Some of our favorite posts this week on some of our favorite blogs…

 

I know I tweeted this concept shoot earlier this week, but it’s worth a second look. Trust me. {via Style Me Pretty}

The cake in this shoot makes me so happy {via The Knotty Bride}

Ballooooooons! {via 100 Layer Cake}

Their recessional was “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones? Sold. {via Ruffled}

So very very cool.  Love this Chicago wedding.  Want to be friends with this couple… {via Green Wedding Shoes}

Gorgeously styled dress inspiration.  {via Grey Likes Weddings}

Lovely feather inspiration board {via Camille Styles}

Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that fall is here! {via Snippet & Ink}

 

xo

m

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my lovely couples, Alicia and Tony (getting married May 2012!) were so sweet as to invite me to their engagement party, which was SO. MUCH. FUN. I mean, how can you go wrong with great people, the P. Terry’s truck, cupcakes, and bocce in the backyard? You can’t. That’s the answer to that question.  Anyways, inside, burning on the coffee table was an amazing candle that I immediately became obsessed with, so I wanted to share!

Voluspa candles smell beyond fantastic.  My fave is the Crisp Champagne, but honestly, they’re all pretty amazing.

 

 

 

Rachel and Trip hired me just about a month before their wedding day – the reason I bring this up? Because I feel gypped that I only got to work with them for a month! Yes, I’m a little bitter.  These two are hilarious. I will forever save a particular email from Rachel that is to this day the funniest email I have ever gotten from a bride (and I don’t expect it to lose that distinction any time soon).

Their wedding weekend took place at the beautiful La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa on Lake Conroe, and some of Houston’s finest wedding vendors helped make the whole weekend from the welcome dinner through the Sunday brunch incredible.

The ceremony took place right on the lake. Secret Floral Garden constructed an amazing canopy for Rachel and Trip that billowed in the breeze, adorned with vines and orchids – so romantic! Submerged orchids decorated the path along both sides of the aisle runner which was covered in white rose petals.  Rachel walked down the aisle in a beautiful strapless gown carrying a gorgeous all-white cascading orchid bouquet.

Following the ceremony, everyone headed inside to the large open foyer inside the Events Center for cocktails while the bridal party and family took photos just as the sun was setting over the water.  To make their grand entrance, Rachel and Trip’s parents, the bridal party, and the new Mr. and Mrs. all came down the grand staircase.  For Rachel and Trip’s entry, they walked through a traditional Saber Arch.

Dinner and dancing were held in the Versailles Ballroom. The stunning 8-tiered cake was the creation of Who Made The Cake and made the perfect impression when you walked into the ballroom.  LG Entertainment not only DJed the evening, they created beautiful lighting effects throughout the room as well as a white lounge area just around the dance floor.  Secret Floral Garden’s floral decor again was just stunning.  The all-white centerpieces alternated between tall calla lily and orchid displays and clusters of submerged orchids with plenty of candlelight. The white popped against the silver table cloths, black chair covers with silver chair ties, black charger plates, and silver napkins with black napkin rings.  The ballroom looked just amazing.

And the party did not disappoint! This was a crowd that came to dance. In fact, everyone was having so much fun that Rachel and Trip made the late call to extend everything for an hour! It was just too early for the party to end.

They exited the ballroom back to their lake-side villa through an arch of sparklers after the DJ played ” Time of My Life.” Fitting.

Photos by John Ly Photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do I start when it comes to Carolyn and Bob? Seriously, they are two of the kindest, smartest, most interesting people I have ever met, let alone had the pleasure of working with. Bob is brilliant – he’s an editor for the Statesman and the word “well-traveled” doesn’t even begin to cover it when it comes to him.  And Carolyn? First, I should point out that Carolyn is an incredible artist – you can check out her work here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KimballPrints Beautiful, right? But beyond being a supremely talented artist, she is just the best.  And I’m just so lucky to have met her, gotten to know her throughout the planning, and to still be able to call her a good friend.   J’adore.

When it came to their wedding, the whole event was designed and thought out by Carolyn.  She created all of their printed items, from Save the Dates to the table numbers and escort cards to the program fans. For their invitations, she even flew to Baltimore to hand print them at the print shop of a friend of hers. On top of all of that, she also made their favors – a set of 4 coasters featuring various succulents.

