Wedding Reception

For our wedding reception, we wanted to keep with the "Austin" theme, and didn't have to search far for a reception venue. Our only requirements were a private space and minimal fuss. We also wanted brunch- and that was the only thing that made our search the slightest bit difficult. Not everyone serves brunch on Saturday, and some of the few places that do didn't have the space we were looking for. Luckily Lambert's was able to accommodate us and made the planning process fairly easy.

They have a second story space that was the perfect size for our expected group, and allowed us the privacy we were looking for. Given the black and white damask wall behind the bar, we knew we wouldn't have to do much decorating as it already had a lot of character. We also knew the food would not disappoint! It's ironic that we had our reception in a BBQ restaurant, given that we really don't eat meat. But our goal was a southern brunch, and Lambert's pulled through. We planned a menu that included migas, biscuits and gravy, jicama slaw, brisket hash, green chili cheese grits and mac and cheese. It was a carb fest to say the least, and it was all absolutely delicious!!

After wrapping up pictures at the ceremony site, Hank and I finally made our way to the reception. It took about fifteen minutes (and no less than 3 people) to get my dress bustled, and then we finally got to join everyone upstairs. We grabbed a drink, mingled with some friends, and then grabbed a plate of food so that everyone else could eat. I didn't want the reception to be very planned. Other than eating, drinking and chatting- the only other "activity" was cutting and eating the cake.

We opted not to do a traditional wedding cake, and instead ordered 3 Chantilly cakes from Whole Foods, and 2 Dutch Chocolate Cakes from Sweetish Hill Bakery. Including delivery fees, we got all 5 cakes for $200. A total bargain if you ask me. Plus- they were both delicious!! We ended up having 1 of each cake leftover and enjoyed eating them the week after the wedding.

The only real decor that we did were table arrangements made by Verbena Floral. I chose yellow and white because it really popped with the black and white wall, and I wanted a "sunny" vibe for the reception. LuAnn from Verbena was nothing short of amazing to work with. When my mom and I met with her, she completely understood the look we were going for, and was so easy to work with from start to finish. Her team was also instrumental in helping get the cake table put together in a very short time period. Please- pretty please- consider her for any floral needs that you have. She is wonderful!

There was plenty of time to say hello and chat with all our guests, and before we knew it the reception was wrapping up. Some of our guests headed across the street to the W for the post-wedding Kentucky Derby part, and we stayed behind to close out the check and help get everything packed up. I cannot say enough nice things about the 3 girls from Lambert's who were working our reception. Not only did they take great care of us throughout the party, but they also were a tremendous help in getting everything packed up- including dumping water from all the flower vases. They really helped make the day feel effortless.

I also cannot think the lovely and oh-so-talented Melanie from Melanie Wright Photography for capturing such fun and beautiful images. There hasn't been a day yet that I don't click through all of our photos, and I cannot wait to start choosing ones that we will frame for our home and my office. She really outdid herself!

Sunny table flowers

View into reception

Cake table

Cutting the cake

Girlfriends

Guest book

Georgia keeping busy with Hello Kitty!

Love the sign they put up for us!

My lovely brother and sister in law