One Friday after a long work week, I came home to find Justin on the porch enjoying a beer, he suggested we head to Justine’s door-buster style right when they opened and I didn’t need any convincing. I went in to get ready but took a quick break, sitting in our living room scrolling through my phone. Suddenly I heard him clear his throat and say “why don’t you come on and get ready, we need to celebrate”. I said, “celebrate what?” and as I put my phone down there he was, on one knee, with a ring in his hands.
Justin grew up in San Antonio, and my mom grew up there. My grandparents had been in the same house since 1962 until their passing, so it was always a very sentimental place for both of us. We love the architecture downtown and the cultural diversity of the city. It’s only 70 miles away from Austin but it has such a different feel.
The Hotel Havana in particular became our favorite spot for a weekend getaway or a quick reset, it has this feeling of being from another time (it was originally built in 1914!) and Ocho, the restaurant on premises, is just heaven, I could live in that space forever. We knew getting married there meant the location would do so much of the work for us.
We held our rehearsal dinner at La Fogata, a San Antonio institution. We wanted to keep it casual and homegrown, and to give everyone a taste of classic San Antonio style tex-mex. They have a complimentary shuttle service for large parties, so our guests could also indulge in their generous cocktails guilt-free. The shuttle ride there and back was when a lot of our close friends and family got to meet and bond for the first time.
The best advice I received was to remember to connect with my husband throughout the wedding itself, to make a point to seek him out for eye contact, to steal moments with just him. That was the best tool for grounding myself and remembering that ultimately, the commitment he and I were making was the reason everything. It might sound basic, but a wedding can be the quickest way to lose sight of that simple fact. I also wish that I had allowed myself more joy, play and fun in the wedding planning process. I was so committed to checking things off of my list because I was so overwhelmed trying to balance it all with my regular responsibilities. I wish I had spoken up to create more space in my work life for wedding planning, and leaned into the possibility that the process could be fun rather than taxing. Last thing, but perhaps most important: do not skip a day of planner or a videographer for the wedding ceremony. Our day of planner was the MVP of the entire wedding. We did not hire a videographer for the ceremony and I still regret it.
Wedding Date: September 7,2019
Photographer: Alysha Rainwaters
Comments