HighPointe Estate sits on County Road 258 in Liberty Hill, northwest of Austin, and it was clearly built by people who had worked a lot of weddings. There is an indoor chapel, a large reception room, separate suites, and a restored 1926 Craftsman bungalow for getting ready. Everything is close together, so the day can run tight without anyone rushing.
Hero photo: HighPointe Estate
The spaces
The venue's own description of the Chapel is an old country church with shiplap walls, arched trusses and tall windows. The Gathering Room has a 35 foot ceiling. Both hold up to 300 guests. Outside there are porches, gardens with water features, a ceremony tree and a terrace and lawn, with views toward the San Gabriel River valley.
The Moonlight Bungalow is the old house the owners moved out from East Austin. It is included with Saturday rentals of the Great Hall, and on the October wedding we filmed it was where the bride's side spent the whole morning.
Photo: HighPointe Estate
Getting ready and the first look
Hair and makeup started in the bungalow at 10:00 AM. The groom's side arrived by shuttle and was dressed by 1:30. At 2:00 the couple did something we liked: a first look with the bride still in her robe, in the bridal suite, before she went back to the bungalow to finish.
At 2:30 she moved to the estate's bridal suite to get into her dress, and by 3:00 the family was on site for a first look with her father, a private vow reading with the groom, and as many wedding party and family photos as could fit before the ceremony.
- Ask everyone to clear their belongings out of the bungalow by mid-afternoon so the suite move is quick.
- Detail shots work well in the bridal suite while the couple is still getting ready.
Photo: HighPointe Estate
Ceremony, sunset and cocktail hour
Pre-ceremony music played in the chapel and the ceremony started at 5:00 PM, with a string quartet for the prelude and an unplugged announcement from the officiant. Sunset that day was 6:48 PM, so we had the couple back out at 6:30 for sunset portraits while guests finished cocktail hour on the patio.
After the ceremony the venue reset the chapel with a private dinner table for the couple. It is a good room to eat in quietly for ten minutes, and it gives us a few frames of the two of them alone before the reception picks up.
Reception, band and fireworks
A 12 piece band brought its own stage and facade and loaded in during the afternoon. The ballroom opened to guests at 6:30, with entrances at 6:45 and dinner, cake, toasts and the family dances packed between 7:00 and 8:00.
Around 9:30 the band sent everyone outside for fireworks, then brought them back in for the last set. The couple left at 10:55 through cold sparks with live horns. Facility access ran from 10:00 AM to midnight.
Getting guests there
Liberty Hill is a drive from most Austin hotels. That couple ran two motorcoaches from a hotel at the Domain, leaving at 3:45 PM for a 4:30 guest arrival, plus a smaller shuttle that took the wedding party back at the end of the night. We would recommend the same setup to anyone with a lot of guests staying in town.
A real day here
An October Saturday we filmed here (October 2024)
| 10:00 AM | Facility opens; hair and makeup begin in the bungalow |
| 1:30 PM | Groom fully dressed |
| 2:00 PM | Video arrives; robe first look in the bridal suite |
| 2:30 PM | Bride moves to the estate's bridal suite to dress |
| 3:00 PM | First look with her father, private vows, family and wedding party photos |
| 3:45 PM | Shuttles leave the hotel |
| 4:30 PM | Guests arrive; music begins in the chapel |
| 5:00 PM | Ceremony in the chapel |
| 5:30 PM | Cocktail hour on the patio; family photos |
| 6:30 PM | Sunset portraits (sunset 6:48 PM); ballroom opens |
| 7:40 PM | Cake, toasts, first dance and family dances |
| 9:30 PM | Guests move outside for fireworks |
| 10:55 PM | Cold spark departure; motorcoaches return guests to the hotel |
| 12:00 AM | Facility closes |
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 HighPointe 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 bungalow as guests arrive |
| 5:45 PM | Ceremony in the chapel |
| 6:15 PM | Cocktail hour on the patio; family photos first, then the wedding party |
| 6:45 PM | Couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 7:15 PM | Grand entrance 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 cold spark send-off |
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 bungalow; guests arrive |
| 6:00 PM | Ceremony in the chapel |
| 6:30 PM | Cocktail hour on the patio; extended family photos |
| 7:30 PM | Grand entrance 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 | Cold spark 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 bungalow |
| 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 patio |
| 6:00 PM | Grand entrance 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 | Cold spark send-off |
In late October, sunset fell at 6:48 PM, so a 5:00 PM chapel ceremony left time for sunset portraits during cocktail hour.
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 patio into dusk |
| 5:25 PM | Golden hour couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 6:05 PM | Grand entrance, first dance, then dinner |
| 6:55 PM | Toasts and parent dances |
| 7:25 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 9:45 PM | Cold spark send-off |
Photo: HighPointe Estate
Common questions
Where is HighPointe Estate?
At 5555 County Road 258 in Liberty Hill, Texas, northwest of Austin.
Is there an indoor ceremony space?
Yes. The Chapel is an indoor ceremony room that holds up to 300 guests.
What is the Moonlight Bungalow?
A restored 1926 Craftsman house moved from East Austin. It is included with Saturday rentals of the Great Hall and works well for getting ready.
How long is facility access?
On the wedding we filmed it was 10:00 AM to midnight, with guests departing at 11:00 PM.
Planning a wedding here? Send us your date and we will tell you how we would film it.