If a ceremony in front of a giant oak tree and a bounty of pies in lieu of cake sounds like your kind of wedding, you will love today’s sweet Texas wedding from Laura Ridge Photography! There are so many darling details, like the heart pinned to the bride’s dress out of her late great-grandmother’s shirt or how her grandpa sang her down the aisle!
When I walked onto the property at Sisterdale, I knew immediately that it was the place I wanted us to share the biggest moment of our lives to date with the people we love. The property is absolutely breathtaking. It’s the perfect balance of the rustic feel that I love and the romantic, whimsical feelings that I found in my relationship with Evin. I chose decor and a color scheme that was soft and muted so it didn’t take away from the natural beauty of the venue. Soft pink, rose gold, cream, and of course a little glitter never hurt anyone. The result was an even more breathtaking scene than what I had always dreamed for my wedding. It was “us”.
My great-grandmother also passed away just a month before the wedding, so I cut a heart out of her favorite blue and white striped shirt and hand stitched it into my dress just over my heart as my “something blue” and a little reminder that she would’ve loved this day just as much as I did.
My dress was one of my favorite parts. I have never seen a dress quite like it, and couldn’t have been more happy with it. The lace wasn’t too “girly”- it actually reminded more of a doily of my great-grandmother’s that my grandma had framed- with big, loose knit flowers from top to bottom. The train was long enough to make a statement, but short enough to make sense for an outdoor wedding, and it even looked super cute bustled.
One of my favorite parts of the day was praying with Evin before the ceremony. Even though we didn’t see each other, sharing that quiet moment with him while we asked God to bless our marriage and to bring His name glory through our covenant gave us both so much peace. I also chose to have both my biological father and my step-dad walk me down the aisle. Although coming to that decision wasn’t easy for any of us, it meant the world to me to have them both by my side. I learned a lot about love when my step-dad chose to love me as his own when he didn’t have to, and I wanted to make sure he knew how much I love and respect him for having been such a blessing to my mom, my sister and I. Of course, any bride will probably tell you that their most favorite moment is seeing their groom’s face as they walk down the aisle. Rhonda at Sisterdale makes that moment even more precious. Even though it’s an outdoor venue, she has these precious antique doors set up at the end of the aisle. After the processional, she closes the doors until the bride is ready. As she opened the doors I heard my grandpa’s voice as he sang “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis, I saw that precious smile on Evin’s face and everything else faded away. It. Was. Perfect.
The most important part of planning for us was to make sure that each person there really felt like they knew and felt the love that we shared for each other. We added lots of personal touch to our day, and I think that’s what made it so intimate and special for all of us. I did a lot of things on my own or with the help of family. Invitations and Save-the-Dates were handmade. My grandma made the flower girls’ dresses, and I handmade the bridesmaids bouquets and all of the boutonnieres from bulk flowers at Costco.
Of course we included the old, new, borrowed, and blue. I used my great grandmother’s pearls to wrap around my bouquet and secured them with his grandmother’s broach. My “something borrowed” ended up being totally accidental because I forgot socks for my boots that morning and had to borrow some from a bridesmaid! We also placed photos of family who had passed around our guest book with a chalkboard that said, “We know you’d be here today if Heaven weren’t so far away.” It was a sweet reminder as we walked past it that they’d be proud of their growing family!
Since we knew it would be HOT, we turned our programs into fans, offered bottled water as guests walked in, and sent home the cutest koozies that we ordered off of Etsy. We chose to serve pie instead of cake because neither of us like icing, and we had a tamale bar instead of a traditional wedding meal. It worked out great because it was memorable for the guests and ended up being WAY cheaper!
Photography | Laura Ridge Photography | Venue | The Sisterdale Dancehall | Florals | Farmgirl Flowers | Cake & Desserts | Bumdoodler’s | Hair & Makeup | On Location Hair and Makeup | DJ | DJ CONNECTION | Wedding Dress | I Do The Dress I Do | Shoes | Corral Boots | Bridesmaid Dresses | Azazie | Groom’s Attire | Everything Nice
