It was love at first sight for Maggie and Luke, when they saw the beautiful land at Yegua Knobbs Ranch. Surrounded by post oak and pine forests, the lush green hills just east of Austin made for a perfect setting for their big celebration. From the bride's cowgirl boots, to the unique magnolia garlands, this wedding has laid-back yet elegant perfection covered down to the last detail.

Photography by Tec Petaja.

Did you include any traditions in your wedding? I pinned a little bag of items in my dress that included a cross my dad had given my mom on their wedding day-a 6 pence my mom had pinned in her dress on her wedding day, and I wore my mom's veil. We also lit candles for both of our parents who had passed, and we used the same knife to cut our cake that Luke's family has been using in weddings for years.

What was the best advice you received as a bride? I guess to take it all in-the day goes by fast.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a
wedding? Don't get caught up in any of the stress or let other people make you feel bad about any of your choices. Your wedding is one of the most special days for both of you as individuals and the both of you as a couple, enjoy it! And hiring a planning team that we connected with was worth every dollar spent. No matter what, the day of your wedding unexpected things happen, both good and bad, but really its all about you and all of the people who are there sharing it with you...enjoy it!

"While Luke's ring is unique to him, he discussed with our jeweler how to keep it as similar to his dads in terms of appearance. My wedding band has the same design as his mom's."The Ceremony

"We wanted an outdoor wedding with the ability to tent the reception. Texas weather is too unpredictable not to have a rain plan. I was in love with the location because I knew immediately that my dad would have loved it and that was it for me. Luke was attracted to it because he grew up in Virginia and liked the look of the Texas Hill Country. We also wanted a one stop shop and the site delivered. It was a blank canvas we could truly tailor to our personal vision."

Your ceremony in three words. Unique, personable, picturesque.

How did you go about planning your ceremony? We chose a traditional ceremony for the most part, but we centered it around our families. We had all of our immediate family members in our wedding party and each of our best friends as matron of honor and best man. We wanted to place emphasis on not only our union but also the union of our two families. We are blessed that our families get along extremely well.

What was your ceremony music? I processed to "Here Comes the Bride"-I liked the old-school tradition of it. The rest of the wedding party processed to "Only Time" by Enya and the recessional was "Book of Days" by Enya. Enya was a favorite of Luke's mom. All were played by a string quartet.

Ceremony Music by The Vintage 15.

What were your ceremony readings? We asked or readers (Luke's god parents and a close family friend of mine) to choose their own readings... Psalm 121, Sirach 2,
and Genesis 2

Who officiated your ceremony? Colleen Swingle-Titus, we choose her for three reasons: 1) she is awesome!, 2) she had married Luke's sister the year before, which is where I met her and knew immediately she had to marry us. We actually asked her to marry us before we were engaged! 3) she was a great friend of Luke's mom, who is now deceased.

What were your vows like? Our minister sent us a huge amount to choose from, we read through them and agreed on one we liked best and suited our relationship.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding ceremony? I can't pick one thing, it was everything!

Do you have any budget tips for other brides? I think the best advice I can give is try to decide what you absolutely must have and go from there.

The Reception

"One thing that we were very conscious of was that we were having a destination wedding and because of that we wanted to make the weekend an experience for everyone. We wanted to make sure everyone felt welcomed and loved and that it was worth the trip! So in our planning we really took our wants in to account but also the wants and needs of our guests."

How would you describe your reception? To the nines, yet relaxed.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? The Nouveau Romantics showed us a picture of a reception they had created and we fell in love with it. Luke and I had a pretty good idea of the feeling we wanted our wedding and reception to have. We were so lucky to have a great connection with our wedding planners and they really got us and what we wanted.

We love the visual impact the gorgeous bar setup had-all of the gold rimmed glasses, with copper mule mugs, and the lit green background were stunning all paired together!

Did you have a signature cocktail? We had 3-one of me, one of Luke, and one for both of us. Maggie's Mule (moscow mule), Luke Andrew (Arnold Palmer with Bourbon), and a Firecracker (cranberry and bourbon)

What was your wedding menu? Cocktail Hour passed appetizers: Asparagus Fries / Shiner Bock Battered Lobster Pops / Empanadas / Bacon Wrapped Quail // Dinner: Sea bass with brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes / Steak with Asparagus and Mashed Potatoes / Mushroom Tower with Mixed Vegetables / Biscuits and Rolls

Catering by Kurant Events.

We love the gorgeous garland and blue ribbon on this silver tray-such a unique detail!

What type of cake or dessert did you serve? White cake with vanilla buttercream wrapped in fondant with painted flowers and mini mason jar apple pies with vanilla ice cream. We also had chocolate chip cookies and milk carton as people were leaving the reception.

Cake by Coco Palmoma Desserts.

What was your first dance song? "When Somebody Loves You" by Alan Jackson.

Reception Music by The Flashdance.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception? Talking to everyone and just feeling and taking in all of the love that was there! It was a feeling I had never experienced to such an extent. At the suggestion of The Nouveau Romantics, we were able to take a moment to ourselves and take everything in while our guests enjoyed the cocktail hour. It was nice to see how our vision for the evening had taken shape!