Austin Wedding Officiant

WooHoo! Wedding Season is Officially in FULL SWING!

2012-03-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

Technically, April and October are my busiest months. However this year things seem to have revved up nicely in February and completely taken off in March. I've been having a great time zipping all over Austin and the Hill Country, doing my magic, performing weddings and commitment ceremonies, and then commanding couples (happy to oblige couples) to kiss. Honestly, I can't think of a more fun job.

Here today is another roundup of photos, including some shots of The Plant, in Kyle, which was new to me and is just MAGNIFICENT!! And it's really reasonably priced. And you feel like you're ten million miles away but really it's not that far at all.

This is The Plant. That is a massive screened in room.

This is Dunvegan Keep. I had three ceremonies in one day recently, and this one was sandwiched in the middle.

Congratulations!

Twin flower girls at the Winfield Inn in Kyle. I wonder if twins get more requests to be in weddings than singles?

Everyone, please take your seats! We are about to begin.

This is Michael Gratovich. He is a marvelous guitarist and he and I have worked many weddings together. Not only is he a terrific musician, but he is also super cheerful and a total pleasure to be around. And on this occasion, he accompanied the sister of the bride, who sang two songs. Yay Michael!

Congratulations!

Every time I drive to the Winfield Inn I get such a kick out of the fact I have to pass Hitching Post Dr.

I am legally obligated to mail the license in (as opposed to handing it over to the couple.) I don't mind this duty-- it gives me a sense of closure and satisfaction to zip over to the PO and send licenses off right after the ceremony.

A rainy day elopement at Laguna Gloria. I heart Laguna Gloria!

Laguna Gloria

No Rest for the Cheery!

2012-03-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Technically speaking Super Busy Wedding Season doesn't usually kick in for me until late March. But 2012 has gotten off to a really strong start-- lots and lots of January and February weddings. Pictured above is a cool sculpture at Kindred Oaks in Cedar Park. Pictured below are all sorts of happy memories from recent adventures in this job I do so love.

Congratulations to the oldest couple I've ever married!

Congrats to the couple I drove the furthest to wed-- in Houston!

The Alden Hotel in downtown Houston is great!

Congratulations to Trixie, whose humans recently married!

Adorable flower girls! House on the Hill.

This is Byrne, a REALLY AWESOME DJ. He is SO GREAT. Check out his website, ByrneRock.com
Here he is at Mercury Hall.

Highlights from a Wedding: Still More Proof of Why My Job Rocks!

2012-02-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

Melanie + Marco | Highlights from Richard Lizama on Vimeo.

Oo-la-la! My First Wedding at Camp Lucy!

2012-02-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I performed a ceremony at Camp Lucy, a spectacular venue on the western edge of Dripping Springs, out near Henly. Camp Lucy only recently opened as a wedding spot, but I predict that if they don't already have a long waiting list, they will soon.

First of all, the natural setting-- the Texas Hill Country-- is stunning. So what did the Hanks family, who owns Camp Lucy (and yes, also Whit Hanks Antiques) do to make their place unique? They moved two churches from Vietnam to Texas. Yes, that's right. They had two massive French Colonial Catholic churches, that were built in the late 1800s, disassembled over there, packed in shipping containers, and moved over here.

The buildings were carefully pieced back together on the Camp Lucy site, where one serves as a gorgeous chapel and the other a big open air pavilion. The Hanks family also acquired an Amish barn from the 1800s, which was used as part of the Underground Railroad, and moved that out to the property, too. This building serves as a huge events hall. Really, I'm telling you-- it is just unbelievably beautiful out there.

I had such a great time performing this ceremony. The bride was stunning, the groom handsome and adorable. There were hundreds of people there-- a departure from most weddings I perform, which usually include 60 - 100 guests. As ever, this was just more proof of how excellent my job is. I am so lucky I get to do what I do for a living. Here are some pictures from Camp Lucy:

If you'd like more information about my wedding services, please take a look at my recently updated Custom Hitches Weddings website. You'll find lots of information about what I can offer, including non-religious and same sex ceremonies.

More Tiny Weddings & Redefining "Friends with Benefits"

2012-01-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

I had a trio of little weddings recently-- January 2012 is going down in my personal history as Tiny Wedding Month. One was super teeny-tiny-- just me, the couple, a pair of witnesses and a couple of passersby. That one was held at the Hotel St. Cecilia over on Academy Drive, a totally rocking boutique hotel run by Liz Lambert. That was my second wedding at HSC and I just love it over there under the massive Live Oak Trees.

Another included bride and groom's family and was held out at Chapel Dulcinea the night of that wicked storm last week. Though the ceremony started before all the lightning kicked in, the weather had gotten kooky enough that traffic was nuts on the way out, and I was further hindered by a fog that got thicker the closer I got to the chapel. By the time I arrived, it really was a dark and stormy night and the chapel was shrouded in a thick mist. This is something I just love about Chapel Dulcinea-- no matter what it's like outside, that place is always a beautiful setting. Freezing cold, blinding sun, creeping fog-- beauty in all of it.

The third small wedding I did recently had about forty guests and was held at a Mexican restaurant, the couple's favorite. Intimate and festive were the keywords for that ceremony and I was delighted to see that bride and groom both decided to wear bright red. Their rings were made from a Texas tree and we did a hand fasting, too.

In two of those three weddings, the couple had been through some serious health issues and scary diagnosis. I see this often enough-- couples that get officially married long after they've already started living that "in sickness and in health" vow, and it moves me every time. In February, I have a wedding coming up with an 80+ year old groom and his seventysomething bride. They're getting married so she access better health benefits through his carrier. This is not unlike my own union-- we got a domestic partnership so I could access Ori's insurance. It's a whole new way to define "friends with benefits," and this might sound funny, but when I was having a dire health situation, nothing seemed more romantic than a shot at affordable health care.

