Springtime in Austin is bustling.

Full of life, full of flowers.

And the perfect setting for a garden wedding.

I met up with the girls during prep at the JW Marriot, which- if y’all are following my insta stories (@PhotographerAmy) you know I might frequent the lobby to use as my office… So I knew my way around.

What I didn’t know?

You can go in an elevator with someone- not realize it’s one of those elevators. And get stuck in limbo.

You know those elevators? It’s a sweet feature that keeps hotels much safer, especially in a downtown high traffic area like Austin’s Second Street. You can’t access the levels higher than the conference rooms without your room key. But, people tend to trust me, so when I hopped in the elevator with my million pounds of gear- the kind guest already in the elevator just used their key and pushed their floor, then my floor. Well. It only went to their floor. I then was stuck. I didn’t realize that you needed to tap the card again to push another floor. *(I didn’t even realize that the floor light for mine wasn’t even illuminated.)

And you know what doesn’t work in elevators?

Cell phones.

You see people???

THIS IS WHY I AM LIKE AN HOUR EARLY TO WEDDINGS!!!!!

So here I am. Paige’s wedding day and I’m stuck in the elevator. The longest minutes of my life ticked by in there and I honestly contemplated pushing the alarm button. The Marriot has like 6 elevators!!! It was early afternoon. Past check out time.

No one was coming.

All right. Well, you see the photos down there, so you know eventually someone showed up to save me. But I was completely sweaty from anxiety by the time they did.

Enter into Paige’s room- of course explaining why I was so flustered to her sweet mama. They all had a good laugh with me, because they are just awesome. (You’ll see).  I finally set up *(still early, lol) and started my day with this awesome group!

I love getting a few snaps of the girls getting ready together- and I bunched this group up on the couch to get one before I headed to the venue and promised “No worries what you look like- it’s not like this one is going on the website!”

Oops.

But look how cute they look! Who looks that good before they are done getting ready, and after having a late night?? Not fair. So that had to be one of their sneak peeks.

I’ll try not to lie again, guys. #SorryNotSorry.

After I headed to the venue, I actually added to my insta story for the first time! (Can I have my millennial card now??) Pretty sure it was an ever so trendy boomerang video about how much I love the Umlauf Gardens as a venue. 

And rightfully so. This place is full of art, sculptures, stunning landscaping and a stream running through it. Definitely picturesque. (I am convinced I will never be able to type that word quickly.) We got the girls together for their own first look of the bride- and they all looked SO cute! I mean, I guess I can’t be shocked since they looked great without makeup.

Then came the first look with Matt. I tend to spend tons of time with the bride and bridesmaids, then rush over to grab the groom- meet him- (aka barely introduce myself) then expect him to follow me into the depths of the venue and just stand there and wait. I always know it’s going to be a great day when the groom not only complies, but actually seems excited to wait to see his fiancé! (If you think that always happens just because it’s a wedding day- you are gravely mistaken. I’ll walk you through that another time.)

Paige showed off her show stopping dress with a twirl, then hug and kissed her hubby-to-be. Out of nowhere I had these great visions of where I wanted to take their portraits- so right away, there I go leading them over to the beautiful tree with hanging leaves *(probably called something fancy, but bare with me) for them to stand under.

Totally romantic, right?

Yep. But to get the angle I wanted- (some of you follow my crazy stories and you know where this is going) I had to keep moving over to my left to be able to see enough of their faces and-

–SPLASH.— 

That was me. In case you haven’t met me yet.

That was me stumbling over into the aforementioned romantic stream.

And now you know why I wear combat boots.

Don’t think that ruined all the romance though. I got my soggy leg back up and we kept having way too much fun taking their portraits.

As we were walking back towards the front of the venue we could hear Cap City Band rehearsing. It happened to be a love song. Paige stopped and teared  up, apologizing and fanning her face trying not to mess up her beautiful makeup.

But I encouraged it. I love good tears during a wedding. I love when someone is that caught up in a moment that they can’t hold back emotion. They are present. They are having a moment they can hold forever.

The rest of the night went just as beautifully. I saw that Katrina- (my favorite wedding officiant!) of Spoken Heart Ceremonies was going to be performing the wedding and I knew things would be smooth sailing. There is something so sweet about being able to hear about a couple’s love story as they are committing a lifetime to each other.

After they said I do? It was Peached Tortilla time. 

Game on.

They had an Austin wedding- so why wouldn’t a top rated food trailer be part of the cocktail hour?! They made use of every area of the garden and I loved that. The guests really got to see the little natural haven that Umlauf created in the middle of this chaotic city. And eat grilled cheese loaded with brisket while they were at it!

On top of that? There were passed hors d’oeuvres (also have to Google that word every. single. time. And I’m a wedding blogger. I should have it down by now.) of shrimp and grits (and I’m sure other things)- but I was stopped by the shrimp and grits guy and just stayed nearby like the smart girl I am.

Another wise move? Hiring Cap City Band to get the party going and keep it going the whole night. I only mention and post the link to live music when I think you should actually go click on them and hire them. If that’s not the case, I may just say “they had live music and lived happily ever after.”

But I’ll let the reception pictures speak for themselves. Every age group packed the floor- party favors were given out- and they literally kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a bang. So much so that I was incredibly happy that they chose a lavender send off. I needed to freshen up after sweating it out with my sweet dance moves!

Happiness and all the forever love vibes to you two, Paige and Matt.

I wish you nothing but the best and I am SO happy I made it out of the elevator!

Wedding Venue: Umlauf Sculpture Gardens – Austin, Texas

Florist: Exquisite Petals

Officiant: Spoken Heart Ceremonies

Cocktail Hour: The Peached Tortilla

Texas Wedding Band: Cap City Band