Commodore Perry Estate is a walled property of nearly 10 acres on Waller Creek in central Austin. Most of the weddings we film here revolve around the Chapel, which hosts the ceremony and then becomes the dance floor. The trick is the flip in between, and how you spend the hour while it happens.
Hero photo: Commodore Perry Estate
Suites and the morning
Because the estate is also a hotel, getting ready happens on site. At a September wedding we filmed, the bride used the Magnolia suite, the groom used the Mountain Laurel suite and vendors worked out of the Garden Nook. The venue brought brunch to the bride's suite, which made for easy, relaxed morning footage.
With no first look, we split up: one of us with the bride for outdoor portraits around 3:00, the other inside with the groom and his family.
Photo: Commodore Perry Estate
The Chapel
The Chapel is a restored, non-denominational space of about 1,600 square feet with stained glass, vaulted ceilings and stone floors, and doors that open to the gardens. It has its own audio-visual system, but we still mic the officiant and couple ourselves.
At one wedding, the photographer and lighting company ran a lighting test in the Chapel at 3:45, before guests arrived. We recommend that. The room changes completely between a 4:30 ceremony and a candlelit reception, and a test is the only way to see it on camera ahead of time.
Photo: Commodore Perry Estate
The flip and the gardens
After the ceremony, guests go outside for cocktail hour, on the Chapel lawn or near the entry, while the Chapel is reset with a dance floor, band or DJ, tables and bar. We use that hour for family photos and couple portraits in the formal gardens.
Some couples keep dinner and dancing in the Chapel. One March couple seated dinner in a tent in the Sunken Garden, then moved everyone back into the Chapel for first dances and the band. Both work. The tent version gives the crew more time for the flip, while the all-Chapel version keeps guests in one place.
Sound and rules
This is the rule that shapes the day: the venue allows amplified music only inside the Chapel or on the Chapel Terrace, through a DJ or live band. The lawns are acoustic only, which is why ceremony strings and cocktail hour musicians tend to stay unplugged.
- A wedding planner is required, involved at least three months before the date.
- Rental deliveries for one couple came in through the back gate.
- Lutie's, the estate's restaurant, worked well for a Friday welcome dinner, and the Mansion Dining Room and Terrace hosted a Sunday brunch.
- Send-offs we filmed were on the stairs at 10:00 and at 11:30.
A real day here
A September Saturday we filmed here (September 2026)
| 2:30 PM | Bride into her dress in the Magnolia suite |
| 3:00 PM | Bride's outdoor portraits; groom's getting-ready coverage inside |
| 3:30 PM | Groom's portraits with his family |
| 3:45 PM | Lighting test in the Chapel with the photographer and lighting team |
| 4:00 PM | Guests arrive and string musicians begin; bride waits in her suite |
| 4:30 PM | Ceremony in the Chapel |
| 5:30 PM | Cocktail hour on the Chapel lawn; family and couple portraits; Chapel flip begins |
| 6:30 PM | Guests return to the Chapel for dinner |
| 6:40 PM | Grand entrance straight into the first dance, then welcome and blessing |
| 7:00 PM | Cake cutting while guests are seated (sunset 7:05) |
| 7:15 PM | Parent dances during the cake course |
| 7:45 PM | Drape pulls back, band and horns begin, dance floor opens |
| 9:45 PM | Last dance with all guests, then a group photo on the stairs |
| 10:00 PM | Send-off on the stairs |
Sample timelines by season
Sunset in Austin moves by three hours across the year, and it decides almost everything else on the timeline. Here is how we would shape a day at Commodore Perry Estate in each season. Times are a starting point; your planner and venue will tune them.
Spring
| 3:00 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 4:00 PM | First look with dad, then a bridesmaid reveal |
| 4:15 PM | Groom's portraits with his parents and groomsmen |
| 5:00 PM | Wedding party tucked away in the Magnolia suite as guests arrive |
| 5:45 PM | Ceremony in the Chapel |
| 6:15 PM | Cocktail hour on the Chapel lawn; family photos first, then the wedding party |
| 6:45 PM | Couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 7:15 PM | Grand entrance in the Chapel and dinner |
| 7:30 PM | Quick sunset portraits, about 10 minutes |
| 8:15 PM | Toasts, cake cutting, first dance and parent dances |
| 8:45 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 11:05 PM | Private last dance, then send-off |
In March, one couple added a tent in the Sunken Garden for dinner and kept the Chapel for dancing.
Summer
| 3:00 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 4:00 PM | First look, then couple portraits |
| 4:35 PM | Wedding party portraits, then immediate family |
| 5:20 PM | Couple tucked away in the Magnolia suite; guests arrive |
| 6:00 PM | Ceremony in the Chapel |
| 6:30 PM | Cocktail hour on the Chapel lawn; extended family photos |
| 7:30 PM | Grand entrance in the Chapel and dinner |
| 8:00 PM | Couple slips out for golden hour, about 15 minutes |
| 8:30 PM | Toasts, then first dance and parent dances |
| 9:00 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 11:30 PM | Send-off |
Fall
| 1:45 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 2:45 PM | Bride with her bridesmaids, groom with his groomsmen, separately |
| 3:15 PM | Each side's family photos, still apart |
| 3:45 PM | Guests arrive; couple hidden in the Magnolia suite |
| 4:15 PM | Ceremony in the Chapel, first sight at the aisle |
| 4:45 PM | Family photos at the ceremony site |
| 5:00 PM | Wedding party photos, then couple portraits while guests enjoy a long cocktail hour on the Chapel lawn |
| 6:00 PM | Grand entrance in the Chapel straight into the first dance |
| 6:10 PM | Dinner |
| 6:30 PM | Golden hour portraits between courses |
| 7:00 PM | Toasts and parent dances, dance floor opens |
| 9:45 PM | Send-off |
In mid September the sun set around 7:05, so portraits during a 5:30 cocktail hour still had good light.
Winter
| 1:45 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 2:45 PM | Separate portraits with the wedding party; no first look |
| 4:00 PM | Guests arrive to live music |
| 4:45 PM | Ceremony in the Chapel, timed for the last of the light |
| 5:10 PM | Recessional; family photos first, while the light holds |
| 5:15 PM | Cocktail hour on the Chapel lawn into dusk |
| 5:25 PM | Golden hour couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 6:05 PM | Grand entrance in the Chapel, first dance, then dinner |
| 6:55 PM | Toasts and parent dances |
| 7:25 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 9:45 PM | Send-off |
Photo: Commodore Perry Estate
Common questions
Can we have a band outside at Commodore Perry Estate?
No. Amplified music is allowed only inside the Chapel or on the Chapel Terrace through a DJ or live band. Outdoor lawns are limited to acoustic music.
Do we need a wedding planner?
Yes. The estate requires a planner for all weddings, involved at least three months before the date.
What happens to the Chapel between the ceremony and reception?
Guests move outside for cocktail hour while the venue, rental company, florist and band reset the room for dinner or dancing.
Is there a room block requirement?
The estate says a room block is not required to host an event on site.
Planning a wedding here? Send us your date and we will tell you how we would film it.