were changing lenses and carrying her over the dried creek bed so she would get her beautiful dress dirty in transition. It’s always amazing to get to be a part of two individuals joining as one and starting their life together and I was happy to get to be a part of this!

Photography: Lesya Bilder | Floral Design: Query Events | Stationery: Sebrina Schultz | Design and Planning: Query Events

English Tea Party Inspired Wedding at The Raven Lodge

Inspired by her dashing, English Groom, this beautiful Bride dreamt up the loveliest of tea parties for her big day, and with the help of Jennifer Laura Design every little detail of their day is just as darling as they come. It’s classic tea party with a bit of whimsy and love thrown in for good measure, and thanks to all the gorgeous images captured by Elissa R Photography, you can get lost in all the lovely here.

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Red, Blush + Gold Wedding Inspiration

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Park

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Whimsical

From Jennifer Laura Design…The groom Pete is from England so the bride wanted an English tea party vibe, but with lots of unique details and some whimsy added in for good measure. As involved as I was with a lot of the design details that went into this wedding, the bride and groom were just as involved (which I love!!) They created the lacey outdoor lanterns, the photo booth, as well as hand crafting and hand cutting each and every save-the-date! The bride also wanted to DIY her own florals- so we ordered from a wholesaler (huge money saver!) and the bride Erin, her family and friends crafted all of the centerpieces and herb bundles (rosemary and lavender) while I took on some of the trickier components like the bouquets. Erin really wanted her wedding to have a scent memory so we used rosemary and lavender everywhere we could think of- we hung it from rafters, tied to chairs, and incorporated it into every centerpiece. The scent was amazing!

Shoots like this pretty give me goosebumps. The good kind of goosebumps like when you hear a song sung beautifully. That’s what Kayla Barker does to me with her stunning imagery. How perfectly do Bricolage Curated Florals lovely creations pair with those gorgeous dresses from Reem Acra and Bibhu Mohapatra? And y’all know I’m a paper lover right? I couldn’t have been more excited to see a design from East Six making an appearance. It’s all so romantic and you can see it right here.

From Kayla Barker Fine Art Photography…For this inspiration shoot, I wanted to mix blush colored, unique wedding dresses with lots of red and gold accents for a romantic look! These two romantic dresses from Reem Acra and Bibhu Mohapatra were perfect for the organic outdoor setting. Bricolage Curated Florals did an amazing job creating organic and romantic florals for this shoot. I especially loved how the berries in the bouquet cascaded down and how the leaves brought the gold into the bouquet. The headpiece was made out of real flowers and leaves and sprayed gold. It was so beautiful on the model, Janzen! Kristin Daniell did a beautiful job making Janzen’s hair and make-up look romantic and effortless! The poof and vintage tables from Loot Vintage Rentals tied in perfectly with the concept. I loved using the vintage gold tables as a backdrop for the amazing gold-foil invitations from East Six. I hope brides are inspired to be unique with their wedding dress choice and get more organic with their bouquets and florals!

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Reem Acra

Spring 2015

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Vintage, DIY Farm Wedding at Springdale Ranch

A working farm like Springdale Farm is just the sweetest place to say I do. Don’t believe me? Well, take a little peek at all the pretty snapped up by the lovely Kristi Wright sitting bellow. It’s charming as all get out, and will surely put a little smile on your face, so set aside some time to get lost in all the lovely here.

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Eclectic Austin Wedding in Pastel Hues

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Rustic Weddings

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Vintage

From Kristi Wright Photography…Patricia + Andreas had an amazing vintage style DIY wedding at Springdale Farm in Austin, Texas! Springdale is a real working farm in an urban area of Austin. It’s a rare treat to find a wedding venue that has such beautiful open space in the city. All of their friends and family worked hard to help put everything together. The groom, a former chef, cooked all of the food including having a pig raised just for their wedding day, organic and free range.

Photography: Kristi Wright Photography | Event Planning: Bustle And Ball | Wedding Venue: Springdale Farm | Farm (Pig): Countryside Farms

Welcome to your new favorite wedding, my friends – an eclectic combo of rich oriental rugs paired with layers of pastel details all coordinated by Pearl Events. It is set against Austin’s Allan House (which is wildly beautiful on its own) with vintage vignettes by Loot Vintage Rentals, succulents and peachy blooms by Petals Ink and topped off with one of our photography favorites, Taylor Lord. You know what that means? We have ourselves a gallery not to be missed.

