Things to make your day pretty...

As many of you know I got married in April 2012.  

I painstakingly looked for certain things to make my day pretty....

Well I want to share!!!

If you are looking for things to make your day pretty stop by my Etsy store.
Click here to view Etsy Store

Gabriella & Luis - Cathedral Wedding

Gabriella Rathmell and Luis Guevara were united in matrimony on July16 th at the breathtaking San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio. 

The Bride wore an amazing gown by Anne Barge and completed her look with a beautiful Monique Lhuillier belt. To top it off, she wore a bedazzled Vera Wang veil. She just looked beyond beautiful! 

The Bridesmaids wore Amsale gowns from Bella Bridesmaid and they had the most gorgeous tone of fuchsia I have ever seen! 

The reception was definitely a delight to the human eye. It took place at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel and we focused on perfecting every little detail. What my brides want, my brides will get!!

The couple's personalities mostly shined through their cakes. The bride: beautiful and extravagant wanted her cake cascading in roses and the groom a die hard cowboys fan. 

Guests enjoyed a live band as well as classic music played by mariachis. The celebration continued until 1:00 in the morning! 

We loved working with this family to create their dream day.   It was truly an unforgettable evening. 

Photography by Miranda Laine Photography

Ceremony Location: San Fernando Cathedral 

Reception Location: Marriott Rivercenter Hotel

Photography: Miranda Laine Photography

Band: The Latin Connection

Invitations and other print work:  The French Connection 

Cynthia & Joe - Southwest School of Art

Cynthia and Joe came to us about 1 year before their big day. As busy professionals they decided to enlist the help of The French Connection to plan their special day. Most of our meetings took place over the phone since Cynthia was living in New York and Joe in London. Cynthia and Joe both knew what they wanted for their wedding day which made the planning process run smoothly. They wanted a unique Texas experience for their guests since a lot of them would be traveling from great distances. 

They were married at the beautiful Chapel of the Incarnate Word on April 14th. After the ceremony the wedding party hopped on one of San Antonio’s unique trolleys and took a ride to the Landa Library to capture some unique wedding photos. Guests headed back to their hotels to freshen up before the reception got started.

Southwest School of Art - Photography by Philip Thomas

The reception was at the Southwest School of Art. As guests arrived, they were greeted with a variety of hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails from the Don Strange Catering Team. Guest mingled in the Convent Garden awaiting the arrival of the wedding party. The wedding party arrived in style on a river barge. Guests were then escorted in the beautiful river garden for dinner under white lights strung through the trees. It was a beautiful evening!!! 

Since Cynthia and Joe wanted their guest to have a Texas experience they chose a menu of Texas BBQ catered by Don Strange.  The meal was served family style; Burnt Ends, sausage, BBQ chicken, fried okra and corn pudding. YUM!!!! 

After dinner the party moved into the chapel for cake and dancing. The Nightfire Band kept the party going and guests enjoyed the night. At the end of the evening the groom was in for a surprise. Not only was this his wedding day, it was also his surprise birthday party. The group headed over the Hard Rock Café to enjoy a late night snack, drinks and party late into the night. All in all it was a great day for a very special couple.

Ceremony Location: Chapel of the Incarnate word

Reception Location: Southwest School of Art

Floral: Uptown Flowers

Photographer: Philip Thomas Photography

Caterer: Don Strange Catering

Band: Nightfire Band

Cake: Cathy Young

Claudia & Andres - Historic Theatre Event!

Claudia and Andres came to us to help plan their wedding.  Claudia has known Tracy for years and when it came time to plan her wedding she called on Tracy for help.     As busy professionals, Claudia and Andres did not have the time to devote to planning their special day.  

The couple had definite ideas for their day and we helped implement them.    They selected the historic Guadalupe Theatre as the site for their wedding reception.   It was such a cool venue!    They decided to have their dinner across the street from the theatre and then as we love to do, transitioned the guests to the theatre for cake and dancing!    We created a night club feeling with lounge furniture and small cocktail tables throughout.   We used jewel tones for the linens: Eggplant, Reds, Teals and Gold to compliment the theater's existing color scheme. 

The couple selected Limelight Photography and we can not wait to get more photos from them to post!     We do have this great video clip from their day.  Click here to see the video clip.    We love how it turned out!!!!  Congratulations Claudia and Andres!!!! 

Ceremony: Our Lady of Grace

Reception Location: Guadalupe Theatre

Photography and Video: Limelight San Antonio

Caterer: True Flavors Catering

Band: Hot Sauce

Invitations & Print work: The French Connection

  

Jacey & Tony - Garden Wedding

Southwest School of Art 

Garden Wedding

Our wonderful couple Jacey and Tony said “I Do” at the beautiful Southwest School of Art on March 3rd. Jacey was the one of the most TRUSTING clients....in turn making the planning of her wedding one our most favorite! Jacey gave us an outline of what she wanted for her wedding and then let The French Connection design it from there. She was so excited each time we presented an idea and she embraced everything with enthusiasm. For this stunning event, The French Connection partnered with Mandarin Flower Company to create an overall garden feel with one of a kind touches. The garden roses in the centerpieces and throughout the event were AMAZING!!! Guests arrived to pre ceremony Aqua Fresca & Prickly Pear Lemonade and then entered into the Gazebo area for a beautiful ceremony. The Gazebo was draped in fabric with a backdrop of cascading pink and white flowers. The aisle was lined with peach and pink petals. The bride wanted to keep her outdoor dinner area a SURPRISE for the guests. A secret garden wall was built to divide the Garden Gazebo area, where the ceremony took place, and the River Garden where dinner was to be. After the ceremony guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while the wedding party took pictures. When it was time for dinner, the doors to the “Secret Garden” were open to reveal a beautiful setting. Hanging parasols were hung and lit from above creating garden setting of soft colors the guests dined under. The delicious meal was provided by Don Strange Catering. After dinner we led guests into the chapel for cake and dancing. This is a signature transitions for us. Tracy French always says she likes to keep the guests moving from space to space to create interest. At this venue she likes to change things up when moving guests in for dancing. For Jacey and Tony we created a more modern feeling while still tying in the colors from the overall palette. We LOVE the furniture we brought in for this event! The guests were entertained by one of our favorite band Ice House Band of Dallas. It was a beautiful evening for a beautiful couple.

Succulent and Garden Rose Bouquet

Ceremony & Reception Location: Southwest School of Art
Floral: Mandarin Flower Company
Photographer: Perez Photography
Caterer: Don Strange Catering
Band: Ice House Band
Cake: Cathy Young
Custom Invitations: Happy Menocal
Other Print work: The French Connection

Megan & Dean - Winter Wedding

Witte Museum

The Witte Museum was the setting for Megan and Dean's February 4th Winter Wedding.    As you know, we LOVE the Witte Museum! It offers so much versatility.    We worked with Megan and her mother to plan the wedding.  They were so much fun!   In the middle of planning the wedding Megan moved to Oklahoma to be closer to Dean.  This made the planning long distance but we were still able to create exactly what Megan had envisioned.    

Megan wanted a Winter Wonderland inspired wedding.    Navy, white and silver where the colors.    In the planning Megan informed she had some friends who were florists....This generally does not turn out good when a client says this...but this time it was a wonderful surprise that her friends truly were very talented florists.    We did not have a huge budget but Mandarin Flower Co. was able to create a simplistic design that made the style of the wedding look clean and modern instead of thrifty!        

Winter Wonderland - Photography Perez Weddings.com

Embracing the winter season, and working with a smaller budget, we were able to select a few items to make statements.  Illuminated columns for the ceremony with white branches created a simplistic, yet striking ceremony site. White chiavari chairs paired with slate colored linens translated an amazing winter wonderland inspired reception.   When watching your budget you want to want to pick a few things to make a statement with.  These touches will stand out and help make your event.    

Megan personalized their wedding by having her father make red and white wine in miniature bottles for guests to take home as a their wedding favor.   Megan and Dean also asked all of their guests to complete an Ad-lib about their wedding day and put it a box for the couple to keep as a reminder of the special family & friends that shared their day.  This was so much fun!!!

The guests danced the night away to the music played by the DJ of The French Connection.   This group loved to dance and they had a great time!

Ceremony and Reception Location: The Witte Museum 

Floral: Mandarin Flower Co.

Photography: Perez Photography

DJ: The French Connection

Ceremony & Cocktail Music: The French Connection

Invitations & Print work: The French Connection