Southern Weddings

I was not surprised at all to learn that today’s bride, Meagan, joined the wedding industry after planning her and Logan’s wedding! Their day was such a fun mix of industrial decor, vintage vibes, and plenty of nods to their beloved home state of Texas. They weren’t afraid to incorporate their personalities into their celebration in big ways, whether that meant their unique cowhide aisle runner, the textural protea and cotton they included in their florals (arranged by Striking Stems), or the tasty Cajun cuisine they served to their guests. I can only imagine how much their family and friends loved being part of a wedding that reflected the bride and groom oh so well!

Thanks so much to Courtney Leigh (the cousin of the bride!) for sharing this happy day with us!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I wanted the experience of dress shopping with my closest friends and family. Our plan was to make a girls day out of it and go “just for fun” to narrow down the style of dress I liked. I knew I wanted something unique, and after looking through magazines, I found I was really attracted to feather detailing. With that in mind, the girls and I walked around and picked out a few dresses that caught our eye. When I walked out in dress number three, we all had the same reaction. Everyone was ooh-ing and ahh-ing! It was such an exciting moment for all of us. After trying on a few more dresses just to be sure, I put it on again and decided to say “yes” to my perfect dress!

We chose to do a first look. I had a lot of reservations about it, but looking back, it was one of my favorite moments of the day. His reaction was so sweet, and we were able to take a private moment to exchange letters we had written to each other. Afterwards, the time leading up to the ceremony was even more special since we were able to enjoy the day and all the anticipation together. Plus, we took all of our photos pre-ceremony and were able to spend the whole evening with our guests.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? With us being from opposite sides of Texas, choosing the location was the first obstacle we had to conquer. Early on, we thought we would meet in the middle and select a venue near Austin. We checked out a few options in the Dripping Springs area, which were all beautiful, but there was just something holding us back. While visiting my family in Montgomery, Texas, we decided to look at a few options around there. The first venue we visited was Olde Dobbin Station, an old train station that had been restored and repurposed. From the moment we pulled up, I knew we had found the perfect place. There was just something so unique about the vintage-industrial look that drew us in and inspired my vision.

We decided on traditional vows. There was just something sacred and comforting about voicing the same words as generations of couples before us who had made the same commitment.

Describe your wedding flowers. Early on in the planning stages, I fell in love with the soft, romantic look of eucalyptus garlands and natural-looking bouquets with white, lavender, peach, and coral florals. I knew from research that I also wanted to include different textures, such as proteas, stalks of cotton, and blue thistle among the pastel florals. Logan grew up on a large cotton farm, so that element was a no brainer. Our floral designer did a fabulous job selecting the combination of florals that incorporated everything I had asked for.

