Can we guess which state this colorful Americana wedding is in?

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 9

Do you dream of Hometown BBQ, endless live music, Americana style and lightning bugs flittering all night? Then this colorful and eclectic wedding in the Hill Country, Texas is meant for you.

Tom and Jennifer have a colorful past moving around the country, building a life away from their respective hometowns, but they knew it felt right to celebrate their wedding where they fell in love, in the heart of Texas.

The vibrant colors were inspired by the groom’s tie (yeah groomspiration!) and added to the varying textures and rustic design elements throughout the decor. But the live oak tree steals the show during the ceremony, proving that when you get married in a beautiful place, you don’t need to worry too much about the details.

Our Love Story

We met online while living in Dallas. About a year into the relationship, I was offered a job in Chicago and Tom was so giddy to move across the country with me. It took a long cold winter with polar vortex days (including a few -40 degree temperatures) and just one beautiful Spring for us to realize that Chicago was the city was where we wanted to build our life together.

For our 3-year anniversary, Tom decided to surprise me with a trip to Sonoma to enjoy some wine and sunny weather. Tom planned the perfect day, which started with a wine tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards. During the tasting, Tom made some awkward chit chat and kept his hands below the table. He then asked me to walk to the vineyards to take a photo. While I fumbled with my camera, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. In all my excitement, I accidentally grabbed the ring before exclaiming yes (oops!).

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 14

The Venue

Deciding on a location to get married was not easy. Tom is from New York, I am from Ohio, we live in Chicago, but we met in Texas. After many discussions, we felt it only fitting to get married in the state that we first fell in love. Mesmerized with Austin’s unique charm, we decided that would be the perfect destination.

With most of our 100 guests traveling from across the country, our goal was to make our wedding as memorable and light-hearted as possible. We wanted a venue that had character and felt like it belonged in Austin. The second we walked into Mercury Hall, we fell in love with the charming interior with bright white wood plank walls with contrasting stained glass windows.

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 12

The Details

The florist, Petals Ink, brought to life our vision of more organic arrangements with a bit of whimsy in vibrant fall colors including pinks, oranges, & reds – a great contrast to the lush greenery around. The arrangements were more stunning & unique than we ever could have imagined.

Our wedding color scheme of navy with pops of pinks, oranges, & gold was actually inspired by Tom’s floral tie from General Knot & Co. He fell in love with the tie and purchased within a month of us being engaged. He purchased a dark blue suit from Suit Supply that complimented the tie perfectly.

With my obsession to detail, I was drawn to an off-white BHLDN gown with intricate beaded latticework and a floral lace overlay that had a slight vintage feel. We asked the bridal party to select their own navy gowns so everyone’s personality and style could come through. From sequins, to beading, to lace, each dress was so different but they all coordinated so beautifully.

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 11

The Ceremony

The ceremony was outdoors under a live oak tree with golden light sprinkling through the branches. Taking inspiration from Austin’s musical background, we hired an acoustic guitarist to play while the guests arrived and for our processional and recessional. To add to the intimacy of the day, we wrote our own vows. At one point in the evening, Tom confessed that he scrapped his original vows and rewrote them the night before the wedding. It was obvious that the vows were much more emotional & beautiful when written in the heat of the moment.

After the ceremony, Tom & I slipped away to get photographs while the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the lawn. To keep the guest’s entertained, we had a custom giant Jenga game and corn hole for them to play. There was also a Polaroid pin-up area and temporary tattoos for everyone to enjoy. The reception became a night filled with laughter and dancing! The DJ actually had to clear off the dance floor so we could squeeze in our first dance.

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 13

The Photographer

For us, finding the perfect photographer was one of the most important aspects of our wedding. We both knew we wanted our photographs to tell a story and to not feel posed. We were drawn to Amber Vickery’s attention to detail and her ability to capture light in an artistic way.

She even helped us create a timeline for the day that allowed us to take advantage of “golden hour” which is when the sun starts to set and everything is blanketed in a magical glow. After the wedding, she even surprised us with a beautiful wooden box filled with a USB and prints of some of her favorite photos from the day.

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 37

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 29

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 31

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 51

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 54

Photo by Amber Vickery Photography via Bridal Musings

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 30

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 34

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 16

Advice to Other Couples

The entire day goes by quickly so be sure to take a moment to yourselves to soak it all in. Immediately following our ceremony, we took a few minutes to sip champagne and relish the moment. Also, before our first dance, our coordinator helped us slip away so we could practice and ease our nerves before dancing in front of an audience.

Having a wedding planner was one of the best decisions we made, especially since we had a destination wedding. We chose Uptown Events as a month-of planner but, in reality, they helped much longer than one month. They handled all of the vendor correspondence and scheduling which really alleviated much of our stress in the days leading up to the wedding. On the wedding day, they helped keep us on schedule and gave us the ability to focus our efforts on enjoying the moment with our friends and family.

Colorful & Eclectic Americana Wedding in Texas | Amber Vickery Photography 20

Photo by Amber Vickery Photography via Bridal Musings

The Honeymoon

Instead of doing our big honeymoon immediately after the wedding, we opted to do a more casual “mini-moon”. We drove out to West Texas to recover and unwind after the craziness of the wedding. We hiked in Big Bend National Park, stayed in an Airstream trailer at El Cosmico, & explored the unique art scene in Marfa, Texas.

A few months later we decided to take our big honeymoon & traveled through Spain & Portugal. By waiting to take the big trip, it allowed us more time to save and gave us something to look forward to.