Austin Wedding by Caroline + Ben Photography
Not all rustic weddings are the barn dwelling, mason jar toting type. Some are more of the polished rustic variety in that chiavari chair out in the open air sort of way. This is how Austinites do weddings and we are wholeheartedly on board. Caroline + Ben Photography captured a day full of easy elegance with a line-up of all white florals by Bella Flora of Dallas that paired perfectly with the classic styling of Dayley Design. See the full spread of alfresco nuptials right here!
From the Bride... My fiancé and I lived in NYC for eight years and met the last year I was there. He is from Rhode Island, I’m from a small town in Texas, and we ended up moving to Austin a year ago.We decided that we wanted to get married at a venue that had a ranch-type feel so that our East Coast friends and family could have that experience, but we wanted the décor to be clean and modern with a touch of classic romance, which we captured by bringing in chandeliers, string light globes, and lots of candle light. Our wedding invitation logo design carried over from the bench cushions and wedding party table chairs to one of the bars. I wanted to make sure that Texas, Rhode Island and a touch of NYC were part of the day, so we had bottles of Rhode Island red wine and a Texas chardonnay on the dinner tables, koozies for the reception that said “Don’t Mess with Rhode Island Either,” and we departed the reception through a line of our friends waving small Texas and Rhode Island flags. Our favorite coffee shop in NYC, the Grey Dog Café, sent up coffee cups with their logo that we used for coffee service.
I wanted to include special women in my family in the wedding ceremony so I gave my two cousins, sister-in-law and my brother’s girlfriend bracelets that mimicked the bracelet I wore at my reception. They wore these on the day of the wedding and walked down the aisle as a group before my bridesmaids. We kept the ceremony short and simple! Other highlights of the day were my dad’s toast and just the fact that so many people we love were in the same room at the same time. I know that sounds cliché, but it was amazing to have all of those people celebrating with us. Oh, and the table holding the grooms cake fell and all of the plates shattered, but somehow the grooms cake just slid perfectly onto the ground and wasn’t damaged at all.
As far as advice to other brides, take the opportunity of the wedding and the planning time to connect with your family and friends. The greatest joy I found in the months leading up to the wedding was having so many opportunities to hang out with everyone at showers, engagement celebrations, the bachelorette party, and even simple phone calls to friends to ask opinions on wedding ideas. SMP (of course) and NY Magazine’s wedding section was helpful … and I have to say that one of my best friends, Kristin Shepelwich from AK Event Design in Dallas, was a great shoulder to lean on through this — she has planned many wonderful weddings, so her input was great. It always helps to have someone like that in your corner.
Wedding Photography: Caroline + Ben Photography / Wedding Venue: The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge in Austin, Texas / Event Planning + Coordination: Ashley + Dayme of Dayley Design / Floral Design + Rentals: Bella Flora of Dallas / Wedding Cake: Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop / Groom's Cake: Polkadots Cupcake Factory / Wedding Invitations: Alyssa Reeves of Paradise Design Co. / Save-the-Dates + Koozies: Tara Hendrick of Tara Hendrick Graphic Design (The Bride's Cousin) / Linens + Serving Pieces: Marquee Rents / Bar Signs + Cake Knife: Etsy / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang "Ghillian" / Bride's Heels: J.Crew / Bride's Veil: Her Mothers, Made by Her Grandmother / Bride's Necklace: A Gift from Her Mother / Bride's Bracelet: Jenny Packham / Hair + Makeup: Erica Gray / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Their Choice in Navy
I wanted to include special women in my family in the wedding ceremony so I gave my two cousins, sister-in-law and my brother’s girlfriend bracelets that mimicked the bracelet I wore at my reception. They wore these on the day of the wedding and walked down the aisle as a group before my bridesmaids. We kept the ceremony short and simple! Other highlights of the day were my dad’s toast and just the fact that so many people we love were in the same room at the same time. I know that sounds cliché, but it was amazing to have all of those people celebrating with us. Oh, and the table holding the grooms cake fell and all of the plates shattered, but somehow the grooms cake just slid perfectly onto the ground and wasn’t damaged at all.
As far as advice to other brides, take the opportunity of the wedding and the planning time to connect with your family and friends. The greatest joy I found in the months leading up to the wedding was having so many opportunities to hang out with everyone at showers, engagement celebrations, the bachelorette party, and even simple phone calls to friends to ask opinions on wedding ideas. SMP (of course) and NY Magazine’s wedding section was helpful … and I have to say that one of my best friends, Kristin Shepelwich from AK Event Design in Dallas, was a great shoulder to lean on through this — she has planned many wonderful weddings, so her input was great. It always helps to have someone like that in your corner.
Wedding Photography: Caroline + Ben Photography / Wedding Venue: The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge in Austin, Texas / Event Planning + Coordination: Ashley + Dayme of Dayley Design / Floral Design + Rentals: Bella Flora of Dallas / Wedding Cake: Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop / Groom's Cake: Polkadots Cupcake Factory / Wedding Invitations: Alyssa Reeves of Paradise Design Co. / Save-the-Dates + Koozies: Tara Hendrick of Tara Hendrick Graphic Design (The Bride's Cousin) / Linens + Serving Pieces: Marquee Rents / Bar Signs + Cake Knife: Etsy / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang "Ghillian" / Bride's Heels: J.Crew / Bride's Veil: Her Mothers, Made by Her Grandmother / Bride's Necklace: A Gift from Her Mother / Bride's Bracelet: Jenny Packham / Hair + Makeup: Erica Gray / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Their Choice in Navy