Love At First Sight

Blind date leads couple down the aisle in a tropical Texas beach wedding

It’s often said of short engagements that lead to long-standing marriages, when you know, you just know. That theory certainly applies to Lila and Mitchell Malone. It took just one blind date and a weekend getaway three months later to Port Aransas for the couple to realize that they indeed were in the know about the rest of their lives together.

New to Houston and working as head design associate and project manager for Creative Tonic Design, Lila, a San Antonio native, and Mitchell met at Hugo’s for dinner on a steamy July evening in 2015 and by the end of the evening, Lila knew this relationship was a “no brainer.” Three months later, on a weekend trip to Port Aransas, surrounded by the gentle waves and colorful sunsets rooted in Lila's childhood, the couple realized it was time to take their relationship to the next level.

“We fell in love that weekend. I knew he wanted to marry me. There was no option,” Lila said. “My mother grew up going to Port Aransas and we spent summers there. I knew we would get married there.”

This island that housed so many childhood memories became the next chapter of Lila’s adulthood, and she and her mother, Bonnie Chumbley, also a designer, set to work creating a vibrant, fun, and meaningful celebration. The mother/daughter duo capitalized on the island’s natural assets for decor and design, adding their own touches in everything from tabletops to floral.

“My mom is the most creative person I know, so we just took this head-on,” Lila said. “We went for fun and a less-is-more feel. We had these beautiful palms, sand dunes and the beach around us, so we worked with that.”

There was no special instruction on the wedding invite regarding attire, but the couple’s friends and family knew them well enough to eschew the LBD and add their own pops of personality to the celebration in bold, tropical prints fit for a May Texas beach wedding.

One look at the couple’s wedding pictures and the happiness is infectious, but look closer and there are special moments captured on film honoring the memories of Lila’s brother and Mitchell’s mother. The couple chose a glorious confetti release as a way to include them in their day.

“They were fireworks in our lives, with personalities that lit up a room. It was an ode to them and my favorite moment of the whole weekend,” Lila said.

A tasty wedding highlight included lobster enchiladas from Lisabella's Bistro & Bar in Port Aransas. The restaurant is owned by family friends and brought back the dish at Lila’s request. It was one of the little touches that made a big impact.

“At the end of the day, it was Port Aransas. We made it fun and beautiful right where we were,” Lila said.

After all, when you know, you just know.

• Rehearsal Dinner Venue: The Tarpon Inn

• Rehearsal Dinner Dress: Hand painted dress Lila found in a small boutique in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

• Reception Venue: Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Course

• Ceremony Venue: Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Course

• Photographer: Matthew Alvarado, Beloved Photography

• Florist: Ray Briones Flowers

• Dress: Watters

• Shoes: J. Crew

• Groom's Tux: J. Crew

• Wedding Planner: Wedding Planners Inc. Robin Waters for logistics the day of the wedding

• DJ: Band - Dysfunkshun Junkshun

• Ceremony Music: John Amundsen, son of a family friend

• Cocktail Hour Music: Dysfunkshun Junkshun

The couple slipped away before the ceremony for their "First Look" photos at the Little Chapel on the Dunes.

weddings

income analysis

This is the salary needed for a single-income family in Texas in 2026

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The income needed for a single-income household to raise a child in Texas is lower than it was last year.

With childrearing costs in the Lone Star State adding up to tens of thousands of dollars per year, many Texas families are navigating a difficult decision: should both parents work or should one parent stay home to raise the child?

For Texas families that choose the latter, the working parent needs to make nearly $73,000 per year to support their child and the stay-at-home parent, a new income analysis has revealed.

The newly released SmartAsset report used MIT's Living Wage Calculator to estimate the annual living wages needed across all 50 states for a three-person household with two working adults and one child, and a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. Costs included food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes, and "other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent needs to make $72,925 to support their stay-at-home counterpart and their child, the study found. That's $1,809 less than what was needed in 2025.

Meanwhile, the combined income needed for a household with one child and both parents working full-time is $85,030.

Texas ranked No. 42 in SmartAsset's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working parent, one stay-at-home parent, and one child. That also situates Texas as the 9th most affordable state for single-income families. But there are risks associated with only having one breadwinner in the family.

"A single income family with small children potentially saves in child care costs over a household with two working parents," the report's author wrote. "The main disadvantages are the lost salary and retirement contributions, Social Security earnings history and employer health benefits."

There aren't any specific tax benefits to having a parent stay at home to raise their child full time, but SmartAsset says single-income families can claim a tax credit under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"[S]ingle-income families may claim the Child Tax Credit — up to $2,200 per qualifying child for 2026 ($1,700 refundable) — on the same terms as any other family," the report said.

SmartAsset's latest report only looks at costs on a statewide basis, but the cost to raise a child will also vary greatly depending on the city you live in. Raising a child in Houston might pose a challenge for some families, where the cost for childcare alone adds up to $10,265 and overall costs can surpass $22,000.

For households with two children, there might be additional strains on what a family might consider a "comfortable living." A March 2026 SmartAsset study determined a Houston-based family with two working parents need to make a combined income of $204,672 to have a financially stable life while raising two children.

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income needed for single-income families are:

Arkansas ($68,869)
Mississippi ($70,054)
Kentucky ($70,179)
West Virginia ($70,283)
North Dakota ($71,219)
Oklahoma ($71,365)
Louisiana ($71,406)
Missouri ($72,862)
Texas ($72,925)
Tennessee ($72,946)

smartasset reports texas family income