Intimate Austin Brunch Wedding

I hear nothing but good things about Austin, Texas- that the people are friendly, that the community is artistic and that the food will make you abandon your home town at the drop of a hat. Today’s wedding seems to fit that Austin stereotype to the tee, with this gorgeous couple, their perfect details and some delicious southern diner food that would make me give up my cobb salad routine any day of the week! This sweet homestyle ceremony and brunch reception was captured by the talented Nessa Kessinger and we have her to thank for sending it over!

From that sweet bride, Sharon. We wanted the wedding to feel relaxed but still intimate, and to include personal handmade touches that reflected who we were as a couple. Because we had been together for almost eight years, we knew early on that we didn’t want a big wedding. We decided to have the ceremony at his parents’ house because we loved that it was so cozy and personal. Kyle’s mom did an amazing job with the flowers and even set up a little breakfast table topped with donuts, fruit and coffee —it was all so lovely. We were married in front of our closest friends and family.

For the reception, we went downtown to one of our favorite brunch spots, Lamberts BBQ, where the rest of our friends were waiting. We served a ‘Texas home cooking’ style buffet—including prime rib, new potato salad, cheddar & roasted poblano grits and mac and cheese—everyone loved it! In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, we decided to serve frozen bananas (as a tribute to our favorite show, Arrested Development) from a local food trailer here in Austin, in addition to the restaurant’s own fried cherry pies and cupcakes.

My mom and I baked 16 pounds of candied pecans and gave them out at the reception in hand-stamped kraft bags. We also used an address file as our wedding guest book.

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t feel like you need to make your wedding fit a particular mold. We wanted to keep ours small and personal (not to mention budget-friendly) so we opted out of a lot of the traditional aspects (ie. first dance, grand entrance/exit). It ended up being perfect for us and exactly what we wanted.

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Wedding Vendors (Austin, TX):

Ceremony location: Groom’s parents’ house / Reception Location: Lamberts BBQ / Florist: Groom’s mother arranged the flowers / Photographer: Nessa Kessinger / Wedding Dress: Saja, available at OnceWed.com /Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Hair piece: Handle & Spout / Hair: Shanna Letbetter of Aveda Salon / Makeup: Mandy Hernandez / Caterer: Lamberts BBQ / Frozen Banana desserts: Bananarchy / Wedding invitations: illustrated by El Lohse and printed by bride and groom