Category Archives: Hill Country Wedding Planning

La Tavola Linen’s Dreamy 2016 Collection!

In the past month I took a “work trip” up north a few hours to visit some amazing vendors in Dallas (I say this in parenthesis because I really just met cool people and played with fun linens). I had a great time doing a little private mentoring workshop with Lindsey Brunk (if you don’t know her name, you should, she is pretty much the bee’s knees of the planning and style world). I also got to visit the La Tavola fine linens show room and fell in loovveeee.wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0062

I often use linens as the inspiration piece for designs in weddings and in my home. When designing a wedding or a room in my house I almost always start with a table runner I’m in love with (or some other form of wedding linen) or a pillow that I paid way too much for. I’m a sucker for pillows especially. Some girls have shoes. Some girls have jewelry. I have pillows. And will never have enough. PS- La Tavola has pillows you can rent for your party. This shouldn’t be an “extra” but a necessary in my opinion… Okay maybe not for everyone. One day, I will do a blog post entirely on the purpose of a pillow at a wedding. Feel free to drool here at this stunning assortment.

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So they are the shiz in fine linens for weddings. They search the world for the latest patterns, colors and textures and manufacture them in the sunshine state of California. I would sleep in their soft linen Tuscany collection any day. Even their basic poly blend linen is woven to feel like pressed cotton. I can tell you folks, one big way to make your event Style Me Pretty worthy, pick out a decent linen. The best part? La Tavola’s basic linen starts at just $13.00 (plus shipping) WHAT. A. STEAL.

Here are some photos from their 2016 Linen Collection Release Party that happened in Napa (sorry I couldn’t make that one!). Thanks to Studio EMP for the pretty photos. Credit to Found Vintage Rentals for the furniture, Casa de Perrin for the tabletop decor, Paula Le Duc for the catering, and of course La Tavola for the showstopping linens.

Geometric fun! wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0066

Fall inspiration!

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And my personal favorite… these botanical prints! I have been dreaming of mid century modern wedding (or styled shoot) lately with lush tropical botanicals and a green color palette…

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A particular velvet table runner (from La Tavola) has actually been the inspiration piece for styled shoot/workshop I am styling this November (Cedar & Stone Workshop). Maybe I’ll post some sneak peeks soon!

Elegant Film Wedding at Hoffman Haus

I was so excited to work with Sarah Goss Photography on this wedding back in the early spring. This was our first event to work together and she did an amazing job on these photos! I absolutely adore the richness in the colors in the film, almost as much as I adored this couple. Shannon and Harris found me via referral of Hoffman Haus, but after getting to know them, we found out that they actually worked for the same company as my mom and knew her! A company all the way in north Texas. Small freakin’ world.

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They were darling and in love. Shannon had amazing taste. The antler sheds on the centerpieces were prizes of her Dads from his many years of hunting and the silver flower containers belonged to her mother’s family. Her family was boisterous and bubbly and so much fun to be around. Sweet Magnolia provided the pretty florals!

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The colors were neutral grey with just a hint of lavender. Perfect for a hill country wedding! Hoffman Haus was the ideal venue for this classic wedding. Sophie’s made this dreamy cake (it was soo tasty too!). They had these adorable bar napkins made with their faces drawn on. Ha too funny! Notice all of the pillows in the following photos… (if you don’t regularly follow me, you may not know, I have a pillow problem…I’m a pillowaholic). wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0065 wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0068 wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0067wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0066

The evening was a blast- fun people, fun vendors! Cartewheels Catering made the yummy food and provided amazing service, as usual! wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0070 wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0069 wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0071

 

Pink & Gray Wedding in Fredericksburg, Texas

“Who is that stunning blue eyed beauty?” That’s the new Mrs. George!  She is the most spunky person I know and her smile lights up a room. To add to it, she has the ability to channel all of her bubbly energy into really productive tasks to tackle the career world. Plus she is a way cool mom of three equally gorgeous kiddos. Jason, she is quite the catch! To sum it up Jason and Mary Leigh were a blast to work with and it was so special to be a part of their day. A beautiful setting in the Hill Country at Rock House Hideaway, fresh florals by The Flower Pail, tasty treats by Sophie’s bakery and wedding planning by Hill Country Bride of course! Lori Blythe Photography deserves her own sentence of appreciation, beautiful images and the best to work with- great job once again girl!

 

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Fredericksburg, Texas Wedding Styled Shoot Featured on Swooned Magazine

This style shoot was one of the most fun and crazy awesome things I have done in a while. We planned it in two weeks! Working with Lori Blythe Photography and Sara at Restored Fredericksburg, we made it happen! We were so happy to get this picked up by Swooned Magazine. And Bonus! It was an inspiration piece for Bella Mystique Events for their Big Fake Wedding coming up in a couple of weeks! Pretty cool to do something people are inspired by!

