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STAR HILL RANCH DESTINATION WEDDING | AUSTIN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Patti and Nick had an intimate destination wedding at the little white chapel at Star Hill Ranch surrounded by family and close friends. The bride and groom also included their adorable pug Jackson since the family isn’t complete without him! It was a perfect day filled with love, laughter and lots of tears of joy! Some of my favorite moments were the ones the bride shared with her 6 year old son Jacob. View the photos of this beautiful wedding and read their love story (including one of the sweetest proposal stories!) as told by beautiful Bride below. Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-1Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-2-2Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-2Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-3Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-4Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-5Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-6Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-7Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-8Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-9Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-10Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-11

Some of my favorite moments were the ones the bride shared with her 6 year old son Jacob.

Some of my favorite moments were the ones the bride shared with her 6 year old son Jacob.

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The bride and groom included their pug Jackson in the wedding day since the family isn't complete without him!

The bride and groom included their pug Jackson in the wedding day since the family isn’t complete without him!

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Ever since the couple came across pictures online of this little white chapel they knew they had to have their wedding here even though it was a few hours from their home.

Ever since the couple came across pictures online of this little white chapel they knew they had to have their wedding here even though it was a few hours from their home.

Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-29Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-30Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-31Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-32Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-33Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-34Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-35Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-36Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-37Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-38Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-39Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-40Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-2-1Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-2-2-2Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-41Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-42Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-43Star_Hill_Ranch_Wedding-44How did you meet? Nick and I met on a blind date that was set up by two of our mutual friends, a married couple- Lupe & Elvia Rodriguez. Nick has worked with Lupe in the U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Team BORSTAR for many years, and they’re really good friends. People often mistake them for brothers! Lupe’s wife Elvia and myself have also worked together for several years in ad sales for a television station in Laredo and are also very good friends. Despite our close friendships with this pair for all these years, Nick and I had somehow never met each other before! Honestly, neither Nick or myself had ANY interest of going on a blind date or being set up by friends. It took a lot of convincing on their part to finally get us to meet! We finally agreed to go on a double-date with them in February 2013. That was the last first-date that either of us ever went on 🙂

Nick claims that it was love at first sight for him…Men! Haha! For me, it took a little bit longer! Lol! Ultimately, we both realized that we had a lot in common. We share the same values and we’re both really close to our families. There’s a mutual respect between us and we trust each other implicitly. He’s also the best role model I could ever ask to have come into my son Jacob’s life, and that means everything to me. The fact that he’s really good-looking helps too! Hahaha 😉

How did he propose? Nick proposed in June of 2014, and I can honestly say that I didn’t see it coming! It was a hot summer day and we were doing some gardening in our backyard. We had just planted a new oak tree, and we were sweating and our clothes were full of dirt. It was what you’d least expect a proposal to look like! As we were looking at the small, scrawny, and fragile tree that we had just planted, Nick reassured me that over time the tree would eventually grow into a tall, strong, and enduring part of our landscape…something that started off small, but with plenty of love and nurturing, would become an amazing and beautiful oak. As he was saying this, I saw him drop down to one knee out of the corner of my eye. I was so taken and overwhelmed with happiness when I realized what was happening that the tears immediately began flowing from my eyes uncontrollably. In retrospect, our newly-planted baby oak tree was a perfect metaphor and backdrop for the beginning of the rest of our lives.

About the wedding. The inspiration for our wedding was actually the little white chapel at Star Hill Ranch. I had seen a picture of it online and never dreamed that it was actually here in Texas! When we discovered that it was only a few hours away from where we live, we decided that our wedding had to be there! It set the tone for the intimate gathering we were looking for…uncomplicated and yet really special.

We mostly relied on family and friends to help us set up. The chapel was adorned with baby’s breath in ribbon that my mother and I had worked on the night before. My sister Laura put up some of our favorite photographs, and my sister Denise made the incredible wreath that served as a backdrop for our vows – that was my favorite touch! My sisters also helped me with the table favors- fresh peaches wrapped in tulle.

Although we didn’t have the traditional wedding party, we did include some very special family members in the ceremony. I was so thankful to be walked down the aisle by both my father and my six-year old son Jacob. We were also happy to include our pug Jackson in our wedding day – our family isn’t complete without him.

The reception was also very low key. It started off with our first dance to Ed Sheeran’s, “Thinking Out Loud”. That was followed by a different kind of mother-son dance with myself and my Jacob to a song that I’ve been singing to him since the day he was born and is very special to us, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

Our family loves good food, so everyone was thrilled with the delicious dinner from Verde’s. The appetizers included calabaza cakes with poblano cream sauce, and queso verde with parmesan toast points. Dinner began with a fresh salad consisting of spring greens with cilantro-lime vinaigrette, mangos, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and candied pecans. The main dish included two entrees, carne asada with tequila-peppercorn-mushroom-sauce and Pallomino chicken with poblano cream sauce and crème fresh. These were served with fire-roasted corn with chipotle aioli and poblano mashed potatoes…delicious! They also catered kid-friendly foods like mac n cheese and chicken tenders for our youngest guests. Verde’s was also instrumental with the setting up the entire dining area, waiters, and even a bartender. It was so convenient to find a vendor that could provide us multiple services and who also did a great job!

Our beautiful and delicious cake was hand-picked by Jacob from Michelle’s Patisserie. We wanted him to feel included in the planning so we made him the official cake-taste-tester. He loved it, and he took his job very seriously…taste testing about ten different cake & frosting combinations! In the end, the clear winner was a unique flavor that we had never experienced before called honey-lavender. It’s one of Michelle’s newest creations and it is absolutely phenomenal! Whenever we’re in the Austin area, I like to stop by her bakery just for a slice! Like everything else, we kept the appearance of the cake very simple and beautiful. It was no-fuss white fondant decorated with fresh peaches and looked classic. In addition to the cake, we also had dessert cake pops that were modeled after our pug! These were a big hit amongst both kids and adults alike, and a nod to our furry-family-member, Jackson.

Since we’re so big on family, kids are no exception! Many of our wedding guests were under the age of ten! Therefore, we had to make sure there was something fun for them too. We provided each one with goodie bags full of stuff to keep them entertained- puzzles, activity books, crayons, glow sticks, snacks and more! My sister Laura also hand-made various photo props that the kids especially enjoyed.

All in all, our wedding was just as we’d hoped. We were only surrounded by the MOST important people in our lives. These were our friends and family who had known us and had supported us through all our ups and downs before finding each other. They’re the ones that truly understood how lucky we were to have found each other and how special it was to have this second chance at everlasting love. The entire evening was overflowing with love!

Your experience with Svetlana Photography

The best part is that we have amazing pictures that we can look at over and over and re-live the amazing memories that we made that night. Svetlana is hands-down the best photographer that we’ve ever worked with. She was very accommodating with our complicated schedule, and always made the time to address all our questions. We felt like she really took the time to get to know us and what was important to us and then she was able to translate that into amazing photographs. She has a great vision, and doesn’t stop working until the job is done right! We continue to get compliments from everyone who sees our wedding photos. There’s so much life in all the pictures she took of that night, she really captured the essence of the happiness, closeness, and love that was present.

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Wedding ceremony and reception: Star Hill Ranch | Officiant: Chaplain Larry Todd | Dress: Tara Keely (purchased at Julian Gold Bridal in San Antonio) | Shoes: Pelle Moda (purchased at Nordstrom) | Florist: Global Flowers | DJ: Complete Weddings + Events | Caterer: Verde’s | Cake: Michelle’s Patisserie | Photographer: Svetlana Photography | Invitation: Wendy Nooney at NooneyArt Designs | Hair & Makeup: Angela Parker from LucieMarie

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