Diverse Vendors Brought a European-Inspired Dallas Wedding to Life

Kristin Sills and Wyatt Littles met when their mutual friends hosted a pregame before a summer concert in 2016. The two mingled throughout the evening, and as the only ones without concert tickets, they found themselves alone when their friends left for the show. Wyatt asked Kristin to grab a bite to eat before heading home, and the two bonded over pop culture and music on their way to their unofficial first date. The two shared spring rolls and pad see ew at a local Thai place and by the end of the night, Wyatt knew Kristin was the one. 

On a trip to Los Angeles to meet Kristin’s first niece, Kristin planned a 30th birthday surprise for Wyatt. Little did she know that Wyatt had plans of his own. On the day before his birthday, he told Kristin they were going to meet up with one of his college friends. Instead, he took Kristin to her favorite hotel, the Montage in Laguna Beach, and proposed to her at the beach overlook. A photographer and videographer were there to capture the moment, and both the couple’s immediate families flew out to celebrate with an engagement dinner and birthday festivities throughout the weekend.

Kristin always dreamed of a destination wedding in the South of France or Italy, but Covid-19 caused her and Wyatt to consider other venues. Kristin had her eye on The Olana in Hickory Creek, Texas, and once the couple toured the venue, the French chateau sealed the deal. “We knew by selecting this venue it would truly be a once-in-a-lifetime and unforgettable experience for us and our guests,” Kristin says. The couple loves Paris and wanted to give guests a Parisian fairytale experience in the heart of Dallas, Wyatt’s hometown.

The couple hired planner Robyne Swink of Southern Affairs and sought out Black- and women-owned businesses (over 20!) as their vendors for their November 5, 2021 wedding day. Photographer Shannon Skloss captured all the details of their lawn ceremony and ballroom reception with a decor theme of creamy neutrals, natural greenery, and gold accents.

Kristin and Wyatt’s invitations from Mingled Design Studio featured elegant gold fonts on white cardstock. The couple pointed their guests to their wedding website to RSVP. The suite was wrapped in vellum and finished with a blush bow.

Kristin got ready for the wedding with her bridesmaids, which included her two sisters as matron and maid of honor. The bridal party wore cream-colored pajama sets with custom initial monograms.

Kristin’s mother was also there, and she wore a blush satin pajama set. “I have been blessed to have a tribe of amazing women who have poured into me throughout my life,” Kristin says. The bride wore a white slip dress and a white lace floor-length robe as she got her hair and makeup done.

For her wedding day makeup, Kristin chose light makeup with a statement bronze and gold eye look. She went with a soft low bun with tendril curls and a middle part for her hair. “I wanted my handsome groom to recognize me and, most importantly, for me to recognize myself when I looked back at my wedding photos and video and be happy with the overall look,” she says.

When Kristin went shopping for her dress, she could only have one person with her, a close friend, Kim. Her mom, sisters, and aunt joined her over Zoom. “My wedding dress wasn’t one I would have initially selected for myself,” Kristin says. When her friend Kim insisted she put on the Wondrous Dress by Ines Di Santo, her family members agreed. “Once I tried it on, I immediately fell in love and knew it was the dress I wanted Wyatt to see me walk down the aisle to him in,” the bride says. “I wanted my dress to give off a bit of drama with a bit of sexy.” The ballgown features an elongated bodice with a plunging v-neck, low back, and textured full skirt.

Kristin accessorized her gown with a delicate bracelet and chose a coffin-shaped manicure with a white ombre design. Her mom helped her with her cathedral veil as the finishing touch to her bridal look. Kristin gifted her wedding party personalized bottles of COCO MADEMOISELLE so they could all wear the same fragrance on the wedding day.

Her mom helped her with her cathedral veil as the finishing touch to her bridal look.

Kristin had a first look with her dad and her 90-year-old grandpa, who she considers her very best friend. “It will be a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Kristin says, “I love my grandpa with everything in me and am so thankful he was able to celebrate my union with Wyatt.”

Kristin also had a first look with 14 of her closest friends, given they weren’t able to be with her when she found her dress initially. “It was important for me to share this milestone with my 'sistafriends,' who support, inspire, motivate, and uplift me every single day,” Kristin says.

Kristin’s bridesmaids wore satin champagne dresses from Fame and Partners to complement the couple’s wedding day color scheme.

The couple’s 18-month-old niece, Blair, was their flower girl. She wore a white lace and tulle dress from HerMajestyFlowerGirl on Etsy. “She was hanging around at the altar when we were reciting our vows as she wanted to be front and center too!” the bride says.

Kristin and her family took a moment to hold hands in a circle and pray before the ceremony.

Wyatt wore a classic double-breasted tuxedo. “It was a little more formal than usual and I wanted to be as sharp as possible on my big day,” he says. He wore a pair of his dad’s gold cufflinks and his lucky watch, a Rolex that he got when he first started dating Kristin. He got a haircut and a beard shaping the day before the wedding and joined Kristin in her self-care Sundays leading up to the big day with face masks each week.

Wyatt invited his groomsmen to the Olana early to take advantage of the basketball court and bowling alley in the groom's suite. “Wyatt’s mom had to break up the groomsmen’s fun to ensure they were getting dressed and made it to take photos on time,” Kristin remembers. Wyatt’s groomsmen wore sleek black shawl-collar tuxedos. Wyatt stood out with a boutonniere of a single white ranunculus accented with greenery.

The bridesmaids held smaller versions of Kristin’s bridal bouquet, featuring Italian Ruscus, Pitt silver queen, and white ranunculus.

As guests arrived at Kristin and Wyatt’s ceremony, they were greeted by a custom welcome sign featuring a watercolor design. The ceremony decor featured arrangements of white florals and organic greenery on gold frames atop translucent pillars for added height.

Kristin’s dad, James H. Sills III, accompanied her down the aisle as Kristin’s college classmate, Quinaye Sturdivant, sang Etta James’ “At Last.” “Watching Kristin walk down the aisle was the highlight of the day!” Wyatt says. “I was overwhelmed in the moment, cried tears of joy, and haven’t had a happier moment in my life knowing that I was stepping into our forever with my very best friend.”

Kristin and Wyatt wrote their own vows. "Both of our vows included anecdotes about our travels, how we met, and the life we want to shape together," they share. Although they didn’t coordinate before the wedding day, they both happened to slip in some "Love Island" references, a show they consider one of their guilty pleasures.

One of the silver linings of COVID scheduling conflicts was that the couple were able to find a venue on the same date as Wyatt’s parents' anniversary. They made sure to honor the special day within their ceremony.

After the ceremony, Kristin and Wyatt snuck away with their photographer to take pictures together around the venue’s grounds.

During the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed three signature cocktails, including an apple cider Old Fashioned, a lavender margarita, and a ranch water cocktail. Some of the couple’s favorite passed appetizers included mini crab cakes, chili chicken salad on a corn crisp, potato gratin bites, and Impossible meat lettuce wraps. “We wanted our menu to highlight our favorite foods. It was meant to be an elevated take on surf and turf with vegan options as Wyatt is a vegan,” Kristin says.

Instead of a guest book, the couple brought in a rotary telephone where guests could leave voicemails for the happy couple that they could listen back to after the wedding day. “We plan to play the vinyl record each year on our anniversary to hear the recordings and the song selections from our wedding day,” Kristin says.

Guests found their table assignments on a printed seating chart hung on a gold frame. The watercolor design matched that of the welcome sign.

The venue’s ballroom was transformed for the couple’s wedding reception with a mix of round tables and long king tables around the dance floor. The tables were dressed with ivory floor-length linens and paired with champagne Chiavari chairs for a formal feel. Place settings included gold flatware, gold-rimmed glasses, and gold chargers with a leaf pattern.

White floral centerpieces were displayed on gold pillars and in glass vases. “Our florals were meant to capture organic movement and texture as we mixed tall centerpieces with compotes,” the bride says. Glass candelabras, white taper candles, votive candles in gold mercury glass holders, and white column candles in varying heights completed the tablescape.

Kristin and Wyatt hired DJ Nite Crawler to entertain guests at their reception. The couple shared their first dance to Kenny Lattimore’s “For You." Kristin shared a first dance with her father to Christina Aguilera’s “I Turn To You,” and Wyatt danced with his mother to Stevie Wonder’s “As”.

For dinner, guests selected entrees from a menu including pan-seared sea bass, rosemary and peppercorn-crusted filet, vegan saffron rice with tomato chutney, and crispy cauliflower and brussels sprouts.

The couple’s modern three-tiered wedding cake was lemon flavored with raspberry purée. Kristin and Wyatt also offered a tea and coffee bar featuring fall ingredients.

The couple danced the night away with their guests. They even ordered late-night food from Whataburger to keep the party going.

Later in the night, Wyatt had changed into a white shawl collar dinner jacket, and Kristin donned a slinky Katie May dress. They finished out the evening with a charming sparkler exit amongst their guests.

After celebrations, the couple enjoyed a relaxing week in Nassau, Bahamas on their honeymoon. To couples that are currently wedding planning, Kristin and Wyatt have these words of wisdom. “Get organized and on the same page as early as possible. Try to set out clear designation of responsibilities, so one partner doesn’t feel like they are planning the event on their own. Creating workflows, excel spreadsheets, and regular check-ins helped keep us on track and reduced (but didn’t eliminate) a fair amount of stress.”