When Lauren Billingsley Ford looks back on her wedding day, she doesn’t remember feeling the stress and anxiety that often plagues couples planning their nuptials. This is due in part to her husband, John Ford. "John really took the reins when it came to planning," Lauren says. In addition, thanks to their event planner Katy Preisler (of Keely Thorne Events [https://keelythorne.com/]), John and Lauren were able to relax and enjoy getting ready for their big day. Or big days, rather. The couple eloped to snowy Aspen in November 2015, and returned home to Austin to celebrate with 300 of their closest family and friends in December at a reception at the historic Driskill Hotel. Lauren, a stylist for J. Hilburn, and John, who works for the real estate and development firm Encore Residential, met through mutual friends at the Fulton Oysterfest in 2014 and instantly connected. From there, it wasn't long before they were planning what Lauren calls their "month-long celebration." In coming up with the concept for their Driskill reception, Lauren and John had three things in mind. First, it was important to the hometown couple to incorporate as many Austin-centric elements as possible. They also wanted to take a decidedly non-traditional route, eschewing anything too "Pinterest-y." Lastly, since their celebration took place right before Christmas, the couple opted to throw in some fun holiday flair. It all came together in a stylish, whimsical manner. John donned different costumes throughout the night, a team of break-dancers dressed up as elves, and servers passed out cookies and "milk" (White Russian shooters) to guests. It was truly an affair to remember — as Lauren says, "To this day, people still talk about it. It was just so much fun!"