Aubrey Webb & Josh Haberl
the venue. Hotel Drover
the photos. Sarah Kate, Photographer
Aubrey and Josh matched on a dating app, their first date at a New York Mexican restaurant, sipping spicy margaritas until sunset. “It felt like we’d known each other for years,” Aubrey said.
Despite busy schedules, the couple spent every free moment exploring New York. Fast forward several years, Aubrey felt a proposal coming and was convinced it was happening on an upcoming trip to Italy. “I remember shopping for outfits and having to talk myself out of only packing white clothes,” she said.
Josh, however, had something else in store. Outside their favorite bar, the Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea, she heard Josh say her name, turned around, and found him on one knee.
“He slipped the most stunning ring on my finger and I didn’t stop smiling the whole night!” she said.
The Love Story
After matching on a dating app, Josh and I had our first date at a small Mexican restaurant in New York where we sat at the bar and drank spicy margaritas until the sun went down. It was our first time meeting in person, but it felt like we had known each other for years. Josh was going into his last year of law school at NYU, and I was applying to nursing school—we were both extremely busy, but spent every moment we could together. We spent our free time exploring the city, frequenting our favorite sports bars, and trying new restaurants. After a few years of dating, Josh and I moved into an apartment in New York together where we still live now. Before moving in with each other, I already knew he was the man I wanted to marry, but finally living together really sealed the deal. Living together obviously gave us more time together, which helped our love grow and gave us the opportunity to create so many fun memories. I love to cook, so we’ve made our kitchen one of our favorite date night spots. Every week, we have Taco Tuesday and Pizza Friday, we try new recipes, and make fun cocktails. I have taught him the magic of a spicy marg, and he has taught me the fun of a craft beer. There came a point where I felt a proposal coming on at some point in the near future, so I did as every girl does and started getting neutral manicures and making sure I dressed up extra cute every time we went out. Finally, the proposal happened when I least expected it, although my manicure might have said differently 😉
The Proposal
While at Josh’s home in Iowa over Christmas, he and his dad snuck out to their local family jeweler (where his dad would always get jewelry for his mom) and picked out my ring together! I was completely oblivious. Josh and I had a trip to Italy planned for April—I was convinced the proposal would happen there. I remember shopping for outfits and having to talk myself out of only packing white clothes. Before our trip to Italy, on February 4, 2023, Josh and I found ourselves at our favorite bar in New York, The Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea. There was a short wait for a table, so Josh suggested we take a walk around outside while waiting. We walked out of the front of the hotel, I turned left and kept walking, when suddenly I heard Josh say my name. Confused, I turned around, only to find him on one knee! He slipped the most stunning ring on my finger, and I didn’t stop smiling the whole night! We went into the bar, sipped champagne, and had the most magical night.
The Wedding Venue
I knew I wanted to get married in Texas—I am originally from Oklahoma, but my family lives in Texas now, and it just felt right. With the wedding being in Texas, the majority of our guests would be traveling in for it. One of my biggest requests for a venue was somewhere that made things easy for the guests. We took one look at Hotel Drover and told our wedding planner, Kristin, to cancel all other venue visits—we were sold! Hotel Drover really has it all. Our guests were able to stay there or at a hotel nearby and have access to all The Stockyards has to offer. The ability to utilize indoor and outdoor spaces for our wedding day was another draw to Hotel Drover. The ceremony location is bright and beautiful, and the barn is the perfect mix of rustic and luxurious. We had our welcome party the night before at Second Rodeo Brewing in the Stockyards. We rented out the back patio, which was the perfect venue for our welcome party! Our friends showed up in boots, and it was the perfect “welcome to Texas” moment!
The Vibe
The vibe for our wedding was an elegant garden party with a rustic touch, which I think the barn at Hotel Drover matches perfectly. We chose for our wedding to be cocktail attire to match the venue and to make sure all of our guests felt comfortable and welcomed. I told my friends, I don’t care what you wear, I just want you there to celebrate with us! I knew I wanted the night to be full of love, joy, and FUN. The colorful flowers, energetic band, and love flowing from us and our guests made for the perfect vibe!
The Photography
Sarah Kate is a DREAM. She was the photographer at my sister’s wedding years ago, and when I knew I would be getting married in Texas, she was one of my first calls! Her attention to detail and ability to make everyone feel so comfortable in front of the camera is incredible. She captured our wedding weekend more beautifully than I could have ever imagined. We look through our photos all the time and feel so lucky we had Sarah Kate there to capture those memories for us.
