Cassie & Paden's Holiday Wedding - The Commodore Perry Estate in Austin, Texas

This fairy tale wedding is so romantic and full of personal touches that it is the perfect inspiration for the ambitious bride. DIY on steroids.
The bride, Cassie Gallo is the daughter of my dear friend Sheri Gallo, the District 10 City Council Representative in Austin.  In addition to being drop dead beautiful, Cassie is also a College Football & Hoops Reporter for cbssportsnet.  Due to her extensive work commitments, she decided to schedule her wedding after football season  - which pretty much dictated a December wedding. Here is the cool part - no pun intended. She was able to host her wedding in a historic family home - The Commodore Perry Estate located in the heart of Austin, Texas. Built in 1928 by her great, great grandfather Commodore Edgar Howard Perry,  this recently renovated mansion was the ideal venue for her to gather family and friends to celebrate her new life with Paden. In attendance were 11 Bridesmaids, 3 Junior Bridesmaids, 3 Flower Girls, 1 House Party attendant, 1 Ring Bearer, 12 Groomsmen, 2 Ushers and 250+ guests.

Cassie had a specific look and feel she wanted to achieve for her wedding - vintage/rustic chic. Cassie did most of the planning herself but recruited coordination help from Yellow Umbrella Events, tables and chairs from Premiere Events, catering from Hoover's Cooking, lighting from industry juggernaut Ilios, cakes by the groom's sister and friends and family chipped in to help with the decorations. This is where it gets amazing... Cassie brought in dozens of miniature Norfolk Pine trees to accent the outside of the venue. A fully decorated Christmas tree was positioned to greet guests in the foyer. She continued the outdoor rustic theme on the tables which were decorated with 2" wide round wood chips individually cut by her brother and step father to provided the base for vintage glass lanterns. Each table had lace runners, antique glass vases, candle votives and lanterns that Cassie, her Mother and Grandmother purchased from the Settlement Home for Children's annual garage sale. The deer antlers scattered on each table were donated by the hunters in the family. Cassie purchased and hand tied hankies with ribbons and positioned them at the ceremony. She called them "Hankies for Happy Tears." She knew it would be cold in December so she arranged to have Pashmina scarfs in a basket to keep her bridesmaids and her female guests warm along with a "Baby It's Cold Outside" hot chocolate bar. Her guest sign in table featured wooden chips that each guest signed and placed in a picture frame making an artful keepsake for the bride/groom. The venue had limited electrical power and virtually no outdoor lighting so Cassie employed Ilios to string lights in the trees, project a C & P monogram on the wall behind the band, provide dramatic up lights on the walls around the dance floor and project a polka dot light pattern on the outside of the reception chapel.

On top of all that, she had a jello shot bar, confetti sticks for the dance floor and the coolest band, the Nightowls, to ensure her guests had a great time. And to thank her guests for attending, she gave each of them a hand picked commemorative Christmas ornament as a party favor. Whew. It's exhausting just trying to tell you all about this jaw dropping, detail orientated, extraordinary event.

Congratulations Cassie and Paden on a successful event and beautiful wedding!!!!!