Austin, Texas Destination Wedding Photography

When I tell you that this photo story is about destination wedding photography and a rustic Texas ranch wedding, you’ll have to take me on faith for a few moments. The reason is that this story actually begins 2,300 miles away from Austin, Texas in a sleepy beach town on the northern coast of Costa Rica. Let me explain. 

(This is Part 1 in a two part series about a destination wedding photography story in Austin, Texas. To skip ahead and see Part 2, click here.) 

In February 2017 I was in Costa Rica working on a photo project. After the project was finished, I found an incredible little surf villa to call home for the week. Little A-frame cabins with thatched palm leaf roofs in a lush tropical jungle just steps to some world-class waves. The typical day involved yoga, long surf sessions, mesmerizing fish tacos, and reading in a hammock as monkeys played about in the tree canopy above. 

It was here where I first met Carmen and Barrett. They were travelling on holiday from their home in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We became fast friends and shared in some epic surf sessions and other tropical adventures. A few months later I received an email from Barrett asking me to be their destination wedding photographer for an Austin, Texas Ranch wedding. It was an easy yes. 

The destination wedding celebration was at Rockin Y’ Ranch, a rustic farm property in Texas Hill Country approximately a 15 minute drive from downtown Austin. The ranch features a gorgeous farm house, a fabulous barn that doubles as event space, and thirty acres of rolling. My team and I flew from our hometown of Oakland, California to Austin on Thursday to get situated, to pick up some lighting equipment rental gear, and to do some location scouting. We always prefer to arrive a couple of days early for destination weddings in order to really get a feel for the place.

Below is a selection of images from Carmen & Barrett’s destination wedding welcome party and crawfish boil: