“Not only was it my birthday, but it was two weeks before ‘the match,’ which is the process whereby medical students are matched with residency programs around the country,” said Kirsten. “Fortunately for us, there is a ‘couples match’ for couples who are both going into residency.” 

 

Mario and Kirsten were very excited on the day of the match. During a huge assembly of the fourth-year class, they opened their letters together and both read that they would have their residency at Baylor College of Medicine. 

 

Kirsten and her mom, Cindy, planned the wedding, with significant input from Mario. They decided on a mariachi theme. Their initial plan was for a destination wedding in the Riviera Maya of Mexico because they knew their wedding week would also be their vacation. Mario and Kirsten were only allowed three weeks of vacation during residency. However, the destination wedding idea became increasingly complicated as they considered the difficulties some of their guests would face, including elderly grandparents and relatives who would have to get passports. 

 

Austin quickly rose to the top of their list as a wedding location. Many friends and family had told the couple that they wanted to come see them in Texas, and Mario and Kirsten missed spending time in Austin. The couple had spent many long weekends in Austin over the preceding year, enjoying the live music, great food and laid-back atmosphere, and generally escaping the hustle and bustle of Texas Medical Center. Austin seemed to be the perfect solution for a Texas destination wedding. 

 

“Most of my initial research was done using Austin WeddingDay magazine, and then perusing wedding sites and vendors online,” said Kirsten. “I found 10 to 15 reception venues in Austin on the Austin WeddingDay Web site, called and e-mailed them about availability, and successfully arranged five meetings.” 

 

Kirsten immediately fell in love with the Mansion at Judges’ Hill. The location, the beautiful boutique hotel, the ballroom and courtyard felt perfect for her mariachi party. She was thrilled with the staff and wedding planner on site, and the ease of selecting nearly everything for the reception through Sterling Affairs. 

 

“It was perfect,” said Kirsten. “Lily Watson and Leigh Ann Brooks from Sterling Affairs Catering walked us through every step of the planning for the reception and worked around when my mother could fly to Texas and my schedule at work,” said Kirsten. 

 

Kirsten and Mario made three additional one-day trips to Austin to meet with photographers, florists and cake vendors. They also found the perfect mariachi group, Mariachi Estrella, with the help of Mario’s brother. 

 

In addition to the wedding day festivities, the young couple wanted their friends and family, most of whom had never been to Austin, to experience all of their favorite things in Austin. Most of the guests and wedding party arrived on Wednesday, 

and the couple coordinated an informal gathering at Shady Grove, followed by an evening of listening to Cory Morrow live in downtown Austin.

 

Thursday was the official start of Kirsten and Mario’s wedding weekend. After an afternoon rehearsal, they treated all of their guests to a welcome dinner at Mario’s favorite Central Texas barbecue spot, The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. Guests were entertained with a custom-made soundtrack of the couple’s favorite Texas music, a slideshow of their childhoods and history together, speeches, kegs of beer in their monogrammed “Gibbs-Nieto Texas Wedding” cups, and of course, the Salt Lick’s finest food.

 

Friday morning began with the bridesmaids’ and mother’s brunch at La Madeleine, while the groom’s party went out for lunch. The wedding mass was held at 5 p.m. at St. Michael’s Catholic Chapel, which had been beautifully decorated with tropical flowers that perfectly accentuated the stained glass and stone of the chapel. The harmonious sounds of the Barton Strings Quartet and a simple, elegantly decorated chapel greeted the 150 guests as they arrived. The ceremony was a traditional Catholic mass, but the priest added a great element of humor, humility and unity that had Kirsten’s non-Catholic family participating as fully as Mario’s Catholic family. For the arras, Mario’s grandfather, Edmundo Nieto, gave 12 gold coins that had been passed down over three generations to Mario, and then he passed them on to Kirsten. Mario’s parents provided the lasso, a large crystal-beaded rosary that wraps around the bride and groom. In Mexican culture, the lasso signifies the union of man, woman and Christ. Throughout the ceremony Kirsten held the small rosary given to her by her godmother.

 

The bride’s family hosted the reception at the Mansion at Judges’ Hill, which began at 6:30 p.m. with cocktail hour in the courtyard under the shade of the trees. The air was filled with the sounds of Mariachi Estrella down into the courtyard. 

Guests were served wine, beer and margaritas on the rocks and passed hors d’oeuvres. To conclude the cocktail hour, the mariachis led the guests up the stairs to the veranda, where they played while guests were seated for dinner. The tables were beautifully arranged with black linens and decorated with tall cylindrical vases featuring submerged burgundy calla lilies and cymbidium orchids intermixed with low, lush arrangements of tropical flowers with votive candles. Guests were treated to a delectable buffet of salmon with champagne sauce, stuffed beef tenderloin and wonderfully prepared side dishes. 

 

The wedding cakes, prepared by Simon Lee Bakery, were exactly as requested. The bride’s cake was a gorgeous French vanilla cake with Disaronno amaretto cream filling and French buttercream icing, decorated with pearl-like lace and diamond dot designs with the initial “N” on the center layer. The groom’s cake was a chocolate Italian cream cake with Belgian chocolate mousse filling adorned with a sugar-based exact replica of the Notre Dame seal, and surrounded by chocolate-covered strawberries. 

 

“They were truly the best cakes we’ve ever eaten,” said Kirsten. 

 

After two hours of DJ music, the mariachis returned for a final hour of fun, festive dancing. 

 

“It’s amazing how much mariachi music makes people want to dance,” laughed Kirsten. After the final dance the newly married couple was escorted out the front door of the mansion by their guests and proceeded to their honeymoon suite. 

 

“The suite was beautifully prepared and stocked with leftover food and cake by the wedding coordinators at the mansion,” said Kirsten. 

 

The following morning, Kirsten and Mario treated nearly 100 of their guests to a newlywed brunch at Taverna on Second Street in downtown Austin. Their guests enjoyed a custom menu prepared by Taverna that included Bellinis and mimosas, French press coffee, Belgian waffles, chorizo, Manchego cheese omelets and other delicious entrées. After brunch, the newlyweds invited the bridal party, family and friends to join them on Lake Travis for the day on pontoon boats that they had rented for the occasion.

 

“It was a great way to unwind and really spend quality time with our loved ones,” said Kirsten and Mario. “It truly was an authentic Texas wedding weekend!” 

Saint Michael’s Catholic Academy Chapel

 

The Mansion at Judges’ Hill

 

Sterling Affairs Catering

 

Alfred Angelo

 

Alfred Angelo; flower girl’s dress by Strasburg Children

 

Al’s Formalwear

 

Simon Lee Bakery

 

Barker Photography

 

Bluebonnet Limousines

 

Topaz Salon

 

Westbank Flower Market

 

Barton Strings Quartet,  Mariachi Estrella, A-Town Disc Jockeys

 

Father Fabian Marquez

 

La Madeleine

 

The Mansion at Judges’ Hill, Holiday Inn Town Lake

 

Welcome party: 

The Salt Lick

 

Taverna Austin

 

Daybreak Boat Rentals

 

yourinvitationplace.com

 

shutterfly.com

 

cafepress.com