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

I’ve been shooting weddings for 10 years now. One of the things that you quickly realize is that the day flies by. Most couples are bounced from person to person and moment to moment without even realizing it. That was not the case with Brooke & Justin. These two were so present on their day. It seemed like every time I turned around they were having a genuine conversation with someone new. I LOVED seeing their support group celebrate their day with them and I loved even more how much Justin and Brooke soaked up every second of it.

True story: I NEVER get tired of photographing weddings at the Villa di Felicita. This place is amazing. They make my job easier and your day so much more amazing.

CS Cutting Company out of Longview did some magic on hair & make up.

A bit of First Look goodness.
(I also love when couples exchange little gifts during this time.)

La Bella Blooms crushed it with the flowers. Ashley and her team are super nice. You should totally get in touch with them if you want pretty pretty at your wedding.

These fools had a bridal party of 30 people. I’m not sure what is more amazing, that I was able to get a photo of all of them at once before the kids melted down, or that Brooke & Justin had meaningful interactions with each of them. ;)

By the time we got back around to the guys, this little man was done. He wanted no part of the photos, but I was able to snag one of him as he bolted for an exit.

Designs by D’Anne. Keeping brides happy and wedding photographers chubby for many many years. Yummy.

(Also, if you like words on walls, floors, and other places, Tyler Uplights and CMB DJs are you jam.)

Hey remember that little dude. Guess what? Once he got a sucker, he was good to go.

Justin and Brooke both work for the SMU football program. He coaches and she recruits, so of course they had the film crew for the team film their wedding.

You know what else is fun at weddings? The Mug Machine!

Thank you for trusting me with your wedding. You two were such a joy to be around and anytime you want to get all of your friends together and dressed up again give me a call, I’ll be there.

Get Excited! It’s your chance to help someone win a 16×20 print! Voting is open till midnight. Tell your friends.

Today’s category: Weddings

Bridals, engagements, photo booths, they are all fun, but this is why we are here,  to witness the union of two people. Here are some of my favorite photos from weddings in 2013.

Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

1. Ashley & Blake: I loved this moment from their First Look.  Just the two of them sharing one of many many laughs on their wedding day.

2. Gabrielle & Kendal: I’m a bit partial to this photo.  The little man is my oldest son.  He got a bit embarrassed when the bridesmaids commented on how handsome he was.  (Also, how hot is that bridesmaid on the left?)

3. Angela & BJ:  When BJ had Angela’s daughter come up so he could give her a necklace and promise to love her forever.  Everyone teared up.

4. Jaimie & Nolan: Jaimie had been feeling bad all day and was not up to a big first dance grand entrance.  So Nolan did the next best thing.  He danced with her in the kitchen in a back room before they made their entrance.

5. Heather & Travis: All Heather & Travis wanted was a wedding out in a big open field.  I think they managed to find one. :)

6. Dee & Dustin: As a general rule, if you get married in a red dress, you are gonna make the top 10.

7. Amanda & Clayton:  I always love it when couples do a get away that involves people throwing things at their face.

8. Jennifer & Jonathan:  This military couple was up for anything.  Including jumping up on a big hay bail.

9. Meagan & Joe: Most brides know in advance they are gonna get popped on the way out.  Most brides still forget. :)

10. Natalie & Jason: I’m not exaggerating when I say that Jason must have repeated the words “you are so beautiful.” about 30 times during their First Look.

I think Carrie & Aaron laughed more than any couple I have photographed in a while.  They just seem totally at home with each other so I am thrilled that  they are willing to share a little part of how their first year of marriage went.  Here are a few images from their wedding last year and then we will dive into what they have to say about being married for 365 days. (and counting)

What do you miss most about the single life? 
Being able to make plans or choosing to have no plans at all without checking with someone first.

GIve us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
Cooking a fun meal and watching movies at home, going to random small county festivals whenever we see one, taking short weekend vacations just to get out of town.

What have you liked most about your first year being married?
Knowing that whatever kind of day I have had, I will get to come home to my husband/wife and everything will be ok.

What’s been the hardest part about being married?
Learning and accepting the other person’s living habits.

What surpassed you the most? (Either good or bad.)
We both knew that marriage takes work and that is certainly true. However, I think we were both surprised at how much easier and fun life is when you have a constant partner. Even a Tuesday night trip to
the grocery store can feel like a date when you are with someone who simply makes you happy.

What have you fought about most and why?
Deciding who will be responsible for what on a daily basis. We had not really thought about that before getting married and we have had to really work on determining who is in charge of each task in order to
make things go.

What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
We both knew that living together 24/7 would be a major adjustment and it has been. When we were dating, I did not notice that Aaron leaves little whiskers all over the sink when he shaves and Aaron did not
realize that I was “psychotic” about the house being spotless when there is even a chance of company coming over. We both have had to learn that we can get annoyed with these little things or just accept them.

Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
Do whatever you can to really prepare for marriage. We have truly benefited from taking a VOW class prior to getting married. The class gave us the chance to talk about things that we would never had addressed on
our own. It is easy to stress out about whether the tablecloths are the right shade of blue or if the bridesmaids all really like their dresses (they won’t) but try to stay focused on what really matters.

Thanks again you two for sharing some of your awesomeness with the inter webs.  And seriously people.  Take their advice.  Get on the WeVowNow website and take a class.

So after having over 3,600 people vote these are the winning images you have chosen.  A few of these categories were super close and decide by only a few votes.

Here are the winning images!

The following images did NOT win, but they were my personal favorites from each category so I wanted to give them a little shout out not he blog as well.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and all you 2012 couple better bring your A game because I already have some serious entries for next year’s contest. :)