Meeting your love in Morocco sounds like the plot from a summer romance flick but no, just normal day to day stuff for this Mr. and Mrs. And if their meeting was that magical, it’s a given that their Austin wedding was ten times so. Awash in the palest of pinks and the prettiest of white florals by Petal Pushers and images by Sarah Kate that are as timeless and elegant as you can get, this is an ode to romance; meeting the love of your life over seas and saying “I Do” on your grandparents 68th wedding anniversary. Told you these two were straight out of a movie. See it all unfold right here!
From the Bride… Justin and I met in 2006 while studying abroad in Morocco. We became good friends overseas and kept in touch afterwards, finally starting to date long-distance in 2009. At the time, I was living in Austin, and he was living in Seattle. Within six months, we both knew we had something special. I was moving to Dallas for work, and Justin decided to move there as well so we could give our new relationship a chance to grow. In December of 2011, Justin proposed, and the wedding planning began. When looking at wedding venues, we knew we wanted something different. We considered getting married in Dallas but decided on Austin because of its laid-back atmosphere. We fell in love with Laguna Gloria, a private residence built in the 1916 that was converted into a public art space by the city of Austin in the 1960s. The design of the villa and surrounding grounds was inspired by the original owners’ trip to Lake Como, Italy. We knew it was just the place to achieve the upscale, outdoor, dinner party feel we wanted for our wedding reception.
We held our ceremony in the Central Christian Church near the state capitol building. Another example of Italian style architecture, the church was built in 1929 and houses one of the oldest congregations in the city. We were married on March 24, 2012, a date we chose because of its special meaning — it’s my grandparents’ 68th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1944, just before my grandfather entered the second World War. My grandfather passed away in August 2011, leaving my grandmother as the last surviving grandparent between Justin and me. We feel very lucky to share such a special day with her.
Wedding Photography: Sarah Kate, Photographer / Ceremony: Central Christian Church in Austin, Texas / Reception: Laguna Gloria at the Austin Museum of Art in Austin, Texas / Wedding Coordination: Aimee Villa of Lizze Belle Event Management / Floral Design: Petal Pushers / Wedding Cinematography: Joe Simon Wedding Films / Catering: Myra Adkins of Word of Mouth Catering / Wedding Cakes: Coco Paloma Desserts / Wedding Paper Goods: Southern Fried Paper / Ceremony Strings: Barton Strings / DJ: Chris Bar of Altared Wedding Productions / Lighting: Ilios Lighting / Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade