A great way to end finals week: celebrating the marriage of good friends. And in Austin! Let’s face it, a wedding invitation is a bill. You see the calligraphy. You feel the weight of the envelope. You think to yourself: $h!t! There goes at least a grand!
That’s a problem with living in a city you didn’t grow up in: you rarely have in-town weddings. Fortunately, this wedding bill was for a local wedding, woo-hoo!
I wasn’t going to blog about this weekend, but the groom suggested demanded a post. He told me the only rules were the honest truth. For those of you that know me, I was bestowed the nickname “No Mercy” by my friend Taylor W (soon to be Taylor L). Rick said to me, “I want the truth. The No Mercy Truth.” Okay, buddy, you got it!
I’ve known Rick and Allison for a couple years now. We had a fabulous time on a ski trip two years ago. In fact, we still laugh at some of the shenanigans from that trip.
Apparently we’re close enough friends that we made the cut for the rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner was at the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse (that’s a mouthful, so going forward I’ll refer to it as SRS). SRS was great. The service was outstanding and the food was delicious. Would I return? Perhaps. The problem is that Austin has so many great steakhouses, it seems pretty hard to justify the 35 minute drive to SRS. For the rehearsal dinner, however, the SRS was great. Justin Does Approve.
The wedding was on Saturday. You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful wedding party. I mean, seriously, both sides were stunning. Allison was gorgeous in her dress, and what man doesn’t look slick in a tuxedo?
I was a fan of the wedding, particularly because it was short. Being born and raised Catholic, any non-Catholic wedding seems short (have you ever been to a Catholic wedding?) The ceremony was meaningful, and no one fainted! That says a lot considering there were 8 attendants on each side!
Newly married!
The party, er, I mean, reception, was FANTASTIC. Rick and Allison picked the Westwood Country Club. It was a great venue. Everything was laid out well and the food stations were well spaced.
Speaking of food, you can’t have a better menu than what Rick and Allison picked. My favorite was the chicken and waffles. A waffle topped with strawberry butter, southern fried chicken, and maple syrup. Yes, please! The crab cakes were delicious (covered in the rémoulade, of course) as were the beef skewers.
I’m always a little skeptical of live bands, but Rick and Allison’s pick, Radiostar, was perfect. When you have an 80s cover band, you really can’t go wrong. The band rocked it out the entire night and the dance floor was never empty. I mean, how could they not rock the party when the band wears Adidas track suits?
Rocking the Kasbah.
The couple picked fantastic swag for those attending. To go along with the 80s band, there was a bucket of 80s sunglasses:
I wear sunglasses at night, too.
Once the band had finished, it was time for the Rick and Allison to head off to the honeymoon suite. All in attendance lined up at the door and tossed flower petals at the bride and groom as they got into the car:
So happy!
Rick – you wanted the #NoMercy review of your wedding weekend? Y’all hit it out of the ballpark. Thank you so much for including us. Best wishes and hope y’all are enjoying your honeymoon!
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