I first met Alicia on May 20, 2011 at 11am at a Starbucks for an initial consultation.  Three and a half hours later, we were still sitting there, talking and talking. I left the meeting knowing I had met someone who I not only wanted to work with, but also wanted to be friends with! I am a lucky lady – I got to do both! The year that followed that meeting was SO much fun.  At their wedding on May 12, 2012, I felt like, even though I was their planner and there in a professional capacity, I was at the wedding of two dear friends.  The second I saw Alicia in her bridal glory – and I mean serious bridal glory, wait till you see the pictures below – I immediately teared up.  This wedding was such a pleasure to work on and seeing every piece of the design come together was amazing.

In her own words, Alicia described her wedding as “vintage-parisian-cafe-meets-retro-americana-lawn-party-meets-rustic-tuscan-dinner-party … with an heirloom sewing theme and a healthy dose of mint green” and well, that pretty much hits the nail on the head.  First, the setting: Mercury Hall. I’ve made no secret of how much I love this venue and how it can be a chameleon taking on any design, any feel – for Alicia and Tony’s wedding, it was the perfect setting for exactly what she described.  Something you should know about Alicia – she is an incredibly talented artist.  And her wedding truly became her art.  She lived and breathed every piece of this wedding from start to finish.  Every printed piece that you see below was designed, printed, and assembled by the bride and her equally lovely Maid of Honor, Lizzie.  We’re talking the invitations (complete with red-stitched envelopes they hand-made), the programs, the menu cards, all the way down to the luggage tags showing the flavors of the pies.  And the best part was that they had such a great time doing it that they’ve since started their own design and lifestyle company, spool + ink {handcrafted}.   To get that truly vintage essence? Enter Loot Vintage, another Three Apples favorite – the altar doors, the vintage vanity welcome table, the photo display table, the escort card door, the head table’s vintage china … all fabulous pieces from Loot’s inventory.  And Zinnia and Company knocked the flowers out of the park as usual! Leah’s designs were absolutely spot on – a lovely vintage feel in the perfect colors.

As guests walked up, the first piece they came to was the vintage vanity – here they could sign Alicia and Tony’s rolodex and grab a program booklet. Just inside the hall was a setup for gifts – a vintage ironing board sitting under a pennant banner with the couple’s initials.  And on the big eave outside Mercury Hall’s double doors were pennants proclaiming “Oh Happy Day.”

Alicia and Tony said “I do” inside Mercury Hall against that beautiful Loot backdrop.  The music for the ceremony was a serious treat for guests – Suzanna Choffel and her band were awesome.  After the ceremony, their guests headed out under the oak trees for cocktail hour.  By one of trees, we put out a set of bocce balls (totally the norm for any Alicia and Tony shindig) for guests to play, another had an old door with the luggage tag escort cards, and the third was next to a beautiful display of family photos on one of Loot’s tables.  Also on that table, a dictionary for guests to circle words that reminded them of the couple and leave notes.  So cute.

Dinner was outside – each table had a burlap runner sitting under a cluster of floral arrangements in mason jars and milk bottles and a bocce ball table number, and at each place setting was a fabric pocket containing the printed menu.  At the head table, all of the china was vintage, and at Alicia and Tony’s placesettings were “bride” and “groom” spelled out in scrabble tiles.  Another key thing to know about Alicia and Tony – these two know their food.  So it was important for the food to be amazing, and Royal Fig Catering accomplished that with flying colors (no surprise here, Royal Fig rocks!). The family style meal was perfection.

The cake table was another incredible set up! The cake (in mint green, of course!) was by Walton’s Fancy and Staple with edible buttons ordered by the bride running down the side. And the pies, OH the pies! Andrea with Bake Sale – ANOTHER fave – is a baking genius (the PB&J is my personal favorite… oh wow). And now, onto the party! For dancing, guests headed back inside the hall where the room had been flipped from the ceremony setup.  Erik with Greenbelt DJ took the reins and kept the dance floor going. For favors at the end of the night, little muslin bags stamped with ampersands and tied with mini tags filled with chocolate covered espresso beans (put together by spool + ink, of course!).  And after running through a tunnel of sparklers, Alicia and Tony exited in an antique Bentley.

