Wedding Crashing: A Pretty Personalized Party
We’ve mentioned the wedding that we drove all the way to Texas to attend a few times and promised more delectable details along the way. Well, the time has come to spill the wedding beans. We were instantly smitten with John’s cousin Casey’s wedding because it was full of personalized touches (many of which can be adapted for a party that you may be hosting at home) so without further ado, the goods. But first meet Casey and Kevin…
Aren’t they cute? They tied the knot at the lovely Third Church of Christ Scientist in Dallas surrounded by their friends and family.
And speaking of their friends, the bridesmaids were adorable in their rich aubergine J. Crew dresses (which were meant to be ordered in a deeper eggplant color but arrived a bit more vibrant than expected- we think it was a gorgeous accident!).
The other colors of the day were sunset hues: brilliant amber, wheaty gold and dusty scarlet. Delish. And even the boutonnieres had us at hello.
And speaking of gorgeous, never have I been more enamored with bridal hair. Check out Casey’s amazing loose almost-braided bun complete with a flirty feathered clip for asymmetry and playful texture (you know we’re crazy about soft and subtle texture!).
After the sweet church ceremony, there was a lovely gathering in the gorgeous entry hall full of charming monogrammed punch cups…
… an amazing square tiered cake accompanied by delicious chocolate and vanilla cupcakes (topped with orchids)…
… and more fresh orchids dangling gracefully from the chandeliers.
It was so nice for the bride and groom to make their way around the crowd and greet everyone while the guests enjoyed refreshments, cupcakes and even a slice of cake (after the bride and groom fed it to each other of course).
Then Casey and Kevin exited the church as a flurry of flower petals were flung in their general direction (and we all cheered as they sped off in a sports car).
But just because we had our cake (and ate it too) the celebration was far from over. We then headed over to Winfrey Point beside the scenic White Rock Lake to enjoy a fiesta of delicious Mexican fare and spirited dancing, singing, and even a conga line (that we started no less!). Here’s the gorgeous reception room dressed in brightly colored tablecloths with an almost tropical feeling (maybe that explains what possessed us to begin conga-ing?).
We loved the unique collection of mismatched bottles full of blooms at the center of every table. They were so inviting and memorable, and no two were the same!
All the guests obsessed over the amazing catered food (make-your-own fajitas with beef, chicken and veggies) along with mounds of mouthwatering guacamole, chips, and other Mexican delights.
Kevin even got to surprise his bride (and the rest of us) by hopping on stage with the live band and belting out a heartfelt (and very professional sounding) rendition of Pretty Woman. He had everyone in the room grinning like a fool.
There was also a wedding piñata that the bride and groom tore into while blindfolded (we were cheering & laughing too hard to get a decent shot of it, but trust us that it was another memorable and super fun wedding moment). And as the party raged on into the night, John and I even got a chance to slip outside and enjoy the view as the sun set over the glittering lake overlooking downtown Dallas.
Oh and we can’t forget the gelato. No, that would be crazy. Since cupcakes and cake were already served at the church, four delectable flavors of gelato were offered after dinner, and you could even request a sampling of more than one flavor crammed into your cup (you know I did).
In short, it was the perfect wedding for the perfect couple who rode off into the night after an evening packed with spirited celebrating. So what do you guys think? Wasn’t it a gorgeous day totally worth 40 hours of driving? What was your favorite part? I can’t decide between the monogrammed punch cups or the orchids hanging from those chandeliers. And the gelato. Seriously that knocked my socks off. Thanks so much to Casey and Kevin for letting us crash their amazing event so you guys could all virtually attend. Three cheers for love, marriage and fajitas!
Leave a comment
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
their wedding looked great! and i love paciugo gelato! ate some last time i was in the Dallas area… hmm must go back!
What a gorgeous wedding! You all drove right past my place… to bad you couldn’t house crash us!
Awww great pictures..you guys drove through Dallas and didnt hit me up! I am crushed!…..im kidding…but dont you love dallas? its hot, but its home.
I have to say my favorite part was the flowers hanging from the lights!!
As a VERY recently engaged woman (last saturday!!) I am so excited to start planning my wedding. I love looking at others wedding to get ideas. Thanks for the crashing!!
LB
FUN! Mexican food and a pinata. Wedding gazing is the best.
Twas a gorgeous “family” wedding! Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures – we NC grandparents so enjoyed your shared pictures and right-on commentary! So much love and joy expressed by everyone that wedding weekend! Pen
LizzieBeth — The hanging orchids in the church foyer were one of my fave parts of the wedding decorations, too. But I have to admit that those were my florist’s idea. His name is Carey FIsher and was super fun to work with. If you are planning a wedding in the Dallas area, you might check him out. I would be happy to supply his contact info if you want.
