Thinking about having a South Congress Hotel Wedding? It’s no secret that you most likely picked or are interested in this venue because you have a fun sense of style, value guest experience, and most likely can appreciate the quirkiness of Austin, TX. With that said, I can only imagine that your wedding day design will match these virtues.
Today, I’m showcasing a previous wedding design at this hotel to get your creative juices flowing. Let’s dive in!
The Planning
The stylings of Wes Anderson drove the inspiration for this shoot. His symmetry, architectural design, and bold patterns + colors set the tone for a wedding backdrop beaming with personality. While keeping an elevated, elegant look is always a priority for wedding design, we wanted to take on the challenge of juxtaposing patterns and colors in surprising ways, just as Mr. Wes artfully does.
South Congress Hotel was thoughtfully selected, as it is a venue after Austin’s own heart. The property is filled with quirky + chic interiors and an outdoor ceremony space that boasts the city’s magic while being tucked away in a courtyard. But most importantly, the reception hall offers a blank canvas, allowing bright color palettes to come to life.
The Fashion
The grooms, Deremy and John, sported sea glass and white suits from Rex Formal Wear. Our florist, Perry’s Petals, recognized that grooms often do not receive the show-stopping floral moment as brides do with their bridal bouquets, so it was important to adorn John (white suit) with something eye-catching. As a result, he was suited in a vibrant, luscious flowered lapel. We couldn’t leave Deremy (sea glass suit) hanging and knew he needed something fun as part of his accessories. What better way to give a nod to an Austin, TX South Congress Hotel Wedding than with a turquoise bolo tie and avante-garde boutonniere?
The Details at South Congress Hotel
In creating a cohesive design and orchestrating a sensation of connection, we leaned into the cream and blue art deco pattern designed by In Ink Weddings and Wes Anderson’s recognizable architectural style throughout. From the ceremony and bar, to the invitation suite and guest tables, one of these elements is found.
For instance, the red velvet bar and lamps provided by Loot Rentals and arched backdrop are a nod to the Grand Budapest Hotel’s concierge desk. In an effort not to explicitly be Wes Anderson, tart cherries became an icon for the shoot, as this electric red is often found throughout his work.
The guest table spreads are filled with odd shapes, bold colors, and mixed textures. While it was so much fun bringing color into the design, it was important to bring in a touch of masculinity; queue the wooden chargers and cement candlesticks. Table Manners provided an excellent variety of flatware, plateware, and glassware and BBJ Tavola tied it all together with the half-moon patterned linens and bold peacock-green napkins.
Our stationer, Eventive Designs, curated the half-moon shape into the menus and featured tassels that were intentional in representing vintage hotel key ring tassels. We predict anthurium to be the flower of the year between the 2023-2024 wedding seasons, so selecting rare, red-speckled and orange stamen blooms were a delight to incorporate.
Once again loving on Austin’s cityscape, we also made our way to Lady Bird Lake for Retro Boat Rental’s pail-pink boat, “Gidget”.
Stand Out Moments at the South Congress Hotel
The design element we were most excited about was the ceremony. We predict runway-style seating and custom aisles will be hot in 2024 and wanted to put our best spin on it. There’s something enchanting about a “road” lined with colorful flowers leading to your altar – an altar enrapturing you in a floral embrace. Father Lizzie conducted the ceremony, John and Deremy exchanged love notes and sealed the metaphorical deal. Loot Rentals brought forth pops of pink with the ceremony chairs and arch. Scarlett Rose Collective brought the custom aisle pattern to life along with a teal backdrop that met the arch.
Secondly, we’d consider Riley Glenn Photography’s capture method as a part of the design. Sticking with Wes, she methodically captured the day in bursts of symmetry and open space. As did our videographer, Carhart Photography, who also lent into the iconic symmetry with a warm-yellow filter. Check out the video here.
For Couples Wanting to Re-Create the Look for a South Congress Hotel Wedding
When recalling Wes Anderson, inquisitive, odd, and surprising come to mind. In order to pull off the look, it’s necessary to be confident in mixing the uncommon together and trusting that it’ll stick. One of the biggest trust-the-processes pieces was the cake station. Collectively, it portrayed these elements of oddity with tiger print pieces, a mint-green guest book phone from Called to Say, cigar favors, and a cherry-on-top cake by Cafe No Se. There’s beauty in the artfully placed chaos – don’t be afraid to try unconventional pairings.
And there you have it!
If you’re stuck on the design process or looking for a wedding planner, we’d be delighted to bring your uniquely-you day to life! Inquire here. <3
Vendor Team:
Photography: Riley Glenn Photography | Designer/Planner: In Ink Weddings + Events | Florist: Perry’s Petals | Videographer: Carhart Photography | Stationer: Eventive Designs ATX | HAMU: Luna Beauty | Custom aisle/bar: Scarlet Rose Collective | Groom Attire: Rex Formal Wear | Rentals: Loot | Linens: BBJ | Boat Rental: Retro Boat Rentals | Dessert: Cafe No Se | Guest Book: Called To Say | Officiant: Father Lizzie | Tabletop: Table Manners | Groom 1: John Garza | Groom 2: Deremy Fleetwood
