Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
"Our top priority was the overall guest experience–we wanted to curate something unique, special, and totally us that our guests would enjoy. We wanted our favorite people to experience our favorite things," explains bride Jana when describing the ultimate priority to her and husband Phil's modern, colorful, fun (yet formal) Austin wedding.
It's only fitting that the pair's engagement story also centers around a moment shared with loved ones. The New York City couple got engaged in Newport, RI, Memorial Day weekend in 2021, much to the surprise of Jana who said "yes" to her future spouse while he was down on one knee mid-photo op amongst friends.
The couple knew they wanted to celebrate over a multi-event weekend which focused on guest appreciation and family details, like highlighting the bride's family's Panamanian heritage.
Thanks to an expert team of vendors, their dream day started to unfold. Read more about every decision behind their food-focused, entertainment-embracing, personal detail-attentive day.
Jana & Phil immediately started looking into wedding planners/designers. They were set on choosing an I-DO location that was completely new to everyone invited, so connecting to a local expert was critical.
The couple looked for cities that had amazing restaurants, cultural activities, great shopping, and a variety of outdoor activities, so Austin was a no-brainer in terms of a final destination.
Amy Kuntz, Owner and Creative Director at Hawthorne & Poppy Events, was brought in because of her experience as a destination wedding planner (with her hometown of Austin, Texas) and the assurance that she would help navigate every decision.
"The first designer [Jana] spoke to was Amy, and immediately felt a connection. Amy was passionate, down to earth, creative, and seemed to understand our desire to create an intimate, luxe personalized event." - Phil, groom
The pair grew up in Florida and Boston but have known each other for 17 years. As a nod to their lasting love story, their modern seating chart included personalized mix CDS for guests as an homage to the couple's meet-cute in college while Phil was a DJ.
Both Jana and Phil have family throughout the United States and outside of the country, so the pull to marry where they currently lived in New York City, or where Jana grew up in Florida, wasn't strong.
Wanting to make sure they were picking the right location to meet their goals for the event, falling under the main priority of the “experience” for their family and friends was most important.
The couple chose the historic St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Austin for their traditional Catholic ceremony. For the reception, they were impressed by the modern and design-focused space of the Wish Well House, located just north of Austin.
"We loved the openness of the space and the use of indoor and outdoor areas. The design details also spoke to us. The various wallpaper used, the suites upstairs, and the bathrooms–all of these spaces were so thoughtfully designed and decorated! The fact that it was relatively brand new also excited us as it meant we could really make it our own." - Jana, bride
For photography, Amy showed Jana and Phil several professionals with various techniques and specialties, but after the pair met Paige Vaughn, owner of Paige Vaughn Photo, they immediately knew that her "sparkling personality" and "joyful and colorful" portfolio were ideal for their day.
"Paige, like the other vendors Amy assembled for us, was a creative partner. We feel fortunate that we found vendors who were masters of their craft but also were willing to think out of the box with us." - Jana, bride
As for florals, Jana & Phil agreed on modern pieces that incorporated their preferred color palette (bright pinks and reds with hints of lavender and burgundy) that would make a statement—modern, fun, and organic. They also wanted a design that was floral forward and featured a variety of flower types but without a familiar "garden party" style.
Planning an ambitious menu, they wanted to ensure plenty of space on the tables for a family-style dinner. Bricolage Floral created unique modern centerpieces that brought vibrant pops of color to the tables and throughout the celebration.
As the overall design for the reception came together, so did the importance to Jana to highlight her father’s Panamanian heritage. Through research and discussing it with her family and Amy, Jana’s Panamanian heritage was brought into the day in three ways. First, Panamanian coffee would be served at the wedding. Jana and Phil–who both love coffee–had decided that they wanted to have Creature Coffee set up a coffee cart for guests to enjoy from cocktail hour throughout the party. Jana was then able to source Panamanian Geisha Coffee that Creature Coffee prepared and served all night long.
Peached Tortilla Catering was brought in to offer a fun combination of Southern food with Asian influences. The pair made sure to check out their signature restaurant (The Peached Tortilla) on their first planning trip to Austin, and every bite was a standout! They loved the fun, unique take on Southern and Asian favorites.
A true highlight of the night was the Panamanian Dance Troupe. Jana’s father noted a large Panamanian population in the Austin area, that got Jana thinking about the iconic dancers and costumes she had seen at special events and family weddings in Panama. She started researching and found a Panamanian dance troupe local to Austin–Folklore y Ritmos de Panama! who performed during dinner service. As for the DJ, Hype Rhythm made sure guests stayed dancing all night.
The pair knew stationery would be an important part of their day, and would be saved by family members, so creating something that was keepsake-worthy was a priority. Owl and Envelope helped the couple create an invitation suite that married modern formal elements with hints of color.
The pair also worked with the experts at Owl and Envelope to design a custom toile, incorporating playful illustrations to represent different components of their relationship.
"There’s an IHOP representing our first date, our Sheepadoodle Lexington, our home in the Financial District of NYC, etc. It was such a fun way to bring consistency to different parts of our day, from the invitation to the cake. We included a 'key' to all the imagery in the toile in our reception menus, providing further insight into our story for our guests." - Jana, bride
For hair and makeup, the team at Canvas + Coif helped Jana accomplish her goal of wanting to look modern, elegant, and the best version of herself.
For her hair, Jana's "something borrowed" came from a delicate pearl hair comb gifted by her mother, which she knew she wanted to incorporate into her hairstyle.
"Having [the Canvas + Coif team] available after the ceremony to do touch-ups for me and the rest of the wedding party was absolutely worth it!" - Jana, bride
Panamanian handicrafts were incorporated into the table design with napkin rings made from handicrafts sourced in Panama and later assembled by Jana and her bridal party.
Whim Hospitality, BBJ La Tavola, and Table Manners supplied the rentals for the weekend. Amy had designed a long, statement bar as the sole bar for the event, and one of the standout design elements included a signage piece created as the bar backdrop. After brainstorming several ideas, Jana and Phil decided to tell their story using keywords, images, icons, and props, such as headphones, inspired by MAD LIBS. The result was a short story of their relationship highlighted uniquely and creatively.
Dessert included a cake crafted by Polkadots Bakery with two flavors: Blackbottom – chocolate cake baked in with cream cheese and chocolate chip, cream cheese buttercream, and tres leches. A dessert table also featured mini pies, donuts, a custom ice cream sandwich bar, cotton candy from a local purveyor, and custom toile Chinese take-out boxes filled with personalized fortune cookies.
