1. Real Weddings

A Vintage, Springtime Outdoor Wedding at Mercury Hall in Austin, Texas

Kira, 25 and a designer and bridal tailor, met Ryan, 26 and a software engineer, when she was 15 and he was 16. She knew she was in love with him when

Kira, 25 and a designer and bridal tailor, met Ryan, 26 and a software engineer, when she was 15 and he was 16. She knew she was in love with him when she was 17, and they have been together ever since. On the couple's eighth anniversary, Kira came home to find that Ryan had left chocolates and a poem sitting on the table; the entire poem rhymed with eight and finished with "Meet me at Zilker Park, Let's Celebrate." Kira found Ryan with a wine and cheese picnic at the park, and later in the evening, he took Kira down by the lake and nervously popped the question. It was the couple's favorite day until their spring wedding day in Austin, Texas.

Kira designed her own wedding dress. "It was everything I could have wanted. The peach lace came from a table cloth that was once my late Grandpa's. I spent almost the entire year of our engagement perfecting," says Kira.
"I gave the bridesmaids a specific color I wanted them to wear, and they all chose their own dresses. It turned out beautiful with all the different shades and styles," says Kira. The light aqua and teal dresses were beautiful for a spring wedding.
The groom wore a new Hugo Boss grey suit with a lilac tie and custom 1964 Luchese cowboy boots. The groomsmen wore grey slacks, suspenders and lilac ties.
"Austin in the springtime is full of wildflowers, so most of the decor was simple and spring-inspired," says Kira. The couple used pastel colors in their wedding so the springtime colors would really pop.
The wedding programs were printed on stationery and converted into fans with a balsa wood attachment to keep guests cool in the springtime sun.
Kira and Ryan tied the knot at Mercury Hall in Austin, Texas. "We wanted to be outdoors," says Kira. "Most of our guests were coming from out of town, so it was the perfect mix of Hill Country beauty and city fun."
Kira and Ryan exchanged their vows surrounded by the greenery of Mercury Hall on a sunny spring day.
Kira and Ryan shared their first kiss outdoors on a sunny spring day in Austin, Texas at Mercury Hall.
Mercury Hall in Austin, Texas offered more than a beautiful outdoor ceremony venue; an eclectic zigzag path led to a patio for cocktail tables and an indoor reception hall.
The couple's cocktail hour featured a selection of beers and a signature cocktail of their design.
The bright reception hall featured beautiful stain glass windows. Round tables were set with lavender tablecloths and white folding chairs and Texas wildflower-inspired floral centerpieces.
Table centerpieces featured exquisite Texas wildflowers such as the State flower, the bluebonnet, and the Indian blanket flower, in vintage vases with colored water and pebbles.
The groom's two-tiered chocolate cake featured a romantic chocolate and red rose-color scheme with red ribbon around each tier and four fondant rose cake toppers.
Blush ranunculus blossoms, Indian blanket flowers and sprigs of greenery topped the three-tier classic white wedding cake.
"At the reception, the long part of my skirt could be removed, and I threw on a beaded hem wrap skirt to finish out the night," says Kira. She designed the dress herself using family vintage fabric from her Grandpa's tablecloth.
Kira and Ryan provided potted succulent plants for guests to take home as a wedding favor.
Ryan wore vintage 1964 Luchese cowboy boots that Texas Custom Boots in Austin made new.