Engagement Rings & Fine Jewelry
Taylor Miller and Alex Turner’s blind date was a success, but they’re not sure who to thank. “There’s an ongoing debate as to whether it was our friend or her parents who actually had the idea,” says Taylor. Two years later, Alex gave Taylor a birthday gift—with a small box at the bottom of the bag. “I told him he was going to have to open that part for me,” says Taylor, who knew what came next. For their nuptials on March 30, 2019, Taylor wanted something “timeless, feminine, and different”—and their day, down to the lovebirds in a birdcage—was just that.
Taylor’s mother carried lily of the valley in her own bouquet, which was grown in Taylor’s grandmother’s garden and bloomed the week of the wedding. For Taylor’s big day, the flower was featured in many design elements, like the cake.
On a childhood choir trip, Taylor sang at Canterbury Cathedral in England—which inspired the inclusion of the Texas Boys’ Choir.
“That precious girl is someone who loves being Southern and [having] beautiful things,” says Taylor. “[Her dress] came in two weeks before the wedding. It’s an heirloom lace dress that she’ll be able to have forever.”
Taylor already knew that lily of the valley was going to be an important design element throughout her wedding. So she found an artist in the South who designed the floral pattern by hand. But the personal touches didn’t stop there. “My [great-grandmother’s] handkerchief was stitched on top of the pillow,” says Taylor. “Along with the lovebirds, the lily of the valley, and our date.”
Taylor knew she wanted to marry in the spring at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, so once that was locked down, she began to search for a reception venue. “As soon as I learned that the Mansion’s event lawn would be ready around the time of our wedding, I was all in,” she says.
As a jewelry designer, the bride is a lifelong lover of beautiful things and spaces. “Everything I do, whether designing my store or going to market, I try to make spaces feel very homey, like little rooms,” says Taylor. The bride enlisted planner and designer Sara Fay Egan to make the same thing happen at her wedding.
“We tried to look at each angle like you would decorate a home—each section is a vignette,” says Sara Fay. That starts with personalization. “I always like to really get to know the couple and their style. It doesn’t happen in a day.” For Taylor and Alex, that meant incorporating the bride’s favorite color—coral—which was already featured as the Mansion’s backdrop.
Then came the details: two lovebirds in a birdcage; the lemon-and-chinoiserie envelope liners inspired by Gracie panels; a quatrefoil entry table with Brunschwig & Fils linen; and silver from the bride’s mother and grandmother, including the bride’s engraved christening cup. “Don’t look at Pinterest or your friend’s wedding,” says Sara Fay. “Look at your home. The best homes are the ones that you walk in and feel like things have been gathered and curated over time.”
“I wanted to create an antique-looking monogram that incorpo- rated motifs you would see throughout the wedding, so I enlisted the creative talent of Emily McCarthy to create our monogram featuring an ‘A’ and a ‘T,’” says Taylor. The motif could be found on many elements of the day, down to the lounge pillows.
Taylor first found the antique birdcage in an antique store while on a trip in Nantucket. The bride and her wedding planner, Sara Fay Egan, both liked the idea of styling the wedding more like a home. So when it came time to plan, the birdcage was incorporated—complete with two live lovebirds—on a quatrefoil entry table.
The coupe glasses were used for all guests—not just the toasting couple. The retro-looking glass was used to serve the bride’s signature cocktail, a peach bellini. The “groom’s favorite” was a cocktail featuring whiskey. Drinks were also served with custom, handstitched cocktail napkins—500 of them embroidered with the couple’s new monogram. “I have all of those now,” says the bride, an ever-ready hostess.
“Sara Fay and I have very similar styles,” says the bride of her wedding planner. They both wanted to design intimate areas around the reception as you would a home. So, ginger jars and coffee-table design books fit the bill. “We came up with groupings of furniture.”
During her season of wedding planning, the bride found herself sitting in an airport, thinking about her upcoming meeting with Panini Bakery. She knew what she wanted, layer by layer: green, then lace that mimicked her dress, then lily of the valley. “I wanted it to be like a little garden,” she says. “They did a phenomenal job.” (And, of course, the topper featured a pair of lovebirds.)
Taylor admits that the coral- checkered dance floor was planner and designer Sara Fay Egan’s idea. The bride had mentioned wanting a checkerboard dance floor, but Sara Fay upped the idea to include the bride’s favorite color rather than the standard black
To create a secondary portion of the reception and make it feel like a separate experience, the bride and groom envisioned an after-party inspired by one of their favorite trips to Cuba. This part of the night was held in the Mansion’s ballroom. “We initially were supposed to drive my grandfather’s old convertible, but it wasn’t working, so we compromised and led a second line from the tent to where we had fireworks going off, and then to the ballroom,” says Taylor.
Taylor wanted to add fun elements for the recep- tion’s dance portion,
so tambourines were designed with Holly Hollon’s help. Dixie Design Collective did the welcome bag paper with the same lattice design.
“We went to Cuba right after Alex finished the bar [exam], which was summer of 2017,” the bride recalls. “My grandparents also lived in Cuba for a little bit.”
Mojitos were ready to welcome guests into the after-party, along with hats with green and white rib- bons and boas. “We had lots of festive little Cuban-themed party items to hint at what was to come in the after-party,” says Taylor. The after-party also included a churro cart and another addition by Sara Fay—tacos with stickers that read: “Let’s Taco ’Bout That Wedding.” “We wanted a party you could’ve found in New York in the 1950s, with the black and white and the palms.”
“Everything I do, whether designing my store or going to market, I try to make spaces feel very homey, like little rooms,” says Taylor. The bride enlisted planner and designer Sara Fay Egan to make the same thing happen at her wedding.
Ceremony Site
Park Cities Presbyterian Church
Photographer
Liz Banfield
Bridal Gown Designer
After-Party Gown Designer
Amsale
Bridal Gown Retailer
Hair & Makeup
LB Rosser
Groom's Attire
Men's Wearhouse
Flower Girl's Dress Designer
Fan Murray
Reception Site
Flowers
Three Branches Floral
Stationery
Holly Hollon, Dixie Designs; Tara Jones Calligraphy
Cake
Panini Bakery
Catering
Music
Texas Boys' Choir; Big Swing and the Ballroom Blaster; DJ Christopher Tracy
Lighting
Stage 2
Videographer
31Films
Fireworks
Pyrotex
Wedding Rentals
Perch Event Decor; Gloss Luxury Rentals; Sandone Productions; Raj Tents; MirMir
Wedding Planner/Designer
Sara Fay Egan Events
Engagement Rings & Fine Jewelry
Rehearsal Dinner Venues
Wedding Cakes & Pastries
Entertainment
Bridal & Formalwear
Rehearsal Dinner Venues
Catering
Bridal & Formalwear
Wedding Venues
Decor & Rentals
Rehearsal Dinner Venues
Wedding Venues
Wedding Venues
Bridal & Formalwear
Bridal & Formalwear