In November 2021 In Ink Weddings + Events hosted an “Alice in Wonderland” inspired styled shoot at The Ivory Oak in Wimberley, TX featuring a vow renewal. During the planning/brainstorming phases, the goal was to create something enchanting yet completely whimsical with bursts of color, thus drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and other fairy-woodland tales.
How did we prep for the Alice in Wonderland design?
In preparation for the shoot, we were looking for a real couple that rushed a wedding during the height of COVID and didn’t get the full experience of having a wedding. I didn’t find that couple but went with some old friends that I knew were married. As the shoot came closer, I had dinner with them (Autumn and Richie) and they shared they were wed at a courthouse 10 years ago at age 18. No dress shopping, no pretty photos, no bouquet, nada. Several years later, they separated.
However, you can’t keep a light hidden that’s supposed to glow. They eventually reunited and are now so evidently smitten by one another. I learned they were wanting to renew their vows for quite some time which led to the question if they’d like to renew them for the shoot. What was once just a pretty shoot filled with colorful flowers and teacups galore, turned into a beautiful redemption story that truly made our hearts flutter to be a part of it.
The Ivory Oak was the perfect spot to host, with its towering oak trees stretching across the property and a ceremony site that acted as a blank canvas.
Glow with Lo prepped Autumn’s hair and make-up. She sported dazzling blue/purple eye shadow and wore a relaxed bun. Autumn’s dress, veil, and earrings are from Olivia Grace Bridal. They understood we wanted something playful with tulle (imagine a princess running through the woods bunching up her dress) yet shown with elegance. Richie sported a navy paisley coat, pant, and bowtie from Rex Formal Wear. Everyone loves a guy in suspenders and bow tie, so we later shed the coat and sported his leather suspenders.
The ceremony was held inside – despite this fact, we wanted it to seem like it was creeping out to the woods. To give that feel, Perry’s Petals created a beautiful, color-laden backdrop of raining flowers featuring bursts of blues, purples, greens, yellows, and white. Leading to the alter were branches/twigs (that her pup helped find – what a good boy!) lined along the aisle with moss and teacups/saucers with floating candles and a runner from Meek and Wild.
During the renewal, the sun shined through the glistening paned windows and filled the space with glowing, warm light – as you will see methodically captured by Kaitlin Rodgers Photo.
The big dream of this shoot was to incorporate raining flowers from a long oak tree limb, which Perry’s Petals brought to life as a stretching centerpiece at the guest table. The Ivory Oak supplied a rustic, wooden harvest table and chairs. Meek + Wild Wedding Rentals supplied a dusty blue runner, gold flatware, chargers, and candlesticks.
The tea sets pictured are finds from Amazon. Gouda Gal gave us a fun charcuterie twist and fill the teacups with meats, cheeses, honey, and fruits. Wed With Grace used her calligraphy skills for our mirror reading, “We’re all madly in love here.” I liked to describe my design style as beautifully curated organized chaos – together, the team of vendors brought that vision to life with our table.
If cakes grew from a garden, Feel Like Baking Love knew how to harvest one. They created a three-tiered white, buttercream frosted cake and dossed it with flowers. Once again, beautifully curated organized chaos. Every flower was placed exactly where it needed to be.
We definitely had fun at the bar and brought in whimsical, colorful cocktails. Bartenders 4 You created what we dubbed “The Mad Hatter Elixir” and “The Charming Cheshire.”
As the sun began to set, photos were taken of Autumn and Richie at the lounge featuring Meek + Wild’s rugs and hurricane candle holders. Fleeing the wedding, they took off in Comal Classic’s 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans convertible. Of course, we picked the one that was the same color as Alice’s blue dress. Though he was not featured in photos, Hardwick Media (videographer) captured the couple from getting ready to driving away into the sunset.
Wanting more? Check out:
Testimonial of Vow Renewal Near Austin | Autumn + Richie
