Welcome to Wedding Day Countdown, a series where we ask friends and tastemakers for a peek inside what *actually* happened on their Big Day. From the morning of, to the final countdown, to the minute after, we’re bringing you an exclusive look at some of your favorite must-see weddings.
Aubre Winters’ number-one wedding day priority? Being fully present. For the fitness entrepreneur and content creator’s wedding to fellow entrepreneur and creator Brendan Casiano, staying grounded and grateful were key, from the planning process to the after-party.
For their celebration at the scenic Commodore Perry Estate in Austin, Texas, the couple worked with their vendor team to prioritize micro-moments of sweetness throughout the day, from touching check-ins with loved ones to meaningful musical moments. Thoughtful surprises, and a focus on the moment, made the day authentic to the couple.
We caught up with Aubre to learn about all the special in-between details that made the pair’s big day special, unique, and purposeful.
Carats & Cake: Where did you spend the night before your wedding? Did you and Brendan spend the night together, or have any special moments just the two of you on the eve of the Big Day?
Aubre Winters: Brendan and I didn't end up spending the night together; it was an impromptu decision. We had our welcome party the night before, put on by Brendan's family, so we were able to have all of our guests in one place. We got married in Austin, so we wanted to do something that felt western, with hoedown vibes.
We had every intention of being together the night before, but then the night ended, and I was like, “I think I want to just be in my own space, and I think maybe you should go be with your parents,” so he was like, "Okay!" We had that awesome welcome party to kick things off, and it really created the feel of a “destination” vibe in a sense. I wanted to have more than just one day to be with all of our people.
C&C: What is the first thing you and Brendan did on your wedding day? Did you do anything special in the morning to start the day off on the right foot?
A.W.: I woke up and spent time with my sister—it was pretty simple, honestly. I think simplifying was important to both of us. [Brendan] just did his thing with his family and his brothers, and I had my time and my space with my sister. I saw my mom and my dad, [but] waking up and having time by myself was really important.
On my bachelorette weekend, I had 21 girls come to town. They [each] wrote me a letter, and a note, and a memorable moment, so on my wedding morning, I woke up and read all those notes—I saved them [for that morning]. I really just wanted to feel surrounded by support and love and have that moment to myself without all the noise.
C&C: Where did you get ready for the wedding, and who did you choose to have with you?
A.W.: We stayed in the Mr. and Mrs. Perry suite at Commodore Perry. We had this big bathroom, and I knew I wanted all my gals to come get ready with me. The bathroom [became] the “peaceful place” where we would come in (cell phone-free!) and get our hair and makeup done.
We have a lot of family and significant others, and I wanted it to be as inclusive as possible, so we didn't do conventional bridesmaids or groomsmen. I had some of my best girlfriends and my sister as my "leading ladies,” but invited everyone to come get ready; my sister-in-law, [Brendan's] brothers’ significant others, my best girlfriends, my sister, my mom—just all the gals. It was a big gal party. It felt like a big giant sleepover.
C&C: Tell us why you decided to say “I do” in Austin at the Commodore Perry Estate—what went into that decision, and what was your favorite part of the venue?
A.W.: It was truly the sweetness of the property. When we went to the Commodore Perry, we were like, this is a little slice of sweetness...a slice of heaven. You don't feel like you're in Austin when you're there, but it has that Austin charm at the same time. We wanted to do something that felt destination without having to leave the country, and Austin is a super easy city to get to.
C&C: What did you do after getting ready and before the ceremony?
A.W.: [Commodore Perry has] a cool little terrace and pond area, so [Brendan and I] went back there, touched base, said, 'How are you?' and just had those micro-moments that you kind of lose on the day of because everything is happening and there are so many people. We're really lucky—our planner and our photographer also helped schedule those moments in the timeline for us.
C&C: What stood out to you in the moments right before the ceremony started?
A.W.: I made some game-time decisions from 4-4:44 p.m. I was like, “Am I wearing a veil? Which earrings am I wearing—am I going for the big ones? The small ones?” I just had those moments leading up, which made it exciting. [But overall,] it was just chill and in the moment.
C&C: What song did you walk down the aisle to, and did anyone walk with you?
A.W.: I surprised my parents with “Aubrey” by Bread, which is the song that I'm named after. It was the most special moment, and I wanted both my mom and my dad to walk me down [the aisle]—that was super important to me. I love both of them; they're truly my two best friends.
C&C: What time was your ceremony?
A.W.: 4:44 p.m. We went above and beyond in that way, just because there was a lot of back-end timing that my planner had to work through in order to make it happen. But we landed at the altar at 4:43 with 10 seconds to go.
C&C: What was the most memorable part of your ceremony?
A.W.: I think one of the most memorable things is [that] we faced everyone. We were up on the stairs, and we had our officiant at the bottom of the stairs in the left-hand corner kind of facing us. We were semi-turned towards him, but also facing everyone. I'll never forget what it felt like standing up there facing everyone, having Brendan right by my side, and looking at [our guests]. It was pretty surreal. Seeing all the colors, the faces, and the smiles—that will live rent-free in my mind for the rest of my life.
C&C: Movement, mental health, and staying active are, of course, big parts of your life. Did you bring that passion into your wedding day at all?
A.W.: We did a meditation at the beginning of our ceremony. I had one of my dear friends open the ceremony with a mindful moment to ground people into the space, into the ceremony, and really just bring forward presence and love and that kind of cocoon of support, which was so important to feel.
C&C: How did you and Brendan make your big exit post-ceremony?
A.W.: We had our string quartet play “Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band for our exit song. It's my hype song—I love it. They pulled it off wonderfully.
C&C: What was the first thing you and Brendan did after the ceremony?
A.W.: Our wedding planner and our photographer planned another micro-moment for Brendan and me to have alone, just the two of us. We made a game-time decision not to do our vows in front of everyone. Rather, we reframed them as intentions for one another and how we wanted to show up in the marriage. So after the ceremony, we went into the front library space of the Commodore Perry. The doors were closed, the fire was on, they had champagne (and all the little appetizers) and Brendan and I just sat and enjoyed and shared our intentions for marriage with one another. It was very special and intimate—no cameras, nothing. It was just him and I, and [it was] very special.
C&C: What was your favorite bite of the night?
A.W.: We were so pleasantly surprised because everyone was raving about the food, and I feel like that's rare at a wedding to get really stand-up food. The food selections were incredibly important to Brendan because he's such a foodie, as am I, but the most standout [item] for me was that I had to have french fries at the party. French fries are my favorite food, and Commodore Perry happens to make the best with a brown butter sauce.
C&C: What was your first dance song, and how did you choose it?
A.W.: We landed on “Texas Sun” by Leon Bridges. It felt serendipitous [since we're] getting married in Austin, and it had a really good beat for us both to dance to without having to be too serious. It had a sexy vibe to it but was something that we could get playful and silly with, and the lyrics are just really beautiful.
C&C: Did you have any special dance moments with your family?
A.W.: Both my dad and Brendan’s mom wanted to surprise us with our first dance songs [with them], so they communicated with our planner and our DJ on the songs that they chose. Brendan's mom chose “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart, and my dad chose "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Van Morrison—it broke me into a million pieces.
C&C: Were there any stand-out moments during the dancing?
A.W.: One really big surprise that meant the world to me was my DJ surprised me with a saxophonist! He was there playing over her music the entire time, and it was just so immersive and awesome.
C&C: What’s one piece of advice you'd give to couples getting married?
A.W.: It's so easy to forget the importance of why you are moving forward into this next chapter with your person, because the second you get on social media, you see everyone else and what they're doing, and “this and that” in comparison. There is something to be said about staying true to who you are as a couple and creating a day that feels memorable, special, and unique—really communicating, sitting, getting still, talking with your partner, and working on yourself through this process so that you don't completely lose yourself in all of the things that don't f— matter [are so important]. Tuning out all of the outside noise, tuning into what will make the day special, and showing who you and your partner truly are from the inside out.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
