An outdoor wedding that features nature’s loveliest elements. The beauty of water by the ceremony and the beauty of land by the reception. What more can you ask for? The school rivalry part of this event was also fascinating for it led to the creation of three sweet pastries. Justin’s Texas Tech cake, Aimee’s Texas A&M cupcakes, and of course, their wedding reception cake which, in my opinion, is the best looking of all. Such an amazing location for an equally amazing couple. Congratulations Aimee & Justin!
Bride:
What inspired the wedding day outfits?
We wanted a look that was classy and elegant. We didn’t want to look back at our wedding 20 years from now and think “what were we thinking?!”. For the men, Justin wanted that ‘Night at the Oscars’ look, so he went with a simple black tux with black bow ties. To separate Justin from the groomsmen I gave him a plaid Burberry bow tie, which matched our colors perfectly.
Picking out bridesmaid dresses was actually fairly stressful for me. I am people pleaser and wanted all the girls to like their dress, which can be tough for seven girls. I thought about going with burgundy dresses which would have gone with our color scheme, but ultimately decided on a charcoal grey. I felt the burgundy could be a dated color 20 years from now, and black seemed too dark for the girls, so I felt that a dark grey would be a great and classic compromise. Because the wedding was outdoors and it can still be very hot in Texas in late September, I felt that long dresses could have potentially been too hot and too much for an outdoor ceremony. Also, all of my bridesmaids were spread across the country from Texas, Washington DC, and Michigan, so ordering their dresses from a bridal boutique would have been an additional cost to them to have their dresses shipped. That said, J.Crew provided everything that I was looking in a bridesmaid dress. They had a number of styles, fabrics, and colors to choose from, and it was convenient for the
girls to order.
What was your favorite part of the day?
Without sounding too cheesy, my favorite part of the day was finally seeing Justin at the end of the aisle waiting for me. We went the traditional route and did not see each other until that moment. His reaction was priceless and it was totally worth the wait.
Was there any Do it Yourself (DIY) projects? If so, can you describe them in detail?
We did not have any significant DIY projects, just a few things here and there to add our personality to the decor. We went to rival colleges and we both love football, so we had different koozies made up in our school colors. I created a framed sign stating “We’re always a team, except on Saturdays” to display next to the koozies and also Justin’s Texas Tech grooms cake and my Texas A&M cupcakes. I simply bought cheap frames and spray painted them gold to dress them up. We also didn’t go with the traditional guest book and we bought 3 of our favorite wines, gold sharpie markers, and had the guests sign the bottles. We will open a bottle on our 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year anniversaries. I did some research first, though, and made sure that we bought wines that will age well over time.
What were the highlights from the ceremony & reception?
Both Justin and I have a few musically talented family members, so we each asked our uncles to play during the ceremony. My uncle plays the violin and Justin’s the guitar, so we picked out a few songs that would sound great with both these instruments. They coordinated a few weeks before and only practiced the morning of the wedding! I was so focused on making it down the aisle that I didn’t get to fully listen to them, but everyone said it they sounded amazing! I really enjoyed being able to include our family members in the ceremony. At the reception, the music and dancing was absolutely the best part. Justin even got on stage and performed a few songs! Years from now, I may not remember the smaller details of the night, but I will always remember just how
much fun we had on the dance floor.
Was there a theme for the ceremony and reception?
There was no theme to the wedding. Everything was outside, so I wanted the natural beauty of Boot Ranch and the Texas Hill Country to show through. The ceremony was in front of a creek and waterfall and the reception was set on top of a hill with stunning views. There’s no way to compete with the beauty of the Hill Country!
What part of the ceremonies do you think was the most memorable for the bride and groom? Guests?
Justin and I first discussed writing our own vows, but we also respected the traditional vows that have been said for years. We decided that we wanted to say something to each other just prior to stating our vows. I think this added a great personal touch to the ceremony
Vendors
Photographer: PhotoHouse Films
Reception Venue: Boot Ranch
Band: The Royal Dukes
Event Designer: Maggie Gillespie Design
Equipment Rentals: Marquee Event Group
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