Tom Richey PhotographyNewly Engaged? Let’s Start Planning!
Being newly engaged is an exciting and joyful time for any couple and their families. After the engagement, questions begin about the proposal and the ring. However, a little stress can enter into this Cloud 9 moment as thoughts turn to when and where the nuptials might take place.
Planning a wedding can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be a wonderful time of dreaming of the endless possibilities with your fiance and families. Talk to one another about what you want in your big day to help align your vision.
Are you thinking an outdoor ceremony?
Maybe you prefer an indoor ceremony?
What about the reception?
The same choices loom and, of course, you do need to make sure that your venue has a Plan B.
As newly engaged couples begin to tour venues, many bring along their family and friends to help them with this big decision. They begin to envision their day, but sometimes they forget about a very crucial element. Most are focused on the size and the cost which are important, but the level of service should receive equal attention.
- Does the venue provide planners to help you choose vendors and stay on track?
- Is a day-of wedding coordinator included to help you facilitate your flawless day while your friends and family simply enjoy being together and celebrating?
- Does the venue help with your decor?
- Who is setting up and breaking everything?
Old Glory Ranch has all of these elements and more! Prime Winter and Spring dates are currently available, so book a tour with us today and allow us help you turn your dreams into a reality.
Finding vendors for your Texas Hill Country Wedding
Finding vendors for your Texas Hill Country wedding can be a daunting task, not to mention time consuming. Where does one even start? You may have cousin Josh who strums a pretty mean guitar that could play during your ceremony, or a friend in college that can make angelic music come from her cello. Or, remember that cool Texas Hill Country DJ you and the love of your life danced the night away to? Yes, there are those, but they may also come with a lot of unknowns. Will they be on time? How will they be dressed appropriately? Will they follow your instructions? Do you have someone who can manage all of them leaving you open to enjoy your event?
Ceremony & Reception Music
Most brides either know exactly what they want and have mentally played through their entire wedding day from beginning to end a million and one times, or there are those that have an idea but don’t know where to start, and yet others that welcome input, guidance, recommendations and all they want is to show up on their special day and enjoy it, leaving all the planning to someone else. And there are the brides who want to do everything themselves, soup to nuts, as they say.
There is no right or wrong answer, but people have to be put into place to execute your event from beginning to end, period. And you probably won’t want cousin Lucy who has no experience whatsoever running the show. Weddings are never a one man/woman show, it is far too overwhelming. Especially for those brides planning a destination wedding, or those who are still going to school, or have just stepped into a new career field after college, where will all this planning time fit into their schedule?
Wedding Photographers, Photobooths, and More!
Typically the first thing a couple secures is the venue. With that out of the way, most venues also offer either in-house catering or bartenders, wedding coordinating, bakers, or they offer preferred lists of vendors they have worked with before and trust and can guide you to your ‘vendor match made in heaven’.
Decide what is the most important to you and budget from there. For some it is the venue, others it’s the food & beverages for their family and friends, there are those who cherish the decor and flowers, while some brides say it is the dress, and yet others say it is the sanctity of the union. If you can prioritize your preferences, then consider that in the financial aspect, and you will be well on your way to mapping out your big day.
Here at Old Glory Ranch we take a lot of the guesswork out of your planning by offering an in-house experienced day-of wedding coordinator for your Chapel Hall wedding and reception, along with an experienced site manager who will handle the vendor details for your event. We also offer in-house fresh floral & decor which many of our clients have raved over saying their guests have commented on it being the most beautiful flowers they have seen at any wedding. That, and the full service we offer garner the most glowing reviews from our clients.
Miniature Donkey – Christopher Columbus
Our miniature donkey, Christopher Columbus, has his own unique story!
While Old Glory Ranch’s main focus is hosting amazing weddings and corporate events here in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Suzanne McCord, owner of the ranch, also raises and sells miniature donkeys. These adorable creatures have become quite popular and are often seen at events wearing brightly decorated wicker baskets and serving as “beer burros”!
New Addition
A new addition arrived on Old Glory Ranch in the form of a miniature donkey. Named Christopher Columbus since he was born the day after Columbus Day 2014. His mother had a stillbirth in May of 2014 leaving us to believe she was no longer pregnant. A twin birth is uncommon with miniature donkeys. So we were a bit surprised when she gave birth in October to little Christopher. He was a pretty tiny little guy and was rejected by his mother right away. More than likely because of ‘animal instinct’ feeling that he wasn’t the healthiest of babies. In order to keep him safe, we stepped in.
We tried surrogate mother miniature donkeys. However, they also rejected him. This left us with only one option to give the little guy the fighting chance he deserved. Thus, Christopher became a ‘bottle baby’ . He had lots of surrogate ‘Mothers’ in the form of Old Glory Ranch family and staff members. They have fed him around the clock for many weeks.
He has delighted us with warm nuzzle greetings as we entered his pen to feed. In fact, he has stolen a bit of each of our hearts. If he could crawl in your lap, he would [he even tries!]! While his beginning proved to be a tough struggle that included a couple bouts of pneumonia, and other infections which required antibiotic injections several times a day, we felt he was pretty much out of the woods as he neared his 2 month birthday.
We had been told by our vet that he will probably be very small even as an adult. For the first few visits to the vet he rode in the Old Glory Ranch manager’s pickup, not the trailer, but in the back seat of the truck like the ranch dog!
Million Dollar Donkey
Suzanne often refers to him as the ‘million dollar donkey’. He is destined to be a permanent fixture here. One day he will earn his keep by becoming one of our working donkeys. Clients and guests of weddings and events can get to know him at their event. He continues to follow us around more like a puppy than a donkey. He likes to frolic and play with the other baby donkey who is younger than him, yet nearly twice his size!
When this piece was initially started, Christopher gave us an additional scare with yet another infection, so rather than having a sad ending to his story, we wanted to give him plenty of time to become what is ‘normal’ for him before finishing the first chapter of his story. He has proven to be quite a fighter and bounced back from that infection and celebrated his 4 month birthday earlier this week!
Today [2/13/14] he will be completely weaned from the bottle and will continue to frolic and play with his donkey, canine, and human friends. He’s really quite the celebrity even greeted one of the UPS drivers this week who was a bit surprised at the sight! We think he could be the first of his kind, a ‘dogkey’!
See more photos of our adorable miniature donkeys.
