Combining an outdoor ceremony flanked with the beautiful backdrop of Texas Hill Country together with an indoor reception of decked with beautiful florals, Amanda and Jordan blended the best of both worlds for Texas in July. Blue Ribbon Vendor Bristol Lane created a romantic, natural look with blooms of deep reds and pinks with lots of texture that perfectly complimented Pecan Springs Ranch’s already lovely aesthetic. But the detail I could not love more? Amanda said that there are very few times she has ever felt more loved or supported than the moment they wanted into their reception. “It was the first time I really got to take in all of the excited, loving faces of our friends and family.”
Thanks to Feather & Twine for sending along Amanda and Jordan’s sweet Texas wedding!
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Jordan and I went to Texas A&M and worked at the Student Rec Center together. We were friends from the start, and I always loved Jordan’s friendly, down-to-earth nature. In the fall of 2012, we went on our first “date” to our boss’ church. After church, the congregation gathered to eat together, so we brought a dessert that we made the night before. I love to cook, but that dinner was a bit of a fiasco. Of course, as a proud Italian, I made penne vodka and it was so spicy that Jordan could not even touch the pasta. In typical Jordan fashion, he was extremely nice about it and pretended he liked it. The dessert we made for church was also a mess. We tried to double the recipe and the chocolate mousse that was supposed to be fluffy turned out to be more of a dense paste (yum!). Despite our cooking being a bust, Jordan and I had so much fun together, constantly laughing and doing equally awkward things. From there, our relationship steadily grew, we became more confident about cooking together, endured long-distance, exchanged countless letters, and got engaged at the Grand Canyon in April 2015!
Tell us all about the proposal! A few of our favorite things include camping, the mountains, and quality friend time, so we were more than excited for our trip to the Grand Canyon! Jordan and I didn’t have a lot planned for the trip except for hiking and camping with our friends. On day two of our trip, the four of us hiked down the South Kaibab Trail. I honestly didn’t suspect that we were going to get engaged. Jordan and I had discussed it, but I had no timeline or suspicions. We arrived at an amazing lookout and thought it was a good time to take a break and eat our lunch. Before we headed out, Jordan asked if we could take one last picture (which should have tipped me off, because he never asks to take pictures). Andrew and Sarah assumed their roles as photographers and when I turned around, Jordan was on his knee. When he asked me to marry him, I was more overwhelmed and shocked than anything. I am pretty positive the only thing I said was “Are you joking??” Eventually, I came to my senses and said yes! The day could not have been more perfect.
When did y’all get married? July 2, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? About 185
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. My best friend Ellen had recently moved to Nashville, so I was planning a trip to go visit her. Shortly after getting engaged, I started following The Dress Theory on Instagram and fell in love with their unique style and small, intimate stores. My mom and I flew to Nashville and had a wonderful weekend exploring the city. We visited the Dress Theory Nashville location, and it was the most relaxed, special time! We worked with such a kind and genuine stylist, and we found my dress in just a short amount of time. It definitely was a different style than I anticipated, but I loved it right away.
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We decided against it! We always imagined our first look being while we were at other ends of the aisle, so we kept it that way.
What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? Pecan Springs Ranch was the very first venue we toured, and we fell in love with it! They have beautiful property and great options for indoor or outdoor ceremony sites. Given that it was Texas in July, we thought an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception would be the best of both worlds.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did, with help from some friends! A friend from college had some of the most beautiful, thoughtful vows, so she offered to share them with us. We used inspiration from their vows and incorporated parts that were special for us. We are so grateful for the wisdom and sincerity she passed on in her vows, and they will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Our dear friends (matron of honor, Sarah, and best man, Ryan) read a scripture from a verse that meant a lot to us, Philippians 2: 1-11. The verse exemplified how we want to model our relationship and our marriage after Christ.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We had a guitarist (Aaron Goldfarb) and violinist (James Anderson) play during our ceremony and cocktail hour, so we wanted to take advantage of their talents. Sharing music and going to concerts has always been a big part of our relationship, so choosing the songs was honestly one of our favorite parts. It was fun and challenging trying to pick the songs that were significant to us and also set the tone for our ceremony. I could go on and on about why we chose each song, but I’ll be brief! :)
The Head and the Heart – “Down in the Valley” (Wedding party entry)
Johnnyswim – “Take the World” (Processional)
“Come Thou Fount” (Communion)
Stevie Wonder – “For Once in My Life” (Recessional)
Alabama Shakes – “I Found You” (First Dance)
Describe your wedding flowers. We chose deep reds and pinks, with a variety of textures and greenery. We wanted the overall feel to be romantic and natural, so Bristol Lane used a combination of ranunculus, peonies, roses, and more. Everything was beautiful, from the arbor piece to the bouquets, and our flower girl was beyond precious with her flower crown!
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. It was unreal! Green Lily is an organic baker who made our wedding cake and assorted mini desserts. We chose a triple berry cobbler cake; it was a Southern vanilla cake with triple berry cobbler filling and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. If only we could eat it every day! In lieu of a groom’s cake, we selected an assortment of some of our favorite (mini) desserts: chocolate chip cookies, cannoli (for my Italian family, of course), donuts, and peach cobbler shots. They were fantastic!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: This isn’t necessarily a detail or design element, but one of our favorite parts of the wedding was our adorable ring bearers and flower girl. They are our cousin’s children, and we have watched them grow up into the most precious kids. Cooper, Cambelle, and Grey are the best of friends, and they talked about their “jobs” during the ceremony for months. Cambelle was GLOWING while she was walking down the aisle and told us it was the best day of her life! Beyond adorable.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! In a lot of ways, we weren’t overly concerned with traditions, but it just so happened that the blue bracelet I wore was my mom’s, so I checked off something borrowed and blue!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? My mom found out that Pecan Springs Ranch had beer donkeys, and she fell in love. Opie and Sassy were quite a big hit with our guests during the cocktail hour! Being a Texas wedding in the summer, it was almost too fitting to have our ceremony and reception in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? We had a fairly long engagement, so we had plenty of time to not only plan our wedding, but also invest in our future marriage. We went to premarital counseling, and not surprisingly, learned even more about each other and important areas where we needed to grow and mature. It was so vital for us to learn from a couple who was Christ-centered and had endless wisdom to pass on.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? For us, the main challenge was the guest list. We wanted to include as many close friends and family as possible, but didn’t want to have an overwhelmingly big wedding. Finding that right balance of including our closest friends and family was critical. We definitely had some tough decisions when forming our final guest list, but everything worked out in the end.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? While I always appreciate a beautiful wedding, I am a realist, so I was constantly trying to cut cost whenever possible. Having a wedding planner who can keep you on track is extremely helpful as well. We had coffee and jam as our favors, and we were able to save some money on each of the items. We gave our guests Third Coast coffee, as they are our favorite local Austin roasters! We bought the coffee wholesale and stamped small coffee bags, which turned out really cute. My uncle, a man of many talents (think retired Houston police officer turned baker!) makes wonderful jam. The custom stickers, glass jars, and jam were all very affordable and relatively easy to assemble.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Truly, all of our vendors were FANTASTIC. I can’t thank them enough for making our day so special. None of it would have been possible without our planner, Ellen of Westcott Weddings; she is simply wonderful. In addition, we absolutely adored and worked closely with our photographers (Feather and Twine) and videographer (Henry Weddings). They went above and beyond.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? There were a couple! I chose to have my mom and dad walk me down the aisle, and there’s nothing quite like making the walk towards your groom. I have never enjoyed being the center of attention, so I guessed that I would be extremely nervous. Instead, I felt a great sense of peace while walking with my parents, and seeing Jordan’s ear-to-ear smile was unforgettable. The second most memorable moment was walking into our reception. It was the first time I really got to take in all of the excited, loving faces of our friends and family. Very few times have I ever felt more loved or supported!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? You will hear this a thousand times, but truly enjoy this time and appreciate every minute! There are so many details to look over, which can make it easy to get overwhelmed. At the end of the day, you get to marry your best friend, and that is what counts. From a planning perspective, if something is a big stressor to you, really examine if it needs to be part of your wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? With no more wedding planning to take care of (although that was a blast!), we’re enjoying more free time together to do what we love: travel, go to concerts, trying lots of new food, and creating a home together.
Photographer: Feather & Twine Photography | Videographer and Lighting: Henry Weddings | Planner: Westcott Weddings | Venue: Pecan Springs Ranch | Florist: Bristol Lane | Wedding Cake: Green Lily Bakery | Caterer: Royal Fig Catering | DJ: Look No Further Entertainment | Special Details: J.RoCro Arts + Letters | Paper Products: Posy and Pine | Bride’s Gown: “Style 2206” by Tara Keely | Bride’s Veil: Sara Gabriel | Bride’s Earrings: Lux Divine Jewelry | Hair Stylist: Jamie Heeneman | Makeup Artist: Makenzi Laine | Menswear: The Black Tux
Bristol Lane is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
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