Backyard Texas Wedding

We’re always game for a good backyard wedding, and this one from Mike Olbinski certainly fits the bill. Even a rainy morning and 95% relative humidity couldn’t take away the smiles on the faces of Cori and John! This wedding is full of so much love and personal details, it’s too difficult for us to know where to begin:

From the bride, Cori: Our wedding day was literally a dream come true. I know that is cliche and what every bride says, but we were truly lucky and blessed. The day before our wedding, thunderstorms brewed up out of nowhere in Central Texas. Flash floods were everywhere and the bad weather diverted many of our wedding guests flights. As we were driving to rehearsal dinner an hour late and two thirds of our wedding party unable to attend due to weather, I looked over to John and said, “if it’s this bad now, there’s no way it can be worse tomorrow.” I stuck with that the rest of the weekend. I woke up the next morning to gray sky, low clouds and pouring rain again. My mom was ready to move the wedding from the perfect setting of our family ranch to the Holiday Inn. As I watched weather reports obsessively, I caught a glimpse of hope and told my parents I was taking the chance on our completely outdoor wedding. I am so glad we made that call because a couple of hours before the ceremony, the sun came out, the sky turned blue, and the grass all around was as green as could be thanks to the fresh drenching. The miracle in the weather set the tone for the guests and we had the happiest wedding I could ever imagine.

Bouquet recipe: Queen Anne’s Lace, yellow yarrow, white stock, baby’s breath, chamomile and yellow craspedia.

I am not much of a creative or a planner, so thankfully I was blessed with a mother and sister who are, as well as a father who is extremely patient and hardworking. Without them our wedding day might have turned out differently. There were a few things very important to John and I so I let my Mom run with those ideas and plan the event. I knew I wanted to host my friends and family at my family’s hill country ranch in Georgetown, Texas, which is just outside of Austin. It was the home I grew up in and is what shaped me into the entire person I am today. John and I also met on a flight to Austin, which gave the Texas location even more meaning for us. This setting would provide the perfect backdrop and inspiration for our ceremony and reception. Because it was my family’s home, we incorporated family heirlooms into just about every detail. My mom even created a canopy out of my great, great grandparents box spring mattress to hang over the drink station. My Dad handmade the wood benches we used for seating during the ceremony and they wrapped trees with white Christmas lights to illuminate the entire event.

When planning the event, we looked at catering menu after catering menu only to feel uninspired by a traditional wedding choice of chicken, beef or fish. Additionally, the food being cooked onsite was important to us. Finally we came across the friendliest little business in Austin, Bola Pizza, that would bring out a wood-fired oven, fire up pizzas and make organic salads for our guests right on the property. This created a very casual and fun tone for the reception; they even provided to go pizza boxes for leftovers after the wedding. My parents have always loved a good surprise, so to kick off the dancing my parents surprised us with an over the top fireworks show that really revved up the guests and started the party for us.

The music was another important decision for us, because John plays in a band and we couldn’t disappoint our friends who love to dance more than most I think. We went with Texas Pro DJs and we couldn’t have been happier with the DJ we picked, Andrew. He kept the dance floor full all night! At one point we even stopped the dancing to give out an award for sweatiest guest. Due to the rains, the 95% humidity made the dancing hot. To capture the day for us, we flew out Phoenix, Arizona wedding photographer, Mike Olbinski. Ironically he is also a weather photographer so if it kept pouring that day, our photos would have still turned out beautifully. We just would have been soaking wet! Even with the wedding day starting out frantic, I would relive the day over and over again and I wouldn’t do a thing differently. Someone told us that day, not that rain on your wedding day is good luck, but that rain on your wedding day washes away the past so you can start a cleansed life together.

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Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? On your wedding day, guests will look to you as the couple to set the tone, have fun, be yourselves, and cherish every little moment that day. Your wedding guests will follow suit and it really does fly by!

Wedding Music:
John is a musician, and plays in the band Black Carl, so we asked a few of his bandmates to sing for our ceremony. They did an absolutely beautiful job!
Processional: “I Can Tell We Are Going to Be Friends,” The White Stripes and “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” Smokey Robinson
Recessional: “I Feel Good,” James Brown
First Dance: “These Arms of Mine,” Otis Redding

Wedding Location: Georgetown, TX / Photographer: Mike Olbinski / Wedding Coordination and Planning: Nelda Hawthorne and Tammy Schneider / Flowers: Casa Linda Florals / Wedding Venue: Private Residence / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge / Wedding Shoes: Michael Kors / Accessories: Pearls given to me by my Dad / Hair: Jaime Voelz / Makeup: Michelle Weber / Groom’s Suit: Ben Sherman / Wedding Caterer: Pink Avocado and Bola Pizza / Wedding Cake: Cakes by Kathy / Musicians: Black Carl / DJ: DJ Andrew of Texas Pro DJ / Farm Tables: Sweet Sunday Events / Chairs: Marquee Rents / Restrooms: Royal Restrooms / Photobooth: Bash Photo Booth / Save the Date: illustrated by David Matteson / Wedding Invitations: Minted