Garten Verein Wedding by Katherine O’Brien Photography

A vintage autumn wedding in Galveston, TX

Dawn and Paul are both writers and collectors of vintage books, records and prints. Paul spends his spare time digging up old bottles in the woods, observing local wildlife and visiting remote historical markers. Dawn spends her weekends scavenging in thrift stores for materials to sew books and other ephemera (she runs a micro-press). Naturally, their November wedding at Garten Verein included all of their passions along with a recurring bird motif. Dawn designed their save the date (sourced from an old Beatrice Potter sketch), and the text was rubbed by Paul from a historical marker in Galveston. Dawn also designed and sewed the invitations, programs, gift books and send-off flags. They decided to use nests because Paul grew up on the bay, where birds migrate every winter – he often brings home nests and broken eggs after his jaunts in the woods. The vintage bottles on the tables were sourced by Paul during his many visits to the Gulf. The groom’s table was designed by Paul’s mother to include a gator groom’s cake and foliage that grows in the bay. Paul has been obsessed with alligators and crocodiles since he was little, and he even has a small scar on his hand from being bitten by a baby gator! Katherine O’Brien Photography captured their incredibly unique celebration.