City Glamour Met Country Charm at this Bougainvillea-Filled Wedding in Austin, Texas

In 2011, Brittany Bryan met Daniel Slivka at a rooftop party in Chinatown. "We talked all night, enjoying an incredible view of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and have been together ever since!" she says. In 2019, Daniel proposed by tying an engagement ring onto the collar of the couple's miniature poodle, Stella, who greeted Brittany as she came home from work. "I was so shocked!" says Brittany. "Later that night he surprised me with a dinner date at one of our favorite restaurants and all our closest friends joined us to celebrate."

After planning their 115-person wedding for October 30, 2020, Brittany and Daniel were forced to postpone to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. But choosing a warm-weather date—May 7, 2021—allowed them to brighten up their color palette with pops of vivid fuchsia. "I was super excited for a spring wedding and our original design did not include the fuchsia, " says Brittany. "The reschedule and the new spring month brought on the color!"

The couple's design was driven by their desire to "marry Brittany's love of city sophistication with her hill country roots," as the bride describes it. They asked Brittany's sister-in-law—Alex of Alex Austin Events and Design—to oversee the plans for their outdoor wedding and covered reception at Mae's Ridge in Austin, Texas. "This venue is fairly new to the area," says Brittany. "It is in the middle of hill country but has a very modern, clean aesthetic. We just fell in love with it all!" Velvet linens and gold accents added a dose of glamour to rustic leather details and iconic bougainvillea arrangements. "It was important for me to share with all my out-of-town family and friends where I came from, but also stay true to where Daniel and I are as a couple—which is 10 years in New York City," says Brittany. "It was fun to marry those two very different styles into one event. I knew Alex would kill the design and it would be beautiful no matter what. Honestly, after the year(s) we all had with COVID, wedding planning now seems like a breeze. I was just excited to be marrying my best friend."

Daniel and Brittany chose a custom-designed paper suite from Delighted Calligraphy. "We wanted to play with doing a more unique shape and landed on the half moon, which we also used in the leather menu cards as well," says the bride. "The invitations, of course, had bougainvillea on them."

Brittany wore a modern Katherine Tash wedding dress in champagne-toned lightweight silk organza. "I always knew it was the one," she says. "The color is what really sold me, and the fact that it is more nontraditional. It was a perfect fit with our wedding!" She also wore a diamond tennis bracelet—a wedding gift from Daniel—and heirloom family jewels. "I wore my late great-grandmother's ring and added my late grandmother's Wedgwood broach to my bouquet—that was given to me by my father earlier in the week. It was my 'something old,' but was also just a special memory to add that day."

Daniel's dark gray suit—a made-to-order piece from J. Meuser—included an understated brown windowpane print that coordinated with the sand-colored accents in the event's color palette (and with his brown tie). "He wore a Tag Heuer watch that all his groomsmen gifted him earlier that day," says Brittany. "It was a really sweet gift and meant a lot to him."

Before their first look, Brittany says, she felt "nervous, anxious, excited—truly all the emotions!" But after meeting Daniel at the hotel where their guests stayed, she felt relaxed and eager to walk down the aisle. "There is this sense of calm and relief after you see each other," says Brittany.

Brittany's organically-shaped bouquet from Good Seed Floral included lush bougainvillea and sweet peas in fuchsia and blush. The bridesmaids' arrangements and men's boutonnières matched the bride's bouquet for a cohesive, colorful accent to the neutral dresses and suits.

Makenzi Laine applied pink eyeshadow to Brittany's lids, working the day's color palette into the bride's makeup look.

Brittany requested shorter bridesmaids' gowns "in the brown color family;" her planner suggested custom caramel garments from Hexie. "She hunted those down and they were perfect!" says the bride.

Daniel's groomsmen wore light gray suits from J. Crew and linen ties from Suit Supply.

