McKenna and Dalton, longtime friends turned sweethearts in college, celebrated their fall wedding at Alex Camp House in the Dallas Arboretum. Drawing inspiration from Naomi Biden’s elegant White House wedding and the charm of Father of the Bride, the couple’s meticulous planning reflected McKenna’s impeccable taste.

Lizzie Bee’s transformed the tented reception with a stunning floral halo ceiling, a circle bar, and exquisite china from Posh Couture Rentals. Culinary Art Catering added a touch of whimsy with custom martini carts and late-night corn dog bites. Vim + Venture crafted a butterfly seating chart wall in the Secret Garden, a nod to the symbolic significance of butterflies in McKenna’s life.

With three dress changes and accessories to match, McKenna’s style shone throughout the night. The couple’s getaway from the church and reception in Dalton’s late grandfather’s 1955 Thunderbird added a nostalgic touch. Despite a minor glitch with the vintage car, the groomsmen came to the rescue, pushing the newlyweds for a memorable exit captured in an unforgettable photograph.

Tell us about your love story – how did you meet?

Dalton and I met in 7th grade English class. We were always great friends, and even dated for awhile in high school. After high school we both moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas, and again found ourselves gravitating towards the same group of friends. Our senior year of college we decided to give dating another shot and have been together ever since. We feel so lucky to have such a long history together and to have shared so many big life moments alongside each other.

Details



Getting Ready

What was your vision for the wedding?

My vision for the wedding was something that was formal in nature but comfortable in personality. I wanted people to feel the excitement of a big, fancy event, but also feel free to let loose and enjoy the night . I took a lot of inspiration from Naomi Biden’s White House wedding and the backyard wedding in Father of the Bride. The Camp House at the Dallas Arboretum was a perfect setting.

Ceremony Details

My favorite part of the day was driving away from the church after the ceremony with my new husband! We were both so giddy with excitement and it was nice to have a moment just to ourselves as Dalton drove us to the reception. We sped away in his grandfather’s ’55 Thunderbird, with cans jingling behind us, and fellow drivers honking in congratulations. It was an overwhelming feeling of excitement, love, relief, and joy.

Ceremony





Wedding Couple Pictures

Were there any sentimental moments/items incorporated to the wedding?

Dalton’s grandfather passed away when we were in high school and he left him his 1955 Thunderbird. We knew we wanted to use the car in the wedding so Dalton spent months getting it up and running again. We successfully made the drive from the church to the reception but did require a little pushing from the groomsmen when trying to leave that night! Either way it was really special to be able to have his grandpa be apart of the day in some way.

For my something old, I tied on my bouquet a promise ring my dad gave my mom when they were in high school. My parents had a very similar love story to mine and Dalton, and have gone on to have a very successful marriage. I felt like this was a symbol of good luck for Dalton and I’s marriage.

We were both so grateful to have Dalton’s youth minister growing up agree to marry us. Dalton was very involved in his youth group and has had a long relationship with Rev. Tim Morrison, so having him be apart of our special day was very important. It was special for me too to get to know Tim through pre-martial counseling. One of my favorite things he had us do was write letters to each other, parts of which he included in our ceremony, and promised to mail them to us sometime in the future. I know it will be a very welcome reminder of how we felt during this time years down the line.

Bridal Party

What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

The biggest DIY element we included was our welcome boxes. We had a graphic designer create a postcard with a map of all the cities that were important to our relationship – our hometown, our college town, cities we did long distance in, and the city we got engaged in. Within the box we included items that represented each of those places and note explaining why it was so special to us. This was a really fun way to tell our story to out of town guests.

The escort wall at the reception was my favorite unique element. Our cocktail hour was held in The Secret Garden, so I wanted something that matched the space but was also visually interesting. Butterflies have always been an important symbol in my life, so I knew I wanted to include those as well. The team at Vim + Venture brought my vision to life with individual butterfly escort cards flying across greenery wallpaper and accented with live florals.

Instead of signature cocktails at the bar, we opted for his + hers martini carts. Dalton’s go to order is a dirty martini, and mine a lemon drop, so we definitely wanted to include those for our guests.

Reception Details

What advice do you have for other couples/brides-to-be?

My advice for brides-to-be would be, if your budget allows, to find a planner who is committed to making your vision come to life within your budget. There are so many vendors out there that it can be overwhelming to know who to trust from a quality and pricing standpoint. Having a planner who isn’t trying to sell you on their ideas or preferences is so important, and I feel so lucky to have worked with Stephanie at Keestone who always found a way to execute my ideas in the most efficient way possible. My other advice for brides-to-be would be to enjoy the day of your wedding – do not sweat the small stuff because no one else will notice. Be present in the moment and focus more on the people and less on the details.
My advice to couples would be to enjoy your engagement. After getting engaged someone told me “you’ll be married forever, but you’ll only be engaged once”. It is such a special time to focus on and celebrate your relationship more than you ever have before, so take advantage of it.

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Here is a wonderful review Stephanie received from the bride:

I had the best experience planning my wedding with Stephanie. I am a very type A person, so when it came to picking a wedding planner I was worried I wouldn’t find someone as organized and detail-oriented as I knew I would be. I feel so lucky to have found Stephanie, as she exceeded all my expectations. She was on top of everything and I never once worried about something not getting done, or forgetting something. It was easy to quickly build trust with her and know that she would make decisions with my best interest and the interest of my dream wedding in mind. Having her input was invaluable as we went through the planning process. We really benefitted from her extensive experience when it came to vendor selections, logistics, and due dates for different items. I never once worried that she and her team wouldn’t deliver on all we had worked on, and truly felt no stress on the wedding day. Stephanie is an amazing planner, but also an amazing person whom I truly loved getting to know and work with. I would highly recommend her to any bride looking for someone to bring their dream wedding to life, and to minimize the stress while doing it. While I hope to never have another wedding, I do hope I have another opportunity to work with Stephanie again!

 

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And mother of the bride:

Words can’t describe what an amazing job Stephanie did for my daughter’s wedding. We are pretty organized people to begin with but Stephanie was always one step ahead of us which took all the pressure off of us and allowed us to enjoy the process and, of course, the wedding. She also was quick to offer any additional assistance that was needed. She always had a point of view on anything we discussed which was very helpful. And then she found a way to make it all happen exactly how my daughter envisioned. It felt like she was part of our family and I can’t thank her enough for all that she did! I highly recommend Stephanie and Keystone for any event!
You can view other weddings that Stephanie has planned for below:

• Nincy + Jerry at The Hillside Estate
• Laura + Cale at The Nasher Sculpture Center
• Dianne + Chris at The Venue at 400 North Ervay
• Devon + Kenny at Alex Camp House at The Dallas Arboretum
• Natalie + Andrew at Union Station