The Journal · Weddings · July 26, 2026 · 3 min read

A Springs Waxahachie Wedding: Beth and Austin

Beth and Austin married under the tall trees at The Springs in Waxahachie, then turned a candlelit Texas reception into a full-blown dance floor.

Beth and Austin embracing against a wall of ivy at The Springs in Waxahachie, Texas

Beth and Austin met at a corporate office. They worked together for the first two years they knew each other, both of them in sales, and only started dating after they had moved on to different jobs. In March of 2024 Austin took her to Flippin Park on a bright spring afternoon, walked her around it, and proposed at the gazebo.

For the wedding they asked for something timeless and romantic, and then, at about eight in the evening, for the whole thing to turn into a party. That is more or less exactly what happened at The Springs in Waxahachie.

Bridal portrait of Beth in her fitted gown and cathedral veil against a wall of ivy

Beth's cathedral veil trailing across the stone steps beneath the greenery-covered arch

Beth with her veil caught in the air in front of the stone venue building under a blue Texas sky

Beth and Austin together in the late afternoon light beside the ivy wall

The couple seated together on a stone bench under the trees at The Springs

A Quiet Morning at the Venue

Beth got ready on the property, hair and makeup by Lip Service Makeup, in a room with tall windows and enough light to work with. Her gown came from Circle Park Bridal: strapless, fitted, and clean enough that the beadwork only shows when it catches the light.

Her flowers, by Nature's Design Floral, were white and blush with deep burgundy tucked into them, the same burgundy her bridesmaids would wear.

Beth laughing in her robe during hair and makeup on the morning of the wedding

The bridal bouquet of white and blush blooms with deep burgundy accents

Austin and the Groomsmen

Austin dressed in a black tuxedo with a white rose at the lapel, and we photographed him and his groomsmen in black and white against the venue's brick and stone. It suits him. Some grooms want to be photographed and some tolerate it, and the ones who lean in tend to end up with the better pictures.

Black and white portrait of Austin in his tuxedo against a brick wall

Austin fastening his jacket, photographed in black and white

The First Look

They saw each other for the first time under the ivy-covered archway by the chapel doors, which is the sort of spot that does half the work for you. No crowd, no schedule pressing on them, just the two of them for a few minutes before the day properly started.

Beth and Austin's first look beneath the ivy-covered stone archway

Austin seeing Beth in her gown for the first time

Portraits Across the Property

The Springs gives you a lot to work with in a short walk: the ivy walls, the tree line, and an iron footbridge over the creek that we came back to more than once. September in Texas was clear and in the nineties, so we worked in the shade and let the light come through the trees rather than fighting it.

Beth and Austin on the iron footbridge with her veil sweeping behind her

The couple close together on the bridge beneath the trees

The full wedding party, groomsmen in black tuxedos and bridesmaids in burgundy

A Ceremony Under Tall Trees

The ceremony was outdoors, in the trees, guests seated on either side of a stone aisle with a greenery-covered pergola at the end of it. Beth came down the aisle on her father's arm.

They kissed, they came back up the aisle, and Austin dipped her most of the way to the ground in front of everyone, which tells you as much about the tone of the evening ahead as anything we could write.

Beth walking down the outdoor aisle on her father's arm as guests stand

The ceremony beneath the greenery-covered pergola surrounded by tall trees

Black and white photograph of Austin dipping Beth in the aisle after the ceremony

Dancing on the Clouds

Inside, the tables were laid in terracotta linen with gold chargers, burgundy napkins, taper candles, and a run of greenery down the center. Dinner was by Uncle Julio's. Melissa Boswell planned the day and then took over the booth as DJ Madam Mel, which is an efficient way to run a wedding.

For the first dance the floor was flooded with low fog so the two of them appeared to be standing on a cloud, under the chandeliers, with the trees still visible through the windows behind them. Then came the father-daughter dance, and then the room changed.

Beth and Austin's first dance on a low cloud of fog beneath the chandeliers

Beth and Austin cutting their cake beneath a neon sign reading The Williams

And Then It Became a Rave

Around eight the traditional part of the evening ended and the room turned into something else entirely: bass, colored light, and a dance floor that stayed full. Austin's jacket came off. Nobody sat down again.

This was the plan from the beginning, written into their questionnaire months in advance, and it is one of our favorite kinds of reception to photograph, because a room that committed does not need anything from us except that we keep up.

A packed dance floor with Beth and Austin in the middle, hands in the air

The Send-Off

At the end of the night their friends and family lined the path outside the lit brick archway and the two of them went out through the middle of it, stopping halfway for one more dip.

Austin dipping Beth in the lit brick archway as guests cheer them out

Beth's engagement ring and wedding band photographed on beaded fabric

Planning a Wedding at The Springs?

The Springs has locations across North Texas, and the Waxahachie property is one of the prettiest of them, tall trees, an ivy-covered chapel, and a creek you can walk to in a minute from the reception hall. It rewards couples who build in time for portraits.

We photograph weddings across the metroplex from our McKinney studio. See more Dallas-Fort Worth wedding photography, read how the investment works, or contact us to talk through your date.

Written by

Michael Anthony , PPA Master Photographer, twice named the #1 wedding photographer in the United States, with 200+ international print awards and weddings documented across nine countries. Studios in Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth.