Wedding Series: The Reception

For the wedding reception, we wanted to keep with the "Austin" theme, and didn't have to search far for a reception venue. Our only requirements were a private space and minimal fuss. We also wanted brunch- and that was the only thing that made our search the slightest bit difficult. Not everyone serves brunch on Saturday, and most of the places that do didn't have the space we were looking for. Luckily Lambert's was able to accommodate us and made the planning process fairly easy.

They have a second story space that was the perfect size for our group of 40, and allowed us the privacy we were looking for. Given the black and white damask wall behind the bar, we knew we wouldn't have to do much decorating as it already had a lot of character. We also knew the food would not disappoint. It's ironic that we had our reception at a BBQ restaurant, given that we really don't eat a lot of meat. But our goal was a southern style brunch, and Lambert's pulled through. We planned a menu that included migas, biscuits and gravy, jicama slaw, brisket hash, green chili cheese grits and mac and cheese. Can you say carb-fest?! It was all absolutely delicious. My only regret is that I didn't eat more.

After wrapping up pictures from the ceremony, and enlisting a small village to get my dress bustled, we were finally able to join everyone upstairs. We grabbed a drink, mingled with our guests, and then grabbed a plate of food so that everyone else could eat. I didn't want the reception to be very planned. Other than eating, drinking and chatting- the only other "activity" was cutting and eating the cake. It was pretty laid back and relaxing, and we really enjoyed it!

We opted not to do a traditional wedding cake, and instead ordered 3 Chantilly cakes from Whole Foods, and 2 Dutch Chocolate Cakes from Sweetish Hill Bakery. Including delivery fees, we got all 5 cakes for $200. Score one for the budget! Our cakes were amazing, and we ended up having one of each left over that we snacked on the rest of the week.

The only real decor that we did were the table arrangements made by Verbena Floral. I chose yellow and white because it really popped with the black and white wall, and I wanted a "sunny" vibe for the reception. LuAnn from Verbena was nothing short of amazing to work with. When my mom and I met with her, she completely understood the look we were going for, and was so easy to work with from start to finish. Her team was also instrumental in helping get the cake table put together in a very short period. Please- pretty please- consider her for any floral needs. She is wonderful!

There was plenty of time to say hello and chat with our guests, and before we knew it the reception was wrapping up. Some of our guests headed across the street to the W for the post-wedding Kentucky Derby party, and we stayed behind to close out the check and help get everything packed up. I cannot say enough nice things about the three girls from Lambert's who were working our reception. Not only did they take great care of us throughout the party, but they also were a tremendous help in getting everything packed up- including dumping water from all the flower vases. They really helped make the day feel effortless.

I also cannot thank the lovely and talented Melanie of Melanie Wright Photography for capturing such beautiful and special moments from the day. There hasn't been a day yet that I don't click through all of our photos, and I cannot wait to start choosing ones to frame for home and office.