I can almost smell the sweet lilacs of this equally sweet Austin wedding by Sweet Caroline Photo. That’s a lot of sweetness, and there is so much more to devour in this soirée because all the understated touches make for a practically perfect party. There is so much more to fawn over in the full gallery of images, so be sure to set aside some time today to cozy up with all the sweetness.
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From the Bride… Our overall goal was to make the wedding personal by sharing things we love with our guests and ensure they were well fed and had a good time. Special touches we added to our day included Clara, Ben’s cousin, reading a piece that summarized marriage to Ben and I. It meant a lot to us to hear the reading from her. Also, we designed a chuppah, which my brother-in-law built for us. The chuppah was designed so that, though there were “four-posts,” they did not obstruct the view of anyone, and the lace used was the same piece my sister had used in her wedding. We really enjoyed working together to design and create the chuppah, and my brother-in-law made our vision come true by assembling and hanging it for us.
I gave each of my bridesmaids and the reader pressed flower stained-glass pendants from Glass Works Waters Edge. Each was unique, so I was able to choose a specific pendant for each. At Madre de Olivia I found a beautiful jade necklace for my mom to match the jade ring my father gave her when I was born. The earrings I wore were my Grams’ pearls. She passed away about 10 years ago- she was a very strong women and had a beautiful marriage. I wore a necklace which I found when browsing with my sister (matron of honor) on South Congress at the Turquoise Door, and Ben wore the watch his Uncle, a very important figure in his life, left Ben when he passed away.
For flowers, Lilacs are my favorite since my parents house growing up had lilac bushes, and they always remind me of home. We also chose peonies (an omen of a happy marriage), delphiniums for some blue for Ben, and wax flowers, hardy yet dainty little flowers.
The photo of our first dance is one of our favorites. It was a special moment for us, to feel united and be surrounded by those who love us and support us. We are not usually affectionate in public, and the photo really captures the intimacy and true joy of that moment. My biggest piece of advice to brides would be to try to make room in your budget to hire a great photographer and wedding day-of coordinator, they are both worth it!
The best moment of our day was being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Choi. We walked out seeing people so important to us smile and cheer, then once we got outside, we turned to each other and said “you’re my husband/wife” and smiled and kissed.
Wedding Photography: Sweet Caroline Photo / Wedding Venue: House on the Hill / Event Coordination: Beth Walker of 36th Street Events / Floral Design: Abby Daigle of STEMS Floral Design / Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca via Brickhouse Bridal / Dress Alterations: Linda’s Couture / Bride’s Shoes: BP. / Bride’s Earrings: Vintage / Bride’s Necklace: The Turquoise Door / Groom’s Watch: Vintage / Hair: Shannon Briggs-Hack of Path Salon / Makeup: Sister of the Groom / Groom’s Attire: Calvin Klein / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Catering: Salt Lick Bar-B-Que / Wedding Cake Balls: Austin Cake Balls / Rentals: Austin’s World of Rentals