One glance at the gilded horn decor and you might as well stick a fork in me because I am done. But that’s merely the tip of this glamorous iceberg. From a Bride that so seamlessly blended her mother’s vintage mantilla veil and a fabulous pair of Chanel caged heels to a reception designed by Misty Duncan Events that is the definition of modern classic with a decidedly gilded twist, this is our happy place. It’s a gorgeous display of wedding goodness captured by The Nichols and you can see it all right here!
From the Bride… Michael and I live in New York City, but we travel to Austin, Texas, often to visit my family. We both love it so much that we decided the night we got engaged that a hill country celebration would be perfect for us. My dear friend Misty, from Misty Duncan Events, helped us plan and execute what was truly our dream wedding. The most important part to us was the ceremony itself. We had a traditional Catholic mass/ceremony, and we included some Hispanic traditions like the exchanging of the arras (coins that represent the groom’s promise to provide for his family, and the bride’s promise to properly use and care for their money) and the traditional lasso (a figure-eight loop that is placed over the bride and groom to represent a lifetime of unity). What was also very special was that I wore my mother’s veil that she wore when she married my dad 42 years ago! And for my wedding gown, I was lucky enough to have the privilege of working with Monique Lhuillier! Using mom’s veil as our starting point of inspiration, Monique designed my absolute dream gown. And not only is she extremely talented, but she’s also genuinely kind and beautiful inside and out. I wore Chanel booties for the ceremony, but changed into my sparkly fibi & clo’s (the company I c0-founded with my husband) for the dance party.
After a very emotional and sweet ceremony, it was time to celebrate our Cinco de Mayo wedding! From the moment we saw the gorgeous Lake Travis views at Villa Del Lago, we knew that was it. I told Misty we wanted the vibe to be inspired by our favorite French designer, Philippe Starck. I tried to think about what he would do if he designed a hotel in Austin. So from the gold spray-painted deer antlers to the peacock-colored tufted bench to the cowhide rugs over French furniture, the result was a chic French/Texas vibe. We tried to make it as personal as we could, so we named each section of our long family-style table after our favorite NYC restaurants. Each had an envelope that told personal stories about each restaurant and our favorite things to order. And then inside the envelope were the business cards, so friends and family could share in these memories when they come visit us. We also love sugar, so our sweets table was filled with three different cake flavors and all our personal favorites like Univ. of Texas Longhorns sugar cookies (my fave) and s’mores tarts (Michael’s fave). And each guest left with a bag of traditional Mexican wedding cookies. Looking back, we still can’t believe how lucky we are to have been surrounded by so much love from our friends and family that weekend. Seeing everyone hanging out together having a good time is what we’ll remember more than anything. That kind of support system meant the world to us, and we’ll never forget that.
Wedding Photography: The Nichols / Ceremony: Saint Mary Cathedral in Austin, Texas / Reception: Villa Del Lago in Austin, Texas / Wedding Coordination + Design: Misty Duncan Events / Catering + Floral Design: Whole Foods / Wedding Cake: Stardust Pastry / Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals + Marquee Rents / Transportation: Antique Limousines of Austin /Band: Hot Sauce ATX / Accommodations: Four Seasons Hotel Austin + W Austin Hotel / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Shoes: Chloe and fibi & clo / Makeup: Lindsey Hartley / Groom’s Tuxedo: Ralph Lauren