Center Stage: Instead of standing in front of the aisle to say their vows, the bride and groom stood on a custom round stage built by Sandone Productions and Center Stage Floors. It was placed in the middle of the Moroccan Garden space on the fourth-floor terrace of the Virgin Hotels Dallas. “I just wanted something that wasn’t traditional,” says Francesca.

Photo by The Brothers Martens

How Suite It Is: The wedding invitation suite set the tone for the Old Hollywood–themed affair. An opaque black acrylic invitation featured gold silk screen printing on the front and pewter silk screen printing on the back, as well as a black-and-white details card with gold foil stamped printing.

Photo by The Brothers Martens

White Out: The cascading bouquet by GRO Designs featured monochromatic layers of roses and calla lilies.

Photo by The Brothers Martens

Photo by The Brothers Martens

Take a Seat: “The couple wanted the reception to feel like a mix of Old Hollywood and mid-century,” says wedding planner Caroline Fair. GRO Designs covered the walls with elegantly draped fabric and created cozy vignettes for seating.

Photo by The Brothers Martens

Seeing Red: The after party was decked in head-to-toe red and black details for a fun juxtaposition to the white wedding hues. Pizza, truffle fries, and honey butter chicken biscuits were served as late-night snacks.

Photo by The Brothers Martens

Photo by The Brothers Martens

Photo by The Brothers Martens

See Details from this Artful Wedding Inspired by Old Hollywood

By Ryan Conner

Francesca Robinson & Canon Castro
October 12, 2024

After meeting their first week of college at the University of Arkansas, Francesca Robinson and Canon Castro went on a lunch date. “That day, we went to lunch—and then every day after that,” says Francesca. They dated for five years before Canon proposed at his family’s winery in Rockwall. The creative couple—she’s an interior designer; he’s an architect—planned an artful affair inspired by the visuals of Old Hollywood, complete with a runway-style ceremony procession on a black-and-white checkered aisle. And in true red-carpet fashion, Francesca planned three outfit changes and one dramatic hair transformation—chopping her long locks into a fashionable bob. “Everything was beyond perfect,” she says. “It was the best night of our lives.”

Fringe Benefits
For the place settings, the GRO Designs team brought in custom table lamps with fringe detailing to add a swanky dinner-club feel to the room. “They made it feel like a speakeasy,” says Francesca. “It was absolutely perfect and exactly what we wanted.”

Pool Party
The newly married couple ended the night with a polar plunge in the hotel’s pool. “It was so much fun, and everyone was looking forward to it the whole night,” says Francesca.

Flower Power
Dallas Affaires Cake Co. designed the cake with three-dimensional  florals inspired by the bride’s bouquet. The Chambord cake had champagne raspberry purée filling and vanilla buttercream frosting.

Chop Chop
After the first dance, hair stylist Heather Knight cut Francesca’s hair into a blunt short ’do. “When I met Canon, I had really short hair and he loved it,” the bride says. “I thought it would be so fun to chop it during the wedding night.”

Guests: 170

First Dance: “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez

Honeymoon: Mediterranean cruise aboard Virgin Voyages

Favor: Wedding-guest sketches by Alisa Maxime Studio

Credits

  • Ceremony/Reception Site

    Virgin Hotels Dallas

  • Photographer

    The Brothers Martens

  • Bridal Gown Designer/Retailer

    Flutter

  • Hair & Makeup

    Ashley McNabb Artistry; Heather Knight (cut)

  • Groom’s Attire

    Culwell & Son

  • Bridesmaids’ Dresses Designer/Retailer

    Jenny Yoo

  • Groomsmen’s Attire

    Stitch & Tie

  • Flower Girl Dress Designer/Retailer

    TuTu Du Monde

  • Flowers

    GRO Designs

  • Stationery

    Southern Fried Paper

  • Cake

    Dallas Affaires Cake Co.

  • Catering

    Virgin Hotels Dallas

  • Music

    Kreative Harmony (ceremony); Walton Stout Orchestra (reception); DJ Dom Nagella (after party)

  • Lighting

    Stage 2 Lighting

  • Videographer

    The Brothers Martens

  • Transportation

    DFW Vintage Cars

  • Wedding Rentals

    Blanc Canvas Drapery; Center Stage Floors; Posh Couture Rentals; Sandone Productions

  • Wedding Planner

    Caroline Events

  • Wedding Designers

    Caroline Events; GRO Designs

  • Additional Vendors

    Susan Moss Cooper (painting in the Moroccan Garden); Alisa Maxime Studio (wedding-guest sketches)

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