Leigh and Nick’s Winter Wedding at Prospect House

Leigh and Nick knew they wanted to get married somewhere unique in Dripping Springs, Texas, and Prospect House checked all their boxes. They also included tons of personal details including having a close friend design all the paper goods, Leigh’s cousin giving a “toast and blessing,” and her stepsister officiating the ceremony. Getting married right after Thanksgiving, they didn’t necessarily want the wedding to be Christmasy but they decided to include a few touches, such as the mistletoe on the dinner plates. Wild Sky Events captured the spirit of this fun couple in the planning and design of their wedding, and these gorgeous pics snapped by Lisa Woods Photography are certain to inspire more brides to embrace the idea of a holiday wedding!

What made the wedding special and unique?

We knew wanted to get married in Dripping Springs. Ages before we got engaged I went to lunch with an old friend who let me know she had opened a wedding venue out in Dripping off Fitzhugh Rd. The next time we drove out to his parents’ house I asked if we could go see the venue. At the time it was under construction, and we weren’t even engaged yet. I immediately fell in love with Prospect House because it’s so beautiful and unique but also the personal connection we had that our friends owned it and it is just a couple miles down the road from his parents’ house. I cannot imagine getting married anywhere else.

Rebecca, one of my best friends, created the drawings and all the invitations, stationery, menus, programs, and a special map for the room drops. Everyone thought I paid gazillions of dollars to hire a calligrapher. She did such an amazing job.

At the rehearsal dinner we created a “how well do you know the bride and groom” word find that was a big hit and a lot of fun. It was super intimate and that’s where we had all the speeches. We didn’t do any speeches at the wedding but my dad gave a toast. I liked only doing speeches at the rehearsal, much more personal.

At the rehearsal dinner my father-in-law even performed “Going to the Chapel of Love” but they changed the words to “going to the prospect house.” Everyone had a copy of the lyrics and they surprised us! My father-in-law is also a BIG beer brewer and created an amazing beer for us, we still have the tap. We called it “Sam’s Very Special Beer for Very Special People”

My stepsister married us, and did such an amazing job creating a ceremony that represented us. It wasn’t corny but super personal, hilarious, and gave everyone a glimpse into who we are as a couple. It was one of the best moments of my year telling my stepmother that I was going to ask her daughter to marry us. She was so touched and it was such a special way to bring so many families together. I’ve had several people ask me, “who was the person who married you and can I have her information?” because they want her to marry them!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it! 

I bought it at Houston Bridal Gallery; it’s Essence of Australia. I wanted something to match the antique family heirloom veil I wore as my “something old.” I was determined to spend as little as possible on the dress, but I ended up splurging (a little). My best friend took me shopping with my mom and a couple other friends. She couldn’t be there on my wedding day (she had a baby the following day) so it was so special she was there to pick out the dress with me. After patiently letting me go to the discount places, I said I’d be okay with 5-6 of them. She insisted we go to one more place and try on just one more dress and that was the one!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

• My cousin (who I’ve always been super close to) always said the blessing growing up. We’re not religious, but she wrote us a special “toast and blessings” for the wedding that was so special. She’s a great artist and wrote it down for us to frame. One of my favorite keepsakes from the wedding.
• I loved our guest “poster.” Even though we didn’t get married outside where we wanted it was a great way to really remember and picture everyone being there.
• We had a friend who is a great bartender make a special signature cocktail that was delicious!
• We got married the week right after Thanksgiving. I didn’t want it to be “Christmas” but we added a few fun touches. My favorite was the mistletoe sprig on all the plates!
• I loved the little wine decanters we used on the bottles, we gave them away as favors to a few special people.
• Surprise First Look: I was devastated because it rained and that meant we had to do a “first look.” I had wanted it to be old-fashioned. But we had to, so instead we did a “surprise” first look. Nick didn’t know but I did. I came up behind him and poked him. I wanted him to have some awesome reaction for pictures, but I think he was just so stunned he didn’t know how to react. The pictures turned out so-so of the moment itself, but I’ll never forget how hard my heart was beating! It was even better to do it that way because I still got my “surprise” and it calmed our nerves to see each other beforehand. We got some great photos too!
• My girlfriends and I rented an awesome house in Zilker Park to get ready, and had a bridal luncheon there that Friday. It was such a great way to get everyone together, almost like a second bachelorette party. It was the hub for the weekend and everyone stayed there. So much more personal than a hotel.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

When I went to put Nick’s ring on, and saw that he was wearing the watch I had bought him as a wedding gift. I wasn’t sure he had opened it, and I was terrified it wouldn’t fit. It was such a special surprise to see him wearing it in that moment.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We worked together at a software company. I was in sales and he was my account manager. I always thought he was handsome, and had so much respect for him and trusted him. Since we worked together I kind of just didn’t look at him that way. We started hanging out more and more, going to lunch and so on. Then one really rough day we went for drinks after work and he basically moved in the next day. He proposed on a trip to NYC to visit my sister for Thanksgiving. We had been walking all day and he insisted we walk all the way from SOHO to the Hudson River because “he felt claustrophobic.” I was honestly kind of annoyed because we had walked 13 miles that day, but I didn’t make a fuss. Thank God I didn’t! When we got to the water, he asked if we could sit, which didn’t even seem funny to me because we were so exhausted. Then he popped the question. He was so nervous he was holding the ring so tight and I had to pry it out of his hands!

Leigh & Nick from MoonLit Weddings on Vimeo.

Planning and Design: Wild Sky Events // Photography: Lisa Woods Photography // Invitations and Day of Stationery Rebecca Ewing //  Florals: Exquisite Petals // Venue: Prospect House // Gown: Essence of Australia // Salon: Houston Bridal Gallery // // Makeup: Lavish Beauty // Cake: Sweet Treats Bakery // Catering: Royal Fig Catering // Videography: Moonlit Weddings // Ceremony Music: Terra Vista Strings // DJ: DJ Gatsby