Shiraz Garden Hill Country Venue on the Colorado River

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Intimate October Austin-Area Wedding for a chic outdoor bride and hill country love

Intimate weddings are always going to be wedding professionals’ favorite occasion because there tends to be more focus on details and fewer time constraints. Two things that make a wedding feel a bit more relaxed and focused on what’s really important!

Tara and Lee wanted their day to be stress-free and focused on only their love story and very favorite people. Shiraz Garden was their dream venue with all the views, planning ease, and great service they were looking for to customize their special and detailed-oriented wedding planning. We loved working with Tara closely through her planning process to ensure she hard her day the way she had always envisioned it.


Brides Review:

My husband and I got married in October 2021 at Shiraz Garden and absolutely loved it. We were looking for an all outdoor space with lots of photo backdrops with a natural yet boho chic feel, and Shiraz Garden provided all of that and more. We booked the Friday/Saturday package so we were able to have our rehearsal dinner there as well. The venue has so many special spaces to host a rehearsal dinner, any size wedding ceremony and reception and even bridal or engagement photos. Our wedding ceremony was held at the Sunset Vista, followed by a reception at the Formal Garden area. We only had about 50 guests and it was perfect!

The guests really enjoyed the atmosphere, and because Shiraz allows for you to choose your vendors, we were able to bring in some of our favorite local restaurants for dinner and dessert. Note: if the vendors haven't been there before, they are required to tour the venue prior, but that was not a problem at all for any of our vendors and actually extremely beneficial.

Lastly, the professionalism and communication that Shiraz Garden staff brought to the table was greatly appreciated! I had a LOT of questions early on and during the month leading up to the wedding and I never questioned or worried if they would answer my call or reply to my email - Kalli was a rockstar through our year of planning. Shiraz also provides open houses throughout the year, which proved to be extremely helpful in our planning process. All in all, we highly recommend Shiraz Garden!


Photographer’s Review:

Next… her VENUE. Shiraz Gardens has quickly become one of my favorite wedding venues in Texas. The variety of overlooks and architecture make this an awesome place for photos. The atmosphere of the whole property is peaceful yet adventurous. Being here feels like vacatio

The venue is also huge, so it was nice to fully explore each area without the rush of a wedding day.

Lauren Garrison Photography, 2021


Getting Ready - Tara and her Bridesmaids taking in a relaxed wedding day morning!

Tara had an amazing vendor team that started with hair and makeup by Bethany Elise and team who never disappoints. This Austin-based hair and makeup team is led by one of the sweetest and most talented beauty experts we know. The really impressive part is this team is always on-time. Wedding days are highly impacted by the wedding party’s ability to get ready according to the timeline. If the ladies aren’t ready nothing can start and if photos before the ceremony can’t start on time then the ceremony is delayed and the rest of the night’s time is decreased. So, we and photographers greatly appreciate a wedding beauty team who is good at keeping to the timeline.


Outdoor Ceremony with Hill Country Views - October in Texas

Tara and Lee said I do at Sunset Vista, Shiraz Garden’s large outdoor ceremony site. This space gives our couples the views they want and the photos they always dreamed of especially when one of our recommended photographers is behind the lens. Lauren Garrison Photography is an absolute joy to work with. She captures the moment in a way that is always surprising and genuine. And she is possibly the most talented photographer we have regularly at Shiraz Garden when it comes to the natural landscape. Lauren is the ideal photographer for couples who want the dreamy, natural light landscape in their wedding albums.

Forest Path to Sunset Vista

  • Our couples build in greeting time for guests before the ceremony! How does that work? Simple, they either “fudge” the invitation marking the ceremony 30 minutes to an hour before the actual start time or they simply add a “meet us for welcome refreshments” on the invitation.

  • This is a sure way to make sure that your guests will actually make the ceremony. Becuase Sunset Vista is not near the parking lot at Shiraz Garden, guests will park and then follow the string lights to the Formal Garden. There is a welcome 30-minutes to an hour time that allows guests to take a restroom break and gather all together.

  • Then(!) they all take their refreshment as a group and walk the secrete little forested path to Sunset Vista. This processional is one of our favorite parts of Shiraz Garden ceremonies.

  • This time to greet each other and exchange hellos makes for more focused ceremonies on the bride and groom - which is another reason we love this so much!


VENDOR TEAM

  • Lauren Garrison Photography

  • Bethany Elyse Beauty

  • Andrew Kreitz DJ

  • Matt’s El Rancho

We have enjoyed working with all of these great Austin wedding vendors!



October in Texas - Perfect for Outdoor Receptions