The Wedding of Michelle and Thon

Laguna Gloria

December 28, 2008

Michelle and Thon were married December 28, 2008 at Laguna Gloria’s Temple of Love. The intimate lagoon-side ceremony was adorned with white potted plants, rose petals and beautiful hand-made cushions from the bride’s mother. The strings and trumpet greeted guests as they made their way down the tree-lined corridor among nature and twinkling hanging lights.

The reception came alive with amazing ballads from the string quartet, pink azalea trees and white bird cage décor. This subtle garden theme was carried out with elegant birds on the programs as well as individualized charms weaved into the bridesmaids bouquets. The bride herself had the most amazing dress and turquoise to-die-for Manolo Blahniks.

The bride and groom were so calm and their were able to enjoy their special day with such ease. That evening, their love was truly inspiring and contagious.

Photos courtesy of Heather Mabry of Eclectic Images

The Wedding of Ali and Eric

Laguna Gloria

November 22, 2008

This well traveled couple wanted to tie in their worldly experiences with some of their favorite Texas comforts to create their perfect day.

Their color palette was amazing hues of raspberry, marigold and grass colors . . . the perfect blend with Laguna Gloria’s natural background.

The menu included Southern comfort foods, Southwestern and a touch of Bali…what an amazing combination! The evening was a hit and the couple were obviously so in love!

Photos courtesy of a' la Vie Photography by Pam Hults

The Wedding of Amanda and John

Austin Museum of Art- Laguna Gloria
November 1, 2008

Amanda Bedgood and John Pierce were married November 1, 2008 at Laguna Gloria. The beautiful orange and brown color scheme was perfect for the fall weather . . . and festive since it was Halloween weekend. The evening began with an enchanting ceremony at the amphitheater decorated with gorgeous floral décor, candles and petals. Guests couldn’t get enough of the Pomtinis (pomegranate martinis) during cocktail hour and enjoyed fabulous stations of upscale comfort food plus a carving station. The delicious wedding cake filled with fresh raspberries matched the lace on the bride’s dress and the “deer” groom’s cake celebrated the first day of hunting season. The Villa was glowing with organic grapevine ball lighting and lawn tables filled with candles. Guests danced into the night, “getting down” (break dance style at one point!) with the energetic band revving up the crowd. Everyone went home with M&M's donning a photo of the happy couple and koozies to commemorate the date.

Photography by Diana M. Lott

The Wedding of Erin and Jorge

Austin Museum of Art- Laguna Gloria

November 16, 2008

Erin and Jorge were married in the Four Seasons Garden just after sunset amidst a stunning backdrop of twinkling candlelight. Guests looked on as the two exchanged their vows. The bride glowed in an amazing teal green dress, and Erin’s chosen jewel toned colors, complete with peacock feather accent, highlighted the joy and warmth of the evening.

The Latin jazz band kept guests entertained during the reception as guests dined on a menu which included Spanish Paella, Lobster with Avocado Butter and Rosemary Pork Loin, all topped off with the groom’s signature margaritas. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the bride and groom celebrated with decadent petit fours, and later all guests were treated to gourmet coffees and treats from the Chocolate Cup.

Erin and Jorge’s vision created a truly charming and romantic evening which was fun for all. In fact, I overheard one young partygoer, their niece, say she wished they could do this every Sunday!

Photos courtesy of Red Fly Photography

The Wedding of Meghan and Grover

St. Theresa's Catholic Church and Austin Country Club

November 15, 2008

Oh how I love Meghan and Grover!!! They were a super fun, high energy couple that always had surprises up their sleeves. Their ceremony was so romantic and reception was rockin’ until way after midnight! The Austin Country Club was filled with great music from Memphis Train Revue, amazing floral and lighting décor. And to top things off, they offered their guests a full sized Martini Ice Bar!

Photos coming soon!

