Photos by Villamil Photography
Houston-area photographer Brittany Villamil spends most of her time capturing those special life moments. However, when her future husband Ian proposed, she found herself on the other side of the camera. Ian convinced Brittany to take three-year anniversary pictures and as she was posing, dropped to one knee and popped the big question. I will let you decide what she said by the pictures. Thanks for sharing Brittany and Ian!
Photos by Villamil Photography
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Now that you have the ring on your finger, it’s time to step into the world of wedding planning. In my day, a wedding simply meant you needed a church, reception venue, dress and you were ready to enter marital bliss. A wedding today is much more intricate and is the first chance for the bride and groom to express and portray their common interests and tastes. Therefore, planning a wedding has taken on whole new meaning. In order to plan the wedding you desire and still have your head on straight by your wedding day, it is wise to hire a planner to help you choose the right venue, the most reliable vendors, and offer her professional opinion. As you begin the planning process, you will see why hiring a wedding planner/coordinator is beneficial. Before you schedule an appointment with a wedding planner, sit down with your fiancée and make some decisions regarding the big day in order for the planner to have a clear idea of what you envision. Here are some tips for you and your fiancée to think about: 1. The Date Knowing the date or at least the month you wish to marry is crucial. Certain months in the year are busier than others, so venues tend to get swept up quickly. The most popular months are April and October, so if this is when you are planning for your big day, it is important to book the venue early. Wedding planners know this; therefore, the sooner you solidify the date, the better. Also, the month you marry affects the theme or style of the wedding, and even choosing the proper wedding dress. It is also important to know the time of day you wish to marry, as this too will have a bearing on certain aspects of your wedding, such as menu options. You would not want to serve a chicken or steak dish at a mid-morning wedding. 2.The Theme Go to the meeting with your planner with an idea of the way you envision the ceremony and reception décor. This is where bridal magazines and Pinterest can help. Cut out pictures of what you like, everything from flowers, to lighting, table scapes, etc. From here, your planner/coordinator can guide you to the right vendors. If you have a theme in mind, be sure to include pictures as well. Your idea of “Vintage” could be completely different than the way the planner interprets this style. 3. The Bridal Party Creating a list of the bridal party is helpful. Decide approximately how many bridesmaids and groomsmen you and your fiancée wish to have. Also, think about how you would like the wedding party to walk down the aisle. For example, do you want the bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk down the aisle together, or do you want the groomsmen to enter from the side along with the officiant and groom and the bridesmaids to walk down the aisle alone. 4. The Budget Most importantly, make sure to have a budget in mind. The number of guests you invite will greatly determine the budget. You and your fiancée should write a Top 10 List of the items you feel are non-negotiable when planning your wedding. For instance, having the most beautiful and lush flower arrangements are top on the list, hiring both a band and a DJ is next on the list, having an open bar is important, etc. It is overwhelming and stressful planning a wedding! This is why hiring a professional is a wise move. There are so many details that can get overlooked when planning a wedding yourself. Now that you have these few tips, call a wedding planner and schedule an appointment. This will help make you and your fiancee’s wedding planning experience enjoyable and stress-free. About the Author Pam Sparks is an event manager and event specialist for En Vogue Events and is known for her amazing energy and love of designing beautiful wedding themes. Pam is currently a member of NACE, the National Association of Catering Executives, and serving on the Crystal ICON Awards committee for ISES, the International Special Events Society. You can connect with her on Twitter! Have you considered serving up pies at your wedding? When they are this cute, how could you resist? Amanda Ogden and her Mom, Kit, have been serving up these little beauties for their company, Tiny Pies, based in Austin. They have just launched a Houston location and served up the details here on Woodlands Bride. WB: How did you get the idea for Tiny Pies? AO: My mom, Kit and I have been baking pies together for years. The idea for Tiny Pies came from my sons wanting to take an individual piece of pie in their lunch sacks to school. We launched