Rustic Wedding Ideas | Houston Wedding Blog

They say if you have to invite your best friend to your wedding, you’re marrying the wrong person. We know that Houston bride Caroline agrees! “Austin and I were best friends for two years before we started dating in 8^th grade. We’ve always loved each other, but were hesitant of it potentially ruining our friendship. We took a leap of faith and decided to follow our hearts.”

When it came time to propose, Austin knew the perfect way to catch her completely off guard. It was his birthday, and Caroline wanted to surprise him with a birthday dinner… little did she know that she was the one in for a treat! As soon as they arrived to the restaurant, Caroline and Austin were led to the back, where she thought all of their family and friends would be—no one was there, and the room was filled with decorations and pictures of them. “I was so shocked, but thought it was all planned for him and I just hadn’t gotten get the memo,” adds Caroline. He showed her a sweet video he made for her, got down on one knee and asked Caroline to spend forever with him.

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Caroline wore a stunning strapless lace bridal gown from Weddings by Debbie paired with blue Badgley Mischka peep-toe pumps.

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Their vision of a rustic Texas wedding came together with shabby-chic decor and romantic accents.

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Her favorite moments? “Reading our personal vows to each other from behind either sides of a door holding hands, and dancing with my dad and my mom,” says Caroline. Thanks, Kelly Hornberger Photography, for the beautiful photos!

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Photos: Kelly Hornberger Photography | Wedding Dress: Weddings by Debbie | Music, Lighting & Photo Booth: DJU Entertainment

Guys—if you want a guaranteed “Yes” from your bae, you’ve got to get the pups involved, like Kyle did with the love of his life, Caitlin. As the bride recounts, “We rented out a beach house in Port Arkansas with our parents for the weekend. After dinner, we went back to the beach for a bonfire to make s’mores. While setting up the s’mores station, I found a card attached to my dog’s collar. I opened it to find a picture of both of my dogs with a note that said, ‘Mom, can Kyle be our new daddy?’ I turned around and saw Kyle down on one knee.” They skipped the s’mores and went straight to celebrating with Champagne!

Eight months later Caitlin and Kyle wed at Wimberley’s lovely Old Glory Ranch with their closest friends and family to witness. “We loved the outdoor romantic feel of the whole day. Texas wildflowers were in bloom. We had our ceremony on a wooden deck under giant trees, right next to the beautiful flowing Blanco River,” says Caitlin.

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Favorite moments? There were many—the pups wore floral wreaths as they trotted down the aisle, there was a monarch butterfly release after the ceremony, and Old Glory Ranch provided four miniature donkeys for guests to interact with during the cocktail hour!

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