The Flower Pail did a stunning job on the arrangements and bouquets; Sister’s Vintage Party contributed the vintage pieces and glimmering gold flatware; Restored Fredericksburg let us borrow that B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L farmhouse table; Bobo Workshop did that stunning marbled paper product; Sarah & Kaleb Dale were our newlywed models; Native Fredericksburg made the custom geode jewelry; The Barn at Rock House Hideaway provided that lovely venue and sunset field; Lori Blythe Photography recorded the magic with her stunning photos!   

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Budget Tips for Planning A Hill Country Wedding

We all work on a budget when planning a wedding. Whether the budget is huge or small, if you spend a dollar on flowers that is one less dollar you can spend on cake. We all must be budget conscious. If you are looking to save some cash, here are a couple of really reasonable budget tips for planning a Hill Country wedding.

– Consider getting married on an off day (example Thursday, Friday or Sunday) or in an off season. Off-season will vary depending on location, but for a Texas Hill Country Wedding this is likely going to be December-February, or July-August. This can save you up to $1000 in some cases, and if you have a lot of family or friends flying in for the weekend anyway, this typically doesn’t extend their travel plans, just changes them. This can also save on lodging and flights, since you won’t be traveling at peak times.

-Cater buffet style. Plated style incurs more staffing, serving pieces, and china then buffet style. Buffet style is also a lot less work. There are no extra time or money costs of collecting menu selections from your guests and guests can choose their own portions. Station and Family style will likely fall between the buffet and plated menu prices as there is more setup required, usually a specialized menu, and sometimes extra serving pieces and staff.

-Stick to beer and wine, and maybe a signature drink. Open bar weddings are awesome, but rarely do the guests remember them, because they had one too many of their favorite cocktails. Feature unique beers and wines (maybe local or sentimental) or consider a signature drink that shows your style. This is plenty of alcohol for your guests to have a good time.

-Re-use flowers, as much as possible. If you are getting bouquets for all of your bridesmaids, plan to use them as floral centerpieces for the head table, gift or cake tables. After photos and the ceremony they are going to set them down on a table somewhere, where they aren’t in water and they aren’t being displayed. Make good use of them! This will save you the cost of arrangements for those tables. If you have aisle arrangements they can double as flowers for a fireplace mantle or staircase you want to decorate.

-Re-use, really as much as possible. For example, buy mason jars for guest favors, but have them use it through the evening as their glass! If you are using baby succulents for décor on the tables, have the guest take them at the end of the night as favors (provide care and travel instructions).

-Consider using high-end plastics instead of china. Clear plastic plates and silver plastic flatware are perfectly acceptable for casual weddings. If you are having a buffet the plates and flatware will likely be stacked at the end of the buffet tables. This obviously isn’t okay if you are serving quail, but if you’re menu is an eclectic Mexican buffet or a southern bbq, it fits perfectly. In this case put your favors on your place settings for each guest, request a 3D napkin fold, or print up menu cards, where the plate would be, to make the table look full and beautiful! This isn’t the most “green” option, so consider getting recycled bamboo plates like these and recycle them after the wedding!

-Get a wedding planner! Believe it or not, wedding planners can save you tons of money. Let a planner know up front what you are looking to save money on and they can usually make it happen. Often, planners have vendor discounts they can pass on to you and will know who the best and most affordable vendors to work with are. They also know tricks of the trade that you can’t find on Pinterest!

These are just a few of the most basic tips for saving a buck on your Hill Country wedding. I hope some of you can buy a couple more margaritas on that honeymoon to Cabo!

4 Tips to Stay Sane While Planning a Hill Country Wedding

If you aren’t engaged already, you’ll find out really quickly that as soon as you announce your engagement the first question that everyone will ask you is, “ so, when is the wedding?”. This is the first and most frequent question you’ll get, from family, friends and even strangers. Followed by a barrage of questions you haven’t even thought of yet and lots and lots of unwanted advice. After being engaged for just one short week, you’re likely to be completely burnt out on wedding planning and wanting to throat punch anyone who asks you about your plans. Try hard not lash out at the poor innocent bystanders. Here are a couple of tips to stay sane.

I get asked about my wedding all day, every day. When you feel wedding overloaded and just can’t talk about wedding planning another second, don’t be afraid to politely ask for a different subject. Especially in regards to your close friends that you see regularly. If they bring it up or ask “how’s is planning going?” they are likely just interested in your life and excited for you. You can respond honestly by saying something like “it’s going well, but honestly I want to take a break from it, can we chat about you?” This allows you move on from wedding topics without being rude. This response would work for non-close friends also, but just make sure you tell your closest friends, you will likely see them more often!

