Love, Family & Lakeside Vows: A Cedar Creek Lake Wedding at Sunrise Point

The ceremony · The reception · What your wedding here could look like · Vendors who know this property · Schedule a tour

 

Every wedding on this peninsula has its own story. This one was personal for us in ways most are not. The groom is Sue's son, Casey, and his bride Crystal had dreamed of a Cedar Creek Lake wedding for years. But what made it remarkable was not the family connection. It was what this property did for a group of people who loved each other and needed a place worthy of that. That is what Sunrise Point does for every couple who books a wedding here.

If you are researching outdoor lakeside wedding venues near Dallas, this post shows you a real wedding that happened on this peninsula: every detail, every vendor, every moment. At the end, it shows you how your wedding gets here too.

Ready to see the property in person before you read further?

 

 

After months of planning across the miles, Crystal and Casey in Houston and the family here in Malakoff, it was finally time. The day was perfect. A gentle breeze balanced the warm October sun. The property looked as good as it ever has. Late blooms were in full color, the grass stretched green across the lawn, and the trees stood tall and full.

October is one of the most photographed months at Sunrise Point. The light angle in fall means golden hour starts around 5pm and lasts for nearly an hour. The water is still warm enough to reflect without surface chop. The native oaks have not dropped yet so the canopy is full over the ceremony lawn. Couples who book October consistently produce the photographs that stay with them for years. Spring weddings get dogwood and warming water. Fall weddings get the full canopy and that particular East Texas golden hour. Every season on this peninsula has its version of the day Casey and Crystal had.

And, as if to bless the occasion, Foxy, our resident fox, made a surprise appearance. Some things you cannot plan for. Some things you do not need to do.

We held the ceremony right by the lake. It's one of the best ways to do a Cedar Creek Lake wedding. Family and friends had traveled from near and far. A wooden arch framed the couple, with two broken-arch towers overflowing with Crystal's favorite flower, sunflowers, courtesy of florist Dogwood Designs, who knows exactly how to work with the oaks and the light on the lawn.

Dragonflies buzzed around the lantana in bloom. The sunset cast a warm glow over the lake. Annie, Sue's wife, stepped forward to marry Casey and Crystal. Crystal's sons stood by Casey's side. Casey's daughters stood with Crystal. Two families becoming one, on a peninsula that had held the space for exactly that moment.

At 40 guests the ceremony was intimate enough that everyone heard every word and the lake was visible in almost every photograph. That is the sweet spot at Sunrise Point: the scale where the place and the people are in proportion with each other.

We went with a warm, rustic look for the reception. Wooden farm tables and fruitwood chairs arranged in a U shape. At the center sat the head table, where the bride, groom, and their five kids gathered as a new family. Each guest found a cookie with their name waiting at their seat. Café lights overhead. Signature drinks from Disaronno, Casey's workplace, at the bar. And the wedding cake displayed on Annie's mother's table, a detail that meant more than most decorations ever do.

For dinner: a beef tenderloin carving station, a baked potato bar, and a fresh salad station. Then Casey, Crystal, and their kids entered as the Hartle Cartel, dancing together to “We Are Family.” That entrance was not on the itinerary and it became the moment everyone talked about.

Laughter and dancing continued under the Texas stars. The lighted deck held the party. The fire pit held the conversations afterward. And because the cottages were right there, nobody from the family core had to drive anywhere, because the people who mattered most were already home. The evening ended the way the best evenings do: slowly, without anyone wanting it to be over.

Sunday morning, nobody wanted to leave. That is not a side effect. That is the point.

The cottages mean the wedding does not end Saturday night. The people who matter most, the couple, the wedding party, the immediate family, are already there when Sunday comes. Coffee on the porches. The dock in the early quiet. The lake doing its slow, unhurried thing. Nobody has to drive somewhere for brunch. Nobody has a checkout clock running in the back of their head before 10am.

This is what most wedding venues cannot offer and what almost every couple mentions when they tell someone else about Sunrise Point. Not the ceremony. Not the photographs. Not the reception. The Sunday morning when nobody was in a hurry and the whole weekend was still there.

Casey and Crystal's wedding was personal in ways most weddings are not. But the care we brought to that day is the same care we bring to every couple who books this property. We host four weddings a year, which means your wedding gets the same attention their wedding did, not a fraction of it.

Here is what it looks like when a couple who does not own the property has their wedding here.

They find Sunrise Point the way most couples do: searching for an outdoor lakeside wedding venue near Dallas, or following a link from a friend who stayed here for a weekend getaway. They schedule a tour. They walk the peninsula and stand in the spot where Casey and Crystal said their vows. One of them says something to the other that they do not say out loud to us, but we see it happen every time.

They book the date, usually 9 to 12 months out for a spring or fall weekend. Their wedding planner contacts us. Their vendors drive out and walk the property. The florist sees the oaks. The photographer shoots test frames at 5pm. The caterer maps the serving flow from the prep area to the tables.

