Liz + Nick
//Words by Liz + Nick
Tell us your story...
Nick and I met at {my parent's} ranch on June 12, 2009. My mom, Sherri Moffa, was throwing an engagement party for my cousin Ryan and her fiancee Griff. Ryan and Griff brought along a few of their closest friends for the weekend, Nick being one of them. After spending the weekend getting to know each other, Nick asked me for my email address, and the rest is history!
We chose the venue because that is where Nick and I met and got engaged. There was a lot of sentimental value attached to the ranch, and having it any where else just wouldn't have felt right!
...everything just kept falling into place. At a time like this in life, it's really amazing to see how much people who love you will do for you. I'm very grateful to all my friends and family for their extensive amount of help and their efforts put forth to make it all possible. The wedding was beyond my expectations, and I could not be any more happy with the way everything turned out.
One afternoon, Nick and I kidnapped his cousin, Wyatt and asked him to please help us to decide what Nick should wear to the wedding! On our way to a potential clothing store, I showed Wyatt a photo of me in my dress. He proceeded to tell Nick, he thinks he should wear something dressy, like a three piece suit. Nick responds, " Well, I have a three piece suit...and it was my Dad's.....and it's blue." Perfect! So we turn the car around and head back home. We took the suit to Jan at The Clothing Hospital, and she worked her magic...!
After getting engaged, my mom asked me if I would want to wear her dress for my wedding. I said yes of course! We took the dress to The Clothing Hospital in Austin, Texas for a little altering. We decided to take the sleeves off the dress to bring it up to date, and make it more suitable for an outdoor May wedding in the Texas heat.
...we decided the wedding colors should be ivory and brown, and at Nick's request, "a manly color" - so blue you have it.
With a vintage dress, a LOVE for old things, and plenty of inspiration found on Pinterest, my cousins and I set out to do some antique shopping. Here we found several suitable centerpiece items. A couple visits to Hobby Lobby and Michaels, and many hours later, attempting to group the random items, the centerpieces (no two alike) were finally complete!
My family and friends joined me one week in March for craft time! Here we pulled together our DIY Pinterest inspired details and made them reality. Everything from program fans, to antique dictionary paper bird seed send-off cones, to fabric wrapped hoola-hoops came to life.
My favorite part of the wedding planning process was working with my mom of course! I have so much appreciation for her help and all her hard work. I am very lucky she is so good at throwing a party!
Nick and I are 11 years apart! ...So were his parents, AND his great-grandparents! Nick and I did not have a traditional wedding party. Instead, we asked our siblings to stand next to us. I asked my brother, David, to be my best man, and Nick asked his sister, Loann, to be his matron of honor.
My favorite party of the day? What a tough question. Besides marrying the love of my life, my favorite part of the day was listening to the Best Man and Matron of Honor (our siblings) give their speeches. Both were moving and humorous, and sent tears rolling down my cheeks. We are so lucky to have family who care so much.
Other highlights include:
Dancing with my dad to Kevin Fowler's "Daddies and Daughters".
Watching two of my girlfriends, Sepi and Maureen, DIVE ON THE GROUND for my bouquet.
Having such an amazing officiant, my cousin, give such a touching, beautiful and memorable ceremony. It was perfect.
Getting ready with all my ladies, and having them all BALLING as I put my dress on.
And seeing all the people who I love, all in one place.
Coordinator: In Her Shoes - Lindsay Blackwell | Caterer: Austin Catering - Tiffany | Florist: Brenda Abbott Floral Design - Brenda made the bouquets, boutonnieres and a few floral arrangements. The centerpieces and most other arrangements were put together by Liz's lovely lady crew, comprised of talented friends and family. | DJ: Texas Pro DJs - DJ Miles | Bride's Cake: Liz's longest friend, Miss Maureen Hobby | Groom's Cake: Amazing Cakes of Austin - Yvette | Videographer: Liz's cousin, Miss Ellen Bruxvoort | Photo Booth: Lasting Images - William | Rentals: Premiere Party Central | Officiant: Liz's cousin, Mr. Larry Monzingo - who became ordained in order to marry Nick and Liz | Hair: Pearl Hair & Make-up Studio - Sam Denby | Make-up: Pearl Hair & Make-up Studio - Maris | Portable Potty Trailer: First Class Rentals | Popcorn Machine: Whim Event Rentals | Dress and Suit Alterations: The Clothing Hospital - Jan
Lyndee + Caleb
//Words by Lyndee + Caleb Tell us your story...
It really was one of those when you least expect it stories...
My company was opening a new location and as a marketer I had to help plan out merchandising/advertising for the walls. The day we visited the branch to plan out what was going to go where, Caleb was overseeing the punch list as the Project Manager for the company who was building our new branch.
We eye flirted for about an hour...and right when I was about to leave he finally came out to introduce himself. Sadly enough he didn't ask for my phone number, BUT it could have been because he was distracted by his friend yelling "Oooooooo Caleb's in love!!!" across the parking lot as I was just about to leave.
