One of the best things about weddings here in the East Texas area is just how many great venues there are for brides to choose from.  Most of these places were build from the ground up with weddings in mind.  They have plenty of rooms to get ready in, multiple locations for you to have your ceremony and reception and some even offer a place for you to stay the night.  Many will offer catering and provide you with packages that include a few other wedding vendors as well.  A good wedding venue is totally worth the money once you factor in all these things.  Here are the 10 best East Texas wedding venues. (In alphabetical order.)

The Arbor
2215 Roy Rd.
Tyler, TX
903-534-4997
www.arborvenue.com

The Belgium House
Longview, TX
903-720-6414
www.thebelgiumhouse.com

Bella Sera Ranch
286 ACR 1400
Palestine, TX
903-723-0900
www.bellaseraranch.com

Castle on the Lake
9110 US Hwy. 79 W.
Jacksonville, TX
903-721-3593
www.jacksonvillecastle.com

Elmwood Gardens
680 ACR 446
Palestine, TX
903-549-2716
www.elmwoodgardens.com

Lake Tyler Petroleum Club
15898 Eastside Dr.
Tyler, TX
903-566-4444
www.laketylerpetroleumclub.com

The Legacy
Jacksonville, TX
903-571-9644
www.thelegacy-venue.com

The Reserve
7725 Hwy. 259
Longview, TX
903-431-3496
www.bookthereserve.com

Stone Oak Ranch
Murchison, TX
903-530-4201
www.stoneoakranch.com

Villa di Felicitá
7891 Hwy. 110
Tyler, TX
903-597-0002
villadifelicita.com

This past December I was able to shoot out at Stone Oak Ranch for the first time.  It’s a fantastic venue and knew right away that I wanted to run a little interview with them.  Rhonda was nice enough to answer a few of my questions.  They do a fantastic job taking care of their brides so if you are looking for a place to get married in the Murchison area then you have to consider them.

How did you guys get started, how long have you been doing this?

We got started when I couldn’t find my sister a place to get married. I joke I was having a mid-life crisis & needed a boyfriend, a motorcycle, or a new job. A new job won out & we opened in April 2010!!
What is your favorite part about your job?

The creativity is by far my favorite part. Every wedding is as unique as the bride & groom. I like to try new ideas & “think outside the box!”

What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at your venue? (This of course does not mean that you were responsible for the crazy.)

we are in the country & our neighbors have a bassett hound that likes to visit during weddings….we normally are on the lookout & catch him on the way over, but one time he slipped by us & joined in on the father-daughter dance.

What are some things brides should look for when looking for a venue?

A place that fits her & her fiances’ personality! Where do they feel comfortable, weddings should be fun, you are hosting one of the biggest parties of your life! Next, the not so fun part, is budget, the villa in Southern France may not work! Finally time of year, inside vs outside, inclement weather plans, packaging, most of all….be flexible.

What is something unique to your venue that you are extra proud of?

I love our outdoor chapel. The one thing I told everyone was “I’m not a gazebo girl…” my best friend’s husband came up with the design & built it for the ranch!

Anything else you wanna say?

Just remember no wedding is perfect and the things that “go wrong” will make the best stories on your anniversaries! Most of all, it’s truly about marrying the person you love & starting a new life together, ….even if the cake is not perfect, or it rains, you still have each other through the good & bad.

Also, here are about 3.2 million photos from a recent wedding I shot out there. :)

Here is all of their contact info.

Stone Oak Ranch
10204 CR 3807
Murchison, TX 75778
903.530.4201
http://www.stoneoakranch.com

Also, look for this spread from Kristi & Kiley’s wedding in the next issue of The Wedded Bliss.

This is the last category of Top 10 images and it’s a good one.  Regardless of wedding venue, flowers, and all the planning that goes into a wedding day it’s ultimately about the two people getting married.  There is nothing I enjoy more than giving a couple a great photo of them on their wedding day.  Most of these came about because of them choosing to have a First Look.  It’s what allows us time to really have fun and capture some creative photos.

Since this is the last category I’m going to leave the voting open all weekend so get to work people.  check back Monday morning when the winners in each category are announced.  Each category winner will receive a 16×20 print of their winning image. So pick an image, vote, then get on your Twitter and your Facebook and make your friends come vote.

Here are the images.

I have been looking forward to this wedding for a long time.  I knew Kristi & Kiley would be great but I was also super excited about getting to shoot at Stone Oak Ranch for the first time.  All 3 did not disappoint!  Kristi & Kiley were totally into each other the whole time and Stone Oak Ranch jumped into one of my Top 5 favorite places to shoot!  This place is fantastic.  It’s straight out of a movie.  I was describing it to another photographer friend of mine yesterday and the best explanation I had was… “If Julia Roberts were getting married in a movie somewhere out in the country the it would look exactly like Stone Oak Ranch.”  Not a bad place to get married right? :)  OK, on to the images.

One of the great things about Stone Oak is that they are able to provide you with flowers for your day.  They are done by A Touch of Nature.  These came out great.

Thank You Kristi & Kiley for trusting me with your day.  I loved sharing it with you.