Tiffany and Chris are the da bomb. I can’t believe I get to hang out with incredible people like this every weekend. Get ready for a lot of photos.  Even though it was like 1 million degrees in Austin, Hacienda del Lago was just gorgeous.

Wow Factor Floral killed it with all the arrangements.
A bride’s lunch.

Erica Grey did such a great job on everyone’s hair & makeup.  (And she finished on time, something that makes this photographer super happy.)

Tiffany works at a photography studio so she was all in on doing a First Look.  I later overheard Chris telling his Grandmother how glad he was they did it and how much it helped settle his nerves.  (I think he just liked getting to see Tiffany before anyone else did.)

Love this shot of Tiffany and her father.

The rest of the night was basically lots and lots of dancing thanks to Mr. Thrill DJ Plus.
This. Takes. Talent.
 Seriously, you two were awesome.  Enjoy Italy and try not to get too used to it over there.  Have a great honeymoon.

Amy and Casey were married last August.  They had a gorgeous wedding and I loved shooting every little detail of it.  There was so so much eye candy at their wedding it was almost hard for me to pick what to shoot. :)  Like most couples they had a great/tough 1st year.  Amy was kind and honest enough to share with you all what that has been like.  Enjoy a few images from her big day then listen to a bit of their story from their first year of marriage.

What do you miss most about the single life?
-probably not having to worry about anyone but myself and what i need to do.

What have you liked most about your first year being married?
-spending time with my new family (husband and two step sons) and im currently pregnant with my first!!! Soooo exciting!

Any advice for couples blending a family?
-well i have two new stepsons that live with us and its hard at times but it definitely is fun and you learn a lot about each other.

What’s been the hardest part about being married?
-the hardest part has been adjusting to automatically living with not only your husband but his two children right away. we have all had to learn to share with each other and not be selfish.

What surprised you the most? (Either good or bad.)
-taking on an extended family has surpassed my expectations of how easy it woud be…..it definately takes village!!!

What have you fought about most and why?
-probably saving money and putting it to the best use possible for our growning family.

What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
-raising stepkids probably the most. but i have realized i am doing whats right for them and taking care of them like a great mom does…..its been a learning experience for all of us. A GOOD ONE!

Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
-life is a journey with ups and downs…..so live it everyday and enjoy each others company!!!

Thank you Amy for being so open about your marriage.  What about the rest of you out there?
What tips or advice do you have for anyone blending a family in that first year?

give it up for catlin & jared.  these two had a super chill wedding at the belgium house last week.  take a look at these snazzy photos.

the belgium house provided all the florals for the day.  pretty nice eh?

how awesome are these cakes?!?!

(i totally forgot to get the cake person’s name.  i’ll add it later today.)

catlin shooting her dress in case i missed it.

if you need uplighting and people dancing you should call these two people.  they make it happen every time. Tyler Uplights / CMB DJs

and, what would a wedding be without the glory that is the mug machine.

so last week danielle and i had a little vow renewal ceremony at elmwood gardens.  (that place we were married 10 years ago.)  for the past 5-6 years we have held a little ceremony in our backyard with just our kids and it’s always been a blast so this year we decided to go all out. well, as all out as our budget would allow.  rule number one was pay cash.  after all it’s only 1 day. right. (more on that later.)

the main reason we wanted to do this was to give our kids a tangible memory/moment to look back on so they know that we are committed to each other till death do us part.  (that’s code for when danielle kills me.)  so, in keeping with that theme we really let them decide on most of details of the day.

HUGE HUGE props to elmwood for making the day run smooth, brandi burkett for all the wonderful images, and vanessa mckellar for a killer video that you’ll want to view at the end of this post.

on to the images.

this was danielle’s bouquet from our wedding day and it made for great potpourri flower girl basket toss dealy boppers

this is as dressy as jo gets.  (all our kids selected their own outfits)
luke and eli at almost 2 years apart but they look close enough to where people always ask them if they are twin.  lately they ave decided to start saying yes.  the latest part of this phase has involved matching outfits.

you can’t get married without a ring bear.

sara was totally into the vows.  including creeping on what i had to say before i said it.

we are not too big on jewelry over here.  i ditched my ring for a tattoo and danielle has only ever had a $300 band.  so far so good.

awesome tasting cookie/cake thing from edible art. (i may have eaten 6 pieces of leftover in one sitting later in the week.)

why get boring monogramed napkins when you can blow all your money on fancy plates?

we had 2 options for cool getaway photos.

1. give lots of little people fire stick to hold.
2. come up with something better.

we went with option 2.

i’m not gonna lie.  it was super fun to get married all over again.  need more proof?  watch this 3 minute trailer.

i love shooting weddings when they happen at people’s homes.  it really gives them a laid back feel.  almost a throwback to a simpler time.  a simpler time when you have a famous country rock star legend at your house.  :)  that was jus the case when kay and wayman got married last month and they had joe nichols  play their reception.  needless to say it was a blast.

lori valenti from Event Services put the whole thing together and she did an AMAZING job.

and how about a bit of mug machine to top off the evening?

hey look everyone!  it’s gini & charlie!
and… for all you brides out there planning a wedding, you too can have this very same wedding.  just call up all these people.  (and joe)

Perfect Catering
http://www.perfectcateringonline.com

Event Services
Lori@perfectcateringonline.com

Fantasy & Fairytale Floral Designs
fantasyandfairytalefloral@yahoo.com

Cindy’s Creative Cakes
cakesbycindy@cakesbycindy.com

Stageworks (lighting and sound)
tommyochoa189@yahoo.com

Iron Inspired – shepherds hooks, lanterns, fireplace set up
Iron4urwedding@aol.com

A-1 Party & Tent Rental
A1partyrental@cablelynx.com

Dino Perelli Videographer
dino@jamyeperelli.com