Carlyle Rascoe & Taylor Phillips
For Carlyle Rascoe, the beloved family ranch was the perfect place to say “I do.” In true “Father of the Bride” fashion, the fun and busy week culminated in a dream-come-true home wedding, complete with cheerful pink and yellow florals, butterflies released upon the announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, beer-toting donkeys and a reception tent to rival all reception tents. Join us for an exclusive Q&A with Carlyle about the details of their special day!
the couple. Carlyle Rascoe & Taylor Phillips
the venue. Private Residence
the planner/designer. Sarabeth & Co.
the photos. Gracie Byrd Jones
The Love Story
We met freshman year at TCU on a Tri Delt/SAE ski trip — I was a Tri Delt, Taylor, an SAE. We dated all through college. We dated for seven years before he proposed!
The Proposal
We were in Seaside, Florida, with my family. We went on a beach walk early one morning and he got on his knee! His family surprised me and came running out on the beach with my family!
The Wedding Venue
I chose my house because it is my favorite place in the world. We live on a small ranch that we call Rascoe Ranch. It was so special and cool to have the wedding at my house! I always wanted to do it at Rascoe Ranch, but didn’t know if it was possible. The week before felt like “Father of the Bride,” when they are setting up for Annie’s wedding. It was so much fun. It somehow worked out and was perfect! Dream come true.
The Vibe
Formal elegant: we asked our guests to wear color. We wanted a happy vibrant feel.
The Photography
Since I’m a photographer myself, I wanted the photos to be artistic, candid and colorful. Gracie Byrd Jones, my photographer, was one of my favorite parts of the whole day!!! She brought so much light and joy and captured the spirit of the day perfectly.
The Dress
I had seen the dress somewhere on Instagram and knew I wanted something similar. I tried on so many dresses and nothing was it. Karen Clarke at Neiman Marcus’ Bridal Salon in Dallas happened to be able to fly the dress in from New York for me to try on. The second I laid my eyes on it before even trying it on, I knew it was the one. The dress was a work of art.
The Accessories
I wore diamond earrings Taylor gave me as a wedding gift. I also wore the most beautiful tennis bracelet given to me by my bridesmaids.
The Bridesmaids
My wedding party wore pink Fanm Mon dresses. I wanted them to wear something unique and cute. These dresses were perfect, they fit my wedding vibe and looked so cute on all 28 of my bridesmaids.
The Groomsmen
Taylor’s boys wore black tuxes, kept it classic. Taylor, my dad, Taylor’s dad and the pastor wore light pink bow ties.
The Wedding Rings
My wedding ring is a cushion cut with Cadillac side stones. My wedding band is a cushion eternity ring. Taylor’s wedding band is a classic gold band with engraving on the inside that says “C+T I’ll love you forever”
The Hair and Makeup
The make up was light and natural because we were outside. My hair was in an elegant bun. The bridesmaids did soft waves/curls. Ashley and her team at Ashley McNabb Artistry did a beautiful job on makeup and hair.
The Stationery
I loved our wedding invitation. I worked with Heather Wiese at Bell’INVITO out of Dallas. She designed our monogram, which went on everything from the save the date messages to wedding invitations, programs, dance floor, embroidered dinner napkins and the monogram pillows. Our save the dates were so beautiful with a pink border; the envelope included a heart with our engagement picture on it. The wedding invitation was stunning. My mom and I cried when we saw it. It was engraved on a thick card with an elegant gold border and had a delicate touch of pink in the monogram. It also matched our wedding program which had a beautiful pink bow.
The Florals
I wanted bright, cheerful and colorful flowers. I wanted pink with a touch of yellow. I wanted tons of pink peonies and other lush flowers. I wanted a very small and simple bouquet, so I went with pink ranunculus. The flowers were stunning. Branching Out Events understood my vision. Pink and yellow kind of became the theme of the wedding.
The Morning Of
The wedding morning was so fun. Our gardeners Manuel and Brenda at Earth-Land Gardeners & Rustics were working on every detail to our ranch. Everyone was arriving to start the wedding prep. I left to meet all my bridesmaids at River Crest Country Club, where we had our hair and makeup done and we got dressed. It was a party!
The Ceremony
It was a little slice of heaven. We released butterflies when the pastor — our good family friend Dr. Ted Kitchens — announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Phillips! One of my dogs, Dixie, walked down the aisle with an adorable pink flower collar. When my entrance song started playing and everyone stood, Dixie stood as well and watched me walk down the aisle. We had donkeys carrying drinks for people as they walked to the ceremony. They were too cute. It was just amazing. Taylor and I both had about 30 people in each of our wedding parties, so there were probably 60 people standing up with us at the ceremony and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The weather could not have been better.
The Reception
We wanted to do something different for the table assignments. Every guest got a printed card with a pink bow with their table number on it. Waiters had the cutest yellow striped cigarette trays with the cards. The entrance into the tent was nothing short of amazing. The flowers at the tent entrance were unbelievable. The guests were met by a massive round bar which held pictures of all our signature drinks. Every table had a different colored Ginori china plate with a monogram napkin made by Molly Milner of Miss Molly’s Monogramming. The menu matched our save the dates. We had two 80-foot head tables for all the bridesmaids, groomsmen and their guests.The flowers were stunning on all the tables and candles galore. The meal presentation was very formal white glove service. The waiters came to each table and they presented each guest with their meal at the same time. Everyone loved their Texas-themed meal from chef Jon Bonnell. The backdrop behind the band was ribbons hanging down with pink roses on them.
The Planning
Everyone worked so hard to make it possible and it turned out amazing, a team effort!!! Our wedding planner, Rachel Burrow from Sarabeth & Co., was with us every step of the day, the wedding wouldn’t have gone on without her!
The Cake
The cake was out-of-this-world beautiful, thanks to Jamie Holder at Creme de la Creme. When she saw a picture of my dress, she immediately had a vision for my cake inspired by my dress. She created the most intricate beautiful flowers all over the cake. It was a true work of art. Taylor’s groom’s cake had TCU’s mascot, SuperFrog, on it swinging a golf club!
The Food
We had a Texas-themed formal sit-down dinner curated by famous chef Jon Bonnell. There was even a Texas-sized smoker cooking the most amazing steaks outside the tent. It smelled so good!
The Entertainment
Grooveline. They were amazing and got everyone out on the dance floor.
The Favorite Moment
Too hard to pick one! Our first dance was one. My uncle, Clint Bullard, is a professional singer from Key West. We chose one of his songs “The Best Thing About Her” — my fav song which he wrote for his wife, my aunt — and he changed the lyrics to fit our story. My dance teacher since I was 2 choreographed a fun dance to go with it. Also, we had a fireworks show during the reception. Everyone went to the edge of the tent to watch while “Fly Me to the Moon” was playing. It was magical!
The Unexpected
The weather was perfect. There was a huge storm two nights before, so we didn’t know what was going to happen!
The Honeymoon
We went to Italy! It was the best trip ever. We went to Capri, Positano, Florence and Rome!
The Advice
Get as much advice from previous brides as you can when planning! Laugh and enjoy it!
The Vendors
Featured Vendors
HAIR + MAKEUP Ashley McNabb Artistry
Other Vendors
PLANNING + DESIGN Sarabeth & Co.
PHOTOGRAPHY Gracie Byrd Jones
VIDEOGRAPHY When It Clicks
FLORAL Branching Out Events
BAKERY Creme de la Creme Cake Co.
RENTALS Posh Couture Rentals, Grand Events, Perch Event Decor
CATERING Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
BAND The Grooveline Dallas
LIGHTING Beyond
DANCE FLOOR Imperial Floor Rentals
LINENS BBJ La Tavola
HEAD TABLE LINENS Nüage Designs
RESTROOMS Fancy Flush
VALET Rent a Frog Valet
PHOTOBOOTH Mirmir
GOLF CARTS Grapevine Golf Cars
STRINGS Serenata Strings
FIREWORKS Pyrotex
TRANSPORTATION AJL International
STATIONERY Bell’INVITO
PAPER GOODS The Essential Market
CHAMPAGNE CART Social Llama Events
BEER BURROS Sweet Ass Servers
BRIDAL SALON Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon
BRIDAL GOWN DESIGNER Oscar de la Renta
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Fanm Mon
MONOGRAMMED NAPKINS Miss Molly’s Monogramming
CONTENT REEL Your Shared Event