A Shabby-Chic, Vintage Wedding at Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas

Kate Gillis (32 and a dispatcher) and Chad McBride (33 and a landscaper) met on a blind date set up by a friend—they missed their table at the restaurant because they were so busy talking. Down the road, the couple went to Austin, Texas to visit Kate’s parents and for Chad to secretly ask their permission for Kate’s hand in marriage. The Texas Hill Country played a role in the proposal, which took the couple around to several towns enjoying the music, wine, cuisine and country charm of the area before Chad got down on one knee. “Austin and the Hill Country have always felt like my second home, next to Hawaii, and the Hill Country is where Chad proposed to me,” says Kate, which is why the couple decided to be married just outside of Austin at Star Hill Ranch. “The little ‘town’ there was the perfect setting to match the vintage, shabby-chic feel of the wedding decor.” Since the bride grew up in both Hawaii and Austin, flowers from both areas were incorporated into the wedding decor. Kate and Chad wore fresh leis from Honolulu during the ceremony, and the floral arrangements included succulents, pikake, orchids and baby greens. They also incorporated the Irish handfasting tradition in their ceremony as a nod to the bride’s heritage. Guests signed a distressed wine barrel that the couple would later transform into a table. Antique-looking vintage furniture created an eclectic, shabby-chic atmosphere at the cocktail hour and reception, which were held outside on the main grassy street with overhead twinkle lights and a cool breeze. Following the wedding, the couple and their friends and family continued the festivities into the weekend, including a brunch, a boat party on Lake Austin and a cookout. “We were really excited to make this a family get-together in addition to our wedding,” says the bride.