WeddingWire Austin Community

Bringing together the ATX wedding community of engaged couples, newlyweds, family and friends, and even those not yet engaged!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Review Spotlight: Diane’s Dream Wedding!

Choosing a wedding venue is an exciting process! Some couples know exactly what they want from the moment they get engaged (and, let’s be real, sometimes even before), while others visit multiple venues before determining the best fit for their wedding. Whichever category you fall into, once you say “yes!” to the venue, wedding plans can really start to take shape. 

Diane K. and her husband didn’t have a specific vision for their big day, but they knew they wanted “simple, elegant and a little bit of Texas.” With this description in mind, these lovebirds found that Pecan Springs Ranch was the perfect fit! The couple couldn’t have been more thrilled with their wedding venue; just read on for a snippet of Diane’s venue love:

“Not only were we impressed, but our wedding guests are STILL talking about it!... We loved everything, including the well maintained grounds, all of the decor rentals they have available, the expertise of their staff to answer all of my questions, the perfect mix of modern amenities in a venue with the rustic, vintage charm, the private and intimate feeling, and how easygoing the whole atmosphere was. We really can't say enough compliments of this venue and their staff to make my little wedding dream a reality.” – Diane K., married 2.21.15

Congratulations on your dream day, Diane! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness. Thank you for sharing your experience with us! To read Diane’s full review, head on over to WeddingWire.

And since a photo speaks a thousand words, take a peek at the picturesque Pecan Springs Ranch:

Gorgeous, day and night!

Do you have a vendor dream team of your own? Show them some love by writing your own reviews. Then, drop us a line ([email protected]) for a chance to be featured on the blog!

Happy Planning!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

A Sweet Side of Wedding Planning!

The WeddingWire Austin Community celebrated the sweet life last night during our Delectable Desserts workshop at Sweet Treets Bakery! Engaged couples, wedding party supporters, and friends joined together for an evening of cake tasting and dessert discussion, led by Jackie with Sweet Treets! From what to expect during a cake tasting to current trends in the cake world, Jackie shared her incredible insights and answered everyone’s sweet questions. And for those of you who are fans of all things gold and shiny, you’re completely on trend – metallic decor is totally in right now (this goes for cakes, too)!

Some of Jackie’s top tips include:

Plan ahead to book the bakery you want! Like most wedding vendors, bakeries book up fast.

Bring a photo (or two) of your cake inspiration. A photo can speak a thousand words, and really make a difference when it comes to bringing your vision of a dream cake to life!

If you’re looking to save, cupcakes are typically the cheapest option. You save on price per guest and you get to skip the catering cake cutting fee!

Another way to save is to choose a skinny three tier cake (serves 100) and serve the rest of your slices from a sheet cake.

Dessert buffets are all the rage, as they offer a variety of cakes and other treats. These are brilliant for providing numerous options and flavors for guests, but be aware that they can be pricey. 

After the inspirational presentation and lively Q&A, guests enjoyed three varieties of cakes – carrot, raspberry cheesecake, and strawberry champagne – each of which were paired perfectly with wine tastings. While sampling these scrumptious sweets, attendees also flipped through Jackie's many books of cake creations and drooled over the gorgeous cakes on display in the bakery. Everyone left the event feeling inspired and excited for their own dream wedding cakes!

Thank you so much to Jackie and Sweet Treets Bakery for opening your doors to us, letting us sample your crave-worthy creations, and sharing such genuine enthusiasm for all things wedding cakes.  

We had such a fantastic time and can’t wait until our next WeddingWire Austin shindig. Want to stay informed about future events? Join our meetup group! And in the meantime, we’d love to see your planning photos – just download the free Wedsocial App and join using code “austincommunity″.

Happy Planning!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Tonight: Event Location Change!

We have had a last minute venue change -- we are excited to announce that tonight’s Delectable Desserts event will now be held at Sweet Treets Bakery, giving you the full wedding cake experience!!  We will still have wine pairings and more! : )

NEW LOCATION: Sweet Treets Bakery & Cafe 6705 W Highway 290 Ste 601 Austin, TX WHEN: TONIGHT, Thursday, May 14, 2015 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Click here for all of the event details. Please email [email protected] with any q’s. See you tonight!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

This sweet soiree is going down tomorrow and there’s still time to RSVP!

