Anna and Jeff met at the University of Texas in Austin. They were friends for a few years before she asked him to a formal. After a few years of dating, Jeff proposed to Anna in Sea Island, Georgia. “We were taking Christmas card pictures. We had just gotten done taking a picture of the two of us with a photographer when Jeff put a finger up to wait, reached into his pocket to pull out the ring box, and got down on one knee. I don’t remember a single word of what he said and I sobbed the whole time!”
Flashing forward to May 7, 2022, their wedding day in Dallas, Texas. Anna was one of those brides with a bubbly and outgoing personality. She was all about enjoying and celebrating the day.
Anna began her wedding day getting ready at her parent’s home. It was special to look around and see her sister’s wedding portraits framed on the walls in the same place Anna was getting ready for her own wedding day. “Having (most!) of my loved ones in the same space, eating lunch, putting finishing touches to hair and makeup was just plain fun! I was distracted from any nervousness.”
She slipped into her dress by Sareh Nouri and descended the stairs for a first-look with her dad. Both Anna and her dad were smiling ear to ear as he saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. She left the house in a red trolley which took her to Highland Park Presbyterian Church, where she was soon to be married. The ceremony location was particularly meaningful to Anna because it was held at her childhood church. Anna described her favorite moment of the ceremony as being with her now husband, Jeff. “We were told our instructions from where to stand and what to do but we were so caught up in marrying each other and stealing looks that I’m not sure we followed those instructions accurately.”
Post ceremony celebrations took place at the Dallas Country Club. Both of Anna’s siblings held their receptions at the DCC, which made the venue important to her. Upon arrival, Anna and Jeff went out to the course for sunset portraits. As observed by Pete on our team, “You could tell how much they love each other as they danced on the golf course while we took their pictures”. Their portraits are the perfect representation of the genuine happiness they felt after officially becoming husband and wife.
After photos, the newly Mr. and Mrs. Barnwell entered the ballroom for the first time as newlyweds. The reception space was elegantly decorated in white, light blues and green. On top of the tables stood tall flower arrangements of calla lilies and hydrangeas. Acrylic vases held the arrangements high above the tables, making them look as though they were floating in mid air. Under the flowers were votives of various heights running up and down the tables.
Guests were entertained by Jordan Khan, and while they played, food stations and bars satisfied every appetite to tee up a lively dance floor. In addition to the traditional bride’s cake by Dallas Affaires, the groom’s cake, also created by Dallas Affaires, was modeled after Jeff’s yellow Bronco.
To rev up the party, Anna snuck away to change into a mini dress, which showed off her sparkly Jimmy Choos. For a late night snack, Mustang Donuts were passed out on a silver platter. The celebrations concluded with Anna and Jeff being showered in rose petals before taking off in Jeff’s yellow Bronco. “Jeff told me that when the car turns on, the speakers would automatically connect to his phone, and he asked if I had any song requests. I requested “Back In Black” by AC/DC. Our send-off lasted the whole song, we were standing up, sitting down, cheering – it was a ton of fun.”
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Barnwell!
