Ashton Gardens by Walters Wedding Estates

Rehearsal

Main Street Bistro & Bakery

Bridesmaids Girls Lunch

Cafe Italia Ristorante

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Sunday Brunch

Our Wedding

SHUTTLE TO AND FROM HILTON AND WEDDING:

AIRPORT SHUTTLE TO HILTON: (817) 410-6778

Shuttles

Q + A

We met in college in 2016 in a taxi on the way to a bar, when Cory was visiting Tuscaloosa from Auburn. He sat beside me and asked for my phone number, and we didn’t see each other again for a week. We spent that week talking on the phone every night until early in the morning.&nbsp;We went cliff jumping at Lake Nicol on our first official date the next weekend, and quickly fell for each other. We were long distance for the first two and half years of our relationship with me living in Tuscaloosa, Italy, and Fort Worth and Cory living in Auburn, Fort Walton, and Birmingham. We visited each other often while in college and had so much fun while there. We now both have lived in the DFW area since 2019, but will be moving away after our wedding to Chattanooga, TN for our next chapter!Our favorite things are cooking together, hiking, watching college football, traveling to new places, and taking care of our 2 year old goldendoodle, Emmett. After five years of dating and lots of talking about our future together, Cory proposed at The Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine. He took me on dates for months before to throw me off. On that day, he told me we were celebrating my birthday and took me to the Dallas Arboretum, (I was convinced he was going to propose there). When he didn’t propose there, I just thought he wasn’t doing it that day. He said we were going to dinner to celebrate my birthday and pretended to forget the name of the restaurant and pretended he didn’t know that it was at The Gaylord. I was totally surprised when he pulled a ring box out of his boot and proposed at the beautiful Gaylord hotel while we were walking around before dinner, and then even more surprised when my parents, brother, and two of my best friends all from out of town met us for the celebratory dinner afterwards! The next day, there was a surprise engagement party with all of our friends and family. We are so excited to be getting married after 6 years of dating, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for our marriage!

Our Story

Engagement photos from Courtney Bosworth Photography

Engagement photos from Jennifer Laszlo

Photos

Emily Crowe

Cody Lippert

Jordyn Johnson

Brandon McClure

Lindsey Snellgrove

Grant Yeager

Samantha Haverkamp

Dustin Paschal

Lexie Marotta

Collin Stedke

Megan Lentz

Scott Strickland

Kaylyn Lippert

Justice Spidell

Courtney Ricketts

Trent Ricketts

Bridget Nicolia

Cori Steele

Lucy Stedke

Emma Stedke

Addyson Schramm

Elayna Schramm

Garrett Ricketts

Wedding Party

We have opted to have guests stay in Grapevine, Texas. All hotel options are within 5 minutes of each other. The hotels are 20 minutes (on the highway) or 30 minutes (on backroads) away from the venue. We chose to have guests stay in Grapevine because there is much more to see and do in this part of DFW. Feel free to take a peak at the "Things To Do" tab for some ideas! We can't wait to celebrate with each of you!

PREFERRED HOTEL. Please mention the Stedke/Lippert wedding when you call for preferred rates of $139. This rate includes 2 breakfast vouchers per day per room for an extensive breakfast buffet. There is a shuttle to and from DFW airport. This is where the bride and groom will be staying. There will be a recurring shuttle bus through Premier Transportation taking guests between the Hilton and the wedding venue from 3pm-10:30pm (the wedding ends at 10pm). Link to schedule online with the discounted rate: <a href="https://book.passkey.com/e/50284836?utm_source=73802&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=288732052&amp;trkid=545183420&amp;linkid=2488795083" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://book.passkey.com/e/50284836</a>&nbsp;

Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center

The Gaylord is located 5 minutes away from the other hotels, and the rate is variable. The inside of the hotel is stunning, with a large glass ceiling and lots of Texas decor. There are restaurants and fountains and a multilevel riverwalk inside the hotel. There is a shuttle to and from DFW airport. There is a shuttle to and from downtown Grapevine. This is where Ali and Cory got engaged! We had a surprise family dinner at Zeppole inside the Gaylord after we got engaged!

Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center

We do not have a block at this hotel, so the rate is variable. Embassy Suites is located right across the street from our preferred hotel. There is a shuttle to and from DFW airport.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas DFW Airport North

Accommodations

Located very close to the hotels, there are so many fun things to do in downtown Grapevine! Known as the Christmas Capital of Texas, the adorable downtown lends itself to strolling, window shopping, and wine tasting. There are several delicious restaurants, bakeries, and wineries. Ali and Cory's recommendations:Mexican food: Esparza'sBakery: Main Street BakeryItalian Food: Cafe Italia (BYOB- no cork or glass fees)Rooftop Bar: Piaf's

Historic Downtown Grapevine

This cute little area is located very near Ali's parents old house. There are plenty of restaurants and live music at the park on Friday nights.Ali and Cory recommendations:Italian food: Mio Nonno (patio overlooking live music)Mexican food: Mena's (they have great margaritas!)Sport's Bar: The Tavern

Lakeside DFW

$10 entrance fee per car. There are lots of picnic benches and a little beach area if you want to go swimming in the lake. LoneStar Adventure Sports is located at this park, so you can rent paddle-boards and kayaks! This is where we took our engagement pictures!

Rockledge Park

Sunset Point is a cedar deck overlooking Grapevine Lake. You can park by the trailhead or in the Lakeside neighborhood by the condos. The walk is about a half mile on the sidewalk and you can watch the beautiful sunset over the lake.

Sunset Point at Lakeside DFW

Farmers Market of Grapevine

Fort Worth Stockyards

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

You can rent boats and jet skis on Lake Grapevine here

Silver Lake Marina Boat Ramp

Grapevine Mills

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza

A gorgeous arboretum with beautiful flowers and plenty to see! Sometimes there is live music on the lawn with a gorgeous view of White Rock Lake. This is where Cory and Ali went the day they got engaged!

Ali & Cory

Ali & Cory

A&C

Wedding Day