Jessica and Austin wanted to keep things close to the majority of guests in Central and North Texas, so they found a venue with a lot of open land to recreate their admired Marfa, TX vibes including a beautiful, natural backdrop and a canopy of festoon lights. The couple wanted to add quirks to their wedding so that’s just what they did! Scroll to see their alpacas in pumpkin costumes – yes, you read that right!
How did you meet?
We met on a dating app, but ended up having several mutual friends.
What is your proposal story?
We both went to school in Austin at The University of Texas at Austin. I went for undergrad/masters and Austin went for law school. So, Austin holds a special place in our heart. While planning the proposal, Austin stumbled across the Sekrit Theater on the east side and was intrigued by the quirkiness of it. On the weekend of September 6, 2019, many of our friends were already planning to be in town for the LSU vs Texas game, so Austin thought it would be a perfect weekend to propose. He originally told me we had dinner reservations at 6:30 and then about an hour before we were set to leave, told me that he messed up the reservation time, it was actually at 7:30 but he had a place he wanted to go before dinner to check out. We ubered over to Sekrit Theater, wandered through (on the pretense of it being a potential wedding venue) and then when we got to the glass house, he got down on one knee and proposed. Afterwards, we went to Eden East for an intimate dinner and then met up with all of our friends to celebrate.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
Neither of us wanted to “overdo” our wedding and thus become lost in the details. From the beginning, we wanted a celebration that was simple, meaningful, and fun for our guests. We originally envisioned a spring outdoor wedding, which turned into a fall outdoor wedding (thanks, COVID) but it ended up being so perfect. I was attracted to the understated elegance vibe with a few splashes of silliness/ridiculous fun (as evidenced in our pumpkin-costumed alpacas and 90s country cover band). At the end of the day, we just wanted to enjoy the day and have the most fun with our friends and family.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Austin’s cousin is a stylist at Warren Baron in Dallas, so with that connection in combination with their incredible dress selection and overall dress buying experience, WB was the natural wedding dress boutique choice. I could’ve envisioned the big day in every dress that I tried on, but I ultimately chose a Monique Lhuillier gown that was modern and elegant, yet still understated. Austin designed a custom tux through Capra and Cavelli. He chose a deep burgundy and black combination that was perfect for the color scheme of the wedding.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
At the top of our “wants” list was a really unique band. We discovered Straight Tequila Nights in Dallas after a attending a Willie Nelson concert and had so much fun dancing and singing along with them that night. Many months later, Austin jokingly said we should ask them to play, and the joke ended up turning into reality when we reached out and they were available and willing to travel to Austin. We really prioritized only a few things in our budget and were highly flexible with everything else.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
For both of us, there were so many. First and foremost, none of the memories and stories would’ve been possible without our amazing planner, Lauren Chumbley, and all of our talented vendors. It was a delight to see the final product come to fruition and share the day with them. I have too many favorites to include, but a few are having my grandfather officiate the wedding, getting ready with my bridesmaids, dancing with our family and friends to 90s country songs that we had all grown up listening to, and seeing Austin’s face at our “first look” moment. I initially thought the idea a bit cheesy, but smart for logistical reasons, and it ended up being a really sweet moment together before everything got too crazy.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
Crissalane Discher designed our flowers and blew us all away. I initially communicated that I didn’t want the traditional “soft” colors you might see for a spring wedding, but instead some off-beat muted colors, black/white, greenery and pops of hot pink. I had no strong preference on actual flower types so Crissalane had artistic freedom and I could not have been more impressed with her creativity. They were BEAUTIFUL.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
Neither of us had much attachment to having a large wedding cake, so we opted for Austin’s favorite dessert, Tiny Pies, instead and they were wonderful!
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
My mom, with help from my dad, made table “centerpieces” which were painted black boards with gold accents. The floral arrangements were placed on top of them and the two really popped next to each other. My parents also made a 3-panel photo backdrop that mirrored the black and gold theme and also had an enlarged picture of Austin and I on one side panel. We had a couple of instax cameras out and people had so much fun with it! My dad’s mom also embroidered in blue thread a hankie for me that had our names and original wedding date on it.
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
My mom gave to me a ring that her parents had given her. It’s a sapphire ring surrounded by tiny diamonds and set in gold. SO beautiful.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Don’t get lost in the details. Pick the few things that are most important to you and let the rest of it go! Marriage and all it represents should be the most important thing on your wedding day, otherwise it’s just a party.