Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
Mid-summer 2020, Drew threw an epic surprise birthday party for Allison with their immediate families. But there was another surprise in store: a proposal at the end of the night. Once engaged, they started planning quickly, targeting a wedding date just eight months away.
With Dallas as their homebase, where they happily had some of the wedding industry’s best vendors in their backyard, they were thrilled to plan a local wedding with a mostly local team of wedding vendors.
Knowing they wanted to get married in their hometown of Dallas, the couple considered one and only one venue: Arlington Hall at Turtle Creek Park, an event space with historic charm that’s situated on 20 acres of park land and comes with in-house catering by Food Glorious Food Catering. The residential-like feel gave a sense of it being an at-home wedding but with the infrastructure of an established wedding venue.
“Having lived in the area for a long time, we would always walk near Arlington Hall and admire it. It is historical and charming and surrounded by lush greenery. It encompasses beautiful architecture and has the space to really tailor your special day to exactly how you envision. Plus, my dad mentioned in his wedding speech that I was born in a city named Arlington. I never made that connection when we looked at the venue prior to booking, but that was certainly fate!” —Allison, bride
Shortly after securing their venue—and their wedding date of April 10, 2021—they reached out to Kristin Butler of Fabulous Fête, who had planned weddings for two of Allison’s friends. Kristin helped the couple assemble the best of the best to create their dream wedding day. They were fortunate that all of their top vendor picks were available.
“The most important vendor decision we made was choosing our wedding planner. We knew the importance of having someone like Kristin, who was extremely organized and creative. We really appreciated her assertiveness and attention to detail, especially the little things that make a big impact day-of. She and her team worked together to make sure things were on time and stress-free.Our wedding was everything we could have dreamt of and more! We are so grateful to all involved for putting together the party of our dreams.” —Allison, bride
Many vendors were hired simultaneously. Allison had heard of all of them merely by living in and attending weddings in Dallas. In looking at their content and offerings more closely, she felt they were good fits and started booked them one-by-one, starting with photographer Carter Rose of Carter Rose Weddings. Johnny Apple Films also documented the day, capturing it in motion.
“Carter is an absolute gem. He was exceptional to work with and makes you feel so comfortable that you almost forget you’re taking pictures. He made the entire experience so much fun and captured moments and memories we did not even know happened. Johnny also captured the day beautifully—we were so pleased with our video and thankful that we have it to look back on." —Allison, bride
Next, Jordan Kahn Music Company was selected to perform throughout the reception, which began with the couple being introduced and going straight into their choreographed routine for their first dance to a live rendition of Lauryn Hill's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." Light-up tambourines and cowboy hats were passed out as the night progressed, adding some Texas-style fun.
Jordan Kahn brings the party! Their reputation precedes them but they really are that fantastic. We never left the dance floor and guests really had the best time. People still talk about this band even a year later…” —Allison, bride
Three Branches Floral was also hired around the same time and took the pastel wedding palette of soft blue, pale purple, and white (with accents of butter yellow and classic gold), and ran with it. They designed a blooming ceremony aisle and a mix of floral arrangements for the reception—low centerpieces for round tables, a variety of bud vases and lamps for long tables, and a taller floral installation over the head table.
Once the English garden vision of the classic, traditional wedding was somewhat established, the vendors who were more involved in the visual aspects were selected, starting with stationer Color Box Design & Letterpress. The invitations introduced one of the day’s signature colors: lavender. It also showcased an elegant monogram of the couple’s shared first initial of A (Drew’s full name is Andrew). The day-of stationery evolved to include three-dimensional butterfly escort cards that not only guided guests to their seats but symbolized the new beginning the couple was embarking on together. They were affixed to a lavender wall boasting a pattern taken from the lace on Allison’s dress, which also appeared on the dance floor with the monogram.
Rental pieces from a trio of companies (Perch Event Decor, Posh Couture Rentals, BBJ La Tavola Specialty Linen) were assembled to create the perfect English-garden-inspired celebration, with a slight modern edge. The glam duo of Sonia Trevino and Mayra Rams-Sanabria of My Fabulous Faces, whose skills were matched by their great energy, not only made the bride and her girls look amazing, but feel amazing.
Although the ceremony took place outside, the reception occurred under a tent—but not just any tent, Sandone Productions’ clearspan marquee tent that allowed the landscape to be enjoyed from every angle (including overhead). Plus, with the wedding taking place in spring (and in Texas), weather was somewhat unpredictable, so the tent allowed them a bit more control, while taking their outdoor mindset and still pulling off an English garden feel.
A few final additions to the vendor team were made, namely Justin Cash for cocktail hour music and the Bishop String Quartet to play during the ceremony. With the soundtrack covered, the setting for dancing was equally important, so Stage 2 Lighting were chosen to illuminate the tent while Center Stage Floors gave everyone somewhere to cut loose. Finally, Fancy Cakes by Lauren was brought on board to create a showstopper of a wedding cake. She incorporated the white flowers and 3-D butterflies used throughout the event’s decor into the five-tier round-and-square confection.
