Texas Farm Wedding
Silver Cup Artist Ryan Price shared with us another sweet wedding. We love Mollie and Tallon's Texas farm wedding with all of its Southern charm. Bride Mollie shared with us, some details of their wedding, planning details and marriage. See more below!
How did you and your husband meet? What is your love story?
Tallon and I met at the wedding of our friends as members of the bridal party (June 2012). We hit it off, exchanged numbers and stayed in touch over the phone until our first date a few weeks later.
Since we lived about 3 hours apart from each other, our first date happened when Tallon attended a work convention in San Antonio. He made the hour-long drive to Austin to pick me up and we had dinner downtown. We had a great time and met up again a few days later for brunch before Tallon headed back to Houston.
Despite the distance, almost every weekend following that first date was spent together at Tallon's family's ranch, which is where we got married. It's located about halfway between Austin and Houston, so it was good middle ground for us to meet. As we fished, floated the pond, and hung out with friends and family there, our relationship developed and brought us to where we are today.
Tallon moved to Austin about a year after we first met, so thankfully we were no longer "long distance dating."
How did he propose?
We had decided to spend the first weekend of the summer (2014) at his family's ranch since we knew our schedules would prevent us from going out there for awhile. We spent the day relaxing, playing with our dogs and floating in the pond. But unlike most trips out there, we had plans to go into town that night for a party that a family friend was hosting.
We made dinner, cleaned up and after realizing we might be late to the party, frantically got ready. After all the rushing around though, Tallon suggested we go watch the sunset before we left. So we hopped in an ATV and drove out to one of the big oak trees on the property that has a swing and string lights hanging from it.
As we approached the tree, the lights were turned on, a blanket was laid out and a sign on the swing said, "marry me." We walked up to the tree, both in tears, as Tallon got down on one knee to propose. After pouring a glass of champagne, we heard horns honking and were greeted by a parade of cars filled with our families.
Why do you love him?
I love Tallon because he's thoughtful, resourceful, fun-loving, charming (handsome, too) and he holds high value on faith and family. On our first date, I remember what stood out to me the most about Tallon was how he spoke so highly of his family and how they were all so close. That stuck with me because I too have always felt very close to my family and he was the first guy I had ever dated who talked so lovingly of his parents and siblings. As I got to know Tallon more, I saw first-hand how important the bond of a family was to him and I knew he was the man I wanted to raise a family with.
Most importantly, I love him because he loves me, imperfections and all. We both know that we're in this together, and that it won't always be easy. But we know that the lifetime commitment we've made to each other is the most important thing in our lives, second to God. As cliché as it may sound, I know that no matter what God has planned for us, as long as we have each other, we will be happy.
Tell us about your dress. How did you know it was the one?
My dress was designed by Hayley Paige (specifically, Blush by Hayley Paige). I loved that it had a classy, vintage feel to it but also had a bit of "sass" with the slit in the front. I actually tried on a couple of other dresses before coming back to my dress. It felt great on, it was flowy and I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved the slit!
What was your ceremony like? Did you write your own vows? Any special moments?
Our ceremony was held in a grove of post oak trees that are on the ranch. If you look at the trees from the front porch of the main house, they look like a stalk of broccoli out in this open field. The trees had a perfect opening in the middle where our guests sat on wooden pews we rented. The way the branches arched over that opening made it look like a chapel of trees.
Tallon and I wanted the ceremony site to look as natural as possible, just like God had created it. There were no hanging lights, no decorations were added to the pews or trees, and we didn't use any microphones because we didn't want there to be the distracting hum of a generator.
My bridesmaids, my parents and I all walked from the main house out to the trees down a winding path that Tallon's dad cut into the grass. The guitar and fiddle player from the band playing for our reception provided music as everyone walked down the aisle.
Pastor Matt who officiated our wedding is a good family friend of the Martins and he threw in an "optional vow" for me. It was, "Mollie, do you promise to be kind, tolerant and generally forebearing when Tallon, his father, his brother, his brother-in-law and his favorite pastor desire to go in God's most beautiful season of all, the Fall, to pursue the elusive whitetail deer?" I said yes to that one too, haha.
What was your favorite detail at your wedding?
I tried my best not to worry too much about the details (table settings, decorations, colors, etc.) As long as we were getting married at our favorite place (the ranch) and were surrounded by our favorite people, we would be happy.
However, the one detail that turned out infinitely more beautiful than I had imagined, were the wooden pews set up amongst the grove of post oak trees where our ceremony was held. They looked like they had been made to fit perfectly in there. I was really happy I got to take a good look at them before the ceremony, because I definitely had tunnel vision during it, haha.
We weren't even sure if we would be able to use the pews because of the weather. A huge storm blew in around 2 a.m. the day of the wedding (winds so strong it pulled some of the tent's posts out of the ground) and it was still raining that morning. If it had continued to rain, "plan B" was to have the ceremony in the barn where the reception would be held. But the storms quickly moved out, the pews were delivered to the ceremony site and thankfully it was a sunny day.
Any special moments at your ceremony or reception that you'll treasure forever?
Tallon's family's ranch is a really special place to us, so having a wedding anywhere else just didn't make sense. In our minds, that place is home. That place means "family" and to be able to say our vows and declare the beginning of our own family right there meant the world to us.
When we reflect on it, Tallon and I agree our favorite part of the wedding was how involved all of our friends and family were. The tremendous outpouring of love people showed by doing selfless acts to make our dream wedding come true made that day more special than we could have ever imagined. It trumped every expectation we had for the big day and is something we are so grateful for and will cherish forever.
How did you plan for marriage?
I'm very thankful that Tallon and I both have parents and grandparents who are good examples of successful marriages. Before Tallon had even proposed, I had open conversations with my parents and his on marriage and raising a family.
We didn't go through marriage counseling classes before the wedding, but shortly after we were married, our small group from church lead a series on marriage. It definitely made me think about aspects of a marriage in ways I hadn't before. But I don't know if you can really "plan" for marriage. I think as a husband and wife, you're always learning more about each other and evolving in ways to ensure that your commitment to each other is strong and brings happiness to each other.
Now as Mr & Mrs, what are you most looking forward to in the years to come?
I know that we're both looking forward to starting a family one day (I think Tallon has baby fever pretty bad, haha). When we were dating, Tallon and I would joke about what our next adventure would be for the upcoming weekend. Would we go hiking, kayaking, fishing, go to a concert or try a new restaurant? I think because we both view our life as one big adventure, we look forward to each day we get to spend together and we can't wait to see where it will take us.
Photography by Ryan Price :: Pews from Loot Vintage :: Wedding Gown, Blush by Haley Paige found at Serendipity Bridal in Austin :: Groom's Suit from J. Crew :: Hair & Makeup by Southern & Adorn of Houston :: Bridal Bouquets by Laura Platt :: Videography by The Wedding Theater :: Catering from Mikeska's BBQ :: Tents, Table and Chairs provided by Acme Party & Tent :: Band, Shane Smith & the Saints :: Wedding Cake by The Frosted House :: Invitation Suite from Minted