This Austin pair's laid-back attitude and sense of fun is infectious, and helped them to create their outdoor wedding at The Winfield Inn which was completely true to themselves. Their laughter-filled ceremony set the tone for the reception to come, and when that reception includes the groom's dad serenading the couple, complete with the backing of the 7-piece band he jammed with in the 70s, you just know it was in this couple's genes to make their wedding a truly unforgettable party.

Photography by The Nichols.

The Ceremony

Why did you choose this location for your ceremony? We knew we wanted an outdoor ceremony and we felt like the Winfield provided the perfect setting with its huge lawn and oak trees.

Emily walked up the aisle, flanked by both parents, to a string quartet's rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in D.

Your ceremony in three words. Filled with love.

How did you go about planning your ceremony? We asked a close family friend, Mike, to officiate the ceremony. Mike was one of the first people to meet Ricky when we started dating, and has been a big part of our life over the past few years. He worked with us to put together the perfect ceremony, and included some personal details he added himself.

What were your vows like? We wrote our own vows, which was extremely nerve-wracking, but totally worth it in the end. We were glad we could be so specific and personal in the words we expressed to each other.

The Reception

How would you describe your reception? A big party with lots of good music and great food.

Their venue came with a built-in rain plan, meaning this bride didn't have to stress about the ever-changing weather! She explains, "Austin weather in April can be fairly unpredictable, so we wanted to make sure we had a good back up option - that's why we loved that the reception would be held under the Winfield's covered, open-air ballroom."

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? I was completely overwhelmed when I first started planning and had no idea where to begin. My wedding planner, Emily Leach of Bird Dog Wedding was fabulous! Not only did she recommend wonderful vendors, she helped create the whole wedding design. We knew we wanted a lot of florals and plants in our décor and she worked with our incredible florist, Bricolage, to figure out ways to enhance the design with items like dip-dyed cheese cloth and candles.

What was your wedding menu? It was fantastic! We had a couple of passed appetizers (cucumber cups with crab, bacon wrapped quail, and mac 'n' cheese spoons) that we even got to enjoy ourselves, when the servers generously brought a couple of trays over to us while we were taking pictures. For dinner, we served an arugula salad with blue cheese, smoked salmon with lemon aioli, rosemary grilled chicken with prosciutto, and sides of roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus with truffle oil.

What type of cake or dessert did you serve? We had an amazing triple berry cobbler cake, which was a white cake with cobbler berry filling and merengue buttercream icing. We also served mini s'mores tartlets and mini fruit tartlets.

One of the parts of their reception Emily & Ricky loved the most was their first dance, to Guy Clark's My Favorite Picture of You, which Ricky's dad practiced for months and sang live!

Please tell us about any other special details or moments from your reception. Ricky is a local singer-songwriter in Austin so music was an important aspect of the whole day. At the reception, we had a 7-piece band play. The lead singer of the band happened to be in Ricky's dad's band in the 70s, and Ricky's sister sometimes sings back up with them, so they were the perfect choice for us.

If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently? I don't think I would change a thing!