Texas two-step dancing, stunning muted florals, and special culinary touches came together to create the most delightful Austin "garden party" wedding!
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!
PinOn June 10, 2023, 135 guests joined Katherine and Taylor in Austin, Texas, for a garden party-inspired wedding they won’t soon forget.
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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.
Pin“Taylor checked weather records going back 20 years or so, and it had never rained on June 10th — and it still hasn’t!” Katherine says.PinKatherine is from Louisville, KY, and Taylor is from Huffman, TX (outside of Houston), but they knew from the start they wanted to wed in Austin, TX, where they met, fell in love, and currently reside.
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).”
PinFrom the first mailbox delivery, guests geared up for an al fresco summer soirée.
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PinKatherine got a lot of floral inspiration from Pinterest and let the flowers set the tone and aesthetic of the weekend.
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.
PinKatherine gives her mom a lot of well-deserved credit for all the meetings, contracts, and coordination she did from Kentucky before Nicolet joined the team.
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.
PinEveryone started to tear up at the Ukraine connection “because my little sister was adopted from Ukraine, and it was so special to have my wedding dress come from her birth country,” Katherine explains.
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.”
PinFor their Catholic ceremony, Katherine and Taylor opted for a Liturgy of the Word service instead of a full mass. They exchanged traditional vows in the stunning church.
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PinThe bride and groom chose colors that complimented the stately church perfectly.PinAnd the pastels popped in in front of the historic 1800s home where the party continued.
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.
PinTrays of spicy mezcal and classic margaritas were ripe for picking at the door.PinPassed apps at cocktail hour included fresh ceviche with house-made tortilla chips; compressed watermelon, tomato, and feta bites; and deviled eggs.
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.”
PinDancing to the talented Tyler Childers was a special touch since he’s from the bride’s home state of Kentucky.PinKatherine and her dad danced to “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart. “My dad’s best friend (and best man at his wedding) used the lyrics from this song as part of his wedding speech to them, so it was extra special to dance to that song with my dad,” Katherine remembers.Pin“My dad bought a bottle of wine from the year I was born (1996) that he’s been saving to have at my wedding,” Katherine says. “Thankfully, it was still good, and my mom, dad, Taylor, and I enjoyed it with dinner!”
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!”
PinAfter a first course of mixed greens and grilled cornbread, guests chose from grilled bavette steak, Texas redfish, or wild mushroom risotto.
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.”
PinThe cake from Rayne Desserts was almond with champagne-soaked strawberries, strawberry preserve filling, and a vanilla buttercream frosting.
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!”
PinSummer Texas temperatures couldn’t stop the energy throughout the night.
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.
PinTaylor assumed the jacket was lost, but his friends resurrected it at the perfect moment.PinAfter a beautiful sparkler exit, a getaway car whisked the happy couple away to the South Congress Hotel.
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.
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint freelance writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant since 2012. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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