A Beautiful Winter Wedding with Fairy Lights...

Just before Christmas, we celebrated our first wedding at the Manor.  The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and everyone was wearing a smile.  The weather cooperated, too, by remaining temperate and comfortable well after sundown.  The reception on the patio under the fairy lights was just right and guests enjoyed dinner al fresco.  A grand time was had by all;  we were so happy to be a part of the joining of two families in joy!

Can't make it to Paris? No problem...

The Lampasas Love Locks corner is finished!
Maybe you can't leave your love locks in Paris any more, but here at the Manor, we have just the place for couples to leave a sign of their enduring love.  Sit a spell on our bench and add your lock to the old fence under the shade of a grand-daddy oak tree.  You can even take the perfect selfie with your lock and your loved one.  Lee and I have added the first lock and we hope that many happy couples will join us in this fun tradition, whether they celebrate their wedding here, or come back to the B&B for an anniversary sometime.

Rain and Wedding Dress Trends...

Lately it's been raining...a lot.  It has rained so much our pond is full!

Work continues on the barn floor.  The parking lot is looking good.  We have two parking areas for event guests.  
Engagement season is upon us and I saw an article in the New York Times about wedding gown trends for those of you who might be in the market for a gown.   According to them, these are the top wedding gown trends for 2016:

1. Transparency--sheer sections of wedding gowns. Personally, I thought a few of the designers took this a little too far, but I have always liked a sheer yoke or back. This idea was popular in the 1950s and it can be done well. It can also be very flattering when done well. :)
2. Sparkle--faux gems and other additions to wedding gowns that add a special glint. This can be a lot of fun--and in the right light, it can be mesmerizing.
3. Short Wedding Gowns--back in the 1980s, ahem when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was buying a wedding gown, there was a trend for short gowns. Think how much less trouble it would be. They aren't for everyone, but it is an idea worth considering.
4. Plunging V necks--again, this can be taken too far, but some of the gowns are very eye-catching.
5. Lingerie look gowns--with the boning and other lingerie detailing on the outside of the gown. I have to confess that I am not a fan of this trend. I think some things should be private. And I also think some things are in poor taste, like wearing your underwear on the outside, It's called underwear for a reason.
6. High Concept--most of us would probably skip this one, but if you could come up with something special to you, it might work.  Included in this category were colors besides white, such as crimson or even black for bridal wear One designer used a print.  Why not?  It’s your day and if your favorite color is red or purple, I say, go for it.

Here is a link to the slide show if you want to see for yourself.

New Photos...

Fall is sort of here, and it is time to showcase some ideas with a different color palette.




Plum is one of the favorites this season and it is, of course, a favorite among Aggies.  We took some time out from painting and gardening yesterday to take a few photos featuring a reddish plum. The bouquet in the photos was provided by the Petal Peddler here in Lampasas.  Here are some of my favorites--you can see more on our Pinterest board--photos from the venue.

New Grass for one of the Ceremony Sites...

Most of the brides who come and tour the Manor like the view from the terrace.  The view faces West, so it is perfect for a sunset ceremony.  We have been working on the barn, but this past week, Lee added some new grass to the area under the trees where our first bride will have her ceremony.  Now that it is starting to cool off, we can start thinking about landscaping again.  Coming soon, Lampasas Love Locks!

We have lights in the barn...

The electricians came and we now have outlets and light fixtures in the barn. Yea!

 

There are two chandeliers  with four sconces along the walls.  There are also plenty of outlets for other types of lights that clients may want to use.  Next we will be continuing work on the floor to get it ready for staining.  After the floor is ready, I will start working on our Victorian Square Grand piano.  It won't be used as a piano, but as a table for gifts, directional signs, displays for the wedding, a variety of things.  It is a circa 1865 square grand made by Charles Stieff.  We are looking forward to unveiling it.

Renovation of the Barn begins...

Before picture--for comparison and posterity.

Last week we started the electrical work for the barn renovation.  Yesterday, I got to order light fixtures--and that was exciting!  When they are installed, I will post pictures.  This week, Lee starts grinding the floor to make it level so we can stain it.  We are also checking with a local artist about how we can repurpose some old doors and shutters to help decorate the interior.  Since it is finally cooling off a little, plans for landscaping have begun.  More pictures to come.  :)

We have had several people out for tours now, and we welcome anyone considering an outdoor hill country wedding to come out and see for yourself.

A Week of Firsts...

This weekend has been an exciting one here at the Manor.  We finished the renovation on Portia's Suite in the Carriage House, hosted our first open house and had our first bride come for her engagement photos.
Portia's Suite is where the brides will get ready for their big days!  They will have a nice large room with plenty of mirrors, and prepare in comfort to walk down the aisle.  I will be posting pictures of the finished suite soon.  We are really excited to have finished it in time for open house yesterday.
Thanks to all our guests--we hope you enjoyed the lemonade and cookies--we really appreciate you coming out in the heat.



We were also happy to play host to our first engagement photo session at the Manor.  One of our June 2016 brides came out with her groom and her horses for some beautiful photos.  Her photographer is Dallas Cody--you can see her work here.  Below are a few pics I snapped to have as memories of our first official photo shoot with a bride.  It has been a great weekend--I hope you will come out and see us soon.

