Southern Weddings

We’re off to Austin, Texas!  Sarah + Derek met through Kara (Derek’s sister) on New Year’s Eve…  a perfect romantic night that later led to this elegant, traditional and rustic wedding celebration. I love that the bride helped design her own gown and had a bouquet inspired by {Sex and the City’s} Carrie.  We can’t wait to show you more reception details in the second post, but we will leave with these for now: flowers and venue by {Barr Mansion}, dress created by {Natalie Miller} and bridesmaid dresses from {J.Crew}.  Photography by {Tinywater Photography}. How about this gorgeous Southern location?!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: Derek and I met through his younger sister Kara. She and I went to school together, and she invited me to a New Year’s Eve bash at her older brother’s house near Austin. With the promise of tall, dark and handsome rugby players at the party, I knew I had to be there! Of course when we arrived I pointed out to her one man in particular that I had to talk to. “Kara, do you know him? He is so cute!” “Yes… That’s my brother!” she laughed. He ended up being my New Year’s kiss, and we have been together ever since.
Describe the proposal: Derek stood by tradition and first asked my parents for my hand in marriage, so I had a feeling it was coming. In order to surprise me he had to think of something that would be completely unexpected. It was late September– my favorite time of year. He woke me up before the sun, and we went on an early dawn motorcycle ride through the hill country. As the sun began to rise, we reached a gorgeous scenic over look and stood side by side, hand in hand… I just knew what he was going to ask me. The whole proposal was very classic Derek, no muss or fuss, just his charming words and nature surrounding us.
What attracted me to my husband was: Derek stole my heart with his old fashioned manners, his sense of humor and his big brown eyes.
Why do you love your husband? I love the way my hands feel so small in his, the way we can look at each other from across the room and seem to be thinking the same thoughts, and I love how sincere Derek is always.
What attracted me to my wife was: Sarah is stunning, but beyond that she is passionate and strong. I was very attracted to her confidence and her honesty.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Once I took Sarah away to a weekend in Fredericksburg, Texas. We went wine tasting and dug around in the antique shops. Seeing her eyes light up and her smile when she found a first edition copy of Alice In Wonderland, a book she read with her mother as a child, is something I will never forget.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My dress is a couture design that was an incorporation of ideas between me and designer Natalie Miller of Houston, Texas. I searched everywhere for the “perfect dress” and had come up empty handed, nothing had that ethereal yet glamorous look that I was going for. Natalie completely understood my vision and was able to bring my “Grace Kelly” dress to fruition.
Describe your wedding flowers: For my bouquet we were inspired by the Sex and The City Movie! Carrie Bradshaw’s long stemmed cream roses and ivory ranunculus really caught my eye so we replicated that. The groom wore a white ranunculus and his groomsmen wore the same flower in pink. I decided to go with ranunculus because their texture reminded me of tattered vintage millinery flowers. For the reception we used antique hydrangeas in pink, green and creams in towering glass cylinders surrounded by vintage inspired mercury glass candle holders.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? We did not write our own vows, but simply saying “I do” was so powerful to the both of us. We had been waiting for that moment for quite some time, and when it came, it was surreal.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? After the ceremony we had a moment alone together in the estate. We had a sip of our drinks and toasted one another. Taking a moment to kiss and say “Wow. This is what forever feels like”, it was the most romantic moment the two of us had ever experienced.

More to come from Sarah + Derek!