A Wedding at Ashton Gardens, Dallas

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend! It was a relaxing weekend for us, but we still caught up on chores that we’ve put off for a while (like 5 large loads of laundry!). This wedding post seems appropriate post-Valentine’s Day… Isabel and Alan’s wedding took place at Ashton Gardens, a charming venue nestled away in a private forest. So romantic! The chapel was wrapped in floor to ceiling windows and framed with wooden trusses. The elegant reception space also had impressive views of the forest and sparkling chandeliers. I, unfortunately, didn’t grab a photo of the space. This one below is one that Lisa took during the wedding rehearsal. Thanks Lisa! :P This was the first Taiwanese wedding I’ve been to even though I’ve lived in Taiwan for over 8 years and many of my friends are Taiwanese. As a designer, I get excited over different styles of weddings. It was interesting how the flowers immediately stood out to me as being distinctly Taiwanese. Playful, eclectic, youthful. So fun! John was nicely dressed for this wedding. This might be the first time he’s worn that blazer outside of work. Poor Michelle kept pulling out her laptop to work! Right after the ceremony, the appetizer station and bar were open! There were lots of cheeses to choose from and enjoy with berries. The cheese was great with Shiner Bock.The first course was a meat-free southwestern salad. Even with a creamy dressing, this was quite refreshing. I liked the tortilla chips and light heat from the dressing. It was good with a glass of chilled Chardonnay. When it was time for entrees, they invited each table up to the buffet line one at a time. That was probably for the best! There was a salmon entree, but since I no longer eat fish, I loaded up on grilled asparagus, potatoes, and rice. Pretty tasty!After lunch, there were a number of classic wedding activities, like cake cutting, first dance, toasts, an ice breaker game. There was lots of love in the air, and I think I had a big smile on my face the entire time. So happy for those two!

I leave you with one of my favorites from the trip. Here we are all dressed up and smiley. I love this guy to the moon! John’s hair is looking pretty stylish, while my messy, grown out undercut is looking a wee bit crazy. P.S. Less than 3 weeks until I chop my hair off!