a year to plan a wedding ….

Wedding on the Brain…. step # 1 …. find the venue

As you know, my son proposed to his girl ~ and they will be getting married in the Fall of 2011. Yes, a whole year away …. but as we have found, most venues are already being booked for next year.

Brandon & Megan knew they wanted to get married somewhere rustic and casual. They also knew that they wanted the ceremony and the reception in the same place. Their first visit was a historic flour mill. It was just what they had in mind, except they felt the reception room was a bit too small, so it got nixed right away. Next on the list, a historic cotton mill built in the early 1900’s. Then, a restored farmhouse built in the late 1800’s. And the final destination was a 20 year old vineyard & winery.

I wanted to share the three venues with you.

Cotton Mill

As you can see, this Cotton Mill is HUGE. There are so many different areas of the building that are amazing for taking photos. The area below is the part of the mill that is currently rented out for weddings, receptions, corporate meetings, & community parties and events. Other areas of the building, they rent out for photo shoots for bands, modeling, etc.

The vintage windows make a gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony.
 This venue is filled with antique doors, floors, windows etc.

Those windows are actually blue. In person, they look like blue sea glass!!!!

….bet your heart is going “pitter-patter” looking at those original hardwood floors!

A photographers dream!

(Click http://www.flickr.com/photos/darbig/2708268179/ here) to see wedding photos in this room

The contrast of the vintage, rustic textures with the elegance of a bridal gown ~ well, see for yourself…….

Farmhouse

This 100+ year old farmhouse is on 11 acres surrounded by trees. So serene.

Back of the house and pool area!

The farmhouse has the bride and groom suites used to get dressed ~ and the kitchen is used by the caterers.

The owners built this pavilion to use as the reception area. You can tell we are in Texas !

There are several areas on the property that you can choose to hold the ceremony.
This gazebo is one of those areas.

Vineyard/Winery

Built in the 90’s, this newer constructed winery also has it’s rustic charm and great architecture.

The lobby has hand painted Italian murals.

Then you walk into the doors you see in the above picture. Upstairs is the bridal suite and the  staircase the bride walks down to meet her father.

Below, is the main room of the winery. The ceremony is held in front of the doors at the far end.
 Then staff switch out the ceremony chairs with the reception tables and chairs while guests have cocktails outside by the vineyard.

The buffet table can be set up in the wine vat room (below). They offer this so that the guests can experience the winery as it works.

wine anyone?

So these are the three venues Brandon & Megan decided to choose from. I hope you enjoyed the tour! Would love to hear your thoughts!

There will be more pictures to share with you as we help the engaged couple with their many decisions throughout the next year –

it’s going to be a fun time! Stay tuned ……

~ Cheryl