And congrats on your recent engagement! Just remember that you can browse Young House Love (as well as wedding magazines — even older issues!) for wedding ideas and then recreate them very easily to meet your taste…and budget! And pictures are truly worth a thousand words. Show your fave pictures to your planner/florist/cake company/etc to really get your point across. I stored all my pictures, thoughts, and other wedding ideas in a binder, which made it easy to tote around to all those appointments. Enjoy!
Since so many of you are commenting on why we had cake and punch at the church before the reception, I thought I would explain.
Because we had so many people we wanted to invite (close to 400! But remember that almost half won’t — and didn’t — show up), we decided to have a reception after the ceremony at the church and then just invite family and out-of-state guests to the after party, which we dubbed the “fiesta.” At first I felt like we were being too selective and not including everyone in our special day, but then our budget kept coming to mind. In order to keep to our budget, we needed to cut down the catering bill, so by only feeding half as many people at the fiesta, instead of the entire guest list, we saved so much. Plus, we were able to really spend time watching the two families come together. Isn’t that what a wedding is all about? And practically speaking, not all guests want to spend 6-8 hours with you on your wedding day, so inviting guests for a 3-hour or so ceremony/cake reception was perfect. And how can you pass up the opportunity for two desserts?! We really loved making this wedding our own!
Also, I HIGHLY recommend the woman who did my hair. She was FANTASTIC! And she really worked with my face shape (and the vintage feather flower!) to give me a flattering, elegant, and not over-the-top look. Her shop is on Oak Lawn in Dallas, and she is very willing to come to you for your wedding day. Her name is Aimee Myers. Let me know if you want her contact info.
And by popular demand, I am working on tracking down where my mother-in-law got those adorable monogrammed cups. I do know that she took our invitations (that had that exact same monogram at the top) to the store and had them recreate that monogram for the cups, as well as a banner/sign for the front of the church announcing our big day. Very clever! And it helped tie everything together.
Yes, it’s the bride with yet another post…
The dress. I have to admit, I had a love/hate relationship with it for months, but it truly ended up to be perfect. It was the second dress I tried on. I bought it that first day of dress shopping and regretted it for months. But according to wedding blogs, that is normal. But as the day got closer (and the dress altered), I grew to love it.
Since I am from California — a Texas transplant as of June 2008 — I bought my dress at Trudy’s in the Pruneyard in San Jose, CA. My mom had it shipped out here before the wedding. It worked out perfectly. However, I had some trouble with the Trudy’s, so I am not going to fully recommend them. They took my measurements incorrectly, putting me in a dress 2 sizes too big. That led to a very expensive alteration bill (and a little struggle with getting Trudy’s to rectify their mistake). But it all worked out in the end, and for that I’m truly grateful. Not all wedding planning runs smoothly or even as planned, but as you can see, they always come out memorable and absolutely beautiful. :o)
i had my reception @ winfrey! so cool to see it on your blog. glad you enjoyed your time in dallas. i heart living here.
hey casey! quick question for you did you do your make-up yourself or have someone else do and which products were used? it looked awesome. i am going for something like that for my up coming wedding.
As promised, the monogrammed cups were thanks to Paper Place in Dallas. The designer my mom-in-law worked with was Peggy. They also did monogrammed napkins for the wedding. Call them at 214-651-7078.
Kimberly — Thanks so much for your comments. I actually did my own make-up. And it was nothing too fancy. Bare Essentials face powder and silver/gray shadow, extra help from Almay foundation (with SPF!), black pencil eyeliner (the product named has rubbed off due to heavy use), and my trusty Burts Bees chapstick. Nothing too exciting but it successfully gave me soft elegant yet natural look.
My take on wedding make-up, if you have your hair done, do your own make-up. It was a budget-saving decision for me. But you also don’t want to stress yourself out on the big day, so do a practice run on your own or with the person doing your make-up. Hope this helps!
Casey, was Carey Fisher pretty reasonable (if there is such a thing in floral land)? Someone referred him, but I haven’t had a chance to call.
Love your website! Thanks so much for posting the outstanding wedding pics.
I don’t know if you guys check this often but I absolutely love her dress. Is there any way you could find out where she got it or what brand it is? I love it.
Hey Chrissy,
About three comments up is actually Casey (the bride)’s answer to that very question:
Since I am from California — a Texas transplant as of June 2008 — I bought my dress at Trudy’s in the Pruneyard in San Jose, CA. My mom had it shipped out here before the wedding. It worked out perfectly.
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Wow! Their wedding sure looks great. They’re such a cute couple and Casey’s hair was just so elegant. She looks so happy. The gelato looks yummy too!
Thank you for your reply! Congratulations on your wedding and marriage! I am thinking of getting married and having my reception at Winfrey Point. By any chance, can you email me and let me know who you used for renting your linens and set-up at Winfrey Point? Thank you!
Erika
Here’s hoping she drops in with that info for you!
xo,
s