Austin Wedding Photographer: 15 Popular Venues in Austin, Texas

15 photographs of 15 places that I’ve photographed weddings in and around Austin, Texas. These are some of the more well known wedding spots in Austin. I frequently get asked by brides where I’ve photographed weddings around Austin. Of course there are many more places that I’ve photographed over the years, but here are some of the more popular and well known locations for weddings in and around Austin, Texas…

1. Star Hill Ranch – Near Hamilton Pool in west Austin, it’s a remake of an old west town, complete with a main street lined with old churches, bars and other antiques – amazing!

Star Hill Ranch - It's Like Being On An Old West Movie Set!

2. Driskill Hotel – Austin’s most famous historic hotel, since the 1800s on the famous 6th Street in Downtown Austin.

Street View Of The Driskill Hotel In Austin

3. Villa Antonia – Italian villa-style in the Texas Hill Country – a superbly popular wedding venue.

Bride Descends The Winding Staircase at Villa Antonia

4.Avery Ranch - North Austin hot spot that’s affordable and on a golf course!

Avery Ranch - North Austin's premier place to live, work and have a wedding on a golf course!

5. Austin Woman’s Club (Chateau Bellevue) – Historic event location located in the heart of Austin – filled with antique furniture and design from the early 1900s.

Austin Woman's Club

6. Canyon Of The Eagles – Best kept secret in Burnet, Texas, just north of Austin – featuring unrivaled privacy and sweeping lake views of Lake Buchanan.

Bride & Groom at Canyon Of The Eagles

7. Renaissance Hotel – The most fantastic hotel in the Arboretum in North Austin.

Reception Setup at Renaissance Hotel Austin

8. Vintage Villas – A beautiful venue in the Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis.

Villa Antonia Wedding

9. Casa Blanca – Southern plantation-style mansion on the banks of the San Gabriel River, just north of Austin.

After Dark Shot of The Back Patio of Casa Blanca in Round Rock

10. Zilker Clubhouse & Zilker Park - Zilker Park, located in Central Austin near Lady Bird Lake & Barton Springs, is a historic, natural treasure to Austin.

Zilker Park Wedding - A Rose

Zilker Club House Reception - Austin, TX

11. Chapel Dulcinea - Austin’s famous “free” wedding chapel, located in South Austin.

Bridesmaids Approach Chapel Dulcinea

12. Angel Springs – New premier, secluded wedding location in Leander/Cedar Park area.

Angel Springs Wedding

13. Green Pastures – Austin’s oldest and most famous “world class” restaurant – a classic venue that includes peacocks and acres lush, green vegetation.

Green Pastures Wedding

14. Kindred Oaks – Another hidden treasure in Williamson County (north of Austin), featuring solace in a rural setting that makes you feel at home.

View Of The Lake From Kindred Oaks Outdoor Chapel

15. Mercury Hall – South/Central Austin’s original restored early 20th century church, placed among oaks – quiet in an urban area that is close to downtown.

Mercury Hall Wedding Reception

$99 Engagement & Bridal Photo Sale

Just wanted to officially share about being featured on Localiter.com! Check it out: http://www.localiter.com/
Only $99 bucks for engagement/bridal session! It’s such a great deal that I can only afford to offer for a limited time.

This is an amazing deal that you won’t likely see again soon, so take advantage of it if you need engagement/bridal photos. I’m also being flexible with what “kind” of photos you may purchase. So if you want head shots or a family portrait or baby pics we’ll do that too for the same price.

Deals on until Sunday and we only need one more person for it to go through…

Engagement Session "Star Kiss" - Austin, Texas

Bridal Photo Snapped at Villa Antonia, near Austin

Engagement Photo Session at Texas Capitol

30.403674 -97.638311

August 21, 2010 | Categories: localiter deal | Tags: Engagement

New Beginnings

Ok, I've decided that I can't give up my blogspot account. I love blogspot and I keep stumbling on to fun and interesting posts by other blogspotters, so I'm staying. I just won't be posting every single week like I used to do. Feel free to check out my new blog at www.austinamericanastudio.com, where I discuss everything from photography to my latest blog on whether tap water is safe to drink!

This Is The End

This is the end...well, not really. But we're moving....

Where? Well, I'm glad you've inquired. We're moving to our new Wordpress home.

Our new wedding blog can be found at: http://austinamericana.wordpress.com


Why? Well, it's complicated. Wordpress has sold us on having the control to make our site prettier, share our work with more people and to take things to the next level. Martin Whitton Photography has been a success at doing what we set out to do: consistently capture beautiful wedding moments and wow our clients with outstanding photography in a photojournalistic style. But every good thing comes to an end and we'll soon be making more announcements on the new website and the new drive to be the best wedding photographers in Austin.

