Ashley and Luke had a stunning outdoor wedding May 2024 at Shiraz Garden with an effortlessly stunning day! Enjoy these moments and great advice from the bride to plan your own dream Hill Country wedding!

What is your best advice for couples planning a wedding at Shiraz? Or in general!?

Buy your wedding shoes way earlier than you think. Buy 2-3 wedding decor items per month at least 8-9 months out so you're not buying it all at once.

Budget for tips. Budget for alterations. Budget for furniture if you're really passionate about that because it is EXPENSIVE.

Make sure to test spray tans, test hair styles, test hair extensions, test make-up etc etc. Don't worry about squats, do your push-ups girly.

Why did you choose Shiraz Garden?

The views 100%. I started to cry just standing at the ceremony spot and I knew that had to be the venue, I had not felt that way about any of the other 8 or 9 venues we had seen up to that point. I also love the formal garden and REAALLLY hope we get to have an outdoor wedding.

What moment are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?

“We're most looking forward to the ceremony and then later the dancing and party part of the wedding. For the bride - really looking forward to that walk down the aisle in my beautiful dress to my amazing soon-to-be husband. For the groom - the walk down the aisle and ceremony and then definitely the party afterwards”

VENDOR TEAM - Austin Texas

IHC with Brittani at Shiraz Garden

Faith and Fire Photo and Film

Premier Entertainment

Lily Grace Getaway Cars

PEJ Events Bar and Catering

Venetian Gardens - Florist

Gypc Girl Photography

Michelle’s Patisserie

Makeup by Adrienne and Team

LILY GRACE GETAWAY CAR

We love seeing our couples choose Lily Garce Getaway Cars for their grand exits and for the bride to arrive at the ceremony at Sunset Vista! Lily Grace is local to Shiraz and here all the time, making them easy to work with for our couples and a great local small business to support!

TELL US YOUR STORY!

“We just want this day to be as fun as possible for everyone, including ourselves. Luke and I don't want to have to think about the details on the day, we're hoping to have it all figured out in time so that everyone else can handle things day-of. Tell us the short story of how you met one another.Luke and Ashley met in October of 2018 on, yes…a dating app; Luke and Ashley have fate and Hinge to thank for their relationship. After meeting at George’s On The Town (now closed, RIP), they quickly followed up their first date with a second date to see the animated new Grinch movie at Alamo Drafthouse. Luke always says he knew Ashley was the one when she shared his excitement over seeing the new Christmas movie. After dating for a bit, Luke broke the news that the U.S. Army would be moving him to Columbus, Georgia for an unknown amount of time. So, after just a few months of knowing each other, Luke and Ashley embarked on a long-distance relationship. Through distance, time, COVID-19, and busy work schedules, Luke and Ashley both agree that this time was incredibly important for creating a solid foundation of love and trust.

After a year of long-distance which included a lot of phone calls, zooms, and quick weekend trips back and forth, Luke left the Army and came to Austin in July of 2020. Navigating COVID-19 and a struggling job market, Ashley and Luke banded together to make this new chapter of life as fun and exciting as possible. They traveled as often as they could to Chicago to visit his family, and in fact, the first time Ashley ever met the whole Esterman family was at a wedding – talk about a crash course! After moving to Austin, they settled into a routine, spent time with family, began sports – Ashley horseback riding and Luke hockey – and re-connected with friends from college. In February of 2022, they decided to start looking for a home together and by April of 2022, they had the keys to their first house.Tell us about the proposal! In December of 2022, Luke and Ashley were celebrating their 4-year anniversary. As Ashley wrapped up getting ready to go out for the evening, Luke said he had an anniversary present for her, but it was under the Christmas tree upstairs and she’d have to go look for it. They went up together. At the top of the stairs was their Christmas tree, adorned in photos of Luke and Ashley over the past four years. Luke began to reminisce on their time together as a couple and eventually got down on one knee and asked Ashley if she would marry him. Of course, she said “yes!” They then promptly went to a very awkward 10-year High School reunion Ashley had already planned for them to attend – that decision was regretted later.”