It’s no secret that Texas has some of the best sunsets that hang over the midwest. A loving couple, a beautiful outdoor ceremony and well thought out outdoor wedding ideas make for stunning photos and videos. When we were offered the opportunity to capture the very first wedding at The Springs Event Venue in Alvarado, Texas in December, we couldn’t resist. We have been shooting weddings at The Spring’s venues throughout Oklahoma and Texas for several years and this particular wedding holds a special place in our heart. Hailee and Andrew are not only an amazing couple, but Hailee is the venue’s coordinator and has been apart of several of our weddings in the past.

Being a wedding coordinator herself, Hailee has seen her fair share weddings year-round.. This led to the perfect outdoor wedding ideas to keep her guests warm during and after her December ceremony. No matter what time of year your wedding is you always want to keep your guest comfort in mind. She had the cutest basket of blankets out for guests to grab as they were seating themselves at the ceremony. It didn’t end up being as cold as the weather forecast projected but was it did make for a cute entrance to the ceremony. If you haven’t ever seen one of the many outdoor ceremony locations at a Springs venue, they are stunning and each offer something a little different as far as outdoor views go.

The ceremony was very well put together, full of emotion and the lighting was perfect! Seeing Andrew’s face as he wiped tears away when Hailee walked over the bridge and down the aisle gave everyone there all the feels. You could see the passion between the two of them as they held one another’s hands and exchanged vows. It’s moments like this photographers and videographers live for. Sure, creating stunning images that are planned out and posed is great for flexing your creativity. But there isn’t anything like capturing something so emotional and organic as two people saying their ‘I do’s.’ Speaking of the ceremony, and ceremony start times specifically, we always suggest starting your ceremony an hour and a half before sunset to have the best lighting and leave enough light for after ceremony photos. You can see that this is where planning, timing, and location all come together.

After the ceremony, the couple, the wedding party and guests only had about one more hour outside. For this, Hailee had plenty of coffee, hot cocoa, and outside bar service to keep everyone nice and cozy until the reception kicked off. Little things like this are important to make sure that your guest has something to do while the wedding party and family are wrapping up photos. This gave our team the time needed without rushing to take full advantage of the new and beautiful landscape that The Springs Alvarado has to offer. From the ceremony location to either of the two bridges that cross the cute little stream we had all we needed in one area for amazing photos.

Once the photos were wrapped up after the ceremony it was time to kick off the party! The wedding party made their grand entrance down a staircase located in the center of the room towards the front. This is perfect for showcasing a Mr. and Mrs. for the first time! Not to mention that the floral work done on the staircase and throughout the venue by T&T Flowers and gifts. We got the chance to see them setting up some of the arrangements on the stairs and the work they did outside. This wasn’t your standard floral arrangement. Their team did an incredible job tying it all together!

Keep in mind, an outdoor wedding CAN happen year-round with proper planning and a little creativity. We got lucky on what was supposed to be a cold December day with a little warmth and a lot of sunshine. This paired with the creative outdoor wedding ideas from Hailee and Andrew gave this winter wedding all that it needed to be a blessing for the couple, guest and our team. Never second guess a Texas sunset, even in the heart of winter, they will still take your breath away!