Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" Inspired This Chic Wedding at The Driskill in Austin, Texas
Ella and Brennan were like two ships passing in the night throughout their days in college. Both attended the University of Texas at Austin, with overlapping friend groups and similar favorite spots, but they narrowly missed each other every time a meet cute seemed bound to happen. Fate duly intervened, however, on the day of the 2017 Cotton Bowl, with a party at their two friends’ apartment. Once they began dating, Brennan even encouraged Ella to cross off a bucket list item by running a marathon before her 26th birthday, which she did with the Napa Valley Marathon. Three years into their dating journey, Brennan proposed post-half-marathon at a winery tasting with their loved ones in attendance. “Now we look back on it and laugh that while he was encouraging me to sign up for the Half Marathon in Napa so he could propose, I was signing up so he could have an opportunity to propose,” Ella says.
For the two lovebirds, choosing a wedding date was easy—“September,” by Earth, Wind and Fire, paved the way. This dance party would be full of unique elements and, most of all, fun. “I started referring to it as a mullet wedding - all class in the front (at the dinner) and party in the back (in the ballroom),” says Ella. She worked with a wedding planning team, including her interior designer mother, to craft a one-of-a-kind event that reflected her and her future husband’s zest for life.
Besides party planning duties, Ella’s mother was also involved in wedding dress shopping. Initially, the two decided to journey to Paris to look for the perfect gown, a trip they’d been planning since Ella was a teenager. Just a few weeks post-engagement, however, they made appointments in Chicago to get an idea of styles before their international venture. The first stop? The shop where Ella’s mom had bought her wedding dress three decades prior. Naeem Khan had a trunk show during their appointment, and with her mom’s encouragement, Ella tried on the Oslo by this designer. Though, at first, it seemed to be the exact opposite of what she envisioned, she couldn’t deny it “fit like a glove,” and she fell in love with its ribbons and uniqueness, perfect for their September dance party. “There's a picture of me sitting in the chair sipping celebratory champagne on the phone with other bridal salons canceling appointments. I like to say the dress is so perfect I gave up a trip to Paris for it,” the bride says.
One way she made this dress even more special was with her late grandmother’s needlepoint. Her mother had found some of this work, a stitching that said “Wedding Bells”—apt for Ella, whose nickname was Belle, and the fact that her parents gave her a bell for Christmas each year. The bride surprised her mother and honored her grandmother with the stitching added to her dress’s ribbons. Her groom’s suit even had its own surprise stitching inside: “Forever my Fella. Love, Ella” in the collar.
Since the couple’s love story began in Texas, they knew they wanted to celebrate this new chapter at a special venue in Austin. And with their business up front, party in the back vibes, nowhere else fit the nearlyweds’ needs like the iconic Driskill. Between its architecture, history and beauty, the venue needed little by way of decor to create a memorable evening. That included cascades of white florals with pops of pinks, oranges and reds, the perfect palette for this fall wedding. Ella says, “I went into the first design meetings with the idea in my head that I wanted more candles than [flowers]. Boy, did that change as soon as we met with David. He is a true artist with flowers and candles and showed me that sometimes less just isn't more.”
Some other ways Brennan and Ella tailored the day to their personalities. Since it was the union of a “Chicago girl and Texas boy,” the design and menu both honored their roots. “My favorite treat from Chicago is the Portillos Cake Shake, which the Driskill made and served in ‘PortElla's’ cups. Brennan's favorite bite from Texas is Torchy's Tacos, so Driskill served up bacon, egg and cheese tacos served with a ‘Brennan's B-Tacos’ sticker,” Ella says.
And there were plenty of surprises up the bride’s sleeve, with their father-daughter dance being “You Get What You Give," by New Radicals, played by their live band during dinner. Dinner itself was a showstopper, with florals cascading from the head table all the way to the “Dancin’ in September” dance floor. Each guest’s place setting was an embroidered ribbon with their names, a special touch inspired by the bride’s own stitched ribbons on her dress. And the night ended just as Earth, Wind and Fire intended. Ella says, “As the final song of the night, it was accompanied by confetti cannons that left the dance floor covered in chrome-colored confetti - the perfect way to shut down the dance floor.”
After the newlyweds’ grand exit, they were taken to a nearby bar to soak in their just-married status. “Leading up to the wedding day, Brennan and I received a lot of warning that couples so often don't get to see each other a lot while chatting with guests!... This will forever be a core memory, getting to share our favorite stories from the day and toast to our new life together, just us two,” says Ella.
Wedding planning came easily to this fun-loving couple, and they attribute it to having the right team on their side. “Find a really fun planning partner. Whether that be your partner, your planner or your mom, having someone who makes it an enjoyable experience makes the biggest difference—because we all know that can be a tedious experience… Dedicate some part of the day to just being you two! A lot of your wedding is spent entertaining; don't miss out on celebrating with your new spouse[.]”