Camryn Buss and Blake Berwick
the venue. La Palmilla Texas
the photos. Photography By Kylee
Love often arrives unexpectedly, and for Camryn and Blake it began with a casual work dinner between Camryn’s best friend and Blake’s mom. Colleagues at the time, they learned they each knew someone single, sparking a chain of events that changed everything. Soon, Camryn and Blake exchanged numbers and planned their first date: dinner and a movie. “We clicked immediately!” said Camryn. “After that night, we were inseparable and spent almost every single day together. We just knew this was meant to be.”
The proposal took place in Camryn’s parents’ backyard the day before her birthday, a beautifully orchestrated surprise. As she stepped through the back gate, Camryn noticed rose petals lining the stairs. Halfway down, she saw “Marry Me?” spelled out in large letters, with loved ones gathered nearby. Blake knelt, their song playing softly, and proposed. “It was emotional, and I said ‘yes’ with happy tears,” she said. The celebration continued with gusto, culminating when they announced her pregnancy, met with tears and cheers—a truly perfect, unforgettable moment.
Heirloom Veil
The bride wore her grandmother’s 60-year-old Cathedral-length veil, adorned with floral embroidered lace, paired with a long-sleeved, high-neckline dress from Emerald Bridal Lounge. “I showed the attendant the veil, and the owner of the store said that she had the perfect dress,” said Camryn. “It fit like a glove and looked as if it was made for the veil and for me.”
Silk Flowers!
When touring the venue, staff showed Camryn a TikTok video of a stunning wedding held there, and she was shocked to find out the flowers were all silk. “We located the vendor and hit the jackpot,” Camryn said. “They transformed the venue into a magical, enchanted garden dripping in silk flowers. Unless you closely inspected them, you would have never known they weren’t real. We never could have imagined a more beautiful wedding.”
Sentimental Sourdough
A favorite detail was the mini, individually wrapped sourdough bread loaves at each place setting, baked by Camryn’s sister and her fiancé. “It was those small but very meaningful touches that made the day feel so full of heart and intention,” she said.
The Love Story
Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it, and for Blake and I, it all started with a casual work dinner and a well-timed conversation. At the time, my best friend worked with Blake’s mom. One evening, the two of them were out for a work dinner and got to chatting about life outside the office. His mom mentioned she had a single son, and my friend said, “Well, I have a single friend!” That conversation led on to spark a chain of events that would forever change our lives. Soon after, we exchanged contact information and began to plan our very first date, dinner and a movie. We clicked immediately!!! After that night, we were inseparable and spent almost every single day together. We just knew this was meant to be!
The Proposal
The proposal happened in my parents’ backyard in February, the day before my birthday. It was a complete surprise to me. Blake had worked with our families and friends to plan everything without me having a clue. When we walked through the back gate, I immediately noticed rose petals scattered down the stairs that led to the lower grass area. It was beautiful, but I still didn’t fully realize what was happening. About halfway down the stairs, I looked to my left and saw large letters that spelled out “Marry Me?” Then I looked to my right and saw our closest family and friends standing there watching. At that moment, Blake got down on one knee and asked me to marry him while our song played over the speakers. It was emotional, and I said YES with happy tears. The atmosphere was filled with love and excitement. After the proposal, even more of our loved ones joined us to celebrate. Blake and our families had put so much thought into the night. There was a big backdrop with my new last name on it, candles lining the stairs and around the pool, rose petals scattered everywhere, pictures of all the memories we’ve made together, and amazing food and drinks. It was perfect. Towards the end of the night, we shared one more surprise with everyone… We announced that I was pregnant! The room filled with happy tears, smiles, and so much joy. It was a night I’ll truly never forget.
The Wedding Venue
Originally, I envisioned having a micro wedding at a courthouse. In search of the perfect picturesque venue, my family planned a weekend trip to Austin, Texas, to explore options. A few days ahead of the trip, we came across La Palmilla Resort online. My parents suggested that we make an appointment on our way to Austin. I honestly thought that the pictures on the website were too good to be true. As we drove closer to the venue, we were stunned by the beauty of the land and topography that surrounded the resort. Once we stepped inside, we felt as if we had been transported to another destination. The minute that I saw the pristine stucco chapel surrounded by beautiful stained-glass windows and steps dressed in colorful tile, I knew it would be the place that Blake and I would be married. The additional perks, such as having casitas on site where our family and friends could stay, made it even more perfect. As if it couldn’t get any better, the venue is family-owned, and by the end of the tour, they made us feel like family, and we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. The La Palmilla Resort was a dream!
