1 29
Upon receiving their book-inspired wedding invitation, 200 guests were “literally” filled with anticipation for Brittany and Sean’s “Storybook Beginning” wedding in picturesque Texas Hill Country.
The venue: The Lost Mission in Spring Branch, Texas.
On entering the Lost Mission, guests saunter down a stone pathway with colorful floral markers leading the way to the ceremony.
Outside the mission, a flamenco guitarist set the mood for cocktails on the patio.
The literary aficionados could “drink like their favorite author” and have a “Hemingway Daiquiri” or a “Tequila Mockingbird.”
A long view of the church.
The mission interior is adorned with colorful yet restrained floral.
Rings of lemon leaf garlands encircle the chandeliers, which feature suspended lavender tulips.
An ombré floral arrangement in various shades of blue, purple and pink adorns the altar along with a custom-created vow book with “Live” inscribed on the spine.
Custom-made “family” paper badges indicate reserved seating on each side of the aisle.
Bridesmaids' bouquets.
A colorful boutonniere.
The cocktail hour continues on the tented patio area outside the barn.
Guests mingle in the “Library Lounge” amongst the "Hill Country chic" lounge furniture and the “book page” archways and curved “bookshelves” that exhibited glowing LED books, custom covered books, found objects, and lamps sporting the couple’s monogram.
Near the doors into the property's barn, four different vignettes decorated with book-page walls keep guests entertained.
An archway in the Library Lounge.
The first vignette features a book with folded pages depicting the wedding date and a typewriter asking the revelers to become authors and “sign the guestbook.”
Another vignette features a typewriter with a page stating “Please find your name” amongst floral and books on golden bookshelves.
These books had custom-fabricated covers with the “readers” names on the spine.
Inside the book, a library card told guests where they would be seated for dinner.
Close-up of escort cards.
Inside the "library book" escort card.
The third vignette features a "poet" who wrote an impromptu poem based on each guest's interests.
The final station features an "illustrator," who sketched an image of each guest.
Guests take their library-book escort card, poem and sketch to the barn for dinner and dancing.
Long farm tables line the center of the room.
On these tables were placed “book tower” centerpieces holding massive arrangements of peonies, roses, orchids and hydrangeas with rosemary accents.
Paper cone garlands with floral accents flanked each side of these huge towers.
Magnificent magenta Phalaenopsis and oversized book-page origami figures embellish the huge chandeliers.
Linens in various textures and shades of champagne cover the round tables throughout the room.
One of the arrangements for these tables was a glass terrarium with beautifully woven callas, anemones, succulents and roses with miniature books inside.
Another arrangement consisted of Hill Country-chic wooden candelabras with massive delphiniums and roses set on top of books.
Another view.
More striking floral.
Close-up of a garland.
The menu card at each place setting was printed in the shape of a book and featured the “Table of Contents.”
As guests sit down to dinner, they are treated to an amuse-bouche of jalapeno-infused watermelon with a dollop of crème fraîche on top of flowers.
This course was followed by a Texas heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad.
The main course was served outside in the transformed “Library Lounge.” Guests could sample truffled mac and cheese, the sautéed vegetable station, and the grill station, featuring lamb chops and lobster.
The favorite of the evening was "the meal in a jar" station, complete with a smoke-infused beef tenderloin and mashed potato jar and a braised duck with ginger sweet potato puree jar.
The wedding cake features favorite quotes of the bride and groom.
A hit of the evening: the liquid nitrogen ice cream station--fitting because the bride and groom are both chemical engineers.
