Oh, hey! Remember me? The thought of editing all my daughter’s wedding pictures to put on this blog caused me so much stress that I never did it. Procrastinating is my superpower! So here it is exactly three years later and I figured that I might as well just get it done. I still think it was just the most lovely and wonderful wedding.
The wedding was at the temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as Mormons or LDS but we prefer the longer, more formal name) in San Antonio, Texas. It’s a two hour drive away from our house so we ultimately decided to have the wedding on a Friday evening and have the reception the next day instead of cramming it all into one day. Traditionally only the very closest family and friends attend the temple wedding. It’s a very short ceremony and not at all like a traditional wedding. So we planned a ring ceremony with the couple walking down the aisle and reciting vows along with a large reception on Saturday morning before the reception. Ethan’s mom is a pastor at the Methodist church nearby and she performed the most beautiful ceremony. It was really the best of both worlds.
Every single weekend in April and May in Austin had been rainy so I was a little panicked that we might have rotten weather, but it turned out to be warm and bright and perfect.
We were fortunate enough to find a fantastic photographer who was willing to go to the temple on Friday as well as cover the wedding festivities on Saturday. If you’re in the Austin/San Antonio area, I can’t recommend Vanessa Lain highly enough. I was a little worried that she would be way too expensive but Bonnie, the groom’s mom, and I agreed that a good photographer was paramount. Fortunately Vanessa worked with our budget to meet our needs. I don’t care how tiny your budget is, wedding photos are not something to skimp on because it’s ultimately the only thing that will be left over after the wedding is done. They’re the things your kids and grandkids (great-grandkids?!?) will look at forever. If you’re planning a wedding, don’t leave pictures to a family member or friend! Pay for a decent photographer!
The Next Morning, May 12th, was the ring ceremony and the reception. From day one India and Ethan insisted that it be a morning wedding followed by brunch.
The event was held in Ethan’s family’s backyard. It’s full of twisty oak trees with a view of Lake Travis in the distance. If you aren’t familiar with this part of Texas, it’s hilly and green. Their backyard is stunning and we were so blessed to be able to hold the celebration there.
The menu for brunch consisted of donuts (of course), A yogurt parfait station, buttermilk silver dollar pancakes with Darren’s homemade vanilla syrup, a cereal bar, fresh fruit and omelet bites (for all the gluten-free folks).
Congratulations, India and Ethan! You’re amazing people and you’ve already made it three years!
(If you have more questions about all the wedding details, the next post goes into every single aspect.)