Join the WeddingWire Austin Community as we learn the ins and outs of wedding cakes from Jackie with Sweet Treets Bakery. We’ll be sampling sweets while sipping on wonderful wine... sounds like a perfect Thursday to us!

••• May 14th: 6:30-8:30pm•••

Visit our event page for all the deets!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Wine sampling + Cake tasting

Need we say more?!

Join us next month for 101 Workshop on Delectable Desserts. We’ll be headed to the Austin Winery where Jackie from Sweet Treets Bakery will be pairing her crave-worthy cakes with some super satisfying sips of wine. She’ll also teach attendees about fillings, designs, grooms’ cakes and help distinguish between butter cream and fondant frostings. 

May 14th

6:30-8:30pm

The Austin Winery:  9007 Tuscany Way, Austin

RSVP here

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Sara H. - BAM and BAH, and loving 3D Cruise and Travel

Sarah from Round Rock got married a couple weeks ago and she’s now BAM (back and married) and BAH (back after honeymoon). What is the first thing you do after you’re done with all of the wedding planning and partying and celebrating, you ask? Why, write reviews about all of the wedding planning and partying and celebrating!

In the spirit of some gorgeous weather, here’s a snippet of Sarah H.’s review of 3D Cruise and Travel, who helped make sure she could celebrate her nuptials and relax on her honeymoon: 

I can't recommend Debby Stevens enough for your travel plans! ... We went to Sandals in Great Exuma, Bahamams and it was absolutely perfect. Where Debby scores major points (wish I could give her more stars) is that we had actually missed our flight out. We were set to go out the next day after our wedding but do to missing our alarm, we missed our flight. I called Debby at 7:30am on a Sunday morning and she answered right away and helped to calm me and was able to book us another flight out the next day and push everything back. I was so thankful to have her!

Talk about some 5-star service! 3D Cruise and Travel also helps plan destination weddings, however large or small. So, check them out and let us know where you have in mind to go, for your wedding and/or honeymoon!

images courtesy of 3D Cruise and Travel

We love reading some rave reviews, so keep on writing reviews and we could share yours here on the blog! 

And to you, Sarah- congratulations on your recent marriage!!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

ATX gets moving!

Thanks for breaking a sweat with us, Austin! 

The Austin community met in the beautiful Zilker Park on Tuesday, April 7th for a solid 45-minute boot camp-style workout. Engaged girls, guys and Bridal Party members learned a great new workout routine they can do on their own as well as got some great tips from personal trainer, Courtney Sugar, on fitness and nutrition! This event was the perfect way to kick off their summer (wedding) season in a total fit fashion!

Here are a few key really great tips from Courtney to look and feel good before the Big Day (that are totally realistic and achievable): 

Fitness Tips:

Constantly change up the workout!  As soon as your body is used to a specific form of working out, you are no longer getting the bang for your workout buck! Switch from a long run to high intensity interval training, to a spin class and back. Keep your body guessing for the best results!

Set goals that work best for you!  If you know you only have time to workout three times a week, commit to those three days and make those workouts count!

Workout smart, not hard: pace yourself and focus on every movement, keeping your form on target, ultimately getting the most out of your workout

Nutrition Tips:

Don't deprive yourself of food!  So many people try to go for the lowest calorie intake in conjunction with calorie burning workouts.  This will only force your body to store those few calories as fat in your body and you hit that always annoying plateau.  Instead, fuel your body with a healthy amount of calories (especially lean, green, and high protein options!) for best results. (so smart, love 

Finally, a fun question of the evening "What is the healthiest cocktail"? Vodka soda or Vodka water with lemon or lime! But again, everything in moderation!!

Thanks again to Courtney for putting together such a great session! If you’re interested in a personal in-home training session or at Danes Body, know that she has 7+ years experience in Precision Nutrition, NASM-certified Personal Training, Crossfit, and more - and Nike Training Club named her in the Top 10 of Women Fitness Influencers in Austin. How cool is that?! Reach out to her at: 

[email protected] 

512-983-2951

Be notified of future WeddingWire Austin Community Events! ?Join the WeddingWire email list and the WeddingWire Austin Community Meetup Group to connect, share, learn and have fun!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

WeddingWire Ladies and Gents- let’s get our fitness on tomorrow! Join us and personal trainer, Courtney Sugar, in Zilker Park from 6-7:30pm to learn about eating right leading up to the Big Day and then break a little sweat during a 45-minute boot-camp style class. Any and all skill-levels are welcome and will feel comfortable at the event, where Courtney will help you set a good pace. 

