Real Weddings

Dallas bride knows just what to do for a classic country club wedding

Kate and Jere Thompson met while ordering margaritas in the cigar bar at Javier's. Kate was home from New York City visiting family for Easter; Jere was in town visiting from Midland. Turns out, the two were meeting up with mutual friends.

After their chance meeting, a poke on Facebook from Jere confirmed that, in fact, it was not just the tequila talking when Kate thought there might be a connection there. And with that, a long distance relationship began.

It wasn't long, about a year, before Kate found her way back to Dallas. And on a random weekend when Kate was planning to visit Jere in Midland, he surprised her at the airport and took her (back to) New York City.

The couple enjoyed a weekend at the Carlyle Hotel, and he proposed in Central Park in the middle of a 12-mile run. The rest, as they say, was history, because this bride knew exactly what to do for her wedding.

"I wanted to have the ceremony at the church I grew up in, and a reception outside under the stars and with a tent," Kate says. "I had always imagined a big tent with lights, dancing, and smiles."

It's safe to say that the bride got her wish and more. A classically chic color palette of blue and white allowed for the Jackson Durham team to make hydrangeas, orchids, and floral ginger jars galore come to life on the grounds of Dallas Country Club. A large Sandone Productions tent was even erected over the pool for dinner and dancing.

And the dress? It was one of the last pieces made by renowned designer Oscar De La Renta before his passing in 2014. Talk about a piece of haute history.

The happy couple currently resides in Midland and are navigating newlywed life while simultaneously adjusting to the charms and quirks of living in a much smaller town. Kate says it surely does help to be figuring it all out with the love of her life by her side.

Ceremony: Highland Park Presbyterian
Reception: Dallas Country Club
Wedding Planner: Laura Arredondo, DFW Events
Invitations: Color Box Design & Letter Press
Floral and Rentals: Jackson Durham
Photographer: Sarah Kate Photographer
Cakes: Panini Bakery
Band: Simply Irresistible
Bridal Gown Retailer: Neiman Marcus
Bridal Gown Designer: Oscar De La Renta
Bridal Shoe Designer: Bionda Castana
Hair: Sonia Trevino
Makeup: My Fabulous Faces
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids
Groom's Attire: Culwell & Son
Photo Booth: Mir Mir
Ceremony Music: Festival Brass of Dallas
Lighting: Beyond Lighting
Dance Floor: DFW Dance Floors
Tent: Sandone Productions
Tent Finish-out: Stage Works

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Photo by Sarah Kate Photographer

There was no shortage of flowers. Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHA Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHAM Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHA Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHA Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHAM Floral pr Floral Floral pr Floral design by Jackson dURHA Floral pr Floral Floral pr

weddings

Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Dallas than it did last year

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A 2026 income study has good news for big earners in Dallas: A six-figure salary goes further than it did last year.

A Dallasite's $100,000 salary is worth $80,103 after taxes and adjusted for the local cost of living, according to the new financial analysis from SmartAsset. That's nearly 4 percent higher than last year, when the same salary had an adjusted value of $77,197.

Six-figure earners in Plano also got a slight — 2 percent — value boost to their salaries this year, the report revealed. A $100,000 salary in Plano is worth $72,653, compared to $71,372 last year.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities. The figure was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services). Cities were then ranked based on where a six-figure salary is worth the least after applicable taxes and cost of living adjustments.

Plano ranked 27th and Dallas ranked 47th in the overall ranking of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least.

If the rankings were flipped and the cities were ranked based on where $100,000 goes the furthest, that places Dallas in the No. 22 spot and Plano as No. 43 nationally.

Manhattan, New York remains the No. 1 city where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A Manhattan resident's take-home pay is only worth $29,420 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living, which is 3.10 percent lower than it was in 2025.

SmartAsset determined Manhattan has a 29.7 percent effective tax rate on six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, the effective tax rate on a $100,000 salary in Texas (based on the eight cities examined in the report) is 21.1 percent. It's worth highlighting that New York implements a statewide graduated-rate income tax from 4-10.90 percent, whereas Texas is one of only eight states that don't tax residents' income.

Oklahoma City, No. 69, is the U.S. city in the report where a $100,000 salary stretches the furthest. A six-figure salary is worth $91,868 in 2026, up from $89,989 last year.

This is the post-tax value of a $100,000 salary in other Texas cities, and their ranking in the report:

Austin (No. 53): $82,446
Lubbock (No. 59): $84,567
Houston (No. 60): $84,840
San Antonio (No. 62): $86,419
El Paso (No. 67): $90,276
Corpus Christi (No. 68): $91,110

According to the report, getting some "financial breathing room" by making six-figures really depends on where someone lives and what their lifestyle is. For residents living in the 42 states that levy some amount of income tax, their take-home pay dwindles further.

"And depending on how taxes are filed, reaching a $100,000 income may push a household from the 22 percent to 24 percent marginal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "Meanwhile, locations with high costs across housing and everyday essentials may be less forgiving to a $100,000 income."

smartasset income finance six figures

Real Weddings

Dallas bride knows just what to do for a classic country club wedding

Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Dallas than it did last year

This is the income it takes to be middle class in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2026

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