Real Weddings

Couple's rustic brunch wedding fills unlikely Dallas venue with Southern charm

The first few times Matthew Garcia asked Lisa Veigel out, she kindly declined. The two met while volunteering together in the children's ministry at church, and while they had instant rapport, Lisa wasn't sure she was ready for a date.

That was until Matthew won her over with his "sweet smile, kindness, and sincerity" following the loss of her grandfather. He brought her a card, stuffed with gift cards, so she could grab dinner easily throughout the week.

"It was so thoughtful," says Lisa. "I remember looking at him differently that day."

The next time he asked her out, he was met with a yes. Fast-forward to Valentine's Day 2017 and Matthew had another question for Lisa — and this time, he only had to ask once. After a low-key Tex-Mex dinner, Matthew, a grad student at Dallas Baptist University, casually mentioned that he needed to drop an assignment off at school. Lisa had her suspicions but shrugged them off.

Once on campus, Matthew led Lisa to the "Divine Servant" statue, which depicts Jesus washing his disciple Peter's feet. He read the portion of the Bible in which the scene occurs, explaining the significance of the statue and how he'd hoped to lovingly and selflessly care for Lisa, as his wife, in the same way. He got down on one knee, and this time, Lisa said yes the first time.

"It was a private and perfect moment," she says.

Hoping for a fall wedding, the couple began planning right away. They envisioned a "rustic, brunch wedding." An Ohio native, Lisa wanted a small, intimate gathering with family and friends. She wanted it to feel casual, like a backyard wedding, with rustic elements featured throughout.

When they came across Mudhen Meat and Greens in the Dallas Farmers Market, they knew they'd found their place. A popular brunch destination, the restaurant had never hosted a wedding before. But Lisa and Matthew saw potential in the restaurant's beautiful outdoor garden. With its popular brunch menu and rustic aesthetic, it checked all of their other boxes, too.

With the venue secured, Lisa spent the months leading up to the October 28 wedding making sure every detail was perfect.

"I loved getting to make the vision come to life through special elements and touches," she says. "My friend and I made the invitations, and I made the programs. I found burlap streamers to use for our horse and carriage sendoff and rustic picture frames to use on our memory tables."

While it was a lot of work, it paid off. With a navy and plum color palette and decor featuring mason jars, burlap, twine and tin, every detail evoked the couple's vision. The bride's brother walked her down the aisle, and the groom's father and a close friend performed the intimate ceremony.

"More than any other detail, we wanted our ceremony to be meaningful and to start our marriage focused on our shared faith and, not only the commitment we were making to each other, but to God," says Lisa.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a mix of mimosas, coffee, and pastries, while the bridal party took photos. Then the new Mr. and Mrs. shared their first dance, and everyone sat down for family-style feast of pancakes, migas, shrimp and grits (the overwhelming favorite), and other Southern specialties. Kids played cornhole, and the bride and groom enjoyed time with family and friends.

"It was really special to have the people we love most together in one place," says Lisa. "We know it will never quite happen like that again. We didn't take for granted a single person who made the trip to celebrate with us."

Wedding and Reception Venue: Mudhen Meat and Greens

Photography: JoJo Pangilinan Photographers

Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal

Groom and Groomsmen Suits: The Black Tux

Groom and Groomsmen Ties: J.Crew

Cake: Mudhen Meat and Greens

Florals: Raynor Bearden of Mudhen Meat and Greens

Hair: Erica Hollingsworth of Osgood O'Neil Salon

Make-up: Mona Damavandi

JoJo Pangilinan Photographers captured the day.

Photo by JoJo Pangilinan Photographers

JoJo Pangilinan Photographers captured the day.

weddings

Park news

New I-35 deck park in southern Dallas moves closer to spring 2026 debut

Courtesy rendering

Renderings for Halperin Park.

A massive deck park spanning Interstate 35E in southern Dallas is set to open in late spring 2026. Called Halperin Park, the five-acre community space has been under construction since 2017 and will be completed in two phases:

Phase One (finishing in late spring) will include the section from Ewing Avenue to Lancaster Avenue and will feature a pavilion, amphitheater, playground area, interactive fountains, a second level overlooking the Dallas Zoo and the highway, and a large event room for every dining and special events.

Phase Two (to be completed over the next five years) will add the park section toward Marsalis Avenue, with an additional pavilion and extra gathering space.

The project is being developed by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation and built by the Texas Department of Transportation. Funding comes from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, as well as the private Halperin Foundation, which donated $23 million in 2024 and secured naming rights.

In January, the Dallas City Council approved spending up to $8 million to complete Phase One for spring completion.

The public-private initiative will create $1 billion in economy impact over the next five years, according to a study by UNT Dallas.

Rendering of Halperin ParkCourtesy rendering

A park with purpose
Developers say the park aims to integrate the west side of Oak Cliff, which was somewhat segregated with the construction of I-35 in Oak Cliff in the 1960s, leading to low-income communities and generational poverty.

The project started nine years ago, when the Texas Department of transportation planned a reconstruction of I-35 and began gathering neighbors’ feedback. The result was a plan to widen bicycle and pedestrian lanes in the service roads alongside the highway, and to build a deck over the highway between Ewing and Marsalis avenues, adjacent to the Dallas Zoo. (Similar Klyde Warren Park's "deck park" concept.)

While the project faced some skepticism at first, it later gained momentum as private supporters continued to join.

“Forty percent of the Dallas population lives in South Dallas, yet this segment only accounts for 15 percent of the tax base,” says April Allen, President and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, citing the opportunity to address the economic equality in the area through the development of the park and all the business it can bring.

Rendering of Halperin Park.Courtesy rendering

Neighborhood pride
For Allen, this project is personal. The Toronto-born executive first moved to Dallas 22 years ago to work at Neiman Marcus, after getting her engineering degree in Canada and her MBA at Harvard. Oak Cliff felt like the right place for her as an intown neighborhood, with a confluency of cultures, local pride and an entrepreneurial spirit, as she describes it. Her first Realtor told her Oak Cliff was “not the right place for her." Instead of choosing a different neighborhood, Allen chose a new Realtor.

She has lived on the same street in North Cliff since, now raising her two kids with her husband, an Oak Cliff native, whom she credits for her further understanding of the neighborhood, its roots and civic dynamics.

Under Allen’s leadership, Halperin Park is focused on a community-first approach that provides support to the neighbors through programs around health and wellness, after-school activities, local food trucks and markets, and educational workshops to help expand homeownership and financial acumen.

To highlight the history and culture of Oak Cliff, they will feature an annual Walk of Fame, lifting up the stories of those who contributed to Oak Cliff history, with the first one happening as part of the inauguration of the park, organizers say.

They will provide their own 24-hour security team to ensure a safe place for families and kids, with clean and well-lit crosswalks.

Given their proximity with the zoo, parking will be available on the East side of the park at the zoo site, with a walkway to the park. They are working on parking options for the West side.

“We want to create a space for community growth and more business in the area," says Allen. "We are already seeing this come to life with projects such as East Dock, and we are excited for future investment that the park will bring."

parks