How did you choose your venues: JW Marriot and Brazos Hall – We knew we wanted to be in the heart of Austin so we got quotes from nearly every venue you can think of in that area– Brazos, Four Seasons, Hotel Van Zandt, W, etc. And being the analytical people that we are, we made an excel spreadsheet estimating all of the costs associated with each venue. After much deliberation, we finally decided on Brazos because it offered us the opportunity to create a venue uniquely tailored to our wants as well as an opportunity to try to control some of the design costs. We decided on the JW Marriot because it was super close to the hotel, was relatively well priced, and had a great hotel bar!
Describe your decor and how you chose it? Generally, my aesthetic is very clean and contemporary. I honestly had no idea what exactly I wanted but as I kept looking through wedding magazines and Pinterest, I found myself continually gravitating towards white décor, acrylic tables, and orchids so that’s exactly what I decided on. It was perfect for the summer and was something different than what all my other friends had previously done.
Tell me about your attire – who designed your dress and where did you buy it? Mira Zwillinger designed my dress and I bought at Joan Pillow in Houston. I honestly thought I wanted a very simple dress as I said, I love clean cut, contemporary pieces but I ended up with the exact opposite. Mira Zwillinger’s dresses are truly works of art and all of them are beautiful in unique ways. My dress was hanging in the corner of the store and I walked over to it and saw the price tag and quickly walked away. But when we were trying on dresses I kept thinking about that dress. Reluctantly, my mom let me try it on and we both instantly knew that we were in trouble because it was definitely the dress.
What shoes did you choose and what jewelry did you wear?
I wore some Stuart Weitzman block heels that were silver/gold with sparkles. Nearly all my friends have worn these shoes for their wedding because they are fun yet so comfortable. I wear them to nearly every wedding I attend too!
Who designed the bridesmaids dresses? Joanna August designed the bridesmaids dresses. I told my bridesmaids they could get any style in the ‘Going to the Chapel’ color. At the time, there happened to be a great sale on Shopbop so my friends were able to get their dresses for super cheap.
And your groom – tell me about his look – who was his suit designer? Any other significant accessories? Preston’s jacket was a white dinner jacket by Harper Jones. He wanted a white jacket to stand out from his groomsmen and it also made him easy to spot throughout the night. His cufflinks were Max Lang and he had his Shinola watch.
Why did you choose me, Jenny, to be your wedding photographer? Because she is the best photographer! But in all honesty, she’s done two of my other friends’ weddings and we all love her as a person just as much as a photographer. Jenny makes the process so special and I recommend her to all of my friends.
What was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day? My favorite part of the wedding was having everyone I loved all in the same place. My favorite specific moment has to either be walking down the aisle to my amazing groom tearing up and trust me he never ever cries or our private last dance song together. So hard to choose!
What was your favorite image from your wedding day? These are tough questions! Either the pictures of Preston when I walked down the aisle or our exit picture. I also love the solo shots of Preston because he looks so so good.
Did any of your other vendors go above and beyond for you?
Megan Metzger of course!! I could go on and on about Megan. Also, Illios lighting put up with my constant emails and made my lighting dreams come true.
Do you have any tips to share with other couples?
Spend as much time as you can throughout the wedding weekend being with everyone. Never again will you have all of your family and your closest friends in the same place so soak it up!