Photography by Darren L. Roberts
There are so many reasons Lake Highlands makes us beam with pride, but the wedding between Lake Highlands High School grads Lizzie Milam-Henry and Toby Henry is definitely on the top of that list. The couple met in high school, but reconnected on Facebook years later. They started dating when she moved back to Dallas after spending some time in Los Angeles.
When Milam-Henry started looking for wedding venues, she remembered that her childhood best friend Hannah Hargrove-Roberts was married at her family’s wrecking yard. Fate intervened, and the junkyard made for the ultimate quirky, do-it-yourself wedding for the Henrys.
Photo by Darren L Roberts
“I wanted something modern, but I’m also fascinated with junk,” says Milam-Henry. “I wanted something classy with antique elements.”
The stacks of old wooden doors, pieces of wrought iron and broken down antique appliances made the perfect canvas for her dream wedding. It didn’t hurt that the venue was quite budget-friendly too. The decorations were mostly DIY and incorporated things they found around the yard.
The rafters were draped with greenery and twinkling lights. A trestle designed by the groom’s father made a beautiful backdrop for the pair. Friends and family decorated the place, and they weren’t afraid to get creative. It rivaled any barnyard or gazebo wedding you’ve seen on Pinterest.
Photo by Darren L Roberts
“We used a lot of stuff from around Orr Reed, stuff we found around the yard,” Milam-Henry says. “It had the DIY salvage elements that I fell in love with. I felt like it was a good metaphor for marriage.”
You might ask yourself “What the heck do I wear to a junk yard wedding?” Turns out, just about anything. Guests wore everything from jeans and bedazzled boots to classic “mother of the bride” wear. And don’t forget the hair dye in shades of green, red and yellow.
The tattooed bride walked down the aisle to the Star Wars theme song, a perfect fit for this quirky wedding. The mother of the bride read a passage from the Bible, and the matron of honor, Hargrove-Roberts, read from the supreme court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which established the right to same-sex marriage. The bride and her firefighter husband made their grand exit to “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash.
“It was the stuff of my dreams, and I couldn’t believe it was mine,” Milam-Henry says.