The feel of the wedding, held in May at Mercury Hall, was total southern charm… completely appropriate for these two.  All of the colors around the wedding were pulled from the stained glass windows of Mercury Hall, so plenty of turquoise, greens, purples.  The colors were featured everywhere in the escort cards, programs, table runners, and especially in the flowers – gorgeous creations by The Nouveau Romantics. Liz also created an incredible piece for the altar outside among the oak trees – paper flowers hanging from crape myrtle branches.  So romantic!

Carolyn and Bob walked down the aisle to bluegrass music provided by Billy Bright Bluegrass and were married on the lawn by Bob’s uncle. After cocktail hour inside, they dined under a tent just outside the hall, and then headed back inside for dancing. Heybale! was the perfect band for the occasion.  And the toasts were just so touching – there was a whole lotta love in that hall that night!

These two are beyond perfect for each other. And the fruits of Carolyn’s labors certainly paid off as you can see in the photos below – their wedding turned out absolutely stunning! So stunning, in fact, it was featured on Style Me Pretty – you can see the post here: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/07/21/mercury-hall-wedding-by-sledd-weddings/

Photos by Sledd Weddings

 

 

 

When Martha, a downtown Austin venue’s Event Manager who I’ve worked with before and adore, asked me if I planned weddings because her twin was getting married, I was so thrilled – first, it’s an incredible honor to have someone you know and trust refer you to a loved one and second, if her twin was anything like Martha, I knew this would be amazing. But just how amazing, I had no idea. Nora and Jarod are a dream couple for an event planner. They came in with lots of ideas, and together we collaborated over a year and came up with a design that fit their aesthetic and their personalities perfectly. And on top of that, they are two seriously incredible people – brilliantly smart, wonderfully kind, and so in sync with one another.  I know I sound like I’m bragging to all the other planners out there… and, yes, I am.  These two rock!

This was a true destination wedding – the only invitee from Austin was Martha! So it was really important to pick venues that were within walking distance so their guests could really enjoy the wedding without worrying about rental cars, taxis, or parking. We wanted everything to be white and green, to feel very spring and warm – but never to venture into cheesy wedding territory.  There were green accents incorporated everywhere from the ribbons tying their favors to his tie or her (hot) shoes!

Before I get to their actual wedding events, I need to give special recognition to milk+honey salon downtown.  Nora is a beautiful beautiful woman any day of the week – the hair and makeup that milk+honey did accentuated that beauty to the nth degree. She looked STUNNING. Wait till you see the pictures of her hair – perfection.

For their ceremony, Nora and Jarod chose the Marriott Downtown/Convention Center.  We transformed the room into a beautiful white wedding from the chair covers to the backdrop to the aisle runner.  Last Petal created beautiful pedestal pieces to frame the ceremony – a ceremony that was all Nora and Jarod.  With no wedding party, just the two of them, they were married in front of their 37 guests by a family friend and with a script that the two of them wrote themselves.  It doesn’t get more personal than that.  Also, I have to mention one of my favorite touches – Nora walked down the aisle to a cello and guitar arrangement of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica played by Ryan Waguespack.

After cocktails at the hotel, the wedding guests headed to Ten Oak Restaurant, a newly remodeled restaurant downtown, where we took over the private dining room. Again sticking with white and greens, the flowers were architecturally arranged bunches of hydrangeas in cylinder vases of various heights. And with tons of votives running down the tables, the room was an incredible display of true romance.  With a monogrammed menu at each place setting along with their favors – a mini Tito’s bottle and personalized shot glass for everyone – the tables were perfect. After a fantastic dinner and a touching speech by Nora’s father, the group then headed out to the famous “Til Death Do Us Part” mural for a group photo!

Meanwhile, we were lighting the candles at the third and final venue, Terrace 59 at Speakeasy, getting ready for a serious party.  Decor continued in greens and whites with plenty of candles.  We scattered custom pins around the room again with the “n+j” monogram that had carried from their invitations months earlier through the dinner and now to the very end.  Instead of a traditional cake, Nora and Jarod chose to do cake balls by Austin Cake Ball, and they had a bride and groom pair just for them! No cheesy wedding DJ here – Miguel Angel (ulovei) was spinning all night long, and with the exception of just their first dance as Mr. and Mrs., the entire night was a upbeat dance party!

What really struck me about their wedding was just how close all their guests were and how much they all love Nora and Jarod.  Inside jokes abounded from a rubber chicken to lone ranger masks to a poster of a flamingo.  I have only known them for a year, and I am crazy about them – so to put the feeling of their wedding day in perspective, take that and expand it to people who have been so lucky to have known them all their lives… this was a day full of a LOT of love.

Photos by Brio Photography

 

 

 

 

Whenever I’m writing my event recaps, I feel like I could go on and on about the couples… and I feel like you, as readers, must get to a point of “Come ON, you can’t like everybody THAT MUCH!” But here’s the thing about picking your coordinator – more than ANY other vendor who will be a part of your wedding day or event day, your coordinator needs to be someone you can get along with.  When you are meeting with your vendors and making those important decisions, personality matters in varying degrees depending on the vendor.  However, it needs to be a huge factor into the selection of your planner! From the minute we start planning together till the event day, the stress will only be rising, no matter what kind of event it is.  And then especially throughout the event, no one will be more by your side or in your business more than your planner (and when I say in your business, I mean even holding up your dress while you use the restroom if you need it!).  So even though it seems like I’m way too full of superlatives when I talk about the couples I’ve been privileged to work with, the reality is it’s the truth! From our preliminary conversations, I could already tell with each couple or client that we would get along wonderfully.  And as we got deeper and deeper into planning, that relationship only got better and better. I’m so lucky to still call them all my friends!

 

 

When I had to say goodbye to Melissa and Pete at their Sunday brunch, I cried. In the middle of Chupacabra on 6th Street.  OK, it’s embarrassing to admit that online, but I adore this couple.

Melissa and Pete’s ceremony took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Austin, which is one of the most beautiful churches you will ever see.  So grand, so stunning. Melissa looked amazing.  Since they live in New Jersey, throughout the planning, they shipped me various things for the wedding – one of the things shipped to me beforehand was her dress, so I had taken a sneak peek while it hung in my closet and knew it was beautiful, but seeing it on her? No comparison. With her gorgeous cathedral-length lace-trimmed veil, perfect hair and make up, and a hot pair of Jimmy Choos, she was the picture of the perfect bride.

After their ceremony, they headed to South Congress with Jake Holt to take photos around town.  When you see the pictures below, you’ll see just why I relish every chance I can get to work with Jake.  The photos are perfect.  Some of my favorite pictures from the day are from this break between ceremony and reception.  They’re fun, they’re Austin, and they really capture Melissa and Pete’s personalities.

The reception was held at the Allan House downtown with the couple’s personal touches all over the venue.  Their escort card display at the entry to the House was Manzanita Trees held in place in mercury glass vases with connected cords and all their guest names running across held by clothespins. Also inside the house, they had a candy bar set up with everyone’s favorites (the Swedish fish went really quickly!) in apothecary jars. As you headed into the next room, you saw a delicious display of cupcakes (on a cupcake stand they decorated themselves!).  Which brings us to my favorite detail at this wedding – their cake toppers.  A description can’t really do it justice, but until you get to the photos, let me just tell you this… she is the donut to his coffee.   Since the reception was catered by Salt Lick, the couple provided bibs for every guest. Also on every table were beautiful centerpieces designed and created by Melissa’s aunt who runs A Design By Melody, her floral company, in Atlanta.

After dinner, the dance floor got started.  It was a bit of a chilly night once the sun was all the way gone, but no one felt it because they were all dancing SO much! Joel with Greenbelt DJ did a perfect job of getting everyone moving.  Final detail? Melissa and Pete bought a pair of metallic-rimmed sunglasses for every guest!

After their sparkler exit, they headed to Fado. Since so many had traveled for the wedding, they took advantage of having all their favorite people in one place and kept the party going.

