Mattie’s At Green Pastures Austin Wedding | Wedding Photographer Jeff Brummett
Conlee and Forrest’s amazing Mattie’s At Green Pastures Austin wedding was full of joy! Some of the best wedding creatives in Texas made the couple’s vision come to life. Everything came together beautifully! Their friends and family were an important part of the day as well. The couple wanted to make sure everyone felt appreciated and had a great time. Of course, Mattie’s At Green Pastures is an Austin treasure and made for the perfect backdrop. Conlee was good enough to elaborate on the wedding and the inspiration behind it:
Conlee and Forrest’s Love Story
Forrest and I met when I was working at the South Congress Hotel in Austin and he was in town for a wedding. He and the rest of the wedding party he was apart of that weekend were staying with us. I was the person who greeted him upon arrival and checked him into the hotel. During that first exchange, he invited me to the wedding he was in the following night. I politely declined (I had to work).
An hour later, after feeling somewhat embarrassed at his initial lack of ‘game,’ he came back to my desk and used a very sly line to ask for my number. Forrest: “Conlee, I have an issue with my wifi password.” Conlee: “Im sorry, let me see if I wrote it down wrong.” Forrest: “No, I have all these numbers, but none of them are yours.” Yes, I was completely caught off guard and yes, it worked. When my shift ended, I saw he had texted me and invited me to the rehearsal dinner that evening. Boldly, I accepted his invitation.
First Date
Looking back, I was crazy to accept. It was an hour outside of the city, we rode a bus, I would have had no escape if it went bad. Luckily for us, it was a fantastic first ‘date.’ We went dancing the next night after his wedding and got breakfast the next morning. I never thought I’d see him again since he lived in Houston, but he was persistent.
Two weeks later, after some sporadic text conversations and a good phone call, he visited Austin again. We went on another date that Saturday night and had a blast. Sunday morning we went for coffee, a walk, and just like that, I fell in love. I called my mom that day and told her I met the man I was going to marry.
It really happened that quick, a whirl wind romance, and the rest is history. I hated to admit it, but love does come when you least expect it, and you do know when it’s the right one. We dated for eight months, engaged for eight months, and now we are living the dream.
Wedding Invitation Suite
I designed every aspect of the invitation suite myself. I went with a minimalist approach that represented our style.
The Wedding Party
We kept our wedding party small, two maids of honor and two best men. I had my two best friends since second grade beside me, Marion and Leah. Forrest had his brother, Justin, and best friend, Kyler beside him.
The Wedding Dress
Once we started shopping and trying on, much to my surprise, I realized my dress was going to be on the simpler side. We tried on the lace, the poofy, and the sparkles, but I kept going back to sleek and simple, the classic ones. I had found two I loved, but neither was quite right. At my last appointment, I found a dress that was the exact combination I needed, like Goldilocks. It fit my personal style, the venue, and the formal evening we were planning.
First Look
Forrest was a mess, it was only my second time to ever see him cry. I loved every second of his emotions pouring out. Our back drop was incredible. We were both obsessed with the monochrome gold tones. The fall foliage fit into our color scheme and let my white dress and his blue tuxedo pop. It was time we needed to soak in what was about to happen, the vows we were about to share, the commitment we were about to make. A chance to embrace each other for the last time before being husband and wife. This was when Forrest also gave me a hand made print he made of our wedding logo that I designed. He is an incredible artist and I had begged him for over a year to make me something, and I finally got it. It was so special and I’ll treasure the piece and memory forever.
Mattie’s At Green Pastures Austin Wedding Venue
We wanted to get out of Houston, but still get married somewhere with sentimental value. So Austin was an easy decision. I described the vision of my wedding to a local planner/friend. She recommended a few venues she thought would bring the picture in my head to life. Mattie’s At Green Pastures was the first venue we toured from her list, and Forrest and I both fell in love in minutes.
As soon as we saw the aisle of oak trees, I knew our hope of having an outdoor ceremony would be perfect. As we walked the grounds, we could envision the entire evening. A huge selling point was the location. Right by downtown and convenient for guests, but with an atmosphere of bring hours away from the city. We obsessed over the oak trees, the classic southern house, wrap around porch, and massive lawn. Even the decor inside the restaurant was the aesthetic I had in mind. The entire property reminded me of my childhood home which connected me emotionally to the venue. It gave me the warm, butterfly feelings some people describe, like when they find the right dress.
Wedding Inspiration
The vibe I was aiming for was an upscale, intimate, garden wedding. I wanted it to feel lush with flowers. Every aspect of the decor would feel intentional and meaningful. We both wanted the guests to be able to feel how special they are to us and how much we love each of them.
Our wedding was planned around our loved ones first. Their experience was foremonst on our mind. We wanted to show them our gratefulness, and make our wedding a happy memory for everyone.
Mattie’s At Green Pastures Wedding Ceremony
Our ceremony was full of emotion, including floods of happy tears from Forrest and guests. My cheeks hurt by the end from smiling so big the entire time. It was intimate. 91 of our closest family and friends watched us exchange hand written vows, commit to each other for life, and share our first kiss as husband and wife.
I walked into the ceremony with my dad to “I’ll Stay” by Matt Stinton. Forrest picked the song before we were ever engaged. He said it made him tear up the first time he heard it and knew it was what needed to play as I walked down the aisle to him. We walked out to Hall and Oates – “You Make My Dreams Come True.”
Wedding Photography
I was so sure I wanted Jeff to capture our wedding weekend that I worked around his schedule. I knew it was meant to be because our dates aligned and he understood my style. Jeff’s work fit into my vision because of his ability to tell a story. He can catch the authenticity of his couples’ love. We also loved his work’s editorial nature. It was clear from his past projects that he melded to the personality of the couple. He let us be ourselves, and highlighted us first.
Wedding Floral Design
The florals were what I was most excited to see come to life on our Mattie’s At Green Pastures Austin wedding day. I was dead set on an aisle runner and a large, lush arch. I wanted ivory tones for the ceremony and to have the reception florals carry the colors of cocktail hour. We wanted the reception to feel like natural progression of the evening. Low centerpieces were intentional to encourage conversation across the table. The florals were meant to enhance the venue, not steal the show.
The Mattie’s Austin Wedding Cake
The cake was inspired by a photo I found on the internet. Sleek and classic with the floral detail to match the style of everything else. Every design detail was meant to create an atmosphere of warmth and natural cohesion.
The Mattie’s At Green Pastures Wedding Reception
At first we were going to have a dinner party. But as our guest list grew we decided to add in a DJ for dancing and I’m so glad we did. Our DJ Andrew was fantastic and our guests raved about us having him play so many throw back songs. We had some traditional aspects during our reception, but not all one might expect.
Forrest and I wanted our guests to focus on getting to know each other better. Being able to enjoy time with family, and creating memories rather watching us cut our cake. We are glad we stuck to our guns and organized the reception how we wanted.
This Mattie’s At Green Pastures Austin wedding was an absolute joy to capture! Are you looking for an Austin wedding photographer to tell your story?
I really like the portraits in the yellow leaves!
What an elegant set of photos!! I really loved looking through this whole gallery!
These are absolutely gorgeous!!
I love all the detail shots you captured!
I know Austin is known as a cool city but these are so rad! Her wedding dress is SO stylish!
Perfectly captured Austin wedding! Your edits are absolute perfection. Gorgeous!
Wow! Obsessed with her dress and the yellow tree portraits!
Wow these are sooo pretty. Such a lovely and classic wedding, and I love the shots in front of the yellow bamboo (?). So pretty.
Best first look reaction I have ever seen!
Love the color scheme!! And the backdrop outside is amazing!!