Mike Elkins and Montie Smith’s Wedding

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“Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can’t help Falling in Love with you!”

Marriage License - Bride and Groom - Weddings by Tirzah - Belton Texas

Typically, it is the Couple’s Wedding Vision that comes together into a magical day; however, this was a Surprise Wedding!! The Couple set the date, chose the officiants, and selected the venue, but it was the Bride’s best friends or rather sisters by heart that planned the wedding for Mike Elkins and Montie Smith; the rest of the details were a complete surprise until the Bride and Groom walked through the doors of the venue on their Wedding Day!

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Tirzah Belton Texas - Walking through the Venue Doors

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Bride and the Father of the Groom
Bride with the Father of the Groom which was one of their Officiants

Mike and Montie were married in our vintage venue, Tirzah, located in the Heart of Texas in the Downtown Belton Historic District. It was a beautiful autumn day in October that was filled with with love, laughter, pumpkins, and hay bales. ?

Entrance Wedding Tirzah Belton Texas

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Friends Decorating
Allison Finney and Kathy Fritsche, the friends that planned the Surprise Wedding

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Grand Room1

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Courtyard Seating for the Wedding Ceremony1

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Courtyard Seating for the Wedding Ceremony

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Floral Decorations

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Decorations Lantern Pumpkin

The Couple held with Tradition and elected to not see each other on their Wedding Day. This Tradition often builds excitement and anticipation for the Wedding Ceremony.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Wedding Dress

One of my favorite parts of the Wedding is when the Groom sees his Bride for the first time as she walks down the aisle towards him in her Wedding Dress. The Couple did not see one another until Montie walked down the aisle with her mother.

Montie Smith Bride Wedding Tirzah
Montie Smith, the beautiful Bride
Mike Elkins Groom Wedding Tirzah
Mike Elkins, the dashing Groom

Another Wedding Tradition that the Bride included was based on an old English rhyme … “Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue, a sixpence in your shoe!” Brides have been following this custom for centuries. Montie’s dad placed a penny in Montie’s shoe to bring prosperity to their marriage.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Pick a Seat not a Side

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Love Decoration

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Grand Romm Table Decorations

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Bouquet and Boutonnieres

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Mr and Mrs

The Maid of Honor was Montie’s daughter, Mary, and the Best Man was Mike’s brother, Albert. Mike’s son, Alex, played a song on a guitar as the Wedding Party was walking in.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Maid of Honor1
Mary, the Maid of Honor

There were two officiants, and the two were each of the Bride and Groom’s dads. The Wedding Ceremony was very beautiful and witnessed by their closest family and friends. The Couple wrote their own vows which told the story of their love.

Mike and Montie's Wedding in the Courtyard at Tirzah

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Wedding Ceremony at the Alter with Father of the Bride

“I now pronounce you Husband and Wife.
You may now kiss your Bride!”

Mike and Montie's Wedding - First Kiss
First Kiss! ♥️

“May we present Mr. and Mrs. Mike Elkins!”

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Courtyard - Couple at the Alter

The Couple’s Guestbook was a Wedding Tree where people added their fingerprint and signed their name.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Guestbook - Wedding Tree

A Loving Memory display was included to remember their loved ones … “We know you would be here today if Heaven wasn’t so far away.” For as long as there is a memory, they live on in our heart.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - In Loving Memory Display

Montie’s daughter, Mary, and Mary’s friends assembled all of the Party Favors to thank the family and friends for attending the nuptials.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Party Favors

Coronas De Oro served a delicious meal at the Reception. Wine was served to toast with; the wine bottles were personalized with the Couple’s picture on them, and their children were given a bottle of wine to take home as a gift.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Bottle of Wine

Another best friend of Montie’s, Allison Allen, made their Wedding Cake.

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Cutting of the Cake

For their final farewell, the guests were blowing bubbles of wedding wishes for the new Mr. and Mrs.

Final Farewell - Bubbles
#HappilyEverElkins

On their way to a happily ever after, the Newlyweds honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While they were there, they went to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hiked the Appalachian Trail, and saw a black bear. They also explored Elvis Presley’s home, the Graceland Mansion, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Honeymoon - Smoky Mountains

Honeymoon - Appalachian Trail

The couple traveled on to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina and went on a tour and carriage ride at the Biltmore House. The timeless beauty of the Biltmore was built in 1895. This historic landmark is America’s largest home with 250-rooms and 8,000 acres of grounds and gardens.

Honeymoon - Biltmore House

A very special Wedding memory for me was when the Bride thanked me for “making their day so special.”  Those sweet words were a treasure and warmed my heart!

After the Newlyweds returned from their Honeymoon, I gave them a small gift which was an ornament replica of the Biltmore House, and I asked the Bride if she had to do it all over again with the Wedding, would she still have a “Surprise Wedding?” She said, “Yes, I wouldn’t change a thing!!”

Mike and Montie's Wedding - Honeymoon - Biltmore House

We are so happy for this sweet Couple. We wish them many years of love, happiness, exciting adventures, and cherished memories!! ?

Diana with Bride and Groom Wedding Tirzah Belton Texas

Weddings by Tirzah ღ
Tirzah 

If you would like additional information about event coordination, planning a romantic adventure, or about the other services that we offer, please contact us at info@tirzah.biz.

Copyright 2018. Tirzah. All rights reserved.

Texas-size Family Fun in the Belton Historical District

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Belton, Texas, Parks and Recreation hosted a Free Tubing and Movie in the Park event on Saturday, June 10, 2017, behind The Gin.

Floating on Nolan Creek was a fun way to beat the heat of the afternoon. All of the children were having a blast, but I had just as much fun as the kids riding the small rapids. People typically bring their own tubes at this event, but tubes were available for people to use.

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Tubing on Nolan Creek - Family Fun

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Taylor Tubing

We enjoyed a live music performance on the banks of Nolan Creek by a band known as Touch Of Class. As they performed on the Main Stage, they played great dance hits from the 1950’s to today as the crowd was dancing to the awesome tunes. For more information on the band and their schedule, see http://touchofclass.webs.com.

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Band Touch of Class

After tubing, we walked to Scores Sports Bar on S. East Street to get some pizza to eat while we were waiting for the movie to start when the sun went down.

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Scores Sports Bar

The movie, Sing, was played on the big screen. The story-line was about a dapper Koala named Buster Moon that presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. He took one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition. Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, there were five contestants that emerged … a mouse, a timid elephant, a pig, a gorilla and a punk-rock porcupine.

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Movies Under the Stars - Sing

The community event was successful in achieving many measures such as making fun affordable for everyone with the various social activities in the Downtown Belton Historical District; people were enjoying the beauty of nature and getting some exercise while having fun; connecting with others in the community helps to form lasting friendships; and the fun family-time creates wonderful memories that last a lifetime.  All of these quality metrics strengthen the community for a wonderful place to live.

Tirzah Travels - Belton Texas - Movies Under the Stars - Family Fun

The picturesque setting, tubing on the creek, dancing in the park, pizza, laughter, and movies under the stars made the perfect combination for building memories! ?

Tirzah 

Photography:  Sing - Belton Parks & Recreation

Copyright 2017. Tirzah. All rights reserved.