7 Reasons to See Each other Before the Ceremony

        When I consult with our brides and grooms I always ask if they want to see each other before the ceremony for what's commonly known now as a "First Look". This is where the bride and groom privately see each other for the first time before their ceremony and their photographer is there capturing the sweet moment and emotions. When I ask our couples this question, there is usually a very real and immediate reaction either way. There is no right or wrong way what-so-ever, but this blogger has some very good reasons on why it might be the right decision for you and your groom!
       Read them all at this fun blog below....

Photos Before the Ceremony?

Photos by jkoephoto.com

 

5 Years of Wonderful Weddings!!

This month The Marquardt Ranch rejoices in five years of weddings with our terrific brides and grooms!! We have had such a pleasure going through the planning process with you and getting to share in your joys! So many of you have kept in touch and shared your next steps in life with us - purchasing a house, landing the big job, having your first child. We couldn't have asked for better couples to have worked with. 

We've been through many changes throughout the last five years as we learn, grow and expand. We opened with a venue available for rental, one full time employee, and a boss man. We quickly realized the need and added an in house wedding coordinator. Two years later we developed our in house Floral Department and added a conference room to the property. Soon after in house DJ's followed and the addition of the beautiful staircases to the bell towers.  

We are now thrilled to announce the launch of our in house catering, Cypress Grille at The Marquardt Ranch!! We have partnered with a very well-known restaurant in Boerne, Cypress Grille, and built them a kitchen here at ranch. Bride and Groom's can now be assured the freshest food possible will be served for their wedding because it is made on site! The quality in product and customer service they have come to expect from The Marquardt Ranch can now encompass their catering needs for their rehearsal dinners, bridal luncheons, wedding receptions and post wedding activities. 

We cannot wait to see what the next five years have in store for us and for our future brides and grooms!!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary Dru & Jessica

Happy 2 Year Anniversary to our wonderful bosses. I know the video is older now, but it still shows a special, fun and important day in the history The Marquardt Ranch!

Ford Wedding Highlights from Team Exclusive on Vimeo.

Cinderella Complex? Yes PLEASE!!

The new trend in wedding shoes is "Fancy Shoes". Luckily for most brides, following the footsteps of high end shoe designers like Christian Louboutin and Marc Jacobs's new lines, DSW has a new affordable "Glass Slipper Collection". Check out the rest of the article here. 

 

 Louboutin's take on the Cinderella slipper. Photo courtesy of Christian Louboutin

Non- Traditional Engagement Photos

I cannot WAIT to show you the photo from Janessa and Ruben's wedding from this past June. But in the mean time I wanted to share some of their engagement photos that they did with Amy DeYoung back in May. Amy explains their story best so be sure to check out that and more photos from their session on her blog AmyDeYoung.com.

Sweet Treats - Not Necessarily Cake Anymore

The traditional wedding cake will always be the number one popular choice for dessert at wedding. There's no getting around that one. However, more and more brides are opting for something different. We've all seen the candy bars, the cupcakes, dessert bars and more recently the cake balls. But as pinterest.com, lover.ly.com, and a host of other websites become more popular, Brides are becoming more creative. Things like smores bars, cookies and milk and icecream bars are slowly popping up here and there. Or how about individualized mini desserts like these Rolo Brownie Trifles - from Bakingdom.com served to your guests tableside??

Daniel & Lauren

 As Daniel and Lauren’s wedding day was approaching, we kept our eyes on the forecast; it did not seem to want to cooperate with all the planned wedding festivities.  At the rehearsal, we decided it was best to practice an indoor ceremony just to be on the safe side.  It was a good thing we did, because the rain would not let up enough for us to have their wedding ceremony outdoors as originally planned.  

 

Their photographer, J.P. Beato, got creative for the couple’s “door photo”.  Instead of using the front door for the divider between the two, he used the corner of the limestone wall to capture this well-known pre-ceremony picture.  

 The Marquardt Ranch did all of Lauren’s wedding flowers, maintaining her classy and elegant look and feel from the centerpieces, to the arbor, to all the body flowers.

Lauren and Daniel special ordered a vinyl decal from an online company to be placed on their dance floor.  They may have had a difficult time deciding where exactly to put it, but it definitely was a nice addition and something everyone seemed to notice.

Chris Story, our in-house DJ, did a great job keeping a large crowd on the dance floor the entire night.  Looks like a fun time was had by all!

A little drizzle outside did not stop the wedding guests from the much anticipated sendoff of the Bride and Groom with sparklers!

Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. San Martin!

July 7, 2012 Wedding Sneak Peak

Had a wonderful time with our bride and groom, Natalie and Chris, this past weekend. 

