It was a party in San Antonio in honor of the Shaeffers! Taylor and Zach both grew up in San Antonio and went to the same high school, but their paths didn’t cross until they both moved to Dallas. “Zach moved in with 2 of my best guy friends from home but we officially met at a mutual friend’s Halloween party in 2018” Taylor shared. After almost four years together, Zach popped the question on Memorial Day weekend in 2022! “We had planned to go to Horseshoe Bay with my family and I was so excited. My mom called me the Thursday night before the weekend and said something had come up and we couldn’t meet at the lake until Saturday. I was so upset so my friends decided to plan a happy hour/dinner at Smokey Rose out by White Rock Lake for that Friday night. Little did I know, this was all part of Zach’s plan! I met over at his house before the “happy hour” and he drove us over to the lake. I had no idea what he was actually planning until he pulled into a little parking lot at one of the docks on the lake. Zach had a little picnic with champagne and flowers at the end of the dock. I was so surprised!”
Taylor and Zach tied the knot in early April this year at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church. Before the ceremony, Taylor spent the morning getting ready with her bridesmaids at her childhood home. “One of my favorite things about the day was getting ready with my wedding party at my house. It was so fun having everyone over, laughing and chatting while getting ready. Being at my childhood home just made everything so much more comfortable and easy! Taking the pre ceremony photos in my front yard was also so special to me. I know my family will cherish them forever!!” Following portraits, it was off to St. Andrew’s for Zach and Taylor to officially become Mr. and Mrs. Shaeffer!
After a gorgeous ceremony surrounded by family and friends, guests headed to Southwest School of Art to celebrate the newlyweds. Taylor shared “When I first started dreaming up what we wanted to do for the wedding, I knew I wanted a venue that had an outdoor area. I love spring weather and having an al fresco element was so dreamy to me. I had been to the Southwest School of Art for other parties and when we toured it again, I fell in love! I loved the history and natural beauty of the chapel as well as the courtyard. I knew it checked off all our boxes and Caroline could make it more beautiful than I imagined! We also loved the fact that the venue was located on the Riverwalk – this added a fun nod to our hometown of San Antonio and we were so glad we could share that with our out of town guests!” Caroline Events masterfully coordinated all planning for the weekend. Taylor looks back on her experience working with Caroline fondly. “I work at an interior design firm and I actually met Caroline through one of my coworkers! I was struggling between using someone in San Antonio or here in Dallas. Hiring Caroline was hands down the best decision I made! She made everything so easy and stress free. She introduced me to her favorite vendors here in Dallas, including y’all and I had the best experience with every single one! I can’t say enough about how great working with Caroline and her team has been. I’m already trying to come up with excuses I can use for us to plan something together again!” Taylor’s inspiration for her reception was a residential feel – comfortable, light, welcoming and sociable. “I wanted people to be able to relax and just enjoy the evening. We used some of my favorite coffee table books as our guest books at the welcome table, surrounded by large florals in chinoiserie vases. We continued the floral arrangements throughout the wedding on the bars as well as large blooms covering the cake table. We added pretty linens, floral arrangements and varieties of votive candles at the tables throughout to keep things soft and warm.” One of Taylor’s favorite parts of the wedding planning process was creating paper goods with Carly Creative Co. While creating designs for save the dates and wedding invitations, Taylor fell in love with creating her own “wallpaper” for both. “I love de Gournay and was inspired by their gorgeous chinoiserie collections to make the detailing and overlay for the wedding suite. My middle name is Ivy so Carly even drew in small ivy vines to add a personal touch. We continued the ivy on the actual wedding day through the table linens and actual greenery throughout the chapel.” Taylor’s thoughtful design choices added an extra meaningful element to her and Zach’s wedding day!
To kick-off reception festivities, loved ones gave welcome toasts around a champagne tower. “Zach and I both loved the champagne tower – we loved seeing everyone’s faces when they thought I was going to saber the champagne bottle into the crowd”. A highlight of the evening for the Shaeffers was the dance floor. “The band was so interactive and fun. Zach and I had a blast dancing on stage with them. Our last song was “Higher Love” by Whitney Houston and Kygo which we had so much fun with! We never wanted the night to end!” Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. The Shaeffers capped off the night with an exit amidst sparklers as loved ones cheered them out. Congratulations to the recently wed Mr. and Mrs. Shaeffer!!
