How BLESSED am I?!?
Thank you for an incredible 2009! I have several brides and families who allowed me to be a part of their wedding planning even though they knew I was pregnant; that means so much to me and I am beyond grateful! Here's to another year of precious couples, many laughs, sweet tears, and touching moments that give you goosebumps! I cherish the fact that I was the one standing there as these treasured brides walked down the aisle! Can I say again that I LOVE my job! Wishing you a BLESSED holiday and an exceptional 2010!
~emily
Marriage License MUSTS in Good Ole' Texas! An Abbreviated, Entertaining, and Totally UNserious Version!
For ONE!!! If you are wanting to marry your cousin/brother/sister, then you are out of luck! That ain't legal and it just ain't right! Glad we got that out of the way....
Onto the boring stuff (that part about marrying someone you're related to always cracks me up!)....
~Both you and your groom must go TOGETHER to get your license! The groom hasn't really been involved in any of the planning (besides his cake and bow tie), so why start now, State of Texas?! I'm teasing!!!! sort of....
~Your license is valid for 30 days, so get this out of the way FAST!!! You don't want to fit in a time to go to the courthouse the week of your wedding. As soon as you hit the one month countdown, make a lunchdate with your groom and head to the Records Department.
~Now get this- especially for those of you who live out of state and are having your wedding here- there is a 72 hour waiting period. Keep this in mind when making flight reservations! This means you want to have your license by the Wednesday (if you're having a Saturday wedding) before your wedding.
~Bring your driver's license and as silly as it sounds (AS I am writing this, by the way, my driver's license is expired!), MAKE SURE YOUR LICENSE IS NOT EXPIRED!!!
~Besides the budget that you already blew, it ONLY costs $71 to get married! BRING CASH! Visa won't work- for once in the planning!
~Your marriage license is valid anywhere in Texas. So say that you live in Austin, but you are having a fabulous Dallas wedding, you can still get your license in Austin.
~The State of Texas no longer requires a blood test, so no worries there. Personally, I don't think a blood test is a bad idea, but that's just me!
~Did I mention that if you're not 18 you must bring mommy or daddy with you? I don't think your wedding coordinator counts???
On the Wedding Weekend....
~Bring the license to the rehearsal- if you have one of those crazy best men who is only interested in getting to the party, then don't make him responsible! If his head IS in the game, then put him in charge of connecting with your officiant. If not, pass this duty onto your Maid of Honor.
~After the wedding, your officiant should mail the license off for you. Then the official one comes in the mail.
~Some couples have someone make a copy of their license if they are traveling internationally. Kind of a pain for the one who has to hunt down a copy machine but can be helpful.
Now! Where to go (or who to call if you don't consider me to be a valid source! Whatever!) to get this special piece of paper!
Downtown Dallas at the Records Building,
509 Main Street, Suite 120
214-653-6077 or 214-653-6078
In East Dallas at the East Dallas Government Center,
3443 St. Francis Ave.
North Dallas Government Center,
10056 Marsh Lane, Suite 137, Dallas,
214-904-3032
Justice of the Peace,
7201 S. Polk, Dallas,
(972) 228-0280
Justice of the Peace,
1411 W. Beltline Road, Richardson,
(972) 231-1439
Justice of the Peace, Beckley Courthouse
410 S. Beckley Avenue, Dallas,
(214) 943-6980
Collin County
Collin County Administration Building
2300 Bloomdale Rd., Suite 2104
McKinney, Texas 75071
Collin County Clerk's Office - Plano
900 E. Park, Suite 140
Plano, Texas 75074
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You and your fiance are one step closer to making this official! It TRULY is a special time and special step (despite my sarcasm above)- ENJOY IT! Keep your head in the game and take the time to think about what you are doing and what you are asking your dearest friends to sign. This is what it's all about! Thanks for reading!
~emily
I have to brag on one of my brilliant brides (her husband is a West Point grad, so I guess he's pretty smart too!)... Rather than have a registry book, Stacy and Bill ordered a Marriage Certificate and had their guests sign that at the reception- what a great keepsake, as well as something for your wall in your new home! The guests really enjoyed being able to do that!
Here is a great source for the blown up document, as well as a photo from Stacy and Bill's gorgeous reception at The Belo Mansion in Downtown Dallas. Thank you Joseph Mark Photography for not leaving an event undocumented!
DISCLAIMER!!! If I have noted something incorrectly and your marriage ends up not being legal, please don't come after me :) If you want the SERIOUS version, I GUESS you can reference,
http://www.dallascounty.org/department/countyclerk/marriage-license.htmlTHE MOB!!! Fabulous Mother of the Bride Dresses!
