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This past weekend, I had the honor of attending Jason's cousin's wedding in Austin, Texas. The entire weekend, people were telling me to take notes and jot down ideas for my own wedding.

So I did.

The wedding was gorgeous, and what made it gorgeous was that it wasn't over the top. I have come to realize that it can be so easy to go so far off the deep end that you lose sight of what's really important: making a commitment to one other person that you promise to cherish and love forever. I've gotten to the point where watching wedding shows depresses me! You get the feeling that it's more about the dress, the flowers, the food, and sometimes the sheer glamour of the entire event. While those things enhance the special day, it should never compete with the true meaning of the wedding. I mean seriously, you're going to spend $25,000 on a piece of fabric you'll wear for a day, flush thousands of dollars down the toilet for food (pun so intended), and bark nasty things to your family, friends, and future spouse?

At this wedding, it was about love.

Attending this wedding was honestly really awkward...awkward in the sense that I wasn't related to anyone, I didn't know anyone else aside from Jason and his father, and I was enjoying such a precious moment in peoples' lives that I didn't even know! But as soon as we got there, the groom warmly welcomed us with probably the happiest smile I've ever seen on a person. He just radiated with excitement and joy. As I looked around the reception hall, I was just floored with the beauty of it.

I'm sorry these are such terrible photos but you get the gist of it. If you look closely enough, you won't see extravagant flower arrangements or expensive China plates lined around the table. The way the couple decorated the tables was simple but elegant. As you look around the room, it's beautiful on its own; there really wasn't much else to do! The couple kept this in mind and rather than go over the top with the decorations, they let the beauty of the place speak for itself.

I also loved the personal touches the couple included.

When the couple sent out their invitations, they asked for guests to reply with a haiku. This was something I hadn't seen before- how cool! As we sat down at our table, we grabbed the three or so haiku booklets and began reading what guests had responded with. It was such a great way to personalize the wedding, make guests feel included, and they were hysterical to read while we waited for the wedding party to finish up pictures. This is definitely something I'll want to include in my wedding.

What I appreciated about the food was that it was delicious, simple, and it probably didn't cost them an arm and a leg. Since it was a Southern wedding, the couple chose Southern comfort food- smoked brisket, turkey, and sausage, potato salad, bread rolls, and slaw. I loved that the couple kept the location of the wedding and the theme of the wedding all in mind; they weren't shipping in Maine lobsters with caviar from France. The food part of our wedding is something that we're really having to grapple with; I mean, you're spending thousands of dollars on something that will mean nothing a week later. What I learned here was: bring in good food for a good price.

My hope is that you see how beautiful a wedding can be without breaking the bank. Realize why you fell in love with the venue you chose and let the natural beauty shine through. If you don't have your venue yet, my advice would be to choose a place that you love, one that if you were to do nothing, it would still be stunning.

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