Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

Our Bride & Groom Photographs Capture the Moments

We just love how this post came together. We’ve captured poses from our Featured Wedding bride and groom showing love, joy, drama, playfulness … all the wonderful, exciting emotions that can be experienced during the wedding day.

We are so grateful for the amazing talents of our StrictlyWeddings.com photographers who made these moments possible – Carasco Photography, Brian Dorsey, Phil Farber, Jai Girard, Thisbe Grace, Gruber Photographers, Scott Hagar, Jennifer Lindberg, Andy Marcus.

Featured Wedding: Austin was their Paris

This precious couple started dating in high school and saw their romance bloom through the Eyes of Texas and for those outside of Texas, that would be The University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

Although, both Dallasites, they chose the Austin area for their wedding, Austin was their city of love. The one who explains it best though, is the bride…

“Will and I met and started liking each other in high school. We met riding the bus together to Friday night football games! I was instantly smitten by his charm and personality. Will went away to UT Austin and I attended the year later. Last June 18th, after close to 8 years of our relationship going from young high school sweethearts to growing into a serious relationship, Will proposed outside on the patio at The Mansion on Turtle Creek!

“I’ve always wanted to get married somewhere other than Dallas so that guests could have a full weekend getaway experience. After looking at weddings from the Caribbean to California to Miami, it seemed to make perfect sense for us to do it in Austin — a city we both loved to get away to and where we really fell in love. We spent a lot of time at the Four Seasons in Austin with our families when they would visit in college and loved the views and amazing hospitality. We really wanted a place that could accommodate a beautiful ceremony site AND the reception so guests wouldn’t have to navigate a new city.

“The overall theme for out wedding was chic, soft and romantic but with a fresh look. I wanted the wedding to be timeless. I was drawn to neutral palettes – cream, ivory, white, champagne, yet I still have a side of me that loves, loves, loves bright colors so we incorporated little intense splashes of color throughout the wedding. The fuchsia floral on top of the greige velvet tete-e-tetes and the pink peonies in some of the table arrangements.

“The Four Seasons was amazing at accommodating all my requests: passed champagne and berry infused water as guests arrived at the outdoor ceremony (to cool everyone off and champagne to let them know we were excited to have a good time!); personalized hand fans as our programs to cool guests off (our photo on one side and ceremony info on the other); passed cold towels for the guests as they enter the cocktail hour after the ceremony; personalized neon sunglasses handed out towards the end of the night with “Billy and BB Smalls May 14, 2011” (Smalls is Will’s nickname) on the side for everyone to use as dancing props, and a flip book station!

Bridal Gown – Monique Lhuillier – Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon
Wedding Shoes – Manolo Blahnik
Bridesmaid Dresses – Amsale, Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon
Ceremony & Reception Venue - Four Seasons, Austin, Texas
Rehearsal Dinner – Duchman Family Winery in the Texas Hill Country
Cake – The Cake Plate in Austin
Wedding Planner – Todd Events
Wedding Flowers and Design – Todd Events
Photographer – Scott Hagar

Wedding Trends – Brides and their Boots!

We are seeing more and more Brides and their Boots and they’re not just any boots! They are going all out with Custom Boots (as shown here), with their initials on them, expensive skins and the list goes on.

StrictlyWeddings.com was invited to our wonderful partners here in Dallas, Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon for an “oh so fun shoot” with some amazing boots. Becky and Loree, from the Bridal Salon, were our models that day and we also grabbed one handsome man from the men’s department to model the men’s boots (and he was wearing a beautiful Zegna suite-wow!).

Here are a few ideas for incorporating boots into your wedding:

• Brides might opt to have just the boots for their engagement session.
• If you are looking to have a custom pair made, talk to some of the wedding planners on our site. They may be able to guide you to some of the best places around to find the perfect fit.
• Wear your heels for the wedding, then change to your boots for the reception.

Many thanks to Heidi, with www.executivedesignsbyheidi.com for providing these amazing Remington Boots. Remington Boots creates a custom fitted boot using a digital scanner. The scaning device sends the actual image of the foot to their master boot maker in  El Paso. The time frame is a mere three weeks. Choose from an endless variety of skins, from python, ostrich, hornback and belly alligator, various snake skins and much more. Purses and accesory items matching the boots can also be made by their designer using beautiful hardware from  Milan. Call 214-631-3640.

Special thanks to Scott Hagar of Scott Hagar Photography for these wonderful photos!

Ideas For Planning A Garden Wedding

A garden-themed wedding can be the perfect option for brides who are planning to have their reception and ceremony in the spring or the early summer. This is a time when the flowers are in full bloom, when butterflies, bunnies, and all sorts of animals come out into the world again, and when the weather is lovely and the sun shines down. Whether you are choosing to have your wedding actually outside in a garden atmosphere or you are trying to create a garden feel inside, there are numerous options to make it a truly memorable occasion.

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A Texas Wedding Tradition at Marfa

Dallas photographer Scott Hager shared this wonderful wedding held in Marfa, Texas with us that we couldn’t wait to show our brides. Here’s a bit of background from the bride…

“The ranch has been in our family since 1884 – is beautiful, and such a part of my heritage – I am fifth generation. My boots were made by my Uncle Trainor who owns Rios de Mercedes boots in South Texas (photo below).  It’s a tradition in our family that you get cowboy boots with your new initials on them when you get married – my sister and brother designed mine, and specifically chose the color so that they could be my “something blue” on my wedding day!”

