If we had to sum up this intimate, 40-guest wedding in a single phrase, it would be “pure romance.” From the soft palette of misty pinks and moody creams to the show-stopping bride’s crystal-embellished silk ball gown, everything about this rose-filled fête feels like a little girl’s dream all grown up.

Khristy, a nurse, and Ty, a video producer, initially considered a beachside elopement, but they ultimately decided that they wanted to be wed in the presence of those closest to them. “What mattered most to us was that we be able to share the day of our love with the people we love,” Khristy said. With this in mind, the two began scoping out venues that would suit a “small and peaceful” event. Fortuitously, they found themselves smitten by the first venue they visited—the Driskill, Austin’s grandest old hotel, built in 1886 to be the showplace of a cattle baron—as soon as they set foot in the well-appointed, marble-floored lobby. With its lavish antique furnishings and old-fashioned Texas charm, it proved to be the ideal setting for the wedding that Khristy envisioned: elegant with  “a splash of Victorian and a whole lot of romance.” The bride and groom relied on the generosity of family and friends, who handcrafted most of the decorations, to turn their dream wedding into a reality.

As these utterly captivating photos by film photographer Jessica Garmon attest, it was a dream come true and more. Khristy’s wedding album is a source of great joy, transporting her back to the magic and sweetness of that day every time she opens it. “I think the pictures speak volumes, and every time I look at our album, I experience the day all over again,” Khristy said. “We are so thankful for our photographer, Jessica, who captured both our engagement and our wedding. She is the reason why I am able to continue to share our story, and I love her and her amazing work!”

Q + A with Khristy

What’s your love story? How did you meet, fall in love, and get engaged?

Ty and I met through my sister- and brother-in-law four years ago! He was a very persistent man; needless to say, it took a few weeks for us to finally share a real date. Don’t get me wrong; I thought there was something truly fantastic about him from the moment I saw him, but I kept my distance for a while. When we finally started to go on regular dates, I discovered that there was nothing I didn’t absolutely love about him. His personality and smile just locked me right in. He has the best sense of humor, and he’s charming, caring, loving, and protecting. He is respectful, handsome, and a little crazy (in a good way). He’s brought out another side of me, and I like to think I’ve done the same for him. We have so much fun together, and we’re both willing to explore each other’s likes and interests, which expands our worlds so much. Ty’s opened my eyes to so many things. His most important trait is his acceptance; I have a 7-year-old son, and Ty has loved this little boy from the moment we both walked into his life.

Ty proposed to me in March 2010. I was in nursing school, and we were wrapping up the semester of final exams. On this particular morning, we had our last exam. I was on the nursing board, and that morning the president, who happens to be one of my good friends, told me that we had to have a quick meeting after our class finished the test, and that she needed me to go to the front of the class with her to address some issues. As soon as the exam ended, she called me to the front of the class and started speaking. Not much of what she was saying made sense, and it puzzled me, but I pretended to follow along! We were only two minutes into the conversation when the back door of the classroom swung open and in walked Ty, dressed to the nines. My instructors and my sister followed behind him with their cameras in tow. Ty walked up to me, knelt down on one knee, told me how much he loved me, and then asked me to be his wife! I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal! I was so surprised; he completely took my breath away. I think my class ended up answering the question for me, but yes was the definite answer!

How did you choose your venue?

Ty and I were engaged for two years before we said “I do.” He would have married me the day he put the ring on my finger, but it was really important for me to finish school first. One day—June 1, 2012, to be exact—we decided it was time to get married! I don’t think either one of us wanted to wait any longer to finally be husband and wife. We both picked out the top three places we wanted to get married. Our original plan was to elope to a beach somewhere. However, the more I thought about this, the more I realized that I wanted my family to be present. With that decided, we set up a few appointments with several venues, and the Driskill Hotel happened to be the first venue that we visited. From the moment we walked into the lobby, we were both taken aback by the amazing ambiance of this hotel. As soon as we saw the view of downtown Austin, the interior design, the rooms, and the grand staircase, we just knew it was the one. It had everything we could have ever hoped for in a wedding venue. Needless to say, we signed up for the first available date—which happened to be August 4, 2012—and cancelled all the other meetings we had arranged. It was very important to both of us that we share this day with those closest to us. What mattered most to us was that we be able to share this day of our love with the people we love. We kept it small, peaceful, and, most of all, romantic. We wanted everyone else to feel just as loved as we did. 

