Gorgeous wedding to share and guest blogger today! Our amazing bride Brett was super generous to share here wedding planning experience with us.
From Brett:
After months of flipping through wedding magazines, reading wedding blogs and pinning uncontrollably to my “Wedding Day” Pinterest board, Nick and I celebrated the best day of our lives on August 15, 2015, with all of our closest family and friends by our side.
I couldn’t count the number of times people told me not to stress about the details because it would fly by so fast that I wouldn’t even remember what happens. However, they were all wrong. While it was a crazy whirlwind and did go by faster than I could have possibly imagined, it’s a day that I will never forget – from the stained glass windows in the church, the lanterns lighting the pathway to the reception, the “Grab a drink” chalkboard sign sitting on the bar, the calligraphy that tied the invitations to the name cards, the blueberry-lavender macaroons, to the smell of the lavender that was mixed in with rose pedals tossed at us on our way out – I’ll never forget those tiny details that I obsessed over for months, which were the same details that made my heart smile throughout the entire night.
A romantic, summery and bright wedding full of life, was my dream. I’ve always been a girl who leans towards the pinks, oranges and yellows on a color palette so that’s exactly what I went for to be true to myself. Loose floral arrangements and a mix of antique silver and gold candles were mixed throughout the reception, and with a dreamy venue like Barr Mansion, it was important to highlight the greenery and garden aspect of the environment. I’ll be honest, I love some sparkle, and my bridesmaid dresses from BHLDN provided the perfect shimmer to complement Nick and the groomsmen’s navy tuxedos. My four-tier cake was made up of alternating textures and bright flowers to balance each other out and looked as creamy and scrumptious from the outside as it tasted on the inside. As I put all of these pieces together, I found some pretty incredible people to help out:
Mike Reed Photo was absolutely the best. After Mike made me feel so at ease during my bridal portraits, I knew he’d be the calming force on my wedding day. Sure enough, he had everything under control and made me breathe when emotions were running high. He told me exactly where to put my hands, where to look, to smile or not to smile as I told him over and over how uncomfortable I am in front of the camera. Yet somehow, he made me forget about my uneasiness.
My floral designs by STEMS were whimsical and romantic. They listened to all of my opinions and sat down with me to pick out every single stem that would go in my arrangements and bouquets. I’ll never forget looking around the reception and seeing all of my favorite flowers and colors fill up the room. They also created the chalkboard signage to bring a cozy and inviting feel to the evening.
Lola Beauty did hair and makeup for my bridal portraits, rehearsal look, day of look and bridesmaids/mother of the bride. Lauren from Lola Beauty absolutely nailed the romantic look I was hoping for and happily responded to all of my “look idea” emails without ever seeming annoyed, and she even agreed to a last minute hair trial to calm my nerves just four days before the big day!
My invitations from Bella Figura were the perfect mix of traditional and modern I was looking for, and to top it off, Jen with Feather and Ink matched the outer and inner envelope calligraphy to the invitation design I had selected. She also knocked out 20 name cards in the same calligraphy style just one week before!
London Calling played all of Nick and I’s favorite songs throughout the night – from classics like “At Last” by Etta James to our finale of “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, they did an amazing job of engaging the crowd the entire night for a super fun dance party.
Last but not least, Barr Mansion was the venue Nick and I knew we wanted to get married at before we were even engaged, and it was a wonderful experience to work with them in planning our event. We received countless comments on their beautiful venue and out-of-this-world food! It truly is one of the most serene venues in Austin.
My advice to any bride-to-be would be to enjoy the planning process even though it can be overwhelming at times. Hire people that you feel comfortable around and love their work. Stick to your guns and don’t be swayed by other’s opinions or the latest-and-greatest posts on Pinterest. Eat your wedding dinner. I kept hearing over and over how other couples didn’t get to eat any food at their wedding and I was determined NOT to be one of those brides. I was going to eat the food and cake that I had carefully picked out for my guests and I’m so glad that I did!
Last but not least, one of my bridesmaids gave me some words of wisdom before we left the hotel room, which is the best advice I could pass on. She told me things were about to get crazy and to take “mental snapshots” at certain points of the night, which will be the memories that stick with you forever.
Photography: Mike Reed Photo | Hair and Makeup: Lola Beauty | Floral Designs: STEMS Floral Design| Signage: STEMS Productions | Invitations: Bella Figura through Paper Place | Calligraphy: Feather and Ink | Groom’s and Groomsmen Attire: Mike’s Formal Wear | Ceremony Venue: St. Mary Cathedral | Reception Venue: Barr Mansion | Food and Cake: Barr Mansion | Alcohol: Spec’s | Bridesmaid’s Dresses: BHLDN | Wedding Dress & Veil: Celebrations Bridal | Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Brett and Nick were married this past weekend which means I can share her bridal session. She was as absolutely breath taking! Saturday I told Brett she might get tired of hearing people tell her how good she looks, she looked just as amazing. However I doubt that ever gets old, especially on your wedding day. :)
