Hannah & Rob had the most chill wedding day at Nantucket in Longview, TX.  So much of the day was put together by these two and their insane group of friends.  It truly felt like a wedding day straight out of a movie.

I walked in to Hannah giggling as one of her bridesmaids did her makeup.  Hannah’s brother is in the United States Army and could not make it.  His wife was kept company all day with a life-sized cut out.  Because of course they had a life-size cut out.

“If you walk around to the back of a house and hide behind the bushes while a girl is getting ready for the day, eventually, she will see you, laugh, and you will capture a magical photograph.” – AlexM

Hannah used her grandmother’s old jewelry box to hold the rings.
(More like her grandmother’s vintage, magical mystery-case of wonder, beauty, and joy.)

Baller Mother of the Bride.

Hannah gave Rob a sweet note and a flask.

Hannah’s mom was just a delight.  She was so present throughout the day.  I loved capturing her reactions.

Of course I’ll take the timeless photo of you putting on your earrings.
Just be aware that the timeless moment of you putting on deodorant will also be documented.

First Look goodness.

I looked down for a minute as I was swapping lenses and then Rob is suddenly checking twitter or something.  “What a douchebag,” I think to myself…. Oh wait… never mind, he’s totally reading Hannah a super sweet note he wrote for her about their day. (That was a close one.)

Remember that flask… Hannah is one of those brides who thinks of everything.
Including: “I might want a drink mid-way through my wedding day.”

These two were way too comfortable on this swing.  I made her stop before she fell off.

Hannah spent most of her wedding day smiling and giggling.  Being kissed by her husband also helped.

Her bridesmaids put this together.  True story.

When you look down during the bridesmaids portraits and see this…. You know the reception is going to be legit.

Family portrait time!

Right before the ceremony I look up to see Hannah’s grandfather doing this.  Eventually someone brought an umbrella out, but boy do I love this moment.

Of course the official opened with 2 minutes of Princess Bride styled, “Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday.”

Why just walk into the reception when you can dance your way in?

This moment was everything.  It was when Hannah and her grandfather teared up about her grandmother not being there.  Hannah told him that she had attached a necklace of her’s to the bouquet that she carried all day. Which was sitting on the table in front of them.
All the feels.

I adore toasts.  I love when people say the things we often feel, but rarely tell each other.  This one was a doozy.  If you are wondering why it goes from evening to night time in these photos it’s because they had that much great stuff to say about them.

And then her brother called in from his super top secret location and talked about how much he loved Hannah and what an honorable man Rob was and how he could not be happier for the two of them.
Game over.

“Can we just cut the cake?  We don’t want to do that thing where we feed each other?” she said.
Of course you can!  It’s your wedding, do whatever you want to do.

Every sparkler exit should feel like the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

My favorite 10 Mug Machine images from the night.

Old man using them as as x-ray goggles. :)

This is what happens when your brother-in-law films your wedding.

Of COURSE Rob tore a hole in the crack of his pants.

Spit take.

Thank you for your service.

You guys had the perfect day.  Thank you for sharing it with me and trusting it to me.

One of the best parts of my job is getting to work with other delightful wedding peeps.  Rather than hog them all to myself, I thought I would introduce you to a few of them. Give them a chance to tell a part of their story and why they do what they do.  I could not think of a better way to kick off this series than with the Villa di Felicita located just outside of Tyler, TX. (7891 Hwy 110 North Tyler, TX 75704) You should stop reading this and call and book them for your wedding now! 903-597-0002.

OK, now that you’ve done that, why not learn a bit more about them. :)

How did you get started and long have you guys been in business?

This is kind of a long story but I will give you the short version… My dad’s previous company sold, and he retired early in life. He’s a workaholic and wasn’t quite ready to retire. My mom and I had always enjoyed helping friends and family with their weddings, and my mom got the idea to build a wedding venue after going to a friend’s wedding in Dripping Springs, TX. We knew it was something Tyler needed, and there was no other wedding venues in Tyler at the time. We found the land, and started the building process in the beginning of 2005. We officially had our first event in April of 2006. This April will be 11 years in the business!

What’s your favorite part about hosting weddings every weekend?

I personally love to see how they all come together! I love the flower arrangements, dress colors, the amazing cakes, and just how they are all decorated. It’s such a long process for a bride to plan their big day, and I feel very lucky to get to see the final product of all their hard work! It’s just a great feeling when you see them smile when they walk in, and see how it all came together! I also love to be part of such a happy day in people’s lives! It’s very rewarding!

OK, let’s get some of the details knocked out. Tell me about your spaces, places, and all the options brides can pick from.
Villa di Felicita translates to “mansion of happiness” in Italian. We are the only Italian inspired venue in East Texas. We have a very large reception room that was designed to resemble an outdoor Italian Piazza. We gave it this feel by having fiber optic stars in the 20 ft ceilings to make you feel like you are sitting under the night sky!