The Vibe
Our wedding had a formal, elegant, and timeless feel. We had classic touches that reflected everything we love, but overall, we wanted our guests to feel completely comfortable, almost like they were on a destination getaway with us. Our goal was to create an experience that felt both elevated and deeply personal. One of our favorite details being the mini individually wrapped sourdough loaves at each place setting, made by my sister and her fiancé. It was those small but very meaningful touches that made the day feel so full of heart and intention.
The Photography
We were looking for a photographer that would capture our wedding day in a natural, candid, and timeless style. We wanted someone who would capture the most real moments of our friends, family, and the stunning venue. Knowing that wedding days are often such a blur, we also wanted every detail and personal touch possible documented. We chose Kylee Bowen Photography because her sweet personality and amazing portfolio aligned perfectly with our vision.
The Dress
My grandmother let me use a 60-year-old veil that she wore for her wedding. It was so special to me. It was a traditional long, Catholic veil accented with beautiful floral embroidered lace. I knew that I wanted a long-sleeved dress with a high neckline, but more importantly, I wanted it to work well with the veil. At the second bridal appointment, I found my dream dress at Emerald Bridal Lounge. I showed the attendant the veil, and the owner of the store said that she had the perfect dress. It fit like a glove and looked as if it was made for the veil and for me.
The Accessories
As with my overall wedding aesthetic, I wanted my accessories to be simple and timeless. My parents gifted me a beautiful pair of blue topaz and sapphire earrings that I wore. We also purchased handmade red silk poppy lapel pins that our family wore together. It was such a great, unexpected pop of color, and we loved that it was a visual to signify the unification of our families. It is also something that can be worn again and again and will always remind our family of that very special day.
The Wedding Party
We chose not to have a traditional bridal party, but instead invited our closest friends to be part of what we called our “House party.” They were all such an important part of the entire weekend. We stayed up late playing games the night before, spent the morning getting ready together, and they celebrated with us so greatly. Our friends were with us during all of the moments that made the day feel complete. It meant so much to us to have their support in such a relaxed way that honored our friendships without the pressure of formal responsibilities.
The Wedding Rings
We both chose our wedding rings from Grissom’s in Fort Worth, Texas. We tried on so many in the process, which was helpful in narrowing down to what we really wanted. Blake decided on a dark metal band, and I chose a dainty, diamond band that was half gold, half silver. I loved the look of the mixed metals. They turned out great!
The Hair and Makeup
I went back and forth quite a bit when it came to my wedding hair. Deciding between half up or all down was surprisingly tough. In the end, I chose to wear it all down in big curls. I wanted a full but soft glam look that still felt like me, and both the hair stylist, Lacey, and makeup artist, Kaitlyn, absolutely nailed it. For makeup, I asked for tones that would bring out my blue eyes, with a bronzy, glowy finish. She delivered! The entire process felt so relaxed and enjoyable. I was so impressed by how talented and easy to work with both artists were. I felt so beautiful that day!
The Stationery
Since we had a short timeline, we decided to use digital invites and save-the-dates from Lovebird.com. We found a design that closely aligned with the look of the venue and was a perfect addition to our aesthetic. It was simple and allowed us to easily track our guests’ responses.
The Florals
I wanted something simple and modern, but timeless. When we toured La Palmilla, they showed us a TikTok video of a wedding that had been held at the venue previously. It was stunning. I was shocked when I found out that the flowers were all silk! We located the vendor and again hit the jackpot. Jose Rojas and his team at Shayes Decorations were outstanding. They transformed the venue into a magical, enchanted garden dripping in silk flowers. The colors were primarily white accented with blue and greenery, and unless you closely inspected them, you would have never known they weren’t real. We never could have imagined a more beautiful wedding.
The Morning Of
It was so great having everyone stay on-site the night before. I woke up with my best friends in bed next to me and made sure to hug them tight as I knew the day would go by so quickly. We made a much-needed coffee run and had an early start getting hair and makeup done. We spent the morning enjoying music, telling stories, and sharing lots of happy laughs and tears. As the day went on, my friends and family handed me a book filled with photos and handwritten letters. Needless to say, I was speechless, and tears were rolling down my face. The night before, my friends also gifted me a custom Petite Keep memory trunk for all of my wedding keepsakes to go in. There are no words to describe how loved I felt and how incredibly blessed I was to have such an amazing group of friends and family by my side on my wedding day.
The Ceremony
What made our ceremony so special was having Blake walk down the aisle with our 6-month-old daughter. It was such a meaningful and sentimental moment for both of us. We had our immediate family along with our four younger cousins as ring bearers walking down as well. I also have a twin brother that I am very close with and knew that I wanted him to play a special role in the wedding too, so I asked him to officiate the ceremony. We truly couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful ceremony.
