Bold, Colorful Florals Were on Full Display at This Three-Day Wedding in Austin, Texas

When Annie and her sister found out about Mark Groves’ “5-Day Relationship Challenge” during  Valentine’s Day 2019, they jumped at the opportunity to tackle his assignments and manifest their future husbands: Some tasks had them writing lists of qualities they were looking for in partners, their relationship deal breakers, what an ideal relationship would look like, and what they were willing to give up for love. At the end, they were supposed to jot down an exact date for when they'd meet their person. Annie wrote May 1, 2019, and on that fateful day, she matched with Scott on Bumble. Four days later, the duo shared their first date at Bowen House in Dallas, Texas, a city they were both new to. Two years later, while on a trip to Tulum, Mexico, in January of 2021, Scott popped the question in their hotel suite at sunset. “We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating while exploring Tulum and lounging on the beach,” Annie says. “It was very romantic and special!”

Annie and Scott invited 165 guests to join them in Austin, Texas, beginning on April 6, 2022, to celebrate their wedding, opting to host three days of events all designed around bold, bright color palettes. They kicked off the festivities with a welcome party at Geraldine’s at Hotel Van Zandt, followed by the wedding ceremony, reception, and after-party at South Congress Hotel on April 7. “We thought what better way to see Austin than stay in the heart of it, in the middle of all the action, right on South Congress Street,” the bride says. “South Congress Hotel was the perfect fit, it gave us the small intimate boutiquey feeling we wanted, where our guests would be constantly bumping into each other in the hotel and on the street and had all of the amenities to fuel the four day long party.” On April 8, they hosted a daytime pool party followed by a Shabbat dinner at Café No Se, one of the hotel’s restaurants.

The couple enlisted Alex Moreau of XO Moreau to help them hire a team of local vendors and to make sure their personalities came through in each event. “We wanted something that really embodied who we are as a couple and wanted our guests to feel that in every aspect of the design and detail,” Annie explains. Ahead, check out all of the photos of their bright, cheerful celebration, as photographed by Feather & Twine.

The couple’s invitation suite featured simple fonts, bold line designs, and flower illustrations as a nod to the vibrant wedding ceremony florals to come. The suite was finished with a yellow belly band and a custom wax seal with the couple’s initials.

Annie is originally from Los Angeles, Scott is from Kansas City, and the pair now lives in Dallas, so it was important for them to give guests a taste of their favorite places in Austin. They invited loved ones to join them at Geraldine’s restaurant at Hotel Van Zandt for their welcome party on Wednesday April 6, 2022. “We have stayed at Hotel Van Zandt multiple times and always loved the feel and vibe of Geraldine’s,” Annie says. There, a purple floral color palette was used to define the space and introduce guests to the color-focused parties to come.

For the pre-wedding event, the bride wore a white Galvan London suit with Amina Mauddi shoes paired with earrings from The Last Line, her late grandmother’s diamond ring, a gold and sapphire Anna Marrone pinky ring with her new initials that was a gift  from her best friend, and a beaded Vanina bag. Scott wore a green suit from Suit Supply with a Canali shirt and Gucci leather loafers. They offered an open bar and champagne with pea flowers as their signature cocktail.

When Annie and her mother went wedding dress shopping, they spotted Monique Lhuilier’s iconic "Tuileries" floral gown in the window almost immediately. “My mom and I stopped in our tracks obsessing over how gorgeous it was but agreed that it’s not a true traditional wedding dress,” Annie remembers. After trying on a few white gowns and considering a floral veil, the bridal attendant encouraged Annie to wear whatever she wanted for her big day. “From that moment on something clicked—I did not have to keep with any traditions that did not fit,” she says. “I immediately asked to try on the dress that was in the window, and that was it for me!”

Annie added white embroidered flowers taken from her mother’s veil along the bottom edge of her own veil as her "something old." She accessorized with custom earrings featuring her new initials that Scott gave her on the wedding day, a triple stud earring from The Last Line as her "something new," and two of her mom’s tennis bracelets (one with sapphires) as her "something borrowed" and "something blue."

As a finishing touch, she slid on a pair of white platform Versace shoes. "I needed some height and platforms are the comfiest heel to me! I thought the shoes would be a fun, funky touch,” Annie says. “They had a pink sole and a gold anklet with a Versace charm.”

Scott wore a custom navy tuxedo from Suit Supply with black velvet Dolce & Gabbana loafers, and he personalized his look by having their wedding date embroidered on the cuff of his shirt sleeve. Annie gifted him an Omega De Ville Prestige watch as a wedding day gift with a special message engraved on the back, and he also wore the bride's favorite fragrance, Versace Eros. 

Annie and Scott knew they wanted to have a first look before the wedding began and it ended up being one of the most special parts of the day for them. “We knew we wouldn’t be able to make it until the ceremony to see each other!” Annie says. “There was so much anticipation and nerves that I cried right when I saw him."

Although the couple chose not to have a formal wedding party, they asked their closest friends to get ready and take pictures with them. Annie asked her pals to wear muted pastel colors, and their mismatched attire perfectly complemented the vibe of the day. “I wanted everyone in solids to not distract from my dress and choose colors that would highlight my dress,” Annie says.

As guests arrived at the hotel for Annie and Scott’s ceremony, they entered the courtyard through a yellow door marked with the duo's initials and a lush floral arrangement. Thematic signature drinks—lemon drop cocktails in coupe glasses—were also handed out as a pre-ceremony refreshment.

The ceremony was held in a tent covered in twinkle lights. A yellow platform aisle lined with sunny floral arrangements and pink chairs created a bold statement. The chuppah was embellished with flowers in just about every color imaginable. “There was a moment where we thought ‘Is this too much?’” Annie remembers. “[Our team] assured us it would look stunning and it truly was breathtaking and so different from anything we had ever seen!”

As the ceremony began, Scott walked down the aisle with his parents to an instrumental version of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” The couple’s family members and flower girl followed, walking down the aisle to a string version of “I Feel So Close to You” by Calvin Harris. Annie was accompanied by both of her parents as she made her way down the aisle to “Across the Room” by Odesza and Leon Bridges. Choosing the bride's processional tune was one of the easiest decisions of the entire wedding planning process, the couple explains, because it was the song was playing when Scott first told Annie he was falling in love with her.

The bride carried a monochromatic yellow bouquet. “It was important to have it pop out as a statement to align with the drama of the yellow platform aisle, yellow aisle florals, and yellow tones strategically placed in the reception,” she says.

Annie and Scott thought that reciting their own vows in front of their guests might get too emotional for them, so they decided to exchange a traditional iteration instead.

After the ceremony, Annie and Scott were whisked away by Feather & Twine to take photos throughout the hotel and in downtown Austin. Annie’s dress had removable sleeves, so she took them off for pictures and the reception.

Following the ceremony, the hotel's courtyard was transformed with long tables dressed in floor-length white linens for the reception. The flowers that had been used to line the ceremony aisle and decorate the chuppah were repurposed into table centerpieces. The same pink chairs that guests sat in during the ceremony were used around the tables, too.

When Annie showed her wedding planner, Alex, her dress, she came up with the idea of creating a custom dance floor in the same pattern. “It was such a brilliant idea, but we had to keep it a secret from Scott!” Annie says. The DJ booth was yellow to match the ceremony aisle and centerpiece florals and a huge ceiling installation with colorful florals and LED lights above the dance floor made a statement.

Guests found their table numbers on custom signs with yellow flower arrangements displayed between them. The bar also featured custom signage from Owl & Envelope and was decorated with monochromatic yellow flower arrangements.

Annie and Scott made their grand entrance to the reception before sharing dances with their parents. Annie danced with her father, Hagai, to “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. Scott and his mother, Ellen, danced to “Forever Young'' by Rod Stewart. A three-piece band played alongside their DJ and two dancers with disco ball head costumes joined guests on the dance floor during the reception. The couple was also lifted into the air by their guests during the hora, a traditional Jewish dance seen at weddings.

Annie changed into a Toni Maticevski halter dress with silver platform Jimmy Choo shoes at the start of the reception. The couple listened to heartfelt speeches from their loved ones and then greeted each table during dinner instead of sitting down to eat. “While guests ate dinner we took some tequila shots and went around to our guests to say hello,” Annie says, “It was so fun!” They served short ribs and salmon for the main course and offered a variety of desserts including macaroons, donuts, and cookies. They also had french fries, donuts, and espresso martinis passed around the dance floor, and they served even more late night snacks at the after-party.

At the end of the night, Annie changed into her last look of the evening: a custom off-the-shoulder Katherine Tash dress with an asymmetrical hem.

The next day, the couple hosted a pool party at the hotel where an orange color palette was on full display. Guests sipped on blood orange margaritas and the newlyweds even lounged in the pool on thematic floats shaped like orange slices.

That night, they invited guests to a Shabbat dinner at Café No Se to wrap up the weekend. A bold orange color palette was once again used to transform the space. Colorblock menus and bold centerpieces helped drive the aesthetic home.

To engaged couples, Annie and Scott recommend approaching wedding planning as a team and skipping traditions that don’t feel right for you. “Do not be afraid to steer away from the mainstream traditions—the day is yours and you should celebrate it exactly how you want to!” they say.