We can accommodate about 350 in the reception room. We have 2 ceremony locations, but most known for our outdoor garden area. Tall cypress trees, manicured gardens, stunning backdrop views and a 120 foot stone-stamped aisle leading to the ceremony pergola arches is the best way to describe our outdoor ceremony location. We also have a nice indoor ceremony chapel that is a perfect setting for those who do not want to get married outside, or if inclement weather takes place.

Our venue sits on 50 private and picturesque acres. We made some changes to how we operate in 2016 and have had great success with it. We currently operate as a site rental only venue. This means we charge a flat fee (no mater how many guests you have) and include amenities such as tables, chairs, linens, set and clean up, etc. We allow outside catering and alcohol. Clients are given a preferred vendor list, and a welcome packet full of information from us, that makes their planning experience much easier for them! They are able to bring in what they want and we help them along the way.

What Disney princess is the most likely to choose your place for her wedding?
I think Cinderella would love to get married here. I feel like every bride feels like Cinderella on her wedding day – getting to go to the ball all dressed up and feeling beautiful. Then finally getting to marry her Prince Charming! Plus we also have some furry friends like rabbits and sweet birds who love to live in our gardens, so I think she would love that feature!

What’s your favorite “feature” about your venue?
My favorite feature about the Villa are our large cypress tress that surround the grounds. Every time I drive up, I am reminded of the beauty of this place by those large amazing trees! They just really give you the feel that you are in the Italian country. I feel it is a big part of what makes our venue unique and magical.

Tell me one story that stands out from the hundreds of weddings you guys have hosted.
We had a military wedding and my mom wanted to give those who had served a shot from the bar to say “thank you”. This became kind of a tradition for awhile when we had military weddings here. At one specific wedding, after giving them a shot, my mom told one of the young men, “Thank you for your service, and I know that shot isn’t much, but it’s just something I like to do to say thank you.” The young man looked at her with a tear rolling down his cheek and said, “Ma’am, it’s not what you did. It’s the recognition of saying “thank you” that means the most!” That night, my mom knew she wanted to do something and began working on a project to give back to those who served in our community. We started a 4013c non-profit fundraiser called Country for our Country and hosted that event for 4 years here at Villa di Felicita. That event helped so many veterans who came back and wanted to get back into civilian life and go to collage. It truly was created because of that young man at that wedding, and the impact he had on my mom. It gets us choked up every time we think about it or talk about it.

What is one piece of advice you would give a couple regardless of where they get married?
To be happy! Marriage and love isn’t always easy. You have to both work at it to be happy. Planning a wedding is hard. But in the end, when you finally get to be together on the wedding day and enjoy all your loved ones together, it makes it all worth it. Stay connected. And communication is huge in a strong relationship!

Anything else you wanna say?
We love Alex M and his amazing pictures that he takes at the Villa!! He truly captures weddings and couples with his heart and passion!

And, in case you guys are not convinced that this place is legit.  This wedding happened at the Villa di Felicita.

So yeah…. Go book your wedding. www.villadifelicita.com

Wanna see more Villa di Felicita goodness?
Here is every post ever on my site with images from their venue.
Here are a couple of my favorite weddings I’ve done there.
Lauren & Brent | Erin & Brett

When it came time to decide where to do their engagement photos, Rachael & Briley knew the perfect spot.  The spot where their story started, and they have shared so many moments along the way.  Let’s go to the movie theater!

Their first movie together was a friend outing to see one of the 82 Twilight movies that were made.  They were not a couple at the time, but it’s fitting that their story began watching two people also on their journey towards eternal love.

Fast forward a couple years (and hopefully improved taste in movies), Briley started to take notice of Rachael.  She worked at UT Tyler gym and he was working out “2-3 times per day”. (That’s what she said.)  I’m thinking part of him wanted to get swole and the other part of him wanted to get noticed; he figured the getting swole would help the getting noticed.  That’s what us dudes call a win-win.

A few months ago, they went back to their theater to see another movie.  They arrived a bit late and it was already dark and they ended up sitting on the front row. Because they had not had a chance to eat, Rachael began stuffing her face with popcorn. Commercials were pre-rolling and when the commercials ended, a video came on telling their story together and ending with “will you marry me?”

Then the lights came up and the theater started cheering and when Rachael turned to look, she saw that Briley had invited their friends and family to be there.  They all went out to eat and Rachael never got to finish her popcorn.  The end.

These two both have such a tender spirit and personality to them.  I LOVED Rachael’s big giant laughs.

Rachael said she is so attracted to how committed Briley is to his faith.  She “loves that he is a leader and knows that will give them a strong foundation in our marriage.”

Briley said that at first he thought that Rachael was just like a “super-basic, white girl”.

Full stop.  He said that.  Swoon.

Anyway.

Once he got to know her, he realized she is “goofy as all get out” and she has been surprising him ever since.

“Body and soul, I am marvelously made!” I think Briley would agree.

Thank you guys for spending your morning with me.  Can’t wait for your super-basic, white girl wedding.