The Reception
The reception was outdoors in front of the chapel. We also had access to the cantina and covered patio with a fireplace. The reception began as the sun was setting, which made for the perfect photos. We started the night with a prayer from Blake’s sister and a speech from my father. Our DJ, Nate Acosta, had a great personality and brought such a fun, positive energy to the entire evening. Our planner and decorator, Jose Rojas and his team, thought of every detail and made sure that everything was in place. They both played a huge part in making the night feel so memorable and joyful.
The Planning
We initially planned a winter wedding for December 2025. In October of 2024, I decided that I didn’t want to wait that long. We started looking at venues, and when we toured La Palmilla, we took the first available date they had. Looking back, I can’t believe we pulled everything together in 5 months! We could not have done this wedding without Jose Rojas and his team at Shayes Decorations. He ensured that every detail was taken care of, including coordinating our other vendors. Mine and Blake’s families and friends also contributed greatly to the success of the weekend. Everyone worked so well together, which made the stress of planning a wedding much more manageable. The most challenging part of the planning was selecting room assignments for all of our guests to stay in the villas and casitas on site. The casitas accommodated multiple families, so we wanted to ensure that people would be compatible with their roommates for the weekend. In the end, it worked out perfectly.
The Cake
Blake and I decided to not have a wedding cake at our wedding reception. While we loved the idea of celebrating with something sweet, we wanted to have desserts that felt like us. We opted to have mini pies from Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop and Bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
The Food
We knew that we wanted Italian food. When we met Jose, he shared a highly recommended vendor, Rosy’s Catering. We scheduled an appointment, and everything she made was phenomenal. She was also known for providing large portions and more than enough food for vendors and additional guests if needed. Rosy’s team plated the food, and Jose had a team that served it. The food was delicious!! The food and service teams worked in sync, and our guests were very complimentary.
The Entertainment
Our wedding DJ, Nate Acosta, was incredible! He brought so much energy and knew exactly how to liven up the crowd from the very beginning. During the planning process, he was super organized and made everything feel manageable. He had an easy-to-navigate app where we could build a song timeline for the entire day. He even helped me create our overall wedding timeline, which felt pretty overwhelming for me to do alone at first. He played the perfect mix of songs, welcomed requests from guests, and kept the energy flowing at every event transition. His setup was professional and polished as well. Nate also gave us the option to have a photo booth setup, which was a huge success with the guests. He played such a big role in making the day feel seamless from start to finish!
The Favorite Moment
Some of my favorite moments from our wedding weekend are the ones filled with the most heart and laughter. Saying “I do” to my best friend, sharing a sweet dance with my dad, our daughter and I watching Blake dance with his mom and sister, and the unforgettable moment when everyone on the dance floor sang Breaking Free from High School Musical at the top of our lungs. After the reception, watching family and friends gather around the bonfire felt like a perfect ending to the night. The night before, staying up late with my sisters and best girl friends playing spoons and card games brought so much comfort and joy. All of these moments made the entire weekend feel magical.
The Unexpected
One of the most unexpected and meaningful parts was getting to wear a piece of my mom’s wedding dress during the reception. I hadn’t thought it would be possible due to the dress being damaged over time, and I wasn’t sure the bottom could be salvaged. But with my mom and sister’s blessing, we were able to take some of the lace and add it to a new dress. I had dreamed of using the tulle from the bottom but didn’t know if it would work until my best friend’s incredibly talented mom stepped in and created a beautiful detachable skirt from it. She even had the skirt embroidered with our wedding date in blue. It turned out to be stunning, and it meant the world to wear something so personal. I was carrying a piece of my mom’s own special day with me into mine.
The Honeymoon
We still have not planned a honeymoon since we weren’t ready to leave our young daughter just yet. We are hoping to get something on the books very soon!
The Advice
My advice would be to soak it all in. The day flies by! Make sure to fit in moments throughout the night with your partner. During the reception, Blake asked me to take his hand and follow him through the reception area. We started at the entrance and just took a quiet moment to ourselves to look at the venue, the decor, the people, just everything. I will forever remember this moment with my husband. My other advice is to be as flexible as you can! Things might not go exactly as envisioned, but it will all work out. What you will remember are the emotions, the joy, and the people that contributed to this amazing day.
The Vendors
BOUQUETS Flower Snobs at Cityview
BRIDAL SALON Emerald Bridal Lounge
DESIGN, PLANNING AND SILK FLORAL DECOR Shayes Decorations
VENUE La Palmilla Texas
PHOTOGRAPHY Photography By Kylee
HAIR Beauty By Lacey, Kelsey Middleton Hair, Sarah Rose Hairdressing
MAKEUP Kaitlyn Sogga, Paige Parker Makeup, Sher The Beauty
ENTERTAINMENT Nate Acosta
CATERING Rosy Catering