Cheers to my latest round of newlyweds. May you live long and prosper and enjoy your health and marriage for decades to come.

If you'd like more information about my Austin and Hill Country wedding officiant services, please check out my website Custom Hitches Weddings.

Happy Little Wedding New Year!

2012-01-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

I always counsel my writing students to never start a blog post with, "I know it's been forever since I posted something here..." And yet, I have to say it. I know it's been awhile since I posted something here. Not for lack of interest or energy. It's just that, in the World of Weddings, December is typically a very quiet month. 2011 was no different-- I had a handful of weddings, most of them ranging from small (30 guests or fewer) to totally tiny (the couple and a few family members).

I love all sorts of weddings. I love huge, fancy weddings in big beautiful chapels. I love homestyle backyard weddings where all the guests bring a covered dish. I love the smallest wedding I ever did-- I met up with a couple at Bouldin Creek Cafe, sat at the table with them, asked each if they took the other as spouse (the only legal requirement for a wedding), and then signed off on the license when they said they did.

It's the fluctuation amidst the steady details that keep my job interesting. And it's the steadiness among the fluctuation that keeps my job joyful in a very calming way. Like I always tell prospective clients-- I love the absolute familiarity of knowing that with each ceremony there will be a beginning, middle and kiss and that the couple will be wed on that note. But I also love the unexpected nature of meeting new people every single time. It's like I get to be part of people's families, if only fleetingly, and get a closeup look at what each family is like.

In those senses, the tiny December weddings I did were no different than the really big ones that I performed earlier in the year. Always there's joy and love. Always I have fun. Always I head out to a job in a great mood, and I leave in an even better mood-- no, no, not because I'm "done for the day." But because I get a great energy buzz from what I do for a living.

After my last wedding of the year, things got very quiet for about a week while most of the world indulged in the big end-of-year holidays and I just hung out, laid low, and waited for that hubbub to pass. Then, like clockwork, on January 2nd the requests started coming in. It's true-- at least based on what my business tells me-- that lots of folks get engaged at Christmas and on New Year's Eve. Suddenly, my empty emailbox fills up with requests-- I must've had at least a couple of dozen by now.

Most of those are for weddings later in the year. As for January weddings, well I started 2012 off right with a lovely ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea. The ecstatic bride and equally ecstatic groom had been friends in junior high, parted ways, lived their lives, and then reunited a year ago. It was just a terrific ceremony if I do say so myself. I had an elopement last weekend-- a commitment ceremony for a couple of lovely ladies from Dallas. And I've got another pair of elopements this weekend plus a ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea.

After that the calendar is starting to look more on the full side than the empty side. That's great. I love the lulls and use them to take long walks, extra yoga classes, and stay in bed late most mornings. But now I've had enough of the downtime. I'm ready to get cracking. Big weddings. Small weddings. Teeny-tiny weddings. Religious. Spiritual. Secular. Bring me your brides and grooms, your best men and maids of honor. I'm ready!

For more information about my wedding officiant services in Austin and the Hill Country, please visit Custom Hitches Weddings. Thanks!

Giving Thanks for a Week of Thanksgiving Weddings

2011-11-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

My partner, Ori, lending a hand.

It was another great week of weddings. A bit on the unusual side-- I performed two ceremonies on Tuesday. One was at Chapel Dulcinea, where there are ceremonies seven days every week. This particular wedding included a bride who speaks Spanish as a first language and so she wanted part of the ceremony delivered in Spanish. Mi Espanol es my mal, to understate the matter, but my partner, Ori, happens to be fluent, having lived in South America for a couple years. I asked him if he'd help out and thought for sure he'd decline. Instead he agreed, translating several sections and-- this was the really big part-- agreeing to not wear cargo shorts, which he lives in 365 days of the year. We had a great time and even swapped a smooch at the fountain 'o love out there.

The second Tuesday wedding was at a private home, parents of the groom. He no longer lives in Austin, but I guess everyone was traveling home for the Thanksgiving weekend, so it made sense for them to marry on a Tuesday evening. I love all kinds of weddings-- big and small-- but I have a special place in my heart for teeny-tiny backyard weddings.

Chapel Dulcinea, Wedding #1

Cakes for Wedding #2 -- check out the robots on the groom's cake.

Wedding #2, a backyard affair

Wedding #3 was also at Chapel Dulcinea, early in the morning after Thanksgiving. As with the two before it last week, this was a very small event, attended by the closest friends and family of the bride and groom, including their adult kids. The vibe was very Austin and, as is the case always with my job, I'm even happier to be alive after I say, "You may kiss!" than I am on the cheerful drive out to perform my duties.

Wedding #4, also the day after Thanksgiving, found me out at the Oasis. I've done several weddings at the Oasis and I know, I know, some people think it's touristy but there's a reason for that: Because IT IS Touristy! And that's something I love about it. You find people from all walks out there, the dining rooms on the lower levels are all abuzz, and then there I am, upstairs on the second or third level (second in this case) presiding over a wedding. It's very cool, actually. And the view-- despite the dropped water level-- is still really magnificent.

