D & E Wedding Part III: Dreamy Sunset at Cocktail Hour

Happy Monday, friends! Keeping it positive on the blog because the weather was very bleh this past weekend, and there’s more rain in the forecast.

That being said, I’m escaping to some prettier weather with today’s post! I’m so excited to finally be sharing Part III of Eric and I’s wedding – the dreamy sunset at cocktail hour, during which Feather & Twine snapped some of our favorite photos from the whole day.

While it had rained a bit earlier, the sky cleared to an incredible outpouring of sunshine and rainbows for the ceremony (read more in Part I + Part II)! I’m in awe every time I think back to how lucky we got and how amazing our team of family, friends, and vendors were in making it the most perfect event.

Read below for details on the fairytale that went on while our guests mingled at cocktail hour…I can’t wait for you to see!

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After the ceremony and our pre-first dance sway (actual first dance?) to a fantastic mariachi band – we ventured off to a big, beautiful field on our venue’s property to take pictures while guests enjoyed chips, queso, and drinks.

Side note – queso was a requirement for our wedding because it is our all-time favorite. Don’t you worry, I definitely made sure to eat some at the reception.

Ok back to the field. Such a gorgeous setting, right?!

Props to our wedding party that trekked into the grass without any hesitation, even though an hour ago it was pouring. They’re the best humans. I’m not sure how E and I got so lucky to have these friends who are actually our family.

And in case you were wondering, the field wasn’t so messy after all! We had so much fun laughing, swinging flowers around, and trying to walk while still looking oh-so-graceful for our photographers, Kelsey and Talon, and videographer, David.

We’re beyond thankful for those friends too, and their incredible talent.

Ugh, these girls. They’re so inspiring, funny, brilliant, and stunning.

They all picked such fabulous dress styles. I landed on this deep wine shade fairly quickly because it fit fall perfectly, while bringing such elegance to the whole wedding.

There was never a set style though, I knew every one was different! I wanted my girls to feel beautiful and comfortable in whichever look they chose. I also just really loved the mismatched yet coordinated vibes of it all!

These dresses are Nouvelle Amsale designs. I highly recommend this line if you’re looking for beautiful pieces that won’t break the bank! They were also breathable and movable – perfect for a Texas wedding with lots of dancing.

We ordered them through Bella Bridesmaids in Austin – but with their locations all across the country, the shopping experience was a breeze. I love these dresses, and these ladies!

I can’t forget about these guys though. Beyond handsome, of course!

E and I were set on navy from the start. We struggled to find the perfect suit at a fair price for the groomsmen to rent, but then The Black Tux came to our rescue!

Trust me, I was skeptical at first with the whole online rental, arrives just a few days before the wedding scenario, but The Black Tux makes the whole process SO easy.

I mean, did I marry James Bond over here??

During this time, I also made the transition from veil to flower crown. From the minute we began planning, I knew I wanted to wear one of these beauties at some point on our day.

Fresh flowers are my absolute favorite, so not only were the floral details around our wedding so precious , but this delicate, wax flower piece Wild Bunches created just for me had me feeling like I jumped straight out of a Disney story.

I’ll be talking about it, and that magical bouquet for the rest of my life. Sorry not sorry.

Taking some intimate photos of just E and I after the whole bunch with our wedding party was really special. We love, love, loved our first look (maybe our fave part of the whole day!), but snapping some as Mr. & Mrs. with no one else around, as the sun settled into a dreamy dusk, was completely romantic.

Our lovely Memory Lane coordinators, who ensured the whole day went off seamlessly, eventually had to usher us back towards the reception hall to keep the party going. We were out there having way too much fun!

The next few moments were filled with ridiculous laughs and coordinated dance moves as we prepared to be announced into the reception with our wedding party, just outside the doors of the hall. So and so would be carried on so and so’s shoulders, those two were going to pretend to play some 1:1 basketball, and E and I may have decided to shuffle then chest bump.

It was finally time to celebrate with our loved ones and we couldn’t wait!

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We definitely were ready to party with family and friends, but let’s be real, we were also ready for some tacos, cake, and a good ol’ beer too!

These sunset photos are so near and dear to my heart. As I mentioned, we truly loved the whole wedding planning process, and these swoon-worthy moments remind me how all that hard work paid off.

Stay tuned for the final piece of the puzzle, Part IV: The Reception! Can you guess the 90s movie theme song we entered to after taking a poll from the wedding party??

Hint: A famous Chicago Bulls basketball player starred in the film.