Shiraz Garden Hill Country Venue on the Colorado River

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Trusting your vendors: postponement and having the time of your life no mater the month of wedding day

Naseem Khonsari

Trusted Vendors: A Story of Postponement from a

March to a June Wedding at Shiraz Garden

Laura and Dan were just a week away from their dream wedding when COVID struck. We were instantly by their side, along with their fantastic planner, Julia from Wildflowers & Whiskey Events, to say, “we’ve got you… focus on getting well.”

Fast forward three months, and what was intended to be a March wedding was turned into a June celebration of love. Before, we loved them for their good spirits and grace through a postponed wedding; we loved them for being “all in” and seeing them regularly at every opportunity we provided.

These two were a joy to work with and made time to be at every Open House every Booked-Couples-Only event, and took advantage of many of our recommended vendors! This meant we got to see them regularly and enjoy their planning process.

At Laura and Daniel’s Final Walkthrough, it was nothing but fun, and just getting a feel for the day one more time because all their significant details were finalized! Seeing a couple enjoy their last month of engagement rather than rushing to make final designs is such a gift and something that is key in choosing our Recommended Planners, who ensure that month of ease by being ahead of the game!

BRIDE’S REVIEW

My husband and I only saw one other venue before we went with Shiraz Garden. Once we saw the space, we were hooked. It's a beautiful area with a lot of land- meaning, you get a lot of options for photo ops! We worked with Kalli who suggested vendors to us, helped us with layout ideas, and worked with us to create a memorable time. They were accommodating and helpful when we had to unfortunately move our wedding date back, and were always available to answer any questions. We had the best time!

WEDDING PLANNER WHEN YOU NEED ONE

They chose Julia and her team at Wildflowers and Whiskey Events for their planning which is always a wise decision for those who want to be stress-free. Because this planning team is at Shiraz Garden regularly, they are familiar with our policies, rules, and best layout designs, as well as timeline adjustments that make your day here smooth and stress-free.

Since this was a reschedule from early March to mid-June, the layout, the timeline, and the day overall had to be adjusted. Julia as a recommended vendor, was able to do this in a professional manner causing the couple as little worry as possible over a new date. You can see from these photos and the Bride’s review how wonderful their June wedding in the Hill Country turned out and in large part from the hard work of Julia.

We love working with new vendors, but here are several “training” needed to make sure new vendors are prepared and aware of our spaces in a way that allows them to see the wedding and create custom timelines for our couples that play well to our unique spaces. Choosing a Recommended Shiraz Planner means you can go right to the brainstorming and fun stuff because those planners know all the possibilities and can help you come up with new ones that will work! As Julia so effortlessly showcased on this rescheduled COVID wedding.

PRE-CEREMONY WELCOME PARTY!

Summer weddings mean late ceremonies. Couples must follow the golden rule of ceremony no more than 1.5 hours before sunset when it comes to a summer wedding in Texas. This can mean a 7-7:30 pm ceremony time — a late start cascades into planning the entire evening. Since guests will need to start dinner post-ceremony around 7:45/8 pm, cocktail hour is shorter, and the reception will go longer into the night. To allow guests to fully experience the fun spaces at Shiraz and mingle (typically at post-ceremony cocktail hour) our couples often include a Pre-Ceremony Welcome hour (anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour).

Usually, this is just tea and water, maybe one signature cocktail, and used primarily to ensure guests arrive at Shiraz with ample time to walk over to the Formal Garden, enjoy each other’s company, and greet friends they haven’t seen in a while. For summer, this is also a significant time to make sure every guest has WATER in hand before the ceremony.

Once waters or tea are in hand and guests have had the opportunity to mingle for half an hour, someone calls out, “alright everyone.. follow me to the ceremony!” Everyone gets their drink and, as a group, forms a little celebratory parade off to the ceremony!

BRIDE’S STORY OF HOW THEY MET

It all started using the uber pool feature on the Uber app. I was awaiting my uber pool after attending an event that happened to be hosted where Dan worked. As chance would have it, Dan's Uber app wasn't working, so he asked me if my app was. I invited him to join my Uber pool as he was on the way to my home at the time. We didn't exchange numbers that night, only great conversation and names. The next day, I went climbing and was telling my friend Harriet about the encounter when Harriet realized she had studied abroad with him as an undergrad in Belgium. She showed me a photo, and we confirmed this was the right person. Dan and I ended up meeting up a few months later, and the rest was history.

THE PROPOSAL

Laura has a twin sister, so it was super important to her that she was there when the big day happened. Dan planned the proposal in Laura's childhood park, Winnemac park, under a willow tree while on a road trip home for the holidays. It was double unique as it was the first time we saw family in a year.

CHOOSING YOUR HILL COUNTRY WEDDING VENUE - SHIRAZ GARDEN

All the outdoor spaces available and the ambiance are why these sweethearts choose Shiraz Garden near the ATX airport for their wedding day—being lovers of the outdoors, the open spaces of Sunset Vista and outdoor dining options in the Formal Garden had them at hello. These two honeymooned in Fiji, and for those with that type of wanderlust and passion for the great outdoors, find a piece of unexpected magic here at Shiraz Garden.

AUSTIN WEDDING VENDOR TEAM for #SchmitzJustGotReal