Photo: Becca Neblock
Freelance graphic designer Elizabeth “Liz” Roseberry and software engineer Mike Doyle met in 2014 while they were both working at DoStuff Media. Six years later, they got engaged in January of 2020 after they’d just returned from a trip to Paris. “We were there visiting with my brother Daniel [Roseberry], who is the creative director of Schiaparelli, and seeing one of his shows. A week later, Mike proposed,” Liz remembers. “He surprised me with a fancy candlelit dinner after work one night and had tied the ring to the collar of my dog Mama Wolf. Afterwards, he took me out to one of our favorite dive bars where all our closest friends were waiting to surprise me and celebrate!”
About a month after the two got engaged, COVID hit. “When things started to get real, I looked at Mike and said ‘How would you feel if we don’t say wedding in 2020?'” Liz remembers. “So, we didn’t! We agreed we’d wait until 2021 to even start planning and roll with the punches if and when they came. If anything, planning a wedding amid a pandemic has made us stronger.”
The wedding date was ultimately set for May 7, 2022, and the Hummingbird House just outside of Austin, Texas, was decided upon as the location. Over the years, Liz had garnered a reputation for hosting spectacular theme parties with outrageous decorations. “When it came time to plan my one and only wedding, I was in heaven from start to finish,” she says. She decided early on that she didn’t want to have a wedding in the traditional sense. “My main goal was that guests have fun and feel like they were at ‘Liz and Mike’s wedding,’ so I wanted to make it was unique as we are.” To that end, she painstakingly made over 1,000 flowers out of paper, wire, and wood. “Some were designs I’ve known how to make since I was little and the rest I made up as I went along.”
Every table had a theme based on something Liz and Mike have always loved, and a gold wire sculpture held each table number. Themes included: drums, art, dancing, plants, porch hangs, and aliens. (The alien table was hosted by an animatronic alien named Geoff, who made appearances on the dance floor later in the evening.) “We even had a table themed after my dog Mama Wolf, and it was covered in black and white spots and pink flowers,” Liz says. “Like I said…unique!”
Pretty much everyone involved with the wedding planning was a friend of the couple. “My roommate of 10 years officiated, I had two musician friends split the DJ duties, and I even hired my friend Matt to do table magic for an added unique flair. He was a hit,” Liz explains.
The remainder was very DIY, with Liz and Mike overseeing everything. “Mike handled all communication with the vendors, and I focused on the details and decor,” Liz says. “One thing we love to say is that ‘Mike makes things happen, and I make them beautiful.’” Danny Hatt of Hummingbird House was the couple’s day-of coordinator and set up all of Liz’s decor along with her friends.
Liz’s brother, Daniel, had always told her he would design her wedding dress in some shape or form. “I never thought it would all play out as perfectly as it did though,” she admits. “I definitely had no idea it would be the introduction to Schiaparelli ‘I Do Couture.’ It has all blown me away and exceeded all expectations, but I truly wouldn’t expect anything less, Daniel has always blown us away!”
It all started—as it so often does—with a mood board, and then Daniel made sketches and renderings that they reviewed together. They conducted the entire process via email and phone calls since he was in Paris and she was in Austin. “We had an absolute blast brainstorming ideas and researching inspirations from our childhood,” Liz explains. “Dan and I grew up on Audrey Hepburn movies and simultaneously thought of her wedding dress in Funny Face! During this stage Dan showed me some embroidery examples from the iconic skeleton dress and I told him, ‘Dan, I want you to know I would be so down to rock a skeleton wedding dress,’ and then the ideas really started flowing.”
After they settled on the main features, the bride and her best friend Larkin Cathey flew to Paris for the fitting. “It was such a surreal experience and everyone at Schiaparelli was so kind and accommodating,” Liz says. She didn’t ultimately see the finished gown until the Wednesday before the wedding. “It was one of the most memorable nights I’ve ever had—just me and my best friend seeing it all for the first time, gushing at all its beauty and taking in the entire experience,” Liz says. “Daniel even surprised me with a pair of custom shoes! It was magical.”
Throughout her wedding prep, Liz shared key moments on TikTok, from the unboxing of her shoes to the first time she saw the dress and noticed her childhood nickname embroidered inside it. “Me, normal person, just a girl in Austin, Texas, I will be rocking a custom Schiaparelli gown that my brother Daniel designed for me,” she said in one viral video. The internet was eager to follow along.
