I love being a wedding planner in Austin because nearly 50% of my clients are from out of state! I’ve found that the city is a perfect meeting ground to invite your guests from all over the country/world. From having an international airport to offering a variety of activities to entertain your guests (cowboy chic style), a destination wedding in Austin is sure to offer your guests the best time! However, this can only be done with some tried and true knowledge from a pro. Let me tell you what I mean.
Things to Consider When Planning a Destination Wedding in Austin
1. The Time of Year
Full stop: the best time of year to get married in Austin is March-May or October-November. With our unpredictable seasons and sweltering summers, you’re almost guaranteed to have great weather during these months. Albeit, there might be a chance of rain in April. However, we planners in Austin are pros at creating rain plains that honestly don’t feel like a rain plan! Additionally, many venues offer alternative spaces for weather plans – so no worries there. Your main priority is to avoid the TX heat.
2. Events/Festivals You May be Competing With
Austin hosts events like it is its own mini Las Vegas. Big events to avoid planning your wedding in conjunction with include SXSW (March), ACL (October), and F1 (October). If your wedding is outside the city (perhaps the Hill Country) it’s not as big of an issue to work around these. However, if you plan to have guests stay Austin, hotel pricing is typically jacked up, traffic is busy, and accommodations are difficult to reserve.
3. Your Venue Location
Here are your two options: party in Austin or party in the Hill Country. You’ll find that you can choose from design-elevated hotel spaces, modern barns, rooftop soirees, charming historic mansions, and industrial venues. Here’s the main thing to consider – what reflects you as a couple? There are SO many destination wedding options here in Austin. Check out my venue research guide OR hire a trusted planner to narrow down your perfect venue.
4. Guest Accommodations
I’d highly recommend choosing hotels close to the airport or are in the city. Some guests will rent a car but most will use rideshares to get around. For accommodation options, I like to provide 2 tiers of hotels: one on the luxury end (that you and bae are staying at) and one that is budget-friendly.
Additionally, look into room blocks and add the information to your wedding website. If that sounds overwhelming, that’s something your planner can handle for you.
5. Transportation
Again, most of your guests will opt for rideshares over renting cars because a) traffic/parking availability can be horrific b) most of the time paid parking/valet is required and c) no one wants to be the DD.
With that said, I highly highly highly recommend providing shuttles for your guests if your venue is not part of the hotel they’re staying at. Shuttles are a wonderful courtesy to provide AND ensure an on-time ceremony start because your guests are not navigating unfamiliar Austin traffic to make it to your ceremony.
Also, if your wedding is out in the Hill Country, shuttles provide an extra layer of safety so that your guests aren’t navigating windy roads in the dark (and the crazies that might be driving on them leaving the dive bars).
My Favorite Must-Haves for a Destination Wedding In Austin
1. Incorporate Local Flavors
When I moved to Austin, the 2 things I instantly fell in love with were breakfast tacos and Topo Chico. IYKYK. There are so many amazing flavors here to introduce to your guests from Tex-Mex to BBQ to sweet treats like candied pecans. Let them know what they’ve been missing out on!
2. Make it an Austin Destination Wedding WEEKEND
Okay, you’ve traveled this far to celebrate in Austin, you may as well make the most of it with a wedding weekend! Let me walk you through my thoughts. Thursday is your rehearsal dinner with a welcome party to follow (for those getting in after work hours), Friday is the wedding day, Saturday you hit the town with your closest friends/family, and Sunday everyone heads home. Seriously, I’ve yet to have a couple that didn’t enjoy this schedule. The thing is, your wedding day goes by in a FLASH. Make the most of it by working in extra time to spend the weekend with your guests.
*If you have the bandwidth and your guests have the availability, shifting this plan to midweek has major cost savings on things like the venue, plane tickets, and hotel accommodations.
3. Add in Cowboy Chic
I don’t care if you’re from NYC, everyone LOVES to put on a pair of cowboy boots. It’s just FUN. Some of my couples encourage their guests to dress like they’re attending the CMT awards on the wedding day. OR, if you’re not *that country* it’s fun to make the welcome party a little *yee-haw* with some country attire. For the record, I’ve sported a bolo tie and boots while still going for the grunge look. Its possible to keep your style while putting a Texas Walker Ranger spin on it.
4. Embrace the Music Scene
Welcome to the live music capital of America! You’re either hosting a local band at your wedding OR you’re inviting everyone out to the honky tonk. This is something you and your guests will not want to miss out on and it gives a true taste of the heart and soul of Austin. Shoot, even inviting a solo musician to your rehearsal dinner could be a nice touch. Whatever it is, be sure to kick back somewhere to hear tunes.
And there you have it! Do you plan to have a destination wedding in Austin?
Honestly, you’re guaranteed to have the best time. The Austin wedding industry prides itself in its diversity of venues, vendors, and things to do outside of the wedding itself. If you’re considering making this your wedding weekend hub, I’d love to chat about making this destination wedding in Austin uniquely you. Start by filling out my contact form here and we’ll dig in!
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