The Driskill’s wedding coordinator, Amanda Tofflemire, was a godsend. She helped to make the planning process so easy. I would recommend this place to anyone! We had a little less than two months to plan the entire day, but, honestly, everything went so smoothly. The hotel had so many accommodations, which I think saved us a lot of time and energy.

Can you tell us a little bit about the details of your wedding and your sources of inspiration?

Style and color palette

We wanted a splash of Victorian and a whole lot of romance! Our color palette was very soft—light pinks, creams, and ivory. We incorporated lots of glassware, candles, and flowers. We drew inspiration from the hotel itself. It was so cozy, and the wallpaper, candlesticks, and antique wooden furniture matched every vision I had for my wedding day. My amazing mom, sisters, and close friends handcrafted the majority of our decorations, and the beauty of the wedding largely owed itself to the handmade details.  My family members and friends truly worked so hard to help make this day everything that it was! I can tell you that there isn’t a single thing I would have done differently.

Bouquet and boutonnieres

My bouquet was full of cream roses with soft green fillers. I wanted to keep it simple. My girls carried single pink roses, which they added to a vase that sat at the front of our ceremony table. The men’s boutonnieres consisted of pink roses with some sprigs of greenery.

Ceremony décor

The ceremony space was cozy and romantic. The focal point was a mantled fireplace framed by large mirrors. The aisles were lined with light pink rose petals. We had a sand ceremony with pink and silver sand. Tall vases filled with hydrangeas and curly willow branches stood at the entrance to the room. A long wooden table was decorated with candles, programs, and a canvas fingerprint tree, which served as our guestbook. We kept everything simple and elegant. The room spoke for itself.

Centerpieces and reception décor

Our centerpieces consisted of hydrangeas and an assortment of other flowers in clear vases. To give depth to the room, some assortments were tall, while others were short. Some tables were simply decorated with beautiful pillar candles and clear votive candles. Both mantles in the room were heavily lined with a variety of different types of candles. Our head table featured tall vases filled with hydrangeas and curly willow branches. Our linens were beige, and we used silver charger plates. We hung our initials, which were painted and decorated with satin ribbon, vintage flowers, and crystal stickers, on the outside of our reception halls’ double doors We also had a kids’ table that was set with bags of activities. The older children were given handmade cookie bouquets.

Menu

We served a salad of romaine hearts, mango, sourdough croutons, red bell peppers, and mango dressing. The entrée was beef Wellington with a bacon cornbread purée, roasted asparagus, and a red wine demi-glace. The children dined on kid-friendly food, including chicken fingers, French fries, and chocolate chip cookies.

Cake and desserts

We had a lemon cielo cake—a white cake with lemon-infused mascarpone cream, candied lemon zest, and fresh raspberries—covered with spackled buttercream frosting. I love desserts, so we also served cupcakes with candied almond cream filling and banana pudding bites.

Bridesmaids

My bridesmaids wore candy-pink dresses in different styles. They each carried a single rose, which they placed in a vase on the ceremony table. The girls also handed Ty a tissue as they placed their roses in the vase.

Favors

Our favors were bottles of wine. Fancy Pants was the name of the wine, and it matched our theme perfectly. The gifts tags were made by my sister. Our guestbook book was a hand-painted fingerprint tree made by a family friend. For our exit, we came down a curved staircase as guests tossed rose petals from handmade cones, which were made by my crafty sister.

Flower girl and ring bearers

My niece, Kaitlyn, served as the flower girl. She wore a cream-colored vintage dress and carried a rose ball bouquet on a satin string. No flowers were tossed.

My son, Bradyn, and my nephew, Logan, served as our ring bearers. My nephew carried a wooden ring box tied with a satin string. My son carried a wooden sign that read, “Here Comes Our Woman,” as this is what he and Ty call me. Funny side note on the rings: My sister and her husband were our matron of honor and best man, respectively. When asked to present the rings during the ceremony, they pulled out a huge ring pop. It was payback for what Ty and I did to them during their wedding; we pretended to have lost their rings and then finally pulled them out of Ty’s shoe!

