Suzanne Negley And Austin Hegarty Tie The Knot
By Alexandra Del Lago Photography by Hannah Pickle
Love took center stage with Suzanne Negley, daughter of Susan and Richard Negley of San Antonio, and Austin Hegarty, son of Betty and Kevin Negley of Austin. Suzanne met her future groom after he played in a show…which he does as a hobby. “I was attracted to his intelligence, the way he listens to me, his loyalty, devotion…and his sparkling blue eyes,” enthused Suzanne Negley. “When we met, I loved our effortless connection and her sharp wit. Plus, her intelligence and various hobbies and talents from welding to decorating our beautiful home,” shared Austin Hegarty about his new bride.
The couple dated for four years before a brief engagement of five months. “It was one of those magic, chilly fall Texas days with a bright, clear blue sky when Austin proposed at a family picnic on our family’s ranch, KWW,” said Suzanne Negley. “I made him his favorite sandwich, which I must have gotten exactly right because he got down on one knee, read me a quote from Ray Bradbury (one of our favorite authors), and asked me to marry him. Afterward, we drank champagne, called our families, and watched the Hill Country wildlife as the sunset. He made us dinner, and we watched my favorite movie, Hook, on the projector next to a roaring fire.”
They then turned their attention to their dream wedding in The Big Easy. After a rehearsal dinner at the Cajun Ballroom at the Audubon Zoo the night before, they were wed at the New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park. The bride wore a dress from Angelina Mata at Mata Atelier that they designed together. The inspiration was from a Grimm’s fairytale…a dress that comes out of an acorn shell made of stars. The ceremony, where the couple recited their own vows, was a combination of all the couple’s favorite things: the beautiful “flower children” and young adult attendants from the bride’s family as their wedding party, summer camp songs, and musical performances from their talented best friends, along with the officiant, Alicia NcNab’s, wisdom and humor, and the magic of New Orleans. Directly after the ceremony was a Second Line from the band Kinfolk that played throughout the botanical gardens as the sun set.
The reception was a seated buffet dinner for 130 of NOLA-style seafood and had Rockin’ Dopsie, a Zydeco legend, along with the Zydeco Twisters, who performed and enticed everyone on the dance floor. He even let the bride put on a Zydeco washboard and play with him, previously worn by only three other women: Beyonce, Michelle Obama, and Oprah. Belinda Belk of Blue Gardenia Events was the wedding planner and Antigua Floral created the floral decor.
“New Orleans is our favorite place in the world, so to have all our favorite people come together in our favorite spots felt like an embarrassment of riches and joy, enthused the bride. Suzanne, who attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, works as a stylist. Austin graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and its School of Law and works as a marketing manager at Austin PBS. The couple reside in Austin.
