WEDDING BLOG

Austin weddings have a certain rustic essence unlike any other. Jenny and Eric’s wedding at Pecan Grove was a boot-scootin’, BBQ eatin’, Mason jar sippin’ good time. We love the way they included personal touches, like opting to collect kippot from loved ones instead of monogramming a new set for guests to wear and hiring live music to play their favorite songs throughout the day. Philip Thomas Photography brilliantly captured the evening wedding, complete with twinkle lights and traditional Jewish wedding customs.

The Couple:

Jenny and Eric

The Wedding:

Pecan Grove, Austin, Texas

The Inspiration:

Laid-back, rustic, true to our personalities and loaded with fun. We were really inspired by the venue, where Eric and I have attended our favorite bluegrass music festival for the past 3 years. We actually didn’t even look at other venues. Once we knew we could definitely get married at Pecan Grove, we let the venue dictate the look and feel of the wedding, with the outdoor elements and beautiful space shining. We added string lights, fall florals, mason jars and tea lights, and incorporated some of our favorite things like a bluegrass band at the cocktail hour and ceremony, and true comfort food during the cocktail hour and reception, to encouraging all of the guests to wear cowboy boots with their wedding attire. Our entire wedding party (and Eric and I) wore boots, as well.

We also collected kippot from our friends’ and family members’ special occasions for people to wear, instead of our own monogrammed ones, as a way to tie our families together.

The Moments:

We were very lucky in that my best friend’s father was our officiant. Not only did I grow up in his home, but my husband’s parents have been friends with him for years, as well, so having him officiate was an honor. His voice is absolutely beautiful and we had asked him to sing the Jewish prayer, “Shechecheyanu,” at our ceremony, which is sung to commemorate special occasions. When it came time for him to sing this to us under the chuppah, my best friend/Maid of Honor (his daughter), whose voice is also incredible (and who I had already asked to sing our first dance, which she did later that night), joined him, surprising me and singing the prayer with him for the first time publicly. My husband and I were blown away that they kept the secret and that they wanted to do that for us. All of our guests were bawling, as it was truly so special.

The Couple Recommends:

Our vendors were truly amazing. Philip, our photographer, was so calming and wonderful throughout the entire day and was willing to stick around with us for as long as we wanted to make sure we got the images we wanted most. He truly captured so many magical moments. Carson at our venue, Pecan Grove, was also amazing to work with and made life SO easy. My wedding planner, Lauren with Something to Celebrate, was such a breath of fresh air. I didn’t have to worry about a single thing because she was so organized and listened so closely to what we wanted.

Our bakery, Three Brothers Bakery, was amazing to work with AND drove our cakes down to our venue all the way from Houston. Our bands were also amazing. Our cocktail hour and ceremony band learned two of our favorite songs to play as Eric and I walked down the aisle. They played “Waste” by Phish for Eric and “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for me and it was amazing to hear those in the bluegrass variety. Our reception band also took the time to learn our first dance song AND rehearse it with my Maid of Honor, who sang with them, before the wedding.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Philip Thomas Photography
Event Planning – Something to Celebrate
Venue – Pecan Grove at Saltlick
Floral Design – Blackbird Floral
Catering – Saltlick BBQ
Cake – Three Brothers Bakery
Officiant – Cantor David Propis
Live Music – Hot Sauce ATX, Bottom Dollar String Band
Invitations – Katie + Co
Makeup Artist – Rae Cosmetics
Hair Styling – Blo Domain
Wedding Dress – Blush by Hayley Paige via Now & Forever Bridal
Lighting – Filo Productions
Rings – Dubin’s Fine Jewelry
Lighting – Filo Productions
Transportation – R&R Limousine & Bus

Thanks to the talented Philip Thomas for sharing Jenny and Eric’s evening wedding at Pecan Grove with Junebug! For more Jewish wedding inspiration, be sure to check out Rachel and Brett’s modern New York wedding at Studio 450.