Destination AUSTINI love to travel. I have a hopelessly incurable case of wanderlust. When I tell people that I live in Austin, Texas, I am no longer surprised by their enthusiasm for my city. It's a pretty cool little spot to have landed. You see, I am a transplant, one of the 120 or so persons who move to this city every single day because they fell in love with the heartbeat of this town. Some folks here, the Austin purest, have tried to make me feel badly for moving here and setting down roots. Nope, nope, nope, not me...I have tried to fit into the culture and to sustain what makes Austin unique in both my personal and professional life. I now call it my home. It was a good decision. I am an Austin based wedding and events planner. I have a great job. I plan parties for a living. This city is thriving with music and film festivals, local artisans and culinary delights that really make it a playground for someone in my profession. I am not one who likes to replicate cookie-cutter events with shades of blush and pink, so this constantly evolving town is the perfect place to create events that are truly different. Fifty percent of the weddings we do are brides and grooms who both live in other cities and are choosing the Austin area as the place to perform their nuptials.Photo: Svetlana PhotographyOur approach in planning a destination Austin wedding is to create an event that infuses the personalities of our clients. Designing an'experience-based' event weekend that brides, grooms and all of their beloved revelers will remember is the first thing we chat about together. Sure, the focus is on the big day, the ceremony and the commitment between two people who are beginning their lives together, but a destination wedding is more than just the reception; it is also about providing guests with a great weekend from the moment they arrive. The take away is that they want to return to Austin again and experience more of what this city has to offer because you created an event weekend that was so amazingly cool.Thinking of destination Austin? Let me give you a little insight as to why this city is really becoming one of the top ten cities in the United States to host your wedding. Austin is far more than boots, bridal gowns and burlap. It has a worldliness to it that cannot be found in any other city in Texas. Wedding venues here are so stylistically diverse that is possible for you to create a stunning soiree that really expresses your personalities. Looking for a place with clean lines and modern sophistication? Got it. Are you set on a French inspired elegant garden party in the hill country? Yep, got that too. Traditional highbrow, more to your liking? How about a former opera house or a hotel with miles of marble and mahogany carved pillars? We got you. More of the edgy Steampunk sort of girl? Well, let's take a walk on the east side and really have some fun. Regardless of what your vision is, we have everything from boutique hotels to barns, you will find your dream here.Music lover? If live music is a must for your wedding you are in luck. There is a reason that we are called the music capital of the world, the talent and artistic diversity here really is staggering.You aren't going to find that super cheesy hotel wedding band in this town unless that is really what you want. As a bonus, we have more than 200 live music venues here so your guests will be able to easily entertain themselves in between wedding festivities. It is totally possible to learn to two step at a traditional honky-tonk in those shiny new boots and spend the next night listening to chill EDM at some underground place off Sixth Street. Food is key to a well-planned event. Austin is bustling with caterers who have moved here after working with celebrity chefs to start their own businesses. The range of these catering professionals will certainly please visually and appeal to even the most discerning palates. Caterers who specialize in vegan, gluten free, organic, soul food, Texas Bar-B-Que, farm to table, ethnic- infusion and good old Tex-Mex are all found right here. Like food trailers? Well, maybe you should consider having a trailer park cater your event. Braised short-ribs, rabbit and dumplings, and watermelon and basil salads are some of the delights from our local traveling chefs. Austin has made the food trailer a force to be reckoned with, for sure. Come hungry.We have sunshine 300 days a year, so plan that outside wedding without the fear of a rainy day plan. Austin is a very active city and there are always interesting outside events going on every weekend. You can spend the day on one of our lakes paddle boarding or join your guests hiking one of the green belts. South Congress is a great place to shop with some of our local artisans, or just spend the time outside having drinks and watch all of the interesting people that really keep Austin weird. You can even take your picture at the I LOVE YOU mural like thousands of others for a fun Austin memory.I could talk for days about why having a wedding here is a really good idea. If you are looking for a cool, edgy, hipster, sophisticated, energetic, outdoorsy, artistic, down-home, honky-tonk sort of town, then you won't be disappointed. Perhaps you should just succumb to your own wanderlust and plan a visit.
