The lowdown: Political VIPs, journos, and Austin's glitterati gathered at Google's Austin headquarters on September 27 to celebrate the first night of the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival. Attendees wined and dined, rubbing elbows with the Texas Trib's editor-in-chief Emily Ramshaw and CEO Evan Smith, as well Austin Mayor Steve Adler; Texas State Rep. Drew Springer; and MichaelAvenatti, lawyer for Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels.
A special appearance by San Antonio Spurs' Coyote kept things light while politicians from both sides mixed and mingled. The VIP party was just one of many politically centric activities happening across Austin this weekend.
In addition to former Secretary of State John Kerry's opening keynote address earlier that evening, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, former San Antonio Mayor JulianCastro, and senators NancyPelosi and Jeff Flake (a can't-miss after today's contentious vote on the latest Supreme Court nomination) are also scheduled to appear.
Who:Kathleen Townsey, GingerGoodin, AmanBatheja, LairdDoran, State Rep. Drew Springer, Steve Scheibal, Corrie MacLaggan, Megan Creydt, Parker Sewell, Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm, Isaac Faz, Alexa Ura, Xyclali Nunez, Jolie McCullough, Kimberly Atkins, Indira Lakshmanan, Gin Lewis, and Leslie Hollingsworth.
Photo by Katherine Larson (@k.larsonphotography and @sarahrobertscreative)
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar of "The Bachelor" got married May 23, 2025 in Austin.
Zach Shallcross is a bachelor no more. The Austin-based star of ABC's The Bachelor has quietly married Kaity Biggar, to whom he got engaged on the finale of the show in March 2023. The couple tied the knot May 23, 2025 at Dulcinea Chapel, a wedding venue 20 minutes southwest of downtown Austin.
TMZ was the first to report the news, on June 11, based on Travis County court documents; the couple confirmed their nuptials via podcast the same day.
Shallcross and Biggar initially announced they'd marry in October 2025, then they teased it would be "at some point" during the year. They changed course and successfully kept the actual date and details under wraps, quite a feat for a "Bachelor Nation" wedding.
The ceremony at the outdoor Austin chapel was intimate and romantic — exactly as they'd wanted it, Biggar told The Bachelor Happy Hour podcast on June 11. "We just did like a cute little chapel celebration with our closest loved ones, our family," she said, as retold by E! News.
They had been planning a larger, more lavish, more expensive wedding, she said, before the bride-to-be experienced a lightbulb moment that's relatable to brides everywhere.
"I just took a step back and was like, 'I don't know if we need this,'" she said on the podcast. "The whole point of a wedding is just staying true to the love and the connection of both of us, and I felt like I was honing in on too many details, like, 'Oh, my mom would like this but these people would like that.' I think I was getting caught up in details and losing the whole premise of it."
Photo by Katherine Larson (@k.larsonphotography and @sarahrobertscreative)
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar of "The Bachelor" got married May 23, 2025 in Austin.
Biggar's aunt, the "virtual matchmaker" who encouraged her to go on The Bachelor, found Dulcinea Chapel, "and it was like 500 bucks," the bride said. The venue sits high on a hill on the campus of the Wizard Academy, described on the website as "a nontraditional business school."
According to official franchise website Bachelor Nation, the bride wore a strapless Pronovias gown with a sweetheart neckline, lace slingback heels by Betsey Johnson, and earrings from Kendra Scott.
The groom wore a classic black tuxedo from State and Liberty. Biggar changed into a short, sparkly party dress by Sherri Hill for the reception.
At the ceremony, the couple exchanged personal vows, captured and set over a beautiful video montage of their love story by filmmaker by Nicholas DeRose (@visualrosefilms) for Bachelor Nation.
They shared their first dance as husband and wife to “Simply the Best” by Noah Reid, from the show Schitt’s Creek — "a nod to the first song they listened to after getting engaged on The Bachelor," Bachelor Nation says.
At their reception dinner, they and their guests dined on steak, fish, and pasta. The wedding cake was topped with personalized Funko POP! Yourself figures.
Shallcross and Biggar met and got engaged on season 27 of the ABC reality TV show in 2023. He proposed in the season finale in Thailand. Shallcross was born in Fullerton, California, but lived in Austin and worked for software company Oracle when he appeared on The Bachelor. Biggar is from Kingston, Ontario, Canada; she is a travel nurse.
The newlyweds live in Austin with their dog, Honey, and are reportedly planning a honeymoon to Italy in 2026.