Project Wedding Blog

What do you get when two creative types tie the knot?  Something totally creative, utterly unique and very them of course!  That’s exactly what Jennifer, a life and style blogger, and Kyle, a bassist set out to do.  They had a sweet outdoor wedding in Kyle, Texas at the charming Winfield Inn. The day was documented by one of our favorite Austin photographers, Katherine O’Brien!Jennifer and Kyle aren’t traditional types… and they did their day a little ‘differently.’   The ceremony was all about friends and family, and their lively reception was all about fun.  Lucky for them, their parents encouraged them to not let traditions and family pressures shape their wedding plans.  With that advice, they went at it, creating an event all their own.  They incorporated Kyle’s love of music and Jennifer’s eclectic and vintage style.  Pops of reds and other bright colors came thru beautifully in the pics!

Read about the crazy way they met, and a bit about their planning process just below!  (We’ve got the bride lined up to share a bit of custom wedding fashion advice for ya’ll tomorrow too)!

Photographs by Katherine O’Brien Photography

Venue: Winfield Inn

Bridal Gown by Rachelle Briton

Bride’s Shoes by Kate Spade

Ceremony Music by Michael Kingcaid

Flowers by Laura Daly Designs

Makeup by Julie Odom

Reception Music by The Motts

From the Bride:  Kyle is a musician, bass player, and COO of a small start-up based in Austin, and I’m a life and style blogger, writer, and content marketing manager. We met in 2008 outside of a food trailer. Yes, a food trailer. They’re wildly popular here in Austin, and one of the most popular ones, called Flip Happy Crepes, happens to make delicious gourmet style crepes. At the time it was so popular that it was impossible to order, eat, and get out in less than 90 minutes. That’s just how it was! I remember it being a Saturday morning, early, and I dragged my friend out to try Flip Happy Crepes with me. We arrived and of course had a good 45 minute wait before we could even order. The place was packed! We were lucky enough to grab two seats at the one picnic table that was just less than full of people. Kyle and his then roommate happened to be sitting there too. After probably an hour of mingling and some good food we just sort of parted ways, but Kyle managed to give me his business card before he left. Kyle didn’t want to flat out ask for my number because he didn’t want to spoil the moment, but I had plans to email him later that weekend anyway. And I did! One week, several e-mails, and a phone call or two later, we went on our first date. Now we’re married, living a super happy life in Austin, loving our darling poodle named Simon.

Kyle and I took a slightly different approach to wedding planning. We wanted to have a ceremony with all of our friends and family and a fun and lively reception to follow. However, it was super, super important that the wedding felt like “us.” We wrote our own vows, handpicked all of our music for the ceremony and reception, and DIYed as much as we possibly could for the entire event. From the beginning, our parents told us that this day is all about us and we can’t let traditions and family pressures shape what our wedding should be. That’s exactly how we felt throughout the entire process.

As far as the actual inspiration for our wedding, we wanted the evening to feel very playful but classic at the same time. Classic in a romantic, two people fall in love, vintage kind of way. I was inspired by springtime (even though we got married in the fall!), mid-century vintage dresses, and beautiful linens that you’d expect a grandmother to collect for decades. I collected tons of vintage bottles and handkerchiefs for the centerpieces and cake plates for the dessert pies and cake. I also knew that I wanted to incorporate vintage sheet music somehow. I handmade all the boutonnieres for the groomsmen using the sheet music, and it was perfect because the all of them are musicians! And to keep things rather playful throughout the whole evening, I made “love streamers” for guests to wave throughout the ceremony and reception. My favorite piece of décor had to be the hanging paper cranes made out of old sheet music. One of the first things I ever gave Kyle after we started dating was a paper crane that I made. He still has it! So it felt very personal and sweet to have dozens of paper cranes hanging from the trees as we walked down the aisle. I think the very most important thing for us was making sure that everything, from the music to the food to the vintage postcards we collected for the centerpieces, reflected our style and personality. I truly believe that personal touches make weddings all that more special. And guests love it too!

The weather couldn’t have been lovelier. The ceremony was scheduled for the evening and the girls and I had all day to lounge around The Winfield Inn and get ready. I loved being able to see the whole day come together. And as the ceremony got closer, I got more and more excited to see Kyle for our first look! It was wildly romantic seeing him for the first time. I absolutely recommend a first look. It sort
of eases some of the nerves and you get to just relax together with the wedding party before the ceremony even starts! We had extra time to take photos beforehand so we could get straight down to partying after the ceremony.

I think the actual ceremony was my favorite part of the entire day. I immediately started bawling as soon as my father and I started down the aisle. I felt like a mess! I just couldn’t hold it in. But the actual ceremony was everything I thought it would be—me and Kyle confessing every ounce of love we had for each other in front of our favorite people. His vows were amazing.

The reception was wicked fun too. I think the live band really set the tone for the night. We had our friends’ cover band play really great tunes and guests were moving and shaking pretty much the entire night.

Tags: austin, DIY, eclectic, outdoor