Stonehouse Villa is in Driftwood, about 35 minutes from Austin, built around a stone house with suites upstairs and a separate reception hall. Ceremonies happen under the live oaks on wooden benches. The drive matters, and so does the timing of the light, and both shaped the September Friday we filmed here.
Hero photo: Stonehouse Villa
The spaces
Getting ready happens upstairs in the house, in suites with their own restrooms. Downstairs there is a foyer the venue suggests for pre ceremony photos. The ceremony site sits under the oaks; our couple had ten rows of benches, six to a side, for about 120 guests.
Cocktail hour used the porch under a tent top plus the grass near a mobile bar. The reception hall is 3,400 square feet. It has a TV on the wall that can show a monogram, or be stored if you would rather not see it in your film.
Photo: Stonehouse Villa
The drive and the shuttles
Our couple got ready at a downtown hotel and finished hair and makeup at 1:30 PM before heading out. Guests rode two 49 passenger coaches that left downtown at 4:20 and arrived at 5:15, fifteen minutes before the ceremony.
An early bus loaded at 9:00 PM for guests who wanted to leave, then came back for the final run. Both buses loaded at 11:00 and were gone by 11:20. If your guests stay in town, this is the plan we would copy.
Photo: Stonehouse Villa
Golden hour and portraits
Sunset that day was 7:22 PM, with golden hour starting around 6:22. The ceremony ran 5:30 to 6:00, so extended family photos came first and couple portraits started at 6:30, right in the best light, before the bustle and a late entrance to cocktail hour.
The ceremony arch was moved behind the head table after the ceremony, so reception room shots waited until the florals were repurposed. Plan your detail coverage around that move.
Vendor notes
A few house rules from the day that are easy to miss:
- Vendors move their vehicles out of the driveway after unloading and park in the general lot.
- No tape on the floors of any kind.
- DJs bring their own extension cords.
- On our day the venue opened to vendors at 2:00 PM and everyone was out at midnight.
A real day here
A late September Friday we filmed here (September 2024)
| 1:30 PM | Hair and makeup done at the downtown hotel; couple heads to the venue |
| 2:00 PM | Venue opens for vendors |
| 3:00 PM | Photo and video coverage begins in the bridal suite |
| 3:30 PM | Bride into gown |
| 4:00 PM | Private first look |
| 4:15 PM | Father first look, wedding party and immediate family photos |
| 4:20 PM | Guest coaches leave downtown |
| 5:00 PM | Wedding party tucked away in the bridal suite and house |
| 5:30 PM | Ceremony under the oaks |
| 6:00 PM | Cocktail hour on the porch and lawn |
| 6:30 PM | Couple portraits during golden hour |
| 7:10 PM | Reception begins with entrances, then family style dinner |
| 8:15 PM | Toasts, parent dances and first dance |
| 11:00 PM | No formal send off; music fades, lights up, buses load |
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 Stonehouse Villa in each season. Times are a starting point; your planner and venue will tune them.
Spring
| 2:45 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 3:45 PM | Bride with her bridesmaids, groom with his groomsmen, separately |
| 4:15 PM | Each side's family photos, still apart |
| 4:45 PM | Guests arrive; couple hidden in the bridal suite |
| 5:15 PM | Ceremony under the oaks, first sight at the aisle |
| 5:45 PM | Family photos at the ceremony site |
| 6:00 PM | Wedding party photos, then couple portraits while guests enjoy a long cocktail hour on the porch |
| 7:00 PM | Grand entrance straight into the first dance |
| 7:10 PM | Dinner |
| 7:30 PM | Golden hour portraits between courses |
| 8:00 PM | Toasts and parent dances, dance floor opens |
| 10:45 PM | Send-off |
Summer
| 4:45 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 5:45 PM | Separate portraits with the wedding party; no first look |
| 7:00 PM | Guests arrive to live music |
| 7:45 PM | Ceremony under the oaks, timed for the last of the light |
| 8:10 PM | Recessional; family photos first, while the light holds |
| 8:15 PM | Cocktail hour on the porch into dusk |
| 8:25 PM | Golden hour couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 9:05 PM | Grand entrance, first dance, then dinner |
| 9:55 PM | Toasts and parent dances |
| 10:25 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 11:30 PM | Send-off |
Fall
| 2:00 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 3:00 PM | First look with dad, then a bridesmaid reveal |
| 3:15 PM | Groom's portraits with his parents and groomsmen |
| 4:00 PM | Wedding party tucked away in the bridal suite as guests arrive |
| 4:45 PM | Ceremony under the oaks |
| 5:15 PM | Cocktail hour on the porch; family photos first, then the wedding party |
| 5:45 PM | Couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 6:15 PM | Grand entrance and dinner |
| 6:30 PM | Quick sunset portraits, about 10 minutes |
| 7:15 PM | Toasts, cake cutting, first dance and parent dances |
| 7:45 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 10:05 PM | Private last dance, then send-off |
In late September sunset was 7:22 PM, so a 5:30 PM ceremony left couple portraits at 6:30 in golden hour.
Winter
| 12:00 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 1:00 PM | First look, then couple portraits |
| 1:35 PM | Wedding party portraits, then immediate family |
| 2:20 PM | Couple tucked away in the bridal suite; guests arrive |
| 3:00 PM | Ceremony under the oaks |
| 3:30 PM | Cocktail hour on the porch; extended family photos |
| 4:30 PM | Grand entrance and dinner |
| 4:55 PM | Couple slips out for golden hour, about 15 minutes |
| 5:30 PM | Toasts, then first dance and parent dances |
| 6:00 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 8:30 PM | Send-off |
Photo: Stonehouse Villa
Common questions
How far is Stonehouse Villa from Austin?
The venue says it is about 35 minutes from Austin, in Driftwood just outside Dripping Springs.
Where are ceremonies held at Stonehouse Villa?
Outdoors under the live oaks, with wooden benches. The couple we filmed seated about 120 guests on ten rows of benches.
Is there a getting ready space?
Yes. The suites are upstairs in the house and have private restrooms.
Planning a wedding here? Send us your date and we will tell you how we would film it.