Shops at Wedding Square Wedding Photos (I Got Married Here)
Photos from my own wedding at The Shops at Wedding Square are below. I married my wife Jillian here on March 6, 2026, outside in the courtyard, in the round, with our guests standing all the way around us. I photograph weddings across Dallas Fort Worth for a living, and this is the one venue where I have also been the groom; so this is the gallery first, and then everything I noticed from the other side of the camera.
I’m Jose, the Dallas wedding photographer behind Jose Hiram Photography.
And to be clear, I did not shoot my own wedding lol. One of my associate photographers covered the day. Which, honestly, is the single best piece of advice I can give any photographer who is getting married: hire someone, be a groom for one day, and let somebody else chase the light.
If you are reading this because you just got engaged, first off, congratulations!!! This post is for two kinds of people: couples looking at the Jolie Ballroom here, and couples trying to decide between this building and The Olana next door. I can help with both, because I have worked all over this estate and I married on it.
What the day actually looked like
Most venue write-ups are assembled from a tour and a floor plan. This one comes from a wedding I was standing in the middle of, which changes what you notice.
Why we picked it, and it was not the ballroom
Two reasons. The first was the interior of the lobby. The second, and the one that actually closed it, was the groom’s suite.
I know how that sounds. But I have shot across this metro for years and I have been in a lot of groom’s suites that are, to be honest, a converted office with one mirror and a folding chair. This is not that.
The groom’s suite is the reason
I am going to spend real space here, because almost nobody writes a venue guide from the groom’s side and it is the best thing about this building.
The groom’s suite here is one of the largest in DFW outside of The Olana itself. That matters more than couples expect. The bridal suite gets all the planning attention, and the guys end up in a room with nowhere to sit, no window light, and four hours to kill; which is exactly how you end up with a morning that has no usable photographs in it.
A real groom’s suite changes the first third of the day. As a photographer it changes what I can deliver. As a groom it is the reason I signed.
How the Jolie Ballroom actually photographs
Pretty standard, and I mean that as a compliment.
Normal ceiling height, and white ceilings, which are GREAT for on camera flash and bouncing. That is the whole technical read and it is genuinely good news. A white ceiling at a normal height is the easiest room in the world to light well: you get clean, soft, even light off the bounce without dragging in stands or modifiers, and the room stays warm instead of going flat.
Compare that with the mirrored ballroom on The Olana’s third floor, which looks incredible in person and fights you the entire time you photograph it. Different building, same estate, completely different problem. My full Olana guide covers that room properly.
Our ceremony was outside, in the round
We got married in the courtyard, in the middle, with our guests surrounding us.
I would think about it if I were you. Most couples default to rows facing one direction because that is what they have seen, and with a built in stage sitting right there indoors it is the obvious choice. Being surrounded instead changes the feel of the whole thing, and it changes your photos, because there is no single back of the aisle angle that everything funnels into.
Worth knowing for whoever is shooting it: an in the round ceremony puts guest reactions behind your couple from every position, and there is no safe spot at the back of an aisle to park in. Two photographers is the honest answer here, same as at The Olana, for a different reason; not distance, geometry.
The thing I wish I had known: the wind
The middle of that courtyard gets windy. My wife’s hair was blowing all over the place.
That is the one thing I would go back and tell myself, and it is probably the most useful sentence on this page if you are planning an outdoor ceremony here. If you are getting married in the middle, outside, plan your hair for wind. Not “it might be breezy.” Plan for it. Something pulled back or pinned holds up; loose hair and face framing pieces will not. And tell your hair and makeup artist before the day, not while you are already standing out there 馃檪
The estate has form on this, by the way. The front of The Olana next door funnels wind straight through where ceremonies happen. Different building, same property, same lesson.
The 30 second walk
Here is the number that separates this venue from its neighbour.
Ceremony to ballroom is about 30 seconds. At The Olana, crossing from one side of the building to the other runs up to five minutes once you count setting up again at the other end, and three location changes will eat a third of your cocktail hour.
What you buy with 30 seconds: more real portrait time, a cocktail hour that is actually an hour, and family photos that do not turn into a hike. If you are choosing between the two buildings and your guest list includes people who do not walk well, this is not a small detail. We had our rehearsal dinner at The Olana and got married here, which is its own option worth knowing about if you love that building but want this one’s logistics.
Wedding Square or The Olana
| Jolie Ballroom at Wedding Square | The Olana | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Up to 275 | Up to 250 |
| Address | 3575 Harrison Road | 1851 Turbeville Road |
| Getting between spaces | About 30 seconds | Up to five minutes |
| Lighting the reception | White ceilings, normal height, bounce flash | Needs more work |
| Groom’s suite | Among the largest in DFW outside The Olana | The largest |
| The building itself | European inspired, purpose built | A 48,000 square foot chateau |
Neither one is the better venue. They are different weddings. The Olana is what you pick when the building is the point. Wedding Square is what you pick when the day running smoothly is the point.
One naming thing that will save you a headache
If you were quoted on the Olana Design Center two or three years ago, this is that building. It is now The Shops at Wedding Square, and the Jolie Ballroom is the event space inside it. Walters have not finished the rename everywhere: the floor plan PDF for this room is still filed under “the_olana_design_center-jolie”, and the venue’s Instagram and Facebook are both still @OlanaDesignCenter. So if your searching is turning up confusing results, that is why.
And it is not The Olana. The Olana is the 48,000 square foot chateau next door at 1851 Turbeville Road, holding up to 250, with its own rate card. Same estate, two completely different weddings.
Can you bring your own photographer?
Yes. This is a Walters wide contract term, straight from their published Additional Contract Terms:
“Client may hire outside vendors; however, for any non-Company-affiliated vendor, Client must provide an executed Indemnification Agreement and a certificate of insurance to the Venue before such vendor may provide goods or services at the Venue.”
Two documents, not one, and the client files them, not the vendor. So ask your Wedding Specialist early for the insurance limits and a copy of the indemnification agreement, then forward both to your photographer. Walters do push their in house people hard, and they have a photo studio inside this very building, so expect the pitch; but the contract is the contract, and it permits outside vendors.
Two more things from the same terms that nobody mentions on a tour. Your guest count includes vendors and venue staff against the posted occupancy limit, so a second photographer counts toward your number. And a vendor minimum or minimum spend may apply, so ask what yours is before you build a budget around the room.
What is included
Walters publish the same inclusions across their venues: planning services, ceremony and reception space, a backup plan for bad weather, primary and secondary wedding suites, a one hour rehearsal, display easels, cocktail tables, in house chairs, tables and linens, and setup and teardown of your floor plan.
The Shops at Wedding Square at a glance
| Address | 3575 Harrison Road, Hickory Creek, TX 75065, Denton County |
| Event space | The Jolie Ballroom, inside The Shops at Wedding Square |
| Capacity | Up to 275 guests |
| Ballroom | Coffered ceilings, chandeliers, a built in stage |
| Ceremony | Indoor and outdoor ceremony space, plus an outdoor courtyard |
| Suites | Primary and secondary wedding suites |
| Grounds | Scenic grounds and water features, on The Olana estate |
| Operator | Walters Wedding Estates |
| Formerly | The Olana Design Center |
| Drive time | About 35 minutes north of Dallas, 45 minutes north of Fort Worth, under 25 minutes from DFW Airport |
Frequently asked questions
Where is The Shops at Wedding Square?
The Shops at Wedding Square is at 3575 Harrison Road, Hickory Creek, TX 75065, in Denton County, on the grounds of The Olana estate. It is about 35 minutes north of Dallas, 45 minutes north of Fort Worth, and under 25 minutes from DFW Airport.
Is The Shops at Wedding Square the same as the Olana Design Center?
Yes. The Olana Design Center was renamed The Shops at Wedding Square, and its event space is the Jolie Ballroom. Walters’ own floor plan PDF and social accounts still use the old name in places. It is a different building from The Olana mansion next door at 1851 Turbeville Road.
How many guests does the Jolie Ballroom hold?
Up to 275 guests, which is slightly more than The Olana next door at 250. Keep in mind that the posted occupancy limit counts your vendors and venue staff too, not just guests.
Does the Jolie Ballroom have indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces?
Yes, both, plus an outdoor courtyard. Our own ceremony was outside in the courtyard, in the round, with our guests surrounding us.
How long does it take to get from the ceremony to the reception at Wedding Square?
About 30 seconds. That is the biggest practical difference from The Olana, where crossing the building can take up to five minutes each way.
Can I bring my own photographer to the Jolie Ballroom?
Yes. Walters’ contract terms permit outside vendors as long as the client files a certificate of insurance and a separately executed indemnification agreement with the venue beforehand.
Is the Jolie Ballroom hard to photograph?
No. Normal ceiling height and white ceilings make it one of the easier reception rooms in DFW to light, because bounced on camera flash works well in it. That is a real advantage over rooms that need a full off camera setup.
Let me know
I know this building from both sides, as the photographer working it and as the groom who got married in it. If that is useful to you, I would absolutely love to talk about your day.
All of my pricing is on the site, all of it, because you should not have to book a call to find out what something costs. If you are still putting the day in order, my wedding day timeline, hour by hour is the one I send couples first, and if you are still comparing buildings, north DFW estate wedding venues lines up the neighbours.
Check your date with me here. If not then no worries!
