Category Archives: Groom’s Perspective

She said Yes! Fredericksburg, Texas Proposal Story

The Proposal. So many important moments lead up to it… the first date, the first kiss, meeting the parents, surviving the first fight… I think most of us have already decided long before he pops the question, that we will marry him. But it’s not until that moment, when he gets down on one knee (hopefully) and asks “will you marry me?” that we can announce it to the world! It’s where the adventure of wedding planning begins.

I recently started planning proposals with one of my favorite photographers (and close friends) Lori Blythe. Here is the story of the most recent one we did together.

Paul, Musician and Talent Manager, contacted us to help him plan his proposal weekend in Fredericksburg about 2 months prior to the date. Andrea, his girlfriend and DA in Houston, as you might guess, would not be fooled easily. He wanted so badly to completely surprise her when he popped the question.

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He told her that he wanted to meet up with a friend of his in Fredericksburg, so why not spend the weekend there! They put it on the calendar. He set up fake phone calls and emails to stage the meeting with this friend of his. They were to meet this friend at a park in Fredericksburg and to “have dinner” the night they arrived.

Paul picked the park story because he really wanted to propose in a gazebo. “Gazebo’s are her thing” he told us, “she just loves them.” We discussed some ways to make it special and landed on a million candles and flowers (okay, maybe not a million). Lori guided him to pick a great place to stay (The Cotton Gin) and I setup the dinner reservation (The Cabernet Grill).

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The day was here. I was so excited. Paul was secretly sending us emails with updates on timing and such. One of his emails said, “I think I’m going to puke”. I died. How stinking adorable. Insert high pitched giggles and girlish squeals here.

After I setup the million candles and flowers that day, Lori arrived and we waited expectantly. We were sitting in a nearby car watching when he pulled up. We watched him get out of the car and he looked like he was making a call… we were all like “what’s he doing?” Later we found out this was a fake call to his fake friend. Ha ha!

They walked up to the gazebo and talked for a bit, he told her the candles and flowers were for her. Obviously. Then he got down on one knee, pulled out his handwritten notes, and popped the question. Their faces were covered in tears. Lots of hugging and sweet words. And she said yes!

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When we walked up to introduce ourselves they were both glowing. I mean glowing. I totally recommend proposal photos over engagement photos. They are soooo genuine.

Lori did a great job on the photos! After the proposal, the crying and the photos, they headed off to dinner. But that wasn’t the end of surprises for the evening.

Paul and I arranged for me to secretly sneak into their room and setup a romantic end to the night. I scattered candle lit luminaries and rose petals throughout the room. He said she loved everything! It was so much fun to plan this special evening for them!

Contact myself or Lori Blythe Photography about setting up a unique proposal surprise in Fredericksburg, Texas!

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Why a Texas Wedding? From the Guy’s Eyes

I am a born and raised Texan. Emily is not. We met in of our less great norther neighbor states. Emily met Texas through me, and they became great friends very quickly. Texas and Emily were as meant to be as Emily and I. We would walk the streets of downtown Fredericksburg on our visits and she would declare to me, “This feels so much like home.” And so it became our home. We got married in the Hill Country on family land, and although Emily was a wedding professional before Texas, this was when her career as a Hill Country wedding planner began.

Having lived beyond the borders of our state, I can testify to the fact that some folks have a poor perception of it. Many a friend of mine hath declared Texas an ugly state having only experienced Amarillo or Dallas. When I would describe for them the hills and beauty of this area they scarcely believed me. In fact, I brought a friend to visit once from Kentucky who said it reminded him of Africa. An interesting comparison. The point being, the Hill Country is a beautiful and unique venue for a wedding. You won’t find a place like it, except Africa apparently.

So why get married in the Texas Hill Country? Perhaps we should be asking you the question since you have likely chosen our little heaven as your venue. Was it local for you? It fit your budget? Or was there a culture or a theme that you found here? Some of these features were true for Emily and I. In fact, all of them. But there are many more reasons why a Hill Country wedding, so we’ve listed just a few.

Weather: You will hear folks all across our nation gripe about Texas being hot. And, yes, they are correct- it is stinking hot. Depending on your threshold of heat, it’s only unbearably hot three months out of the year. And if you’re going to do an outdoor wedding in those months I would recommend a naked theme. But, for the most part, in the Hill Country you can get hitched outdoors in the middle of January, or in the middle of April, or perhaps October. Fewer people are getting married indoors these days. We loved saying our vows outside under and age old oak tree that has witnessed many generations of Burgess’. Texas has a lot of “availability” if you are seeking a day to conduct a big outdoor celebration.

