Decision Day

One day late ain't too shabby (after a little schedule alteration, hehe). Drum roll please.....and our pick is.....






I'm in love with the place and our finalized date will be up as soon as Hofmann Ranch gets our green backs :)

http://www.hofmannranch.com/

Hofmann Ranch

Today my mom and I went out to the Hofmann Ranch in Castroville, TX. It is run by Charlotte and Hans Hofmann. They are a great couple that used to run a shop that we loved back when it was in business. Here is the Grande Hall out on the Ranch. They do a beautiful job decorating the place and has a great country feel to it.

Grande Hall.

Inside Grande Hall set up for a reception.

Outdoor pavillion that can be used for a ceremony or a reception.

Patio. Can also be used for a ceremony or the cocktail hour. It is decision time (end of January is tomorrow so you'll be hearing soon).

The three big options right now are:
1. Terrace Club
2. Hofmann Ranch
3. Thurman Ranch (Salt Lick BBQ)

(all pictures from http://www.hofmannranch.com/ and photographer Donna Gustin)

Salt Lick BBQ

Last weekend, Grant and I went out to the Salt Lick BBQ. They have an wedding venue called Thurman Mansion. It is actually very pretty. The ceremony would be held on the front "lawn" which is actually a huge grassy knoll that overlooks a vineyard. The reception would have Salt Lick BBQ for dinner (served family style--fun!) in the ballroom of the mansion. The ballroom is not huge and if you had a really big wedding (200+) it would be too small for you. I do love the brides and grooms rooms--they are spacious and the brides has a claw foot tub (le sigh)...

Mansion from the front- all lit up.

Ballroom of Thurman Mansion.

ceremony site in front of the mansion (grassy knoll :) ). Also has great chairs included... Grant and I haven't been really pleased with the help from Salt Lick. And there wouldn't be a event coordinator there during our wedding... We'll see.

We have one more (I know!) place to go see. It is in Castroville (outside of San Antonio) and I'll be going with my mom next weekend, so stay posted for that.

(All images from thurmanmansion.com/mansioninfo)

Inspiration

This week is my last week of freedom before the semester starts up again.  I have collected some of my favorite wedding things.  

1. Hair Flowers.  I know that that veils are the typical wedding day accessory, but who could resist these fun treats.

www.knot.com

www.etsy.com

www.etsy.com

2. Colorful wedding shoes.  I love this little pop of color under a white wedding dress.  So fun and since white isn't my color (i spill), they are even better.

www.theknot.com

www.theknot.com

www.theknot.com

3. DIY Wedding Bouquets--These things are hundreds of dollars from different florists and some ingenious girls, have said no and made their own.  Even check out this website for a how-to: Flower Video.

www.weddingbee.com

www.weddingbee.com

www.stylemepretty.com

January Update

Well the planning process took a back seat to the holiday season but here we go again!  Tonight, I'm taking my mom out to the Terrace Club in Dripping Springs.  They are having an open house with many of their preferred vendors there.  Friday, Grant and I are going out to the Salt Lick (yup they actually do really neat weddings out there on the banks of the river).  They are also giving us free lunch (when Grant reads or hears this, he going to be totally pumped!).  Anyways sadly, I am "behind" schedule on my homemade timeline from last semester.  Thankfully, I know how to edit a microsoft document and as of 5 minutes ago, I am back on schedule.  Here is my timeline (pre-editing).  I did it on MS Powerpoint.

January Update

Sundays and Schedules

For the first time, I'm considering a Sunday wedding.  A lot of the places that I like are a little high with the ol' budget.  Sundays on the other hand, are much more affordable.  Discounts range from $500 to thousands of dollars.  I've also heard that vendors have Sunday discounts.  I sure hope so.  

This semester (everything is in semesters until I finish Pharm school) our goals are to:

-Sign a contract at an awesome venue 

-Get a rough (life can change big time in 1 and 1/2 years) guest list

-Get a rough budget (I'm cheap, which helps and hurts when doing this)

So far here is what we have:

-A couple venues we like and a decision to make.  We've got a favorite, but I'm not sharing until we make a decision :)

-Guest list: 120-150 people. Big range, no real clue how many will come.  People don't even have date books for 2010 yet.

-Budget: $15,000.

Whew, I think I'm on track. :)