Our next June vendor spotlight is on the Wild Onion Ranch, a gorgeous wedding venue just outside of Austin, Texas. We enjoyed learning about the story of their venue, how they have grown to where they are now, their favorite wedding to date, and what they hope to see more at future weddings. The Wild Onion is on two acres of land and can hold up to 400 people, or up to 1000 with the addition of a tent. If you’re on the hunt for a unique, botanical, and private wedding venue, you’ll love learning more about the Wild Onion Ranch!

Photo by: Scott Andrew Studio https://www.scottandrewstudio.com/

What made you decide to get into the wedding venue business?

After co-owning an event venue in college, I fell in love with being part of a great story. Shortly after my husband and I got engaged, my family decided to sell the venue. All of a sudden we needed a place to get married. My mom mentioned that I had always wanted to get married in the back yard (this is a true story, when you grow up on a ranch with lots of land to roam around you get very creative and I imagined my wedding from a very young age). After an inspiring trip to San Miguel de Allende, my parents came home wanting to expand their backyard space into the magical gardens they found on their trip. It just so happened that I need a space to get married. So I was the excuse to build our “pool house,” move the pool, and add all of the gardens. After my wedding, my best friend from high school got married here, then a friend of our caterer did, and it just kept growing until someone finally told us we should start charging people. So here we are, years later, opening a home that my grandparents bought over 100 years ago and sharing it with folks to be a part of their beginning!

What is your favorite wedding to date at your venue? Why?

Oooh that’s tough. We have seen weddings that range from bohemian, to Texan, to black tie and everything in between. I often joke to my husband that I wish we could get remarried each year so I can try out all the different trends. I have come to believe that the best weddings come from a laid back couple with great planners. If I have to pick, I am going to pick three different ones.

The first was an Indian wedding we had a few years ago that was so bright and colorful. All of the guests were having so much fun because the planner, along with the couple, put thought into each detail and truly made it a celebration of two people deciding they wanted to spend their lives together. From the food to the decor, you could tell that they put a little bit of their heart into everything and made sure to incorporate their families. They did the baarat in an old green truck that actually broke down halfway up the driveway. The groomsmen had to push it up the hill, I was panicking that they would be so upset but by the time they got to the top … nope, they were all sweaty with nothing but smiles and laughs. They were just having so much fun circling around two people they loved.
The second one is from last year. They were married at a church downtown and had their reception here. The bride had battled an illness earlier in life and her and her family were just so grateful that they still had each other, and you could tell in their wedding!! Not only were the floral and decor stunning, but the bride was all smiles and created this bubbly joy that followed her wherever she went. At one point I went down to the dance floor and every single person was dancing. Even the mother of the bride was totally gettin’ down! They also had these neon light up glasses that just made the dance floor glow like I had never seen before.

The third is from just this May. The bride works for a local caterer and the groom has his own restaurants. As soon as I met them, I knew they would be a blast. A total stranger could feel the love they had for each other and their families. She is very creative so she designed the ceremony in a place no one else had done before, It was jaw-droppingly stunning. They had a Jewish/Korean wedding and incorporated pieces of their different ancestry into the ceremony in such a unique and fun way, realizing how rare that kind of wedding is. I totally broke down in tears at their ceremony, it was so genuine and filled with love. There was a glitter bar at the dance floor where you could get glitter face paint and kimchi fries were served out of a food truck at the end of the night, which just made it so fun!

SMS Photography http://www.smsphotographyblog.com/

What is your favorite current wedding trend?

I honestly still love the personalized cocktail drinks. We have had some really unique names that really reflect the couple’s life. We even had a couple meet with a mixologist that took their favorite libations and created a “new” signature drink for their wedding that had a super rad name.

What makes your venue a good value for couples?

Since this is our home we put a lot of love and hard work into our weddings. We don’t just crank out weddings that are all the same. It’s more than a business. The wedding space is technically our backyard and we use it when we don’t have weddings. We have barbecues and my kiddos swim, so it creates a personalized and special vibe, which I hear all the time from my brides. If you want to create a unique wedding we are the place to go!

What are three things you would recommend a couple to ask when booking a venue?

How long does the venue allow for setup and breakdown from vendors?
How many weddings do you do per weekend?
Is there more than one space for ceremony, dinner and reception?

If you had to describe your venue's vibe in 3 words, what would they be?

Unique, botanical, and private.

Are there any ways you would like to see your venue used/set-up that has no been done in the past or has not been done enough?

We keep getting more and more brides who are so creative and totally change up the way each space is used! I think they are doing a great job of showing me new ways to do things, but I’d love to see more rental/decor like seating areas, rugs, lounges, unique displays like macrame hangings, etc. Our outdoor areas lend so well to these things and it’s gorgeous when a couple can see that.

Caitlin Rose Photo http://www.caitlinrosephoto.com/

We so hope you enjoyed learning more about this gorgeous wedding venue just outside of Austin, Texas. It is truly a unique gem, and we hope you will add it to your list of venues to tour when planning your wedding day!

Wild Onion Ranch

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