Paige and Chris’s Garden Party Wedding in Austin

September 10, 2014
Taylor Lord

This Texas wedding offered a dash of Louisiana at a French-style venue.

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The Couple

Taylor Lord

Paige Tyler and Chris Sipes both went to the same high school in Shreveport, Louisiana. But it wasn’t until years later, in Austin, Texas, that their paths crossed and they really interacted—or rather, connected. On March 29, 2014, they were married. For the location, they chose Le San Michele, a beautiful stone house in Buda, Texas, on a sprawling bit of land that boasts gardens galore. Similar to those found in the south of France, it was just right for the spring soirée, which celebrated the outdoors, the season, and the couple’s love.

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The Invitations

Taylor Lord

Paige (a graphic designer) created the invite suite to reflect a romantic, festive, garden-party feeling. The invite itself was letterpressed by Vertallee Letterpress on extra-thick cotton paper. A botanical print by Pierre-Joseph Redouté was used to line the main envelope and to back the response postcard, which read “Please reply by March 5th,” courtesy of a rubber stamp made by Capitol Rubber Stamp. Vintage postage from Darling One and calligraphy by Rachel Carl gave a finishing touch to the envelopes.

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Join Us in the Garden

Taylor Lord

The information card—which boasted details on transportation, listed the couple’s wedding website, and suggested footwear for the celebration—was extra-pretty thanks to an illustrated hint of the wedding venue on the flip side.

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Welcome Gifts

Taylor Lord

Out-of-towners received kraft paper boxes filled with goodies: a can of Sofia sparkling wine, a bottle of Sweet Leaf tea, mineral water, clementines, a homemade Texas-shaped rice treat, pistachios, Advil, and a welcome note with coffee and restaurant suggestions near the hotels.

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The Fashions

Taylor Lord

Paige wore a pale pink Monique Lhuillier gown with layers of ivory underneath. Joan Pillow Bridal Salon, the boutique where Paige found the dress, added her delicate tulle sleeves using extra length from the veil. Loeffler Randall shoes and earrings from The Menagerie finished off her ensemble. Chris, meanwhile, looked dapper in a light gray Thick As Thieves suit and Fox & Brie tie. 

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The Bridal Bouquet

Taylor Lord

Bird Dog Blooms created Paige’s bouquet of peonies, roses, ranunculus, sweet peas, and jasmine vine.

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The Bridal Party

Taylor Lord

Paige’s bridesmaids chose their own dresses in pastel colors and neutral hues. Her sister, Claire, wore a Tiffany Rose dress (she gave birth two weeks later). The palette of the girls’ attire was inspired by the venue and its agave plants, prickly pear, and cacti. The spring pastels of their frocks meshed nicely with the muted sage greens of the surroundings, and added to the romantic aesthetic the couple wanted.

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The Groomsmen

Taylor Lord

Like Chris, the best man and groomsmen wore gray suits and ties from Fox & Brie, a local haberdashery that made the neckwear using fabrics matching the day’s color palette.

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The Boutonnieres

Taylor Lord

The guys wore boutonnieres of privet berries, spray roses, and assorted greenery.

Each of the ladies wore flower bracelets instead of carrying bouquets. These wristlets were made using ranunculus, spray roses, privet berries, and jasmine vine.

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The Programs

Taylor Lord

Screen-printed handkerchiefs served as programs. Made by Under Pressure, a local vendor the bride’s mom found, these were placed on each chair at the ceremony.

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The Bride’s Entrance

Taylor Lord

Paige and her dad, Jerry, entered as “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake played. “We had a bit of a hike from the house to the ceremony site at the back of the property,” Paige says. “But it was so nice to have that time to walk with my dad and take in that moment.”

Another nice moment? When Jerry affixed Paige’s grandfather’s Army Air Corp. pilot wing pin to the inside of the bridal gown, like he had done at Paige’s sister’s wedding. “It was special to have that heirloom and those memories around on such an important day,” Paige recalls, “a day you wish you could share with those who are no longer here.”

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The Ceremony

Taylor Lord

Two potted agave plants framed the backdrop for the ceremony, which was led by Pastor Craig Sommer, who also married the bride’s sister and brother-in-law. A friend read from “First Poems” by Rainer Maria Rilke during the late-afternoon service.