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Tented

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Purple Infused Southern Wedding

From Taylor Lord Photography…I loved everything about this wedding from this past Winter! Petals Ink crafted the most beautiful florals. The overall feel was warm and full of love even though it was EXTREMELY cold!!! Loot Vintage Rentals did an amazing job setting up the furniture where the entire bridal party sat during the ceremony, as well as the vintage rugs that made the aisle runner! They also crafted a frame setup with the guests’ seating, and amazing vignettes everywhere of vintage furniture with origami paper cranes as the overhang. The favors were baby succulents in biodegradable vases. It couldn’t have been a more gorgeous wedding, and the Allan House was the PERFECT venue!

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Watters

Willowby Fall 2014

Watters Maids Fall 2014

Wtoo Maids Fall 2014

C20 Mothers 2012 Part I

C20 Mothers 2012 Part II

C20 Mothers Spring 2013

C20 Mothers Fall 2012

Seahorse Spring 2013

Watters Brides Fall 2014

Watters Brides Spring 2013

Watters Brides Spring 2015

Wtoo Brides Spring 2015

Willowby Spring 2015

Watters Maids Spring 2015

Wtoo Maids Spring 2015

Encore Spring 2015

Watters Brides Spring 2016

Willowby Spring 2016

Wtoo Brides Fall 2015

Willowby Fall 2015

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With roots in North Carolina and Texas, this couple set out to craft a day that was oh so Southern. It’s classic in the best of ways but with an infusion of color and a lineup of cowboy boots that gives traditional Southern a fresh twist. Photographed by Aves Photography along with the prettiest purple florals by Kate Foley Designs, there’s even more for you to pore through right here.

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Ballroom Weddings Religious Institution

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Intimate, Vintage Hill Country Wedding at Red Corral Ranch

From the Bride…I grew up in North Texas, and Will was raised in North Carolina, so my goal from the beginning was to plan a uniquely Southern affair with bits of Texas and North Carolina mixed in. I incorporated rich fall colors, lush pastel florals, and plenty of DIY inspiration to create a one-of-a-kind night that was truly unforgettable. We had so much fun from the beginning of the day to the very end, and Aves Photography perfectly captured the joy of our wedding. The Fort Worth skyline created a perfect backdrop to our day, and each little touch of Texas (including the custom bridal boots from M. L. Leddy’s) and North Carolina (the groom’s cake depicting the NC flag) reminded us of home!

I feel so incredibly lucky that I get to spend my days fawning over some of peoples’ most special moments. And because I am a complete sap, when I come across images like this from Amanda Pomilla, and a film like this one from Joel Calvin, there are definitely tears involved. This couples’ vintage-inspired wedding is filled with so much heart I can almost feel it through the screen. Join me in the gallery (and press play) to see exactly what I mean.

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Classic Weddings Romantic

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From the Bride…Our wedding was a beautiful Vintage Texas Hill Country themed affair, surrounded by our most intimate friends and family. It was our little creative vision that finally came to life. There were 43 guests in total this past November 18th, 2013. The date, November 18th was to signify a blessed life (18 is the Hebrew number for a blessed life).

David and I have been antiquing for 6 months leading up to the wedding buying props and items that we were drawn to. One of our favorite parts was setting it all up ourselves and watching it come together. I loved that David was just as much into it as I was (it wasn’t only about the
bride) we wanted so badly our wedding to reflect us and who we are and I think we nailed it. We were out there just hours before the ceremony started putting our last minute touches on everything, some of my favorite moments!

Roses were an easy decision for me as “Rose” is both mine and my sisters middle name as well as my parents wedding song, “The Rose”. Not only are they one of the most romantic flowers, they also have the highest vibration and bring balance and harmony to your life. All the flowers
were also arranged by my aunt, Darcy Truehart.

