A Bohemian Desert Wedding at the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas

Laura Hicks (30 and a trail maintenance leader for the National Park Service) and Erik Walker’s (42 and a trail maintenance supervisor for the National Park Service) chose a modern motif to juxtapose the natural beauty of West Texas’s landscape and the unique Western charm of the historic Gage Hotel.

“The rugged and remote desert is so much part of our lives, and we couldn’t imagine getting hitched anywhere else,” Laura says. The couple added native fauna like succulents and air plants to complement the environment.

Laura opted for a two-piece ensemble, pairing a silk jersey ballet tank with a draped linen ball gown skirt in a blush-colored hue. “It complemented the desert tones so well,” she says. During the reception, Laura traded her wedges for a pair of locally made boots that she describes as the “perfect dancing shoes.”

Post reception, a group of 40 guests ventured an hour south of Marathon into Big Bend National Park, where they spent a few days exploring the land where Laura and Erik first met and now call home. “We were overjoyed — it was an exciting bonus to have our wedding in West Texas!” Laura says.