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

OK. It’s time again for that killer blog series: My Favorite Part of A Wedding.

Today’s topic: Bouquet Toss

Ah, yes. That moment in every wedding, where single ladies either get way too excited about it or vomit at the shear thought of it.

Quick history lesson:
Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride’s dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd, the bride would toss her bouquet and run away.

First of all, this sounds AMAZING! More like this please.

Somehow, the toss has evolved into this thing that now guarantees that the lucky lady who catches it will be the next one married. Because you know… magic.

So even though it’s a bit corny, I do love this little moment when your girlfriends get a chance to go all Hunger Games during your reception.

I love when there are literally dozens of competitors.

I love when they stretch their arms like NFL wide receivers.

I love when the girl that does NOT catch it is more excited than the girl that does.

I love when the girl you think is going to catch it does not.

I love the taunting that is often performed by the victor.

I love when the girls trip over themselves trying to catch it.

I love it most of all, when a girl falls to the floor, and a bride is willing to meet her down there for their photo together.

I also love when a lady has so much swag and confidence, that she knows she can jump, hold her red solo cup in one hand, and snag the bouquet with the other.

But seriously. Here is the key that I have found after shooting hundreds of weddings: some people love it, some people don’t. But you know your girls better than most. If you think they will enjoy it, then by all means, go for it. If you know they hate the idea… punt it. Sure it’s your wedding, but these are your closest friends. The goal isn’t to embarrass or shame them because they haven’t found someone to file taxes with jointly.

And, sure it’s a glorious moment for the winning lady, but it’s not like catching your flowers actually empowers the girl with the ability to become the next one married.

Or does it?

Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.

OK. It’s time again for that killer blog series: My Favorite Part of A Wedding.

One of the reasons I love shooting weddings so much is because of all the relationships involved. The longer you have known those people, the deeper the interactions with them will be on your wedding day. That’s part of why I am a sucker for the Father-Daughter dance. I know, I know. Typically, the bride and groom sharing their FIRST dance together as husband and wife is supposed to be the headliner. But let me tell you a little secret: that’s not the dance to watch.

A bride & groom’s first dance is just more of what you’ve already seen that day. It’s two people giddy, in love, and just smiling at each other because their happily ever after is just getting started. That’s great. Sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, everybody loves it. But, a good Father-Daughter dance is so much more. It’s 25 years of living and raising a human. There is so much going on just below the surface. I love seeing how they unfold. Sometimes they are full of laughter, and memories, and chatter. Sometimes they are planned out choreography and even though it’s a struggle, you know they had so much fun practicing. And every now and then, you get the full on melt down. Two people just laughing and crying for 3 minutes while they take in what the last quarter of a century was like.

Here are a few of my favorites:

So next time you go to a wedding, don’t just walk over to the punch bowl when they call for the Bride & her Father to share a “special dance.”

Stop what you are doing.
Soak it in.
Be present.

It’s not just 3 minutes of swaying to “I Loved Her First.”

It’s softball practices, and dance recitals, and driving lessons, and prom dresses, and butterfly kisses, and coke dates, and science projects, and Disney movies, and painted toes, and boyfriend breakups, and fishing trips, and tea parties.
It’s knowing that it will never be like it was.

And starting to be OK with that.

But, it’s also knowing that it will never be like it was.

And getting excited about that.

Oh, one last thing about Father-Daughter dances… sometimes they don’t have to be a dance at all.  Because as dads, all we really want, is one last moment with our little girl.

Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.

The day you get married is really unlike any other day of your marriage. It’s packed full of moment after moment after moment of memories. There are huge swings of emotion and sometimes the most unexpected thing will end up being the highlight of your day. I’m often asked “What’s your favorite part of a wedding?” The reality is, I don’t have just one answer for that. It really depends from wedding to wedding. I can say, that having shot over 400 weddings, a few trends have emerged and I’ve seen some patterns bubble up that I always look forward to documenting and being present for. I’ll be writing about one of these per month and I thought I would kick it off with one you might not expect.

My favorite moment of a wedding day is…. Family Photos!

That’s right, baby. I LOVE family formals. (I even wrote about how to have great formals a few years ago.) These are your people. This is your tribe. These images are so full of history and depth it’s impossible to not love them. This is your chance to laugh and cry with those who have known you the longest. It’s the time all your people look their best and these photos are the ones that will be put in frames and looked at for years and years to come. These are the images that end up on the kitchen counter, in the hallway, and above the fireplace. The thing is, sometimes in all of our planning and prepping for the day, they get overlooked. They become an item in your 76-Things-To-Do-On-Your-Wedding-Day-Checklist.

[ ] 4:30 Bridesmaid Photos
[ ] 4:45 Family Photos
[ ] 5:00 Reception

Just realize that that little block of your wedding day is one that many couples are not present for. I mean, they are there. They show up. They smile, pose, and hug. But, really, they are looking towards the next moment. The reception, the ceremony, the alcohol at the reception. :) They are not fully present and aware of how special these moments can be.

Need proof? Take a look.
This is typically what you think of when you hear family photos.  Bride with parents.  Check. :)

But, you’ll quickly realize there is so much more happening.

1st family photo where all the kids are married.

That super tender moment you have with your dad.

A mother who has raised 4 boys into grown men.

Sometimes things get a bit more fun.
Example: A photo of what this family typically looks like. ;)

Siblings are the best!

Sometimes the photos are not even about you.
That moment when a grandkid spits up on your grandparents.

I LOVE to pull the bride or grooms brother/sister and their family aside.  It typically takes about 30 seconds and BAM!  They get a new photo to hang on their wall.

How about one of your parents. Who NEVER get dressed up. Who NEVER get photographed. Here they are, looking good and in love.

Or how about that picture with your grandparents who have been married 57 years and you have not even been married 57 minutes?

Let’s fast forward to 2020.

Six years from now when you go home for Christmas and you have a three your old little girl, she will be at PaPa & NaNa’s house looking at the tree. She will stare at all the gifts under it and then she’ll notice a photo hanging on the wall of her mom in a white dress. She will look at it for a while, then she will ask her NaNa about the photo. And then your mother will tell her all about how beautiful her mother was on her wedding and how wonderful the day was.

And THAT moment, in the future, will be magic. And it will all be possible because you took a few moments on your wedding day to be photographed with the people who love you the most.
Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.