Eliot and Liza mashed together inspirations from polar opposite parts of their personalities for the April wedding day; they were Inspired by summer family barbeques, Mardi Gras, over-the-top carnival costumes and The Fort Worth Stock show, amongst other things!

“We wanted our wedding party and every guest to have fun with their own personal style,” Liza told us. “Everyone we know is incredible, so we got a fun mixture of styles and outfits.”

“We live in a beautiful area in Texas, so the cedar elms were just leafing out and the wildflowers were just starting to bloom. We used lots of bright colours in our decorations to reflect the colours of the wildflowers and carnival atmosphere. I had a custom gown made, I wanted to look like a dazzling, terrifying sun goddess, somewhere between a mardi gras krewe queen and a bride. I didn’t want to be ‘pretty’ in my wedding photos, which I guess is quite unusual.”

An entirely DIY day thrown in their own backyard, there was little in the way of decorations or fuss, instead just laughter, friendship and dancing. The food and Liza’s dress were the most expensive part of their day.

“Having good food is the number one most important part of a wedding”, she said, “and this was my one chance to wear something like that and have it be socially acceptable. Seeing it slowly come together was my favourite part of the planning. Eliot didn’t have any idea what it was going to look like until my processional, so that was a great moment.”

They chose a secular ceremony, with songs from old musicals and vows written by their officiant and and a friend. “Both of our mums as well as an aunt who was like a mum to me have passed, so we had a special table with their portraits and candles on it. We lit the candles during the ceremony, since they couldn’t be there with us.”

“Don’t get too serious about the small stuff,” Liza and Eliot advise future couples. “Just have fun!”