If your perfect wedding is mostly outdoors in a rustic setting, possibly with a band and almost certainly with frozen margaritas, then you’re thinking of Henry’s Majestic. Plan for strings of Edison lights and red Solo cups. Henry’s serves a mean menu of passable bits like hummus with naan, maple bourbon meatballs, crispy calamari, and loaded chicharrones. There’s plenty of room for a sit-down meal, too, even for a massive wedding party: Options for a sit-down dinner include dishes like crispy salmon tail with rainbow bell pepper couscous and braised pork tacos. The vibe is along the lines of watching the game after the apocalypse — everything here is a bit haphazardly put together, but it works. Consider this a solid choice for a nature-loving or outdoorsy couple.

Located inside the tony Adolphus Hotel Downtown, the French Room is one of those impossibly high-ceilinged rooms decorated in neoclassical style with Louis XVI furniture and show-stopping chandeliers. There is a full kitchen, although it is currently primarily used for providing tea service at present. That means passed trays of savory and sweet bites are taken care of — and so is Champagne, of which the French Room has plenty. Moreover, it’s inside a hotel so the wedding party all have somewhere central to stay. It’s a great pick for a couple who has a generous budget and a taste for the finer things.

The gentle color scheme in this decidedly luxurious space plays up to the idea of a soft, pastel wedding with a couple of dozen guests. The layout is great also, with the skyscrapers of Downtown peeking through every window, a bar facing Elm Street, a second dining room facing Main Street, and a small back dining room — there are lots of little spaces to utilize. Mirador is a 2024 Eater Awards winner in Dallas for Best Tea Service — the kitchen has small bites like its wagyu sando and coronation chicken in a tall, crispy wrap, well in hand. It also serves lunch and brunch, with dishes like lobster rolls, chicken Pillard, and salad Nicoise on the menu.

There are all kinds of weddings in the world, and if the dream is a trailer park-style ceremony, then Double Wide is your spot. There is a bar for the reception, where its signature drink (the Yoohoo Yeehaw — a frozen white Russian made with Yoohoo) can be the life of the party. Right through a pass is the stage where bands play, and where a couple could get married, followed by having a friend’s band play the reception. There’s also a small courtyard outside with tables for chatting and toasting. There is no kitchen, so food would have to come from outside catering.

The squat, concrete building housing this bar doesn’t look like anything at all from the outside, but the inside is stunning. Dim lighting cascades over lush velvet and leather seating, textured wallpaper, and quirky black-and-white photos of Hollywood stars from bygone eras that dot the walls. It is a cocktail bar for the most part, but it does offer a menu of bar bites, including bao buns, crab dip, cobbled eggs (its take on deviled eggs), and excellent garlic fries. The space is set up for solo acoustic musicians and DJs, and there is a hidden light-up dance floor under the carpet that can be unveiled for the reception. The space is small, so it’s best for weddings and receptions of a similar scope.

Looking for an outdoorsy spot, embraces plant life and is a little rustic? The Garden Cafe in East Dallas has limited space and would best suit a smaller wedding, but it’s also surrounded by gardens, making for a picturesque setting. The restaurant serves brunch and dinner, with plates including seared salmon, flat iron steak, a Frenched pork chop, roast chicken, plus Benedicts and omelets. It also serves quite a robust menu of mocktails, for the wedding that wants a variety of NA options.

This tiny speakeasy is one of the most interesting cocktail bars in America — think tom kha as a cocktail, Alice in Wonderland-themed drinks, and a bloody mary made with a robust rosé from Spain instead of vodka. The space is tiny and thus better suited to intimate wedding parties. Inside is super dark with no windows, making the room feel like any time is a late-night adventure. The best part is that it is attached to Rye, its sister restaurant next door, and parties have access to anything it serves, from the highly accurate Icelandic hot dogs to beet risotto.

Inside this restaurant off the Katy Trail, find a design that mimics some modern version of the Orient Express — a fancy train car with cool lavender walls and velvet seats in deep purple. As a bonus, the lighting is flattering everywhere. It also has one of the city’s best patios, in blues and light wood, that faces into the greenery covering the trail. The layout of both spaces creates a natural aisle to walk and opens into a dance floor for a reception. Leave the doors in the dining room open to the patio for an indoor-outdoor feel. The kitchen serves South Asian foods prepared with French techniques, which covers plates of roast chicken with Thai flair, shaking beef, and five-spice duck breast.

One of the city’s most beautiful restaurants is not a bad place to tie the knot. The space, designed by Sees Design, opens into a mix of Parisian bistro design (so much brass) accented with Venetian decor (so much crystal) and patterns that shouldn’t work together but do. There’s a small private dining room upstairs, and to the left of the entrance is the “dark side” — a second dining room with a completely different design. It is perhaps better suited to a reception than a wedding ceremony. The kitchen serves pasta like truffle carpinocchi, short rib dumplings, and fusilli and caviar, along with a top-notch (and costly) menu of steaks. This place may be a match for the couple heading to the courthouse with a few friends for the ceremony who want to blow out their budget on the reception.