Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
Long before John proposed to Meredith at a bar they frequented during the early days of their relationship, he made his intentions known to her family. And the morning after their engagement, Meredith’s mother (who was in town to celebrate) had already set up a meeting with a wedding planner so they could hit the ground running.
Like many engaged couples in 2020, the pandemic had something else in mind for Meredith and John’s big day. With their engagement occurring during the first peak, the couple didn’t enter into planning naively. They were aware of the twists and turns that could come, and had watched several friends handle their own hurdles with grace. It was encouraging to see it happen, even under less-than-ideal scenarios. And as things continued to change on the daily, they proceeded with planning a dream wedding.
Having attended a half-dozen weddings of friends who all had the same planner (Gina Whittington of The Whitt Experience), reaching out to her was a clear first move.
“We knew Gina’s style, and had confidence in her to execute a beautiful wedding, even under the craziest circumstances.” —Meredith, bride
While the bride hails from northern Texas and the groom grew up in Houston, Austin has always been a special place for them. It’s where they met and got engaged, so it felt like the perfect place for their story to continue.
But that’s where their first major curveball came in. Their venue search resulted in them securing a location and date—but about two months before the wedding, the venue reached out to the couple and requested that they downsize their guest count from 250 to less than 100. After complying, the venue then followed up and canceled the wedding entirely.
Meredith, John, and Gina started the hunt for a wedding venue again, and they found an estate that they loved—Woodbine Mansion—but it wasn’t available on their original date. They would have to move the wedding up a week. Before moving forward with wedding 2.0, they checked to see which vendors from wedding 1.0 were available. Almost everyone was, so they signed the contract for the venue.
“The first venue had really pulled the rug out from under us, especially in terms of not helping us find alternative dates. The Woodbine Mansion wanted to make it happen for us, and we were so grateful for their accommodating nature in a really tough time for the events industry.” —Meredith, bride
The one vendor the bride and groom lost due to the change in date was the band. But the night after their first venue cancelled on them, the pair attended a wedding and loved the band who played, from Artisan Oddities Entertainment. Meredith looked at John and said that if they got in a bind with the reschedule, she wanted that band. And that’s the band they ended up with.
Meredith and John’s original venue had in-house catering, so the next move was to find a caterer to bring on board. MML Hospitality stepped in to fulfill all of the catering needs.
“They were a dream to work with and we couldn’t have asked for more from them! Food was always a priority, but I had no intentions of hitting it out of the park in this arena. However, our guests were talking about brisket taquitos, shoestring fries, and late-night sliders for months following the wedding.” —Meredith, bride
After filling the holes in their vendor team, the existing pros were confirmed with new contracts, and the design was adjusted to suit the space. First up, photographer Caroline Lima of Caroline Lima Photography. Meetings were scheduled with the florist, Botanical No. Nine, lighting, Ilios Productions, and tent company Marquee Event Rentals to cater to the new flow and guest count (which was 185). Meredith herself handled the stationery, as she’s a graphic designer through her company Moxie Party, and she worked with illustrator Claire Ferguson to create much of the custom artwork (and design the cake, which was made by Designs by D’Anne).
And even a second curveball—or snowball rather, as inches blanketed Texas and caused many vendors to be without power the week of the wedding—couldn’t stop Meredith and John and their dream team from bringing this floral-filled wedding day to fruition.
“We put a lot of attention on small, unexpected details that guests would encounter throughout the evening. We wanted each element to spark a conversation! My mom—undoubtedly the most fun entertainer—collected antique vases and figurines and used them in decor so that no tablescape or flower arrangement looked exactly alike. A lot of these trinkets were her own from our house, so it was an extra personal touch that made guests feel like you were at my parents’ home. We framed eccentric/oddball sayings to go along with the figurines, like ‘Don’t feed the cockatoos!’ We had waiters dressed in formal garb to greet the guests with Champagne as they arrived for the ceremony. There were lines of trays with Champagne! All in hopes that if you passed the first and second waiter that you would pick up a coupe on the third opportunity. We wanted there to be things to talk about and recount after the event was over. Where guests would ask, ‘Did you see the…?’ and ‘Were you there when…?’ Although it was very much a stylized show, we sought out details that made guests feel like they were in our home/backyard.” —Meredith, bride
Around the same time, Crescent Films was rebooked to capture the event on video, and Danielle Barr with Tarver Hill Salon and Makeup by Denise were also solidified as part of the wedding vendor dream team, for this new iteration of the happy couple’s celebration.
Further customizing the look and feel of the day, pieces from Loot Rentals and Perch Event Decor were selected, as was a dance floor and stage from Mike’s Dance Floor Rentals, that was customized with a floral pattern befitting the event’s design (and the pattern of the bride’s reception dress). While the reception band was already firmed up, the bride and groom still needed a ceremony soundtrack, and chose a local ensemble to perform, Barton Strings. The ice-ing on the proverbial cake was an elaborate frozen sculpture sporting the couple’s new monogram, and a floral, gilded throne centerpiece created by Full Spectrum Ice Sculpture.
