From Storm Clouds to Wedding Bells

When 2020 descended upon us like a black cloud, my daughter was newly engaged. The venue was booked in January for a June 2020 wedding. All our ducks were in a row until Covid came like a hurricane scattering our poor ducks. All we could do was put one foot in front of the other, adapt on the fly, and pray that we would be able to have a wedding like originally planned. We were blessed – I know many were not so blessed.

The restrictions temporarily lifted in mid-May, so we forged ahead. The venue literally reopened two weeks before her wedding. She was the first person to use the facility after reopening. Not as many people were able to come and we had a few social distancing protocols to follow. However, at the end of the day the goal was to get my daughter married to her sweetheart and we succeed..

The engagement came in December 2019 and the couple was anxious to get plans underway to be married by summer 2020. Because we are somewhat recent transplants to Texas and my daughter has spent most of the time since the move to Texas in college, she didn’t really have a church she felt at home in yet. Therefore, we started looking for other venues. We really wanted a church “feel” with facilities on campus for the reception. We did not want people to have to drive anywhere to continue the day. After viewing a few locations in person and many more virtually, we found the perfect combination of chapel and ballroom at The Windsor at Hebron Park.

The Windsor is tucked away past a field of horses in the middle of town. Yes, in Texas you will sometimes see a field of cattle and horses very close to large developments. It is Texas after all. On the day of our visit the gps took us down a busy highway, past a field of horses, in and around a few businesses where we turned into what appeared to be a parking lot for a strip of offices. I thought for sure we had made a wrong turn. Then, there it was. A beautiful castle-like stone structure that took my breath away. Huge lanterns greeted us beside the beautiful double doors under the portico. The landscaping was exquisitely done. We felt like we had just rounded a corner and ended up in a fairytale.

When we walked through the front door, I was in love. The venue coordinator didn’t have to convince us of anything. We were going room by room imagining the possibilities. My designer brain went into overdrive, and I could just see the guest “book” here, the candy bar there, “our story” photos here, bridal pictures on the sweeping curved staircase, and the ceremony in all its glory complete with lovely arched windows. To say I was like a kid in a candy shop would be an understatement. My daughter was open to suggestions on venues and once we crunched the numbers and compared amenities between venues, The Windsor was the clear winner.

Now the planning began in earnest…..

Photo credits: Shelby Savoy - @shelbysavoyphotography