As you look at the photos below, keep your eyes peeled for a few themes that show up throughout: spools, thread, buttons and yarn; ampersands; quotes and books; and chalkboards. So many incredible details!

From a professional perspective, this wedding was any planner’s dream – an oh-so-easy-to-work-with couple, lots of design and details, a dream team of vendors.  And from a personal perspective, this wedding was beyond amazing –  I loved getting random texts from Alicia with pictures of her newest finds, I loved collaborating with such an incredibly creative artist, I loved all of the beautiful personal details, and I LOVE that I now have awesome friends for life!

One last favorite vendor shout out: photos by the fantastically talented duo The Nichols.

Style Me Pretty loved Alicia and Tony’s wedding too! See their post HERE.

 

 

 

Leigh Ann and Matt are AWESOME.  Hilarious, kind, fun, and oh so meant for each other.  She’s from Austin, he’s a Brit – they met by chance, fell in love, and together they’ve traveled the world.  Sounds like a movie plot, doesn’t it?  Their globe-spanning love affair lead them to Buda, TX where they got married in March at Le San Michele. And their wedding brought together guests from all over the world – they even had a map at the wedding with pins in it showing where everyone had come from.  When I first met Leigh Ann for coffee, I seriously couldn’t stop laughing! From just the preliminary meeting, I knew this one was going to be a lot of fun to plan and even more fun for all the guests to attend.

If you haven’t been out to Le San Michele yet, it’s a stunning venue! It’s like you’re all of a sudden transported to the European country-side with a span of beautifully manicured gardens. Stylistically, we definitely took a vintage spin on the decor – mercury glass, lots of candles, some chevron, vintage crates and books, and a gorgeous color palette of creams, greys, peaches, and blush tones.  Westbank Flower Market knocked the flowers out of the park – hello, giant garden roses! And when you’re looking for vintage? Enter Loot Vintage.  We rented a number of pieces from them to perfectly set the stage for the day including vintage salad plates at each place setting that added another dimension to the dinner tables. And the spring of lavender tucked into each napkin was just another perfect detail. For dessert, we set up a display of yummy Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop cupcakes with a mini cake for them to cut (how cute is that cake topper!)

The ceremony took place in the garden – the aisle and the arch at the altar were decorated by Westbank in a way that perfectly accented the natural beauty of the venue.  Leigh Ann’s bridesmaids’ dresses were in.cred.i.ble.  It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for bridesmaids not wearing matching dresses, and Leigh Ann’s bridal party did it to perfection! The whole party wore blush-tone long gowns, and they looked absolutely amazing.

Once the couple said “I do,” everyone headed to cocktail hour in another part of the garden, complete with a popcorn bar, lemonade and lawn games!  During the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner, the guests listened to the classic tunes sung by the Vintage 15. And I have to take a minute to mention the toasts.  Toasting is hard! Anyone who has done it will tell you that! But the toasts at this wedding were the exact right note – they were the perfect combination of hilarious and sentimental. Everyone was rolling with laughter.

Of course a wedding has to be a meaningful and touching day, but when it came down to it, Leigh Ann and Matt wanted a PARTY. And a party did they get.  After the set by the Vintage 15, a DJ took over, and Lorenzo with Texas Pro DJ did an amazing job of getting people on the dance floor!

I have to say though, my favorite touch at the wedding was their getaway vehicle.  A DOUBLE DECKER BUS! Seriously! It doesn’t get better than that!

The whole wedding was just incredible. Start to finish, a really perfect day for a really perfect couple. I beyond adore Leigh Ann and Matt – New York is SO lucky to now have them as residents.

Absolutely beautiful photos by Katherine O’Brien Photography

Their stunning day was featured on Style Me Pretty Texas – see the post here!

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhh I love this couple! I was so lucky to work with Carrie and Shane on their beautiful June wedding.  Collaborating with Carrie on everything from flowers to music was such a pleasure.  Absolutely one of the sweetest people I have ever EVER met.

