Kristin and Eric met at Fado one night while hanging out with friends. They instantly hit it off, and began dating. The two dated for about a month, but Kristin had plans to move back east and attend law school. “We liked each other, but the timing was all wrong,” said Kristin. They ended their relationship amicably and even ran into each other a few more times downtown, but never kept in touch. Eventually, Kristin moved to Cleveland to attend law school. After Kristin moved, she discovered that Cleveland was cold and she missed Austin. So once she finished law school, she decided to take the bar exam in Texas and move back to Austin. While she was studying for the bar exam, She went to Fado for a drink one night, and oddly enough, ran into Eric again. He barely recognized Kristin. She had left Austin as a brunette nurse, and returned as a blond attorney. The funniest part is that neither one of them had been to Fado in years. After they caught up for a few minutes, he told her that he had always liked her and wanted to take her out. Kristin gave him her phone number, but was studying for the bar at the time and really didn’t have time to date, much less have time for a serious relationship, so when Eric did call to ask her out, she explained that she was just too busy studying for the bar, but she would call him when the exam was over. About a month passed, and Eric thought that Kristin had completely blown him off, but in reality, she was studying and studying HARD. After the exam, Kristin called him and he was shocked, but they went out. “We were literally inseparable after that second “first” date, said Kristin. “He jokes that I was stalking him and I joke that I found him exactly where I left him, hitting on girls at Fado!” “Seriously though, it was fate!” “Two chance meetings at the exact same location,” she said.

Eric proposed on leap year, February 29, 2009, after a wonderful home-cooked dinner. He popped the question, and the stunned Kristin said, “yes.”

Eric and Kristin both worked together on the planning. They had been to an amazing charity event at AMOA - Laguna Gloria, and knew that they wanted their wedding to be held there. They chose to be married on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. This worked very well for them since they both had family coming from the West and East coast. The three-day weekend gave everyone a chance to travel without taking time off from work. “But… it only gave us five and half months to plan a wedding,” Kristin said. Luckily, they were able to get everything done and secure their favorite vendors.

The couple exchanged vows at St. Theresa’s Catholic church, in a small wedding with two maids of honors, two groomsmen, and three flower girls. “The reception was held at Laguna Gloria, and everything looked amazing,” said Kristin.

One thing that made Kristin’s and Eric’s reception just a little different than most, was that, the meal had to be mainly gluten-free. Kristin has a disease that does not allow her to have anything with gluten, so the caterer’s had their work cut out for them when it came time to plan the food for the celebration. Austin Catering stepped up to the challenge and was able to prepare a fantastic menu that everyone enjoyed. Kristin was even able to eat several of the dishes. They had the most delicious and beautifully presented desserts. “My guests are still raving about them,” said Kristin. Kristin’s mother made the gluten free wedding cake so that she and Eric would be able to participate in the traditional cake cutting ceremony. “It was quite difficult to make a cake that tastes good gluten free, and even harder to make the cake stay together without gluten.” “Mom did an incredible job!” “Even though we had delicious desserts, several guests still opted to try a cake made without gluten!” said Kristin.

Kristin and Eric are still in awe of their beautiful fall wedding, and still think back and joke about the “two chance meetings” that brought them together.

Austin Resources

Florist:
Bouquets of Austin

Band:
Dysfunkshun Junkshun

Catering:
Austin Catering Co.

Ceremony Venue:
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church

Reception Venue:
AMOA-Laguna Gloria

Photographer:
Lisa Shepard/Frank Wong with Aimage