Imagine blue skies and fields of bluebonnets as far as the eye can see and rolling hillsides that support historic properties, Texas livestock, beautiful rivers and creeks and the warmest and welcoming people you will ever want to meet.
Welcome to Washington County and an ideal location for romantic weddings. Washington County, located 88 miles east of Austin on highway 290, includes the towns of Brenham, Chappell Hill, Independence, Washington and Burton, and is a perfect place for a wedding if you are looking for romantic ambience.
Immersed in Texas history, Washington County was the birthplace of the Republic of Texas and its first capital. This charming location was the home of many couples who began their lives together.
Washington County has many venues for weddings, wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners. If you’ve ever dreamed of being treated with true southern hospitality on your wedding day consider Lillian Farms Bed and Breakfast. This charming bed and breakfast is set on a 230-acre cattle ranch with a Victorian home that looks like it’s from another era but was recently reconstructed. And the house, like all the amenities on the property, has many modern conveniences and can host weddings with as few as five guests to as many as 300. “Lillian Farms is the ultimate destination wedding, explains” owner Barbara Segal. “Many of our couples and their families spend several days with us before the wedding so they can truly enjoy one another”. Most weddings at Lillian Farms are outdoors while some brides choose to have an intimate ceremony on the wrap-around porch. Receptions can be held under the Texas sky or in the amazing ballroom that is on the second story of the stables which includes cathedral ceilings and picture windows overlooking the entire property.
Truly historic is planning your wedding in the true spirit of Texas on the land where the founding fathers of
Texas declared independence on March 2, 1836. Washington-on-the-Brazos State historic site sits on 290 acres along the Brazos River and has recently undergone $6 million in renovations. Weddings are held in the Washington-on-the-Brazos amphitheater, which seats up to 2,000 or in the conference center that seats 250.
Sitting on acres in Lonesome Pines and surrounded by the rolling hills is Texas Ranch Life listed as one of the ten best examples of 19th Century residential architecture and is in the National Register of Historic Places. Texas Ranch Life today is an elegant setting for weddings and receptions. Picture this mansion with a beveled glass grand entrance to original hardwood flooring and fireplaces as well as lace panels on the large window, which provides a striking setting. This has been a popular local wedding facility since 1823. At Texas Ranch Life you have several choices to choose from for your wedding. A chapel, originally built as a country church in 1920 with wood floors and beaded walls and ceilings, is wonderful for a small wedding of 80 guests or so. Outdoors you may choose the ranch’s oak grove that sits atop a hill with a view to remember. This ranch has guest accommodations for up to 50 guests and is a remarkable location for a destination wedding.
Have your guests arrive early to Washington County or have them stay after you’ve long departed. In addition to the rugged beauty of the Texas landscape, there are many activities to explore.
In the Blue Bell Country Store and Ice Cream Parlor your guests will think they have gone to heaven as they enjoy a scoop of buttered pecan ice cream after they tour the Blue Bell Creamery.
If they enjoy seeing small miniature horses and arts and crafts, then your guests will like the Monastery of St. Clare where the Franciscan Poor Clare nuns support this monastery by raising small miniature horses and selling arts and crafts.
And learn the history of the most unique state in the union with a visit to Washington-on-the-Brazos or the Brenham Heritage Museum. The Chappell Hill Historic District includes a one of a kind visitor’s center in the restored Provident Baptist Church Parsonage. And for the shoppers in the crowd, Washington County has an abundance of antique stores, unique gift shops, galleries, and a delightful farmers’ market.
Washington County is so convenient to Austin and is a place you’ll most likely never forget the rolling hills, fields of bluebonnets and great wedding and reception locations for just the right mix for the modern-day bride.
