An Eclectic Wedding in Texas with Personalized Touches

Abigail and Christopher

abby-chris-wedding-texas-couple-0404-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Abigail Sherrill and Christopher Bryan met at a party after an album release in Denton, Texas. She was new to town and remembers him wearing a bow tie. He'd been living there for about a decade and remembers her being quiet but in a confident and intriguing way. Other than a brief introduction, they didn't talk much. But at some point during the celebration, some of the guys were down the road shooting BB guns at a sign and after watching many of them fail to hit the target, Abby took a chance and hit it three times in a row. "I like to believe that my good shot is what stuck with him, and it's a very stereotypical start to a Texas love story," she recalls. After that night, they continued to run into each other at shows and parties, and Chris finally asked her out about six months later.

The visual artist and filmmaker got hitched in the Lone Star State nearly three years from their first date, on October 3, 2015. This time, the celebration was outside of Austin, at The Plant at Kyle and there were 130 guests. The eclectic, colorful, and handmade wedding was a mix of whimsy and bohemian sensibilities. The bride put her skills as a textile artist to use, making many of the dyed fabrics herself, and mixing textures and patterns throughout in a palette of indigo, pale blue, golden yellow, gray, and light pink.

01 of 19

The Invitation

abby-chris-wedding-texas-invite-0560-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Maid-of-honor Haley Winn designed all of the paper goods for the wedding, which incorporated a silhouette of the couple throughout. Abby and Chris marbled paper sleeves and rubber stamped their likenesses on the front of each before slipping in the invitations, which incorporated the font Cafe Brasil.

The silhouette was also used for signage on the wedding day, to customize the favors, on the cake topper, and on koozies the mother-of-the-bride got as a surprise for cocktail hour.

02 of 19

The Style

abby-chris-wedding-texas-couple-0373-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

"Picking my dress was one of the toughest decisions," Abby recalls. "I have an eclectic style and I felt a lot of pressure to sum that up in one dress." She chose a Yolan Cris gown, which she loved for its layers of lace and appliqués. "It's an interesting mix of old and modern, and I felt amazing in it." She accessorized with platform shoes from ASOS, her grandmother's engagement ring and band, and her own engagement ring made using a diamond stone that had been given to Chris by his late grandfather. Her bouquet (by Wow Factor Floral) consisted of anemones, garden roses, ranunculus, thistle, and cascading greenery.

As for Chris, he sported a J.Crew tuxedo in a chambray fabric, a Brackish bow tie made from guinea fowl feathers, and Johnston & Murphy boots. A boutonniere of thistle, craspedia, and a succulent spruced up his lapel.

03 of 19

A Bridal Crown

abby-chris-wedding-texas-crown-0423-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Abby topped off her soft pink updo with a headpiece made by her friend Tamar Navama, who mimicked the patterns on the bridal gown and laser cut a plexiglass tiara. "I love how the piece seemed to float on my head and added a modern edge to my overall look," says Abby, who added even more pink to her ensemble via Kat Von D's everlasting liquid lipstick in "Bauhau5."

04 of 19

Mix-and-Match Bridesmaids

abby-chris-wedding-texas-bridesmaids-0314-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The bridesmaids wore four different colors—one even donned a jumpsuit—and carried petite bouquets in shades of white, blush, and yellow.

05 of 19

The Groomsmen

abby-chris-wedding-texas-groomsmen-0317-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

"We're at the age where most of our friends either just got married or are about to. Chris didn't want his groomsmen to have to spend money on their clothes, and we had a more casual feel to the wedding. So with the help of the most fashionable of the groomsmen, the guys coordinated pieces that everyone already owned," Abby explains of the guys' attire.

06 of 19

The Ceremony

abby-chris-wedding-texas-ceremony-0135-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The outdoor ceremony took place under a large tree, and was officiated by the groom's father, who is a minister.

Large metallic sequins hung from the limbs above and the bride remembers a moment during the service in which everything seemed totally still, except for the sparkles reflecting the sunlight behind her husband-to-be as they faced each other. "It was perfectly surreal," she says.

A friend played the guitar and sang a few songs, including the recessional tune: "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys.

07 of 19

An Art Installation for the Ceremony

Marbled Hexagonal Sugar Cookies
Q Weddings

The bride and groom worked on a large installation to stand in front of during the ceremony. They marbled pieces of wood, then cut and placed them to create an abstract, geometric shape. "We had to design it so that it could be disassembled small enough to fit into Chris's car and reassembled once we arrived. We still have all of the wood and plan to use it as a permanent piece in our home," Abby says.

08 of 19

A Poolside Cocktail Hour

abby-chris-wedding-texas-cocktailhour-0176-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The festivities continued, with cocktail hour happening next to the pool. A tapas station and passed hors d'ouevres were on hand, while acoustic bluegrass filled the air.

09 of 19

Interactive Escort Cards

abby-chris-wedding-texas-playingcards-0010-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

In addition to working as a filmmaker, Chris also designs board games. His friend Adam McIver illustrated each member of the wedding party and families, to use on the faces of this custom deck of cards. These were passed out with the escort cards so guests could play card games during the evening if they wanted to.

10 of 19

The Reception

Long Reception Table with Red Flower Arrangements
Q Weddings

Farm tables were arranged in long rows outside of the venue's screened porch. A mix of shibori runners (hand-dyed by the bride and her friends) ran across the table making placemats, and a plank of wood went the length of the surface to hold a smattering of decorative objects.

11 of 19

The Centerpieces

abby-chris-wedding-texas-centerpieces-0456-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Table décor included a mix of tall and short candlesticks in brass and wood, succulents in brass or wood bowls or even concrete vases, and small floral arrangements in concrete or rope-covered glass vases.

12 of 19

The Table Numbers

abby-chris-wedding-texas-tablenumber-0453-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The marbled pattern came back in to play on the table numbers, which were affixed to stakes and displayed in the floral arrangements.

13 of 19

The Place Settings

abby-chris-wedding-texas-placesetting-0451-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Bamboo plates and colored cut-glass goblets (collected by the bride's mom from local antique stores) were used to set the table, with marbled place cards and thank you notes greeting guests as they found their seats.

14 of 19

Special Seating

abby-chris-wedding-texas-table-0532-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The couple sat at a section of the table facing everyone, in larger chairs in front of a big shibori tablecloth.

15 of 19

The First Dance

abby-chris-wedding-texas-firstdance-0671-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

The band, The Boxcar Bandits, performed "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones for the newlyweds' first dance, and then classic bluegrass tunes followed.

16 of 19

The Dessert Table

abby-chris-wedding-texas-desserts-0718-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

A two-tier naked cake anchored the dessert table, which was also set with a Texas whiskey cake, a lavender honey bundt cake, a lemon bundt cake, a carrot cake, and an Italian cream cake from Sugar Shack Bakery. Additionally, good friends made a few bundt cakes to add to the mix, which offered quite the selection of sweets.

17 of 19

A Custom Cake Topper

abby-chris-wedding-texas-caketopper-0722-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

A clear plexiglass circle with hot pink silhouettes of the couple was ordered through Ponoko and placed on top of the main cake.

18 of 19

A Festive Sendoff

abby-chris-wedding-texas-getaway-bubbles-0847-s112832-0516.jpg
Suzi Q. Varin

Friends and family lined up outside the venue's door and blew bubbles as the happy couple exited the reception. Though the couple was staying on site and didn't have far to go or a car to hop in, they did walk around the perimeter of the property. They rejoined friends at the fire pit after, and at midnight everyone serenaded the bride with "Happy Birthday." "It was a great way to close out an amazing day," Chris says of staying up late with their close friends and celebrating his new wife.

19 of 19

Sources

abby-chris-wedding-texas-couple-0156-s112832-0516.jpg
Q Weddings

Photography, Q Weddings
Location, The Plant at Kyle
Catering, Urban Cowboy
Flowers, Wow Factor Floral
Stationery, Haley Winn
Cakes, Sugar Shack Bakery
Music, Boxcar Bandits
Rentals, Premiere Events
Bride's gown, Yolan Cris
Bride's headpiece, Tamar Navama
Hair and Makeup, Pearl
Groom's tuxedo, J.Crew

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles