Woodbine Mansion sits on a full city block in downtown Round Rock, and the house does a lot of the work for us. The columned front, the staircase and the second-floor suites give us real places to film instead of a blank room. The day moves between the lawns and the house in short walks, which keeps our coverage tight.
Hero photo: Woodbine Mansion
Getting ready upstairs
The venue reserves the whole second floor for the wedding party, with seven dressing suites. That keeps both sides of the morning under one roof, so we can move between the bridal suite and the groom's suite in a minute or two.
At an April wedding we filmed, the first look with the bride's father happened in the Checkered Room. The site describes a second-floor sunroom with checkered tile and arched windows, which gives us window light for close-ups.
Photo: Woodbine Mansion
Ceremony on the lawn or at the steps
Woodbine lists several ceremony spots: the gazebo, the mansion steps, the magnolia tree, the West Trellis Lawn and the newer Northwest Lawn, where the aisle can face either way. We filmed an April ceremony at 4:30 under a greenery arch on the lawn, with the wedding party lining up on the mansion staircase before walking out.
The Grand Entrance is the shot most couples want. A brick path runs from the front gate up to the columns, and it works for the ceremony, portraits and the send-off. At a January wedding, the planner drove the bride and her father around to the front circle drive in a car so they could appear right at the start of the processional.
Photo: Woodbine Mansion
Cocktail hour, reception and the tent
Cocktail hour usually moves inside the mansion and onto the porches while the ceremony space is flipped. We use that window for family and couple portraits, then grab a few minutes of the couple eating in a quiet room before introductions.
From December through February, a 60 by 66 foot clear-top tent with string lighting is set up on the East Magnolia Lawn and included in the rental. In January, sunset came at 5:48, so we finished first looks and wedding party portraits before a 4:00 ceremony. Plan the same way for any winter date here.
Rules and logistics worth knowing
Full wedding rentals include 12 consecutive hours of access, and the receptions we filmed ended with a 10:00 send-off off the front porch stairs and vendors out by 11:00.
- Catering must come from Woodbine's approved list. The venue is BYOB, but the caterer serves the alcohol, and bar service caps at five hours.
- A coordinator is required on site from the first non-beauty vendor arrival until breakdown is finished.
- Planners we worked with noted no tape on any floors and that vendors bring their own extension cords.
- Guests can use the lot behind the mansion, street parking on Main Street, or the free City Hall garage a block away.
- For 100 or more guests, the venue strongly encourages a tent plan in case of rain.
A real day here
A spring wedding we filmed here (April 2026)
| 1:00 PM | Photo and video coverage begins in the bridal suite |
| 2:30 PM | Bride into her gown |
| 3:00 PM | Groomsmen dressed in the groom's suite, boutonnieres pinned |
| 3:15 PM | Groom's portraits |
| 3:30 PM | First look with the bride's father in the Checkered Room |
| 4:00 PM | Ceremony set at the greenery arch on the lawn; bride stays out of sight |
| 4:20 PM | Wedding party and family line up on the mansion staircase |
| 4:30 PM | Ceremony on the lawn |
| 5:00 PM | Cocktail hour inside the mansion and on the porch; family and couple portraits |
| 5:30 PM | Couple eats privately in the Checkered Room while the ceremony space is flipped |
| 6:00 PM | Introductions and first dance on the lawn, then plated dinner |
| 6:45 PM | Toasts, followed by parent dances at 7:00 |
| 7:45 PM | Private cake cutting in the Cake Room |
| 10:00 PM | Send-off from the front porch 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 Woodbine Mansion in each season. Times are a starting point; your planner and venue will tune them.
Spring
| 4:15 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 5:15 PM | Separate portraits with the wedding party; no first look |
| 6:30 PM | Guests arrive to live music |
| 7:15 PM | Ceremony on the lawn, timed for the last of the light |
| 7:40 PM | Recessional; family photos first, while the light holds |
| 7:45 PM | Cocktail hour into dusk |
| 7:55 PM | Golden hour couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 8:35 PM | Grand entrance, first dance, then dinner |
| 9:25 PM | Toasts and parent dances |
| 9:55 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 11:30 PM | Send-off |
Wisteria covers the white pergola in spring, and in April the sun set just before 8:00, well after dinner started.
Summer
| 3:30 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 4:30 PM | First look with dad, then a bridesmaid reveal |
| 4:45 PM | Groom's portraits with his parents and groomsmen |
| 5:30 PM | Wedding party tucked away in the bridal suite as guests arrive |
| 6:15 PM | Ceremony on the lawn |
| 6:45 PM | Cocktail hour; family photos first, then the wedding party |
| 7:15 PM | Couple portraits, about 20 minutes |
| 7:45 PM | Grand entrance and dinner |
| 8:05 PM | Quick sunset portraits, about 10 minutes |
| 8:45 PM | Toasts, cake cutting, first dance and parent dances |
| 9:15 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 11:35 PM | Private last dance, then send-off |
Fall
| 1:30 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 2:30 PM | First look, then couple portraits |
| 3:05 PM | Wedding party portraits, then immediate family |
| 3:50 PM | Couple tucked away in the bridal suite; guests arrive |
| 4:30 PM | Ceremony on the lawn |
| 5:00 PM | Cocktail hour; extended family photos |
| 6:00 PM | Grand entrance and dinner |
| 6:25 PM | Couple slips out for golden hour, about 15 minutes |
| 7:00 PM | Toasts, then first dance and parent dances |
| 7:30 PM | Dance floor opens |
| 10:00 PM | Send-off |
Winter
| 12:15 PM | Coverage begins with details and getting ready |
| 1:15 PM | Bride with her bridesmaids, groom with his groomsmen, separately |
| 1:45 PM | Each side's family photos, still apart |
| 2:15 PM | Guests arrive; couple hidden in the bridal suite |
| 2:45 PM | Ceremony on the lawn, first sight at the aisle |
| 3:15 PM | Family photos at the ceremony site |
| 3:30 PM | Wedding party photos, then couple portraits while guests enjoy a long cocktail hour |
| 4:30 PM | Grand entrance straight into the first dance |
| 4:40 PM | Dinner |
| 5:00 PM | Golden hour portraits between courses |
| 5:30 PM | Toasts and parent dances, dance floor opens |
| 8:15 PM | Send-off |
The clear-top winter tent is included December through February, and a January sunset at 5:48 meant all portraits happened before the 4:00 ceremony.
Photo: Woodbine Mansion
Common questions
Where can you have the ceremony at Woodbine Mansion?
The venue lists the gazebo, the mansion steps at the Grand Entrance, the magnolia tree, the West Trellis Lawn and the Northwest Lawn, plus the ballroom and parlors inside.
Is there a rain plan?
From December through February an enclosed clear-top tent is included. The rest of the year couples can book Woodbine's in-house tent as a Plan A option or reserve a rain-plan tent through approved rental partners.
Can we bring our own alcohol?
Yes. Woodbine is BYOB, but your approved caterer must serve it, and bar service is limited to five hours.
Where do guests park?
There is a lot behind the mansion, free street parking along Main Street and the side streets, and a free City Hall garage one block away.
Planning a wedding here? Send us your date and we will tell you how we would film it.