My grandmother was not able to attend due to her health but she did pass down her mothers wedding dress from the late 1800s which I received at my bridal shower. I had my belt and gloves made from the dress which was very special having something of hers with me on my special day. David’s grandparents were also not able to attend but we incorporated a piece of them with his grandmothers minx fur that I wore and his grandfathers silver at our table which was from his Navy ship. There was never a discussion on the theme of our wedding, it was all about our style and having our guests feel part of our life together. There was also never discussion about a wedding planner, everything was too specific and personal to put in the hands of someone else. My father always said, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself! Of course some things you leave to the professionals, the food was one of them!

Photography: Amanda Pomilla Photography | Videography: Joel Calvin | Reception Venue: Red Corral Ranch | Wedding Officiant: Mr. Carl Deal

Rustic Backyard Wedding

True story: anytime a wedding has a mac ‘n’ cheese bar, I am allll over it. But show me a wedding with the aforementioned yummy goodness from Cartewheels Catering, plus a world of rustic meets vintage details and that’s what I call a wedding wonderland of epic proportions. It’s a sweeter than sweet backyard setting meets romantic blooms from Petals, ink. meets all kinds of lovely captured by Lahra Bryant Photography. See it all here.

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Backyard Religious Institution

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Classic Weddings Rustic

From the Bride…Growing up, I never had my dream wedding planned or had even really given it much thought, but after an amazing dating relationship and a picture perfect engagement the vision for my big day all began to piece together. From the beginning of my husband, Jordan, and I’s relationship its been about the simple things in life, hard work, enjoying a cold beer and cherishing those who have impacted our life; so we wanted our wedding to reflect the Texas charm and hometown culture we enjoyed growing up. Over our 16-month engagement we both spent time getting things ready. Jordan worked with my dad to extend the deck of the house and build the stairs that lead down to the recently added lawn terracing where the reception would take place. While my mom, sister and I designed and created Texas chic lamp shades of burlap and lace and mason jar chandeliers to hang in the oak trees, centerpieces using collected antique pottery vases, oak stumps cut from trees on the property and hurricane lanterns , and creating the perfect seating vignettes for our guest to enjoy the celebration.

When the big day finally arrived everything went as planned! Early in the morning I was out with my mom and the groomsmen getting the reception site set up making sure each lamp shade and chandelier were in their proper place while the men did the heavy lifting getting seating arrangements in their appropriate location. Ever the perfectionist inside, I was content it was time to get myself ready for this day! Back at the Hillside Acres Resort my bridesmaids and I relaxed and enjoyed getting pampered by Bella Marie as they did our hair and make-up. Once we were picture perfect, we were off for a few pre-ceremony pictures and before I knew it I was walking down the aisle between the wooden pews in Historic Johnson City First Baptist Church as the sun shown through the stain glass windows. In the moment, the ceremony was all a blur, I remember exchanging personal vows Jordan and I had written, the wedding kiss and walking out the back of the church as Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Sawyer. After, the ceremony, guests were transported by trolleys to the reception site where they enjoyed a hayride in from the road to be greeted by Cartwheels Catering with passed h’orderves and signature drinks served from our customized cedar bar. When the bridal party and family finished with an amazing post ceremony photo session with Lahra Bryant we joined our guests to celebrate.

Upon entering my imagined wonderland, Jordan and I were showered with so much love from our friends and family as we got to mix and mingle as the sun disappeared behind the hills and the deer grazed in the background. Before enjoying a delicious mix of on the spot crafted Quesadillas, a Mac-n-cheese bar, and Fried Green Tomatoes with pork sliders, my dad took our guests down memory lane and highlighted the beautiful relationship he had seen develop between Jordan and me. It was a priceless father’s speech and a blessing as everyone enjoyed a great laugh and some tears at the end. After dinner we kicked up our heels with dancing under a light strung dance floor and enjoyed our delicious Lemon Bridal cupcakes and Chocolate Bavarian groom’s cake from Sophie’s Bakery. The rest of the evening was spent boot scooting around the dance floor to the outstanding music provided by Ross Phillips with Look No Further Entertainment. Finally it was time for Jordan and I to enjoy one last dance under the star filled Texas sky before we enjoyed our hayride and we waved goodbye to our guests and hello to our exciting life as Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Sawyer.