They both had such loving families it was hard not to get swept up in the emotions of the day with them! Little sneak peak from their wedding - Thank you Mark Thomas Photography!!

 

Clicking his heals or Light as a Feather in Love?

June Weddings, June Weddings!!!

Kelly Portmann is not only a great photographer, she was also a wonderful helper in us create the flower arrangements and special pieces she featured on her blog. check out more of her photos at her blog www.kellyportmann.com

Video Teaser

While we're waiting for the photos to be processed from all of our marvelous spring weddings, here is a sneak peek video clip from our May 27, 2012 wedding of Hillary and Michael from Mark Thomas Photography!

Hillary & Michael Teaser from Mark Thomas Pro Photo and Video on Vimeo.

From Real Brides.....

We don't mean to toot our own horn,

 but we like to think that we work with the best set of brides and grooms any coordinator could ask for!! 

We love working with each and every bride with her individual taste to help bring her wedding dreams to life. To even further the awesome-ness of our brides - they leave us reviews like this on national websites like TheKnot.com.  

  
          "Worth the price posted 5/9/2012 I could not have asked for a better location
          for my wedding. The Marquardt has such a perfect Texas feel, and I think it's
          impossible to take a bad picture there. I love how everything is all in one room, so
          the wedding is not segmented, and there is a beautiful space outside for cocktail
          hour and photos. I have not found a place as elegant and beautiful, and I love how
          they can do spot lighting and offer free votive candles for the tables. Amanda, our
          day-of wedding coordinator was fantastic. We had so many compliments on how
          smoothly everything went and the night flowed perfectly. Is this place expensive?
          Yes. But it's worth it. Here's why- you can save a ton of money on alcohol since
          you bring your own. You don't have to worry about your vendors arriving because
          Amanda does all of the calling the previous month for you and is there all day to
          help set up. My maid-of-honor's dress ripped right before pictures, and Amanda
          literally saved the day by sewing it up. I don't know what I would have done without
          her. Our guests were beyond impressed with this location. If you decide to go with
          the Marquardt, I HIGHLY recommend their in-house DJ- Chris Story. I was very
          impressed by everything and everyone there. "

 and this....  

          "Amazing! posted 5/31/2012 We got married at the Marquardt Ranch this May
          and it was just wonderful. The staff was accommodating and helpful throughout the
          entire process and our wedding coordinator Courtney was AWESOME! We are
          still getting complements on the venue and heard numerous times that it was the most
          beautiful place they have ever been for a wedding. I would HIGHLY recommend
          this venue!!"

See these and more of our bride's reviews at  

www.theknot.com  and www.weddingwire.com

Rain, SWEET Rain!!

I'm not sure about anyone else, but we at The Marquardt Ranch are REJOICING in all the rain that we've been receiving this past week! It couldn't have come at a better time and we are looking forward to more rain (just not on the weekends =).  Take a look at how much the river is up!

Taken Monday

Taken Today!

 

That's a whole lot of water, and its moving fast! Nature is so awe-inspiring!

Always Improving....

We never sit idle here at The Marquardt Ranch. There are always things that can be improved or things we can learn and people we can learn from. Our internal moto for years has been "There's got to be a better way!" We also like to celebrate the small things... even if they're silly. So celebrate with us....

New door mats. I love them!

Front flower beds are getting an overhaul!

Dru keeps our pipes flowing!

The Marquardt Ranch is on Pinterest!!

I know most of you have already heard of Pinterest.com by now. If you haven't prepare to waste a lot of time day dreaming =). Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board where instead of saving photos onto your computer and cluttering it all up, you "pin" images you to your own online board. The best part of this is that is saves the original site so you can go back and find out more information about it.

This website is quickly becoming a HUGE tool for brides to help them plan, visualize and communicate their desired style for their wedding. The Marquardt Ranch is now on Pinterest to help our brides in finding that certain something that makes their wedding uniquely theirs. Be sure to find us on there and follow us!

Chris Story Band

ATTENTION - RARE OCCASION - DON'T MISS OUT!!!

As you know the Chris Story Band is our in house band and DJ. They are fantastic! But one of the best things about them is they don't generally play for anything other than private parties and corporate events. Which is one of the reasons they're so special.

However, this Friday, April 20th they'll be playing at 2012 Alamo Heights Night hosted by The University of the Incarnate Word. This is a very rare occasion, to see Chris Story Band - LIVE. Go, check them out and have a blast!

IT'S UP EARLY!

Hey Everyone,
The new stair case to the bell towers coming from the groom's suite is up EARLY! We are so excited for these new additions! Will provide much easier access to the bell towers for bridal parties and their photographers. Let us know what you think!

Boss Man, Dru, hard at work welding

Almost finished. So pretty!