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A Wedded Kiss

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The just-hitched couple stole a kiss on their way up the aisle.

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The Signature Drinks

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Guests sipped local beers, margaritas, and wine during cocktail hour in the gardens.

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The Appetizers

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Trays of crab cakes with ancho chile sauce and microgreens, mushroom risotto cakes with goat cheese mousse, and mini buttermilk biscuits with ham and mustard were passed during cocktail hour.

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The Seating Chart

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A chalkboard created by Bird Dog Wedding, who planned and designed the soirée, outlined guests’ seating assignments.

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The Lounge Areas

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To the side of the house and dance floor, vintage furniture from Loot Vintage Rentals was set up, along with lanterns, candles, and arrangements of peonies, roses, anemones, and ranunculus.

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Door Décor

Taylor Lord

The house’s beautiful French doors were dressed with garlands.

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The Tables

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Long farm tables were set with vintage plates and gold flatware from Loot Vintage Rentals. Gauzy runners added softness to the tables, with centerpieces of peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, sweet peas, scabiosa, and greenery topping them.

“We love this English tradition,” Paige says of the colorful paper crowns tucked into the forks at each place setting. “We’ve popped Christmas crackers and worn these during Christmas dinner for years, and it’s always so fun.”

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A Fun Tradition

Taylor Lord

“A few years ago, one of my friends filmed a wedding with a British groom, and everyone wore the crowns throughout dinner and toasts,” Paige says. “It looked too magical not to file that idea away for our own celebration.”

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Retro Tunes

Taylor Lord

Soul Happening spun vinyl records of ’60s and ’70s soul jams. Similar songs were found on the CD favor given to guests at the end of the night. The discs were made to resemble a 45 record, with a custom label and sleeve, and a photo of the couple stamped with “Keep dancing!” on the back.

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The Reception

Taylor Lord

Dinner was served family-style and under the open skies. Royal Fig Catering prepared a feast of roasted carrot salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and fennel vinaigrette; grilled Texas shrimp with tasso grits; porchetta-style pork loin; duck-fat-roasted potatoes; broccolini with brown butter and almonds; and homemade brown butter cornbread.

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The Dessert Table

Taylor Lord

Petite treats from Walton’s Fancy and Staple were set up for dessert. During the planning period, Paige had seen a beautiful sweets table with a swag of greenery on the front, and she was sold. Since Chris loves dessert, he was totally on board for having lots of it. And the spread of sweets was a great complement to the family-style dinner.

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Mini Sweets

Taylor Lord

Tiny red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla whoopie pies were just one of the desserts on offer—and perhaps the bride’s favorite.

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The Groom’s Favorite

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Chris loved the rosemary and goat cheese cheesecakes, a slightly savory option.

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Key Lime Time

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Not only were the mini key lime cheesecakes delicious, but they also fit into the color palette of the day.

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Tasty Tartlets

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Pecan tartlets and one-bite lemon meringue pies were also set out, as were brownies, lemon bars, a variety of macarons, fresh fruit tartlets, vanilla and chocolate petit fours, and mini cupcakes.

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The First Dance

Taylor Lord

“Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal played as the couple took to the dance floor as husband and wife. “The lyrics are simple and sweet, and it has some magical harmonica stylings in it that are very bluegrass and Cajun,” Paige says. “It was perfect for us with our Louisiana and Texas roots. This was one of the first wedding decisions we made. It was a no-brainer.”

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Sources

Taylor Lord

Location: Le San Michele

Event Planning: Bird Dog Wedding 

Catering: Royal Fig 

Flowers: Bird Dog Blooms 

Photography: Taylor Lord

Officiant: Pastor Craig Sommer

Stationery Printing: McCarthy Print; Vertallee Letterpress; Quick Print 

Calligraphy: Rachel Carl Calligraphy 

Desserts: Walton’s Fancy and Staple

Music: Soul Happening, Gabe Vaughn of Breakaway Records 

Rentals: Loot Vintage; Marquee Rentals

Videography: Lizama Videography

Lighting: Intelligent Lighting Design

Hair and Makeup: Ritual Salon 

Transportation: Transportation Consultants; Swoop Events

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