Home Slice-O-Rama

Home Silce-O-Rama

November, 15, 2008

November 15 marked the second annual Home Slice-O-Rama(http://www.blogger.com/www.homeslicepizza.com). This pizza carnival featured several fun and kookie acts such as Wino Vino, the Great Calzoni (a pizza fortune teller, of course), and the whimsical dance troupe Little Stolen Moments. Children rocked out to the musical performance of Big Don - a children's rap artist, and carnival goers also enjoyed the music of DJ Ariel and Brownout!. Crowds were amazed as brave contestants battled it out in pizza eating contests, pizza tossing contests, and the always popular "hands on an eggplant sub" contest.
An impressive raffle was held at the carnival with proceeds benefitting Keep Austin Beautiful (http://www.blogger.com/www.keepaustinbeautiful.org). Children of all ages enjoyed games and prizes, and the "grown-ups" got to let lose too.
Home Slice pizza is a South Congress favorite with it's New York style pizza uber hip digs.

Greystar Red River Flats Grand Opening

November 12, 2008 Rare Magazine and Soirée celebrated the grand opening of Greystar Red River Flats. This property is located downtown across from The Mohawk and Club DeVille, and is a great location for music lovers. The event showcased art from Jaime Ibarra, the featured artist in Rare's November issue. Approximately 700 people joined us that night to listen to a very special acoustic set performed by Casey McPherson of Alpha Rev. The Corey Micheal Salon was present to give party goers "Rock Star" makeovers, and Annie Ray was on the scene with her popular photo booth. Excellent food was provided by Primizie, Brick Oven, Kenichi, and Cookie Lounge. Special thanks to Tito's Vodka, Sweet Leaf Tea, Maine Root, Nomad Sound, Ilios Lighting and Marquee Rentals for making the night perfect.

Photos by Annie Ray

The Wedding of Susan and Scott

Star Hill Ranch

November 8, 2008

Susan and Scott are two very creative people and they also have creative friends! Two of their friends wrote a mock children’s book that told the story of how Susan and Scott's love came to be- an actual book with pictures. It was read aloud during their ceremony and there wasn't a dry eye in the house!

My favorite detail of this wedding was their menu – everything was "mini". Served to their guests were mini tacos, pizzas, and hamburgers to name a few. Even dessert was mini! Instead of the traditional wedding cake, they had mini petit fours designed as mini wedding cakes.

This was truly a wedding to remember!

Photos courtesy of Beverly Demafiles Photography

Austin Restaurant Week

October 12-15 & 19-22 , 2008

Soirée was thrilled to be an integral part of the first official Austin Restaurant Week With more than 50 of Austin's top restaurants participating, Austin foodies got to sample some fantastic cuisine at great prices! Thank you to Rare Magazine and all the sponsors for a great inaugural event! And foodies - take note - Austin Restaurant Week will be taking place twice a year from now on - in Winter and Summer. We'll keep you posted on the dates!

The Wedding of Jenny and Jeremy

The Schovajsa Residence
La Grange, Texas

October 25, 2008

Special is the word of the day when it comes to this wedding. Everything was so darned special! I get chills just writing this blog entry!

Jenny said early on she wanted to be able to feel the love in the air at her wedding – so that was my inspiration from day one. Every detail of this event was about love.

There were lots of “wow” factors at this wedding including: gorgeous custom black/ivory patterned linens, spectacular lighting, a fun and delicios spread of the bride and groom’s favorite foods, super creative and unique floral centerpieces, a ceremony arbor custom made (with Love, of course!) by the fathers of the bride and groom. And what would a special wedding be without a special dress. This Monique Lhuillier number was divine on Jenny!

This was a dancing crowd. The vendors and I couldn’t believe how big they wanted the dance floor – it was among the biggest dance floors I’d ever seen! But they used up every square inch of it! In fact, Jeremy was so focused on the dancing, that he was really concerned that his rented tuxedo shoes might not be comfortable enough to cut a rug all night long. So Jenny surprised him with a gorgeous brand new pair of cowboy boots right before their first dance! It was incredibly sweet!

Speaking of sweet, Jenny also surprised Jeremy with his favorite dessert – Banana Pudding Blue Bell Ice Cream in waffle cones! Yum!

I will always have incredibly fond memories of this wedding and especially of Jenny, Jeremy, Debby, Bill, Connie & Gary. You are so wonderful – thank you for letting me be a part of your vey special and love-filled day!

Photography by Red Fly Photography