The Thursday before my wedding, our close friends the Millers hosted a ranch party for us. The Millers own a ranch just outside of Marfa, and the men are fantastic cooks. They put together a Mexican dinner, and I wore a traditional Mexican dress. On Friday, Scott shot Seth and I around Marfa, and that night we had an intimate Rehearsal Dinner for close family and friends at Mayas in Marfa, and then Second Lined to the Paisano Hotel Courtyard, where we had Maricahis play, followed by a West Texas Country Band. We danced and drank, hosted a breakfast and skeet shoot the next morning, followed by the BBQ lunch and wedding ceremony then reception.

“Our Ceremony was held at the First Christian Church in Marfa. My sister was my Maid of Honor, and got to the alter without Seth’s ring!  A great ice breaker when you’re nervous and emotional!  My brother read a prayer that my grandfather wrote, and we walked out to “Joyful, Joyful” jumped in my Dad’s ranch truck (of course!) and headed to the reception.”

“It was a beautiful day, and we had a fantastic time. Best of all, I got a super cute husband out of the deal. My gown is by Melissa Sweet, name is Saffron. Seth and I knew each other in college, but it wasn’t until he moved to NYC for grad school that we started to date, and got engaged a little over a year later. West Texas is home to me, so we married in Marfa. The reception took place at the Capri, and we passed margaritas and dined on quail and tenderloin. We danced to the Reunion Band out of Austin, and Sarah White made our 6-tier wedding cake, which we placed in the center of a table displaying family wedding pictures, some dating back to the early 1900s. Late night we passed tequilla shots (a celebratory tradition in my family) and served picadillo burritos. Seth and I left to a second line of “When the Saints go Marching In” (he’s from NOLA), and we will honeymoon in Vietnam and Cambodia.”

Prashi Shah 2010 Collection – the perfect honeymoon or dress rehearsal wear

StrictlyWeddings.com was so fortunate to be one of Prashi Shah‘s sponsors when she launched her collection, Society Language, at Ghost Bar at The W Hotel. The photos shown here are from her casual line. (Soon to come, we hope, her wedding collection). We think her clothes are perfect for a honeymoon somewhere stylish and tropical or maybe for your rehearsal dinner or couples shower.

A little on celebrity designer Prashi Shah … she doesn’t exactly fit the Bedford stereotype. At 17, she left her hometown and moved to New York to study fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. From there, she worked in design and color development for the well-known designer Bill Blass, picking up enough confidence and experience to move back to Dallas and create her own label, Prashe. Shah’s big break came in 2002 when a high-end New York retailer, Henri Bendel, picked up her line of cosmetic bags. She now sells handbags, skirts, tanks, and knickknacks to big-name stores like Nordstrom, as well as to local hot spots such as Jean Connection, Charmed by Melissa, and Movida. Shah travels the world for inspiration but still calls Dallas her home. “There is so much opportunity here, and its a growing city.” she says. Thanks to her, it’s a stylish one, too.

Many thanks to Scott Hagar Photography for taking time out of his busy schedule to shoot these great pictures!

Packing Tips for your Honeymoon – Bliss or Bust?

There are some people who are simply natural born packers, and know how to make the most of their closets on wheels. We look at some tips to help you make the most of the space which you have available to you.

1. Do your laundry a few days before you go so everything will be clean and ready for action. It is a good idea to have button-down shirts professionally laundered, pressed, and bagged at the dry cleaner so you can just pop them into your suitcase.
2. Start making your packing list a week before you leave. By starting early this gives you time to add items and take items off as you lead up to when you are going to leave.
3. When selecting items from your wardrobe, you should think coordinating solids, wrinkle-resistant micro fibers, such as Lycra, nylon, spandex and Tencel. Pack shoes which are versatile. Also remember that light-colored fabrics show stains, but they are cooler than dark clothes.
4. One of the ways of avoiding wrinkles is simply to roll or wrap your clothes in tissue paper. You can also lay clothes in the suitcase on their hangers and in plastic dry cleaner bags.
5. Don’t even bother taking shoes or clothes you’ve never worn before.
6. Stuff your socks and underwear into your shoes or purses. This will help these items keep their shapes.
7. If you have a luggage set, pack everything inside your second-largest bag, then put that bag inside the largest bag. This gives you the extra space for all sorts of goodies you buy while you are on honeymoon.
8. A good idea is to pack items which can have more than one use. Such as: a hair dryer with a curling iron attachment, an alarm clock and radio, a calculator and translation guide.
9. When you’ve stuffed your bag to the max, zip it up and tap it on the floor a few times to make extra room.
10. The golden rule of packing: don’t overstuff your bags! Over stuffing usually leads to exceeding airline weights and extra fees.
11. Unfold belts and wrap them around the inside of your suitcase.
12. Share bathroom basics like toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
13. Place any liquids, such as shampoos in an extra plastic bag. The altitude can cause these items to leak, and you don’t need to arrive to find everything coated in a layer of shampoo.
14. Pack your suitcase with heavier items on bottom, lighter ones on top.
15. Pack all your valuables, one change of clothes, non-perishable snacks, a small bottle of water, and your minimum toiletry needs in your carry-on incase your luggage gets delayed.
16. As soon as you arrive at your destination, unpack and hang up your clothes.

Photo courtesy of Scott Hagar Photography