Vintage Outdoor Wedding at the Wild Onion Ranch

Let me set the scene: a gorgeous vintage-inspired wedding, the beautiful Wild Onion Ranch and one mesmerizing moment after another captured in amazing images by Kristi Wright Photography. This, my friends, is your perfect Tuesday. I’m talking vibrant hues, stunning florals from Pollen Floral Art and a whole lot of happy. See so much more right here in the full gallery.

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Park City Rental Properties

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Rustic Weddings

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Romantic Vintage

From Kristi Wright Photography… I love that I get to share this beautiful Austin wedding with you. Emily and James were married at the Wild Onion Ranch this Fall. I’ve photographed a number of weddings at this Austin venue and Wild Onion never disappoints! Emily’s romantic vintage inspired wedding was relaxed and fun. Her custom lace sleeved wedding dress by Nardos Imam might be the prettiest I’ve seen. Don’t even get me started on the flowers! Pollen Floral Art completely outdid themselves. The bouquets and the ceremony arch were so stylish. I remember watching Emily and James give each other sweet glances all day and every detail reflected their fun and hip personalities. They danced to Ween’s Stay Forever. Coolest couple ever? Yes and thank you. They are huge music lovers. James is a musician and they had TWO bands play at the reception. Piney Grove Ramblers, a blue grass band, started cocktail hour and The Motts brought the party! James sat in with The Motts for a song and it was rad. (FYI The Motts is fronted by the lead vocalist from What Made Milwaukee Famous!) This was my first wedding with the Motts and they were awesome!

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Amsale

Amsale Bridesmaids Fall 2014

Amsale Bridesmaids Spring 2014

Additional Styles by Amsale

Amsale Bridal Fall 2014

Amsale Bridal Spring 2015

Amsale Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Amsale Bridal Blue Label

Amsale Bridal Spring 2016

Amsale Bridal Fall 2016

Amsale Bridal Spring 2018

Amsale Bridal Fall 2018

Amsale Bridesmaids

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BHLDN

Bridal 2016

Bridal 2019

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As a girl who grew up skiing in Park City, Utah, my heart holds a special place for the picturesque locale. I truly couldn’t imagine a more incredible spot to say “I do” than a luxe private home in this breathtaking mountain town! That being said, let me introduce you to Park City Rental Properties.

Whether you’re leaning toward a venue overlooking the sandy beaches or hoping to say your vows high atop the spectacular mountain range, you can choose a totally unique locale that comes with some seriously amazing benefits. Renting out a private home with Park City Rental Properties makes it easy and seriously stress-free to hold your ceremony and reception all in one place, and makes day of coordination simple! Managed by professional companies who can help with details from florals to finding the best photographer, it’s like having a wedding planner at your fingertips!

Boasting multiple bedrooms and tons of space, many of the luxury rental homes in Park City allow guests to stay close and enjoy the entire wedding weekend! Sounds pretty fabulous, am I right?! For more information and to book your dream Park City venue, head over here!

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Photo Credits: Lindsey Shaun

Le San Michele Garden Wedding

Being in the wedding industry as a photographer, this sweet Bride had a serious head start on the planning and vendor scouting process for her very own wedding. And having worked alongside her friend, Ashley Garmon for 13 years, choosing a photographer was a no brainer. The gorgeous gallery is garden romance at it’s best my dears—see it all right here!

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Romantic Houston Backyard Wedding

From Ashley Garmon Photographers… This is actually the wedding of a photographer who has been shooting weddings with me for the past 13 years. Needless to say, we’ve whispered about the possibilities of each others weddings in many a church balcony, privately taking stock of pieces from each wedding that we secretly wanted to incorporate into our own. We have basically spent the last 13 years making mental lists. So when she became engaged, I was beyond excited. She and her fiance were the most excited, but I’m sure I came in a very close third!