Mike wore a blue wool silk linen suit from Suit Supply along with a custom Schiaparelli boutonnière and bolo tie. “He looked sharp as hell!” Liz says. “Daniel actually crafted the bolo in his hotel room one night before the wedding using extra Schiaparelli embroidery from the dress. It was perfect.”
One of Liz’s longtime friends and the lead singer of Wild Child, Alexander Beggins, officiated the ceremony. “We had no idea what he was going to say, but when it was over, everyone we talked to said it was one of the best ceremonies they’ve ever been to!” Liz says. “He added just the right mixture of humor with sentiment. Everyone was crying and laughing at the same time, which is what you want.”
The bride and groom each had their best friend stand with them at the altar. “My brothers both read poems we picked out,” Liz says. “Daniel read Rilke, and Jed read a Mark Twain quote.”
Throughout the ceremony, Liz was completely at ease. “It all felt so effortless, especially after imagining that I would feel super anxious or possibly pass out from the Texas heat,” she jokes. “I could feel everyone watching, I heard the laughing, the gasping when people saw the dress, and felt the love and support they were sending us, but it was also like they weren’t there at all. In the moment it was just me, Mike, and the officiant.”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds took a moment to stop and soak it all in. “[On the advice of our photographer,] we took a beat in the bridal suite to catch our breath and then met our guests at cocktail hour DJed by our good friend Brett Hamman—a.k.a. DJ Harry Paradise,” Liz says. After cocktail hour, the couples’ friend Walker Lukens took over the tunes.
“The next day, I was so overcome with love that I spent most of it crying—happy tears of course—and replaying my favorite moments in my head,” Liz says. “It was all more than I could have dreamed, and it’s been so special sharing it with the world and hearing all the sweet feedback from everyone.”
My Schiaparelli shoes, earrings, and glasses. Also pictured are the invitations which were sent with instructions on how to make a paper tulip with a gold stem. Photo: Becca Neblock
A collection of Schiaparelli jewelry to be worn by our mom, sisters, and nieces. Photo: Becca Neblock
Here I am putting on the Schiaparelli glasses. Photo: Becca Neblock
Daniel is making sure the dress is perfect before first look. Photo: Becca Neblock
A pre-ceremony bridal portrait. Photo: Becca Neblock
Here I am revealing my epic gold Schiaparelli toes to Mike. Photo: Becca Neblock
I had to see Mike in the glasses. They went great with his bolo and boutonnière. Photo: Becca Neblock
Here we are posing pre-ceremony. Photo: Becca Neblock
Walking down the aisle with my dad. My bouquet was made by Daniel and was a simple bunch of Lilly of the Valley wrapped with gold ribbon. They smelled incredible. Photo: Becca Neblock
Guests throwing flower petals that my sister and I picked from my backyard. Photo: Becca Neblock
The welcome table featured handmade paper flowers, signage explaining to the guests that they should take home the cuttings, a portrait of the bride and groom drawn by me, and a gold crab signing a miniature guestbook. Photo: Becca Neblock
A cocktail hour portrait session. Photo: Becca Neblock
Here I am surrounded by all the women in the family. From left: Finley Morgan, Taye Morgan, Milan Morgan, Fran Roseberry, Stacy Roseberry, Haley Roseberry, and Tobishan Kruse-Dhal. Photo: Becca Neblock
All the guests. Photo: Becca Neblock
Magician Matt Bradshaw introducing himself. We are actually great friends but that night he changed his persona to “Mortimus Broadshow The Astonishing” and stayed in character all night! Photo: Becca Neblock
Magician “Mortimus Broadshow The Astonishing” entertaining guests at cocktail hour. Photo: Becca Neblock
I made signage revealing the table themes and seating assignments. Photo: Becca Neblock
We entered the reception to “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool & The Gang. Photo: Becca Neblock
After entering the reception, we went straight into our first dance: “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young. Photo: Becca Neblock
Here we are sitting at our sweetheart table. Photo: Becca Neblock
All the tables featured gold stemmed origami flowers attached to wood pillar bases, but then all the other elements were different according to the tables theme. This was the “Music Table,” and it was decorated with harmonicas, records, and a bowl of wristbands from shows we’ve been to during our years in Austin. Photo: Becca Neblock
When it was time for dancing, I asked my two oldest brothers if they would help lift me out of the bottom of the dress. What are big brothers for if not to perfectly execute a quick change on your wedding day? Photo: Becca Neblock
I’m revealing the shorter gown to the guests—had to give it a spin! Photo: Becca Neblock
This was the sparkler sendoff. You can also see a deck of cards being thrown our way from the magician! Photo: Becca Neblock
Originally published in Vogue.com
