Three years ago we ditched all of our wedding plans and ran away & got married under a hill country sunset. Y’all, I seriously thought I was living in a dream. The sun was shining, beautiful wildflowers were in bloom, and a perfect Texas breeze was blowing through my hair. Our hearts were racing, free & wild. We couldn’t wait another minute to start our adventure together.
Our original plan was to have a real wedding, but in the back of our minds we both dreamed of something simpler. Just him and I, somewhere beautiful, with no worries about whether or not we were getting all the “rules” of a wedding just right. We wanted that day to be stress free and to be fully focused on each other. Quite frankly, planning a wedding can be stressful & ridiculously expensive! We both kept saying, “goodness, we could go on a really awesome trip with all of this money we are spending!” So, despite the fact that we had already mailed our wedding invitations, our adventurous wild side got the best of us.
We hopped in the car & headed straight for the hill country. We found a sweet bed and breakfast in the heart of my favorite texas town- Round Top, which is known for its antique festival. The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell is simply a dream. We pulled up to charming cottages nestled among fields of beautiful bluebonnets. It just felt so peaceful and free. We knew right then that this was it. This was the place that we would give each other forever.
We gave our parents a phone call, telling them all about our change of plan. Even though there were some tears shed, all in all it went smoother than expected. I think they were just happy that we were doing what we really wanted to do. We hunted down a preacher from Round Top and we said our I do’s under a clear blue sky. After we got hitched, we drove into town & found a quaint garden where people were dancing under the stars to a bluegrass band. They dedicated a song to us & we had our first dance as a married couple. I will forever look back on that day and feel so much joy. Sometimes the things you felt in a moment are too big to be put into words. But it was perfect in every way possible. Eloping was seriously the best decision we have ever made. Rachel and the ladies at the prairie made our day unforgettable. Rachel is just as charming and down to earth as she seems. Amanda marie lackey documented our elopement. She does amazing AmAzing work and is just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!!
I keep thinking “ There is no way we are going to be able to top that day!” but my hubby proves me wrong all of the time. I am so thankful God brought us together. He is so full of life and passion. He tries to act like a tough guy but he loves with his whole heart and would do anything for anyone. He is the hardest working man I have ever met. He inspires me to be a better person and to never give up on my sometimes silly dreams. I am still so in love with his soul and couldn’t be happier that I married that green eyed boy three years ago.
xo
Anna
PHOTOGRAPHY:
http://amandamarieblog.com
VENUE:
http://www.theprairiebyrachelashwell.com
I love this story, and revisiting the beautiful photos of you two. I couldn’t be happier for the way you got married. Yes, there was that original shock, and the ever present worry, “what will people think?” But I could tell in your voice, that you were so relieved once you two made that decision to elope. The pictures of The Prairie are beautiful, but yall…. this place is the quaintest, coziest little place you could imagine. Anna took us there last year and it was so neat to see the actual place these two love birds said “I do”. I loved seeing it, and the whole time, Anna pointing out all of her and Gary’s favorite things about The Prairie, with such delight and Joy! Made this momma proud.
anna I love you and all your talent, beauty, and realness. So blessed to know you and the Dean’s. My Angeline angel, God gave me the world with her and her family who loves and accepts me as well. Awesome job on the blog keep on coming.