Lauren Thompson & William Bailey
Lauren Elizabeth Thompson and William Ross Bailey exchanged wedding vows on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at half-past six at Highland Park United Methodist Church. The Rev. Matt Tuggle, executive minister and groomsman, officiated the ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Philp Thompson, Jr. of University Park. She is the granddaughter of the late Ms. Dorothy Eloise Malone of Highland Park, the late Mr. Jacques Bergerac of Biarritz, France, the late Mrs. Mary Carol Thompson McKean, and the late Mr. John Philp Thompson, both of Highland Park.
The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy William Bailey of Preston Hollow. He is the grandson of the late Mr. Arthur William Bailey, Jr., the late Mrs. Roberta Hatch Bailey of Waco, Texas, the late Mr. Emmett Marshall Ross, and the late Mrs. Dorothy Dodd Ross of Grand Prairie, Texas.
The Wedding Weekend began with the Rehearsal Dinner at The Mansion on Turtle Creek hosted by the groom’s parents. The special evening started with a private cocktail party in the Mansion Bar. The Veranda glowed with the beauty of the candle-lit room filled with all white flowers accented with touches of blue and silver. The seated-dinner was followed by an after-party featuring the Ray Johnston Band.
The bride was escorted down the aisle on the arm of her father and presented in marriage by her parents. For her wedding dress, Lauren wore an elegant, one-of-a-kind couture gown designed by Nardos. The fitted, silk faille strapless gown had French lace appliqués beaded with crystals and a sweeping cathedral length train. Covered buttons down the back of the dress accentuated the timeless look. Her ethereal veil gracefully extended past the edges of her train and featured the same lace scattered along the trim. A piece of lace from her mother’s wedding dress was sewn into her gown with her married monogram adorned in blue – representing Lauren’s something old and something blue. Lauren carried a white silk hand-tied bouquet of orchids, roses, and hydrangeas.
Assisting the bride as matron of honor was her sister, Caroline Thompson Richards. Bridesmaids included Bridget Dodd Bailey, Laura Carroll Cartwright, Sarah Adelaide Ehrlich, Katherine Mills Gibson, Julia Skorburg Grisham, Madison McKinley Isner, Shelby Mayer Johnson, Katie Collins Miller, Isabel Leaman O’Neill, Britain Bailey Peakes, Kiley Dunlap Pipkin, Merritt Ames Shivitz and Leslie Asha Ticku.
Members of the house party were Charlotte McHenry Blount, Macon Howard Blount, Sarah Theresa Christian, Kenner Smith Francis, Claire Anderson Galpern, Lindsay Elyse Marsh, and Hattie Grace Wheeler.
Hayes Crawford Richards and Cooper Arthur Peakes were the ring bearers, and Cameron Nadine Peakes served as her flower girl.
Attending the groom as best man was his father, Roy William Bailey. Groomsmen included Greer Mayberry Bickley, Richard Emery Byrd, Jr., Toby Joe Loftin, John Russell Green Ordway, David Greer Oxford, Matthew Morgan Peakes, John Philp Thompson III, William Crawford Thompson, Matthew Alfton Tuggle, Timothy Sanders Wallis, Richard Edgar Walsh, Neth Sommer Wiedemann, and John Forrest Williamson.
The ushers were John Bratton Doak, Patrick Joel Hurley, Jarrett Newton Link, William Michael Prieur, James Moody Proctor III, and David Joseph Richards.
A reception followed the ceremony at Brook Hollow Golf Club. The evening began with a garden-inspired cocktail party in the Oak Room. Cascading blush and white roses and hydrangeas surrounded the passageways welcoming guests into the ballroom. The bride and groom stepped onto the monogrammed dance floor for the first dance of the evening to “This Will Be” by Natalie Cole. A room off the ballroom was transformed into the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, paying tribute to one of the bride’s favorite destinations. Known as the Pink Palace, the bride incorporated the color pink and the hotel’s iconic Martinique banana leaf print into the decorations of the bar. The bride’s cake was a stunning seven-layer cake with a delicate design adorned with fresh white flowers, while the groom’s cake was a replica of The University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium; it even had the fight song around the edge! The reception included food stations from the bride and groom’s favorite restaurants. The evening ended with the newlyweds departing from Brook Hollow with sparklers and driving off in a white 1954 Ford Convertible.
The bride is a graduate of Highland Park High School. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Relations from the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin. Lauren was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, where she served as Pledge Class President and Pledge Trainer. She is a client service associate for Wealth Partners Alliance, which is affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services.
The groom is a graduate of The Episcopal School of Dallas. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the Culverhouse College of Business at The University of Alabama, where he was President of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After managing the late T. Boone Pickens’ Energy Horizons Fund, he founded Saltstone Capital Management, an energy investment firm in 2016.
Upon their return from a honeymoon in France, which paid tribute to the bride’s heritage and where the groom’s parents honeymooned, the couple has made Dallas their home.