Their ceremony was held at the Smith Family Chapel at Riverbend Church on 360.  We kept the ceremony decor simple but elegant, flooding the front of the church with candles of all heights from votives to pillars.   I loved Carrie’s dress! She looked like she was just floating down the aisle.  The wedding party was an all family affair with just Carrie’s sister and brother and Shane’s two brothers. But this was one wedding where the kids may have stolen the show! Carrie’s adorable niece was pulled down the aisle by her mom in a decorated wagon (Last Petal did an incredible job with not only the wagon but all of the flowers for the whole day!) and the two ring bearers, a nephew from each side, carried signs – “Here comes the bride” and “Uncle Shane, here comes your girl.” SO CUTE!

After the ceremony, all of the guests headed to the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin for the reception.  Cocktail hour took place in the foyer area just outside the ballroom where guests mingled over hors d’oeuvres. Inside the ballroom, the decor was classic – the flowers were in a color scheme of green and white with lots of candles on all of the tables, carrying over the romantic feel from the ceremony.  Instead of a traditional cake, they did cake balls from Austin Cake Ball! Such a huge hit! Plus (and this was my favorite touch from the wedding!) they did some in the shape of golf balls for Shane – the head coach of the men’s golf team at Texas State – and some with Razorback decorations for Carrie – in honor of the University of Arkansas.  Loved it.

DJ Erik of Greenbelt DJ did an amazing job with the dancing – this wedding had one of the most epic dance floors ever! This crowd came to party! One of the most touching moments of the evening was when Shane’s grandmother (who came to the wedding from Ireland) sang “O Danny Boy” a capella for the couple.  Needless to say, you could’ve heard a pin drop during the song – everyone was just mesmerized. It was such a wonderful moment.

I”m so thrilled for Carrie and Shane! I can’t possibly tell you how absolutely lovely they are.  When I went to thank their limo driver for the day, he told me that he had never driven such a nice couple – so happy and so in love.  Agreed! These two are amazing.  Oh, and take a look at the last three photos below – THAT is what pure joy looks like.

Photos by The Mill Studio Photography

 

 

 

 

 

This one was a beauty.  When you say “winery wedding,” the immediate impression is a gorgeous setting and romance in nature – exactly.  Duchman Family Winery made for an incredible venue for Taylor and Cody’s wedding.

First of all, one of the coolest things about getting married at Duchman is that the couple gets a session in the barrel room at some point during the day. Taylor and Cody decided to have their first look in the barrel room, and the photos turned out beautifully! Such an intimate moment caught on film, and the rows of barrels make for such a unique setting. And after the first look and the group photos, the couple ventured out into the fields and took some portraits among the vines.  Love!

The ceremony took place with the vineyards as a beautiful backdrop.  Taylor surprised everyone when she and her dad got out of the limo to walk down the aisle with their Ray Bans on! A really cute moment.  The ceremony itself was really sweet with the couple trying their hardest to hold back tears. Following the ceremony, the guests headed to cocktail hour just outside of the winery – instead of traditional cocktail tables, they had wine barrels to lean on.  And when it was time to head inside, the ballroom was perfectly decorated for the venue.  The families used wine bottles in the centerpieces and wine crates on the cake table to fit in with the setting at Duchman.  The food by Kurant Events was a big hit! Guests were talking about how delicious the food was throughout the evening. And once the dance floor got going, it really got going.  Jacob of Live Oak DJ kept everyone dancing all night! This was definitely an Aggie crowd, and never was that more obvious than when Jacob played the Aggie fight song. It was incredible to see everyone arms interlocked in a big circle chanting along. And when guests wanted a short break to rest their feet, they could head into the Live Oak Photo Booth to snap their picture.  Who doesn’t love a photo booth? I know this girl does!

After they exited through a tunnel of bubbles, Cody and Taylor headed off to start life as Mr and Mrs (after a honeymoon in Mexico) in their new house in Fort Worth. Congrats, you two!

Photos by Beth Aubrey Photography.

