It’s that time of year again, so we are re-posting a favorite:

Anyone who knows San Antonio, has heard of Fiesta.  It’s 11 days of celebration in honor of Texas’ Independence.  There are parades, parties, and cascarones galore.  And the food is awesome.  It is a REALLY fun time of year to live in this city!

Since this is one of the most anticipated series of events all year (that we LOVE….have I mentioned that?), we decided to do a Fiesta-inspired shoot.

Check out these fun colors and festive decor to kick of the first day of Fiesta.  We hope all you San Antonians enjoy this next week!  Viva!

Venue: Lost Mission

Invitations/place cards: Kate Stafford

Styling: Sarah Halbach

Dress: custom design by Angelina Mata

We pulled together a spring styled shoot with a friend’s BABY goat (dream come true), an invitation by HMF + Design and Cat’s cute girls. Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Valentine’s Day!! Here is a super easy recipe for some cookies I’ve been making for years. I snagged this from Paula Dean (we love butter) and tweaked it a little. Here is the recipe but, be sure to double up on almond extract instead of using vanilla and make them teeny tiny (bite-sized, addictive, and seals in the moisture). I only cook these for 6-8 minutes! Just check to make sure the dough isn’t “shiny” (technical cooking term I made up) on the top and then take them out! Iced or not… these cookies are the best. Thanks to Marisa and Hallie for making them :).

Because it’s Valentine’s week and these two have been married for over 50 years… I just had to post these of my grandparents (Mimi and Papa) at their ranch (along with a few of their GREAT granddaughter). They have been such an example to our whole family on how to live life joyfully and thankfully. Papa is the one who taught me to pick up a camera and take pictures constantly! Also, Cow Creek is one of the most beautiful places on the earth!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I found a picture on pinterest of the back of my dress and knew I wanted to find a dress that I could have the same back replicated. A friend of mine, Kim Spradlin, owns Bellabridesmaid in San Antonio and in Austin and one of my best friend’s and bridesmaids works at the Austin store. My mom and I drove up to Austin for a fun day trip and tried on wedding dresses at Bella and found “the one”! It was the second dress I tried on and we were able to remake the back from a local woman in San Antonio named Betty.

Describe your wedding flowers and the colors you chose….and why! I wanted our wedding to feel very organic so we went with a lot of greens and natural colors. I honestly don’t even remember what flowers we used…maybe don’t put that in there haha.

What were your favorite details? The boy’s bowties, the color of the foliage behind where we go married, my diamond necklace that Stephen gave me (it was his great grandmothers and has been passed down each generation), Stephen’s cufflinks and wedding band were his Papa Jack’s, bridesmaids and all of the kids wore TOMS shoes, our cake from Bird Bakery had unique flavors: sea salt carmel, carrot cake, pistachio, and sweet potato; the tree stump slices as center pieces….

What part of your wedding was DIY? We made candle jars wrapped in lace and filled with bird seed

Did you have any traditions or special events that were a part of your wedding? Taking communion together was really special, and we loved having a bagpiper

Did you decide to do a “first look”?  Why or why not? No, we wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I was walking down the aisle

Did your write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite part? We tweaked them. We took traditional vows and tweaked a few words. For example we said, “With this ring I marry you” instead of “With this ring I thee wed”

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day? Stephen: (I cannot say my real answer…. wink….) seeing Alli walk towards me down the aisle
Alli: exchanging vows. I felt like it was just us and we were surrounded by so much peace and love. The sun was setting so the light was just perfect! The Lord’s presence there was so tangible, it was amazing. Best. Day. Ever!

What song did you choose for the first dance?  Was it meaningful or just a favorite? Michael Buble “You and I” but….they couldn’t get the iPod to work…so the band played “At Last”.

What was the funniest moment of your wedding day? Stephen: when my brothers threw me in the pool when I was getting dressed right before the wedding
Alli: trying to pay attention and listen to Joey during the ceremony but we just kept laughing with each other.

What do you look forward to the most about marriage? Waking up to my best friend every day. Having my best friend to go on life’s adventures with.

VENDORS:

Venue: Cordillera Ranch @ Swede Creek
Caterer: O’Briens Restaurant
Cake: Bird Bakery
Flowers: Steven Pizzini
Wedding Coordinator: Country Sugar
Dress: Saja from Bella Bridesmaid, (the back was made by a local dress maker named Betty)
Invitations: Clare Wood of Carriage House Design Co.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I found my wedding dress by accident. My mom and I stopped into a small boutique in Austin just to get a few ideas about what style dress I liked best. I wasn’t planning on trying any on but they had just had a cancellation and happened to have an appointment open in an hour. We looked at maybe 5 dresses and I tried on 2.  The decision was so easy and stress free! I already knew that I would wear my mom’s lace veil that she wore in her wedding; it complimented the dress perfectly.

Describe your wedding flowers and the colors you chose….and why. I knew that I wanted all white flowers for my bouquet and the reception and I didn’t really have a strong opinion about the rest of the flowers. The bridesmaids’ dresses were navy and I thought that their blush pink bouquets looked great.  The flowers at the rehearsal dinner were so gorgeous! I had mentioned to my mother- in- law that I wanted deep pink and berry colored flowers and Westbank Florist did an amazing job.

What part of your wedding was DIY? We did the favors ourselves (candy and drink koozies) as well as the goody bags for the out-of-town guests staying in hotels. Custom M&Ms are always fun and my step-father surprised everyone with wedding themed cigars and t-shirts the night before the wedding. They were so cheesy but I think everyone loved it.

Did you have any traditions or special events that were a part of your wedding? Other than wearing my mom’s veil from her wedding I also had my late grandmother’s aquamarine pendant attached to my bouquet. When I was little I remember playing dress up with that necklace every time we went to visit my grandmother. It is something that has great memories attached to it and was perfect for my “something blue”.

VENDORS:

Venue: The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd; Westwood Country Club

Wedding Coordinator- Tracey Zbranek from Events by Decisions

Catering: Westwood Country Club

Dress: from Alexia Gavela in Austin, TX

Flowers: Keith from Westbank Flower Market is awesome! The flowers were gorgeous

Cakes: Our cakes were from Michelle’s Patisserie and they were beautiful and delicious!

Videography- Lindsey Woo- I love our wedding video! Lindsey captured so many cool moments and watching the video really brings back the emotions of that day.