1. Real Weddings

Julie & Jason: An Outdoor Wedding in Austin, TX

Julie met Jason while they were both graduate students at the University of Massachusetts. The couple's friends had wanted to fix the two of them up,

Julie met Jason while they were both graduate students at the University of Massachusetts. The couple's friends had wanted to fix the two of them up, but didn't realize it would be as easy as putting Julie and Jason in the same room. The couple spent hours chatting about their parallel lives, which included studying in the Southwest and their love for desert ecology. They barely spoke to anyone else the entire night. The Bride Julie Choffel, 31, writer The Groom Jason Chang, 29, PhD candidate The Date June 17 Almost four years later, their passion for birds and plants would carry over into the theme of their wedding, popping up on the invitations at the ceremony and on their wedding cake.

Julie wore a mermaid-style gown draped in layers of champagne-colored lace.
Julie and Jason knew their out-of-town guests would need something for the Texas heat, so they made fans that doubled as programs. A poem appeared on one side, and the ceremony detail on the other.
The couple used an open seating plan, setting up tables in different areas of the venue. The cocktail tables were close to the patio, which was later used as the dance floor.
Silk lovebirds that the couple found in San Francisco topped the cake. Pink and brown candy daisies spilled down the top two tiers and the bottom tier was wrapped in pink ribbon.
The three bridesmaids wore silk chiffon party dresses in different colors.
The bride carried a bouquet of wildflowers mixed with romantic roses in warm tones.
The best man carried the rings which were tied with brown ribbon to a box covered in purple mums.
Julie spent years working in a flower shop and knew exactly what she wanted her attendants to carry -- clusters of pink peonies and geranium leaves.
At the reception, tables were topped with vases filled with orchids, roses, and brightly-colored poppies.
Since both the bride and groom are writers, they chose to write their own ceremony. Their friends and family read poems chosen by the couple. Julie's sister, a singer-song writer in Austin, performed a song she wrote for the couple.
A mariachi band played during the reception in honor of the bride's heritage.
More than 400 origami cranes decorated a structure that set off the ceremony space. The cranes are a tradition for Jason's family to celebrate important events.