OPEN HOUSE at The Marquardt Ranch

Tis' the season!

Fresh Picked Spring Wedding

Having a Texas Hill Country Spring wedding is amazing for several reasons. One of them being that your guests travel to your wedding venue through fields of color and scenic roads lined with sprays of blues, yellows and reds. As spring begins to come into full bloom, Texas wildflowers lead the way. We are seeing a trend of brides incorporating a fresh-picked wildflower look into their decorations and centerpieces.

We recently hosted a wedding here at The Marquardt Ranch where the bride did just that. Vintage books, antique store globes, and fresh spring flowers in Mason jars with a touch of nautical ribbon came together to create a sweet, Texas Spring wedding.

The weather was perfect and the sun came out just as the bride walked down the aisle! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hammond!

 

Gluten Free Menu Options at Your Wedding

A friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, which can also be known as gluten intolerance.  Some studies say that celiac disease affects 1 in 133 Americans.  Gluten is found in certain grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye. 

Don’t let one, two, or a handful of your wedding guests who need to skip on foods that contain gluten stress you out when it comes to your menu decisions.  Our in house caterer, Cypress Grille, has several options for our non-gluten eating friends and family. 

Below are just a few examples of items that are already on our menu that would be suitable for such guests.  Remember, Chefs Tom & Paul are always willing to discuss “off the menu” options!

Appetizers
Quail Skewer: Skewered quail marinated with ancho chile and honey
Campechana: Mexican marinated shrimp cocktail

Shrimp Brochette: Skewered jumbo shrimp with jalapeno & cherry tomato

Salads (without dressing)
Caprese Salad: Sliced beefsteak tomato, sliced mozzarella, and basil
Mixed Field Greens Salad: Tomatoes, cucumbers

 

 

Entrees
Baked Chicken Breast: Stuffed with bacon, caramelized onions, and apples served with lemon buerre blanc
Roasted Kona Style Chicken:  topped with tropical fruit salsa
Grilled Beef tenderloin: Center cut filet, served with choice of béarnaise or wild mushroom sauce

Grilled Wild Salmon: Fresh caught lightly seasoned and grilled over oak

Sides
Vegetable Medley: Asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, assorted bell peppers, and carrots served al dente
Haricot verts: Green beans seasoned with tomato and walnuts

Oven Roasted Potatoes: With rosemary, red onions and olive oil

 

And of course, don’t forget your wedding cake! 

Consider a gluten free option such as cheesecake.

 

Hot New Wedding Trend?

When we received the newest edition of The Knot magazine (not the Texas edition), I was a little struck by the image on the cover. It wasn't what you typically see....

 

But then I remember seeing a wedding pro newletter sent out by theknot.com a month ago that read

 " Top 10 Wedding Trends in 2013

    1.       Great Gatsby – The roaring 20’s GLAM theme is making a comeback! Brides are in to confetti, fireworks, casinos, beads, long tapered candles, gold, and slimmer chic. Pairing appetizers with mini cocktails are a glam and chic trend!"

Ah HA! The cover photo makes complete sense now. However I was still skeptical that it was a new trend that we needed to be on the watch for. At a seminar I attended last year hosted by famed floral designer J Schwankie, and he told us something that's stuck with me - The Wedding industry is not a trend setter, we're trend followers. It's very true. We see what's on the runway, in popular culture and mimic it into weddings and party planning. This trend however seems to be right on the heals of pop culture as its just begining to come out in other areas. Shortly after we received the magazine I started seeing this "Great Gatsby" theme everywhere. Most notabily with the new movie coming out with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Also seen were nods to the roaring 20's fashion was seen on the latest episode of Smash on ABC.

 

 

 Ralph Lauren 2012 Spring Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.

 

 

 

So how would this look as a wedding theme? Well there are LOTS of inspiration photos out there!

 

Vintage head peices

 

 

Lots of ivory, champagne and gold inspired decor.

 

 

Beading is a must,

 

and the return of high fashion for men's wedding attire.

 

Now the biggest question of them all,

will or how would you incorporate this theme in your wedding?

 

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