Real Weddings: Bethany McCullough and Aaron Ross

Sometimes, sisters know best. When Chelsea McCullough met BMX pro Aaron Ross, she had an inkling he would get along with her sister Bethany. “When I showed interest,” says Aaron of Bethany, “it sparked in ’ s head and kinda forced us into going on a date.” The pair exchanged numbers and began chatting. Following a flurry of “get-to-know-you” texts, they had their first date on the basketball court of a Lifetime Fitness. “Bethany is really good at basketball,” says Aaron. “She showed up in her workout gear, I showed up like I was going on a date. I got beat bad,” he laughs. After a game of HORSE (Bethany won), the two sat on the floor of the court and talked until the wee hours of the morning. A year and half into their relationship, Aaron decided to propose. He brought Bethany back to the basketball court, this time at the University of Texas, a special place for the Longhorn fan and native Austinite. With a custom ring featuring his grandmother’ s diamond, Aaron asked Bethany to marry him and then surprised her again with an impromptu engagement party at Austin Land and Cattle.

When it came time to plan their wedding, the couple, aided by Bethany’ s mother, decided to make everything from the invitations to the wooden place cards. Six months into their engagement, the pair married on October 24 in front of friends and family at the Prospect House in Dripping Springs. “We wanted a venue that reflected our style. We’ re all about less is more,” says Bethany, a commercial real estate developer. For their first dance, Bethany, in a Kira Kouture gown crafted with lace from her grandmother’ s wedding dress, and Aaron, wearing a J.Crew suit and custom belt from Noah Marion Quality Goods, were serenaded by the bride’ s sisters and brother. For dinner, guests enjoyed fare from Burro Cheese Kitchen (which Aaron co-owns), Tacodeli and Austin Land and Cattle, as well as a four-tiered gold and white cake from Sweet Treats Bakery. After an emotional mother-son and father-daughter dance, the party moved to the dance floor thanks to tunes from The Royal Dukes.