May 22, 2010:  Stephanie Gabler and Derrick Abercrombie were married before a group of their family and closest friends in Schulenburg, Texas.  Stephanie invited FionaLorne Photography to photograph her special day.  The weather was gorgeous; it was 95 Fahrenheit and brightly sunny in Schulenburg, with enough cloud cover and a breeze to make the day wedding-perfect for the happy couple, who were united in holy matrimony at 5:30pm.

The site for both ceremony and reception was Mimi’s Bed and Breakfast (specifically Ludvik’s Place, which includes the Barn At Old Piano Bridge), which is found off of FM 615 just north of Schulenburg off of 77, down where the farm to market road turns into Old Piano Bridge Road.  When Stephanie was growing up in Schulenburg, it was the site of a run-down old farmhouse and a tear-down barn, but after being purchased by a couple from Houston and fixed back up, the Barn at Old Piano Bridge is a fantastic place for a wedding – with the renovated little farmhouse just up the walkway a perfect wedding night hideaway for the newlywed couple.

Set-up of the venue didn’t take very long as Stephanie wanted to keep things simple but elegant.  Bride and groom had chosen thematic colors of brown and turquoise, and the earth-sky melding of the two colors came together perfectly in the chosen decorations from the blue and copper lanterns adorning the makeshift aisle the wedding party was set to walk down to the ribbons on the chairs, and even the cake plates that Stephanie, her mother, and aunt decorated for the reception.

The lanterns and rose petals adorned the walkway Stephanie went down to meet her intended husband

This is the Unity Table, where Derrick, Stephanie, Sterling, and Parker, would perform the symbolic uniting of the four as a family

The wedding cakes were done by Ashley in Schulenburg – with a variety of three different cakes, there was a guarantee to be something for everyone in attendance at the wedding and reception.

The ceremony started off with Parker, Stephanie’s youngest son, acting as the ring bearer, carrying Derek and Stephanie’s wedding rings down the aisle.  He was followed by the bridal party, and then by Sterling, Stephanie’s eldest, and Kianna, Derrick’s niece, as the flower children, ensuring the path that Stephanie was to walk was strewn with white rose petals.

Parker carries the rings carefully down the aisle

Sterling and Kianna cast rose petals where Stephanie will shortly walk

Derrick and Stephanie spoke their vows in front of Pastor Paul and all assembled guests, exchanging both rings and heartfelt promises to love, honor, cherish and obey.  Married at long last, the newlyweds and wedding party went back to the main house from the barn for pictures, where they were joined by tearfully congratulatory friends and family.

The full wedding party on the steps of the farm house Stephanie and Derrick spent their first night together in

Derrick, Stephanie, Stephanie's father, Stephanie's mother, Derrick's mother. Parker, Sterling, and Kianna are on the bottom row

About half a mile from the site for the ceremony and the reception stands the old Piano Bridge, the bridge for which the road is named.  It’s a one-lane wooden-and-iron suspension bridge (actually safe for vehicles – I drove over it a couple of times), one of the few of its kind remaining in Fayette County.  The Piano Bridge was built in 1885 by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and is nestled down what can only be described as a quaint country road over a bubbling brook, surrounding by oak trees a few hundred years old.  Stephanie and Derrick were both amenable to a short road trip between the ceremony and the reception, so we made the five minute drive down the road for some otherwise unavailable photo opportunities.

Stephanie and Derrick stand against the side of the Piano Bridge

Stephanie and Derrick, very happily married

Panoramic-style shot of Derrick and Stephanie on the Piano Bridge

FionaLorne Photography would like to wish the Abercrombies all the best in their new married life, and thank them again for the opportunity to come out to Schulenburg, Texas, for their special day.

Here, the attendees wished the Abercrombies all the best in their married journey

More pictures from the Abercrombies’ wedding day can be viewed here on Facebook, and the full album of wedding images can be viewed here!  To see the full album, you’ll need to contact Stephanie or Derrick for the login information for the account.