Strangers at the time, Katherine Cook and Taylor Wimberg walked into an East Austin bar in January 2019. After slight skepticism about who was single and spoken for, their groups converged. Taylor and Katherine were drawn to each other, and by the end of the night, Katherine had put her number in Taylor’s phone (“along with an alarm reminding him to call me the next day!” she adds). A marathon 13-hour first date followed, ending with Taylor, a Texan through-and-through, teaching Katherine how to two-step at a dive bar, The White Horse. From a surprise proposal to an epic garden party-inspired wedding, read on for the full arc of their sweet love story, and get the scoop on the stunning details of their big day!
Three year after their chance meeting, on the exact date and in the same place they met, Taylor pulled off a surprise proposal. This time, the bar was filled with flowers, candles, and tender tears. An excited “yes!” from Katherine kicked off a year-and-a-half engagement and dreams of a summer garden party wedding. “I knew I wanted a warm weather wedding when grass, trees, and flowers would be lush and in bloom, so we picked June to avoid rain,” Katherine says.
They tapped wedding coordinator Nicolet LaVeau from Westcott Weddings, who Katherine cannot praise enough. “No matter what we brought her, she approached it with a can-do attitude but also weighed in with her professional opinion and expertise,” Katherine says. “I immediately envisioned a bright, airy, romantic, garden party kind of wedding reception that helped determine everything else (flowers, dresses, food, and venues).”
The couple only toured three wedding venues and knew immediately that the Allan House was the one. The stately Victorian home was built in 1883 and lined up beautifully with Katherine’s bright and airy garden party aesthetic. Trees were wrapped in string lights, cream umbrellas fanned above the tables, and the wrap-around porch welcomed sweet moments caught by Jamie of TwoFish Weddings.
Katherine’s mom and two aunts joined her at her first-ever dress appointment at Blush Bridal Lounge in Austin. “When I tried on my dress (it was maybe the fifth dress I tried on), I knew pretty immediately that it was the one, but we went to a few other appointments that day,” Katherine says. When they returned to order the dress, the store explained that the designer was in Ukraine and might take a little longer than expected because of the war.
Katherine had a first look with her dad and bridesmaids, but the couple wanted to save their first looks for the aisle. “And I’m so glad we did because our photographer got a great photo of Taylor looking down the aisle and smiling at me,” Katherine says. “It might be my favorite of all our pictures.”
They used the time during the “Catholic gap” after the ceremony to take photos and relax with the wedding party at the Allan House until the rest of the 135 guests arrived around 6:30 p.m. Delightful tunes from Terra Vista Strings and flavorful passed appetizers greeted eager partygoers.
Katherine and Taylor’s first dance was to “All Your’n” by Tyler Childers. “Since Taylor took me to the White Horse at the end of our first date and taught me how to two-step, we’ve been going back with friends on Tuesdays and Thursdays ever since,” Katherine says. “So we picked a song we could two-step to.”
The culinary whizzes at Contigo Catering made every app, side, and dish 100% gluten-free. “I’m gluten-free (as are a good handful of our family and friends), and it was important to me that I was able to eat everything at our wedding,” Katherine says. “Taylor and I asked the caterers to bring us all three entrées to share, so we got to have all of it!”
Keeping with the gluten-free menu, they searched high and low for a wedding cake that tasted good and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. “My mom found Rayne Desserts, and all of her cakes are just incredible. We also used the same cake cutter at our wedding that my parents used at their wedding.”
Taylor is a musician and had high standards for the reception music. He found Manhattan Band through friends from college, and they completely rocked the night. “They knew exactly how to work the crowd and kept us dancing all night despite the warm weather,” Katherine says. “At one point, they had the horn section line up on the stairs across the patio from the stage, and they even came down into the reception space to start a conga line!”
At 10:30 p.m., Taylor’s friends handed him a black bag on the dance floor and insisted he open it then and there. The groom was shocked when he pulled out a crazy orange jacket with a tiger’s face on the back that he’d worn to a concert in college.
To future brides: “Make sure you prioritize what you want,” Katherine says. “Everyone involved wants to make sure you’re happy, so make decisions that will make you happy!” Katherine and Taylor are enjoying the newlywed life in Austin, Texas, and planning their honeymoon to Italy in September!
Thanks so much for sharing your day with us, and thanks to Jamie of TwoFish Weddings for the fabulous photos.
RESOURCES
Ceremony: St. Mary Cathedral
Reception: The Allan House
Planner/Coordinator: Westcott Weddings (Nicolet LaVeau)
Photographer: TwoFish Weddings (Jamie Kovach)
Flowers: The Farmer and I (Carrington Winkelmann)
Stationery: Minted and Etsy (invitation suite) | Papier (name cards, menus, table numbers)
Makeup: Adore Makeup Salon
Bride’s gown: Blush Bridal Lounge
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Birdy Grey
Groom: SuitSupply
Groomsmen: The Black Tux
Catering: Contigo Catering
Cakes: Rayne Desserts
Entertainment: Terra Vista Strings (cocktail hour) | Manhattan Band (reception)
Rentals, glassware, linens: Premier Events
Transportation: Limos of Austin | Austin Prestige Limo (getaway car)
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