Jaclyn & Frank’s South Congress Hotel Wedding

Jaclyn & Frank’s wedding day was an intimate celebration full of intentional details with a bold color palette of black, greens, burgundy, gold and subtle pops of orange. It came together to create a stunning and sophisticated look at this luxury boutique hotel!

Jaclyn and Frank, avid fitness enthusiasts, first met in 2013 at a gym in Falls Church, Virginia. Frank, being the ever charming and charismatic gentleman, would often tease Jaclyn about her approach to nutrition and training, much to her chagrin. Much like the schoolyard of many people’s youth, this was just the early tell-tale signs of a blossoming courtship. Soon, Jaclyn fell under his spell, and their journey together began.
As we fast-forward to 2017, Frank and Jaclyn moved to College Station Texas in order for Frank to pursue his passion in Sports Nutrition. While living there, they would often make day trips to Austin, TX to visit friends and explore the city. One of their favorite and most frequent stops happened to be the South Congress Hotel. A luxury boutique hotel right in the heart of all the action, straddling skyscrapers of downtown Austin, and the neighborhood just south.
During the summer of 2020 while trekking across the country on a road trip, Frank proposed during a professional photoshoot with the scenic Grand Teton Mountains as the backdrop. In the coming days, they quickly agreed that an intimate wedding at the South Congress Hotel was where their heart was set. They invited 50 of their closest friends and family to the big day, who traveled from all over the country (and world) to celebrate this special occasion.
Planning a wedding was a dream come true for Jaclyn, a wedding photographer herself. She was meticulous with every little detail and knew what to expect from the big day. However, she was quite shocked with some of the decisions she made as they were in stark contrast to what she dreamed of years earlier. However, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, as the day was perfect! -Blue Sparrow Events
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? Jaclyn and Frank, avid fitness enthusiasts, first met in 2013 at a gym in Falls Church, Virginia. Frank, being the ever charming and charismatic gentleman, would often tease Jaclyn about her approach to nutrition and training, much to her chagrin. Much like the schoolyard of many people’s youth, this was just the early tell-tale signs of a blossoming courtship. Soon, Jaclyn fell under his spell, and their journey together began. Why was Frank so infatuated with Jaclyn? Her magnetic personality that filled a room bringing everything into her orbit along with a megawatt smile made her quite alluring. Frank just knew he had to know more about this vibrant lady full of spunk.

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? The most important part of the wedding day was ensuring it was centered around what mattered most, celebrating the love of two people with their closet friends and family. We opted for a private first look which allowed us to have an intimate moment between the two of us. After which a whirlwind began, but we could not be more thankful for being with the group of people who were closet to us and played significant roles in our lives. Our favorite part was dancing the night away!

One of the details that was of particular importance was the incorporation of elements of Frank’s father, who sadly passed away in 2018, into the event. Frank’s father was a racing enthusiast who competed in many regional and national SCCA GT1 events in the 1970s to early 2000s. On the track, he was affectionately known as “Big Orange” due to his bright orange 1970 Z28 Camaro. Jaclyn working with the talented team from Design to Flourish created an amazing escort wall with a laser cut orange camaro as an ode to Frank’s father, Tony. In addition, there were subtle orange flower accents included in Jaclyn’s bouquet, Frank’s boutonnière, and the flowers for Frank’s brother and mom. Tony was incredibly pragmatic and would have insisted on not making a big deal of his absence. As a result, these subtle details allowed the family to feel as though his spirit could celebrate in the moment with all of them together. -Blue Sparrow Events What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? Planning a wedding was a dream come true for Jaclyn, a wedding photographer herself. She was meticulous with every little detail and knew what to expect from the big day. Her favorite part was seeing the vision come to creation in real life. It was even better than she could have imaged and the day was absolutely perfect! If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Our advice is to be a true partner in your relationship. We both recognize that we are much stronger as a team working together, each with our own strengths, and our own flaws. We are open and honest about how we can both support one another so that we can be the best version of ourselves inside and outside of our relationship. We both depend on one another and both know we can always count on one another to be there to bring the best out of us. Being a partner is about trust, honesty, loyalty, and support. What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Love is not perfect. When you love someone you have to grow as individuals on the same path together. It’s not always going to be 50/50 and sometimes in any given moment one partner has to sacrifice more to the benefit of their other half whether it’s career, family, travel, etc. but it’s not about keeping score. It’s about doing the right thing for the relationship and the benefit of one another. Both partners should be selfless in pursuit of building a strong relationship and not selfish to one individuals needs. Photographer: Mishelle Lamarand Photography
Venue: South Congress Hotel
Stylist / Planner / Designer: Drops of Honey + Blue Sparrow Events
Floral Designer: The Farmer and I
Dress Boutique: Blue Bridal
Dress Designer: Essence of Australia
Cake Designer: Michelle’s Patisserie
Makeup Artist: Silk + Glow
Hair Stylist: Silk + Glow
Mens Formalwear: Royal Tuxedo
Rentals: Table Manners + Party at the Moontower
Stationery: Design to Flourish
Accessories / Decor: Design to Flourish
Dance floor: Mike’s Dance Floor
Band: Hype Rythm DJ
Ceremony Music: Sienna Strings
Linens: La Tavola & Premiere Rental
Sparklers: Broadway Bridal