From the beautiful Bride… When Jeremy and I became engaged last March, we knew we wanted our ceremony and reception to be outdoors. We also wanted to get married that fall – one of the busiest times for weddings in Austin. So when a few of my top venue choices in Austin weren’t available, we decided to check out one in Buda that I wasn’t too familiar with – Le San Michele. When Jeremy and I visited it, we were blown away and knew it was the perfect location for our wedding. I have photographed weddings for 18 years but had never been to or photographed a wedding at Le San Michele, so it was a place that could really be “ours.” The romantic European feel of the gardens and house provided the inspiration and direction for almost all of my design and detail decisions. My dress from BHLDN was flowy and romantic, and we hired Hill Country Strings to provide music for the ceremony and cocktail hour. They even worked up the theme from Amelie for my walk down the aisle.

Truly the most important part of our day was the ceremony, and we knew we wanted Spike Gillespie to marry us. We worked with her to create a beautiful ceremony that reflected who we are and the kind of marriage and partnership we want to have. The ceremony is what I most remember from the whole day, and Spike made it so very special and personal for us.

I was willing to compromise on some details to stay within our budget, but I really wanted beautiful letter-pressed invitations. I am so grateful to my super-talented designer friend Allison Mabry who designed the invitations using calligraphy I commissioned from AbiTCalligraphy (found on Etsy). Lo-Tide Press in San Francisco (another Etsy find) printed the suite beautifully and affordably. The invitation provided the design inspiration for all the other paper elements (signs, program, menu card, etc.).

For flowers I worked with Lea from Blackbird Floral. I love her wild garden designs, and aside from asking for a pale pink, peach and white palette with a lot of ferns and greenery, I basically left the designs up to her. She came up with four different table centerpiece designs that were stunning! I particularly loved the bell jar designs and the botanical arrangements in footed bowls.

My wonderful twin sister Becca was not only my matron of honor but also made the wedding cake! It was a delicious Italian Cream cake, and it turned out magnificent! Becca made the cake for our younger sister’s wedding so it meant a lot that she took that on for us too; it was a huge project. Becca’s dress was also from BHLDN and she gave an amazing toast as well!

For the reception, we decided to bring in a few of our favorite local Austin elements: The Peached Tortilla provided food and the bar, the CoolHaus truck served custom-built ice cream sandwiches, and Jeff Hughes & Chaparral played their classic two-stepping tunes mixed in with country covers of pop songs. We also had a fun photo booth provided by Max Photography.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been shooting weddings for a long time, but for the last 13 years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of shooting with Ashley Garmon Photographers. Ashley is one of my dearest and closest friends, and we are so grateful that she shot our wedding for us, along with two other wonderful shooters, Vanessa and Alina. Ashley and I have spent so much time working at weddings together, that I just couldn’t imagine anyone else capturing our day for us and she did it so beautifully. It was surreal being on the other side of the camera, and after experiencing the whirlwind of my own wedding day I am even more appreciative of having these photos to remember it.

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
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BHLDN

Bridal 2016

Bridal 2019

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I’ve come to realize Texas brides are in a league all their own. They have style, a little dose of Southern sass, and when they’re got vendors like Keely Thorne Events, Taylor Lord and Mason Jar Films…they’re unstoppable. Just take MaryEllen and her sweet groom Rob, for example. This duo renovated their backyard for the ultimate celebration, and the results? Everything a Texas wedding should be.

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Surprise Wedding at The Vineyard At Chappel Lodge

From the Paula Pritzen of Keely Thorne Events….From the first moment I met Rob & MaryEllen, I knew they were going to be a blast to work with. Both had the same theme in mind for their big day…casual, cool, rustic, chic. They wanted it to be a big celebration where friends and family could come together at their home and spend the evening chowing down on amazing food, sipping on signature drinks named after their two adorable dogs, and enjoying a fabulous singer and piano player. They wanted an evening filled with fun but casual elements that had an aire of rustic & chic sophistication about it.

Rob & MaryEllen have a gorgeous home in Houston and worked really hard updating and renovating the back yard in anticipation of their celebration. It was a dream backyard oasis and provided the perfect backdrop for MaryEllen & Rob’s big day. They wanted a lot of personal touches to accentuate the evening and even wanted their precious dogs, Gracie & Barcley to be a part of the ceremony. The organic floral palate of blush pink and soft green with touches of succulents worked so well with the theme that MaryEllen & Rob wanted to achieve.

Events in Bloom provided beautiful reclaimed wood pews that were the perfect compliment to the rustic but soft ceremony and transitioned seamlessly into lounge seating during the cocktail reception. Vintage lanterns lined the sparkling blue pool and provided flickering candlelight throughout the night. A caricaturist was a huge hit with the little ones and contributed to the playful reception that MaryEllen and Rob were looking for. One of their favorite local artists even came to the reception and interacted with guests to create a personalized art piece for their home. Live music and late night bites rounded out a perfect evening that was brimming with boundless love, laughter, and fun.

I can only hope I am invited to a surprise wedding at one point in my life, because I just loooove them. I would probably squeal to high heavens, and I can only imagine how the guests of this darling surprise felt. Because what they thought was an engagement party turned out to be a beautiful and intimate wedding, and you can see the entire day unfold thanks to Savvy Images right here.

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Lodge Weddings in Wineries

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Casual

From the Bride…Cully and I knew we wanted a unique & intimate wedding but we did not know where to start. Luckily, a few months into our engagement, my mom gave us the idea to have a surprise wedding. We loved the idea of surprising our favorite people & knew having it at our engagement party gave us a great time line (8 month engagement, 4 months to plan) to keep it from getting stressful or too hard to keep a secret. We agreed to only tell our parents, siblings, our friend that was going to marry us, and our photographer so they could support us in the planning & help us trick people along the way. Since we are both originally from Texas & Austin is one of our favorite cities, finding a great new-to-us venue was fun!

Planning this from Seattle was surprisingly easy because everyone we worked with was immediate in their communication, we knew what we wanted and had two weekends in April to work with for our date, so the planning took off. I found Chappell Lodge online the week I was heading down to Austin to be a bridesmaid in a best friend’s wedding. Skipping an optional bridesmaid pedicure, I took my sister to the venue & we both loved it! I texted pictures to Cully & we both agreed to pay the deposit right then! Date, venue were set and for the next 48 hours, I was a part of a wonderful wedding, with great friends I love to share things with but the secret keeping for our surprise wedding had begun. We knew we wanted a delicious brunch reception, bright beautiful flowers & natural tones for table cloths. Kristy, at Chappel Lodge, had a list of vendors she recommended & I picked who to call first based on the uniqueness in their name. So happy I did because they were great! I already knew Becky was going to do my hair & have Savvy Images as our photographer, so things were moving along!

The look. Three weeks later, I was home for Christmas break & planned a dress shopping day with my two sisters and best friend in San Antonio. We made our appointments (a must) & got lucky at Mayfair bridal! The secret keeping continued here because the ladies there knew my date, but my best friend had no idea, so we all got to be super excited I found the dress, was buying the one off the shelf with no wait time and she missed all those sneaky conversations! For the bridal party, my sister said it would be neat if they all wore nude-coral dressed as the ‘Engagement Party Hostesses’. A few got suspicious with this, luckily I had a quick response for every question & digging I sensed over the planning period. Cully told his guys he was wearing a suit & they could wear anything they wanted. The mismatched look we got was too perfect to be planned.

The feel. I loved the setting & the look my mom helped put together. We went with a more casual, rustic & natural feel, so my mom decorated the tables with blue mason jar vases as flower arrangements that complimented the wedding party flowers. She also had wonderful lace & crocheted table decorations from her & my grandmothers that she put under the vases. It was perfect! For our music, we used an awesome app called Myweddingdj. Found this on Pinterest & we loved it! We created playlists for the pre ceremony, processional, recessional & the brunch with our favorite songs. My brother in law cued the start & end of each playlist & the app did a great job of fading in and out so it sounded great!

We told the wedding party to arrive 1.5 hours earlier than the guests to decorate & hang out. As they did, my sisters casually pointed them to where I was & they saw me getting my hair done and my wedding dress. It was so fun! There were lots of happy tears & reviewing of all the misleading I had done. The guys arrived to find Cully and instead of tears, there were beers. Another layer to the wedding surprise was that one of our funniest friends, Mark, was going to marry us. The guys got a huge kick out of that after spending 3 days laughing with & at him at the bachelor party.The wedding party all met with our parents an hour before the wedding & did a quick run through to get everyone in the wedding mode. It was great for calming our nerves too. As the guests started arriving, they got the program that clued them in on the surprise. The ceremony was joyful, sincere, written by us & executed by our good friend Mark perfectly.

