OUR STORY

He said, “The first time I met Jessica, her smile knocked me to my knees. Our shared interest in music, our community, and eating delicious food wove the fiber of our courtship. With road trips (to New Orleans, Marfa, Port Aransas), coastal vacations (California, New York), and Sunday Suppers with our friends in Austin, we learned to compliment and support each other through each experience. Now, we’ve got a super cute pair of cats and I’m excited for the future ahead with Jessica at my side."

She said, “We met in 2011. Within the first few months Chris bravely accepted my invitations to a big birthday bowling party, camping with twenty or so friends, and stepped up to save the day when my SXSW party didn’t go as planned. We began traveling together and it became clear pretty quickly that something special was happening. I’ve always been impressed by how easily Chris gets along with everyone, no matter where we go, he fits right in. I am thrilled to have found a partner as laidback and equally inclined to adventure as Chris.”

We are both transplants to Austin (Chris from Houston, Texas; Jessica from New Paltz, New York), and feel strongly about the backdrop of our story. Austin is a great city to live and fall in love in. We especially treasure our South Austin neighborhood. So much so, that we wanted to share it with you! This is where we live, eat, and play. This is also where we found the perfect wedding venue! We invite you to a place that is deep in our hearts, in Texas. We hope you can join us in celebration!

Ceremony & Reception

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

AUSTIN, TX

MERCURY HALL

615 CARDINAL LANE

4pm lawn games | 5pm ceremony
dinner & dancing to follow

Parking: available on-site
Dress: semi-formal garden party; stilettos highly discouraged

Visit Mercury Hall

Wedding Party

Kate Detch - Maid of Honor

Kate and I were roommates at MCLA. After graduation Kate frequently visited me in New Paltz. Despite my studio apartment’s limitations--she always made herself right at home! After I moved to Austin, she relocated to New Orleans and I returned the favor as a regular guest. Now, she lives in Dallas. Our college-selves never would have imagined we’d end up in Texas of all places, but I’m so glad to have her three hours away! Kate's my best friend and the closest to a sister I’ve had the pleasure to know.

Sarah Knowles - Bridesmaid

Sarah and I met working together on the college school newspaper. As a fellow journalism grad, we both dabbled in the early aughts music blogging scene, and Sarah managed to visit Austin for five years of SXSW festival fun, which peaked (in our book) with our own event. Now, we collaborate on her Storychord project. It’s pretty clear that Sarah is my future business partner.

Catherine Cottingham - Bridesmaid

I met Catherine in Austin while I was learning the ropes of Austin’s free events circuit and stumbled upon her jewelry shows. She and her (now) husband had recently moved to Austin and we all quickly began exploring the city together, introducing one another to new friends. I consider her extended family and I adore her. She is my dearest confidant and soul sister.

Amy Spencer - Bridesmaid

I met Amy in Austin. She’s loud, outgoing, and wanted me to help her cheat in a game of rock, paper, scissor. I thought there was something wrong with her; I found out she's from New Jersey. I was homesick and starving for the opportunity to banter, thankfully she’s a professional. We hit it off and she got bonus points for loving Springsteen. Amy is the most passionate person I know. I don’t know where she finds the energy, but I love it.

Candace Collins - Bridesmaid

Candace and I met in Austin during a summer heatwave and quickly bonded over a shared dedication to pool time and live music. Our fast friendship led us to explore beyond Austin, with ventures to Marfa and Galveston. I learned early on that I could always count on her to say yes to fun! Candy has a big heart and generates positive vibes everywhere she goes.

Daniel Brown - Best Man

My one and only brother. Daniel enjoyed 18 months as an only child before I was came along to shake things up. Being close in age, we’ve learned a lot from one another--like how to sell stickers in highschool and what it’s like to adopt exotic birds (smelly). Daniel has always been one to dream big; now that he lives in Austin, maybe we’ll finally start that hip-hop group we dreamed of as kids.

Todd Bryant - Groomsman

Todd is my oldest friend. We were introduced in 5th grade by alphabetic proximity, but thankfully our friendship grew. As kids we had fun skateboarding and discovering our shared interest in art; one of those things we can still do without getting hurt. As adults, we continue to nerd-out over music, tech, and vegetable gardening. I admire Todd and his enthusiastic outlook on life.

Jonas Hodges - Groomsman

I met Jonas on a party barge and it wasn’t long before we discovered we were both musicians. He was the first person I asked to join Bali Yaaah and we’ve been creating music together now for over the 6 years, through multiple reincarnations. I’m thankful Jonas remained steady on the bass through it all, like a true badass. We’ve shared a ton of good times. I always appreciate his advice and laidback nature.

Matt Presley - Groomsman

I met Matt the first day I stepped into Open Labs. For the past 6 years we have worked together through some pretty interesting times. Matt’s “nice guy” reputation is completely bonafide--he’s a joy to be around and one heck of a dancer! I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Matt during work trips to Chicago, L.A., and New Orleans. Even during a stressful day of meetings, Matt always manages to crack me up.