Stay tuned....

Bridal Photography Session at Zilker Botanical Garden

Recently I photographed another beautiful bride at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas. Zilker has to be one of the most popular places for photography of any kind in Austin. Not only is it a huge repository for plant life centered in Travis County (which is why people are drawn to it) but it's also one of Austin's little jewels that's been around for many years. I'm pretty sure that the creators of Zilker never intended it to be one of the foremost popular venues for photography around Austin, but that's what it's become.

ZBG features many different plant species and specific garden areas that are dedicated to a particular theme or cultural plant cultivation, if you will. For example, one of the popular areas of Zilker is the Japanese Garden, which features Koi-filled fish ponds, stone trails leading around bamboo gardens and a structure made of stone and bamboo that only could fit into a Japanese garden . The entire area is shaded by trees and feels like being in another world.

Zilker also features a beautiful rose garden where weddings frequently occur. Colorful roses line the concrete paths that wind down the hill from the main entrance of the park. The Rose Garden area is very open, located at the edge of the tree line bordering the Japanese Garden. It also features a red and white gazebo next to fish ponds and a historic brick structure in the shape of a keyhole that has been apparently transplanted from historic downtown Austin.

Other areas featured at ZBG are the Prehistoric Gardens further down the hill from the main office, which feature "old world" plants, pools and even a beautiful, natural-looking water fall. Toward the front of the park is an area that contains historic Central Texas pioneer homes and work areas made of wood.

Ultimately there are many, many different areas of the Garden that offer photography opportunities for brides or couples. After visiting and photographing friends and family there for years I've grown to love and appreciate Zilker for the beautiful part of Austin that it has always been and hopefully will always be!

Things you'll need to bring if you photograph a bride or couple at Zilker:

- Payment for photographing someone at ZBG

- Water

- Bug/Mosquito repellant

- Sun block

-Comfortable walking shoes (ZBG has lots of trails)

- Patience. If the park is busy, you may have to wait for that perfect shot! :)

Hints/Tips: Arrive early and check park closure times (which change with daylight savings time). Park staff require visitors to leave 30 minutes prior to gate closure.

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Martin Whitton is a passionate wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email your questions to him at martin@mwwphoto.com.

Engagement Photos at Mount Bonnell

In May I ventured out with a recently engaged couple (Christi & Nick) to the highest natural point near Austin: Mount Bonnell. If you've never heard of Mount Bonnell then you're missing out one of the historic wonders of Austin, right up there with legendary places like Zilker Botanical Garden and Barton Springs.

Mt. Bonnell is located west of Austin, in the Hill Country, west of Mopac (1) near Camp Mabry (Austin's own small military installation). Mount Bonnell is known for its scenic views overlooking the Colorado River. From Mount Bonnell one can look west and see all the way to the famous 360 Bridge, which crosses the Colorado River upstream and then as the river flows downstream all the way into downtown Austin.
Like many other Austin landmarks, people have been coming to Mt Bonnell for a long time to enjoy the outdoors for picnics and leisure time. In fact, once you reach the summit after climbing the stairs on the east side of the facing you'll find a large stone marker that commemorates the Austin landmark's history (the corner of which is curiously missing). At this point you can go left or right. To the left is a short trail which follows the apex of the hill. To the right opens a wider, flatter trail along the same apex, offering lots of viewing spots of the spectacular hill country/river view.

The area is lined with Juniper (Cedar) Trees and scrub brush. Below the tree line on just about all sides are large lots lined with expensive, luxury homes along the Colorado River and along both sides of Mount Bonnell. Enjoy the "free" view of things; Many other home owners in the area pay millions of dollars for theirs!

Things you'll need to bring if you photograph a bride or couple at Mount Bonnell:

- Water
- Bug/Mosquito repellant
- Sun block
-Comfortable walking shoes (there are lots of stairs to climb to get to the top)
- Patience. If the park is busy, you may have to wait for that perfect shot! :)

Hints/Tips: Mt. Bonnell is somewhat busy on weekends and some week days during the summer. Pick a time when people are less likely to interfere with your photographs, like a weekday morning.
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Martin Whitton is a passionate wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email your questions to him at martin@mwwphoto.com.

Zen and Meditation

I recently started meditating again. And a funny thing popped into my head when I was meditating this morning: that I should blog about the topic.

I’m a big fan of meditation, or at least eastern Zen Buddhist meditation. Of course there are lots of different styles and philosophies of meditation. But the eastern philosophy seems to be the most meaningful and fulfilling for me. 

I became interested in meditation around 8 years ago. I started reading lots of philosophy books which eventually lead to some considerable self reflection on who I was and the meaning of my life. Now, I should say that I’m not going to get all religious and gooey here or try to convert anyone to anything. I’ll simply try to share my experience.

If we fast forward through time from when I started thinking about who I was up to around 2004 when I found a Zen meditation book called Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (the link above is a FREE pdf! Hooray!). I wanted to learn what meditation really was and how to do it, yet I couldn’t find a single person who could tell me or guide me on this journey. Later I discovered that meditation can really be whatever you want it to be. But my meditation needed to be something Zen.

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind is a surprisingly simple, unassuming little book (I believe the pdf is around 70 pages). Yet the text is full of fantastic little insights and instruction on exactly what to do – something I was hungry for and needed. There aren’t necessarily any wise sayings in the book. It’s definitely not the I Ching or Confucius. It’s simply a how-to-meditate book written by a Buddhist Monk who was trained by other monks.

The story goes that the Zen Master and Teacher Shunryu Suzuki came to the west coast of the United States around 50 year ago. At some point he began teaching the Zen Philosophy to willing students in the San Francisco area. Eventually some of his students got together and decided to record his teachings, compiling them into a small book of discussions on Zen Meditiation.

What I like about the book is how you are encouraged to savor every word in the book, instead of scanning through quickly for content like one reads a 800 paperback spy novel. Each word has meaning and is a well thought out idea or concept. For example, there is discussion in the beginning chapters of the book about breathing and concentration, two important elements of Zen Meditation. What is discussed is simple, almost overly simple, yet it is the basis for your meditation and although it is simple, it is also important. In general, I think we westerners tend to over complicate tasks frequently and this is a nice departure from our daily complicated lives.

Another thing I like is that you can read the book over again and get new information that you might have missed before, or see something on a different level. Honestly, I have been reading the book for years (mostly the 1^st few chapters over and over) and I’ve yet to finish it, which I find funny since it is such a short book.

At any rate, it is a valuable book and I highly recommend it to anyone considering meditation – even meditation in another philosophy or culture.

We Have Baby Finches! (I think...)

Well, I'm no birder, but I think I've correctly identified the birds that have made our back porch home as House Finches. There is an adult male and female, and 4 baby birds that are growing up super fast. It seems like just a few weeks ago that a nest was being built and now the babies seem almost as big as mom and dad. If I'm correct, the male has the red coloring on it's chest and head and the female has light browns/tans. They are both beautiful birds and I feel like I'm interrupting them when I go out on our back porch now.

What really gets attention is when the babies go from being extremely quiet and still to loud screeching when mom and dad come around with food for them. Even though the nest is nestled high up on the interior of our back porch outside of our home (near Austin, Texas) we can still hear the little birds chirping and squealing for food. It's really exciting seeing the new life that spring brings!

Ever Considered Becoming an Entrepreneur?

If you've ever considered becoming an entrepreneur (or had looming doubts about the subject) I suggest that you read a book I'm reading now. It's called "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for The First-Time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional." by Michael Katz.


Why do I recommend this book? As an entrepreneur myself I can tell you that it's not easy making a living doing what you love. And there are always obstacles that make you second guess what you are doing. I mean, isn't easier just to take a job working 8-5 every day, where you sit in your cube or talk to people over the phone, all the while touting the company mission statement?! While this is ok for some, it's not the answer that those who possess the entrepreneurial spirit pine for. We want freedom to create and autonomy to roam. 


Another thing that I like about this book (aside from it being short) is that it's free and it's funny. You can't beat free in the recession we find ourselves in these days and we all need a laugh. So how do you get this book? 

You can get a hard copy of this book on Amazon (not free): http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=OR2Ll&m=9Wc_MteNu0Lsn&b=nAgR8HoWSsHdV_u3exkWBQ

Or, you can download his astonishingly well-written, 119-page book, for FREE: "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-Time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional"

http://www.itsurebeatsworking.com/download.html

Don't forget to check out his website: http://itsurebeatsworking.typepad.com/ also.

We Tied the Knot in Costa Rica

My wife and I finally tied the knot in the most beautiful, eco-friendly place we could think of: Costa Rica. In fact, we married deep in the jungle in the northwestern portion of Costa Rica at a place appropriately called Tierras Enamoradas (Lands In Love). Sounds romantic, right? Well, it was to some degree. The tough part for a Virgo like me was letting the whole thing unfold with almost no planning. Let me explain. My wife had been dreaming for sometime of getting married in a beautiful place far away from our home in Texas. She initially wanted to do a destination beach wedding, but she eventually decided that beach weddings are too common and not exciting enough.