Tiny Pies in Austin in January, 2011 and have grown by leaps and bounds. WB: Tell us about the adorable little pies! AO: Tiny Pies are the ORIGINAL tiny hand-held pie. Our pies are just like grandma used to make…only much, much, smaller. Tiny Pies are made from old family recipes with the highest quality all-natural ingredients sourced from local farmers markets (when possible). You can eat them without utensils and they taste great either hot or cold. We have many different styles and flavors of pie to choose from...perfect for everybody who enjoys pie. We offer our Original Tiny Pies, Pie Pops (pie on a stick), 1/2 pint mason jar pies, Teeny Tiny Pies (one bite pies) and our Not So Tiny Pies (traditional size pies). We also bake up Cinnamon Pie Poppers (our version of a cinnamon roll made from pie crust). We also have just introduced savory veggie pies. WB: What kinds of events do you cater? AO: We specialize in weddings and corporate events. We've catered everything from fundraisers for non-profits for 450 attendees to shipping one thousand pies to three separate locations for a company's product launch. We've also catered many weddings, rehearsal dinners and shower events. I think today's brides and grooms are looking for something unique that highlights their individuality and Tiny Pies are a great fit for them. Additionally, folks are becoming more conscious of where their food comes from and so they select Tiny Pies for their events because they know that we support the local growers and source our ingredients locally whenever possible. We offer free tastings and usually bake up about four different flavors of pie for wedding celebrations. We believe strongly in giving back to our community and have put our pies where our mouth is so to speak. We've helped raise money for the following charities over the past year: Susan G. Komen Foundation, Moblie Loaves and Fishes, SafePlace, Goodwill Industries and Heart of Texas Lab Rescue just to name a few. WB: Welcome to Houston! How can a bride learn more? AO: We launched our weddings and events catering business in Houston in March. We hope to offer Houstonians a unique and all natural alternative to their catering needs. We look forward to becoming a local favorite and will continue to support the local community through participating in fundraisers. Houston brides can contact us for free tastings. If we're not in the Houston area we can ship pies to them free of charge we just ask that they pay for shipping. We deliver to Houston for large scale events and can ship smaller orders easily. We'll be at the Something Borrowed, Something Blues Bridal show at House of Blues Houston on August 11th. Photos courtesy of Tiny Pies.
Congratulations to Nikki Lee, our Frost Bake Shoppe cupcake giveaway winner! Enjoy your scrumptious prize and have a Raspberry Lemon for me!
This peacock-inspired color scheme is gorgeous and I just love all the different shades of purple flowers in the wedding bouquet. Love it! Photo by Jo Photo.
My 4-year-old son and husband attended the Astros vs. Rangers game last weekend and my little guy has been singing these lines of the song over and over and over. They are really sweet lyrics and inspired this free Texas wedding printable. I think it would be cute framed on a guest table. You can download it here.
I am also thinking about doing another copy in color, but I can't decide on a color scheme to go with. Any suggestions? P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway for FREE cupcakes from Frost Bake Shoppe. Cupcakes are the perfect little treat to serve at your wedding, shower, or engagement party, but choosing flavors to suit your guest's taste buds could be a little overwhelming. The wonderful ladies at Frost Bake Shoppe dished about their 5 most popular flavors for wedding events and how the cupcakes can be flawlessly styled to match your wedding or shower theme. Can't wait to sample? Find out how you could win a dozen cupcakes to call your own at the bottom of this post! Black VelvetThis cupcake features a rich chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting shown in a Tiffany blue flower design. Red VelvetThis delicious classic features a traditional Southern-style red velvet cake piled high with a yummy cream cheese frosting and decorated with small silver beaded sprinkles. StrawberryThis is Frost's delicious vanilla cupcake infused with chopped, fresh strawberries and topped with buttercream frosting in Tiffany blue with a handful of classic white sprinkles. VanillaThis vanilla is anything but plain! This is a yummy Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake topped with vanilla frosting and finished with a fondant medallion and sprinkles. Lemon RaspberryI think this is the perfect summer flavor. This cupcake is a fresh lemon cake infused with delicious raspberry puree and topped with buttercream frosting. I love the dainty fondant flower and on top of all the sprinkles. Ready to win your own dozen? It's really quite simple!
