Soft Dusty Greens + Dried Boho Florals with pops of Orchids : Incredible Hill Country Destination Wedding Design
BOHO RE-DEFINED WITH A MODERN-ECLECTIC TOUCH
THIS DAY. Easily, this November wedding day comes to mind as one of the most stunning color designs of 2022. Alex, the bride, worked closely with her florist Merci Bouquet to create a unique design that will stand the test of time. There was a clear boho theme but a bit of rock and rock and modern elegance. The foundational color of the bridesmaid’s dresses and tabletop runners of a dusty green scheme was stunning and perfect for allowing the creative florals to shine alongside the antique Persian Rugs at the ceremony. We hope to see so many more of our boho brides choose to add in greens like Alex! Boho weddings often choose a complete rust-terracotta color scheme. Still, this wedding showed us why having a green foundation color to accent those dried florals, desert-colored orchids, and romantic rust-colored Persian rugs made for the most iconic wedding!
ICONIC HILL COUNTRY OUTDOOR CEREMONY WITH A VIEW
Sunset Vista has iconic views of the Hill Country with the unique Oak Tree as the ceremony backdrop to perfectly frame the couple and make a circle arch stand out. These two hasted 80 of their family and friends to celebrate. Sunset Vista can easily host up to 150 guests, but it also feels perfectly sized for elopements and mid-sized weddings in the 70-100 range.
The way Shalee with Stonehouse Photography captured the Sunset Vista ceremony details is another honorable mention! Wow, these images are truly captivating and so eternal. She was so much fun to work with the day-of and brought tons of energy to the day. She has a fantastic presence that matches her creative skills for our wild and free brides!
“What an absolute dream, start to finish. Kalli was exceptional; her communication and assurances throughout the entire experience helped to quell any worries we had. The venue itself is STUNNING, incredible, exactly how I envisioned my daughter’s wedding. While our weather turned chilly, they had options for our guests. The bridal suite? Perfection. I could not have asked for a better wedding venue! ”
CEREMONY TIME FOR OUTDOOR SUNSET WEDDING
This wedding was perfectly timed at 4 pm, exactly 1.5 hours before sunset. For an outdoor ceremony, the best way to ensure gorgeous photos and sunlight are:
First look + ceremony 1.5 hours before sunset
A first look allows the ceremony time to be 1.5 before sunset, so you aren’t rushing to take an hour’s worth of bride and groom’s portraits.
Just as Alx and Time did, we always encourage a “Welcome Drink” period, as they had at 3:30 pm to welcome their guests, get them oriented, and then parade over to Sunset Vista as a group at 3:50 just before the ceremony!
“I planned almost my entire wedding while I lived in a different state, and the wedding venue was what I was most worried about. Not being able to see the venue in person before I spent $$ on it was SO nerve-racking. After many Zoom tours and phone calls, I finally came across Shiraz Garden.
From the start, I knew Shiraz had everything I wanted - a GORGEOUS ceremony backdrop, versatile spaces for dancing/eating, an ideal location close to hotels, and an involved venue manager who could help with vendor suggestions and setting up.
The venue manager, Kalli, was there the entire time leading up to the wedding to help - she was SO responsive and eager to make our day truly unique! I genuinely felt like she cared about us beyond just clients and that she wanted our day to be unique and personal to us. On the wedding day, she was so kind and always checked up on me, but I never felt like she was overstepping. She just really cared! I knew I didn’t have to worry about anything venue-related with her around.
After the wedding, I couldn’t even keep track of how many people came to me to tell me how gorgeous the venue was! Even though the temperature had dipped super low (for Texas), the venue still took people’s breath away. We even had to make a last-minute switch that morning when we realized how cold it would be, and Kalli and her team made it happen seamlessly (or at least it felt seamless on my end!).
Kalli and Shiraz are seriously the hidden gems in the mass of central Texas wedding venues!! So happy to have chosen this venue for our day. ”
BRIDE AND GROOM
These two were so sweet during their first look at the Hidden Staircase, followed by a stroll by the Colorado River for fun and unexpected portraits! Our Shiraz Team take the bride and groom and their video + photo team to each of our stunning photo locations via golf cart for fun and an adventurous feel to make the day even more special!
“Tim and I met through mutual friends (my college roommate and his close friend were “talking”) - we went on a double date and it was okay, but we knew we really weren’t each other’s type (LOL). But we kept talking and eventually started hanging out with just the two of us, and I think we were both caught by surprise with how strong and sudden our feelings were for each other. We made it official and as they say, the rest is history.”
The Hidden Staircase is shaded… and the perfect
First Look Location
“I chose Shiraz Garden because it had everything we were looking for - a breathtaking hill country view for our ceremony, a unique architectural feel that WASN’T a barn, and a venue manager who genuinely cares about you and your wedding day.”
RECEPTION AND DETAILS
It’s impossible to understate how amazing Julie and Merci Bouquet was on this wedding day, and all the others we’ve had the pleasure of working with her at Shiraz. It was so evident she cared greatly about bringing Alex’s designs to life, big and small. She worked so diligently and made even our Shiraz staff feel appreciated along the way. She worked with last-minute changes and created a favorite ceremony and reception design we’ll always love.
Julia with Wildflowers and Whiskey made sure the day was executed with several last-minute changes due to a snap cold front no one was prepared for! She was there to ensure everyone had the change of plans in hand, and guests would have never known the difference!
“The moment I’m looking forward to most is really just being surrounded by the people I love the most in the whole world - that’s why we chose to have a wedding rather than elope. Since most of my family lives in Illinois/Missouri, I knew the likelihood of all of these people being together again is veryyy slim. So I can’t wait to just look around and bask in the presence of my friends and family!”
Writing about a couples wedding day can quickly become a love letter to a couple’s identity and character. Working with a bride from day one, from the first venue inquiry to the wedding day, gives us an insight few vendors have. Alex was one of the most memorable brides for so many reasons, but her faith in us as her venue team to be there for her was so refreshing and fun! She planned from out of state for her Texas Destination wedding at Shiraz; it was so fun to be a resource for her. You get to see a natural part of a person’s heart during their wedding planning, and it was easy to see why Tim adores his now wife, as Alex is kind and thoughtful in every way.
VENDOR TEAM - AUSTIN WEDDING VENDORS
Coordinator - Wildflowers and Whiskey Events
Photographer - Stonehouse Photography
Hair and Makeup - Makeup ATX
DJ - Byrne Rock - Jesse Jones
Video - PhotoHouse Films
Catering + Bar - Lily Grace Catering
Florist - Merci Bouquet
Photo Booth - Gypc Wagen
Sweets - Noble Delights Bakery
Rugs - Shiraz Garden
…The one thing that people DO think is crazy is that I never even saw Shiraz Garden in-person before I booked it. I just trusted my gut! But truly it's one of the best decisions I made in the wedding vendor process. I finally saw it in-person (almost an entire year after initially booking it) and it was exactly how I had imagined!
WEDDING PLANNING + RELATIONSHIP ADVICE
For wedding advice, I'd say focus on what YOU want out of your day. If you try to please everyone, and your fiancè, AND yourself, you'll be exhausted and honestly, I don't even think it's possible for everyone to get exactly what they want. But if you can highlight the 2 - 3 things you want to feel on your day and focus on how to achieve those feelings, then I think you'll prioritize the right things - everything else will fall as it does. As for general relationship advice, never go to bed angry! I know it sounds super clichè but it really makes you consider the importance of sharing your feelings, apologizing, and resolving your anger.
THE PROPOSAL
I went to graduate school in North Carolina for two years, and we had to manage with long-distance. At the end of my spring semester of my first year, Tim and I planned a trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee for a nice getaway weekend with just the two of us - he flew in from Texas and we drove from my NC apartment. The evening we got there, he took us on a "surprise" drive to a beautiful location next to a river. He took me to a little outlook overlooking the water and got down on one knee. He also hired a photographer to capture the moment (she was hiding in the trees behind us!). It was so special and I am SO happy that I have that memory photographed because I totally blacked out and don't remember anything.
We've really been through it all - we've even done long-distance twice (once when I went to Germany for 4 months and once again for two years while I lived in North Carolina) and we somehow made it out alive. We value our friendship with each other so much, so finding ways to keep that part of our relationship strong was super important. We would play multiplayer video games and have virtual movie nights regularly to focus on just spending time together and having fun.