Style: Along with the trend of outdoor weddings, the prominence of creative styles has become quite the movement. For a while we saw brides hiding flip-flops under their dresses, then it was converse all-stars. Good ole cowboy boots took the trend for a while (we still like that one). The rise of outdoor weddings has brought up the challenge of making a wedding fun and comfortable. For example, my groomsmen wore only vests, instead of suits with jackets. They looked awesome and they didn’t want to murder me for putting them in bondage to a tuxedo. This flies in Texas. Texas has very cool style. You see cowboy hats being worn in HEB, boots in church, and suspenders keeping us from seeing more of the old men than any of us could or should handle. Texas has style, and a lot of variety. Just drive through Austin if you doubt me.

Music: This was a big one for me. We wanted people to dance at our wedding. Weddings bring people from several generations together, so you may find yourself in a predicament for music, assuming your Granny Margaret won’t likely shake her junk to Kesha. Texas music on the other hand is easy for everyone to dance to. If you’re not from Texas you might think, well not everyone likes country music. Which is true. But if you have ever experienced two-stepping in Texas, it’s not a factor of whether you like country music or not. Two-stepping is beyond fun- and bonus, it’s likely that your uncles and aunts and grannies and gramps will two step right along-side the young-uns. Texas music makes a great backdrop for lots of folks to enjoy. I did my mother/son dance to Willie Nelson. It was perfect. In Case you aren’t super familiar with the genre of Texas Country, check out Wade Bowen, Cody Canada and the Departed, and Reckless Kelley- these are some of the newer faces and we love them!

The number one reason that Emily and I chose a Texas Hill Country Wedding was because it’s HOME. Family and friends made our wedding the beautiful memory it is for us. Maybe it’s not home for all of you. If you’re not a native, one little Texas wedding might sink the roots of your soul into the Texas soil so deep you won’t ever leave. It happens quite a lot around these parts. Share with us why you love a Texas Hill Country wedding. And for those of you who have found our little heaven in Central Texas, we will hope to see you out there, dancing under the wide open Texas skies.

The Guy’s Eye

For all of you brides out there, what does your future husband think about your wedding flower arrangements or your ceremony location?  Have you asked him? Did you listen?

As you probably know by now, the perspective between a man and a woman, in this case a groom and a bride, can be a bit bipolar. Complex.  You tell him, “I think we should try this new work-out routine together”, he gives you a half-hearted “sure” that’s totally unconvincing and signals to you he’s not really interested at all. Then, a week later his buddy from college says he heard about this awesome work-out routine, the same one you mentioned earlier, and suddenly in your man’s mind it’s all the rage. He insists it must start tomorrow.

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Maybe your description sounded something like this:

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And his buddy’s sounded something like this:

This phenomena can invade the wedding planning process as well. For example, you are telling him about this gorgeous venue you found today that has, “an elegant farm house vibe, with real vintage tobacco barn timber walls, pottery barn furniture, antique ornate framed mirrors, and an outdoor area where you can have sparkling bistro lights over your reception tables.” Then he says “sounds nice, Honey”. Not exactly the response you wanted. Let’s be honest. Can he really picture “pottery barn furniture and ornate frame mirrors” in his head? For most gals we see something like this (P.S. this is a real venue, check out Hoffman Haus):

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In the brain of a man it might look something like this:

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Okay, perhaps I exaggerate just a tad. My husband has followed me into Pottery Barn enough times to know it isn’t a store of barns and pottery. But, you see my point!

To make wedding planning a little more collaborative between you and your fiancé, I’ll be including the groom’s perspective on some of my posts. These posts will be called, The Guy’s Eye. The Guy’s Eye will be a little section written by my hubs, Brent, containing topics and opinions from the man’s side. Let’s face it, although different from ours, guys will notice valuable things. For example, in the case of our wedding, the landscaping of the ceremony site and the music playlist were areas where his perspective was valuable. Check out his notes on the blog, and be sure to share with your groom! You may have to get creative to coerce him to the computer to read a wedding blog with you. Just tell him you want him to checkout a picture of Scarlett Johannsen.  Once he is there, it will be well worth his time.

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A little about Brent… So he is pretty much awesome. We have been together almost 9 years, married for a little over 2. He is a really talented writer (his artsy side) and a really talented horseman (his manly side). He loves running, reading, and a good beer. He plays guitar and drums, and collects great music. He taught me how to Texas two-step and exposed me to Texas country (I might never be the same). He helped me conquer my fear of roller coasters, is a great Dad to our pets, and smokes a tobacco pipe on occasion. That’s him in a nutshell. I know you will enjoy reading his perspectives (most people find him hilarious!).

 

Keep an eye out for this handsome fellow on future blogs!