Meet us by the volleyball courts and bring an exercise mat if you have one. RSVP on our Meetup page!

Here’s a little bit about Courtney: 

Courtney Sugar is an original Austinite and proud mother of an adorable 4-year-old son. Courtney’s 7+ years in the fitness industry both training and coaching boot camp as well as her knowledge in the area of nutrition make her the perfect instructor for a group of brides-to-be, grooms-to-be, and their friends seeking a great evening of fitness and nutrition! So. come and meet Courtney tomorrow, who is excited to meet the WeddingWire Austin Community and lead a class of calorie burning, muscle toning fun! 

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Great spot, flowing wine, fresh florals and buzzing brides-to-be. It was a great event.

Tuesday’s WeddingWire Fresh Florals 101 event could not have been more perfect. 

For starters, the event took place at the beautiful Olive & June restaurant. It was a lovely spring evening, so attendees were able to experience the full outdoor patio and take in that gorgeous oak tree. On the inside, the folks at Austin Winery had everyone - especially the grooms -  happily sipping the evening away. 

After some socializing (and making NEW friends!), award-winning florist, Beth with Exquisite Petals, took the stage to talk about floral trends and tips. Here are a couple pointers from her: 

Trends: ombre colors are in, as well as a loose. romantic look

Be inspired but pick what speaks to you

For minding a budget: have the more expensive floral (garden rose, peony, orchids) on the bouquets as they are the most photographed and use the less expensive flower for the centerpieces (especially since there will likely be more tables than bouquets!)

Next, Beth guided the guests through thebasics of creating a mini bouquet – reviewing the classic dome shape as well asa more natural “just picked from a field” look. 

Guests then had the opportunity to create their dream mini bouquet using an array of colorful flowers, greenery and ribbon.  This session not only provided for the WeddingWire Austin community members a fun, creative evening with friends but they also got to ask questions about floral trends, recommended bouquet size, floral budgeting and more!

We were definitely impressed with how creative and skilled our engaged Austin Community is. We were happy to educate attendees so they can better select their wedding flowers.

At our next event, we’ll be helping Austinites get Wedding Fit. It’s happening on Tuesday, April 7th. RSVP here. Because that’s #howweplan

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

It’s Friday and you know what that means...

Let the weekend begin! 

In the spirit of ‘it’s 5 o’clock somewhere’ we want to dedicate this post to all those who make it possible for us to enjoy some superbly crafted cocktails and cold brews, whether it is Friday or 5 o’clock or, say Tuesday at 3pm. (don’t judge, at least it’s after Noon)

To be specific, though, we’re a big fan of WeTendBar who come to the rescue whenever anyone needs said cocktail or cold, refreshing beer. Yes! That’s right - you need a bartender, now you have one! Verinda and Greg have been known to provide outstanding service but perhaps all we need to say is: watermelon margaritas. #sold

Here are some area couples who toast to WeTendBar

“They were quick, professional, and I had multiple guests come up to me to applaud them and say how nice they are--plus their margaritas are delicious! “ - Kelly L

“I heard so many great things about [Greg] from my guests after the event ended. The drinks were delicious and Greg handled everyone ... like a pro! “ - Latasha F

Read more reviews and learn about WeTendBar on WeddingWire. Cheers to a great weekend, y’all! 

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

[Lost Pines Bluegrass and Bouquet Bands] created the perfect ambiance for the ceremony and even performed a very special duet during our vows. For the reception– they had great energy for getting people out on the dance floor (they even did a two-step lesson to warm up our guests). They also let the groom get up on stage and sing an old Hank Williams song with them- which was amazing and one of my favorite memories of the day.

-Kristi F., married 9/27/14

Yeah. After reading that review, I'm pretty sure I'd book them for my wedding, too. Kristi, it sounds like you found the perfect band to play the soundtrack of your happily ever after. Congratulations as you approach your 6-month wedding anniversary and thanks for your review!

What inspired this review, you ask? Well, SXSW just around the corner, and since we don't have tix to enjoy some great music there, we're finding some other awesome music to jam to. Enter: The Lost Pines Bluegrass and Bouquet Bands. Couples love them because they're easy to work with, they deliver what's asked for and, well, because they're super talented and create a rockin' good time at a wedding reception. 2015 became the first year they won the Couples' Choice Award but we're pret-ty certain this will not be the last!  

