Architect Dianne Goode’s first love was historic buildings. When Christopher Irwin came along, Dianne knew there was room in her heart for both. The couple grew up in Dallas and went to private schools just three miles apart, but they never interacted until after college. “We were at a concert at Fair Park and recognized each other,” Dianne says. The day happened to be Chris’ birthday, and he was “spellbound.” A relationship then grew, despite the demands of medical school for Chris and a budding career for Dianne.

After saying “yes,” Dianne set out to find a venue with the perfect blend of architecture and romance. Who knew it’d be so hard?

First stop: Charleston, South Carolina. “It ended up being super overwhelming; it’s such a popular place to get married,” says Dianne. They decided against a destination wedding and settled on their hometown of Dallas.

Time to regroup: After visiting the historic Aldredge House (the spot they ultimately picked for wedding party photos), the couple decided on The Venue at 400 North Ervay, attracted by its rooftop garden for the reception and its historic chops as a post office and courtroom for the ceremony.

Next challenge: The only available date was April 1. “We asked ourselves, ‘Are we cool with getting married on April Fools’ Day?’ We decided we’d never forget our anniversary, and moved forward,” Dianne says.

Dianne also found her dress, which set the tone for the wedding . “I was one of those brides who thought I knew what I wanted, but when I went to try on dresses, they fit the wrong way. I thought, ‘This is not what it’s supposed to feel like.’ Then my mom and I looked at Terry Costa in Dallas, and we found this completely different dress.” Dianne and her mom brought her dad to the store, and the three of them settled on the dress. “No one else saw it until the day of,” she says.

Dianne took the lead in planning her nuptials to Chris, with help from Keestone Events. “I definitely think being an architect and having to think of every detail that goes into a house helped me out,” she says.

The one detail Dianne couldn’t control was the weather. A solid two weeks of rain was forecast leading up to and on the big day. She and the event coordinator decided to press forward for the outdoor dinner and reception. Her luck and the rain held. Forestwood Fine Flowers created a garden-party-meets-city-sophisticate vibe, and guests sat at long tables dressed by Top Tier Event Rentals & Staffing. “I walked out of the elevator almost in tears, thinking ‘This looks better than I could have imagined,’” says Dianne.

—Connie Dufner

“This looks better than I could have imagined.”