I had such a great time getting to know these two wonderful people. Their wedding was heartfelt and full of love and culture with so many incredible moments to document.
Both Shalaby and Aisha are New Jersey natives who found their way to Texas and fell in love with Austin. Their first date took place one summer night in New York City. Once he learned that Aisha loved to travel, Shalaby listened to audio tapes on flying to conquer his anxiety. Now, they’ve eaten meals all over the world together.
Shalaby proposed to Aisha in December of 2011 and surprised her with a private chef who presented them with a five-course meal full of her favorite foods including pear soup, pecan-crusted salmon and hazelnut cake with chocolate ganache. Yum.
They were married at the Barton Creek Resort in Central Texas in a beautiful ceremony. Aisha wore a curvy white gown designed by Ines DiSanto that was to die for. She also wore her mother’s wedding veil from her parents’ wedding over four decades ago – the beaded headpiece was incredible. Friends well-versed in the DIY craft culture handmade the menu cards and other wedding decorations. One took a copy of Aisha’s favorite book – Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – hollowed it out and added ribbons in their wedding colors of eggplant and charcoal gray to hold their wedding rings.
Some of my favorite parts of the day were the little ways they honored their different backgrounds and incorporated different parts of their cultural heritage into their wedding. Part of their ceremony was read in both English and Spanish with a nod to Aisha’s Latin ancestry, they put a doll, la muñeca, on display during the reception in recognition of her Panamanian roots and they jumped over a broom in honor of Shalaby’s African-American heritage.
A special thanks to all the vendors:
Event Coordinator: Keely Thorne Events
Catering: Barton Creek Spa & Resort
Venue: Barton Creek Resort
Flowers: Verbena Floral
Hair: Sabina Clarke of Sol Natural Hair Studio
Makeup: Gertie Murray of Rae Cosmetics
Dress: Ines DiSanto
Cake: Barton Creek Spa & Resort
DJ: Texas Professional Disc Jockey
Linens: BBJ Linens
Lighting: ILD Lighting
Calligraphy: Susan Salsberry
Escort Cards: Anthologie Press
Photobooth: Booth 66