Handmade Texas Wedding

There’s nothing like a great DIY wedding to start the day, and even better when it’s shot by Paige Newton. The couple Allison and Joe, amongst other projects, made their photobooth backdrop using pvc pipe and paper fans! Be sure to check out all the images in the gallery for more handmade goodness.

From the bride, Allison: From the beginning of our wedding planning adventure, Joe and I knew that we wanted our day to be a celebration not only of our marriage but of our closest friends and family who have shown us continued support and love throughout our lives. We tried to make this happen through some basic things such as choosing a menu of Texas Comfort food favorites, including BBQ, mac and cheese, as well as a milk and cookie bar! We also displayed wedding photos of friends and family in attendance so that our guests could reflect back on the excitement of their own nuptials—plus have a few laughs at some of the 80s hairstyles (and moustaches)! My mom assembled Texas Style welcome bags for out of town guests including cheese and crackers with a cow shaped cutting board, and Longhorn candies. Joe even took the time to write a sweet letter to each of my bridesmaids before the wedding. Overall, we wanted to achieve a fun and festive environment for all of our guests and let them know how thankful we were that they could celebrate with us!

Joe designed and created the wedding programs and table numbers, and some bridesmaids and I had a little assembling party to put them all together. For the photobooth backdrop, Joe and I built a frame out of PVC pipe from on online tutorial, we then used canvas curtains as a background and pinned on paper fans we purchased from BHLDN.

I knew I wanted a rustic and vintage style wedding, with some Texas flair. After deciding on our venue, I chose a muted color palate of cream and pastels to complement the white limestone throughout the Briscoe Manor property. We also used pops of navy and raspberry throughout to contrast the beautiful, muted florals.


Joe and I both grew up in Houston and now live here, so we limited our search to this area. Since we knew we wanted a rustic/vintage theme, our options were narrowed down quite a bit already. Luckily, Briscoe Manor, was everything we could have hoped for! The facilities were beautiful and the natural surrounding created just the type of atmosphere we wanted. If only the rain would have held off so we could have taken some pictures outside! The Briscoe Manor staff was also extremely helpful throughout every step of the wedding planning process!


My mom and I embarked on many DIY projects for my wedding. We collected various glass bottles, mason jars, and other containers for all the floral arrangements as well as a collection of eclectic picture frames to display our guests’ wedding photos. We repurposed two old windows, from the Historic Houston salvage yard, and used them for the seating chart. My mom also planted boxes of herbs which were used in the chapel windows and in some table arrangements.



For the milk and cookie bar (an ode to Joe’s favorite dessert), my mom and I stamped kraft paper bags with a custom stamp. We chose the cow motif to go along with the longhorn cattle which roam the Briscoe Manor property, and for a Texas twist! During our departure, guests also rang cowbells tied up with assorted ribbons to send us off.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now?
Take time to enjoy your wedding! After spending countless hours working on DIY projects and other small, personal details (which I DID love), my favorite part of our wedding was just being with friends and family and not to mention, my new husband! Try not to lose sight of the big picture :).

Wedding Songs:
We had a string trio from Harmony Strings play during our ceremony. We stuck with classical selections, including Canon in D for the processional and Arrival of the Queen of Sheba as a recessional. For the first dance, we chose “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. This song had specific significance to us because Joe and I spent a good amount of our time of our relationship long distance, so we truly know there’s nothing like the real thing! 🙂

Paige Newton. The couple Allison and Joe, amongst other projects, made their photobooth backdrop using pvc pipe and paper fans! Be sure to check out all the images in the View all images in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Richmond, Texas):

Venue: Briscoe Manor/ Wedding Coordinator: the venue provided a day-of coordinator (Stephanie Coker) / Photographer: Paige Newton/ Florist: SCF Events / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet, purchased from Priscilla of Boston boutique / Shoes: Kate Spade / Necklace: Stella and Dot / Veil: purchased from Pricilla of Boston Boutique / Hair Flower: Ban.do / Hair and Makeup: Blush and Co. / Bridesmaid Dresses: Navy J. Crew cotton cady dresses of various styles / Groom’s suit: J. Crew dark grey suit; Groomsmen: Light grey MICHAEL Michael Kors suits from Men’s Warehouse with Navy ties from J. Crew / DJ: LG Entertainment Ryan Thomas / Caterer: Behind the Bash / Wedding Cake: Bride’s Cake, White cake with alternating layers of raspberry and orange filing / Grooms cake: triple chocolate cake; Milk and Cookies Bar- All baked goods via Francis Walsh at World Catering and Cakes / Wedding invitations: Hello Lucky invitations; Programs self made with help via Paper Source; Custom rubber stamps for programs and goodie bags from LetterKay on Etsy