I love a long, gorgeously styled reception table. It sends this blogger’s heart into insta-flutter. And one populated with peonies and strung cafe lights? Even better! This work horse of reception dining is perfectly fit for open air affairs. You know the ones where the sun is shining, the birds are singing and everything is feted under a bright blue sky? That is exactly the style of wedding we get to dive into right now. Crafted by Keely Thorne Events along with miles of pretty blooms by Merveille Flowers and image after image of alfresco goodness captured by J. Cogliandro Photography, you can see it all unfold right here.
From the Bride…Brian and I knew about each other before we ever even met! Our childhood best friends lived down the street from each other, and we still think there is a distinct possibility that we may have been rivals in an epic boys versus girls water balloon fight when we were eight…but we are not quite sure! We did not “officially” meet until we were freshmen in high school, and when we did, we became good friends and remained that way throughout college -even though he was attending school in Boston and I was in Louisiana. In a futile attempt to avoid the dreaded long distance relationship, we decided to not “officially” start dating until we graduated and were both back home in Texas, but that plan was derailed when I decided to attend law school in Seattle. Although long distance was not always the easiest, it definitely made our relationship stronger, and after 6 years of dating, Brian decided it was time to make our relationship truly “official” when he proposed in January of 2011 at a beautiful bed and breakfast on Lake Travis in Austin.
Having been a part of each other’s lives for the better part of 15 years, we wanted a wedding that truly reflected our journey and more importantly, the emphasis that we place on family. Although we are Houstonians at heart, we decided that Austin would provide the perfect backdrop for an amazing outdoor wedding, in addition to being a fun city for our out of state guests to visit and get the true taste of the Texas hospitality that we know and love! With our time consuming work schedules and the difficult task of planning an Austin wedding from Houston, we knew that the most important decision that we would make would be choosing a wedding planner that could execute our vision! From the wearing of my grandmother’s wedding dress at the rehearsal dinner, to the use of a 1937 Plymouth that was hand-built by Brian’s grandfather to drive me to (and the both of us from) the venue, each detail of the wedding was meticulously thought out and executed with our families and their influence in our lives in mind. Keely Thorne Events came highly recommended as a wedding planner in Houston, but it was when we met Emily Moise specifically that we knew we had found the right person to bring our ideas to life.
Our wedding weekend began with an amazing welcome party hosted by the parents of Brian’s childhood best friend (now best man) where our guests were treated to beautiful views of Lake Travis and delicious Tex-Mex! The celebration continued the following night with a barbecue rehearsal dinner at The Salt Lick, where we displayed our favorite wedding pictures of each of our family members as our friends and siblings presented us with the most memorable speeches! The weekend ended with the most amazing wedding we could ever imagined! The ceremony and reception were held at Villa del Lago on Lake Travis, where our 170 closest friends and family members watched us make our lifelong commitment to each other! To make the moment even more personal, we had my brother-in-law sing as I walked down the aisle, had one of our best friends officiate the ceremony, and each of us picked a surprise reading that we dedicated to each other that reflected our views and hopes for our marriage. The ceremony was followed up with an amazing dinner where my husband and I enjoyed our favorite foods as we looked down the most stunningly beautiful table and enjoyed the beginning of the rest of our lives with all of our favorite people!!!
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Photography: J. Cogliandro Photography | Wedding Planner: Emily Moise with Keely Thorne Events | Stationery+ Signage: Atheneum Creative | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Villa Del Lago | Floral Design+ Décor: Merveille Flowers | Cinematography: 31 Films | Lounge Rentals: Suite206 | Strings: Amp’d by Divisi Strings | DJ: Josh with Penguin Entertainment | Catering: Pink Avocado | Photo booth: SocoPhoto Airstream | Lighting/Sound/Visual: ILIOS Productions | Vintage Car: Family owned | Hair: Erin Janzten with Mint Salon | Makeup: Donna Bruns with Bobby Brown | Guest Transportation: Transportation Consultants | Resort: Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa | Bride’s Attire: Ivory Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid