Editor's note: This time next week, we'll officially be in the throes of the holiday season. In these few days before the mania hits, we're slowing down, breathing deep — and catching up on this week's top stories, of course.

1. Austin couple transforms workplace romance into sparkling Hill Country wedding. Katie and Jona met at work, but quickly realized that their feelings for each other were more than friendly. A Swedish proposal led to a Texas Hill Country wedding with just about every local politician in attendance. Guess you could say this was a true political party.

2. Beloved Food Network star Ina Garten cooks up intimate Austin appearance. There was a collective cheer in the CultureMap office when news broke that Ina Garten is coming to town in February 2019. The Food Network idol joins fans for a chat and Q&A at the Long Center in support of her new book.

3. Popular Austin beer garden finally debuts massive new expansion. Rainey Street stalwart (if such a thing exists) Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden unveiled a massive renovation, complete with a basement private event space and over 5,000 square feet of outdoor porches.

4.Austin surprisingly loses bid for Amazon HQ2 to other prime U.S. cities. And the winner is ... not Austin. After nearly a year of guessing where Amazon was going to set up its second headquarters, the e-commerce giant finally put us out of our collective misery.

5. Austin adds 9 new nonstop routes as discount airline flies into town. Spirit Airlines is descending on Austin and bringing a host of new nonstop flights in for a landing.