Please enjoy these gorgeous dresses! While you are checking out the dresses, other items to note:
-the MOB's floral- corsage, nosegay (my favorite!), or nothing at all?
-where the photo is taken- something to think about!
-THIS PRECIOUS MOMENT!!! Look at those wonderful smiles and expressions- PRICELESS!
Of course, I had to start with MY mom :) I LOVED her outfit! We found it at Nordstrom. Photo by Sil Azevedo and florals by The Wildflower.
I love that she wore pants! This is my cute husband, by the way! We don't care where he got his suit!
Man, does Traci look hot, or what?!? Photo by Absolute Photography and florals by Edwards Floral Design.
I loved Jane's dress! She was the Mother of the Groom! So classic and stylin'! Photo by Stephen Karlisch
Awwww.... Olivia! Gorgeous color and I loved her jacket and little nosegay! Floral by Todd Events.
Well, you know how I feel about the Taszarek fam if you keep up with my blog or facebook page! I was with Sue when she purchased this, so, of course, it is fabulous :) She really did look stunning! I LOVE this color! How wonderful is her expression?!? Photo by Sil Azevedo
and floral by The Wildflower.
I had to get a shot with Mr. Granberry too- he was very chic too :)
I am going to get a larger copy of this photo, but could not leave it out! How beautiful and glowing are these ladies! This blue is gorgeous and look at the flowers with it! I also thought it was so cool that Gail left her hair down- everything was so Gail and Margaret (oh- Matt, too- I guess he counts a little bit?!?)... Photo by Andrea Polito and floral by The Wildflower (that pop of orange in her nosegay really shows the blue hydrangea and blue in the gown!)
Morgan and Coby AGAIN!
Morgan & Coby's Wedding Highlight from Soulbox Productions on Vimeo.
This video (along with the one below) are great examples of why you should find money in your budget for lighting! Lite Dallas provided the lighting and entertainment for Morgan and Coby's reception- thank you, Ryan and Adam!
Gorgeous Fall Wedding- Gorgeous Couple!
I was so honored to be a part of Leah and Jack's wedding day this past October! They were a dream couple to work with- so in love, so grounded in their faith, enjoyed every minute of the planning, their families were amazing, and they looked like a Hollywood couple! Soulbox Productions, as always, perfectly created and depicted the sweetness and beauty of Leah and Jack's wedding day. Please enjoy this precious highlight!
I have to mention the incredible team of vendors that Leah and her mom so carefully chose,
The team at Christ Church created the most meaningful, touching, and organized ceremony! Thank you, Micah!
Hope, Anna, and Gaby at The Fort Worth Club were AMAZING throughout the entire planning process and, of course, the day of!
This was my first time to work with Bill with Flowers on The Square and it took no time to figure out what all the fuss is about- amazingly talented! Check out the incorporation of ferns, pears, twigs, lanterns, iron work, and lush fall-toned roses- so fall and so unique!
Leah's uncle, Bobby Erwin, captured the day and night!
Brent Boyd and Think Big! Bulletproof Brass rocked the house all night long and kept all of Leah and Jack's California guests on the dance floor the whole night!
Absolute did an unbelievable job with the lighting and helped enhance the mood throughout the night. Their addition really made an impact and I was so glad the Debords used them for lighting!
Thank you again, Corbin and David, for producing this beautiful highlight! You are always a pleasure to work with and your talent is unmatched! HOLLA!
SOOOOO Yummy!!! "I love the weddings at the home!" What movie?!?
-It rained more in one day in Fairview than it had in over a decade- it waited for their wedding day to completely let loose!
-Holly is obsessed with weather and always had been, so everyone knew that the inclement weather and surrounding tornadoes were produced especially for her wedding day!
-The detail, time, and creativity that Holly and her parents put into this charming wedding were beyond memorable! Many of the details were collected throughout the year from flea markets, Etsy, etc. Love it!
-All of the guests wore rainboots and flip flops- Holly's family is still finding shoes on their property that got permanently stuck in mud
-The tent collapsed by the end of the evening (this was after we relocated to garage)
-Holly, Nathan, and their parents never stopped smiling- no other family could have handled this craziness the way they did!
-This wedding was an incredible reflection of the couple and their style- I really should just shut up and let the INCREDIBLE photos that Kate with Juxtapose Photography captured tell the story- she was amazing!!!
Can I say again how much I LOVED this wedding?!?
I had to start with this photo- this is my bride walking into her reception- just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about when I say it rained!
Holly checking the weather- just give her a bow tie and call her Troy Dungan! I love it!!
Love the use of succulents and twigs!
Check out these wrought iron table numbers- too cute!