Michael & Dana Wedding

A story about a Destination Wedding in Ennis Texas.

“Let’s road trip to Texas!”

Those were probably some of the first words out of my mouth to my husband when I booked Dana & Michael’s Texas destination wedding. Not only was it a destination wedding for me, but for the couple as well. Dana grew up in Ennis (Telico) TX on her parents Pecan farm. So when Dana decided to marry Michael, she wanted the reception to be at her parents house. The church she wanted to get married in was only 4 minutes from the house. I saw it online and it was the cutest church! Check it out their Facebook page.

When I think of a Pecan farm, I just think of what I have normally seen around me with a few trees here and there but nothing extraordinary. Man, I was so wrong. Ennis, Texas is just outside of Dallas. This is probably one of my favorite places in Texas. It is such a dreamy area that feels like something out of a fairy tale. Their driveway was basically Disney worthy and was lined with these beautiful Pecan trees on both sides. They had a guest house that looked like an Old Plantation with huge columns and a covered porch.

Then we got to the main house. Now I know why people love Texas so much. It is so dramatically open and peaceful. The house was next to a large pond that had a bridge going over one section. I used to think of Texas with everything being dead and nothing but Cacti around us. I swear, the grass on the farm was greener (literally and figuratively).

So when I realized I would be going to Texas for their wedding, I decided to have fun with it and road trip down with my husband. Took us 3 days and 1,800 miles but we did it! My mom called us “crazy animals” for going that far that fast. But it was an adventure and a great excuse to take my Subaru Outback on a her first road trip. I was so happy when I arrived the day before the wedding and had time to check out the location. When I finally saw the church decorated for the ceremony I swooned. The house for the reception, was incredible! Seriously, how cool is this place??

It was a perfectly sunny and warm day in May. Dana was the epitome of regal and adorably nervous. Michael looked dapper in his suit while chugging Mountain Dew, literally his favorite drink. The ceremony was perfectly intimate. The tiny church was filled with less than 50 friends from all over the country. The reception was was quite the party too!

I have done many weddings in my time but never been to one that was this rowdy. Everyone but me was over 45 years old and they were all getting turned up! A board hanging at the reception read “take a shot, we tied the knot” and had 4 holes in it big enough for a shot glass. They used that board at least a dozen times.

As the night started to wind down, everybody got a sparkler. It was a wonderful send off to the happy couple. I am so happy that I was able to be there for Dana & Michael on their big day and feel very blessed that they picked me to document their love story. Please enjoy these moments I was able to capture for them.