I’m always a fan of glitter and bright colors, so naturally as soon as I saw this wedding, I fell in love with it! Such a fun + totally unique wedding! A bit about the day from Mary:
Marten and I are nuts. So naturally, our wedding had to be. I’ve never liked the idea of picking two colors for an entire wedding, I like ALL the colors. So we picked patterns or themes rather than colors, such as “glitter” and “rainbow.” Marten is actually a pastor, but a very untraditional one. He loves Jesus, but also loves a margarita at dinner. Loves to go on mission trips in foreign countries, but also loves to hang out on Sixth Street (the party scene in Austin) loving on people. It was very important to us that the wedding reflected absolute freedom and outside the box thinking for a “Christian” couple. We had the traditional vows for the ceremony, but then a legit “rave” for the reception. Who says Christians can’t have fun?! Jesus is the ultimate glorious party! We also had lots of goofy programs with a “rainbow Jesus” on it saying things related to partying and in-general, freedom that I made.
So fun Mary + Marten! Thanks so much for sharing your day with us and big thanks to Clayton Austin for letting me share his gorgeous photos today!!
I'm a wedding photographer myself and have seen many brides go through the whole day as if it were any other day. My prayer for the day was that I would actually feel it. And OOOOh my, I did. Right before the first look, I heard Marten talking to Clayton, and it hit me. I sunk to my knees and began crying, hyperventilating, laughing, all of the above. The weight of what was about to happen fell on me, and it was as if a very physical change was occurring in my spirit. I was about to become ONE with Marten...his wife. I saw myself cooking pancakes and playing with our future kids and house training puppies and oh God. I felt it. I calmly cried, smiling, happily crying repeating "I'm going to be his wife, I'm going to be his wife..." My bridesmaids sweetly sunk to their knees as well, and began praying over me, wiping my tears away. OH GOD. I just love them.
Processional: Better Than I Thought – Mitch Neal
Recessional: Heartstrings – Benjamin Dunn
First Dance: Closer – Bethel Live
Married life rocks! Don’t accept normalcy, try to be a hot wife not only for the wedding but your whole life, and have FUN! Hire a wedding planner/coordinator/designer. I was VERY organized, had a 13 page “manual” of how to set up the wedding, and an incredible amount of friends and family who made the wedding go perfectly. BUT, sometimes I felt more like a coordinator and less like a bride.
If you have a poofy dress and plan on dancing at your reception, do yourself a favor and buy a smaller party dress for the reception. My dress got torn to shreds on the inside from being stepped on so much (after bustling, mind you), and I couldn't even dance for the better part of the reception because I could not FIT on the dance floor. Luckily we got married, like, two miles from home and my bridesmaids went and got me a dress. Which was fun because I got to look like a "hot wife" and surprise Marten with a sexy little black dress! :)
photography: Clayton Austin // venue name: Mercury Hall, Austin, Texas // event design: Glitter & Graphite Studios // wedding dress: Provinas (brand) from Serendipity Bridal // hairpiece: handmade veil by the bride // bride's shoes: Old boots I dipped in sprinkles and glitter // hair stylist: the AMAZING Suzannah Haver (family friend) // makeup artist: the AMAZING Suzannah Haver (family friend) // groom attire: Brooks Brothers // paper goods: Glitter & Graphite Studios // catering: Sams Club and Chik Fil A // cake: Hill Country Cakery // floral design: My Aunt Sherry // invitations: Glitter & Graphite Studios
I saw a photo of the ceremony on Pinterest with all the rainbow streamers and I stopped in my tracks. This wedding is amazing and full of so many original, well-executed, and unexpected details. I can already tell this will be one I keep coming back to for ideas and inspiration. Thank you for sharing!
This wedding really wowed me… simple, bold, and beautiful. I love every part of the decoration and it sounds like they were a fun couple to work with!
Having met and worked with Mary in 2012 on a project, I can tell you that this wedding could not exemplify her spirited personality any more than these amazing photos could capture. It just exudes JOY and LOVE!!! Simply gorgeous & inspiring!
Completely and utterly in love with this wedding! Her hair/dress/tattoo/belt/flower combination…. Perfect!
Gorgeous, whimsical wedding – I love the reception centerpieces!
love love the colors of the rainbow! i’m inspired. was crepe paper used for the backdrop for the ceremony? any help would be appreciated on how to execute such a beautiful and creative atmosphere.
yes! crepe paper from the local party store. We bought about 5,000 ft but really only used about 3,000 ft. We used blue painters tape to hold them up, and placed balloons over the tape to make it “prettier” :)
I got all of my information/inspiration online. You can see my pinterest boards here:
http://pinterest.com/glittergraphite/practical/
We also tye dyed the table clothes ourselves! :)
thank you for sharing! practical is definitely the key word for my wedding.
What a fun wedding! Great source of colorful inspiration that works really well :) Great advice about a second dress! Brides forget how it might be difficult to really enjoy dancing in their big beautiful gown. Have a back up dress just in case so you can enjoy those moments of your party.
Thanks for sharing!!
These photos are just so gorgeous! I love the rainbow of colours everywhere. And my most favourite details are those wonderful ribbons hanging from the ceiling during their ceremony.
As Mary’s grandmother it was the most beautiful and happy wedding I ever attended. Just wished I knew how to dance , but I did dance in my dreams that night along with all her friends. You & Marten are very special people to all who come across your path. God Bless, grams
Wow! This is amazing! We are getting married at mercury hall in June. I hope our wedding is as fun as this looks!
Gorgeous Bride & beautiful wedding!
Lovely and colorfull wedding…
http://www.fotoestudio.es
Wow! I love this bride! Her dress, hair, and style is absolutely amazing and gorgeous. Great wedding!
As a guest at Mary and Marten’s January wedding, I can say firsthand how lovely the wedding was. It was extremely creative and very guest-centric. There was an individual place card with a unique thought regarding the wedding. The decorations were gorgeous. My favorite magical touch, and one that I hope I get to see a picture of on Mary’s FB page, was the individual tie-dyed table linens. Each was a very soft pastel color and with the rainbow color scheme, just looked spectacular. Mary and Marten are gifted artists and this wedding reflected their impeccable taste.
With a month left to go til my wedding, I literally sighed a sigh of relief when I read this post. I just told the fiance that my number one prayer is for the day to not fly by, but fill our hearts. Thanks for keeping that hope alive!
ALSO. that crepe paper! dreamy. Can I ask how much it cost you to make it?
LOVE the colors!