Saturday arrives. The ceremony at the lake. The reception runs until the dancing deck feels like somewhere nobody wants to leave. The four cottages fill up with the people they love most.

If you have been trying to picture what your wedding weekend actually looks like, not just the ceremony, not just the reception, but the whole three days, this is what it looks like at Sunrise Point.

Sunrise Point hosts four weddings a year on a private 3-acre peninsula. We have a dedicated outdoor weddings page, a flat-rate package, and a vendor list built from years of hosting couples on this property. If you want to understand what your wedding here would actually look like, the timeline, the logistics, what is included, that is exactly what the tour is for. 

 

The vendors who worked Casey and Crystal's wedding are not just the people who showed up that day. They are people who have already solved every challenge a private peninsula brings. Dogwood Designs knows this arch. Leah Clayton Photography has shot this western light. Two Danes DJ has run sound on this lawn.

These vendors work weddings here for outside couples. They are not exclusive to family events. When you tour, we give you the full recommended vendor list with context.

The vendors from Casey and Crystal's wedding:

• Dogwood Designs — florals and ceremony arch. ddfloralco.com

• Babe Makeup & Artistry — bridal party hair and makeup. babemakeupartistry.com

• Two Danes DJ — music and sound. twodanesdjs.com

• Leah Clayton Photography — all wedding photography. leahclaytonphoto.com

• KaraBoo's Bakery — wedding cake. (903) 681-9568

 

Sunrise Point at Cedar Creek Lake:

What we have learned after hosting weddings on this peninsula is that the part couples remember is rarely what they planned for. It is the Friday morning before the wedding, when the property is being set up and there is nothing left for the couple to do but walk to the dock and drink coffee in the quiet. It is Saturday night when the dancing goes longer than anyone expected. It is Sunday morning when the cottages are still full and nobody is checking the clock. That is what this property does. We build it for that. Every wedding we host, four a year, not forty, gets the full weight of our attention.

 

 

Text this to who you know needs to see it.

A real wedding on a private 3-acre peninsula at Cedar Creek Lake, 90 minutes from Dallas. They had 40 guests, four cottages, the ceremony by the water, the reception under the stars. The vendors in the list above know this property. The owners live on it. The photos on this page are from an actual wedding day, not a styled shoot. If your date is open, it will not stay open long.

 

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A: Outside couples are welcome and make up the majority of weddings on this property. Sunrise Point hosts four weddings a year, typically two in spring and two in fall, and the booking process is open to any couple planning an outdoor lakeside wedding. The Casey and Crystal wedding shared on this page is one example of what the property looks like on a wedding day. Your wedding would be your own version of the same.

A: One flat-rate package, Under the Stars, at $12,000 including sales tax. No hidden site fees, no per-guest charges. The package covers 10 hours on the property, ceremony and reception furniture, all four lakeside cottages for three nights, the lighted pool and dancing deck, ceremony arch, aged wine barrels, parking shuttles, and the outdoor comfort station. A 12 to 15-minute fireworks display is a $2,000 add-on. Full package details are on the outdoor weddings page.

A: Up to 150 guests. The sweet spot is around 75 to 125. At that count, the lake is visible in almost every ceremony photograph and the scale feels proportionate to the property. Casey and Crystal's wedding had 40 guests.

A: Yes. All four lakeside cottages are included with every wedding for a three-night stay, Thursday 3pm through Sunday 11am. The cottages typically host the couple, immediate family, and wedding party. For other guests, hotels and vacation rentals in nearby Athens and Mabank are 15 to 30 minutes away.

A: The vendors listed in this post have worked weddings at Sunrise Point for outside couples. They are not exclusive to family events. When you tour, we provide a full recommended vendor list with context about how each vendor has worked on our property.

A: Most couples book 9 to 12 months in advance for spring or fall dates. With only four weddings on the calendar each year, specific dates go quickly. If a date matters, reach out early.

A: Yes. The property is owned and run by Sue and Annie, a married couple. Annie has officiated weddings on-site including same-sex ceremonies. Every couple is welcomed with the same care and planning detail.

A: Spring, March through May, and fall, September through November. The Casey and Crystal wedding was in October, which is one of the most photographed months on the property. The light angle in fall produces exceptional ceremony and reception photographs. Spring weddings get dogwood color and warm water. Both seasons book early with a four-wedding annual cap.

A: We begin talking about rain contingency on the tour. We work with local tent vendors who know this footprint and have set up here before. Every couple has a specific weather plan conversation with us during the planning process. By the time your wedding weekend arrives, the contingency is already decided.

 

 

Sunrise Point at Cedar Creek Lake. Owned and operated since 2020 by the couple who lives on this peninsula, Annie and Sue. They personally answer every wedding inquiry. Call or text at (903) 904-7500.

Last updated: May 2026