My cake was a gorgeous, four-tiered, rustic, naked cake. As a dessert lover, I wanted my cake to represent my personality and offer our guests multiple flavor options. The flavors included vanilla bean cake with praline filling, banana cream cake (similar to banana bread) with cream cheese frosting, and chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. It was the most heavenly combination! The groom’s cake had a rustic birchwood design and the flavor was strawberry cake with strawberry compote filling and cream cheese frosting. This flavor was both of our first choice, but Logan had dibs on the strawberry from day one. Kristina of Buttercup Bakery has made several cakes for our family and she always amazes us with her product. She was one of the first vendors we contacted, and we were ecstatic when she agreed to join our team.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Logan and I met at Little Woodrow’s in the Houston Heights. He was in town for the livestock show and was staying with some friends who lived in the neighborhood, and I was living near there at the time. We started talking and realized we had a lot in common and shared a few mutual friends. The biggest thing was that we both graduated from Texas A&M with the same major. We couldn’t believe we had never run into each other over the years. Before we knew it, hours had passed and we were chatting away like old friends. That night, he walked me to my car and surprised me by asking if he could kiss me. All night long, I had picked up on his old school demeanor, but that moment melted my heart. I’m pretty sure I knew I had found my soulmate the first night we met. The only problem was that we lived on opposite sides of Texas. Over the next few weeks, we continued talking nonstop and decided to see where this led. When he asked me to take a road trip with some of his friends to meet up at his lake house, I said why not. After an amazing weekend on the lake, he asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest is history. We dated long distance for a year before we were engaged.
Tell us all about the proposal! One of Logan’s best friends happened to work in the same industry as me. Over the year Logan and I were dating, I had grown pretty close to him and his wife, and we often would hang out (even when Logan wasn’t around). When I was invited to attend a happy hour with them, I didn’t think anything of it. I drove over to their house after work to freshen up, and his wife and I planned to ride to the restaurant together. I had actually planned to wear a business suit to the event, but luckily, his wife convinced me to wear one of her dresses. This little wardrobe malfunction set us back a little bit and we showed up about 30 minutes late. When we pulled up, we noticed her husband was standing by the front door waiting on us. After greeting him, I attempted to head into the restaurant bar, worried because we were so late. He quickly redirected us to the garden area, where I noticed there was a camera sitting on the ground. I was told to turn to my left and look out at the gazebo. Then I saw him–Logan was standing alone, waiting for me under a gazebo in a beautiful garden that overlooked the Houston bayou. Once I made it to the gazebo, he dropped down to one knee and asked me to marry him. I was overwhelmed with joy and so surprised. Afterwards, we shared a champagne toast with our friends, followed by a romantic dinner. The whole evening was planned out perfectly.
When did y’all get married? February 20, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 275
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: From Meagan: My favorite detail was the head table that Logan and my father built. At 27 feet long, it seated all of our bridal party and their dates. The farmhouse table combined with the nickel bistro chairs blended perfectly with the natural character of Olde Dobbin Station. I loved the eucalyptus garland that ran down the center and the bridal party bouquets mixed in with tall candle cups. At each place setting, there were personalized marble sugar cookies created by Miss J’s Sugar Cookies serving as place cards. The head table was everything I had ever dreamed and more. From Logan: My favorite detail was my elk mount that we hung on the arbor in our ceremony setting. I loved that the antlers had sentimental value to me and that it incorporated one of our shared passions into our wedding decor.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Many of the details of our wedding included tributes to our Southern backgrounds and personalities. The groom’s attire included a feather bow tie and a shotgun shell boutonniere, representing his passion for shooting sports. Our ceremony included a cowhide aisle runner which symbolized our background of raising livestock. During our reception, the caterers served Southern Cajun cuisine, we paid tribute to our alma mater by swaying to the Aggie War Hymn, and we spent the remainder of the evening two-stepping and celebrating with our dearest family and friends.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? We chose to DIY half of our wedding florals, which ended up saving us thousands of dollars. I placed an order with a local wholesale shop and picked them up a few days before the wedding. With the help of family and friends, we made boutonnieres, centerpieces, a few accent arrangements, and tons of eucalyptus garlands. We also reused all of the florals from our welcome party the night before. It was definitely a challenging task, but we really enjoyed sharing the experience with loved ones, and it was very rewarding to be surrounded by the product of our labor on our wedding day.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Choose vendors you click with, who understand your vision better than you do, and who will get things done even when you didn’t think it was possible. Don’t be afraid to ask for references. Having a good team and being willing to delegate can eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are in process of purchasing a home in Montgomery, Texas. Over the last year, we fell in love with the beautiful town and community. We are excited to establish our roots and add our own personal touches to the property.

Photographer: Courtney Leigh Photography | Planner: Two Be Wed | Ceremony and Reception Venue: Olde Dobbin Station | Florist: Striking Stems | Cake Baker: Buttercup Bakery Houston | Caterer: All Star Catering Co. | Rentals: Events to Remember | Lighting and DJ: Exodus Sound | Event Design/Backdrop/Signage: A Pretty Perspective | Paper Products: Cooper Fox | Bride’s Gown “Duende” by Pronovias | Bridal Salon:: Brickhouse Bridal | Bride’s Earrings: BHLDN | Hair Stylist: Suzie Q | Makeup Artist: Jessica Kirkland | Bride’s Shoes: Aldo | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Adrianna Papell | Groom’s Attire: Jean Yves | Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Custom Sugar Cookies: Miss J’s Sugar Cookies | Cake Display Rentals: Love Birds Vintage Rentals | Bistro Chairs: Old World Antieks | Groom’s Bowtie: Brackish Bow Ties | Groom’s Ring: Staghead Designs | Groomsmen Ties: The Cordial Churchman

Written with love by Lisa