The Dress
The dress…THE DRESS! The dress was everything. My sister booked a few appointments to take me dress shopping around Dallas with her and my mom. I was so nervous, I hate trying on clothes, and I really had no idea what I wanted! The moment I walked into Warren Barron, I knew I would find my dress there. We had so much fun taking in all of the bridal beauty and sipping champagne like it wasn’t a Monday afternoon! There was a Reem Acra trunk show happening at Warren Barron that weekend, so of course I made my way over to the dresses and immediately knew I had to try one of them on. The second I looked at myself in the mirror in this dress, I knew it. I had a few others left to try on, but did not want to take this one off! The dress was strapless with the most beautiful neckline, had a short underlayer topped with a layer of lace and tulle. My favorite part was that in certain lights, you could see my legs through the dress! It was so unique and beautiful. The name of the dress was the Celebration dress, which felt perfect!!
The Accessories
For jewelry, I wore my grandmother’s pearl necklace and earrings. She was such an important person in my life, and it felt so comforting to have her there with me in the jewelry. I wore my sister’s veil—it was the perfect something borrowed with a little element of sparkle. For shoes, I wore a stunning pair of cream platform Jimmy Choo, then changed into Jimmy Choo pearl slides for the reception—the perfect reception shoe!
The Wedding Party
We chose to only have our siblings in our wedding party. Josh has an older brother, Nick, and I have an older sister, Jessica, who happen to be the same age, so it was perfect to only have the two of them by our sides! We had our friends come to the ceremony early so we could do a first look with them and take photos, but let them just enjoy their night as guests rather than being a part of the show. We did have one of Josh’s best friends, Taylor, officiate the wedding, which was so special. I knew I wanted one of our friends to officiate our wedding because it felt more personal. Josh and Taylor grew up together and still talk 24/7, so he felt like the perfect person to make us official!
The Wedding Rings
We purchased all of our rings at Josh’s hometown jeweler, Greenberg’s Jewelers in Iowa. Josh knew he wanted to get our rings there because it is where his dad would get jewelry for his mom, so it was very meaningful. My engagement ring is a round solitaire on a gold band with silver prongs, and my wedding band is an eternity band—a dreamy combo!! Josh went with a gold band with some texture to it. I knew he’d want something simple, but the addition of the texture to the ring makes it so fun and unique while still being a classic look.
The Hair and Makeup
I usually keep my hair and makeup in my everyday life pretty simple, so I knew I wanted something a little more glam for my wedding day while still feeling like myself. After looking through The Styling Stewardess’ look book, I knew they were the perfect people to use! For the ceremony, I wanted my hair half up, half down—structured with a romantic and flowy element. But for the reception, I knew I would want my hair off my neck so I could dance and not have to worry about it getting in my way—so I did the only obvious thing and had them do my hair again between the ceremony and the reception. I had a dream of a party pony, which they made come to life perfectly! It was such a fun surprise to come into the reception with my hair done differently! I dream of that party pony daily and wish I could recreate it!
The Stationery
Lauren Phillips from Designs by Lauren was the only way to go for our stationery! She does all of my sister’s stationery, so I already knew and loved her work. I wanted the save-the-date to be bright and floral to give our guests a glimpse into what was to come. For the invitation, I wanted something simple and beautiful. My favorite color is green, so using green font was the perfect fun element to add to the invitations. My favorite part of the invitations was the inner lining of our save-the-date—Lauren drew a sketch of Hotel Drover including our initials and wedding date in it. It was so fun!! She made the cutest cowboy boot designs for our cups and koozies that brought in the western element of the weekend.
The Florals
Where do I even begin with the florals! Something Pretty Florals brought my vision to life tenfold! Josh’s mom, Kris, passed away when he was younger—I knew I wanted to incorporate an element of her into the wedding, but in a way that was subtle and felt special to us. I spoke with Josh’s aunt, Julie, and asked what Kris’ favorite flower was. She loved roses, so I made sure roses were included in our florals. I love peonies and bright colors, and really wanted the flowers to be a statement when you walked into the reception. I wanted smaller vases with one or two flowers, then larger vases with huge arrangements. I wanted your eyes to be pulled in every direction by something pretty—and that is exactly what happened! My favorite story about our wedding flowers—after the wedding, I was talking with Josh’s aunt and grandma, and they both separately made a comment about how my bouquet looked exactly like Josh’s mom’s in her wedding to his dad! They thought I had done this on purpose, but I had no idea what hers looked like. I had said I wanted to incorporate her through the flowers, so it was magical and perfect!
The Morning Of
The morning of, I woke up in bed next to my mom after having our last mother/daughter sleepover before I was a married woman! I took the morning to be by myself and really reflect on the weekend as a whole and what was to come! I put on a cute sundress and walked around The Stockyards with a coffee, enjoying the sun and beautiful weather. After some moments of silence, reflection, and anticipation, it was time to get the party started! My mom, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin came to our room, and we spent the day giggling, listening to music, and being pampered getting our glam done. It was the most perfect girly morning/day before getting married!