Kevin Collins - Groomsman

At first sight I thought Kevin was a total hipster, but I enjoyed his unique style and self awareness. I soon found out that he’s 100% legit. We became close friends through a shared love of the funk--music that is. Over the past few years we’ve shared records, beers, and collaborated on some great music together for Kev Bev & The Woodland Creatures. Kevin is a patient pal and great listener, with a wildly creative imagination.

Ben King - Officiant

We have always imagined that our wedding would be officiated by a friend. Ben is one of the most outgoing and energetic people we know. His enthusiasm is nothing less of contagious. We’ve all celebrated a lot of special occasions together over the years and we’re so excited that Ben agreed to be part of our big day!

Ben King - Officiant

ACCOMMODATIONS

For guests flying to Austin

We recommend staying on or near South Congress Avenue. This location does not require a car & is conveniently located with a variety of restaurants, shops, & nightlife attractions.

For out of town guests traveling by car

We recommend staying in the South Congress Avenue area, but if you choose to stay outside of this area, please be aware that the ceremony will be around rush hour on Friday. Traffic may impact your drive to Mercury Hall and will likely require additional considerations getting to the ceremony.

Where to stay

Embassy Suites Town Lake - Here's a peek

A more traditional hotel with great amenities, closer to downtown. Please book through this link, or call and reference the Skinner/Brown wedding block.

Austin Motel - Take a look-see

This place is "so close yet so far out." It is the most budget-friendly hotel on the South Congress strip and reflects a "keep Austin Weird" vibe (with a Spotify playlist). They are currently sprucing-up a bit, so expect their eclectic digs to be slightly more minimal by April. We have a 15-room block under SKINNER/BROWN WEDDING. To secure a spot call or email.

Hotel San Jose - See it here

This minimal, bohemian, bungalow-style boutique hotel has one of our favorite courtyard lounges. We will be staying here for the weekend. Please call to reserve within the Skinner/Brown room block.

South Congress Hotel - Check it out

Compound environment with multiple restaurants on site, as well as a coffee shop and nail salon. They have a nice pool deck and a great bar that stays open late. To reserve within the Skinner/Brown room block, please call or book online here. When booking online, please select your dates first. Then, on the next screen, select Group/Wedding and enter the custom booking code: 74511.

Other Options

Best Western Plus Austin City Hotel (requires car; located on 1-35)
Quality Suites South (requires car; located off I-35, near 71)
You might also want to consider renting through VRBO, HomeAway, or AirBnB.

Getting to Austin

If you’re coming from out of state, please fly into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
From the airport, you can take a taxi, reserve a shuttle service, or use a rideshare service to get to your hotel.

Local Transportation

Austin’s taxi services are notoriously unreliable for scheduling a pickup. Rest assured that there will be a line of taxis at the airport when you arrive, but after that they tend to be unattainable.

When you are booking your accommodations, find out if there’s a shuttle service to the airport & make arrangements for your departure in advance.

We encourage you to review the following to make the best decisions for your stay. As we make plans for the big day, we will provide updates on options.

Austin B-Cycle - This is not recommended for getting to & from the wedding, but if you are staying near downtown or South Congress this local bike share has stations around town that would work nicely for sightseeing.

Fasten and Fare are both ridesharing options. Uber and Lyft are currently not offered in Austin.

Questions?

We have chosen for our wedding day to be an adult only occasion (21+). If you are traveling with a child that will need a babysitter, please email Catherine Cottingham for help.

With all other questions, please email us here.

Our Guide to Austin

We hope our wedding gives you a good excuse to have a special holiday in Austin. Here are recommended spots.

Our special places

Lenoir Restaurant - their wine garden is very chill & intimate--this is where Chris proposed on NYE 2016!
Justine’s - many a date night has been spent at this cozy French cafe in far East Austin.
Gibson Bar - good cocktails & patio. this is where we had our first date.

South Austin Faves

Radio Coffee & Beer - great tacos. great beer. great coffee.
Bouldin Creek Cafe - fave go-to spot for a meatless meal (vegan, veggie, & gluten-free friendly).
The Austin Beer Garden Brewery (ABGB) - solid pizza & beer joint (with GF friendly pizza).
Lucy’s Fried Chicken - awesome wood fired oysters & fried chicken.
Lick Honest Ice Cream - small batch ice cream. crazy flavor concoctions.
Barlata Tapas Bar - great Spanish tapas & the BEST paella.
Perlas - for oysters & oyster shooters. Their patio feels like vacay.
End of An Ear - neighborhood record shop.
South Congress Cafe - a fave food & drink happy hour spot. their brunch is also great!
Magnolia Cafe - all night diner, because sometimes you need to.

Obligatory BBQ Recommendations

Micklethwait Craft Meats - great BBQ w/o the hours long line. tasty side dishes, too!
Franklin BBQ - if you need to go to, just because. go early & tailgate.

Austin Attractions

Bat Bridge - gather at dusk to see the world's largest urban bat colony emerge from under the South Congress Bridge.
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar - movie + restaurant + bar = fun!
Showlist Austin - easy guide to nightly shows in Austin
Continental Club - legendary music club founded in 1955
Continental Gallery - a smaller venue upstairs from Continental Club
More Things to do --> Austin Do512’s list of Everything You Must Do in ATX

Feel free to reach out for additional guidance & recommendations for your trip!