“While most Texans were ready for a cold front,” Becky Navarro of Pearl Events Austin said, “ we decided to crank up the heat with bold colors, sexy lace and a voluptuous bride for a sizzling Spanish themed photo shoot.” The event designers mixed vibrant colors and bold blooms with gilded lanterns and gold goblets to get the culture they craved.

Elisheva and David met as they “embarked on life journeys of our own,” Elisheva said. The strangers shared a passion for yoga and poetry and a zip code in Encinitas, California—“We finally met while teaching yoga in the same studio, and fell into a beautiful friendship,” Elisheva said. “From the start, we felt so open and comfortable with the other, and more than a hint of deeper soul connection.” The couple later planned a wedding at Rancho Valencia Resort that would celebrate their Jewish faith and spiritual practices.

“We both wanted a place with lots of nature, peace and tranquility,” Elisheva said, and so, the ranch was an easy choice for the couple’s wedding venue. The rest, Elisheva said, followed because the couple stayed true to their vision as a couple. “Wedding planning can often distract us away from what is most important in life and in our relationships with others,” she said. “Always and in everything put love first, everything else has a way of taking care of itself.” The couple’s menu included vegan New Mexico Chile enchiladas. And they tackled several do-it-yourself projects, including cutting heart-shaped escort cards, which hung from string and clothespins at their reception.

Perfumers Kavi and David wed in two ceremonies that blended their Indian and Jewish cultures and even their scents. The groom gave his new bride a custom scent packaged in an antique bottle especially for their wedding, , said Julia of Justin and Mary Photograhy.

A first, intimate ceremony — known as a Sangeet — was held on July 4 at Locusts on Hudson. A second, grander affair followed the next day, Julia said.

“Their ceremonies were a beautiful fusion of Jewish and Indian traditions,” Julia said. In front of their guests — many who traveled from India — the couple broke glass, entertained bollywood dancers and sang.

Kavi and David “wanted to have a fun and relaxed wedding that was focused on family and friends,” Julia said. “It was absolutely beautiful and full of amazing dancing.”

Thao and Dinh cruised along the waterways of Naples, Calif., to the tunes their gondolier crooned until in an unexpected whisper, Dinh asked Thao to be his wife.

Eleven months later, the couple wed at Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado, surrounded by family and nearly 300 guests. “We realized that our parents worked very hard for us to be where we are today,” said Thao, “so we dedicated our wedding to them. We wanted our wedding to be a time for all our relatives to come together to reflect on love and family.”

The couple also recognized their Chinese heritage by hosting a tea ceremony for both the bride and groom, and using vibrant red—a Chinese sign of luck—in their color scheme. From the bridesmaids dresses to flowers to French macaroons, Thao incorporated the color with hints of brown to create a ”rustic” feel, she said.

Thao left this advice for Pretty Little Weddings’ brides to be: “Make sure to do everything slowly on the wedding day because it goes by so fast. Also, remember to take pictures with your family, even if you have to wait and gather everyone. And smile, smile, smile! The most important thing is to be a happy bride. No matter what happens on that day, you are a winner because you get to marry the one you love.”

Thank you to Adrienne Gunde for sharing these gorgeous photos.