A Rustic Ranch Wedding at Stonehouse Villa in Driftwood, Texas

Rachel Upson (30 and a wellness coach) and Nicholas Walker (29 and a meat cutter) met in Rabat, Morocco as international volunteers. Rachel got to the home-base first and Nicholas arrived while Moroccan mint tea was being served, and even though both were jet-lagged and disheveled, the connection was immediate. After the couple returned to the United States, Nick traveled from his home in Seattle to visit Rachel’s in Austin, and after a year of long-distance, Rachel moved to Seattle. They both wanted to get married outdoors, and Rachel wanted a Texas Hill Country wedding, so they chose Stonehouse Villa as their venue. “It was the perfect mix of rustic elegance with a laid-back vibe,” says Rachel. Stonehouse Villa has a beautiful indoor area and tented deck for the reception and an outdoor ceremony site under old oak trees with views of sprawling ranch land. Blue is Rachel’s favorite color and she was inspired by vintage blue Mason jars, so she chose peach to compliment the color for her wedding palette. “We tried to add elements to our wedding that had meaning for us and that have formed us into the person that the other married,” says the bride.