Oasis Wedding

Wedding #4, Oasis

Which brings us to Wedding #5, and a new-to-me venue: The Prairie, out in Round Top, which is about ninety minutes outside of Austin. The property and the old buildings are wonderfully funky-- it's owned by Rachel Ashwell, the English designer responsible for the Shabby Chic line of linens and home decor you can find at Target. The sky was so full and gray that day, and it was really, really cold. But the intermittent rain stopped in time for the ceremony, we all huddled close, and once I pronounced the couple husband and wife we all hustled inside for a toasty warm reception. I just loved discovering The Prairie and am already scheming for ways to hold a workshop out there. I certainly hope I'm invited to perform more weddings out that way.

Wedding #5 also brought together two new stepbrothers, both 11. And that makes me realize that all five weddings this past week included kids of the bride, groom, or both. Lots of new families coming together out there. So glad I get to be a part of it!

Here are some pictures from Wedding #5:

If you want more information about my Austin wedding officiant services, please visit my website for details.

Four Weddings and a Baby Blessing!

2011-11-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

Not a week passes in my work that I don't see or learn something new. I literally meet thousands of people every year-- if not to shake all their hands and learn all their names then at least to smile at them and connect as we all celebrate the love. I also learn interesting wedding rituals and just when I thought I knew them all, someone will surprise me with some new-to-me tradition. Something else I am always reminded of: every bride and groom have their own picture of just how their wedding day should be. Some folks want a big, fancy affair. Others want to keep it super simple and super small. Well this week, I had all of these points re-emphasized as I performed Four Weddings & a Baby Blessing. Here are lots of pictures and the stories behind them. But first, let's start with a little video that Vince and Minette made and are allowing me to share here (thanks, y'all!) Theirs was a teeny-tiny wedding at Chapel Dulcinea, with only their beautiful Blue Heeler, Emie, as a witness:

On Sunday I did a tiny wedding at Umlauf Sculpture Garden, which is gorgeous every day of the year. This wedding brought together a Japanese groom and an American Bride.

You can't tell by looking but this enthusiastic guest actually was coping with jet lag-- the groom's family arrived just the day before.

For this wedding I learned the San San Kudo Ritual. It's a Shinto tradition that involves the bride and groom taking three small sips apiece from three different sized bowls. Very cool.

I think Umlauf Sculpture Garden is one of those Best Kept Secret Wedding Venues. It's so pretty and it's really easy to get to. The gardens are wonderful and the sculptures are lovely, too. I've done lots of weddings here, including my first one of 2011, on January 1st.

I snapped this picture after my second wedding on Saturday. This was a tiny little wedding at Bob Wentz Park, out past The Oasis, overlooking Lake Austin.

Here's a little secret for thrifty brides with big imaginations and a playful spirit-- Tara got her veil at Terra Toys! Really. The shop has a great costume department and this lovely lace ran her all of $20.

The wedding at Bob Wentz Park was Buddhist, and included a part where I flicked water onto bride and groom from a leaf. Then, at the end, during the kiss, I gently pelted them with rose petals.

The very laid back Buddhist wedding couple.

This is the main house at Barr Mansion. I have many "absolute favorite" wedding venues, but Barr Mansion holds a really, really special place in my heart. This is where I performed my first ceremony as a professional (it was my second wedding ever-- my first wedding was thanks to some very kind friends who volunteered to be my guinea pigs). I remember being so nervous for that first ceremony, but Rick-- the main coordinator at Barr-- put me right at ease. Any time I get to return here my heart sings. The place is so romantic and so historic and on top of all that Rick is a hoot.

Abby does the flowers at Barr Mansion. She knows a lot about the place-- her parents own it and she grew up in the mansion. Talk about knowing the business inside and out. And she always does such an amazing job with bouquets and arrangements.

The gorgeous bride right before her ceremony at Barr. I had such a great time getting to know her and her groom. Their wedding illustrated two points when their original officiant backed out at the last minute. Point 1: When interviewing officiants, check to see if they have a set agenda they insist on imposing and, if they do, unless you agree with them 100%, find someone else. Point 2: Avoid that problem and just HIRE SPIKE! She's super flexible!

Last year Barr Mansion suffered a true tragedy when lightning struck their ballroom and it burned to the ground. That place had been so stunning, with an Honest-to-Pete (Honest-to-PEAT) thatched roof. The good news is that they rebuilt and the new hall is just as stunning as the old one was.

More of Abby's genius.

Another view out at Barr Mansion.

Lookee thar! I got top billing! (Not really, but it was nice seeing my name on the board. Back in the old days that meant detention. No more!)

Yet another cool and crafty wedding idea. Those little cards in the drawers? Guests could take one out, roll it into the typewriter and leave a fun message.

On Saturday morning I did a Baby Blessing for this wonderful family. I had such a great time meeting them and learning about them. Though I do far more weddings than Baby Blessings, I love presiding over these events, too. There are always lots of kids and happy people. It was a wonderful way to start the weekend.

The Baby Blessing was held at the French Legation-- I just did a wedding there the other week. The French Legation is one of several bazillion wonderful venues in Austin. The grounds are stunning and this little carriage house makes for a very intimate ceremony setting, too.

Decorations for the Baby Blessing included these adorable little nests.

If you're planning a wedding, a commitment ceremony, vow renewals, a baby blessing or any other event that calls for an officiant, I sure hope you'll check out my officiant website and give me a holler. I'd love to preside over your happy event.

You're the One (One One One One One) For Me!

2011-11-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

11/11/11 -- My most requested date EVER.

I'm going to sound like a broken record here but this past weekend was another super busy, super happy one for me. While it's not unusual for me to perform four ceremonies in one weekend, it's not that often that I perform more than two in one day. However, seeing as last Friday was 11/11/11, LOTS of people wanted to get hitched. Had I been able to clone myself I could've performed at least twenty ceremonies-- I lost track of how many requests I got. As it turned out I was able to fit three into my calendar.

Flower Girl-- OMG!! SO CUTE!!

Couple #1!

The three ceremonies were back to back: 4 pm at Hummingbird House, 5:30 at Mercury Hall, and 6:30 at the American Legion Hall over there by Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Boulevard. The first service got started a little late which, combined with Friday traffic, made the trip to the second venue a little bit like an exciting game show. Would I get there in time? (Considering how close the venues are, I actually knew that I'd get there in time, but I prefer to show up early to a ceremony just to say hello, reassure folks that I'm there and ready, and -- of course-- snap a bunch of pictures.)

Couple #2!

Courtyard Southwest School of Art

I was able to get to Ceremony #2 in plenty of time. Ceremony #3, which also involved only a short drive, was a little trickier. By 6 pm traffic was super crazy. So when I arrived there wasn't the usual little cushion of time to say howdy. I pulled up, dashed up the stairs, and we pretty much started the ceremony within five minutes of my arrival. The couple was totally cool with this-- they had graciously offered from the beginning to be flexible with their schedule in order to have me as their officiant. (Very flattering, to understate it.)

American Legion Hall, Austin, TX

Couple #3! They rocked it with some Journey lyrics in their ceremony.

All three of the venues are lovely, but I got a special thrill out of the third one, since 11/11/11 was also Veterans Day and the venue was originally built to honor vets. Plus, on a more personal note, I'd been to a million Austin Chronicle Christmas parties at the place, and so its halls are haunted with lots of fun memories for me.

Wedding #4!

Because the 11/11/11 weddings were so close together-- time-wise and logistically-- I didn't get super wiped out the way I might have had they been spread out all over the Hill Country. That was especially good news since I needed to be very well rested on Saturday. Why? Because Saturday I had to drive to San Antonio to get to Wedding #4. That ceremony was at a new-to-me venue: Southwest School of Art, which is across the street from San Antonio's architecturally famous and funky public library. SSA has a GREAT history-- built by the Catholic Church in the mid-1800's, originally it was a convent and girls' school and included a gorgeous chapel.

I mean this place is FANNNNNNCY!!

Note the groom's undershirt on this awesome cake topper. Also, the bride figure is wearing a dress just like the actual bride's dress.

These days, the facilities are rentable and you don't have to be a priest to conduct a wedding there. Lucky for me! When I walked in and saw the place, it truly took my breath away. I perform lots of weddings in all sorts of gorgeous settings. But most often in Austin I perform outdoor weddings, frequently held under Live Oak trees. Only once in awhile am I asked to do an indoor wedding, and more rare still are times when I am doing my work inside of a chapel. This wedding included lots of bridesmaids and groomsmen-- it was possibly the fanciest ceremony over which I presided. That said, bride and groom were both totally down to earth and the whole crowd had a wonderful time. Everyone was dressed to the nines and I never saw so many teetering, Eiffel-tower-esque high heels gathered in one place before. Wow. What a night. I hope I get to perform more ceremonies in San Antonio-- this was only my second, my first one also having been of the super fancy variety, held at the Witte Museum.

Can I say it again? I LOVE MY JOB!

Ice Sculpture at the San Antonio Wedding-- some fancy cocktail came sliding down this thing.

I'd love to help you with your wedding -- creating a custom written ceremony, directing the rehearsal, performing the wedding: I do all this and more. For details you can check out my Austin Wedding Officiant website.

Deep in the Heart of Bride, Groom and City: Weddings in Downtown Austin

2011-11-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous Cake by Sentelli's Bakery

This past weekend I performed a pair of back-to-back ceremonies in the heart of downtown Austin. Very often weddings take me deep out into the Hill Country, or up north aways to Casa Blanca in Round Rock or Kindred Oaks in Georgetown, or into the 04 at Mercury Hall or Green Pastures. But sometimes I do get invited to do the honors at weddings that are right in the bustling center of it all.

Wedding #1 happened at the Palm Door. I always wonder if the owners are pun lovers like me and knew, when they named this place, it sounds like Palme d'Or, as in the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Unlike a flashy trophy, however, the spot has sort of a secret, tucked away feeling even though it is on the bustling edge of the 6th Street District. While some venues are ornate, the Palm Door is one of those blank slate places that allows couples to completely transform it into whatever they'd like. In this case, the bride chose a La Dia de los Muertos theme, executed by Keri Wootton and her team at Leave the Details to Me. As ever, Keri did a fantastic job from the Mexican paper banners spanning the ceiling to the wonderfully whimsical wedding cake with the skeleton bride and groom topper.

When I arrived at the wedding, I spotted a stunning vintage car in the parking lot, surrounded by groom and groomsmen. I asked if it was a rental for the day. Nope. Turns out the groom bought it as a wedding gift for the bride. Not only that, he bought it in Tennessee, had it shipped to Austin for the wedding, and will have it shipped back to their place on the East Coast now. Being a huge fan of old cars, I immediately asked the groom if he might like a second wife. (He politely declined.)

Right after the ceremony the couple took off in the car for a quick drive around downtown (a bigger madhouse than usual since it was a game day) before returning for the reception. I had to miss the reception (and most regrettably the mariachi band) but for good cause. As soon as Wedding #1 wrapped, I had to make a dash over to the French Legation Museum on San Marcos Street, just east of I-35, for Wedding #2. I know people usually describe dashes as "mad dashes" but, in fact, these venues are so close to each other I probably could've walked and made it on time.

In between weddings.