Food! I just have to say Pink Avocado was amazing! They planned the menu off of our breakfast favorites: grits, breakfast tacos & pancakes. Still wanting to be unique & stray from the typical, we wanted something different for dessert & they were on board. They did awesome on our donut hole tower/cake! Yes, it was ridiculously good.

Having a surprise wedding was ideal for us! I think having less people in the loop kept nerves & stress down for all involved. We loved getting to add more happiness & surprise the people that we enjoy so much. Thank goodness we have the wonderful pictures, our vows & all the music to enjoy over & over to relive this amazing day!

DIY Family Infused Backyard Ranch Wedding

Family affairs always, always win my heart. Heartfelt details? There isn’t a single thing better. And when those details are the result of a serious labor of love, and then are captured by the likes of Gema Duran? We enter serious swoon territory – you can see why here.

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Texas Winter Glam Wedding

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Backyard Rustic Weddings

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Casual

From the Bride…After getting engaged, the most important question was “where?”. We knew it would be a large wedding, my husband and his father and sister are local dentists and their family is well-known in his small town. With only four months to plan and after looking at countless venues only to find out they didn’t have the capacity on short notice, I was nearing hopelessness.

Then one day, my fiance’ told me he would really love to get married under a large oak tree somewhere on his parent’s property. I was not sold on the idea, as most of the oak trees were hidden in thick woods, brush and poison ivy. I thought the task at hand was impossible, but I should’ve known better than to underestimate his determination.

After picking out the perfect tree we took our caterer/event planner to the site and she only had two words for us, “good luck!”. However, with the help of many friends and family members, we made everyone into believers. Even the earlier mentioned wedding planner came by the site a week prior to the wedding only to look at us and say “I can’t believe it, but you did it!”

We chose to clean out an old barn where tractors and farm equipment was typically stored and turn that into our reception area. Throw in a large, rented tent, a deejay and some hay bales and we were all set for a party! Almost all of the decorations came from family and friends. I wanted a simple and relaxed feel for our guests, which best represented Clayton and I. The books wrapped in twine came from my in-laws library, vases and valences were borrowed from aunts and even the chandeliers were found at a thrift shop and lent by a friend of ours. We had family church pews for extra seating and hay bales were loaned by the local feed store to give our guests dance-floor seating. Even the cake stands were from the land. Some of the trees that were cut to clear our wedding site were sectioned and stained by our uncle, who even personalized it with an A&M brand for my husband.

To cap off a perfect evening, my new husband convinced me that glow sticks, when broken and sprayed on your clothes, dried clear. Hesitant, but willing to have fun with it, I agreed to let him make me glow even after the sun had gone down. You can imagine the dropped jaws and loud gasps as we entered our reception with a “trashed” wedding dress. Some called me crazy, some even started doing it to their own clothes, but all I know was that I loved every minute of that crazy day because it embodied who Clayton and I are: simple, easy going folks who love to have a good time with our friends.

All in all, our wedding was one giant labor of love. From the people who came out on sunday afternoons to help string up christmas lights to the family members who emptied their closets and let me rummage through their stuff, and to my husband who worked countless hours to create our perfect wedding site, it was all in the name of love.

Nine times out of 10, Texas brides needn’t fret winter storms on their Big Days. But when a flurry of unexpected snow and ice hit McKinney the night before this winter soiree, it sort of set the scene to perfection. The fabulous Bows And Arrows decked out every inch in all-out glamour and Jennefer Wilson was on hand to capture. Pssst: click right here for SO much more. Happy Friday!

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Industrial

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Outdoor DIY Wedding in Austin

From Jennefer Wilson Photography… Morgan + Cody planned the perfect wedding and left no detail unturned. The night before the big day, a storm encased the city in 5 inches of ice which made the event a winter wonderland. No bride can plan for a detail as glamorous as ice…it sparkles, makes everything shine and brings more magic than even the best planned detail. From Morgan’s BHLDN gown, to the perfect florals, this day couldn’t have been more perfect.