Groom and groomsmen

Under their dress shirts, each groomsman wore a certain superhero shirt. I made Ty a handkerchief that I embroidered with the following words: “I love you forever. Love, Wife.” My sister gave this to him moments before the ceremony.

Can you tell us about your stunning dress and your wedding day look?

My wedding gown was amazing! Since we planned the wedding in two months, I actually had to take the dress off the floor. My gown had only been on the floor for one week, so I knew that it was meant to be. It was actually the last dress that I tried on, and it turned out to be the best pick. It had a sweetheart neckline, and dozens of crystals and beaded floral embellishments engulfed the entire top half of the dress. The waistline had a belt of layered satin, and the floor-length satin skirt had a small petticoat underneath to give it just enough flair. My favorite part of the dress? The skirt had pockets!

I didn’t wear a veil, as I thought the dress spoke for itself. My hair was pulled back into a curled side bun with studded bobby pins. My makeup was light and simple. I wanted to keep the look simple, chic, and elegant.

What was your first dance song?

Our first dance song was played by good friends of ours from a band called Feel Never Real. They covered our song, “Tangled Up in You” by Staind. The words are so beautiful!

Did you experience any wedding day disasters?

My wedding flowers! I chose to go with a local florist, so we had to take the flowers down to Austin with us. Just imagine two cars filled with flowers in Texas’ sweltering August heat! It was terrible! Needless to say, I had a squirt bottle handy so that I could constantly spray the flowers to keep them fresh for the next 24 hours! I was very happy when they finally got taken to the reception hall.

On our sand table, a flower vase was accidentally set in front of our sand vase. Thus, the pouring of our sand took place behind our vase of flowers, so there really wasn’t much to see! Haha! And both of our parents forgot to pour their sand prior to being seated, so all four of us shared the pouring of sand together! It ended up being great!

What were your favorite moments of the day?

My absolute favorite moment was when the doors opened and I saw my husband waiting for me. I felt like the world just stopped for a minute, and it was the happiest minute of my life. The night before, my sister stayed in my room with me. I swear, we talked for hours, just reminiscing about all the times and all the years we’ve shared together and how we got to where we were. I was able to spend the morning of the wedding with my girls and my mom, just getting ready, being crazy. It was everything a girl could ask for on her wedding day.

Honestly, I cannot put into words how amazing this day was. I think the pictures speak volumes, and every time I look at our album, I experience it all over again. I’ve never smiled, laughed, cried, or enjoyed any other day as much as I did this day, and trust me, I love life. The romance filled the air, and it was just amazing. I wouldn’t take one thing back. We are so thankful for our photographer, Jessica Garmon, who captured both our engagement and our wedding. She is the reason why I am able to continue to share our story, and I love her and her amazing work! 

What kind of advice would you offer to future brides?

Don’t fret about money; remember that it doesn’t buy you happiness. Our wedding was very, very budget friendly. There was nothing more important to me on this day than marrying Ty. I didn’t let much get to me, worry me, or stress me out. I was so excited to share my day with the 40 guests we had by our side, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about this day! Make sure you’re happy on your wedding day, and everything will fall into place!

Vendors

Photography: Jessica Garmon / Ceremony and reception venue: Driskill Hotel / Event design: Bride and bride’s sisters and girlfriends / Day-of coordinator: Amanda Tofflemire with the Driskill Hotel / Flowers: Special Occasions by Vicki / Catering: Driskill Hotel / Cake and desserts: Driskill Hotel / Party rentals: Marquee Rents / Live music: Feel Never Real / DJ: Complete Music DJ Service / Officiant: Joey Wilson / Bride’s gown: Allure Bridals, purchased from Emma’s Bridal Boutique / Bride’s shoes: Antonio Melani from Dillard’s / Bride’s jewelry: Dillard’s / Bridesmaid dresses: David’s Bridal / Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire: Men’s Wearhouse /Hair: Candice Gooch of Cedar Hill, Texas / Makeup: Bride did her own makeup / Wedding rings: Zales / Invitations: Wishing Tree Designs / Favors: Fancy Pants wine bottles and cork screws

Note: All other décor items were handmade by family or friends.

This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights.