Taking the plunge

WITH YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

If you’re planning a local wedding, you have lots of options to express yourself in Austin County or within a short drive, with venue ambiance ranging from a relaxed vibe, rustic-chic charm, lakeside settings and photogenic vistas.

Nationwide weddings are ringing in at a modest down payment for a starter house, around $30,000. While paying for the big day can be a bit daunting, planning one can be even more so. Locally, this may not be the case with experienced experts available.

In Austin County, weddings cost less than the national average, at around $20,000, and that includes the standard elements of a modern nuptial: venue, décor, flowers, photographer/ videographer, DJ and catered meal. And if you engage the assistance of a local wedding planner to guide you, you will actually be able to enjoy your big day with grace and calmness befitting the big day.

“Somewhere between $15,000 and $25,000 is what most people spend,” said Amber Bacerra, who owns Schneider Hall, one of the oldest and busiest venues in the area.

What’s ideal for you comes down to personal tastes and budget.

“I have two daughters,” said Andrea Peoples of Country Oaks Wedding Venue, “and they both got married within a year of each other. One of them spent $30,000 and the other one spent $10,000, so you can make it work for less.”

Most wedding venues offer a menu ranging from DIY – just the venue, you bring the rest – to full-blown packages. The do-it-yourself options start around $4,000, and full packages start at a bit under $20,000. The total expense depends on the size of the party. “Weddings around here tend to be anywhere from 300 to 800 guests,” said Bacerra. That said, most wedding venues report that the typical wedding is around 150, as they see a trend toward more intimate events, partially because brides in the past few years have been more price-conscious. Also, thanks to searing summer temperatures, June brides now prefer a fall wedding season.

So where do you start? “You want to pick a venue that you both love and where family and friends will be comfortable,” said Peoples.

Trena Anderson, owner of The Pattison House, recommends that couples seek an atmosphere reflecting their tastes and style and accommodate the tone of the wedding, whether it’s black tie or cowboy boots and hats.

“Our area is filled with beautiful venues, and each has its personality,” said Anderson. “Successful choice of venue is basically about finding the place that best reflects the personality of the couple so that they aren't faced with trying to make something they don't want into something they do want with excessive decor and spending.”

And there are plenty of venues to choose from to find that ideal match. The Pattison House, for example, is set on a century-old farm that has been restored and expanded into a sophisticated venue that maintains its classic, rural charm. The photogenic property was chosen as the location for an episode of the popular Netflix reality series “Love is Blind.”

If a winery speaks romance to you, two local options are Emery’s Buffalo Creek Wedding and Winery Venue and The Vine. Both offer spacious, tastefully designed spaces for gathering indoors and out.

Couples seeking a fun, down-home yet stylish, rustic setting under sprawling oaks consider Schneider Hall, a historic Texas dancehall on a small farm with massive 100-yearold trees that are a favorite backdrop for photographers. A similar vibe is available at County Oaks Wedding Venue, where you can exchange vows under the trees or on a large, roofed platform—essentially a covered bridge—that spans the winding, five-acre lake on the property.

For those who like the ambiance of a renovated historic building on a street with a small-town feel, there’s the relatively new Brandt 1910. And for something truly different, there’s the newest addition to area venues, The Three Bells Mission. Set on a scenic location overlooking the Brazos River, it offers a unique feel from its mission architecture to its tropical landscaping, with palm trees, agave and exotic plants.

Once you’ve settled on a venue, determining the look and feel of the wedding and the package that best accommodates it, is easier. As far as trends go, area weddings today tend towards traditional. Brides, whatever the size of the wedding, are opting for the classic dress. Grooms’ attire runs the spectrum from tux to sport jacket with jeans, boots and cowboy hat. Dress codes for bridesmaids continue to be flexible, adhering to a color theme rather than a particular dress style. Beyond that, it’s pretty much whatever appeals to you.

Package options vary from venue to venue, from extremely flexible to somewhat flexible.

“We try to keep costs down, so people aren’t forced to go to the justice of the peace,” said Peoples. “They can have a celebration and it’s not going to cost $30,000.”

Bacerra is similarly flexible. “We have a place to be whatever you want it to be,” she said.

The Pattison House lies at the other end of the spectrum. Hosting 40-plus weddings a year, Anderson has a well-oiled machine and only offers fixed packages with trusted vendors, which allows her to execute a wedding as flawlessly as humanly possible. She considers her venue ideal for any bride who’s strapped for time or lives out of town and just wants to turn the whole operation over to someone she can trust.

If you’re looking to save money, you can typically cut costs just by avoiding Saturdays. For instance, a venue-only rental can run $5,000 on Saturday, $4,000 on Friday and $3,000 on Sunday. Weekdays are further discounted, and venues will also do “micro weddings” for wedding parties of 30 people or so at a negotiated price.

You can also save on food by timing the ceremony to end at cocktail hour instead of dinner and serving alcohol and hors d’oeuvres instead of a meal.

Even if you’re serving dinner, you don’t have to go overboard with food and beverages, said Peoples. “You can buy it at Costco, and we’ll put it on ice.”

Most venues also have a collection of decorations, so you can also save money by using what they have in stock, rather than ordering custom décor.

While most wedding planners are willing to delete or substitute items to lower costs, there are a few areas they caution against doing on the cheap.

“You don’t want to skimp on your photographer,” said Natalie DeJong, owner of Brandt 1910. Fees for experienced wedding photographers start at around $2,000 for shooting the ceremony and celebration.

“Pictures will be the only thing you have left to go back and look at your day,” said Bacerra, “and if you skimp on your photographer, you’ll regret it.” She added that choosing a photographemr is more than getting a referral for someone capable. Every photographer has a unique style. Some tend toward darker, heavily contrasted photos, while others are lighter and brighter. Peruse their portfolio and make sure their style appeals to you.

Also, with the trend toward documentary-style wedding photography—capturing spontaneous action—you should consider a photographer who has a second person designated to capture those moments, said Anderson. At the same time, you want someone capable of creatively staging fun portraits.

You also don’t want to skimp on your DJ. A good one will start at around $1,000. “A DJ pretty much runs the wedding,” said DeJong, explaining that DJs handle the dual roles of record spinner and emcee.

“Find someone who’s experienced and recommended,” said Bacerra, who only recommends DJs she knows.

Bottom line, whatever you have in mind for your special day, there are plenty of nearby venues with experienced wedding planners willing and able to make your dream come true.