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From Anna of Anna Routh Photography… Carla and Sean’s French and Marie Antoinette-themed affair was ALL about the details. Every inch of this beautiful event was draped in pale pink and light blue with gold and pearl accents. Every centerpiece was unique and chock-full of items that had been collected throughout the couple’s engagement. Sean, an Army Captain, beamed when he saw his bride coming down the aisle in her stunning gown that was covered from top to bottom with tiny floral appliques. After a heartfelt ceremony rich with tradition and love from their friends and family, Carla and Sean’s guests enjoyed the most amazing dessert and hot chocolate bar I’ve ever seen — macaroons, cake, chocolate, custard and cookies galore! Yum! After plenty of dancing and even an impromptu hip-hop performance by the groom, the lovebirds were swept away in a beautiful vintage auto. Carla’s keen sense of style and both of their kind hearts showed through in all aspects of this intimate and personal evening.

Wedding Photography: Anna Routh Photography / Event Design + Coordination: April Orr of Leave the Details To Me / Wedding Venue: Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs Mansion / Flowers: Flowers Flowers / Invitations, Stationery + Signage: Blue Eye Brown Eye / Rentals: Premiere Party Central + Marquee Rents / Wedding Cake: Michelle’s Patisserie / Catering: Southern’s Fine Dining / Desserts: Bake Sale Austin / Attendents’ Feather Fans: DIY by the Bride / Makeup: Beauty on the Go / Chairs: Chiavari Chairs of Austin / Bartending: Utopian Bartending / DJ: Kyle Clark / Stickers + Couple Animation: Charlotte Wuthrich / Wedding Gown: Alfred Angelo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bari Jay

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Post tags: Alfred Angelo, Anna Routh Photography, April Orr, Austin, Bake Sale Austin, Bari Jay, Beauty on the Go, Blue, Blue Eye Brown eye, Charlotte Wuthrich, Chiavari Chairs of Austin, Flowers Flowers, French-Themed, Gold, Kyle Clark, Leave the Details to Me, Marquee Rents, Michelle's Patisserie, Pale Pink, Premiere Party Rental, Southern's Fine Dining, Texas, Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Mansion, Utopian Bartending
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Texas Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Photography by Forever Photography, Floral Design by The Flower Studio.

The week of pretty all wrapped up fancy:

a Texas highlight film to put a smile on anyones face
a gorgeous fall affair in the quaint town of Nantucket
a midday appetite boost in the form of this vendor spotlight
a Philadelphia ballroom soiree, fit for royalty
an eclectically beautiful New York wedding with pops of pink
a perfectly Sonoma féte with the most adorable couple
a Colorado ranch wedding with a to die for floral design
an Army couple tying the knot on this beautiful Delaware day
a Wisconsin soiree with the most perfect inspiration
a capital GORGEOUS southern affair in Charleston

Some of our favorite links from around the web:

an ephemera collage card DIY perfect for Valentines day (it’s coming!) via Design*Sponge
a stunning DIY earring tutorial you really have to see via Ruffles & Stuff
a soft & gorg Florida beach wedding via Grey Likes Weddings

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Post tags: Austin, Bouquets, DIY Projects, Flowers, Forever Photography, Purple, Texas, The Flower Studio, Wedding Inspiration, Weekly Wrap-Up, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

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From the Bride… Everyone kept asking me what my “theme” was going to be for my wedding. Theme? I didn’t think about it that way. We wanted a beautiful and warm evening celebrating our decision to commit to one another for the rest of our lives. We wanted to eat, drink, dance, and toast with the people that we love. I wanted each detail of the ceremony and reception to be memorable, familiar, comforting, and a reflection of how each guest played a part in supporting our growth as a couple.

Our sign in book was a canvas painting of the limbs of a tree. Our guests “signed in” by leaving their thumbprints, which served as the leaves of the tree. It is now framed and hanging in our bedroom. We also had homemade lawn games. My dad constructed a cornhole game and painted it with our initials. Jack and I both love music, so our wedding favor was a CD for our guest to enjoy on their drive home. Instead of a traditional groom’s cake, Jack elected to have a creme brulee and scotch pairing … heavy on the scotch. 

The best moment of the day was seeing Jack before the ceremony. It was overwhelming, calming, exciting, warm, and beautiful, all in one breath. I also loved our sendoff … in true Texas fashion our guests fired toy cap guns as we ran to our getaway car. My biggest piece of advice is to try to take it all in because your wedding is over in the blink of an eye.

Wedding Photography: Caroline + Ben Photography / Wedding Venue: Austin Museum of Arts: Arthouse Laguna Gloria / Wedding Coordination: BZ Events / Wedding Flowers: Last Petal / Catering: Word of Mouth / Wedding Cake: Stardust Pastry / Rentals: Marquee Rents / DJ: DJ Kit K / Lighting: Ilios Lighting / Hair + Makeup: Kacy Franklin + Rhea McCarter / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier via Ultimate Bride / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Priscilla of Boston via Bella Bridesmaid / Jewelry: Jewel Mint / Music CD Wedding Favors: DIY by the Bride + Groom / Groom’s Attire:  Klein, Epstein and Parker / Wedding Paper Goods: The Creative Parasol

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Post tags: Arthouse Laguna Gloria, Austin, Austin Museum of Arts, Bella Bridesmaid, BZ Events, Caroline + Ben Photography, DJ Kit K, Green, Ilios LIghting, Jewel Mint, Kacy Franklin, Klein Epstein and Parker, Laguna Gloria, Last Petal, Marquee Rents, Monique Lhuillier, Priscilla of Boston, Purple, Rhea McCarter, Stardust Pastry, Texas, The Creative Parasol, Ultimate Bride, Word of Mouth
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Casual Elegance, Texas Weddings

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From the bride… We wanted to have an intimate wedding full of personal touches. My husband and I are both in the field of architecture, so design is very important to us. Although this often means having expensive taste, we both believe in living within our means, and budgeting is also important to us. Our wedding was no exception — we were driven to use everyday materials in thoughtful and clever ways that would not only save us money, but also showcase our personality. We live in New Orleans, and unfortunately there is no glass recycling. I had been collecting a few jars before our engagement because I didn’t want them ending up in a landfill. The wedding was the perfect opportunity to put them to use. I also enlisted a few friends and family to fill out my collection. We grouped the various sizes and shapes and added candles to make simple, and surprisingly beautiful, centerpieces. No two tables were alike! I also hate seeing flowers thrown away after weddings, so rather than use floral arrangements, we opted for individual plants that guests could take home as favors. Getting married at the Wildflower Center meant that we couldn’t compete with the natural beauty of the flowers already there, so we went with succulent plants. They are unusual and relate to the Southwest, so I thought it added nice, rustic charm. We put the succulents in simple silver buckets so that the candle light from the jars would reflect off of them in interesting ways. We designed our own save-the-date cards and printed them from home. My husband has a huge extended family so I figured putting our faces on the cards might help the recipients recognize us! I also made our cake topper out of wooden balls from a craft store and a peanut can.

My husband’s family is from Louisiana, while I was raised in Texas and am also of Taiwanese heritage. We met during college in Austin, so the city has always had a special place in our hearts. We wanted to express this to our guests and had the opportunity to do so with our appetizers. Called “His, Hers, and Ours,” we featured meat-filled pockets (which seems to be a universal food typology) done in three ways. “His” were crawfish beignets (representing Louisiana); “Hers” were asian dumplings (representing my heritage); and “Ours” were pork empanadas (signifying Austin). I found a lady who made handmade lollipops, and she had a Texas-shaped mold — this made the perfect homage to the place we love.

If I could give any advice to brides, it would be to focus on a couple of areas that you really care about, and let everything else go. There isn’t enough time (or money) to worry about every little item, and in the end, people will only remember the things you spent time and energy to make spectacular. Focus on injecting personal touches — it really makes for a memorable experience.

Wedding Photography: Jennifer Lindberg Weddings / Wedding Ceremony: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas / Wedding Reception: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas / Caterer: Austin Catering / DJ: Greenbelt DJ / Wedding Cake: Michelle’s Patisserie / Bouquets + Boutonnieres: Central Market / Lollipop Favors: Ju-C Suckers / Potted Succulent Favors: IKEA / Wedding Dress: Jasmine Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Target / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Priscilla of Boston “Vineyard Collection” / Bridesmaids’ Shoes: Shoe-Nami in New Orleans, Louisiana (504-895-1717) / Bridesmaids’ Bracelets: Anthropologie / Groom’s Suit: JoS. A. Bank

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Post tags: Anthropologie, Austin, Austin Catering, Black, Central Market, Green, Greenbelt DJ, Ikea, Jasmine Bridal, Jennifer Lindberg Weddings, Jos A Bank, Ju-C Suckers, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Michelle's Patisserie, Orange, Priscilla of Boston, Shoe-Nami, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Target, Texas, Vineyard Collection, Yellow
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Texas Weddings, Whimsical

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From the bride… I really had no idea which direction to go when I began planning our wedding. I began pulling images from blogs early and putting together a PowerPoint, which ended up being the best thing I could have done. It was how I found our amazing florist. I showed the PowerPoint to my photographer who suggested that I get in contact with her friend. I am so grateful that Jennifer Nichols put me in touch with Liz Lewis of Nouveau Romantics. The first time I spoke to Liz on the phone, I knew it was going to be a perfect match. She understood exactly the look and feel I was aiming for. Liz has amazing taste, and she did a perfect job achieving what I had in my mind — and beyond.