The French Legation Museum, if you've not been or heard of it, is a tres magnifique place to have a wedding. Not only is it beautiful and conveniently located, it has a really great history. The main house was built a long time ago, when Austin was a young town, and Texas was still a republic. The sprawling lawn and massive Live Oak trees make for a stunning setting. And the bride's room is above a carriage house, which is guarded down below by one enormous but very friendly tiger kitty.

Le chat d'gard at the French Legation Museum.

Wedding #2 was for a couple I didn't know prior to them contacting me, however since they're Austinites and I'm an Austinite and this town can be so small (mostly in a very good way), we had common friends, some of whom were at the wedding. It's always fun to look out on the congregation and see a familiar face or two, and I stuck around for a little bit of the reception, too, to catch up with these friends.

View from the top of the carriage house stairs.

The wedding itself was perfect, if I do say so myself. As is always the case, I worked very closely with the couple to come up with a ceremony that was truly about them and their love for each other. In this case, their love for each other included admiration for each other's parenting skills-- they have an adorable little baby. So when we were done with the vow exchange, we transitioned to a baby blessing. (Baby blessings are something I've added to my repertoire in the past year or so, my first one being for the baby of a couple whose wedding I performed back in 2007.)

After the ceremony, all the guests gathered at elegantly set tables up on the far lawn while the family took a little time for pictures in front of the main house, the one with the big, beautiful porch that makes me want to just sit and knit all day. The sky was fantastically overcast, threatening to rain without following through, and a nice breeze whipped the tablecloths into a happy little frenzy. Really a spectacular evening.

Whether you're getting married in Austin proper, out in the Hill Country, or need an officiant to travel with you to, say, Paris, I can help you out. For info on my Austin wedding officiant services, please check out my Custom Hitches Weddings website.

Another October-- aka Wedding Whirlwind Month-- Draws to a Close

2011-10-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

They begin their married life together as I conclude another busy October.

This past weekend was super-light for me. I just had one ceremony-- a truly lovely affair on Friday night at Mercury Hall. This wedding was my last one for October-- I think I did 13 all together but it felt more like 53. Though April certainly gives October a run for the money, I think October wins as the most consistently busy wedding month in Austin.

And why is October so busy? Because October is the June of Austin, weather-wise. And while you can risk a chill factor if you get married outside during this month, I think October holds less of a rain threat. (You know the old poem is about April Showers, not October Showers.) Then again, considering the drought, maybe the rain threat is minimized year round now, though I am recalling October 9th, when I had three weddings and the skies opened up. Still, all three were held outside, with the rain pausing for each ceremony.

The groomsmen make their Oceans 11 entrance.

For my final October 2011 wedding, the couple traveled here to have a destination wedding in Austin. Austin, as it turns out, is pretty darn popular as a wedding destination. That makes a lot of sense-- there is no shortage of awesome things for guests to do if they want to fly into town a few days early or stay a few days after. And as one couple pointed out to me recently, Austin can be very convenient if, say, the bride's family is from one coast and the groom's is from the other, as is the case for them. Choosing a fun spot in the middle of the map means no one has to deal with the hassle and expense of flying all the way across the country. Plus, of course, everyone gets to eat BBQ.

Also, call me biased, but I think Austin provides a most excellent wedding vibe if I may tiptoe toward being ever so slightly New Agey. The energy here is fun and playful and hap-hap-happy and so, I say, that makes it a very auspicious place to begin heading down Wedded Bliss Highway.

I've seen a lot of beautiful cakes in my day but man, is this gorgeous or what? Those are golden raspberries you see, held in place by sheets of white chocolate. The genius behind the cake? Scott Calvert, the chef at The Cake Plate.

And-- not that you probably need any more convincing that Austin is a spectacular place for a destination wedding-- the natural beauty here is just stunning. In town there are lots of beautiful places to get married outside: The Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Mayfield Park, Laguna Gloria, the lawn of the Four Seasons, Green Pastures, Barr Mansion (and on and on and on). And out in the Hill Country there is also a selection that is pretty amazing. Lots of ranchy places like Red Corral Ranch and Star Hill Ranch and Hamilton Twelve.

Friday's lovely bride, calm, happy and ready to go!

Often when a couple tells me their families are flying in from afar, I tell them that if they need a list of suggested Things to Do, Places to Eat, Things to See that they shouldn't hesitate to ask me. I am Austin's biggest cheerleader and, for a little while, I even had a job writing thirteen blog post each week for JetBlue Airways, letting the world know about the wonders and secrets of Austin. Thanks to that job plus twenty years of living passionately in Austin, I'm sitting on a gold mine of suggestions, and it is always my pleasure to share this knowledge with folks coming to town for an Austin or Hill Country wedding.

This is Christian Barbuto of Altared Wedding Productions. Not only is he a kick ass DJ, he is also totally on top of it. He helped line up the wedding party, was in fifty places at once, and was just a major asset to the whole event.

And here is Kristin Stephens, principal at Austin Catering, putting on some final touches before the reception.

If you want to know more about my work as a wedding officiant, including testimonials, please drop by my wedding website. It would be my honor and my pleasure to perform your wedding.

Something Old, Something New

2011-10-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Winfield Inn in Kyle

Well it was another glorious, super-busy wedding weekend for me. I had a rehearsal Thursday night, two rehearsals and a wedding on Friday night, two weddings on Saturday, and a wedding on Sunday. Before I tell you about the weddings, let's take a minute to talk about the PLUS SIDE of rehearsals!

Rather often I will perform a wedding without having attended the rehearsal. There are all sorts of reasons for this. Some weddings are so tiny that a rehearsal isn't necessary. Some venues, like Chapel Dulcinea-- which is free-- don't have rehearsal slots available the day before, since the chapel is booked for multiple weddings seven days per week. Some folks are on a super tight budget, and I charge extra for rehearsals so that's one way to save a little money. It's not a bad idea either, if they're getting married at a venue I've worked at a million times before like Barr Mansion, the Winfield Inn, Allan House, or Hamilton Twelve to name but a few. And, too, if a couple is working with a coordinator, like the ever delightful and efficient Keri Wooten at Leave the Details to Me, or Deidre Brown at Detailed Weddings & Events, or with a venue that has a full time planner-- well then it's fine for that person to run the rehearsal and I can just plug in the day of.

However... I can now reveal for you a whole NEW reason to have a rehearsal and insist everyone attends. I showed up for a rehearsal on Friday night at La Hacienda the RV Resort & Cottages (where I performed a wedding this past summer) not realizing that I was supposed to be at Hacienda del Lago, which is a good thirty minutes away. I was so thankful that I was late for the rehearsal and not for the wedding. I was also grateful that the couple was totally chill about my mistake, and we had our run-through anyway, even though it was an hour later than we'd planned.

So there you go, folks. When you're debating whether or not to have a rehearsal, or to have everyone at the rehearsal, consider the location, figure out if there's another nearby location with the same name, and plan accordingly.

Now, about the weddings themselves. Well, as ever I am here to proclaim how much I love my job. This weekend was a great mix of old and new as I found myself performing two of the ceremonies at favorite venues with which I am well-acquainted, and the other two at brand-new-for-me venues.

Wedding Number 1, on Friday night, was held just before sunset at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. That place is just gorgeous. Bride and groom were utterly calm and the wedding started precisely on time. They even memorized their vows (though I always, always, always insist on keeping a back up in my book, just in case.) For readings, they had a friend deliver-- absolutely brilliantly I might add-- this wonderful Frank O'Hara poem, Having a Coke with You. And then I got to speak these lines from Robert Frost a little later on in the ceremony:

Two such as you with such a master speed

cannot be parted

nor be swept away from one another

once you are agreed

that life is only life

forevermore together

wing to wing and oar to oar.

Well, the nice part about arriving late for the second rehearsal on Friday night was that it was so dark I could enjoy the lights at Hacienda del Lago

Wedding Number 2 was held at the aforementioned Hacienda del Lago, which is out by the Oasis and Lake Austin Spa. If you take 2222 all the way out to 620, then keep going straight across 620, the road turns into Bullick Hollow Road, and that leads to a part of the world I didn't even know existed. Hacienda del Lago used to be a private residence-- belonged to a UT football coach is what I heard-- and now it's this totally groovy wedding venue. I can't believe I never heard of it before. I sure hope I get to work there again, soon.

The Inn at Pearl Street

Wedding Number 3, which was right on the heels of Wedding Number 2 (requiring me to drive with pure precision, no hesitation, and a mindset designed to will all lights turn green as I approached them) was at another new-to-me-place, Austin's Inn at Pearl Street. What an AWESOME boutique hotel, hidden in plain sight. Just off of MLK at Pearl Street, this four-building affair hosts all sorts of nooks and crannies packed with wonderful art and tchotchkes from around the world. Jill, the owner, is super nice and super hands on helping with the weddings she hosts there. The wedding was held in the little courtyard, which is surrounded by Live Oak trees covered in a gazillion little twinkly lights. I hope I get to do more weddings here, too.

Couple Number 2 and Couple Number 3 shared something interesting in common-- both couples had been together for more than twelve years and all of them were under 35 years old. Yep, that's right-- young love taking the leap. Couple Number 3, still in their 20s, actually had been high school sweethearts who met in 10th grade English class. Often my wedding ceremonies include a bit of the story of the couple, and that was true for both of these couples. Very fun to recount early dates that involved doing homework together or going to Schlitterbahn.

The Winfield Inn-- not really my home, but I sure feel at home here.

Our beautiful bride before the Winfield Wedding

Couple Number 4 -- that final wedding weekend was on Sunday at the Winfield Inn in Kyle. I've done so many weddings out there that heading up the front walk almost feels like I'm heading home. Robyn and April are the coordinators out there and they always have it going on, totally organized, usually assisted by a gaggle of interns. Such was the case on Sunday. And this is an example of why it was okay I didn't attend the rehearsal-- we have such a good working relationship that we can speak the necessary shorthand to get me exactly where I need to be in the processional.

This couple, though we hadn't met in person before the ceremony, felt familiar thanks to the miracle of Skype. They were coming in from the West Coast to get married in Austin, so we used vid-conferencing to get acquainted. It also was a nice bonus to know that the mother of the bride and I had taken a knitting class together. (I very often knit right before a wedding, during that little period of time I show up just to be there. It's a nice way for me to sort of meditate, and I think it has a calming effect on all present, too.)

Here are some more excellent pictures from my excellent weekend:

The Inn at Pearl Street

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Cute idea-- near the guest book there was a bowl full of skeleton keys on key tags. Guests were invited to inscribe the tags with "keys to a happy marriage."

I LOVE bouquets made from old brooches. Isn't this smashing?

The art at Hacienda del Lago is really cool. I think they call it Neo-Grecian.

Another great aspect of my job-- I am a craft queen and at weddings I see the coolest crafts.

Another cool craft idea-- the bride made these flowers for all the attendees. I wore mine as a boutonniere. Some wore them in their hair. And, see below-- Vera wore hers on her collar.

Vera!

Hacienda del Lago

Hacienda del Lago. I love this semi-circle chair set up. Very pretty and very intimate.

Hacienda del Lago

Okay, the Hacienda del Lago wedding featured cupcakes from Sugar Tooth Bakery, owned by my friend Meghan. Her cupcakes are INCREDIBLE!

In fact, Sugar Tooth Bakery cupcakes are SO bad ass that I just had to sneak in a Red Velvet one before dashing off to my next wedding. MMMMMMMM.

Inn at Pearl Street

Winfield Inn -- this is where I sit and knit before ceremonies.

These Kolder Holders were custom made by the bride's uncle, with art provided by their animator friend. So cute!

The Bride at Wedding #4 carried a pinwheel instead of flowers

Table centerpieces at Winfield Inn included jars filled with characters from the couple's favorite shows. Here: Star Wars

Mario Brothers

Dr. Who

The path to Happily Ever After begins with a single step

A butterfly I captured (just with my camera) as I exited my last wedding for the weekend. Like I said: I LOVE MY JOB!

Want more information about my services? Please visit my Austin Wedding Officiant website.

Wild West Wedding Weekend!

2011-10-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I think I might have to keep saying I LOVE MY JOB until somebody begs me to stop. Because, yet again, I had another great time this past weekend. Things kicked off early with my Unicorn Mask wedding on Thursday. Then on Saturday I had two weddings in the Hill Country. The first was in Wimberley and the second was in Blanco.

Actually, back up. I had a rehearsal for the Blanco wedding on Friday. As occasionally happens, the rehearsal was in a different spot than the wedding. So I found myself at this cool place in downtown Blanco-- some shops/restaurants that open up onto a courtyard out back. This is an added perk that comes with my job-- I wind up discovering places I might never know about otherwise. And in these places, I find things I never saw before. Case in point-- at the Blanco rehearsal there was a Flower Kaleidoscope. I have no idea if that's what it's really called, but I saw this planter/sculpture thing with a sort of telescope attached to it. I looked through the telescope and WHOA!!! But don't take my word for it, see for yourself:

Saturday dawned and I headed out of town a bit early to stop at the Thyme and Dough Bakery in Dripping Springs, since I love it there and it's right on the way to Wimberley. I mention this because I had an accidental religious moment of sorts at the bakery, and I wrote about it over at my other blog. I think from now on when I meet couples who want to know about my religious beliefs I'll just direct them to that piece.

Job perk: I drive on roads like this a lot as part of my work.

Then it was time to actually get going. I arrived at the Wimberley wedding-- held at the home/ranch of the bride-- around 4 in the afternoon. Truly a glorious day. The guests hung out on the porch until it was time, and just before 5 I invited everyone to gather in chairs around the fountain out front. Then up rode bride and groom on horses-- wow. Talk about a dramatic effect.

The first wedding included a sand blending ceremony, and the bride's son participated. I like using this ritual to bring in family members and make them part of the big day.

I had to scoot almost before the kiss was finished since I only had a half-hour to get to Blanco. GoogleMaps and the first bride both assured me this was doable. But even though I carry a GPS and have a very patient partner who will take phone calls from me and help navigate, I swear I could get lost inside of a paper bag even if I had a professional guide at my disposal. That said -- and not to jinx myself-- I have spent enough years driving the backroads of the Hill Country now that even if I do feel a little bit confused, I also know I can usually figure it out quick enough. Still, in this case, I had not a second to waste.

An intimate reception under the Live Oaks at wedding #1.

Fortunately, even though I was on a lot of winding little country roads, I did manage to find the second wedding no problem. This one, too, was held at the family ranch. In fact it's where the bride's parents had gotten married thirtysomething years before. They told me the day they got married it just poured rain. That was not going to be an issue for the younger couple-- it was just a stunning evening.

I just loved looking at all the seats before the ceremony, waiting to be filled.

While Saturday's first wedding was a really intimate affair, the second wedding was one of the biggest weddings I'd ever been to. Over two hundred guests filled chairs that had been set up out in a pasture near a couple of trees which, come to think of it, remind me a bit of the trees in that popular Khalil Gibran reading, On Marriage, used so often at weddings (but not at this one).

I should say that one big reason Wedding Number Two went so smoothly is because at both the rehearsal and the wedding Jessica from Pearl Events was there coordinating. Very often the weddings I preside over are fairly small and the couples don't have event planners and day-of coordinators. But sometimes I am tag-teaming with another professional. I'm down with either option and with the latter I get to meet some very cool, very organized folks.

As I was driving home from the later wedding, off into the sunset, I felt like some JP from the Wild West or at least a character in a Larry McMurtry book. All I needed was a horse as I traveled the countryside from event to event to offer my blessings. I imagined getting called to my next duty-- presiding over the trial of an outlaw in some tiny courtroom. Then I spotted the ever-growing Austin skyline and remembered what century I'm in.

My Greatest Job Strength? FLEXIBILITY!

2011-10-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

When I meet with potential clients for an initial howdy, I want to give them a feel for my vibe, answer any questions they have, learn a bit about them, and emphasize my strengths. I even have a corny canned joke I trot out pretty much every single time that goes like this, "I'll tell you my strengths and hide from you my weaknesses!" (Haha-- as if I have any weaknesses! JK, JK.)

Of my strengths I think the most important are these two: 1) I never forget it's not my wedding-- which is to say I don't dominate, proselytize, or in anyway try to impose unwanted opinions on a couple and 2) I AM FLEXIBLE!! To the point that I have never had a request that made me feel so uncomfortable I declined a gig. (There was that one rehearsal where I nearly punched a DJ's lights out, but that's a different story for another day). In truth, I don't get too many odd requests. My very first paid wedding gig, the couple wanted me to do a little comedy routine where, when I asked the congregation to be seated, some remained standing. This was pre-arranged and my job was to look at those stubborn standers, sigh loudly and say, "Alright, alright! Simon SAYS sit down!" And of course I get a decent number of requests to include dogs-- to me that's hardly difficult or unusual as I think all weddings should include dogs.

