Dan & Sabina would LOVE for you to join us to celebrate our union for the 'Ladd-Rosa Wedding' for an intimate, casual affair & western adventure in our favorite neck of the woods the West Texas & the Chihuahuan Desert.
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April 4th 2024: Meet & Greet, MARFA, TX (Optional) Think 'wedding reception', but casual, fun & EVERYONE is invited
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April 5th 2024: Ceremony in Big Bend National Park. Followed by Dinner, Pool & Star Gazing in Terlingua Ghost Town
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April 6th 2024: The Party, MARFA, TX (Optional) Celebrate over BBQ, Music, & a Barn Dance at Estrella Rancho
We are thrilled to get y'all together for our small wedding of 30 guests so that our nearest & dearest from both sides of the Atlantic can meet, get to properly know each other and celebrate with us while soaking up the sights & flavors of the Southwest that we love so much!
To ensure we are able to have the small wedding of our dreams where we get to spend the time, love & attention with you all, we are asking everyone to please respect our decision for no children & no plus one guests unless specified.
As it is a big journey for most everyone we will do our best to keep you fed & watered for as much of your stay as we can to show our love & appreciation for you all! But please note we know it is a big commitment so we will not be offended & completely understand if you can't join us.
Locations: (note this is the wild west... there are no ubers or taxi's so we recommend staying at or very near the locations we are recommending)
Big Bend National Park is is considered the less busy & less touristy 'secret Grand Canyon of Texas!' This epically sprawling & remote land is a unique & rare example of where the Chisos Mountains turn into basins & desert, while the Rio Grande River cuts through the landscape as the natural border between Texas & Mexico.
Marfa is a wacky & weird little bohemian hub of a western village in Texas filled with hip cowboys, trendy restaurants & art galleries. Population of 1,500... with 16 art galleries.
The eve of April 4th we are organising a Meet & Greet at 6pm in Marfa and staying at a fun 'glamping' spot El Cosmico, a fun boho campground hotel offering nomadic accommodations in the Marfa desert including vintage trailers, tents & yurts.
To book click here https://elcosmico.com/shelter/ & if you want to book the 'ahead of the pack' option this is non-refundable, but saves you 25% off. Otherwise there is a full price cancelable option. Prices range from $82-$260 (£68-£215) a night depending on type of tent or unit a night.
The Thunderbird Hotel: For the evening of the barn dance/ party, April 6th we are back in Marfa, we will be staying at The Thunderbird Hotel, a small boutique 1950's motel with pool walking distance from downtown.
Link to book here: https://www.thunderbirdmarfa.com/ The Thunderbird have kindly offered us a group discount of 15% off 'friends & family' so use to promo code: VIVA when you book. Including discount this is between $165 (£135) - $220 (£180) a night for 2 people depending type of room.
If you would prefer a hotel in Marfa over the 'glamping' vibe of El Cosmico on the night of April 4th, feel free to book that night at the Thunderbird too. Other options in Marfa nearby/ walkable Hotel St. George Hotel & Hotel Paisano.
Terlingua is an old mining ghost town in the desert at the entrance to Big Bend National Park. Population 89.
For the evening of the ceremony and in Terlingua on April 5th, Dan and I have pre- paid and fully booked the accommodations at Bubble Terlingua & Luna Nova for us and our guests. To book your stay with us please reserve with Sabina. They have offered our group a 10% discount off online prices. A private double unit aka Bubble is $429 / £344 a night for example between 2 people. However there are also mixed shared accommodations on the same property that are a large house from around $128pp/ £103pp+ a night per person. See accommodation here. https://basecampterlingua.com/bubbles/
CLOSEST AIRPORTS TO MARFA:
Drive from El Paso to Marfa: 2.48 hours (189 miles) This is a smaller airport so flights tend to be less frequent & more expensive.
Drive from Austin to Marfa: 6.40 hours (429 miles) A larger international airport to flights more frequent & less costly.
*You can also fly into Dallas or Houston although they again are further away so you might want to break up the drive by staying a night somewhere on route like Austin, Fredericksburg, San Antonio, ect.
FLIGHTS: From the UK you can get non-stop flights to Austin
Other stateside guests if you do not want to drive out to West Texas from Austin with us you can fly to El Paso and meet us in Marfa.
DRIVING TO MARFA: The trek out to West Texas is a long one, but not a difficult one. The road is wide & the journey smooth & we hope you agree with us that it is well worth it! We figure most of you will be traveling in from Austin, TX so it's worth being aware the drive to from Austin to Marfa is 6.40 hours. Austin to Big Bend/ Terlingua Ghost Town is 7.40 hours.
CAR RENTALS: You can hire a car from the airports easily: www.rentalcars.com/
*However we have been using a company called 'Turo' which is basically an airbnb for cars- where you borrow someones car & we find it costs much less & also you can get a lot more choice in the size & style car. (we just had a search & you can rent a car from about $25+ a day, but make sure you pay attention as some have mile limitations but most don't.) https://turo.com/ Many options also do multi-day & early bird discounts. Most you can even collect Turo cars at the airport however depending flight times & days we can try and help with lifts if need be. Just make sure you check the mileage options on them due to how far you will be driving.
'Pick Up a Brit'- We would LOVE for anyone driving from Austin to get in touch with us if you are up to help with our 'Pick Up a Brit' scheme to help our friends who have travelled from afar to be able to contribute towards fuel costs in return for a ride to West, Texas which of course will also help reduce everyones costs & be a more eco-friendly route.
Weather: We have chosen springtime to keep you cool cats cool, but weather is changeable as it is a mountainous region in the desert which makes for epic scenery, warm sunny days, but cooler evenings. We will keep everything crossed for the ideal of sunny & warm days and not too hot with a dry heat.
(Optional) POST celebrations if you ain't sick of us!
April 7th: Dan & I will stay the night in Marathon, TX at The Gage Hotel an hour outside of Marfa and to pit stop for a night en-route back to Austin for chilling out and recovering by the pool and going to the hotel restaurant and bar for dinner and drinks. All who fancy joining are welcome. But I think most people will be heading back Austin way on the Sunday the 7th. Book here: https://gagehotel.com/accommodations/
April 8th: A Solar Eclipse starts around midday/ 1pm on Monday, so we are going to leave the Gage hotel around 8am/ 9am to watch the 1 hour total eclipse around 1pm either in Fredericksburg or nearby on route back to Austin. Then drive through the Texas Hill Country to go to Salt Licks BBQ in Dripping Springs, on the way back to Austin. I have reserved a table and it's a popular Austin BBQ joint.
QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL: Larosa.sabina@gmail.com
WE LOVE Y'ALL & HOPE TO SEE YA IN THE HIGH DESERT
XOXO SABINA & DAN