The couple's two-year-old nephew aced his ring bearer duties in a pair of dusty pink shorts, a white button-down shirt, and suspenders. "He was able to stand up at the ceremony the entire time because there were lollypops hidden all over the ceremony site!" says Brittany. "It was the cutest. Everyone was laughing and it really made the moment so relaxed and fun!"

A geometric gold frame surrounded the couple at the altar, where vibrant fuchsia flowers formed an asymmetrical broken arch. "Bougainvillea was the star of the show for all floral elements in this design!" says Brittany. "The altar was adorned with hundreds of bougainvillea vines!"

An acoustic version of The Chicks' "Cowboy, Take Me Away" played as Brittany's father and brother escorted her down the aisle to begin the ceremony. Rose-colored chairs lined the aisle, leading toward a raised platform where the couple exchanged vows.

The couple recited traditional vows, but worked with their officiant, Katrina Baecht of Spoken Heart Ceremonies, to personalize their ceremony. "Daniel and I are more secular, but also spiritual," says Brittany. "We really wanted our ceremony to be about us as a couple and our love—also a nod to our families and how lucky we are to have them with us on our wedding day and always."

One of the bride's favorite memories came just after the ceremony, as they began their recessional to "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire. "Daniel grabbed my hand and also helped grab my dress, and we walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife," says Brittany. "I will never forget that moment."

At the cocktail hour, guests sipped ginger orange cocktails and prickly pear margaritas—a prelude to the meal from Royal Fig Catering, which included Texas ribeye, charro beans, élote style corn, and tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole—while the newlyweds snuck away for a few quiet moments together. "It goes by so fast!" says Brittany. "Try to stop and enjoy all the things, because you blink and it is over with!"

A ranch-inspired sign at the reception helped guests find their tables.

Brittany and Daniel held their post-ceremony dinner under a covered pavilion, where thousands of twinkle lights hung over long tables. 

"Once the sun went down you felt like you were floating with the stars," says Brittany.

At the place settings, white plates, gold flatware, and knot-tied napkins let colorful, thoughtful design elements take center stage; simple terra-cotta saucers served as table numbers.

"The tablescape had more bougainvillea along with sweet peas for centerpieces, then lush brown velvet linens," says Brittany. "Leather menus were the perfect accent to tie everything together."

A three-tier dessert from Royal Fig offered guests their choice of lavender-scented vanilla cake with lemon curd and lemon cream, or orange chocolate cake with orange cheesecake cream. The finish, says Brittany, included "spackled white buttercream with cute little cactuses and florals on it."

After the meal, the couple and their guests moved the party into the property's main barn, where the modern glass chandeliers were draped with bougainvillea and greens. Brittany and Daniel chose Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" for their first dance.

Live Cigar Bar LLC rolled and served up cigars during the reception.

IDT Band, of East Coast Entertainment, kept the celebrants on the dance floor all night long.

The couple's planner worked with Daniel's mother on one last surprise: a sparkler cannon exit. "We had no idea it was coming and were just in awe of it all!" says Brittany. "Such a magical way to end."

Photography, Tailor James Photography
Venue, Mae's Ridge
Wedding Planning and Event Design, Alex Austin Events & Design
Catering and Cake, Royal Fig
Flowers, Good Seed Floral
Videography, Meant to be Films
Officiant, Katrina Baecht
Stationery, Delighted Calligraphy
Music, IDT Band, East Coast Entertainment
Rentals, Loot Rentals; Nuage Design; Whim Hospitality
Bride's Gown and Veil, Katherine Tash
Bride's Accessories, Khaite (shoes); Alex Austin Events & Design (jewelry)
Hair and Makeup, Makenzi Laine
Bridesmaids' Dresses, Hexie
Groom's Suit, J. Mueser
Groom's Watch, Tag Heuer
Menswear, J.Crew; Suit Supply
Rentals, Loot Rentals, Whim Hospitality, Nuage Design
Lighting, Ilios Productions
Transportation, Limos of Austin
Sparkler Cannons, Big Dog Pyro
Cigar Bar, Live Cigar Bar LLC