Christmas Wedding in Dallas | Sara + Parker

Friends in high school, Sara and Parker didn’t start dating until after college when they both moved back to Dallas. Not long after meeting up again in their hometown, romance bloomed. Four years later, Parker surprised our sweet bride with a proposal during a birthday trip to Fredericksburg.

Sara had always dreamed of a Christmas wedding, and her vision came to life in the most magical way. The couple tied the knot at their local church, which was decked out with poinsettias, twinkle lights, and Christmas trees. When Sara walked down the aisle, it was to the sound of bagpipes playing Highland Cathedral, something her Scottish grandfather, who’d passed earlier in the year, would have loved. Says Sara, “My grandfather was very special to me. He loved Parker, and I would have given anything for him to have been at our wedding. He was Scottish and loved being Scottish. He loved the bagpipes, and anytime my family hears bagpipes, we think of him. I walked down the aisle to Highland Cathedral- a beautiful song played by the bagpipes and organ. It was so special to not only me but so many people in the sanctuary who knew how much my grandfather meant to our family. It was a sweet tribute to him.”

Following their magical ceremony, everyone headed to Melrose, where silver-and-white ornaments served as escort cards while frosted Christmas trees, lush white flowers, and a towering cake layered with baby’s breath set a festive scene. As elegant as everything was, our fun-loving bride and groom were ready to party, so when the dance floor opened up, things heated up. Out came the Christmas-light leis, Santa hats, and Sara’s white feather boa, and everyone got on the dance floor!

wedding dress: custom Lea-Ann Belter gown via Bridal Boutique Lewisville | photographer: Sarah Kate Photo | scroll down for full vendor list

Sara’s search for a wedding dress brought her to the Bridal Boutique at Lewisville. There, the second dress she tried on stole her heart, especially when she found out she could customize it! Shares Sara, “I went into gown shopping knowing I wanted something strapless but wanted detachable sleeves for the ceremony. I had looked online at Bridal Boutique Lewisville and saw a Lea-Ann Belter dress that I loved and knew I wanted to try on! It was a modern-looking dress with a sharp V-neckline, but I figured there would be a way to add sleeves!

The dress I ended up picking was the second dress I tried on that day. I didn’t want to take it off and couldn’t even focus on the other dresses because I just wanted to put that one back on! I wanted a more straight-across neckline and found sleeves that went with another Lea-Ann Belter dress, but they told me we could have them custom done to match the one I had chosen! The designer was so great to change the neckline to customize it to how I envisioned it and had sleeves made that matched. The leaf detail from the dress overlay were carried over onto my sleeves. It was exactly what I had wanted! On my wedding day, I wore pearl earrings that had been my mother’s, my something borrowed. Along with a tennis bracelet that was a gift and a sapphire and diamond ring that was a college graduation gift from my aunts. It was also my something blue. Then, I added a feather wrap on top of my dress for some of my portraits and for our exit leaving the reception!”

Get all details of Sara and Parker’s from our fabulous, over-the-moon bride below.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

“I have always wanted a Christmas wedding and have always pictured getting married at my church. I also loved the idea of having our reception at a hotel. When I reached out to my church about the availability in December and it was limited, so I decided we would just get married at whatever venue we found. We booked the Melrose to have both the ceremony and reception for December 17th. A few weeks later, I got an email from the church saying they knew I had inquired about December and that they had had a cancellation on the 17th and wondered if I was still interested or if that date would work. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were for that to have worked out!

The Melrose had a beautiful new ballroom and they had the most accommodating event team. We loved our experience working with them, they helped our day be exactly how we pictured it!”

Tell us about your day!

Our wedding day was truly so special! Being surrounded by everyone we love was something I will never get over! It was elegant, fun, and had a tasteful touch of Christmas. I had lots of fun planning the small details, from our signature drink menu to our band’s playlist, the reception showed how we like to have fun!

Another fun thing that was special was that our wedding planner was my high school bible study leader. She was such a huge part of my high school memories, so to have her be such a huge part of our wedding was so fun! When we got engaged, I immediately thought of her and knew she was who I wanted to help plan our wedding! “

What part of your wedding day was most important to you?

“Probably our time at the altar. It was probably one of the fastest parts of the day and what I was most anxious for, but it was the most special moment. All of the planning, all of the details, and all of the time put into the weekend was truly for those 10-15 minutes!

There were so many special moments that I will remember forever!”

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“St. Lucia! We stayed at Ladera and Anse Chastanet, and I would highly recommend both.”

Any tips for couples getting married?

“Enjoy every second of planning, being engaged and of the wedding! It goes by so fast and will be over before you know it! ENJOY the small details and don’t stress about them! You aren’t even going to notice them the day of!”