Mary Morgan Baker And Turner Patrick Dowell Wed
By Rob Giardinelli Photography by Kelly Hornberger
Mary Morgan Baker, the daughter of Amy and John Porter, and Penny Baker of Austin, and Turner Patrick Dowell, the son of Shannon and Kelly Dowell of Austin, were recently married. For the couple, the wedding day had a special meaning since it fell on their anniversary. “Prior to getting engaged, we dated for eight years. Our wedding date marked exactly nine years together” recalls Morgan and Patrick Dowell. Morgan is very much a planner, which required Patrick to get creative when deciding how to pop the question in a way that would genuinely surprise her. “I’m in real estate so Patrick coordinated a property showing at a condo downtown,” recalls Morgan. “I thought it was a big, fancy executive coming to look at the penthouse. I walked in, and there he was.”
Their nine years together culminated in a beautiful wedding for 200 guests at Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin. The church ceremony featured an elegant, white palette of orchids and roses. The bride had 17 attendants, and the groom had 18. The wedding ensembles for the bride and groom featured touches of family weddings from prior generations. The bride’s mother’s wedding color was turquoise, and she wore a turquoise broach on her own wedding gown, which Morgan pinned to her bouquet as her “something blue,” while the groom wore his great-grandfather’s tuxedo studs set. Barbara Shorts of Verve Events planned the stunning wedding ceremony and reception, while David Kurio created the elaborate floral décor. The goal was to capture the bride’s vision for a traditional and romantic wedding, with a nod to the couple’s love for The University of Texas.
The reception for 600 guests was held at Austin Country Club and featured a blush pink color palette,
with pops of orange. Instead of a traditional seated dinner, the reception flowed throughout the entire club, including a special bride’s room and groom’s room. The bride’s “Mo Bubbles” room, a play on her
nickname, had blush pink velvet furniture and white carpet, where guests were served champagne in
monogrammed glasses. The groom’s room was game day themed to highlight his experience as a
Spur and Bevo handler, and the bride as a Texas cheerleader. The bar served two signature drinks:
Bevo’s Bourbon and DKR. There were also two dance floors, with one designed to be more intimate
for toasts and the couple’s first dance. The wedding cake, designed by The Chocolate Llama,
even put a twist on the traditional red velvet cake by being dyed blush pink.
At 10 pm, a surprise after party kicked off in a separate ballroom, featuring a collection of Chinoiserie vases, gold and orchid walls, a wall to wall custom dance floor, over-sized burnt orange floral arrangements, and a ceiling covered in balloons creating a lounge club vibe…and the fun went well into the night. The end of the evening featured the bride’s favorite moment, a private last dance with her new husband. “We danced to Cowboy Take Me Away by The Chicks. “It was so special to have a private moment together, and I loved getting to soak it all in one last time before we exited,” recalls the bride.
The bride is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and works at Gottesman Residential Real Estate.
The groom also graduated from UT Austin and is a Senior Associate at Evergen Equity. The couple honeymooned in the South of France and reside in Austin.