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With a crafty, can-do attitude, great things can happen without breaking the bank. Just take this outdoor Austin affair DIYed from start to finish. Thanks to a bride who wasn’t afraid to get her hands a little dirty, and a few key vendors like Tiny Pies who joined the day, it’s a lesson that limited budget can still equal all out style. Need more proof? Visit the gallery from The Bird And The Bear right here.

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Romantic Southern Bridal Inspiration

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Rustic

From the Bride… Wes and I are both from California but have been in Texas for three years, so we knew we wanted to have our family and friends come out to our new neck of the woods for our wedding. Before we got engaged, I had come across Three Points Ranch through the internet, and instantly fell in love for our “someday” wedding. Wes and I both love vintage airstreams and the Texas Hill Country, so it was perfect. The minute we walked the venue and met Sally, we knew this was where we wanted to celebrate our big day. She mentioned the 11 Oaks on the ranch, and the site of those beautiful oak trees, we knew that’s where we wanted to say our vows.

Then came the planning part! Because I am a very hands-on, DIY kind of girl (and a bit of a control freak) I knew I wanted to do as much of the wedding stuff on my own and incorporate as much of Wes and I into this day as I could. Plus our budget was limited, so keeping it simple was key. Wes is an avid home brewer, so he immediately volunteered to brew 20 gallons of home brewed beer for the reception. To incorporate his hobby, my sister handmade all the boutonnieres using bottle caps and burlap. Wes is also well known for his homemade jam, so naturally we had to make his famous peach habanero jam as our favors. I’m nuts about vintage mason jars, so I gathered my collection to use as centerpieces and kept it simple with candles and baby’s breath.

I also hand stamped our escort cards, added chalkboard labels and craft paper tags to all the mason jars for drinking, hand stamped the table name cards, made the flower girl bucket and my father made the wooden box for the ring bearer. My bridal bouquet was made the night before the wedding using flowers I picked up from Whole Foods. And since we both aren’t cake fans, it was only right to have mini pies (not handmade by me, but Tiny Pies). If anyone says a DIY wedding is hard, this is true! But I found it to be incredibly rewarding and personal.

Our day turned out to be so much more than we expected. One of my best friends married us, and her words were just amazing. Wes and I wrote our own vows, but to save us from having to speak and cry at the same time, she had us write them as “letters” to each other and read them. Our ceremony was equal amounts of love and laughter, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

The reception was relaxing (we actually got to eat!) and we had so many of our friends and family stand up and give speeches, I didn’t know there could be so much love for the two of us. Not to mention all the laughter! The rest of the night was spent dancing, relaxing by the fire pit, cooking smore’s and enjoying homemade beer. I couldn’t have asked for better photographers, Caryn and Bryan not only captured so many parts of the night, but their pictures are so stunning. Looking at them made us want to celebrate the day and night all over again!

Photography: The Bird And The Bear | Caterer: Pok-e-jos | DJ: Tunes Across Texas | Baker: Tiny Pies | Location: Three Points Ranch

One thing is certain: the state of Texas knows a thing or two about gorgeous bridal shoots. So give us a day of breathtaking bridal inspiration from a fab team of vendors (think Lindsay Hawes, Angelica Marie and Lynnette Davis of (Parentheses) Photography) and you’ll see a team of very happy ladies. Add in a breathtaking day under the Central Texas sunshine and, well… even better. See it all right here.

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Austin Winter Hotel Wedding

From Lynnette Davis… I needed to break out and do something FOR ME for a change. I got a fantastic creative team together and made a shoot that was perfect in my head, come to life. And surprisingly enough, we started our little venture in a thrift store with this vintage Jack Bryan gown that we found for just $15! SCORE!

Back when I was planning my Big Day, I knew a few things for certain. I wanted winter, and a hotel ballroom, and candles high and low to really set the scene. Basically, my vision was this Austin wedding in a nutshell all brought to life by the amazing Verbana Floral and 36th Street Events. It’s everything a classic bride could dream of, and Cory Ryan captured to a T. Happy swooning!

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