There was literally a dance party going on in the bridal suite when I got to Rancho Mirando for this wedding.

Let’s be clear: I think every wedding party should start the day dancing.

And when I casually say the words “bridal suite” you might be picturing some sort of a room in a hotel. This bridal suite is far from it. The wedding party gets ready in a gorgeous weekend getaway tucked into Hill Country in Central Texas.

The views change across the venue almost every hour as the sun changes. Which means guests were loving grabbing photos out at the ceremony spot. Thankfully this couple had thought ahead to their guests being out in the wide open spaces of Texas  and provided things like bug spray, water and cups.

I overheard one girl mention she’d rather not smell like bug spray, and I simply chuckled and asked if she was from out of town. “Yeah, why? Does the bug spray smell better here or something?”

“Oh no, but you might not care about the smell so much when you see our bugs!” And I gave her an awkward nod, where a wink might usually go, and walked off to start shooting.

I’m typically covered head to toe in bug spray for any wedding near a Texas Summer– ever since the one wedding I came to know chiggers all too well. *(only read that chigger article if you’re super curious about chiggers, it’s not the most delightful topic).

If you’re having an outdoor wedding with no covering, a great thing to throw into your invitation (maybe on an insert with your website or accommodation suggestions) is to let guests know to grab their sunglasses and sunscreen or even a cute hat or simple fan to keep them cooler during the ceremony. These guests seemed prepared and couldn’t wait for these two to tie the knot.

The wait was worth it for this groom to turn around to see his bride walking down the aisle to God’s Plan (by Drake). I absolutely love that you can see the tears run down the bride’s face from the moment she saw him. And me and amazing second shooter Alexandra White were jamming to the song in our head the rest of the night. Win win.

Now, even though I write about weddings constantly, I have yet to cover all of my opinions on things. So let’s talk vows. I am a sucker for personal vows. Allowing your friends and family to hear promises that you both wrote gives them insight into how they can really be there for you over the following years.

These two worked personal things into their vows, and their officiant worked specific things into their ceremony that were so true to real life that will definitely be helpful in the day to day roles that can wear a couple down. They vowed to help each other watch their kids so that the other could have time to get out of the house for a bit. Parents, can I get an amen? Even the bridesmaids were in tears.

If you are in a beautiful setting like the Texas hill country, on a day that the visibility is pretty close to perfect– you have your eye on that setting sun. Okay, or at least I do.

This sweet bride and groom let me know that once their reception started, they were totally game to go snag some portraits of the sunset on the other side of the property– and you better believe the awesome venue had a go cart ready for us to get over there as soon as we were ready.

 The grounds have landscaping that remind me of Tuscany and I couldn’t get enough. Thankfully we hauled back to the reception to cut their cake and dance all night.

Not just dance. The guests had so much fun between the speeches, the terrace filled with twinkle lights, and simply listening to the live band. The band let the bride and groom take the mic at the end of the night to close out the reception with their friends with a bang.

Sparklers lit up the pathway for them to run to their getaway cart to their getaway room on the property and it’s safe to say everyone had an amazing night!

Nothing but love for Danielle and Matt! Congrats!

Wedding Venue: Rancho Mirando

Hair & Makeup: Adore Makeup Boutique and Salon

Wedding Gown: Celebrations Bridal & Prom 

Live Wedding Band: Sauce the Band

Groom’s Cake: 2 Tarts Bakery

Second Shooter: Alexandra White