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“Julianna Beathard had a crush on Donald “Lee” Siratt all throughout college at Texas Christian University, but it wasn’t until her wig-themed 22nd birthday party during her final semester in January of 2018 that she finally met him in person. Lee spotted Julianna in the crowd and decided to introduce himself. “Upon walking up to Julianna, the only words that came out of his mouth were, ‘Hi, I’m Lee,’” the couple recounts. “And then, he was speechless!” Luckily, the two of them crossed paths again two weeks later, and Lee managed to get Julianna’s phone number. A month later, they went on their first date.
After two years together on November 20, 2020, the couple had plans to grab dinner at Joe T. Garcias, a Mexican restaurant, with friends who were visiting from out of town. “When arriving at the courtyard of the restaurant and turning the corner, Julianna saw a sea of familiar faces, and her heart started beating fast,” the couple remembers. “She knew something was going on, but shock was setting in, and what was really going on hadn’t quite hit her.” Before she knew it, Lee was down on one knee, asking to take Julianna’s hand in marriage. Since Lee had invited all of their family and friends to the surprise, they spent the rest of the evening drinking margaritas, eating Mexican cuisine, and dancing. “It was such a fun, love-filled weekend,” they summarize.
Once the duo got engaged, they locked in their venue: The Retreat at Balcones Springs in Marble Falls, Texas. This 250-acre locale in Texas Hill Country was a no-brainer for the couple because Julianna’s aunt started the camp. The bride-to-be even spent nine summers as a camper on the site and frequently visited the spot for holidays and family gatherings. “When Lee came into the picture, Julianna was thrilled to show him what it was all about,” the couple says. “Since then, Julianna and Lee have created many wonderful memories at camp and were so excited to share its magic with their favorite people.”
To capture the full essence of the camp for their 312 guests, the pair knew they wanted to host three days of events. “With so many enjoyable components, such as beautiful cabins for our guests to stay in, a lake, a beach, pickleball courts, a workout studio, a zipline, we knew the retreat would be the perfect venue for a weekend-long celebration,” they share. Because Julianna and Lee had many moving parts to account for, they found the planning process to be overwhelming at times. “However, we had such great support from our team, all of whom shared a similar vision, which made it organized, fluid, and prepared to pivot when needed,” the two explain.
With planning by Lexie Perez of Pearl Events Austin, photography by Caroline Lima Photography, and videography by Peyton Frank, Julianna and Lee were able to pull out all the stops on October 30, 2021. Keep scrolling to see all of the stunning details from their big day.”
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