Miss Renée Marie Mabrito and Mr. Max William Blackburn, both of Blanco, Texas, were united in marriage on Saturday, the seventeenth of December,two thousand and eleven at four o’clock in the afternoon at Red Corral Ranch in Wimberley, Texas. A long-time family friend, Reverend Eben Gourley of Fort Worth, Texas, officiated.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc Antle Mabrito of Blanco, Texas.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Blackburn also of Blanco, Texas.

The day turned out to be beautiful, so the ceremony was held outside in front of the chapel at Red Corral Ranch. The chapel entrance was decorated with birch branches intertwined with pink roses, and large crystal vases with pink roses flanked the doorway. The chapel was decorated for Christmas with wreaths on the doors and lights on the trees to the side of the entrance. The invitations for the ceremony were printed at Kim’s Printing in Blanco, Texas.

The beautiful music at the ceremony was provided by guitarist Mr. Trevor McGuire and cellist Ms. Merannada Button. The duo played a prelude while guests were seated and gathered around the ceremony site. The bride was escorted down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Cannon in D.

Mr. Jason Tillman of Spring Branch, Texas, the cousin of the groom, was the best man. The groomsmen were Mr. Keith Smith of Corpus Christi, Texas, friend of the groom, and Mr. Travis Mabrito of Blanco, Texas, brother of the bride. The best man and groomsmen wore black suits with ties, white dress shirts and black dress shoes.

The ushers were brothers, Mr. Justin and Mr. Clay Tillman, cousins of the groom and sons of the best man. They escorted the mother of the groom and the mother of the bride to their seats.

Miss Christa Anne Mabrito of Blanco, Texas, the sister of the bride, was the maid of honor. The bridesmaids were Miss Audrey Mabrito of San Antonio, Texas, cousin of the bride, and Miss Elizabeth Simpson of Marion, Texas, niece of the groom. The maid of honor and bridesmaids each wore a black dress of their choosing paired with black heels, and a pearl necklace to match the bride. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of bright pink roses and baby’s breath with a navy blue satin ribbon wrapped around the stems.

The flower girls were Miss Ashley, Miss Emily and Miss Chelsea Snow, of San Antonio, Texas; all three are sisters and are cousins of the bride. They all wore matching gray and black dresses with black shawls, black headbands with a floral detail, black leggings and black dress shoes.Miss Ashley carried a bouquet of pink roses and baby’s breath, while Miss Emily and Miss Chelsea carried baskets and dropped pink rose petals as they walked down the aisle.The bride’s pet cat also participated in the ceremony as a flower cat. The cat’s name is Harlequin “Harley” Desert Pumpkin, and the maid of honor held her during the ceremony. The cat wore an ivory and black floral dress. The ring bearer was Master Asher Urban from Austin, Texas, cousin of the bride;he wore a black tuxedo with tails. His mother, Mrs. Joshua Urban, cousin of the bride, escorted Master Urban down the aisle.

The bride’s father, Mr. Marc Antle Mabrito, escorted her down the aisle. Miss Renée Mabrito looked absolutely beautiful in a white strapless satin pick-up ball gown with a corset bodice and a bow with brooch detail at the waist. The beautiful wedding gown,which had a sweep train, was paired with Boulet cowboy boots for a casual look. The bride wore a posh white veil headpiece with a floral accent as her something new, given to her by her soon-to-be sister-in-law Miss Holly Nowlin of Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Marc Mabrito lent her daughter a pearl necklace as the bride’s something borrowed and something old. To finish off her look, Miss Mabrito used blue eye shadow for her something blue.

The bride carried a bouquet of Ecuadorian white with pink edge roses, pink calla lilies and baby’s breath. The stems were wrapped in white and navy satin ribbon. The flowers for the bouquets, boutineers, and floral decorations for the ceremony and reception were provided by Austin Flower Company. All of the bouquets were made by Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Van Daele Mabrito, of Charlotte, North Carolina, the brother and sister-in-law of the bride, with the help of Mrs. Eben Gourley, the wife of the officiant. Mrs. Jason Tilliman, cousin of the groom and wife of the best man, made all of the boutineers for the men in the bridal party.