So there I was driving away thinking, "wow, that was WAY too good to be true." Awkwardly enough I contacted the project manager for my company and asked if he'd known anything about the guy in the Red Sox cap...Caleb. Nicely enough he did not think I was weird for asking and did a little recon for me. Turns out Caleb's brother also worked for the company and was told if I showed back up that he was to immediately call Caleb so he could come up and ask for my phone number. Longer story short...his brother ended up giving me Caleb's number and I had to make the first move...eek! But I did, and we're been inseparable ever since. The best part is neither one of us had to go back to the branch after that one specific day. I like to think it was kismet.
Almost 2 years later - to the day he proposed...in front of that same branch. There's a story to go with that too, but none the less it was perfect!
We love the hill country! When we first starting dating there was nothing more we liked to do than just drive through the hill country enjoying the scenery. Whether we were taking our dogs for a swim, antiquing, visiting our favorite B&B in Comfort, TX or just driving aimlessly it was the perfect way to spend time together. Vista West Ranch is located in the heart of the hill county and provided that perfectly rustic natural charm we had envisioned for our big day.
I (Lyndee) am a florist and I have a deep love for flowers. And, through the "dating years" Caleb was suckered, er, kind enough to help me on occasions...a man after my own heart! Point is we'd seen a lot of different styles, color combos, etc. We decided to take it back to the simplicity of a garden. We wanted beautiful touches of flowers to be presented as if you had just picked them out of your garden. The Vista West Ranch venue helped us turn our reception into an evening rustic tea party set for 200.
The food, of course, was one of Caleb's and my dad’s favorite part. After looking at many menu options we decided the food should be just as rustically charming as the venue. So we had what we called our southern comfort menu full of melt in your mouth pot-roast, chicken fried chicken with white gravy and cheddar biscuits, fried okra, greens beans and a crowd favorite the mashed potato bar AND macaroni and cheese bar. To top off the night we had a buffet of sweet treats including key lime cake, a tower of strawberry shortcake, carrot cake and homemade banana pudding made by mama Grooms.
I could go on, but overall the wedding was simply amazing. Many many many thanks go out to our family and the superstars Cheryl and Shea of Yellow Umbrella Events for making our day so unforgettable.
...One of my favorite underlying tributes was to the furry family members in our lives...our puppies. My neighbor growing up is quite the baker and graciously created over 200 custom puppy cookies which paid tribute to two of our furry family members that had passed away earlier that year. The cookie was tied with a note explaining a donation was made to Austin Pets Alive in their honor.
And, turns out after some discussion with our caterer we found out he was also a dog lover to the extreme and if his absolutely delicious food wasn't enough to seal the deal this made him a perfect fit for us! We also incorporated the most random colorful metal pup we found along the way at the base of the stairs leading to the Overlook Lounge. It was almost as if he was greeting you as you made your way upstairs as if you were coming home. So even though we weren't able to have our furry friend's with us on our wedding day they were absolutely there in spirit!
What was your favorite part of your day?
Both of Us - The unbelievable amount of love that was present on our wedding day. Between the two us, between us and our families, between us and our friends...it was truly overwhelming and that will be what we hold most dearly as we reminisce in the years to ahead.
Both of Us - Having our dream team of friend's as our wedding parties. It was amazing to spend that morning of the wedding day with some of the people you've made the absolute best memories with.
What were some of your favorite parts of planning your wedding?
Lyndee - Working so closely with my mom. She is AMAZING!! I believe she could rival Martha Stewart in a craft-off...and I say that loving Martha Stewart. I hope I grow up to be like her someday...my mom that is.
Caleb - The food and cake tasting. Yum.
Both of Us - The support and contributions given from our friends and families along the way. They are all SO amazing; we are so very blessed.
Wedding Planner: Yellow Umbrella Events & Design | Venue: Vista West Ranch | Catering: Southern's Fine Dining | Cake: Sweet Treats Bakery | Rentals: Premiere Party Central | DJ: Complete Music Video Photo | Florals: LisaLyn Designs | Make up/Hair: The Beauty Jar | Ceremony Shoes: BHDLN | Bridesmaids: Various | Groom/Groomsmen: Men’s Warehouse | Transportation: Transportation Consultants
Emily + Ben {Styled Engagement Session}
Emily and Ben are so much fun. They needed almost no direction when it came to their engagement session. This shoot would not have been possible without the help of our stylist Brandi Dunagan from Country Sugar. She is the bombdigity! If you are looking to style your engagement session, your wedding, or need a planner with an eye for details then she's your girl. I can't wait for Ben + Emily's wedding just around the corner. Stay tuned....
Kyle + Erika {Married}
I've been so excited to post these pictures and share this beautiful wedding with all of my blog readers. So much beauty can be found in simplicity. I love the laid back, rustic, appeal to this wedding. It not only is a beautifully done wedding it also captures so much about Kyle and Erika's laid back, outdoorsy nature. A lot of this wedding was put together by Erika herself with the help of friends and family. Upon arriving there were very few if any vendors there setting up it was friends and loved ones that help make this day so beautiful and special. To Kyle and Erika, I love you guys and wish you all the best! Thank you so much for trusting me and having me along for this special day in your lives.
