An Outdoor Wedding at Villa Del Lago Events Pavilion in Austin, Texas

Christina Cole (35, Interior Architect and Designer) met Sorush Abboud (35, Financial Advisor and Trader) in 1993 in Houston, Texas the year Sorush, also known as Shawn, transferred to Stratford High School. While in high school, the two never fostered a relationship more than friendly acquaintanceship. The two left Stratford High for Southern Methodist University and University of Texas. After college graduation, Christina and Shawn both moved to the East Coast, leaving their Texas roots behind. It wasn’t until 2013, 20 years since they first met and 13 years after the two last saw one another, that Christina and Shawn reconnected in Austin, Texas. After six months of a “whirlwind romance” Shawn proposed during a weekend trip to Washington DC. While on a private garden tour of Dumbarton Oaks, a historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood, Shawn bent down on one knee and popped the question.The two planned a Texas wedding while living half way around the world in Dubai during their engagement. On October 18, 2014 the two said ‘I do’ surrounded by 160 of their closest friends and family members at Villa Del Lago Events Pavilion in Austin, Texas. “We loved this venue because it was outdoor but not too rustic. Instead, the garden was quite plush and the architecture was Mediterranean inspired,” says Christina.