So we purchased our tickets to Costa Rica not knowing the location of where the wedding would be held, without contacting a particular Officiant to conduct the ceremony, without securing a photographer to document the ceremony or really any of the elements needed for a wedding. We just showed up in a foreign country with an idea, some wedding rings and a wedding dress. That’s what drove me crazy! I tend to be a little more of a planner. I like to know what is going to happen in the future, preferably with details to avoid any missteps. And I would recommend that to any person who plans to marry in a foreign country. But, as luck would have it, everything worked out. Let me tell you how…

My wife and I had begun an erratic, desperate search for the perfect wedding site (with a large, beautiful waterfall) almost as soon as we landed in Costa Rica. Ultimately we landed in La Fortuna feeling hopeless about our search. We took a cab to the well known Catarata La Fortuna but my wife was not satisfied with the lack of information available at the front office or the steep hike to the waterfall so a cab driver we found told us that he knew of a waterfall outside of town toward San Ramon at a place called Tierras Enamoradas. Forty minutes later with our patience running razor thin, we arrived. Although the hike down to the Tierras Enamoradas waterfall was probably just as difficult as the other waterfall, we liked the quiet, remote feeling we found at Tierras Enamoradas.

On our ride to Tierras Enamoradas my wife asked the cab driver if he knew any photographers. He said he did and after a quick phone call he said he had secured a photographer for us at a reasonable price. I must admit that I was reluctant (ok, I was mortified) to believe that our photographer would be of a high caliber. Being a professional wedding photographer myself, I was conjuring ideas in my mind of a local villager arriving with a disposable camera to take photos and then either never receiving the images or the images coming out looking terrible. However, fate smiled upon us and our photographer was great! And two hours after our arrival at Tierras Enamoradas we were married!

The ceremony was quiet and emotional. We were in the middle of the jungle, next to a waterfall, far away from civilization so there was definitely a spiritual element to the event that one might not find in many other places. My brother, my sister, my wife’s best friend, my wife, me and the photographer were the only people present for the ceremony. After some photos by the waterfall, my wife and I moved into the pool underneath the water fall and said our handwritten vows to each other amid the sounds of crashing water and the subtle jungle silence. Time stood still - almost.

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. He photographs dozens of weddings each year and is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International. Email him your questions at martin@mwwphoto.com. See additional photos from his destination wedding here: http://www.mwwphoto.com/family

Last Minute Tax Tips - April 15th (Tax Day) Is Tomorrow!

Here are some last minute tax tips for all you procrastinators out there who have waited until the last minute to file your taxes. It's definitely worth filing with the IRS on time; you'll save money by avoiding penalties and interest and you'll have one less thing to worry about! How does the old saying go?...Only 2 things are certain in life: death and taxes.

With the tax filing deadline close at hand, the IRS offers 10 tips for those still working on their tax returns:

1. File Electronically Consider filing electronically instead of using paper tax forms. If you file electronically and choose to have your tax refund deposited directly into your bank account, you will have your money in as few as 10 days. Virtually everyone can prepare a return and electronically file it for free.   For the second year, the IRS and its partners are offering the option of Free File Fillable Forms.   Another option is Traditional Free File.  About 98 million taxpayers – 70 percent of all taxpayers – are eligible for the IRS Traditional Free File.
   
2. Check the Identification Numbers When filing a paper return carefully check the identification numbers — usually Social Security numbers — for each person listed. This includes you, your spouse, dependents and persons listed in relation to claims for the Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit. Missing, incorrect or illegible Social Security numbers can delay or reduce a tax refund.
   
3. Double-Check Your Figures If you are filing a paper return, you should double-check that you have correctly figured the refund or balance due.
   
4. Check the Tax Tables If you are filing using the Free File Fillable Forms or a paper return you should double-check that you have used the right figure from the tax table.
   
5. Sign your form You must sign and date your return. Both spouses must sign a joint return, even if only one had income. Anyone paid to prepare a return must also sign it.
   
6. Mailing Your Return Use the coded envelope included with your tax package to mail your return. If you did not receive an envelope, check the section called "Where Do You File?" in the tax instruction booklet.
   
7. Mailing a Payment People sending a payment should make the check out to “United States Treasury” and should enclose it with, but not attach it to the tax return or the Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, if used. The check should include the Social Security number of the person listed first on the return, daytime phone number, the tax year and the type of form filed.
   
8. Electronic Payments Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure methods for paying taxes. You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal, or use a credit or a debit card. For more information on electronic payment options, visit IRS.gov.
   
9. Extension to File By the April due date, you should either file a return or request an extension of time to file. Remember, the extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.
   
10. IRS.gov Forms and publications and helpful information on a variety of tax subjects are available around the clock at IRS.gov. You can also check the status of your refund after you file your return by clicking on Where’s My Refund?.
    

Links:

• Form 4868, Application for Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (PDF 76K)
• Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request (PDF 100K)
  
  

For more tax tips for the year 2010, visit the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/content/0,,id=104608,00.html