Real Weddings | A Relaxed, Joyful Summer Reception
Jerry & Kathryn had a clear vision from the beginning of the process of how they wanted their wedding and the celebrations around it to look. First, they knew that they wanted to prioritize getting married, and that their intimate immediate family marriage ceremony would actually take place separately from the reception celebration. So, leading up to their November “elopement” at Z Cucina in Bridge Park, we began dreaming up the perfect summer celebration that would have something for everyone and plenty of opportunities to socialize, relax, and enjoy the beautiful summer weather.
The first, and largest, hurdle in the planning process was finding the perfect venue that could accommodate all the guests they wanted to invite - quite the contrary from their very small family ceremony in November, they envisioned a packed house of 300+ guests at their reception celebration. The other stipulation they felt most passionate about was getting to have food trucks at the celebration (specifically, Kathryn’s favorite, the ChoriVan by Choripan Argentine Grill). We began by touring a few venues together, and once we saw the beautiful lodge and the vast, rolling grounds at Camp Mary Orton, the rest of the event began to fall into place. Camp Mary Orton is a venue that encourages food trucks, and that also gave us the flexibility for lots of other fun summery and crowd-pleasing elements, like a soft-serve ice cream machine, lawn games, and a relaxed indoor-outdoor flow.
Their goal for this event was for it to be as relaxed and easy for their guests to attend and enjoy as possible, which is what made them decide that an open-house “come and go as you please” format would be the best option - this meant that there were no speeches or toasts, no special dances, and no particular time for a seated dinner - guests had the flexibility to arrive whenever they liked, grab a drink from the bar trailer and sample some options from the four different food trucks onsite, and enjoy the outdoor seating area set with Camp Mary Orton’s picnic tables or the indoor dining area with tables draped in white linens from Lasting Impressions and decorated with bud vases and pillar candles provided by Petals and Leaves.
The natural separation of the indoor lodge into two conjoined rooms allowed us to designate one side for banquet tables and the other for the 7-piece live band, dance floor, and an elegant lounge set rented from Aiden & Grace. We added linen-draped cocktail tables around the perimeter of the dance floor space to set it off and give guests more spaces to relax, chat, and set down a plate or drink. As the evening progressed and sweet treats floated to the forefront of guests’ minds, the incredibly beautiful (and delicious) dessert display provided by Bake My Day Bakery was greatly enjoyed, as was the s’mores station set up by the bonfire. Guests loved exploring the grounds of the venue, lingering at their picnic tables, starting games of giant Jenga and cornhole, and luxuriating in the perfect summer evening weather, but a special surprise brought everyone into the lodge to hear the band - Kathryn’s father Steve got on the mic to lead “Friends in Low Places” with Bluewater Kings and it brought the house down!
As a beautiful, dreamy summer evening wound down to a close and guests made their way back to their cars, Jerry and Kathryn said their final goodbyes to their guests, who were grateful to have been given the opportunity to toast the happy couple and the beginning of a new life together.
Full vendor team:
planning & coordination: Adoration Weddings & Events
venue: Camp Mary Orton
linens and rentals: Lasting Impressions
furniture rentals: Aiden & Grace
photographer: Shae White Media
florals: Petals and Leaves
band: Bluewater Kings
food trucks: ChoriVan by Choripan, Texas Steele BBQ, Pitabilities, Fetty’s Street Food
desserts: Bake My Day Bakery
soft serve machine: Sprinkle Joy
bartending service: Short & Stout Mobile Bar
