The Wedding of Courtney and Adam

Laguna Gloria

March 14, 2009

Courtney and Adam tied the knot on Saturday, March 14^th. Their “wedding weekend in the Hamptons meets an English tea garden” certainly came to fruition. This includes the weather. The Texas weather was again unpredictable and what was a gorgeous spring week turned into a chilly London weekend. But that didn’t defer the celebration. Courtney and Adam had a tear jerking ceremony at Holy Word Lutheran Church and celebrated their nuptials at the AMOA – Laguna Gloria.

The tent was decorated with varying shades of ivory and pale green flowers, crisp ivory satin linens and beautiful accent chairs. The cake was gorgeous and accented with lush hydrangeas between each layer. The Motown inspired band rocked the entire night as they kept the dance floor packed with people. The bride and groom also had a tremendous surprise when the bride’s father joined the band in the percussion section. Wow, he was awesome – “Ride Sally Ride” – Thank you Courtney and Adam for sharing a night that will never be forgotten.

Photos coming soon!

The Wedding of Rachel and Greg

Flat Creek Estate

March 14, 2009

I’m sitting here at my laptop tasked with drafting a blog entry for Rachel and Greg’s wedding, and I’m at a loss for words. It’s hard to know where to start because this was a very special event for so many reasons. First, Soirée was incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a special event. Rachel is our rental/tent rep at Marquee and we were honored when she asked us to help her coordinate and design her wedding. Not only that, but Rachel and Greg are two great people, and I’m honored to call them friends.

We had some weather challenges – after a week of beautiful early Spring temps during the first week of March, we had a sudden wet and winter-y cold front come in out of nowhere. We lucked out and the wet weather dried up before Saturday, but it was still very chilly for this outdoor vintage vineyard wedding.

But – did I mention my bride is the Marquee sales rep? All I had to do was snap my fingers and Marquee came to the rescue! Heaters, tent walls . . . you name it, they had it. We also had a roaring fire in the pavilion, which not only gave us some warmth, but added a beautiful romantic glow to the ceremony.

Rachel’s “vintage vineyard” vision became a stunning reality with incredibly colorful and lush florals and a tent that was to die for. I remember – during set-up – I couldn’t stop crying because there was just so much love in the room for Rachel. Everyone wanted it to be just perfect for our Rachel. “Above and beyond” was not a task, but rather a genuine desire from everyone involved. It was truly amazing to be a part of such a special day.

Rachel and Greg had a huge focus on food and wine, and as you’ll see from some of the beautiful food shots below – it was an unending feast – from the cocktail hour grill station – featuring grilled pizzas, to the unbelievable plated duet entrée of Butter Fish and Steak, to the knockout butter yellow cake.

Finally, may I just mention how absolutely stunning and perfect Rachel was? She embodied elegance and grace. And Greg was pretty dashing himself! Love you guys!!!

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Lindberg Weddings

Second Annual Austin Restaurant Week

It's that time again! The second annual Austin Restaurant Week took Austin by culinary storm March 1-4 & 8-11. Diners all over town got to experience fantastic three-course menus for $25 or $35 at some of Austin's hottest restaurants. Mike Sutter from the Austin American Statesman had the chance to visit a few of our favorite spots and wrote an amazing article about the success of our fantastic event.

Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/ARWarticle

Photos coming soon....

The Wedding of Kelly and Seth

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

March 7, 2009

With champagne in hand, guests took their place at the standing ceremony in the Butterfly Gardens awaiting their first glimpse of the bride. As Kelly made her way down the aisle to “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy, the last rays of sun highlighted the layers of her creme dress and as the two exchanged vows, the sun dipped past the horizon as candles illuminated the ceremony.

Wineberry Bengaline and Navy Kensington linens adorned the tables at the reception in the Courtyard. Pops of dark and light purple and green flowers and succulents in dark wood platters and wooden boxes made up the centerpieces. Guests dined on upscale, southern comfort foods, including sweet marinated ribs, macaroni and cheese with a bread crumb crust, sauteed asparagus, and sweet potato fries.

The party was just beginning as the crowd made their way into the dimly lit, lounge-style Gallery for some cake and dancing. And, we all got a surprise when Kelly mushed cake all over Seth’s face!

The evening was full of excitement and love from friends and family who had been anticipating this day. Congrats, Kelly and Seth!

Photos courtesy of SMS Photography

The Wedding of Lauren and Jordan

Laguna Gloria

January 24^th, 2009

GRAND SLAM!!!!

Lauren and Jordan’s wedding was a Home Run. The bases were loaded and an arctic blast stormed in during our Indian summer. On Friday, it was 75 degrees and on Saturday it barely made it to 40. But there was no stopping this party. Lauren and Jordan (who – in case you haven’t figured it out – is a professional baseball player!) enjoyed all of their guilty pleasures including: sushi, true 80’s rock music, s’mores, baseball and Superman…uh yeah…Superman. Look at him – he’s Clark Kent in the flesh (without the glasses).

Lauren and Jordan selected an amazing color palette of rich fall tones, olive/fern greens, deep reds and subtle hues of amber. Lauren and Jordan shared their vows right at sunset – the timing couldn’t have been any more perfect for them. The dance floor under the tent was packed – everyone was singing along and the hands were raised in the air. They partied into the night to the sounds of The Police, Aerosmith, Tears for Fears, Journey and many, many more.

Thanks to this very special (and gorgeous!) couple for inviting me to be a part of this very special day. I’ll never forget it.

Photos courtesy of Studio 563