Take a listen for yourself as you read the full review here on WeddingWire- my toes are a tappin', my head is bopping along and I'm pretty happy just thinking about being at a wedding where these guys are playing!

Have a vendor you love? Write a review and let us know for your own shout out here on the blog!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Eat, drink and be inspired!

A couple weeks ago, we brought the Austin Community together at the Palm Door to check out their gorgeous event spaces - at both their location on Sabine Street, as well as on Sixth Street. We just got some pics back and had to share the beautiful scene there. 

Beth, our Community Lead, was at the 6th St. location. It's only one-year old and  is ideal for the bride looking for a large venue featuring indoor and outdoor space. The venue could easily suit a modern bride or a couple interested in creating a more bohemian, romantic feel for their special event.

Birch & Brass brought in stunning, eclectic furniture and décor to set the mood for the evening, providing everything from vintage chairs and couches to decorative floral plates and linens.

Lighting, as we recently learned from our January WeddingWire Austin event (thank you Clearly Classy Events for the tip), is one of the best ways to dress up a space on a budget – Ilios draped the venue in delicate lace cut lighting displays along with a few warm floor lights, bringing red and purple hues into the space.

One of my favorite perks of the night – a custom floral crown by Three of Cups!  I personally sported my pink rose crown for the full duration of the evening. Thanks Three of Cups for the ultimate wedding event accessory!

Meeting some of Austin’s engaged couples in this space was an exciting way to connect with the community.  Hearing their thoughts on what they would do with the space was such a fun experience.  Everyone had their own creative take!

Kristina Wood, one of WeddingWire Austin’s community members, had the opportunity to meet more couples at the Sabine location, Palm Door’s original venue. This cozy space is perfect for a smaller group but still has the same flexibility of a great venue to achieve a variety of themes.

In addition to everyone mentioned above, thanks to the other vendors who helped to pull off this beautiful event: 

Bella by Sara

Premier Events

ILD

Parentheses Photography

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

See you tonight!

Tonight's events at the Palm Door are going to be B-EAU-TI-FUL! Grab your Partner or a friend and then make your way over to see Beth and Kristina tonight! 

The event is free, the drinks are too, so stop by and say hello to Community Lead, Beth, and fellow-bride-to-be, Brand Ambassador Kristina, too!

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

Nice to meet you, Austin!

We'd love to meet as many in our WeddingWire Austin crew as possible next Wednesday, 2/18 at our Meet & Greet event! We're teaming up with the Palm Door, who is hosting TWO parties! One at their Sabine location and the other at the Palm Door on Sixth Street. 

Complimentary light fare and drinks will be served as you meet some awesome vendors who are providing gorgeous inspiration for your upcoming 'I Do's': 

Pink Avocado Catering

Birch &  Brass Rentals

Clearly Classy Events

3 of Cups

Premiere Events

The Cupcake Bar

(Parentheses) Photography

ILIOS Lighting Design

Intelligent Lighting Design

Bella By Sara

Beth, our Community Lead and Kristina, a Brand Ambassador, will be on-site from 5-8pm- so stop by, say hello and pick up some awesome swag! Per usual, 'this is not your typical wedding event!" For parking info and to RSVPs visit WeddingWire.

Check out some of the fun we've had at other events across the country:

[weddingwireaustin-blog]

2015 kick-off: Sip & Plan

The first event of the year for WeddingWire Austin was such a great, interactive night. The Sip & Plan was hosted by Beth, our lovely Austin Community Lead, and Johnell of Clearly Classy Events. Johnell helped answer attendees' tough questions, ranging from save-the-dates, to budgeting and vendor selection. 

Some of Johnell's key tips: 

Don't be afraid to ask [vendors]! This is your wedding and it should represent you as a couple. Personalize it!

Get a day-of coordinator, at a minimum! Don't make your mother, aunt or photographer run around for you! 

How to get through planning your own wedding: plan for a weekend, take some time off, plan for another weekend, then take some time off. Divide your year of planning into the beginning, middle and end.  Focus on your goals for each stage and let it go in between.

My personal favorite really set the tone for the entire evening: 

Most importantly, keep it simple and do your own thing!

Thanks to all who came and we hope to see you again at our next event!