This wedding was extra fun and special because I got to co-shoot this one with my photog BFF, a partner in crime, Stacy Sodolak with SMS Photography. We have always wanted to join forces and this was the chance we got to do it. The wedding had a huge team of talented photographers:
Jenny DeMarco and Stacy Sodolak – lead photographers
Kat Bevel, Stacey Conant, Ben Godkin, Vanessa Lain Torres – Team photographers
Jerry Hayes – Detail and PreEvent Photography
Q. How did you pick your wedding venue?
While Matt had always pictured of an outdoor wedding and myself, an indoor Catholic ceremony in a church we knew we had to somehow merge the two visions. We are both complete suckers for a good backdrop so pursuing St. Mary Cathedral in Austin was a bit of a no-brainer. It had a very elaborate yet simple and intimate feel to it that we absolutely loved. Antebellum Oaks gave us the chance to incorporate some of the beauty of hill country in central Texas. The lights wrapped around the twisted oak trees had us from the get-go. It was so nice to have two lawn areas for our guests to experience and mingle while still having a gorgeous building/venue for dinner and dancing.
Q. Describe your decor and how you chose it?
I wanted a softer elegant feel almost as if the elegance was accidental versus deliberate, hence a softer purple/mauve/wisteria color palette instead of a bolder purple. We love lights so made sure candles, string lights, uplighting and a little bang from a firework show was included. Personal touches we wanted to include revolved around family members who had passed, quote Matt always says to me “what my baby wants, my baby gets”, travel-themed pieces with a map engraved on guestbook, ornaments for guests in the shape of Texas (where wedding was held as most people were out of state.) And then finally, as the honeymoon was a surprise (Matt planned the whole thing and didn’t tell me anything), thus he incorporated clues without me knowing such as mailing the bakery Madagascar vanilla beans to include in the frosting of the cake, having the bar serve South African wines, and finally the reveal of having the band dedicate Toto’s song “Africa” to me.
Q. Tell me about your attire – who designed your dress and where did you buy it?
My dress was designed by Pronovias (Pronovias Princia) and I purchased it at Liv & Love Bridal in San Antonio. I had the seamstress add on little off the shoulder lace to wear during the ceremony part of the day. My veil was custom made as I wanted cathedral length and lace around the edges with it cascading from the front to the back.
Q. Why did you pick me as your photographer?
In looking at the compilation of work from start to finish of a given wedding day, I always saw such a beautiful story being told when looking through Jenny’s photos. And each one very unique within itself. Her photos stood out from all the other photographer’s work I looked at, as it had a certain quality that was above and beyond a standard nice picture. In talking to Jenny, I knew she was very experienced and it sealed the deal for me in choosing to go with her as our wedding photographer.
Q. What was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day?
Maybe that we pulled off our first dance without Matt stepping on my dress or dropping me! Just kidding – although that was such a thrilling moment for us. One of the moments I always dreamed of was those doors of the church opening for me to walk down that aisle, I will never forget that moment. It was honestly just such a perfect day, we couldn’t have pictured anything better than being able to have so much fun smiling, dancing and celebrating with all of our family and friends.
Q. What vendors went above and beyond for you?
Altared Events really did a phenomenal job in creating our lighting vision. Between the uplighting, the string lighting to the center of the room and the light wall behind the band it can often be the little elements that add something extra. High Fidelity also did a superb job playing songs that kept people dancing all night long – they really brought the energy and made it come alive on the dance floor! Big Dog Pyro also hit it out of the park with a big bang for the firework show and fountain light exit.
Q. Any tips for other couples?
At the end of the day, no matter what happens, your goal will happen – you will be married! 🙂
A special thanks to the vendor team:
Planner: Megan Metzger
Stationary: Pink Champagne Paper
Ceremony Venue: Central Christian Church
Reception Venue: The Driskill
Floral: David Kurio
Band: Simply Irresistible
Videographer: Crescent Films
Rentals: Townsley and Whim
Linens: La Tavola
Cake: Frosted Art
Dance Floor: DFW Dance Floors
Ice Sculpture: Full Sprectrum Ice
Ice Cream: Amy’s Icecream
Stationary: Pink Champagne Paper Co.
Lighting: FILO
Hair and Makeup: Adore