Angel and Zack first met just through friends over 5 years ago during Angel’s last semester at UT Austin. Soon after Angel graduated, the couple moved to Seattle after Zack was offered a promotion. Escaping the dismal weather throughout much of the year in Seattle, travel became a main event for Angel and Zack's lives together. Europe, Thailand, Mexico, Mauritius, Turkey, and any weekend trip across the US they could squeeze in. After over two years in Seattle, Zack was promoted again to Salt Lake City, coincidentally his home state.
"We got engaged on a long layover through Amsterdam on a private canal tour. Then subsequently “reverse engaged” a few months later on a sunset sail on a sailing yacht in Bodrum. We’ve been here now just over 2 years. We will be closing on our first home in just a few weeks, so we’re staying put for a while - we have to plant our roots somewhere to start our focus on starting a family!"
The couple's first international trip together was to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. "Minutes into being there, we knew it was the spot we HAD to get married. We watched a couple walk out of a church in the center of Positano and the photos that ensued...it felt like we were in a movie, and it was instantly our goal to bring our family and friends back to share the romance and beauty we felt while visiting. Planning started soon after our engagement in early 2019 with eventual plans set for May 2020 in a private villa on the Amalfi Coast."
Then of course 2020 happened, and after an initial reschedule in early March, Zack and Angel moved their wedding day to the Labor Day Weekend. "As we led into summer, and international travel continued to be out of the question, we decided to reel it in, and shoot for something within the realms of this year!"
The venue where the couple celebrated with 60 of their nearest and dearest - Commodore Perry Estate - is an Italian Renaissance style mansion estate in the heart of Austin. "It's the city where we met, and fell in love. Add in white glove service, out of this world food and beverage, it was no question. We booked it site unseen! The venue was perfect, their tables, chairs, linens and grounds embodied everything we wanted and made everything relatively a one-stop- shop for at most a couple hour flight for our out of town guests to a “night in Italy”. We drew inspiration from the Sirunuse hotel’s playlists for a romantic dinner mood, paired with throughout the gardens/on the tables - it couldn’t have been more perfect!" Kirsten Holliday captured their stunning ceremony and celebration and florist House of Margot Blair captured the elevated mood beautifully, through her sophisticated floral accents.
Angel and Zack's outfits were already picked out, fitted and ready to go for their Italian wedding. "We both wore a casual t-shirt under a classic blue tux with a slight crop in the pant to show off our sweet kicks!"
It was important for the couple to keep their celebration relaxed, simple, and stately. "We wanted to create the mood we felt while traveling. We spent a lot of time on the playlists between cocktail hour and dinner to set the right moods. Ultimately, we wanted our guests to feel like they were at a beautiful event, but they were comfortable enough to be the fun-loving, crazy group of close friends/family that were in attendance."
Zack and Angel also wanted to have their gorgeous fur child Scout present. "Our little furry son, Scout was our “ring- bearer”! The day was really about family. "Everyone there was family, whether immediate, or our chosen family. The intimate crowd was key in cultivating an emotional evening filled with laughter, love, and all the happy tears."
Their advice for other couples getting married? "Go with the flow! The second we stepped off the plane in Austin, we committed to rolling with the punches - what we had been doing all year. There will inevitably be hiccups, but stressing about them will create more chaos than just going with it. The planning is over, and actually arriving at your special day deserves all the time to enjoy all the hard work, time and money that has been put into such a special day."
Ceremony and Reception location : Commodore Perry Estate @thecommodoreperryestate | Photographer : Kirsten Holliday @kirstenhollidayphotography | Celebrant : Close friend of the couple | Entertainment : Texas Pro DJ @texasprodj | Flora : House of Margot Blair @margotblair | Catering, Beverages + Cake : Commodore Perry Estate | Stationery : Nico Ridruejo + Hoban Press @nicolasridruejo @hobanpress