A Day Just for US: Our Austin Hill Country Wedding

March 2014 felt like the beginning of something beautiful. We were newly engaged, full of love, and excited about the life we were building together. We did not have a traditional wedding fund waiting for us, but that never took away from the joy we felt stepping into this new chapter.

March 2014, newly engaged and excited for the life we were building together.

I started planning right away, gathering ideas and inspiration from bridal conventions, Pinterest boards, and long conversations about what our day might look like. After a few conventions, I felt confident that I understood the vendors, the prices, the options, and all the pieces that could shape our celebration. On the surface, it felt like everything was moving forward perfectly.

Every idea and inspiration brought us closer to imagining our perfect day.

Then we began working through the guest list.

Suddenly, the reality of a large wedding started to feel overwhelming. There were conversations about who should not sit together, which personalities might clash, and what disagreements could surface if the wrong people ended up side by side. It felt strange to realize that we were budgeting money not just for food and décor, but for the possibility of tension in a room that was supposed to reflect joy for our love for one another. We kept asking ourselves why we would spend so much per person only to risk the energy of our day being affected by dynamics we could not control.

We realized that our wedding day needed to reflect our love, not anyone else’s expectations.

That was our turning point. We wanted to choose us. We wanted to simplify the noise, remove the distractions, and recenter our time, our resources, and our attention on the meaning of the day. We understood that we did not need a large crowd to do this. We just needed the people who truly knew us and had been a part of our journey from the beginning.

Our clarity became complete when we found the venue in the beautiful hill country of Austin, Texas. It sat at the top of a cliff with views that stretched for miles, a place that felt both breathtaking and peaceful. The fact that it was free felt like a blessing, almost as if it was waiting for us to discover it. Choosing Austin held meaning on its own. There is a saying, Keep Austin weird, and we have always loved what that represents. Austin is a place where people show up as themselves without apology. The boldness, the creativity, the freedom to live out loud are all things we love about the city. It felt good to exchange vows in a place that celebrates individuality and authenticity, because those values are woven into our marriage too.

The hill country of Austin offered a breathtaking backdrop, and somehow it was exactly what we had been searching for.

We chose to hold our ceremony right at sunset, and the entire setting unfolded like something out of a dream. We invited only our immediate family to be physically present, but we also wanted the people we loved to feel included. To make that possible, we livestreamed our ceremony so that anyone who wished to witness our union could join us from wherever they were. It allowed us to keep the intimacy of the moment without closing the door on the community that supported us.

Surrounded by family and the beauty of sunset, we exchanged our vows in a moment that felt timeless.

After the ceremony, everyone gathered at the house we rented for the reception. It had plenty of space for talking, relaxing, and celebrating. My husband prepared a pot of gumbo, filling the home with warmth and the smell of comfort. We ate together, laughed together, shared stories, and enjoyed music in the background as the night unfolded. It was simple, genuine, and full of love. It was everything we hoped for.

We celebrated together in a home filled with love, laughter, and a pot of gumbo made with care.

Looking back, our wedding day taught us something we did not expect. The beauty of a celebration is not defined by crowd size or elaborate details. It is defined by intention, peace, and the feeling you carry long after the day is over. We learned that choosing each other is not a one-time decision made at the altar. It is a daily commitment, built in small moments and big ones, in every season of life.

Our elopement reminded us that love does not need an audience to be real. It only needs two people willing to honor it fully. We stepped into marriage centered and aligned, surrounded by the family who mattered most, while still allowing others to witness our joy in a way that felt true to us. Even now, the memory of that sunset, that cliff, that pot of gumbo, and that room full of laughter reminds us that simple can be extraordinary.

If anything, our story is a gentle reminder that you are allowed to create a life and a wedding that reflect your truth. Traditions are beautiful, but so is the freedom to choose your own way. Our beginning was intentional and peaceful, and it was everything our hearts hoped it would be.

Choosing love, simplicity, and each other made our wedding day the perfect beginning to our marriage.

It was the perfect start to us.