My mom calls me every day with new ideas and plans. Surely your mother realizes you must lead a life outside of planning a Hill Country wedding. However, it can be like having a 2nd job, and maybe you should treat it like one. Set a meeting or phone call time with your mom or family member to chat about the wedding. Maybe it’s once a week and you get together over brunch or dinner. Tell your Mom to compile her ideas and so you can chat about them at the meeting each week. You can do this in a courteous way by saying something like “I would really like to consider all of your ideas fully when you present them, but I can’t do that if I am interrupting a work day or an evening at home. Can we set a weekly time to discuss them so I have the focus to really consider them?” This is boundary setting. It’s an adult thing. And it’s really good practice for more challenging situations with Mom in the future (kids, marriage, etc).

I feel really overwhelmed and tired all the time because I’m constantly thinking about all of the things that I need to get done for the wedding. Weddings can become obsessive; it’s really easy when you start reading all of the wedding blogs, and magazines and we won’t even talk about Pinterest obsessions. Like I’ve said before, weddings can be like having a 2nd job. Again, maybe you should treat it like one. Set times in your week to work on wedding planning. With your groom, family, Hill Country wedding planner and alone. Maybe it is one hour each evening for 4 days a week. How much planning you need to get done will depend on how long your engagement is and how much your planner is covering for you. However, the time that you spend doesn’t matter half as much as keeping the planning within those timeframes. Set yourself task lists for your planning time. This will keep you focused and will help you avoid the distraction of floating around from one website to another absorbing needless information. You will accomplish more, if you have set goals. It will be easier to make decisions because you have set deadlines. Last and most important, you can achieve planning a wedding without becoming and exploding ball of stress.

My fiancé doesn’t seem to care about all of the time I’m putting into planning this and just gets frustrated when I bring up planning. I can’t blame him. I know it seems really insensitive but you have to, for just one second, think about it from his perspective. My husband (after the wedding) explained it to me like this: “You asking me things about the wedding, like colors or floral arrangements, is like asking me whether I like the coaster here on the table or here.” True story. Guys don’t dream about their wedding for years on end like we do. I think maybe they dream about the honeymoon, but certainly not the dresses and floral arrangements and ceremony backdrops. Try not to vomit everything that pops into your head about the wedding onto him. I’m sure one of your friends who isn’t engaged or is maybe already married would love to live or relive their wedding vicariously through you. Use them as a sounding board. The last and most important thing that I want to share with you is that engagement can be one of the hardest times in your entire relationship thus far. I don’t say that to discourage you, but to encourage you. You are not alone. And it doesn’t mean your marriage is going to fail. It’s just hard. I would highly recommend dedicating one night (at least) per week to a date night with your fiancé. Take turns planning it (one week he plans, next week you plan) and agree to not speak a word of wedding planning to each other for the whole night. Remember what it was like when you went on dates before this stressful time? This will also be vital in helping you cope with marriage. Some early wives struggle with how to re-engage with their partners when the burden of wedding planning is no longer there. Believe me, you both could use a good date night once a week!

You will survive this time and your Hill Country wedding will be magnificent! I hope early into wedding planning you see the value of hiring an official Hill Country wedding planner. Honestly, it is the one thing you absolutely deserve to have.

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.

D.I.Y. E-Invites – Hill Country Wedding Planner

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paperlesspost.com

This week I got this lovely email invitation from a Hill Country wedding venue, Branded T Ranch, in Kendalia, Texas and was so delighted! I thought E-Cards were a thing of the past, but when this sparkly invite popped into my inbox I thought, “I must share this with the world!” When you open the message it is addressed personally in a font of your choice. Then, when you choose to open it, it shows the matching designed envelope opened and out pops the darling invite!

Paperless post offers traditional mail order invites and cards and the online email cards I

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speak of. Some designs are completely free, others you can purchase for a small fee. These are of course a great “green” option for all occasions, but I get most excited about using them for those events that you don’t want to spend the money or time to custom make and mail an invite. They are perfect for parties, wedding/bridal showers (especially when the bride has several to attend), engagement parties or baby showers. They are much classier alternative to a facebook message, with about the same amount of effort.

Here are some adorable options that I found!

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paperlesspost.com

D.I.Y. Monogrammed Table Runners-Hill Country Wedding Planner

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lyellphotography.com

Today I am going to teach you how to stencil these lovely runners for your wedding or your home! Being from the south, I can’t really get enough of monograms, especially at weddings. What better way to debut your new last name then at your wedding reception with a monogram! These runners are perfect for your wedding tables (banquet only please, maybe sometime in the future we will chat about why you should never put a runner on a round table). You can put them on just a few tables, like the head table or family tables, on just decorative tables like cake or buffet or all of your tables if it works with the rest of your décor. It can be a great way to decorate buffet tables without being cheesy (I wouldn’t recommend doing all the tables, plus buffet, pick and choose what fits best). Plus, after the wedding you’ll have a wedding keepsake to put on your own dining table at home. If you have several extra give them away to your new family for their homes, or sell them to brides about to inherit your same letter (I recommend selling on Ruffled’s recycle your wedding page).

Supplies
1. Burlap Runners ($5-$11 each on Etsy, or make your own for less than $4.00 each)
2. Black acrylic paint (or a different color if you choose) ($0.50)
3. Spongy paint brush ($1.79)
4. Hobby Knife ($2.50 after 40% off coupon at Michael’s**see note below)
4. Stencil Kit ($4.00 after 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby**see note below)
3. Cardboard you can throw away (free)

Your total cost for one runner is going to be around $14 (or $13 if you make one). If you make multiples, say 6 runners, you would be at around $6.50 per runner (or homemade for $5.50 each). These go on Etsy for $26-$40 each. Convinced yet?diy_monogram_runners_wedding_texas-3

Get the Runners. The first step is to get the runners. You can buy them on Etsy or at several hobby stores. I made this one. I’ll do another blog in the coming weeks about how to make this runner yourself (sew and no-sew version). Making them yourself is handy if your picky about the color of burlap, need a specific size for tables, or are making several. For now, let’s assume you have the runners.

Pick out a stencil. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby sell pre-made stencils in all patterns. I sadly couldn’t find a “B” that I was super happy with. So, I bought this handy dandy kit that allows you to cut your own stencil.  You can search on google fonts or just look through your Microsoft Word fonts to see if there is one there that you like. If you are super artsy, just search on Pinterest for ideas and hand draw your letter (that is what I did). If you find a stencil at one of these two stores that you love, great! Don’t you dare buy that stencil without a coupon, girl (see note below). Congrats, move two spaces past go and you can keep the 40% you just saved with the coupon!

Cutting the stencil. diy_monogram_runners_wedding_texas-5If you found a stencil you liked, you can skip this section. If you are cutting the stencil yourself, keep reading. I traced the letter onto the stencil plastic. I also bought a handy little hobby knife to cut the plastic with. I had to cut two separate pieces to get the outline of my “B” and to keep the center without paint.
I considered (as you may be also) just cutting cardboard or something sturdy to make the stencil. The reason I opted out of this option was for several reasons 1) if you are tracing your letter, not hand drawing it, it is so much easier to do through the semi see through stencil plastic 2) you can keep the stencil for future use (I have done pillows with that same stencil) 3) the plastic wipes clean super easy to make clean up a cinch 4) the thin material helps you to get really close to fabric so the edges of your letter are clean and crisp.

diy_monogram_runners_wedding_texas-6Attaching the Stencil. Next, you place your stencil on the runner in the placement that you desire.  Make sure to put cardboard (not newspaper, it will glue to the back of the fabric when drying) under your burlap, paint will definitely leak through the fabric. I used masking tape to tape down the stencil to keep me from accidentally scooching it. It also helps to irondiy_monogram_runners_wedding_texas-17 your burlap with a good steam, you don’t want the wrinkly fabric to cause you to smudge. Jonah my kitty decided she would help…

 

Painting it. Choose a permanent paint, like acrylic paint. I prefer not to use fabric paint as it seems to get a little gunky with the fibers on the burlap. I recommend using a spongy paintbrush. It helps to blot the paint instead of stroking it to keep the stencil in place. Go for the method of multiple blots with the spongy brush instead of large amounts of paint on each blot. Too much runny paint on your sponge will cause it to bleed under the stencil onto the fabric outside of your letter. I recommend doing a practice run on a spare piece of burlap to get the hang of it.

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Allow the paint to dry before removing the stencil or it will smear. Same with the card board, make sure it is totally dry before removing the burlap, or it will smear on the back side.

 

 

 

 

You have your beautifully stenciled runner!diy_monogram_runners_wedding_texas-15 Plus extra paint and a perfectly good stencil to use on other items that need monogramming! This technique will work on other fabrics and with other paint colors as well. Feel free to change it to whatever fits your theme best.

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**DON’T YOU BUY THAT STENCIL WITHOUT A COUPON. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby ALWAYS have a coupon. If you are planning a wedding or are into craft projects at all, just download the Michael’s app and the Hobby Lobby app on your phone. Then you will have access the coupon anytime you need to pick up something. I went to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby at least 40 times in the 9 months I was planning my wedding and never bought a darn thing without a coupon. They usually have a 40% off one item, or 20% off your purchase. It adds up, trust me. Even if you aren’t that worried about $2.50 here and there, if you go half as much as I did you will have save $50. That 10 extra gin and tonic’s, or 5 really strong margaritas on your honeymoon. See what I mean? Mmm… Margaritas….