Yes, That's Right-- It's Crazy Busy Spring Wedding Season!

Actually, I think this year is a little "slower" than last  year. If I recall I had sixty weddings in sixty days between end of March and beginning of May 2012. I haven't stopped to do an exact count this year, but  I think that between start of March and end of May maybe I'll hit fifty or so. 

Some folks ask how do I do so many weddings in such a short period of time. Shall I answer that with regards to logistics or energy? I know, I'll tackle both angles and I'll even throw in a practical reason. Logistically, a lot of venues are fairly close and a lot of weddings are staggered throughout the day. I never do more than four, which is really more than enough. But I had a perfect four-day wedding not long ago that looked like this: 8:30 am at Chapel Dulcinea, 10:30 am at Chapel Dulcinea, a big fat break in the middle, 5 pm at Allan House and 6 pm at Mansion at Judges Hill, which is about four minutes from the Allan House. 

Energetically-- well, on the one hand, it does consume some of my energy (I'm talking the woo-woo, love-buzz energy here, not the locomotion that gets me through the day). But on the other hand, I get a total happy buzz from weddings. So there's a nice balance there. I also schedule a ton of downtime for myself during the week-- reading and knitting and resting-- so I am ready to go on the weekends.

Practically speaking, being a wedding officiant is a bit like being an accountant. At least in Austin the busiest months are April and October, same as tax-filing months. I am not a hobbyist officiant, this is how I make my living. And so if you want to officiate with the big dogs, you have to ride the work waves as they come. That was a mixed metaphor, wasn't it?

I had a bride who hired me last year to do her wedding. By "hired" I mean she and her fiance met with me (no charge for first meeting), and she pulled out a list of questions about six miles long (extremely unusual) and she peppered me about fifty thousand details. I answered all of the questions and addressed all of her concerns-- the meeting took way longer than most, but that's cool, I'm down with a comprehensive interview process. When she emailed to say she wanted to work with me, I sent her info on how to make a deposit. There was a weeks-long pause in the conversation then, and when I sent a followup note she informed me that she wasn't going to hire me after all. Why? Because she she asked me how many other weddings I had that day, I told her that while I wasn't sure yet, certainly given that she was marrying at the height of the season I would have more than one. 

This was a deal-breaker for her. I confess I allowed myself to be momentarily irritated at this princess perception of hers. Really? She wanted me to block my entire day for her thirty-minute wedding? Then my irritation switched-- I'd held the date/time for her in good faith meaning I couldn't book anyone else in the interim. In the end, happily, I let it go. 99.9999% of the clients I meet and work with are totally chill. If a bride wants to self-select herself off of my list because she is so high-strung, actually she's doing me a favor.

Ah, as I just wrote that last paragraph it gave me pause to think about my last post, regarding stupid DJs. I feel a need to clarify (be defensive?). I love my job so much that I get giddy every time I think about it. I could write a bazillion words on all the weddings that go swimmingly, all the amazing people I meet and so on. And I do write about some of that.

But I also like to explore some of the other aspects of being in this business. I think that folks on both sides of the equation-- some vendors and some couples (keyword: some)-- get carried away, too bossy, too agitated, etc. So let me end on this note, which I tell all my couples and their wedding parties: Folks, remember this-- we are here today to celebrate love and have an awesome time. So please remember that. And at the end, no matter what happens,  you'll be married, which is the whole point. So enjoy yourselves. (And remember to BREATHE and DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES.)

Here are some pics from my whirlwind 2013 Season.

Chapel Dulcinea Morning Wedding

Mercury Hall tricked out with super fancy everything.

Henry the dog.

OMG-- GREEN WEDDING CAKE! I LOVE THIS!

Before a wedding I did at Amala Foundation, which is this super awesome little place in South Austin. Fantastic Buddhist wedding!

Getting ready for a brunch wedding at Barr Mansion. I love morning weddings.

I've been seeing more and more banquet seating at weddings. Very royal, I think.

The famous white peacock at Green Pastures. What a stunning, elegant venue.

Gifts for guests-- lavender. Lavender is my favorite. Note to all couples: please give me more lavender. Thank you.

Cake with lavender.

Celtic Grooms' Cake.

Adorable flower girls.

This is the Lookout on Fitzhugh Road. I'd not ever done a wedding here before but it is GORGEOUS and extremely reasonably priced and the owner is swell and the view is unbeatable. 

Elopement at The Writing Barn, another new-to-me venue. It's in South Austin an the grounds are gorgeous.

The Lookout with chairs in place. 

Waffles the dog.

And yet another new-to-me venue-- Cedar Bend which is out towards Bastrop. Hidden down Pope Bend Road. Really wonderful.

Maddie is ready!

Maddie guards the marrying spot at Cedar Bend.

Cake with sprinkles. Ah, whimsy!

Wedding on private land overlooking the Pedernales. OMG we just have no shortage of awesome views in the Hill Country. (photo copyright Sleeping Owl Photography 2013.)

I love all the creative details I see at weddings and this one especially thrilled me. For you non-knitters in the crowd-- that's a ball of roving (wool that needs to be spun). I'm a knitter and a spinner so when I saw this ball being used to carry the rings I nearly fainted with joy. (Photo copyright Sleeping Owl Photography 2013. Sleeping Owl does amazing work!)