Kelly Rector and Blake McWhirter kept three words in mind as they planned their Austin wedding: Opulent. Texan. Timeless.
The couple checked all three boxes with the venue they chose for the big day: the beautiful and historic Driskill hotel.
"There is nothing that screams Texas more than The Driskill, so the venue alone was a great representation of the 'Texan' part of our theme," Kelly says.
On April 29, 2023, Kelly and Blake exchanged "I do's" in a ballroom filled with white flowers and their closest family and friends. Kelly couldn't help but think back to the moment in her childhood when she knew she'd get married in this exact place.
"When I was 8 years old, my dad took me to my first afternoon tea at The Driskill," she reminisces. "When we walked in, I was so blown away at how beautiful it was, and he told me, 'Kelly, someday you're going to get married here.' There was never any other option after that. Since the age of 8 I knew I was getting married at The Driskill. Luckily Blake was completely on board with it."
The Driskill had been Kelly's dream venue since she had tea there with her father at 8 years old.Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
Deciding where to get hitched was actually a lot less complicated than their very first meet-up, in April 2020, when Austin (and the rest of the world) was shut down due to the pandemic. Like isolated singles everywhere, Kelly and Blake had turned to online dating to meet their person. Their first date wasn't at a restaurant or bar; it was just the two of them, takeout, and fresh outdoor air.
"We met on the dating app Hinge and immediately connected because we both went to the University of Texas at Austin and were obsessed with the Longhorns," Kelly says. "Because of COVID, we had our first date at his apartment on the South Shore area of downtown on Ladybird Lake. I highly recommend not going on a first date to a man's apartment, but I was lucky that this worked out for me. He ordered sushi, we walked along the boardwalk, and then bonded over our love for Matchbox Twenty. We ended up having a mini Matchbox dance party in his apartment, and the rest was history."
Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
Kelly Rector and Blake McWhirter wanted their wedding at The Driskill to be opulent, timeless, and Texan.
Blake proposed two years later, around Valentine's Day 2022, at Baron's Creek Winery in Fredericksburg.
"He had invited my parents and my siblings and even flew my 80-year-old grandparents down from Rochester, New York, for the proposal," Kelly says. "The next day he took me back to Austin for a surprise engagement party at the Roosevelt Room with all of our friends and family."
Then the wedding planning began. Kelly and Blake had a unified vision for the event they wanted to create.
"Our wedding was an opportunity for us not only to show off the love we have for each other, but the love we have for our family and friends and the amazing city we fell in love in," the bride says. "We had a lot of friends and family coming in from all over the country (some coming in from as far as Canada) and we wanted them to feel the same buzz and energy that we felt running around Austin in love every day."
Working with Becky Navarro, owner of Pearl Events Austin, they focused on those three guiding themes: opulent, timeless, and Texan.
Their white and gold color palette popped against the dark woods of the stately hotel.Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
"We knew that we wanted our wedding to be timeless," Kelly says. "We didn't want to look back at wedding photos in 20 years and say, 'What were we thinking?!' So we stuck with classic colors like white, black, and gold, which worked perfectly with all of the dark wood of The Driskill.
"As for opulence, anyone will tell you that Blake and I are pretty over the top. We knew we wanted a lot of flowers, candles, cocktail bars, and just anything that was going to stand out and make people gasp when they walked in. We love the drama!"
Their definition of "opulent" also extended to mean "one-of-a-kind."
Take their wedding attire. Kelly's gorgeous satin bridal gown featured a large whimsical bow and dramatic train, both of which she had a seamstress add to a "plain white form-fitting wedding dress" that she'd bought at a bridal boutique in Dallas (Blake's home town). Blake wore a custom jacket lined with all of his favorite photos of them together through their courtship.
Blakes custom jacket was lined with favorite photos of the couple.Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
As for their third wedding theme, "Texan" touches included the flower girls in white cowgirl boots; Ranch Water cocktails served out of mini personalized Topo Chico bottles; a groom's cake fashioned to look like the UT Austin Tower; and, of course, "The Eyes of Texas" played at the reception. They even handed out light-up cowboy hats for guests on the dance floor.
The couple's absolute favorite memory of their wedding, they agree, was their after-party, which featured a dueling piano bar.
"We set up one of the back rooms at The Driskill to look like a late-night piano bar and at midnight we surprised all of our guests by taking them [in]," Kelly says. "We had bars set up serving espresso martinis and other cocktails, we had churros and an ice cream bar station. It was the best time of the night.
"Everyone got to request songs they loved and we got to belt them out together. We made it just like a night on 6th Street where you go stumbling out of Pete's Piano Bar at 2 am and go to sleep. It was just like being at Pete's, but we were only surrounded by people that we love. It was amazing."
The couple surprised their guests with a dueling piano bar after-party.Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
Wisely realizing that they might be just a teeny bit hung over the morning after their wedding, the new Mr. and Mrs. McWhirter waited an extra day to depart for their two-week honeymoon to Greece. It was a good thing they were clear headed because their their first big life change as a husband and wife, "for better or worse," happened on their honeymoon.
"Blake (who works in finance) found out on our honeymoon that he was getting a big promotion at work that was going to take us to Alexandria, Virginia," Kelly says. "We found out that we were moving to Virginia, so safe to say the months of April and May were the two most life-changing months for us."
Their fingers are crossed that they'll get to return to their beloved Texas one day.
Kelly and Blake just celebrated their first anniversary, and looking back on their wedding day still makes them giddy. They do have some sage advice for other couples who might be thinking about an "over-the-top" wedding like theirs.
On a practical note, Kelly advises: "Stay SO organized. Make to-do lists, make timelines, stay ahead of tasks, and don't be afraid to speak up or ask for help. I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner if you can. Also, Pinterest is your best friend!"
But also, they say, couples should quiet outside voices and stay focused on making their wedding the one that they want.
"During wedding planning, you are going to have so many people in your ear trying to give suggestions or shoot down your ideas, and at some point you really need to just ignore it and do what you want to do. It's your wedding," Kelly says. "Don't let anyone make you think an idea that you have is bad or impractical. Just go for it!
"If you have a wedding planner, very clearly express to them ideas that you have and they will help you figure out the best way to execute it. Just make sure it is a day that you want and that you are going to love. Your wedding is a day where you get to be selfish. Take advantage of that."
Kelly and Blake's Austin-area vendors:
Venue: The Driskill
Coordinator: Becky Navarro/Pearl Events Austin
Photographer:Caroline Lima Photography
Videographer: Purely Films
Officiant:Dr. Todd Renner
Florals: David Kurio Designs
Cakes: Simon Lee Bakery
Rentals: Premiere Events, Nuage Designs
Draping:UDE Unique Design & Events
Lighting: Ilios Productions
Ceremony music/sound and Band/DJ:Dart Collective
Photo booth: Say Cheese Photo Booths
Stationery: Pink Champagne
Hair and makeup:Etoilly Artistry
After party:All Request Piano
Know of an Austin-area wedding to consider for publication? Email brianna@culturemap.com or stephanie@culturemap.com. Weddings must have taken place since January 1, 2023. Find more information about submissions here.
