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Hill Country Weddings Magazine

A blog for the Hill Country bride

Stay up to date with us for more inspiration for your perfect Hill Country wedding!

marriage

Cake 101

Your cake can be the showpiece of the night, so make sure to design one that reflects you and your significant other!

Wedding Cakes

It’s time to think outside the oven! Tradition is worth keeping in regards to having some sort of cake at your wedding; however, it’s time to get more creative. Other options include a naked cake, cupcake cake, candy bar, dessert table, or even passed chocolates.

Groom’s Cake

Tradition has it that the bride’s cake is a white vanilla cake and the grooms is always chocolate, which provides options for guests. Groom’s cakes are typically much smaller than the wedding cake and are normally decorated to reflect his hobbies such as fishing, hunting, or a favorite sports team.

Cake Topper

You used to see the groom and bride on the top of the wedding cake, but now you can choose flowers, heirlooms, and the like. Let your cake topper be a showstopper!

Changing Your Name

Just because you have a marriage license with your new last name, doesn’t mean you’ve officially changed your name. (If you thought the wedding was the hard part, wait until you see the lines at the social security office and DMV.) 

Rather do it the old-school way? Follow these steps:

1. Get your marriage license.
Before you can change your name, you’ll need the original (or certified) marriage license with the raised seal and your new last name on it. Call the clerk’s office where your license was filed to get copies if one wasn’t automatically sent to you.

2. Change your Social Security card.
Visit the Social Security Administration’s website and fill out the application for a new Social Security card. You’ll keep the same number—just your name will be different. Mail in your application to the local Social Security Administration office.  You should get your new card within 10 business days.

3. Change your license at the DMV.
Take a trip to the local Department of Motor Vehicles office to get a new license with your new last name. Bring every form of identification you can get your hands on—your old license, your certified marriage license and, most importantly, your new Social Security card.

4. Change your bank accounts.
This one’s a biggie, especially if you’re setting up a joint bank account, or if you have one already set up. The fastest way to change your name at your bank is to go into a branch location, bringing your new driver’s license and your marriage license. You should request new checks and debit and credit cards on top of changing the name attached to your accounts. Something to note: You might get hit with fees for requesting a new debit card.

5. Fill in the blanks
Once you have a social security card and driver’s license in your married name, other changes should be easy. Some places only require a phone call; others may ask for a copy of your marriage certificate or social security card. Be sure to notify:

  • Employers/payroll
  • Post office
  • Electric and other utility companies
  • Credit card companies
  • Schools and alumni associations
  • Landlord or mortgage company
  • Insurance companies (auto, home, life)
  • Doctors’ offices
  • Voter registration office
  • Investment account providers
  • Your attorney (to update legal documents, including your will)
  • Passport office
  • Airlines (to transfer over your miles)
detailed illustration of a Marriage License letter, eps10 vector

Combining Issues

Hill Country Weddings and Events Magazine has finally sat down to start planning since the COVID-19 outbreak. Like pretty much everyone else, this pandemic set us in a tailspin, scrambling to postpone and reschedule all the weddings, photoshoots, interviews and events we had in March and April—and now even May.
For the first time in 6 years, we are combining two issues into one: spring and summer 2020. We will have two pages of engagement winners in this combined issue, and winners have already been selected for the Spring engagement. Since we have yet to choose the cover photo, we will allow more submissions and do that in the coming month.
Our Best of the Best Contest has started (Facebook), so let’s start nominating all those great businesses and start planning all those special weddings and events!

Stay well,
The Hill Country Weddings & Events Magazine Family

Photo by: Allison Jeffers Photography

Tips You Need to Know if You are Writing Your Own Wedding Vows

One of the most personal and intimate elements you can add to your wedding is writing and reading your own wedding vows. It’s sweet, romantic, and it may make your guests shed a few tears (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). We know that the task isn’t as easy as putting pen to paper, so we are here to give you a few tips that will hopefully make things easier for you!

Photo: Rooted Trumpet Photography

Write Down Notes About Your Relationship

Every good project didn’t start out with all of the pieces. You have to start out with a foundation before you can build up, so this is actually a very important step! Make bullet notes, jot down thoughts as they come to you, or make a list. Reflect back on your journey together and write down anything that sticks out to you or that holds a special place in your heart. Your vows should embody the core of your relationship and how you’ve evolved together as a couple, so laying out all of the memories as bullet points and then building off of them can really be beneficial.

