“SI Swimsuit” Model Katie Austin Wore Her Mom Denise Austin’s 1983 Wedding Dress: ‘Full Circle Moment’ (Exclusive)

The pair wed at Austin's parent's home in Quinta, California, where she says she and Armstrong 'built the foundation of our relationship'

Katie Austin celebrated her wedding to Lane Armstrong over the weekend where she honored her mother Denise in a meaningful way.

The Sports Illustrated model, 30, reveals that she and Armstrong kicked off their four-day wedding weekend in La Quinta, California with a rehearsal dinner on Thursday — where she wore her mother’s vintage wedding dress, which was tailored into a mini for the occasion.

“To be honest, it didn’t really hit me until I put this dress on,” Katie tells PEOPLE. “Wearing my moms real wedding dress from 1983 was such a symbolism of a lifetime marriage, as my parents are happily married of 41 years.”

“It was a full circle moment we won’t ever forget,” she adds.

Related: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Katie Austin Met Her Fiancé on The League Dating App After 60 Matches (Exclusive)

Their weekend nuptials included a vibrant welcome party at Katie's parent's second home in the desert. The space was decorated with bright pink bougainvillea with fresh citrus and they “encouraged” all the guests to “wear bright colors” as they met and mingled with each other. The bride wore a “stunning” Vivienne Westwood dress for the affair.

For the big event, the couple and their 230 guests gathered at the Austin family estate in La Quinta California — a special place for Katie as it's not only her parent's home, but also where she and Armstrong had their second date and later isolated together in 2020. “It’s a special place for us as we built the foundation of our relationship here,” she says.

The model walked down the aisle in a Dana Harel lace wedding dress that she noted was “classy, yet sexy,” as it featured nude silhouette underlining. She paired the look with Jimmy Choo shoes and Happy Jewelers diamond drop earrings.

The pair opted for handwritten vows for the event as “expressing our words to each other from the heart was very important to us.” Katie’s step brother and childhood best friend, Trent, officiated the wedding, solidifying their union.

For the wedding reception, the couple had their first dance to “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne, which was performed live at the venue.

Related: 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' Rookie of the Year Katie Austin Is Engaged to Lane Armstrong

A top priority for the pair was making sure their guests had a blast. They held a pre-dinner dance party with dance music to get the party started before sitting down for their meal. They also had espresso martini shooters to help everyone “wake up” in the later hours of the wedding party.

They also sent personal messages to every person in attendance.

“We wrote all our guests a special note. The seating chart was “Message in a Bottle” and each guests seat number was tied to a personalized message from us,” Katie says. “We hope the guests felt so loved.”

The couple also did things a bit differently when it came to their wedding cake. They said they wanted the cutting of the cake “to be intimate and just for us,” and they froze it in order to “enjoy it on our first anniversary.”

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The fitness influencer and her beau initially met on the dating app The League. They dated for a few years before Armstrong popped the question at a private beach in Laguna on March 31, 2023. Katie said the proposal took her by surprise as he led her along a spot on the beach where a dozen white roses lined the aisle. The pair had dinner that night and celebrated their engagement with close friends and family the next day on a party bus to Nobu.

The pair will jet off to several places, including St. Barths, for their honeymoon before the model is slated to return to work for her Sports Illustrated swimsuit launch. As for what is up next for the couple, they say that they can’t wait to get started on creating a family together.

“We both have so much respect for each other. We love that we both have the same values in life, and what we want out of this lifetime. We are both so hardworking, yet know the meaning for life is beyond careers,” says Katie. “We are so excited to have kids, and enter that chapter of our life as parents.”

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