Which brings us back to Chupacabra and the Sunday brunch.  Saying goodbye was hard for a few reasons – first, working with them never once felt like work because it was so much fun.  Second, since they don’t live in Austin, it wouldn’t be easy to just get together for drinks.  And last, because everything had been just so perfect.  Seems like an odd reason to tear up, but I couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful, fun, amazing day for two beautiful, fun, amazing people.

You can see Melissa and Pete’s wedding video by Waterloo Films here: http://www.waterloofilms.com/melissapete.html

Photos by Jake Holt Photography

 

 

 

Bianca and Tom are hands down two of the nicest people I have ever met. The first time that I met them at a Starbucks in South Austin, I knew that working with them would be such a pleasure.  The love between them is undeniable – it’s couples like this that make me adore my job even more.  It’s an honor to be a part of a wedding that brings two people like this together – individually, they are incredible, but together, they’re even better.

They wed in February 2011 at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs which is really one of the most incredible venues I’ve ever seen.  The chapel where Bianca and Tom were married was shipped over piece by piece from Vietnam! It made for a truly breathtaking setting for their ceremony, witnessed by 120 family members and friends. After being pronounced Mr and Mrs, they proceeded to the front of the chapel and, following tradition, rang the giant bell at the bell tower.

After cocktails and photos, they headed to the open air pavilion, another French Colonial church (this one from the 1930s!) shipped over to Texas from Vietnam, for dinner. Their entry into the reception was one of my favorite moments of the night – they came in to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and if you look at the photo below, Bianca’s feet barely touched the ground as they ran inside. Instead of the typical round tables, we chose to do long banquet tables down both sides of the pavilion with a long head table at the front.  The visual was really stunning to see all their guests side by side with each place perfectly set down from the bottom dinner plate up to the tied menus on top.  Their low centerpieces made conversations across the tables really easy, and the family style dinner by Pink Avocado fit right into that – it was a really lovely warm atmosphere.

Bianca’s amazing family did all of the decor for the day from flowers to photos to candles at both the ceremony and the reception.  One of my favorite touches was their guestbook – instead of a traditional book to sign, they had a thumbprint “Family Tree” canvas – with a tree already painted, guests were asked to come and stick a thumbprint onto the tree branches and sign their names under – so cute! Another huge hit? The candy bar of course. All the candy matched their wedding colors – chocolate brown, orange and green.

As Joel with Greenbelt DJ provided the tunes, Bianca, Tom and their families had a blast on the dance floor! (Side note – Bianca’s dad showed off some serious moves during the father-daughter dance!) A particularly touching moment for the couple, their families and their friends was a slideshow video prepared by Bianca’s uncle that captured moments growing up, with their families, and of course with each other.

At the end of the night, they exited through a tunnel of sparklers into Tom’s waiting truck.

Bianca and Tom are moving to San Antonio soon to continue their educations – although Austin will be lesser without them as residents, I’m so excited for them as they start their lives as Mr. and Mrs!

Photos by Studio563

 

 

 

Wedding favors can be tricky.  There are so many choices! Handmade? Edible? Personalized? Ordered online?

There’s no limit to how creative you can get here! Some of the always popular items include koozies, a flip-flop bar (especially for the ladies!), and wine-stoppers. But the reality is that you know your friends and family better than anyone else, so you should pick something appropriate for everyone.  You want everyone to take it home and enjoy it as a memory of your beautiful day.

If you do decide to put together something creative that requires some assembly, let us help!

We’ll wrap, we’ll tape, we’ll tie, we’ll handwrite … have glue gun, will travel!

 

 

With so much going on throughout your wedding day, you really aren’t going to catch all of it. And you shouldn’t! You should be enjoying your day rather than trying to absorb it. Of course, your photographer will get photos for you of all of the pieces from start to finish, but there’s something extra-special about seeing it happening in motion. Especially the ceremony.  I’ve had a bride get all the way back down the aisle after recessing and say to me, “I seriously don’t know what I said up there” – enter the video!

Need some more convincing? Take a look at this stunner – by Waterloo Films

Melissa & Pete Wedding Highlights from Jorge (WLF) on Vimeo.

Amazing, right?