Take a Bride with a penchant for color and a Groom who falls more on the side of classic, then throw in their combined love for all things music and the result is colorful elegance with a to-die-for playlist and, of course, records for favors. Shot by Taylor Lord Photography with uber beautiful flora by Bows and Arrows and all sorts of lovely details planned by After Yes, this is Dallas meets New orleans meets heaven in wedding form. See it all right here!
From the Bride… Justin and I met in the fall of 2010, and our first few dates were one music venue after another. Until date number four, which started local in Dallas, but then we hopped on a plane to Austin to check out more music. This was the weekend that we knew. Many shows and festivals later, Justin knew it was time. By fall 2011, he planned us a surprise trip to New Orleans, my favorite city in the world. He popped the question in Jackson Square, in front of the cathedral. (This is my favorite part) And, as I said ‘Yes!’ for the first of at least seven times, the bells clocked noon. Surreal moment.
We knew we wanted to get married in Dallas, where we met and currently call home. While Deacon Tim prepared us for our marriage, Elizabeth, our planner, gathered us a power team of vendors. We are still talking about how lucky we are to have found Taylor, our photographer — not just for her gorgeous work, but also because you can’t help but smile when she’s around! For the reception, we envisioned a party. Something that combined my eclectic, colorful style and Justin’s clean white, streamlined taste (this will be a forever compromise in our household!). I wanted lights everywhere, and I want to believe Justin had just as much fun making the candles as I did! He was an amazing help – I would come up with the ideas (mostly from stalking SMP), and together we’d work on our projects. The venue, Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park, had a beautiful Main Street area with historic buildings surrounding a red brick road with a view of downtown Dallas in the background. Elizabeth knew of a vendor who strung white lights over the street. The café lights made all the difference and were a perfect finishing touch. To tie in our love of live music we needed to have a band – the Walton Stout Band – who even took the time to learn a song (‘Beautiful Morning Light’ by the Fruit Bats) from the first album that Justin gave me for our first dance, and learned how to do the second line – a New Orleans tradition. Justin and I made our wedding favors with CDs that looked like records (along with the actual 45s we used for our save the dates) and a playlist full of songs from shows we had seen together.
On the day of the wedding, the girls and I had the ultimate girls’ day, but I was still somehow nervous. It wasn’t until Justin and I had our first look late that afternoon that my heart was calm again (that really was a long time for us to be apart!). The ceremony was perfect (I’m biased) and the band kept us dancing at the reception through the night — they didn’t even make fun of me when I had to throw my bouquet three times because of bad aim! At the close of the reception, the horns led us out to “When the Saints Go Marching In” through a sparkler exit — I mean, what a great way to end such an incredible night!
Wedding Photography: Taylor Lord Photography / Ceremony: Christ the King Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas / Reception: Dallas Heritage Village in Dallas, Texas / Wedding Planning: After Yes / Floral Design: Bows and Arrows / Wedding Cinematography: Legacy Video Solutions / Catering: Two Sisters Catering / Wedding Cake: Dallas Affaires Cake Co. / Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher / Band: The Walton Stout Band / Photo Booth: Premiere Booth / Lighting: Astounding Sounds / Wedding Dress: BHLDN / Bride’s Veil: Vera Wang / Bride’s Earrings: Kate Spade / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale / Shoes: J.Crew