Temple Bridal Showcase

The Temple Bridal Showcase was this past Sunday afternoon.  Lee and I met many brides and also some Moms and maids of honor.  It always fun to meet people who have such happy plans on their minds.  We also got to try some great cake!  My favorite was the chocolate with the salted caramel coffee frosting.  Lee liked the white cake with raspberry filling the best.  Both of these delicious treats came from Lily's Cakes in Harker Heights.

Our next big event will be the Tea and Tours we are hosting here at the Manor.  We hope you will join us on August 15, from 1-5 PM.  We will be giving tours and even though it is sure to be pretty warm, we will have some cool lemonade and iced tea, as well as a few sweet treats. Come on out to see our progress and hear about our plans for renovating the barn!

Austin Bridal Extravaganza

On Sunday, June 14, Lee and I were joined by our daughter Danielle at the booth.

We had a great time meeting other vendors and visiting with brides to be.  We saw the Eiffel Tower (well, a facsimile anyway).  Who knew you could rent a 29 foot Eiffel Tower for your event?
We tasted delicious cake made by Kayla Knight Cakes, we saw great photos by Corey Mendez, and I had my photos taken in the Original Traveling Photo Booth.  I am not going to post them here, as I was my usual unphotogenic self, but the booth was great.

It was wonderful to get out and engage with brides, a few grooms, and their friends and family.   Please call or email us to schedule a tour; we would love to show you around.

New Photos of the Manor

Exciting things are happening! Besides the parking lot and the landscaping, we now have a new roof. This past weekend, we had a photoshoot to get ready for the Austin Bridal Extravaganza. White Garden Events is proud to be giving a free wedding for 25 as a grand prize!  We hope you will join us at the show.  If you would like to see our new photos, check out our Pinterest page below.

Follow White Garden Events's board Photos from the venue on Pinterest.

If you like to use Pinterest to gather ideas, and who doesn't, I have also added a board with Vintage Wedding Ideas.  I hope you enjoy it.

Follow White Garden Events's board Vintage Wedding Ideas on Pinterest.

I am going to start scouring flea markets for tin buckets and old suitcases... 

Looking Forward to the Austin Bridal Extravaganza...

Very soon, we will be exhibiting at our first wedding show--the Austin Bridal Extravaganza.  We hope you will come by and see us at our table.  We would love the opportunity to help you  find the perfect place for your big day.

In other news, flowers keep popping up all over, and we keep painting and landscaping!  Here are a couple of snaps of the most recent wildflowers.  The newly painted garden gate is almost finished and the fence is coming along.  Let us know if you would like to visit in person.  We can sit on the porch with a glass of sweet tea and talk a while.  :)

Find us on mywedding.com and the wildflowers keep popping up...

Things are moving right along.  We have just started advertising with mywedding.com, a wedding planning site.

We are excited, because very soon the mywedding.com site will have a special relationship with Martha Stewart Weddings.  Check out their wedding planning tools and idea boards.  Couples can build a website, find vendors geographically, get ideas for their perfect day, and more.

Now,  I promised more wildflowers, and indeed, more are popping up every day.  Rather than post new pictures all the time, I started a Pinterest Board, which I will keep updated as more varieties bloom.  Right now, we have Salvia still in full glory and it has been joined by Oxeye daisies, Coreopsis, Gailladia, and Queen Anne's Lace.  I cannot wait to see what blooms next!

Follow White Garden Events's board Wildflowers at the Manor on Pinterest.

More Trending Wedding Colors

Another trending color for weddings this year is sea foam green.  Although I would not suggest over using it, it is a beautiful color that signifies Spring, Beginnings, Freshness--so perfect for weddings!

Here is my Pinterest board with ideas for using sea foam.
Enjoy!

Follow White Garden Events's board Sea foam for your wedding on Pinterest.

We have wildflowers!

Have you eve dreamed of being in a pasture surrounded by wildflowers?  Well, we can make your dream a reality here at the Manor.  Right now, the Salvia is in full bloom--it would look great with any wedding, but it does have a hint of periwinkle.  ;)

Trending Wedding Colors...

While Lee and I are working on getting everything ready for events at the Manor, I have also been reading wedding magazines.  Call it an occupational hazard--I am a librarian who owns a wedding business.

According to the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of The Knot, the trending colors for weddings right now are mint green, coral and periwinkle blue.  All of these have their proponents and all of them can be very pretty, but I must admit that even though green is my favorite color, I have always had a weakness for periwinkle.  It is such a happy color.  The problem with periwinkle is that it can be difficult to find flowers in that color, so you often have to go with complimentary colors or secondary colors, but if you are happy to do that, as I am, using the periwinkle won’t be a problem.  Here are some ideas for using periwinkle in your wedding:

Follow White Garden's board Periwinkle for your wedding on Pinterest.

We're here!

We are so happy to be starting our new adventure.  We moved in on a Saturday in March and on the very first day, I ran into a cactus and had to have a little help to remove the thorns from my leg.  But don't worry--Lee is working even as I write to remove the cacti from all areas where weddings will happen and guests might wander.  We have also been doing a lot of cleaning--inside the house and out.  We look forward to our first tours and our first weddings, but first, we need to get back to that cactus!