A Modern Mint-and-Gold DIY Wedding in Austin

About seven years after meeting through a mutual friend (and groomsman), Becky Quach and Derek Masar made things official and got married. Their October 25, 2013, event in Austin was a destination wedding (the lovebirds reside in San Diego, where she’s an interior designer and he owns a visual-arts production company) and a fully DIY affair. The modern celebration had a little Art Deco flair and plenty of personalized touches. The Austin locale was one such detail; the bride grew up visiting the city. The venue was another, as the bride and groom instantly fell in love with it. Barr Mansion has a history dating back to the late 1800s, beautiful grounds, and a modern glass-fronted ballroom that offered the ideal setting for their nuptials.

The couple designed the invitation suite, which had a festive undertone and several elements. The invite itself had a vellum flag with the duo’s monogram logo sewn on with gold thread along the top. A vellum overlay with the wedding date, a welcome-dinner invite, a response card for both of the weekend’s events, and an information card were bundled together with gold twine and a hexagon tag boasting the bride and groom’s wedding website’s address. The bundle was mailed in a dark-gray envelope lined with glittery paper and calligraphed by Becky.

Overall, the stationery introduced the modern and personal style of the wedding, with some vintage inspiration that was elegant, casual, and celebratory all at the same time. It also beautifully showcased the chosen color palette of mint green, gold, and hints of gray.

Becky’s Art Deco-inspired Anna Sui for BHLDN dress boasted sheer details and shimmering panel insets. She accessorized with a vintage brooch worn in her hair, a J.Crew necklace, and Elizabeth Cole earrings. Derek donned a Theory suit.

Becky created a Pinterest board with a large selection of dresses for the bridal party to comment on and choose from. “It was a great way to control colors and sort out the styles of dresses, while having the bridesmaids choose dresses they personally liked and would wear again,” Becky said. The girls all carried white bouquets made by the bride and her sisters. The groomsmen wore Jos. A. Bank vests and slacks, with personalized brass tie bars that Derek gave them.

Derek’s nieces were the flower girls. Here, one checks out the scene from above on the mansion’s large porch.

Becky designed the programs, with a special page of fun facts about the wedding date -- which is also Becky’s sister and brother-in-law’s anniversary and the couple’s dog’s birthday.

The late-afternoon ceremony took place under the large pecan tree on the side of the historic mansion.

The groomsmen entered to Jose Gonzales’s “Heartbeats” and then the bridesmaids and flower girls walked down the aisle to “Big Jet Plane” by Angus and Julia Stone. The bride and her father debuted to an acoustic version of “Hysteric” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Becky’s nephew carried the wood ring box down the aisle wearing an FAO Schwarz suit. During the service, two friends quoted Bob Marley about love, and the bride and groom wrote and exchanged their own vows.

The double happiness symbol, a prominent figure throughout Asian weddings, is most often seen in red. But Becky went for the gold, with this oversize 3-D cardboard display covered in fringed Mylar that sat on the lawn for their tea ceremony.

Signs on squares of bamboo wood directed the 125 guests to the tea ceremony following the marriage ceremony.

The bride and groom served tea to all elder family members in their traditional Chinese tea ceremony.

By drinking the tea, the elders symbolize acceptance into the family.

During this ritual, red envelopes with gifts inside for the couple are put on a tray (in this case, one the bride painted to fit the wedding’s look).

Using adhesive vinyl stencils, Becky customized IKEA throw pillows to showcase the wedding date, the couple’s logo, and the state of Texas. These were set out on benches throughout the day to add a touch (and some softness) to the seating areas.

Cards for the newlyweds were placed in a woven basket dressed up with the couple’s logo and painted to match the day’s color palette.

The drink menu was printed on PVC to resemble a chalkboard. The signature drinks were named after Becky and Derek’s two dogs, who were present when Derek proposed. The “Reesey Mule” was a vodka mule and the “Molly Mule” was a whiskey version of the traditional Moscow mule.

The bride and groom created silhouettes of themselves and printed them on metallic gold vinyl. The groom and a groomsman installed them on the doors leading to their reception.

The personalized touch added to the entry of the reception, as did a sign denoting dinner and dancing inside.

Guests' names and table assignments were printed on agate slices and set out on a table with two oversize paper cranes. A nod to the bride's heritage, the crane symbolizes longevity, health, and happiness.

Tables were named after destinations the couple had visited. Tags labeling each hung from oversize balloons with tassels in their centers. “We had guests say they walked around to every table to see all of the places we’ve been to,” Becky said.

“We wanted to fill the room’s vertical space without centerpieces that blocked the view,” Becky said. So they set out potted succulents, and eco-friendly candles in votive holders that were hand-dipped in mint green and gold paint. Menus atop each plate outlined the family-style dinner, which was made on-site using organic and locally sourced ingredients and herbs grown in the venue’s garden.

Tissue-paper pom-poms were scattered on the floor to bring more of the color palette to the reception room.

Gold vinyl also dressed up the floors, with a “Let’s Dance” decal referencing David Bowie’s song, setting the scene for a fun atmosphere.

Large Mylar balloons spelling out “love” were strung behind the DJ booth.

Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” played as the couple hit the floor as newlyweds for their first dance.

“We love outtakes from a traditional photo booth and thought it would be great to send our guests home with their own memories and mementos,” Becky said. So they set out props that related to them as individuals and a couple -- like oversize photo cutouts of their dogs, a cowboy hat for Becky’s Texan roots, big sunglasses in honor of Derek’s hometown in sunny California, and scuba masks to nod to the six countries where the duo has gone diving. An illustrated sign outlined the various items guests could use to pose in the booth.

Each guest received an acrylic frame with a magnetic back to display their photo-booth strip after the wedding, and a dip-dyed and rubber-stamped muslin bag filled with Lammes Candies pralines.

An Italian cream cake with cream-cheese frosting using all-natural and organic ingredients was finished with bird toppers (which were actually salt and pepper shakers from Jonathan Adler). It was also dressed with gold shimmery sugar and a few succulents, and it was set out on a table with salted-caramel chocolate tarts.

It was all sparklers and fist pumps as the couple departed the reception.

Photography: Matthew Moore Photography

Location, catering, and cake: Barr Mansion

Officiant: Sarah Reed

DJ: Brian Olivas

Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals

Hair: Lisa Parke 

Makeup: Jessi Pagel of Fire Makeup Artistry 

Lighting: Ilios Lighting Design