 

 

 

k+t = AWESOME. Kelly and Terrell are one of those couples who have been together so long and are so in sync that they are just insanely comfortable with one another (and also comfortable with the plenty of “about time” jokes that they got throughout the night!). A couple of my favorite photos from their spring wedding at Mercury Hall, shot to perfection as usual by Jake Holt (No secret we here at Three Apples are huge fans of his work!), are towards the end of the night: just the two of them sitting at the dinner tables outside under the festoon lights taking a moment to themselves while the party continues inside the hall.   I think it captures their ease so perfectly.

Kelly did an absolutely amazing job putting together the details for their day – she chose a modern color scheme of navy and orange and integrated those colors into everything: from chevron striped and scallop patterned runners to the “Don’t Be Blinded by Our Love” Display (complete with navy sunglasses) to the menu and reserved signs to the lanterns hanging in the halls, and on and on. She thought through every single aspect of her wedding, infusing each part with style.  And Brooke with Pollen Floral Art‘s pieces fit perfectly into the vision! Loved the white vases with the orange and navy ribbon – so modern and so beautiful. Kelly also brought in the “A” for her new last name – throw pillows on the ottomans around the dance floor and the clings on the doors made it clear this was a celebration for the Abbotts! So much love!

I absolutely loved working with these two from our first phone call to the moment they ran through a tunnel of sparklers – couples like Kelly and Terrell make my job so easy and oh so much fun.

The last 5 pictures below are from their after session with Jake. If any one out there has been debating going for an after session, these pictures show just why it can be a great thing to do – so many fun choices for locations (the swing set photos are my personal faves), and there is no pressure, no one watching, it’s just the two of you, totally at ease, hanging out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello there!

 

Here is some of what we loved this week:

 

So colorful! Love the invites, the pennants, all the details of this wedding. {via 100 Layer Cake}

A bride after my own heart – loving all the crafting that happened to bring this wedding together.  {via Ruffled}

A rainbow of parasols and shoes! Oh, so lovely. {via Green Wedding Shoes}

And this one… no words. I. LOVE. EVERYTHING. Her dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the setting, the flowers, the photos, literally everything. {via Once Wed}

It’s a two parter, so make sure you look at Part One and Part Two to soak in all the beauty.

 

Have a great weekend! We’ll be at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center for Katie and Andy’s wedding!

 

xo

m

 

 

Hello there!

We’re heading into one of our busiest times of year – it’s spring wedding season! LOVE!

Here is just some of the beauty we saw this week:

 

Gooooorgeous wedding shot by super photographer Jose Villa. {via Style Me Pretty}

Fab Austin photographer Stacy got married and her beautiful beautiful wedding was shot by equally fab Austin photographers The Nichols.  YES! {via Southern Weddings}

Vera Wang’s incredible Spring 2013 bridal collection in shades of RED. {via Wedding Chicks}

Ethereal, bohemian, so so pretty – floral crowns. {via Green Wedding Shoes}

Lovely vintage wedding – the pennants, the outfits, the china. {via Polkadot Bride}

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo

m

 

 

Here it is! The final piece in our trilogy of inspiration shoots with She-n-He Photography and Design and Zinnia and Company (you can see Part 1 here and Part 2 here).

For this shoot, we went bright bright bright. Lots of color and lots of fun.  Shot at Barr Mansion, this shoot had an eco-friendly drive behind it.  All of the china, the glassware, etc was purchased at local thrift stores along with the bride’s dress, shoes, the fabric for the napkins, and pretty much everything else!

The shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty Texas! You can see that feature and read more about the concept for the shoot here!

 

 

Hello lovelies!

Well, it’s been awhile since our last link love… sorry bout that. But no excuses, let’s get back on track!

Lots of pretty abounded on the blogs this week… here’s a small smattering of what we loved:

 

Beeeeautiful natural wedding. Farm tables, succulents, burlap, so much to love. {via Inspired by This}

Such a sunny, happy affair! {via Ruffled}

SUPER adorable cake toppers {via Green Wedding Shoes}

Check this out to see fantastic mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses in gray {via 100 Layer Cake}

A stunning modern wedding at the Asian Art Museum in San Fran. Just gorgeous {via Style Me Pretty}

 

Enjoy your weekend!

xo

m

 

 

So glittery, so glitzy.  It’s gold.

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}