Ashleigh Macaluso met Braden Horton through a mutual friend while they were seniors at Texas A&M University. After a first date of sharing fried pickles and beers, the Aggies quickly made it official. “I’d never hit it off with someone that fast,” says Ashleigh. “He’s my best friend.”

When Braden got down on one knee at his family’s house in Fort Worth, it was a total shock to Ashleigh. “I thought it was his grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary,” she explains. “The plan was to go to lunch with them. I got them a gift and everything.” But instead, Braden surprised Ashleigh with a present of her own—a shiny radiant-cut diamond ring.

Ashleigh had attended her fair share of weddings, so when it came time to plan her own, she searched for a unique venue. “I thought maybe we’d do a mini destination, like the Hill Country,” she explains. But a friend suggested she take a peek at the Fort Worth Zoo. “I didn’t even know the zoo did weddings,” she says. “But I was so blown away. It was so cool and different.” She especially loved the idea of a cocktail reception among the animals. 

The couple chose the nearby Fort Worth Botanic Garden for the ceremony. Ashleigh envisioned a romantic backyard-like wedding with string lights and garden flowers. She called in Brittney Samford with Gathered Events to help pull off the casual-yet-elevated design. “They really wanted their wedding to feel colorful and joyful,” says Brittney. “They loved the idea of keeping things lighthearted while maintaining an elevated, timeless aesthetic.”

The couple kicked off the wedding morning with a gift exchange, just the two of them, and ended the night with a private last dance. “I wanted to be intentional about spending time together,” Ashleigh says. “Those were some of my favorite moments.”

Under the Big Top:

The reception was transformed with a soft blue-and-green palette, even on the ceiling. Wedding planner Brittney Samford and her Gathered Events  team came up with the idea to drape the reception space with velvet fabric for a refined aesthetic. “It softened the tent and added a sense of drama,” says Brittney. The customized lighting design cast a warm and inviting glow.

Zoo To-Do:

Beautiful, lush floral arrangements lined the aisle for the ceremony at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Ashleigh opted for a soft pastel palette with a romantic tone, but nothing was too formal or stuffy. “I just loved the garden vibes of the day,” says the bride.

Piece of Cake:

The three-tiered champagne-flavored cake with berry filling featured an elegant lattice design to echo the garden theme of the wedding day.

Dance the Night Away

One of Ashleigh and Braden’s priorities for the night was for it to be a fun dance party. “I wanted everyone to dance and to feel comfortable doing so,” says the bride. Here are tips from Ashleigh and planner Brittney Samford on keeping guests on their feet. 

Design the room with the dance floor as the centerpiece.

“It was important to me that the dance floor was the center of everything,” says Ashleigh. Wedding planner Brittney Samford reimagined the layout, rotating the floor plan to create a central dance floor complete with a custom stage. “We also placed bars nearby to naturally draw people toward the dance floor and ensure the party stayed lively,” says Brittney.

Ask guests to gather ’round.

After dinner, the couple asked guests to surround the dance floor before they did their first dance. ”I’m so glad we did that, because all my favorite people are in the background of the pictures,” she says, noting that afterward, “it helped people get to the dance floor, too.”

Invite your wedding party on stage. 

Ashleigh and her wedding party jumped on stage and danced to “Pink Pony Club,” while Braden and his groomsmen took a turn dancing to “Mr. Brightside.” Ashleigh says their “rock star moment[s]” kept the party entertaining—and the bride and groom connected to their guests.