• A L Collective Weddings
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Liz and Xavi

December 12th, 2011

We love to see our couples again.  Since all of our couples have been awesome….who wouldn’t love to see them again. I got to hang out with Liz and Xavi for an anniversary shoot.  You may remember their wedding as the one that started it all here at AL Collective (see post here).  I asked [...]

 

We love to see our couples again.  Since all of our couples have been awesome….who wouldn’t love to see them again.

I got to hang out with Liz and Xavi for an anniversary shoot.  You may remember their wedding as the one that started it all here at AL Collective (see post here).  I asked if anything was different about being married now and their answer was “not really, other than living together.”  Then Xavi added, “Well, I do feel more responsibility in this relationship now.  It makes me be a better man as her husband.”  Their love is still as strong as when we first got together for their engagements, but they’ve had some practice in front of the camera and they totally rocked this session. Liz asked for railroad tracks so we headed to the “big” town of Manchaca to hang out.  All I know is I wish I could rock some purple tights like Liz.

We would love to see any of our other couples for an anniversary shoot too, just let us know.

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Stationery Bakery

December 3rd, 2011

There’s one thing we can say for sure: Sarah Donovan’s invitations and cards are anything but “cookie-cutter.” So many brides opt to visit a large stationer and flip through book after book of conventional, mass-produced invitations. And that’s fine if it works for you; many of them are beautiful and highly functional. But the people [...]

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There’s one thing we can say for sure: Sarah Donovan’s invitations and cards are anything but “cookie-cutter.”

So many brides opt to visit a large stationer and flip through book after book of conventional, mass-produced invitations. And that’s fine if it works for you; many of them are beautiful and highly functional. But the people who create such products don’t really know you, or the ideas that are floating around in your head.

And here’s the cool thing about collaborating with someone who does custom work:

They listen.

If you ask us, Sarah goes way beyond the call of duty in her listening.

She not only listens for themes as she’s talking with a couple about their wedding, she weaves those themes together and comes up with a generous palette of ideas that hone in on the essence of the bride and groom. For example, one bride – who wanted a renaissance-themed wedding – sent her photos of the lace on her wedding dress, an antique cameo brooch and several color schemes and textures she had considered. Sarah hand drew some concepts and hit the proverbial bulls-eye (see invitation below.) Sarah may visit your venue, take some pictures or even do some original illustrations. For a peacock inspired invitation she painstakingly painted the artwork from actual photographs of peacocks!

Sarah has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design. After college she went job hunting and quickly learned that there weren’t many job descriptions that matched her unique and highly personalized approach to enterprise. So she started her own company and the Stationery Bakery was born.

Other things you should know about Sarah: She teaches at the Cordovan Art School. She’s a self-professed “paper nerd” who’s like a kid in a candy store when sifting through fine and specialty papers (she even hopes to make her own papers someday!) And she offers eco-friendly options for those who want to go easy on the environment. Oh (perhaps most importantly) she’s married to Andrew, who is her biggest supporter and fan (they have one canine child and another one on the way.) When asked what sets her apart from the rest, Sarah says, “I try to offer something that they’re not going to get anywhere else.”

Maybe that’s why she named her business the Stationery Bakery: much like the difference between made-to-order cuisine and fast food, she’s not going to prepare it until she knows what you want. Once she’s listened to your dreams and pulled together the raw materials to make them come true, she’ll whip up a custom recipe and give it to you fresh out of the oven.

Seriously. We love the peacock pieces. And Sarah did the “grapevine” drawings by hand for a bride who wanted an Italian vineyard theme.

What a crazy cool idea! 

We know these aren’t wedding related but had to include shots of her christmas card set….they are so stinking cute!

 

 

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Ashley and Nick

November 23rd, 2011

She knew from the start he was a gentleman. Ashley and Nick had both (separately) gone out with friends to hear a band and were introduced by mutual friends. At the end of the evening he very politely asked, “May I walk you to your car?” Of course when they got there he managed to [...]

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She knew from the start he was a gentleman. Ashley and Nick had both (separately) gone out with friends to hear a band and were introduced by mutual friends. At the end of the evening he very politely asked, “May I walk you to your car?” Of course when they got there he managed to ask if he could call her and got her phone number. One date turned in to two, two turned to four, four turned to eight, and before they knew it a year had passed.

And here’s where the story gets really good.

They had talked about marriage but nothing was set in stone. Ashley really thought he was going to propose on their one-year anniversary, but Nick knew that and decided to put it off to maintain the element of surprise. Awhile later, Nick – who loves to cook (be jealous, ladies!) – told Ashley he wanted to cook dinner for her. She didn’t suspect anything, so she went about her regular routine and ended up at the gym. After her workout (i.e. no makeup on, wet hair, and wearing yoga pants and a tank top) she arrived at Nick’s to find the lights low, candles flickering and Nick on one knee!

Yep, she was definitely surprised. (Kudos to Nick for being a step ahead of her and managing to pull it off.)

Nick and Ashley got married a few weeks ago at Nature’s Point and it was an absolutely gorgeous wedding. Both a rabbi and a priest officiated and mixed the faith traditions seamlessly. At the reception there was both a Hora Dance and a Dixieland processional to “When The Saints Go Marching In” (the bride is from Louisiana), which made for an incredibly festive evening. Not long after they were off to South Africa for a two-week honeymoon that included safaris, shark diving (yes – they were in a cage in the ocean, surrounded by sharks) and lots of R & R!

We are incredibly grateful to have been a part of this epic love story. We had a wonderful time at the wedding and have totally enjoyed getting to know the couple now known as Mr. and Mrs. Howard. Thanks Ashley and Nick, for inviting us in to your amazing celebration! It has been a total pleasure every step of the way!

Does Ashley rock that dress or WHAT??

Every girl’s dream: more diamonds. Nick surprised Ashley with an additional diamond ring on their wedding day.

Now that’s a wedding present!

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