If you ask our owner, Steve Lincoln, what the best weather of the year is in Austin, Texas is, he will tell you it is the first weekend in November and this wedding was no different! Laura + Cole got married at Kindred Oaks on November 3rd and what a special day it was! The floral details of this wedding were simply stunning and Brittany Jean did a fantastic job of capturing it all!

Visit our Video Gallery to see their awesome wedding video!

Photos by Brittany Jean Photography Is she not the cutest flower girl you’ve ever seen? Such a precious moment for Laura and her dad! This picture is so perfect! We loved all of the different colors Lauren chose for her bridesmaids dresses! They coordinated so well and looked amazing with all of their bouquets! Nothing like a groomsmen jam session during the reception! This was such a fun, unique moment during the night!

Photographer: Brittany Jean Photography

Florist: ZuZu’s Petals

Caterer: PEJ Events

DJ: DJ for Hire

Hair + Makeup: Blushd Beauty

Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

Videographer: Juliane & Alex Wedding Cinematography

Invitations: Minted

Cake: Cakes by Galyna

Coordination: Kindred Oaks

Photo by Shelley Elena Photography

What do you have planned this weekend? We’re gearing up for another busy few days, celebrating the weddings of Sarra & Justin, Emily & Erik, and Summer & Mark. Congratulations to our sweet couples! Here are some fun things that we’ve collected from around the web.

Did you catch this adorable Corgi photo on our Instagram feed from a few weeks back?

These sparkly sneakers by Kate Spade would be the PERFECT combination of comfort and glam.

“We were together I forget the rest.”

This couple chose to use a bible as a guestbook to create a sweet memento.

Would you ever consider having a minimalist wedding?

A drool-worthy southern take on hors d’oeuvres.

This boho wedding dress has us SWOONING!

Did you know you can pay for a professional writer to create your perfect wedding hashtag? Call us #intrigued…

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Photo by Angela King Photography

It’s October, y’all! Time to break out the boots, scarves, and pumpkin spice lattes. At least, that’s what us Texans wish for anyway! The great thing about October in the Hill Country is the GORGEOUS weather. As we head into a fun weekend of weddings celebrating Katy & Ricky, Jennifer & Wesley, and Lauren & Pete, here are a few things around the internet that we’re loving!

This non-traditional cake has our mouths watering. (That frosting!)

Trim your Guest List in 30 Seconds.

Adorable matching couple shirts.

A great list to send your out of town guests to get the most out of their stay in Austin.

These navy and peach invitations are stunning.

We’re totally digging these geometric candle holders.

You can’t go wrong with this cute “Wedding Day Emergency Kit Checklist” free printable.

The one thing you’ll never think to add to your gift registry.

Plus, a recent review from our lovely bride Brandi:

“Wow! My dream wedding came true this past Saturday. I could not have asked for a better place to have my wedding! KO staff were AMAZING through the whole process! I had absolutely no stress on my wedding day because they take care of you the minute you step foot in the door. Thank you so much for making my dreams come true!”

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One of our favorite things we do here at Kindred Oaks is our monthly Open House. Every second Monday of the month we open our gates for a couple of hours in the evening and we invite anyone to join us. Did we mention it’s free? And you don’t even have to tell us you’re coming… just show up and have a good time! Everyone can benefit from attending an open house, whether you’ve already booked your date with us or are still searching for the perfect venue.

If you’ve never been to a wedding venue open house before, we realize you might be asking yourself whether you should come, so we’re popping in to say YES, you should definitely come to an open house (or two…or three)! And this is why…

Experience Our Venue in the Evening

Photo by Shelley Elena Photography

We may be a little biased, but we think our venue is all-around pretty great! In the evening, however, is when it really shines. The breeze comes out, good music plays in the background, the smell of mouth watering food is in the air, and the entire property sparkles under a mile of twinkle lights. This is a magical time to visit Kindred Oaks and since we only offer daytime appointments, monthly open houses are a great way for you to see our venue in a different light. It’s perfect if you have a conflicting work schedule, want to bring family members who aren’t available during the day, or if you simply want to experience the venue like you will when you walk down the aisle. 🙂

Meet Our Package Vendors

Photo by Tank Goodness Photo

Did you know that Kindred Oaks offers inclusive packages? A whopping 75% of our couples opt into a package, which simplifies the planning process by letting us take care of the majority of your wedding vendors. You have the flexibility of choosing both your caterer and your DJ and we feature one of each at every monthly house, which is a great way for you to experience a DJ in action or sample a food tasting of the caterer you have your eye on.

Learn About Signature or Specialty Vendors

Photo by Tank Goodness Photo

In addition to hosting our package vendors every month, we routinely highlight fun specialty vendors. We’ve featured coffee bars, food trucks, travel agents, make-up artists, invitations, photo booths, videographers, and even stores like Crate & Barrel and Kendra Scott. We also bring out a different baker each month, giving you a chance to try different kinds of cake. That’s reason enough to come visit!

Taste Signature Drinks at the Bar

Photo by In Your Eyes Photography

Every month our bartending company, Hill Country Events, whips up a tasty signature drink for our visitors to sip on while you walk around the property. We LOVE the fun margarita flavors they feature like jalapeno, wedding cake, and prickly pear!

See Wedding Decor Ideas In Person

Photo by Tank Goodness Photo

I think we can all agree that Pinterest is a girl’s best friend during wedding planning. The cakes! The linens! The adorable wedding favors! The only problem is sometimes it’s hard to visualize a Pinterest-worthy wedding photo into reality. At our monthly open houses we feature fun themes by coordinating our table linens, floral, and featured displays to help showcase real ways to decorate here at Kindred Oaks. Our staff enjoys getting creative and changing up the look every month to keep things interesting. Come out, snap some pictures, and take notes!

Speaking Of Linens…

Photo by Tank Goodness Photo

Our open house is a perfect time to finalize your linen selections! Meet up with one of our helpful office ladies and they’ll walk you through your options, you can touch and see real samples, and once you’ve made your choice you can check one more thing off your to-do list. Woohoo!

… and Flowers

Photo by The Mill Photography Studio

Yep, we do those too! (Sensing a trend, here?) Visit the ZuZu’s Petals table to pore over their gorgeous sample books, talk to our florists, and set up a time to come in for a consultation. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so many floral options, but our girls are top notch and are true artists at making your vision (or your Pinterest board!) come to life.

One-On-One Time With Our Wedding Coordinator

Using a wedding planner isn’t required but it sure makes your job a heckuva lot easier! We exclusively recommend Donna Aleman with Ame Soeur Events because not only is she a fantastic coordinator, she also knows Kindred Oaks inside and out. The best part is she works with a wide range of budgets, so even if you think a wedding coordinator isn’t in the cards for you, stop by and say hi anyway! Donna is here at every open house, ready to chat with you about what she can take off your plate.

It’s that simple! Kindred Oaks open houses offer you a chance to get out of the house, enjoy some tasty food/cake/drinks, and get a little wedding planning done while you’re at it. Make it fun and call it a date night (or bring your mom or maid of honor and make it a girl’s night)! Our October open house is one week away and we hope that you’ll come out and see us!

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. But like any other day of the year, it can be celebrated with thoughtful, inexpensive gestures. After all, don’t we all just want to know we’re being thought of?

Photo by Shelley Elena

Expectation vs. Reality

Valentine’s Day comes with a host of expectations, largely due to the marketing efforts of big-name companies. Romantic candle-lit dinners, expensive jewelry, heart-shapes boxes of chocolate. But having such high expectations for a single day of the year can often lead to disappointment. Now ladies, I’m not saying don’t expect much, because your man should do something special, but stop having movie-like expectations! This isn’t Hollywood, and chances are he isn’t filthy rich. As long as he takes the time and effort to plan something nice or get a thoughtful gift, you’ve got a keeper.

Comparison

Comparison is the thief of happiness. As humans, we are all prone to comparison and the presence of social media makes that all too easy. Seeing pictures and hearing stories about others’ Valentine’s Day festivities (which are often embellished) are bound to make you compare… even if your date was perfectly enjoyable. If you catch yourself on the downward spiral of comparison, switch into thankful mode. Focus on the parts of the day where your man made you feel loved, not where he lacked!

Instead of celebrating relationships on one day of the year, we need to focus on constantly celebrating our partners. What’s important isn’t the annual Valentine’s Day celebration, but the constant attention and love for your partner!

This blogging thing has always kind of tripped me up. I’ve written a monthly newsletter for years but it’s only once a month, I pretend I am writing in a journal so that the ‘public’ noise doesn’t interfere with my head, and I just write about anything that pops into my head that month. It is part wedding, part emotion and part learning from the past what I can learn for the future. It sometimes has an element of faith woven in; not to alienate or preach, but because it’s simply part of who I am. I think the blog will have elements of what I’ve always done, but paired with more useful wedding related material that will help with wedding planning. However, you be the judge; let me know what you want to read and I’ll do my best to oblige.

Every single couple who books a wedding with us is sent a Get-to-Know-You form with some random questions that allow us as a staff/team to learn a little bit more about our couples beyond what their colors and date are. It helps me connect with them on a personal level because I’m a firm believer that we all have stories to tell and I enjoy listening to those whose lives are different than mine because it lets me see how vast our world is and yet so incredibly small at the same time.

So who am I? Well, first off; I am a mom. All kinds of Mom. My ‘kids’ are 29, 24 & 22. They were 7, 2 & 1, just yesterday I swear. I will celebrate my 53 birthday this week and while I don’t relish looking 53, I really do love being 53. When I started this business 12 ½ years ago, I was somewhat newly remarried myself and now I am a grandmother! So I’ve gone from being a bride, to a mother figure to 80-95 couples a year and I’m so grateful for that moniker. I am mostly content. I love to laugh and I love to educate. I forever have blonde moments even though my once natural light locks now come from a bottle. I once was a professional photographer back in the 80’s, I’m a longhorn – class of ’89 (yes I was on the 8 year track) and bleed burnt orange (my daughter bleeds maroon), I’m a 6th generation Texan and I am a wife to a man who treats me like a queen.

I’ve been in the wedding industry longer than the ‘industry’ has been in weddings. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d be doing what I do, not to mention how long I’ve done it. At the end of 2016, we should see our 1,000th wedding in just over 13 years. That’s a LOT of weddings. I don’t say that with ego, it’s just a statement of what is. When you do anything 1,000 times, you become a pro at it. You understand what does and what does not work. I may not be the best authority on weddings everywhere, but I am pretty dang savvy on weddings in this neck of the woods. However, even with that much experience, most of what I write is my own opinion and not gospel truth. You can take it or leave it. I just hope you find something useful, something funny or a reason to come back.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures. We asked for engagement pictures to post along with this post. The first is of Danielle & Nick, who live in Hawaii but getting married here in a couple of weeks. Bring some beach with you!! Ha! The second is of Hailey & Josh, getting engaged at a Spurs game; what a rush! Two incredible stories to tell; four lives entwined. This is why I do what I do. Love it!

Taking it all in,
Elaine