3 Things To Add To Your Wedding Day
It all begins with an idea.
Weddings have downsized recently if you haven’t noticed. Mostly because of the COVID and the mandates that have been put on the City of Austin. I have certainly been ok with the smaller size given that is my favorite wedding type.
I have seen a lot of couples downsize to just the two of them or a handful of their family and friends. I have seen couples plan an intimate ceremony and go home after or couples plan a lovely night for 15 guests - full bar, photo booth, lounge, and sparklers.
Here are some of my favorite things you can add to your day to make it more special…
Champagne & Cake
What is a celebration without some bubbles and cake. Plan for a small table after your ceremony and cut your wedding cake. Even if you don’t have a lot of guests with you or it’s just the two of you, there is something about “punch and cake” that takes it to the next level.
Vow Books
A lot of couples consider writing their vows and maybe scratching them on a piece of paper or having a printout. What is more romantic is to have a keepsake book with your vows in them. I will hold them for you during their ceremony.
Live Music
A lot of couples will skip out on this if it is just a small wedding or the two of them. Having a live musician - even just a violinist or guitarist - to help you not worry about who is going to press play on your playlist will be invaluable. Hire them for 1 hour - and cut your cake right after your vows. Then you have really made good use of them!
How I Wrote My Vows
Writing your own wedding vows is one of the more intimate and personal things you can do on your wedding day. My husband and I wanted to take a stab at this idea ourselves (8 years ago). It was important to have guidelines. We need to make sure that the structure was easy for both of us to follow and help us put into words what we were trying to express. Isn’t that the hardest part of considering writing your own vows? How do I even start by telling this person I love that I want to commit to them for the rest of my life and how much they have meant to me and how grateful I am that they have touched my life? That alone is intimidating.
So I came up with this great idea… let’s take a trip. I will bring the guidelines with us and we will take the time at some point in our vacation to sit down separately and write. So we went to Colorado during the summer (which isn’t that the most amazing time?) and we rented a jeep and listened to Bob Schneider and we drove thru the state and posted up at a few different mountain towns for a couple of weeks.
Then the last few days, we went to Vail (it’s where his Dad used to take him when he was younger) and we stayed in the village and we found a pretty creek and took our guidelines and our journals and we sat separately and I wrote my vows.
That worked for me… it was beautiful. For him… not so much. It felt “forced” to sit down by a creek and put into words right in this exact moment. That was a good lesson of understanding my partner. What worked for me, did not work for him. It sounded dreamy, but the end result wasn’t for him. That is ok.
It’s important for us to realize that the way one person writes is different than our partners. We have different love languages. We have different things that make us wild about the other person and we also have things that align so perfectly.
Well vow writing for him wasn’t by the creek. However, we came back home and I finished up the final touches on my vows and he wrote his by a certain time so we had time to make necessary changes. We sent them to our very best friend to help us align so one person didn’t “say more” than the other. We were open to hearing how to make modifications so we can make sure that it felt connected and fulfilling to each person. We also thought that the person that should help us align our vows was someone who knew both of us well enough to help put into words what our heartfelt.
Then we sent our vows to our officiant who also read them and added or removed them accordingly. We had them printed in special vow books and our officiant hung on to them during the ceremony until it was time to read them.
They were the perfect combination of funny, sweet, loving, and the things we hoped for in marriage.
TAKEAWAYS TO WRITING YOUR VOWS
Have a structure.
Find a time that works for you to write. It doesn’t have to be at the same time.
Have a deadline of when your first draft needs to be complete so you can send them to someone that knows you both well enough to review them.
Be open to modifications to your vows. There is nothing worse than one person saying things that are really sweet and the other person joking the entire time. One person is getting the short end of the stick.
Have them printed and easy to read. You will be emotional on wedding day, you want to make sure you can read your vows.
5 Austin Places To Elope
It all begins with an idea.
I have had the joy of getting to marry couples at some of the most beautiful places in Austin. What is amazing about Austin is that there are certainly more than 10 locations to love when you are looking for a place to have an elopement so let me disclaim this right now. I have compiled a very short list of only a few of my favorite spots for couples to elope.
Here are 5 locations in Austin, TX where you can have a ceremony by yourselves and elope or a ceremony with a small wedding celebration nearby to follow.
Mattie’s Green Pastures
Southern charm minutes away from downtown Austin. This beautiful Southern home reimagined into a gourmet restaurant is also home to a wedding venue (and real-life stunning Peacocks). There are several outdoor locations to elope under beautiful oak trees, there also is a tented space outside of the large ballroom, and a chic small wedding space with one of the prettiest / coolest bars you will ever see. They have great wood xback chairs for your ceremony for guests so you can have a sophisticated wedding look. I also REALLY love the staff here. They are just as gourmet as the food. This is definitely worth checking out for your ceremony.
Sekrit Theater
This is an incredibly unique spot. A lot of my clients will carve out time specifically to take photos here if nothing else. If you are into photography and lighting, this is truly the spot for you. The grounds have several unique structures made from recycled materials, such as the greenhouse, lounge bus, a full-sized movie screen with concession stand, as well as collections of antiques and treasures scattered throughout the property. I simply love this location for elopements. You have to bring in all of your own items is the only kicker - there are no chairs available for use.
Zilker Botanical Gardens
It’s not called “jewel in the heart of Austin” for play. This is one of the prettiest spots to wed. There are a variety of locations both indoors and outdoors that are available for use. The use of the property for photos is magical. The lush green around the property will leave you feeling transplanted elsewhere. It’s also very close to downtown if you wanted to stay nearby for your honeymoon night!
Laguna Gloria
This property will take you to Santa Barbara, Or enjoy the Italian-style Driscoll Villa on the shores of Lake Austin either way :) it doesn’t feel like Texas. What is really neat about this property is that your guests can not only drive into a beautiful property but tour art installations around the property. This property is always in high demand so it is worth contacting sooner than later to make sure it’s available.
Driskill Hotel
The historic Driskill Hotel is hands down one of my most favorite properties. Built for a cattle baron in 1886, it has been at the center of local hospitality ever since and has the stories to prove it. It has also been well-restored and remains one of the most romantic wedding settings in the city. It is the perfect place for something more traditional with deep Texas history. There are several spots you can rent depending on your style.
There are so many fun and funky locations, but it would take me all day to blog about them all. I will create a standard list of really cool elopement spots to check out in Austin and Dripping Springs areas soon!