The Prize: One Dozen Cupcakes from Frost Bake Shoppe ($36 value) How to Enter: 1. Check out Frost's menu and tell us about which flavor is your favorite and why in the comment section below.(I know some of you already know the menu by heart!) 2. Post this as your facebook status: I just entered to win one dozen cupcakes from Frost Bake Shoppe at www.woodlandsbride.com. You should too! Bonus entries: You can gain additional entries by doing the following actions and telling us which ones you did in the comment section below: 1. Tweet this post and leave a link to the tweet. 2. Follow us on Twitter. 3. Follow us on Pinterest. 4. Like us on Facebook. (If you already do, leave a comment telling us that!) You can have up to 5 entries! The Fine Print: Contest is open until Saturday 5/26 midnight CST. The winner will be decided by a random drawing using randomizer.org. The winner will be contacted via the email address they register with and will have three days to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be selected. Winner will be responsible for picking up the cupcakes at the Indian Springs location. Photo by Caught You On Camera You really do a lot more walking on your wedding day than you may realize. From the big walk down the aisle to mingling with guests, dancing the night away and then making your get-away. You have to do this all as gracefully as possible. I love this quote: Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life. They also play a huge role in your ability to enjoy a life-changing day...take it from a girl who ran to her get-away car with bleeding heels. So, the kindest thing I think I can do is pass on my tips for choosing the perfect wedding shoes based upon everything I did wrong! Tip 1: Splurge on comfortable, high-quality shoes, especially if you plan to wear them the whole time. This isn't the place to cut corners, leave the bargain bins alone. Go to a quality shoe store, get sized by a professional, and purchase a pair of quality shoes. Tip 2: I know this seems obvious, but sometimes with all the wedding to do's adding up, we forget this one. Break in your shoes before the big day, even if it's just around the house. Tip 3: Make your shoes fun! I love that girls are wearing fun wedding shoes now days instead of standard issue plain white satin pumps when I was getting married. Make them your something blue, get them hand-painted, wear TOMS, wear a fun fancy color, add a flower decoration from Etsy. The sky is the limit! Tip 4: Have two pairs of shoes. Purchase one pair of heels for the ceremony and then slip into a pair of fun flats for the reception. At least have a back up pair stashed somewhere in case your shoes get too uncomfortable. Tips 5: Pack the bandages. While we are on the topic of packing, consider tossing in some just-in-case bandages or moleskin because you never know when a pair could rub you the wrong way. I hope you heel (oops, I mean heed) this advice! There is no reason anyone should spend their Hawaiian honeymoon nursing open blisters on the back of their heels. I know some of you out there have your own advice or stories when it comes to picking out your wedding shoes. Feel free to share in the comment section below! If you met your fiance at the Montgomery County Livestock Show or the local 4-H Club, you may enjoy this rustic affair. I love the little nods to the bride and groom's rural roots shown in this country wedding by Melissa Copeland Photography. What is your favorite little detail? Tell me about it in the comment section below. Caterer: Schnitzelbank Catering
Floral Designer: The Flower Bin Reception Venue: Shakamak State Park Cinema and Video: Eyenamics Video Production Cake Designer: Nancy Woodard Cakes DJ: Showtime Music Makeup Artist: Cynthia Lindsay Photo Booth Equipment: Kari's Kreations If you are searching for wedding color ideas, check in for our new Friday series, hue love. Every Friday, we will gather garden fresh color inspiration by putting together color palettes based on fresh flower bouquets and wedding decor. Have a happy weekend! Photo by Jo Photo.
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