The groom, Max Blackburn, wore a black tuxedo with formal tails and a black bowtie. He also paired his tuxedo with Boulet boots.

Following the ceremony, the bride’s parents gave a reception at the Red Corral Ranch inside the chapel.

The tables were covered with navy floor-length linens that were adorned with pink satin runners in the middle of each.Each table was decorated with elegant glass-stemmed candle holders with ivory candles, and pink rose petals were placed sporadically on the runners for some added color. The stone fireplace in the center of the chapel was decorated with greenery and lights on the mantle, a lit wreath in the middle of fireplace above the mantle, and a mixture of pink and white poinsettias around the base of the fireplace. The poinsettias came from Arnosky Flower Farm.

Hors d’oeuvres and beverages were served on the patio of the chapel, while the photographer took photos of the wedding party and family. The professional photographer was James Dvorscak from Austin, Texas. The brother of the bride, Mr. Jefferson Mabrito, originally from Blanco, Texas, entertained guests during cocktail hour with his violin, performing a selection of classical and folk music.

The bride and groom made their grand entrance into the chapel as Mr. and Mrs. Max William Blackburn.They welcomed everyone and then dinner was served. The buffet included grilled chicken, beef, salad, asparagus, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. The owners of Wimberley Catering Company, Karen and O’Neil Provost, catered the delicious food.

After dinner came the bridal couple’s first dance to “Buy Myself a Chance” by the Randy Rogers Band. Performing the song was Mr. Jonathan Antle Mabrito of Dallas, Texas, the brother of the bride, showing off his many talents with guitar and vocal solo. The bride and her father danced to “ Stealing Cinderella” by Chuck Wicks. Then the groom danced with his mother to “A Mother’s Prayer”featuring Melissa Duval by Bonnie Barbey& Kay Crawford. As the groom danced with his mother, the bride danced with the groom’s father. The parents of the bride joined in on the dance floor while the bride, groom and the groom’s parents rejoined their respective partner for the remainder of the song. Mr. Trevor McGuire was also the disc jockey at the wedding, and he played a variety of dance tunes to entertain the bridal party and guests.

The toast of the bride and groom followed the first dances. The best man, the maid of honor, Mr. Jefferson Mabrito and the father of the bride all gave toasts. Then the bride and groom cut the wedding cake and groom’s cake.

The wedding cake was three tiers. The top anniversary tier was separated and raised above the other two tiers. The cake was iced with ivory butter cream and navy blue fondant ribbon around the bottom of each tier. The cake was decorated with pink edible flowers that adorned the top, second tier and bottom edge of each layer. There was an extra tier with ivory butter cream icing with a navy blue fondant bow on top. Ms. Claire Gourley, a close family friend, baked the wedding cake. The groom’s cake was a one-tier cake with ivory butter cream icing and chocolate polka dots and was baked by Ms. Laura Hoyer, cousin of the bride.

The new couple and guests danced and enjoyed the company of one another for the rest of the night. Before the couple left, the bride tossed her bouquet, and the groom threw the bride’s garter.

Placed on the tables as wedding favors for each guest were individual jars of honey, which read “Meant to Bee, Renée & Max, December 17, 2011”.

Mr. and Mrs. Max William Blackburn made their grand exit under a canopy of sparklers and bubbles from the guests that lined the exit to their get away car. The groom’s truck was decorated with window paint, tissue paper, balloons, and cans tied to the back.

The bride and groom honeymooned at South Padre Island, Texas, and they now reside in Blanco, Texas. They hope to go on a longer trip this coming summer.

Courtesies were given to the couple in the form of a bridal shower hosted by MissElizabeth Simpson, bridesmaid, on Saturday, December 10, 2001 at two o’clock in the afternoon at Blanco Baptist Church. Miss Christa Mabrito, maid of honor, and Ms. Amie Mabrito, both sisters of the bride, gave the bride a bachelorette party in Austin, Texas on Saturday evening, December 10, 2011. Mr. Jason Tillman, the best man, gave the groom a bachelor party on Thursday, December 15, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas.