Cate and Andrew’s story runs deep from elementary school all the way to their high school reunion, where a long, rekindled conversation led to romance. Their courtship was sealed with a proposal in her parents’ California vineyard, after which they twirled in the rain and ran through the trees with joy.
The duo’s ceremony was held at Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin, Cate’s childhood church. Before the service began, their two families shared an intimate, grounding Communion. But once guests began filing in, the hum of voices rose until it sounded like a party in the sanctuary!
Even the reception venue was sentimental. Held at the Driskill Hotel, it’s where Andrew first told Cate he loved her while they were attending another friend’s wedding. The dark wood, marble accents and candlelight brought Cate’s vision of a romantic celebration to life. She wore a strapless satin gown with a sheer floral overlay, with her “something blue” embroidered inside, a patch from the dress she wore to her sister’s wedding years ago. Her “something old” was her great-grandmother’s watch, and her “something borrowed” was her sister’s handkerchief.
All the bridesmaids also wore white, a nod to one of Cate’s favorite movies as a girl, The Sound of Music. Photographs from Cate and Andrew’s childhood days sat atop a grand piano, next to a children’s book about a girl who grew up in a vineyard, an echo of Cate’s own childhood visits to Napa Valley, where her father made wine. The couple even cut their cake with a knife that’s been used by 20 other newlyweds.
In the season following the proposal, Cate and Andrew would say to one another, “It’s about the marriage, not the wedding.” Their wedding was an intimate segue into forever, starting with a summer honeymoon to South America’s Argentina and Brazil. As you say in Portuguese, “Saúde!” or, cheers!