Mercury Hall was a lovely venue that captures Austin’s easy-going charm. Because I had so many friends recommend it, we booked the venue unseen, and we were so glad we did. The beautiful wood floors and white bead board walls were gorgeous, which made creating a beautiful space so easy. Not to mention I really wanted to get married under a live oak tree, and Mercury had two amazing live oaks — an ideal backdrop for the ceremony. My mom inherited beautiful cake stands from my grandmother and great-grandmother. It was important to me to have something of theirs included, so I did my best to incorporate them. The stands also worked amazingly well with a collection of my mom’s cloches. We had our cakes done by Polkadots Cupcake Factory. They were able to make gorgeous cakes from some images I provided. And they were very yummy! I had seen a photo booth backdrop in a blog that I really liked, which gave me the idea to do a landscape using felt for a backdrop. My fiance proposed while on a trip in Iceland under a waterfall. I thought it would be fun to do a Icelandic landscape — with a geyser, glaciers, Vikings and, of course, a waterfall. The backdrop really turned out to be my favorite project. I got help from a sewing studio in my neighborhood called “Gather Here.” Our guests loved posing in the photo booth, and the playful personal touch made the photos that much more special.

My fiance is from North Carolina, and I am from Texas, so we thought spice rub as a gift would be appropriate. I found a great online fabric manufacturer in Durham, North Carolina, named Spoonflower that produces personalized fabric. I painted the states of North Carolina and Texas and had the fabric made for each. It was so easy, and the fabric with baker’s string was adorable on the little jars. We made a jar of Texas and a jar of North Carolina spice rub for each guest. Luckily, we had eager family to help put these together for us. The entire weekend was amazing. For me, it was great to see all of my favorite people gathered in one of my favorite cities. We were so lucky that people came from all over to celebrate with us, some as far as China! The night really turned out to be beautiful, and all the personal touches made it feel like our very own.

Wedding Photography: The Nichols / Wedding Coordination: Lizze Belle Events / Floral + Event Design: Liz Lewis of The Nouveau Romantics / Venue: Mercury Hall in Austin, Texas / Catering: Kurant Events / Dessert Table: Polkadots Cupcake Factory / Photo Booth Backdrop: DIY with Help from Gather Here (Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts) / Spice Rub Favors: DIY with Custom Fabric from Spoonflower / Wedding Gown: Catherine Deane / Hair: Jean Barton / Makeup: Rae Cosmetics

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Post tags: Austin, Gather Here, Gray, Green, Kurant Events, Liz Lewis, Lizze Belle Events, Mercury Hall, Orange, Pink, Polkadots Cupcake Factory, Spoonflower, Texas, The Nichols, The Nouveau Romantics
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic

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From Jona and Jerry of Forever Photography Studio… Jacob and Caroline’s wedding was at one of our favorite Austin venues: Barr Mansion! There are so many reasons we love this venue — the property is gorgeous in person, but it photographs even better! Take that with a gorgeous wedding party and some amazing vendors and you have a unique, beautiful wedding! When I first met Jacob and Caroline I knew we were going to love photographing them. One major indicator was they LOVE photos, and of course anyone who loves photos is awesome in our eyes. We had such an awesome time with you both at your wedding, and we hope you enjoy your images for years to come!

Wedding Photography: Forever Photography Studio / Hair: Miranda McGuire / Makeup: April Monroe / Flowers: Stems Floral Design / Dress: Jim Hjelm via Serendipity Bridal / Wedding Venue: Barr Mansion

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Post tags: April Monroe, Austin, Barr Mansion, Blue, Forever Photography Studio, Green, Jim Hjelm, Miranda McGuire, Outdoor Wedding, Red, Serendipity Bridal, Stems Floral Design, Texas
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Casual Elegance, Texas Weddings

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From the bride… I’ve always been a hopeless romantic. You can find me wearing pink and pearls a little too frequently. I love all things delicate … flowers and lace for example. Truth be told, I was in love with the victorian look of Barr Mansion and the classic elegance and the warm glow of the ballroom. When Jason and I were out “venue scouting” the GPS had us take a wrong turn just past the house, and Jason said, “What a cool house”. Little did he know that was where we were headed, but since he liked it, it was done deal. The venue really lends itself to a romantic wedding in the garden, and I was so excited to be getting a wedding I had been dreaming about since I started wedding blog stalking! Also, it was the perfect setting to welcome our guests as they joined us to share in our new journey together. Our officiant sent us questions to answer about each other. What attracted you to them, if you had to describe them, etc. He built this into our ceremony and it was such a special thing to hear those words and to have them shared with our closest friends and family.

I DIY’d the “Mr. & Mrs.” signs for our chairs and the laced votive holders. I also selected the antique glass ware that our centerpieces would be contained in. I put pearls on invitations, floral details on placecards and the welcome table. I’d venture to say it was all “do it yourself” because it was such a personal event, and I tried to put my heart into everything that was selected. I also had some friends with amazing talents (like Lari who created rosettes for my hanger and my rosette garter) that helped along the way.

To the grooms, have an opinion on at least one aspect of the wedding, it’ll show her you’re invested in the event, just as she is. Or you could just say what Jason said to me… “Sweetie, I did pick something for our wedding day, I picked you… and of all the things on our wedding day, you will be the one that will be with me the longest”. I guess I gave him a get-out-of-jail-free card after that. Seriously though, having an opinion will make her feel like you care about the things she cares about. Brides, just know that it’s going to be an amazing day, and no, things won’t go perfectly. When rain threatened, my wonderful photographer told me what great lighting cloudy days were and that it’d make for great pictures (she was right). Surround yourself with people who support you, and that will help you see the bright spots when something minor happens. You’re going to get married that day to your best friend. People will come, share in your joy, laugh, dance, toast the two of you and make it a day to remember. That’s what I remember the most, and the candid pictures show it — we all laughed and had a great time!

Photography: Caroline + Ben Photography / Cinematography: Brett Hardeman Films / Flowers: Melanie Tipton at Last Petal / Event Planning: Rick Rabon at Barr Mansion / Venue: Barr Mansion / Groom’s Attire: Hickey Freeman / Shoes: ZiGi Soho / Dress: Maggie Sottero / Makeup: Kelli Toal of Keep Austin Gorgeous / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Watters / Table Numbers: Mason Rabbit’s Paperie / Personalized Hanger: wisconmon

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Post tags: Austin, Barr Mansion, Brett Hardeman Films, Caroline + Ben Photography, Hickey Freeman, Keep Austin Gorgeous, Kelli Toal, Last Petal, Maggie Sottero, Mason Rabbit's Paperie, Melanie Tipton, Rick Rabon, Texas, Watters, Wisconmon, ZiGi
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Texas Weddings, Vintage Chic

Mike and I met when he was relocated from Galveston to Austin after Hurricane Ike. We met while working at the same hospital and we had our first date at Stubb’s music venue and saw a Ben Folds concert. Mike proposed to me in June 2010 on the beach at my family’s summer home on Cape Cod. The proposal was romantic, thoughtful and a complete surprise! We knew almost immediately that we wanted a small and intimate wedding to share with our close friends and family. We are both very close with our families and given they are on different coasts, mine on the East Coast, his on the West Coast, we decided our home city of Austin, Texas made for the perfect place in the middle to have our wedding. Mike and I both have a very traditional and classic style and found that Barr Mansion’s organic and vintage feel made for a perfect venue! We were very fortunate to have family support in planning our wedding and especially my mother and brother who helped in making our vision come to life. We had envisioned the beautiful glass artisan ballroom to be transformed into an environment that felt enchanted and whimsical. We chose to have both our ceremony and reception in the artisan ballroom as we feared our guests, especially those from the Northeast, would melt in the Texas heat! The details were our favorite part as we incorporated personal photos from our travels and engagement session. The table assignment cards were displayed in a box containing the same sand from the beach where Mike proposed. My bridesmaids wore vintage pins on their dresses and I had used family heirlooms as part of my something old, new, borrowed and blue. Mike and I had our first dance to the Ben Folds song, “The Luckiest”, and we did a break out dance to Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” to display our crazy dance moves and set the tone for a night of dancing! We felt that our wedding was a true reflection of who we are even down to our wedding attire. Overall, we loved every minute of our wedding and will forever cherish the many moments that were captured by our wedding photographers, Jona and Jerry Blackwell! Photographer: Forever Photography Studio / Floral Designer: Last Petal / Lighting: ILD Lighting / Make-Up: Maris Malone Calderon / Hair: Jen Hoover / Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas / Cake: Barr Mansion / Wedding favors: Cake balls from The Mixing Bowl / Wedding Gown Designer: Siri from Unbridaled / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Tie: Burberry / Special Jewelry: Austin Diamond District / DJ: Texas Pro DJ

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Post tags: Austin, Austin Diamond District, Barr Mansion, burberry, Casual Elegance, Color Palette Blue White, contemporary, DIY Favors, Forever Photography Studio, Hugo Boss, ILD Lighting, J. Crew, Jen Hoover, Last Petal, Maris Malone Calderon, Modern, Siri, Stuart Weitzman, Texas, Texas Pro DJ, Unbridaled, Vintage Chic, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Paper Divas, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog