Their Austin roots run very deep. Kathleen’s family have been in Austin for multiple generations. So choosing to have a ceremony at the State Capitol building followed by a reception at the iconic Driskill Hotel was not really a surprise.
We had a nice chat on the phone before the big day. Kathleen expressed a desire for a very intimate ceremony, just immediate family for her and Brandon to attend. The tricky part was the Capitol: it’s always full of visitors from all over. Fortunately, after a scouting expedition, a less-travelled corner of the Capitol was chosen and it worked a treat.
Their officiant and his wife are close friends of Brandon and Kathleen’s so you know the ceremony was very personal and meaningful. Their voices warbled a bit and tears were shed while they spoke their vows to each other.
The light drizzle didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits in the least while we stopped to do a few portraits on the way out to the reception. Fortunately it wasn’t terribly cold at all!
Did I mention theirs was a Christmas season wedding? I guess it doesn’t need to be said. The Driskill Hotel was all decked out in its holiday finest. The Christmas spirit was pretty infectious and it was impossible not to be cheery. Let’s be frank: it makes for pretty photos! As a nod to both their heritages, they had a bagpipe player lead them in and then towards the end of the reception, a mariachi band played them out. Every detail to their wedding was so personal, nothing at all superfluous. Perfect!
It does surprise folks to hear that you can get married at the state capitol. Well, you can! And no charge. The only caveat is that the building is always open to the public so you need to expect that people will be around to witness all the goings-on. Check out Chelsea and Andrew’s wedding for another example of a wedding ceremony at the Texas State Capitol, this time under the Capitol rotunda.