The Ceremony
It’s obviously hot in Texas in May, so I knew I wanted our outdoor ceremony to be short, sweet, and to the point! Taylor, our officiant, was able to bring in so many personal moments to the ceremony because he knows us both so well. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, he sent us a few questions about each other/our relationship to answer—he printed out our responses and gave them to us to read after the ceremony. We did this instead of writing our own vows, and I loved it! The most special part of the ceremony was having my mom walk me down the aisle. My dad passed away a few years ago, and I knew my mom was the perfect person to take this role. We held hands, and she walked me to my forever! Nothing could have made me happier.
The Reception
When planning our reception, we had two important things we wanted to focus on—the band and the bar. The band sets the mood for the whole night, so getting the perfect band was so important to us. Jordan Kahn couldn’t have been more perfect for our night. He and his band were unbelievable and had all of our guests acting like they were front row at their favorite artists’ concert! Josh is a big beer guy, so we had “Habs’ Bar” set up serving only Busch Light, his favorite beer! Our signature drinks were a spicy margarita, a nod to our first date, and Busch Light—yes, Josh loves it so much that he chose it as his signature drink! Our first dance was such a fun moment of the night. Neither of us are big dancers, so we had my friend Cass, a Juilliard-trained ballerina, teach us how to dance! I was so nervous to go out in front of all of our friends and family, but once we got out there and started dancing to one of our favorite songs, All Your’n by Tyler Childers, all the nerves melted away. The night was filled with dancing and singing, eating cake and sipping on margaritas, and celebrating with all of our favorite people! My friend Lucy had custom trucker hats made for us to hand out at the reception with our last name, Haberl, on them—they were a hit! Mixed with some sequin cowboy hats, our guests were dressed the part!
The Planning
Kristin Mullen is an angel on earth, and none of our wedding weekend would have been possible without her! The moment I had my first phone call with her, I knew immediately she was the wedding planner for us. Our engagement was about a year and a half, which was the perfect amount of time to plan our dream wedding. My mom and sister are incredible party planners and immediately saw my vision, so having their assistance and expertise was so great. Everyone always says planning a wedding is so stressful, but when you surround yourself with the right people, the stress is really minimal! Having Kristin there to guide us through the process step by step was incredible. I remember feeling overwhelmed by so many different options at times, but she was able to ease my mind and help guide me in the right direction. I felt so calm on the morning of the wedding because I knew Kristin had everything under control!
The Cake
Wedding cake is VERY important to me—I will judge weddings fully based on how good the cake is! Fancy Cakes by Lauren did my sister’s wedding cake, and almost 10 years later, I am still dreaming about it! At our cake tasting, we immediately fell in love with the vanilla cream cake with the mixed berry mousse and puree filling, but the best part, in my opinion, is the vanilla buttercream icing—UNREAL! Not only did our cake taste amazing, it was absolutely beautiful. A simple cake with a pop of color with flowers was exactly what I had envisioned.
The Food
One of the things our friends are still talking about from our wedding is the food! Fresh smoked brisket and a mashed potato bar—what more could you want from a Texas wedding! We did food stations rather than a seated dinner for a more relaxed and inviting meal. We ended the night with chicken biscuits, as one should!
The Entertainment
Jordan Kahn and his band were EVERYTHING. The band was so important to us, and the moment we watched videos of Jordan, we knew we had to have them at our wedding! They had our guests dancing and screaming like they were front row at the best concert of their lives. The vibes were HIGH all night long!
The Favorite Moment
My favorite moment was walking down the aisle. Holding hands with my mom, seeing all of the seats filled with our favorite people, and the best part, walking to my almost HUSBAND! I had the biggest smile on my face from the moment I stepped out on the aisle and wish I could relive it every day!
The Unexpected
The most unexpected part for me was how much I enjoyed our first dance! I am not a dancer and was so nervous. The second we got out there and my husband wrapped me in his arms, all nerves melted away, and I had so much fun!
The Honeymoon
We spent 2 weeks in Iceland for our honeymoon! We wanted to do something that was a mix of adventure and relaxation. We started by exploring and eating our way through Reykjavik, then ended our time there at the Blue Lagoon, soaking in the lagoons and relaxing at the spa.
The Advice
HAVE FUN! You put so much time and energy into planning your dream wedding, so put that much energy back into enjoying it! Stay together at the reception and really take the time to soak in all the love in the room. Remember, it is the beginning of the best adventure you will take!
The Vendors
VENUE, CATERING, DRINK SERVICE & GUEST ACCOMMODATIONS Hotel Drover
PLANNING AND DESIGN Events by Kristin
PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Kate, Photographer
FLORAL Something Pretty Floral
CAKE Fancy Cakes by Lauren
BAND Jordan Kahn Music Company
STATIONERY AND WELCOME SIGN Designs by Lauren Phillips
RENTALS Bella Acento, BBJ La Tavola
HAIR AND MAKEUP The Styling Stewardess
LIGHTING Absolute