Reminisce With Your Partner

Finding a quiet place to sit and talk with your partner about all that you’ve been through together can help spark memories, feelings, and thoughts about your relationship that you may want to add into your vows. Take a trip down memory lane, share a few laughs, shed a few tears, and allow that time to serve as inspiration. Not only that, but it will bring you both closer together, which is a great thing when it comes to the chaos of wedding planning.

Add in the Good and the Bad

Every relationship has struggles and not only goes through the good times, but the bad times as well. You don’t have to give details (that’s between you and your boo), but make sure to add in that what you’ve been through together has only made you stronger as a couple, that you’re all in during the good and bad times, and that you will always be there even during the lows. Love is an amazing thing, but the reality of it all is that love is a rollercoaster and marriage means that both of you will be buckled-in together during the highs and lows throughout life.

Speak Towards The Future

Not only should you bring up your past together, but you should also talk about the future you have envisioned together. Mention the dreams you have together and the things you want to accomplish hand in hand. You wedding day marks you first day together in the start of a new phase in life, so make sure to capture that elements in your vows and assure your partner how you feel moving forward.

Don’t Think About Other People

The moment you say your vows is all about you and your fiancé. If you’re saying them during the ceremony, then yes you will have plenty of eyes on you while you’re doing so, but don’t let that cloud what you really want to say. Don’t leave anything out that you absolutely want to say because you only have one chance! Furthermore, if you’re getting help writing your vows from family or friends, make sure that whatever you’re writing down is from your heart and how you truly feel. Don’t get us wrong, we love a good writing session with the ones we love, but this day is about you and your partner and your vows should reflect that.

Now that you’ve got a good place to start, let’s get those vows written! Remember, write from the heart and everything will be just fine. This is such a wonderful and special time for you and your partner, so try not to stress too much. You got this!

5 Wedding Tips + Tricks Every Bride and Groom Should Know

Let’s face it, we all have those thoughts. You know, the ones where you picture everything that could possibly go wrong on your wedding day. Let me be the first to say that those thoughts are completely normal! Every bride, every groom, and even every wedding planner, we have all been there! Good news is that there are precautions that you can do to help those worrisome thoughts from becoming a reality. Don’t worry, we got your back!
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1. Roughen Up The Bottom of Your Shoes
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New shoes are always a good thing, but it also can be a dangerous thing, especially for those of us who are going to be using them for our special days. The best thing you can do to help prevent accidental slip ups is to roughen up the bottom of your new shoes! You and your partner could possibly wear them to your dance rehearsals, you can wear them to a date night, or you can wear them while you’re running wedding errands! If those don’t sound like options for you, rubbing the bottom with a course material like sandpaper should do the trick!
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​2.  Freeze Your Candles For a Longer Burn Time
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Candles are a timeless decoration for your wedding day! They are elegant, add a romantic effect, and always make a great impression on wedding guests! If you plan on burning them for the entirety of your special day, freezing your candles the day before will help them burn at a slower rate and allow them to last longer! Elegance that lasts is a win in our book! 

Side Note…most wedding venues have rules when it comes to candles. Check with the manager of your venue about their rules, but having glass covers or even fake candles should work!

3. Use Mirrors or Chalkboards for Your Signs

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If there’s one thing nobody tells you about planning a wedding, it’s that reusable items are the way to go! This goes for the big items too, like your wedding signs! You already know that you’re going to need signs at your wedding, so why not invest in ones that you can use even after your wedding day has finished? Using erasable boards like chalkboards or even mirrors make a unique touch for wedding day signs and can even be reused in your home, for your sister or best friends’ wedding, or at other events in the future!
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4. Freeze the Top Tier of Your Wedding Cake
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Are you and your spouse intending to save the top tier of your cake and eat it on your first wedding anniversary?  A simple hack that will help keep your cake from getting messy is to set it in the freezer! Have someone you trust place the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you wrap it up and it will keep the icing from sticking to your foil or container. Less mess means less stress!

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5. Save Money by Creating a Wedding Website
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Directing your guests to your own wedding website will help you and your soon-to-be-spouse save a good chunk of money! Getting cards for the rehearsal dinner, bridal showers, weddings shower, and other fun wedding festivities can start to add up. Not only will a website help your wallet and the earth, it will also allow for you and your fiance to connect and spend time together creating your own site! 

​Vendors Used:
Photography- Allison Jeffers Photography
Venue- The Dienger Trading Co & Contigo Ranch
Dress- Beatitude Bridal
Bar- Bartenders 4 You
Cake- Creations Cake
Floral- Elegant Bee
Invitations- The Girl General
Rentals- Cru Rentals
Ring- The Green Bull
​Ring Box- The Family Joolz