But I have to say that when I got an email a few months ago asking me if I'd be willing to don a unicorn mask for a ceremony, it gave me pause. Not pause as in, "No way-- you can't pay me enough." Pause as in, "Okay, which of my friends is trying to punk me?" (This recalls another situation, a long time ago, when I answered the phone and the caller identified himself as Tim Rice, as in THE Tim Rice, and I talked to him for the first few minutes in a very, "Right, right, and I'm the fucking Queen of England" tone until I realized it WAS Tim Rice. I'll tell you some other time while Tim Rice was calling me.) Anyway, so I wanted to answer that email in a way that suggested-- if it was a real request-- that I was up for the task but that if it was a prank email that I wasn't born yesterday.

As it turns out, the unicorn mask was a real request. And the wedding happened yesterday. It was scheduled for 4:20, but we were running little late, as so often is the case. Maybe people who want to get married at 4:20 should tell their guests it starts at 4:03. Hell, probably all couples should lie about the start time-- sort of a reverse bar time trick. I can't tell you how many times I see stragglers come strolling up in the middle of the ceremony or even after it's done.

So there you go, people-- I am so flexible that if you want me to wear a costume that suggests I am a mythical creature at your wedding, I am all over it. In fact, wearing the mask was quite easy compared to another unforeseen task: being in the room with balloons. It never dawned on the couple to ask me if I have any unusual phobias and it never dawned on me to tell them. But, in fact, I have this kooky ailment called globophobia. Which is to say I am more or less terrified of balloons. I've worked hard to overcome this phobia, or at least adapt, but still-- when faced with a sudden bouquet of balloons as I was yesterday, I have to stop and do some deep breathing. There was also a huge mylar balloon (in the shape of a unicorn... natch)-- fortunately mylar balloons are less scary for me so I was able to take a nice close up picture.

The space-- Mercury Hall (one of my very favorites)-- was done up quite lovely. Most folks opt to get married there outside, under the big trees. But some, like yesterday's couple, chose the inside, which feels a little churchy without feeling actually churchy. The cake was just wonderful. I don't think it's my imagination-- I think wedding cakes these days are far more creative and over-the-top than in the old days.

And thus concludes another installment of WHY I LOVE MY JOB! Tomorrow I've got two ceremonies in the Hill Country and one of them involves horses. Can't wait.

Welcome to Happy!

2011-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Best Man!

Hey Y'all,
Welcome. Please be seated and thank you all for being here on this wonderful occasion. (<-- That's a wedding joke. Get it?) I'm Spike Gillespie, Austin wedding officiant. I've been performing weddings in and around Austin since 2006. I've done hundreds of ceremonies since that first one, when some generous friends volunteered to be my guinea pig couple as I explored the idea that officiating might be fun. Turns out my theory was correct-- I had a blast. And I've continued to enjoy myself ever since. I love, love, love my job. It's so joyful, people are always so happy to see me, and I get to command couples to share a kiss at the end of each workday. What's not to love?

I've been very informally snapping photos of the details for years now-- everything from dresses to flower arrangements, cakes to flower girls and everything in between. And now, at long last, I have decided to start sharing some of the photos here.

This past weekend I performed four weddings-- three of them on Sunday. The first Sunday wedding I did, at Vintage Villas, featured a best man and two bridesmaids that were all Boston Terriers. Bostons are my favorite dogs (I have two Boston mixes) and so my happy quotient expanded exponentially.

In fact the whole weekend was just outstanding. Wedding #1 was at the Inn at Wild Rose Hall, out by Drippin'. The bride had the cutest dress-- short and with POCKETS. I loved that. Then there was the Boston Terrier-enhanced ceremony. Then I got to oversee a really fantastic ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea. I don't care if it's blazing hot out there or freezing cold-- there is never a bad weather day in Radiance, where the chapel is located. Yesterday it was gray and chilly and drizzled during the ceremony and if you asked me that just added to the glorious drama. Bride and groom had been friends forever and they could not have been more chill. She had on a pair of shiny red shoes I continue to covet. And Wedding #4, at The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was an outdoor affair with the sun showing up just in time. The couple only had eyes for each other, and stayed locked in a loving gaze throughout the ceremony.

The Lost Pines, a spectacular local bluegrass band, played the music for the ceremony and also for the reception. That's the second time I did a Wildflower Center wedding with the Lost Pines and man they are SO good. I especially love it when they play Dolly Parton's He's Gonna Marry Me.
Topping off the weekend-- couple #4 opted for a cupcake tower, this one provided by Polka Dots Bakery. I got to pre-sample a cupcake and it was most excellent. (This is a job risk of mine-- constant exposure to massive quantities of high-fat foods. I usually skedaddle before a reception but, hey, if I'm offered a pre-wedding treat, my motto is Always stick a gift cupcake in your mouth...)

Here are a few more pics from my weekend:

Hilarious Save-the-Date Card Featuring the Actual Bride and Groom as Characters

Cool & Crafty Card Box

Groom's Cake, Inn at Wild Rose Hall

Wedding Cake Featuring Vintage Cake Topper

Autumn themed cake at Vintage Villas

This is a picture of wedding photographer Jeff Campbell taking a picture of the bride & groom at Chapel Dulcinea, and, to make things a little more meta, the couple are also wedding photographers.

The Lost Pines tearing it up at the Wildflower Center

I had one of these. Yum.