After a decade-long courtship, Rebekah Salinas and Luke Dehan were pronounced husband and wife on March 23, 2024, in an Austin wedding filled with faith, flowers, and even some fireworks.
Photo by Paige Vaughn Photo
Rebekah Salinas and Luke Dehan make their grand exit from wedding reception at The Arlo.
It was a day the couple had long dreamed of. Rebekah and Luke met as high school seniors in their hometown of Corpus Christi, then continued dating through four years of undergrad at Texas Tech University and four years of dental school for Rebekah.
The summer before her last year in school, Luke popped the question on a very special vacation.
“We were on a trip to Napa Valley for our nine-year anniversary, at our first winery stop of the day, which was a beautiful Tuscany inspired winery, Castello di Amorosa. After our tasting, we stopped by the exit to take photos, and he proposed,” Rebekah reminisces. “Despite having dated for nine years, it felt so surreal and was a pivotal time for our relationship.”
Now settled in Austin, where she’s a general dentist and he’s a consultant, the couple knew they wanted their wedding to reflect who they were together — including their shared religious faith.
“It was important to both of us to carry out the tradition of a Catholic ceremony,” Rebekah says.
Their mid-afternoon marriage service took place at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in West Lake Hills. The church, a sacred place of worship that also happens to be a wedding photographer’s dream, is known worldwide for its ceiling dome covered in colorful, intricate mosaics depicting scenes and symbolism from the Bible.
Rebekah and Luke exchanged vows and knelt for Holy Communion together in a traditional Catholic Wedding Mass.
The couple got married under the famous mosaic-covered dome at St. John Neumann Catholic Church.Photo by Paige Vaughn Photo
After the final blessings had been given and received, it was time to celebrate.
They chose The Arlo, a modern event venue nearby, in part because it offered both indoor and outdoor spaces to accommodate 150 guests in case of inclement spring weather.
Rebekah wanted the reception to evoke a “classic garden party," both indoors and out. She and wedding planner Brittney Dolan of Pearl Events Austin worked with Posey Floral to bring the bride's vision to full bloom.
“One of my favorite details was the florals; Since the early vision board plans with Posey Floral, I was excited for this aspect of the wedding,” Rebekah says. “I chose a spring color palette to embrace the season and garden party theme. The day of the wedding, I was completely obsessed with the result!”
Bouquets and floral arrangements were filled with bright ranunculus, reflexed roses, and more favorite spring stems. Florals featured prominently in the outdoor cocktail-hour lounge area, on indoor dinner tables, and around the wedding cake, too.
Guests were encouraged to wear floral prints and spring pastels (as Rebekah's bridesmaids did), and the garden-party theme even extended to the cocktails.
"To go with the spring color palette, I chose a strawberry margarita, cucumber martini, and a lavender lemonade mocktail," Rebekah says.
Even the signature cocktails were garden-inspired.Photo by Paige Vaughn Photo
As a fun touch, Rebekah and Luke's four beloved cats, Princess Buttercup, Oreo, Buddy, and Miss Floofy, were featured on bar signage and cocktail napkins. The couple also kept late family members close at heart with a "memorial table" filled with photos of departed loved ones.
"This was really special to see and take a moment for at our reception," the bride says.
After the formal reception, first dance, and toasts, Rebekah and Luke both changed their clothes and the party revved up. She traded her gorgeous satin fitted Monique Lhuillier gown for a sparkly little white party dress; He changed from a black formal tux into a dapper white one.
At 7 pm, as a dreamy sunset drifted below the Central Texas hills, espresso martinis were served from a custom ice luge.
Guests stepped into an old-fashioned (but super-Instagrammy) phone booth outfitted with a real telephone, where they could record their well-wishes for the couple in an audio guest book.
A phone booth with an audio guest book was one of the best spots for fun photos.Photo by Paige Vaughn Photo
The Love & Happiness Band kept the dance floor lively, but a private last dance was one of the couple's most cherished memories from the night.
"While all of the big moments, like our first look and meeting at the end of the aisle, were so special, our private last dance surprisingly held a lot of weight emotionally, too," Rebekah says. "It was the best feeling dancing to Sleeping at Last while soaking in the start of a new chapter in our lives together."
The newlyweds' magical day culminated in a grand exit down the steps of the Arlo, flanked on either side by "cold sparks" that flew up from the ground like brilliant white fireworks. Then they were whisked away to the Austin Proper hotel in a classic Rolls Royce. (Honeymoon is still TBD later this summer, they say.)
When asked for advice to other couples starting to plan their own dream wedding, Rebekah's response is practical to a T: "Determine your best financial plan," she says, "and prioritize booking your venue and wedding planner early on in wedding planning."
Rebekah and Luke's Austin-area vendors:
Ceremony location: St. John Neumann Catholic Church
Reception venue: The Arlo
Coordinator: Brittney Dolan, Pearl Events Austin
Photographer: Paige Vaughn Photo
Flowers: Posey Floral
Bride's Cake: Sweet Treats
Groom's Cake: A Piece of Cake and Cookies
Caterer/alcohol: PEJ Events, Spec's
Ice Sculpture: Full Spectrum
Rentals: Premiere Events, Whim Hospitality
Phone booth: Liz's Beautiful Events
Photo booth: Oh Happy Day
Lighting: Austin Event Lighting
Band & Cocktail hour music: Love & Happiness Band
Pyrotechnics: Big Dog Pyro
Transportation: Fetii, ATX Classic Cars
Beauty: Lovely Kind Beauty
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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.
