My recently engaged sister (+ bestie) called me the other day to ask for advice on domestic destination locales, wanting to know where in the good ol’ US of A I thought would make a perfect vacation spot + wedding weekend for all of our friends and family.  My answer?  The Lone Star State.  Fabulous vendors, breathtaking venues and some major experience in throwing pretty, pretty weddings… it’s a no-brainer, really.  First on my list of examples?  This fab Houston day from Stefano Choi Photography, a modern meets classic stunner with beautiful blooms from Blooming Gallery: Wedding Flowers by Lisa, amazing DIY details and some crazy gorgeous pink and gray hues.  See it all right here.

From the Bride….Our DIY projects included: 1. Save the Dates & Wedding Invitation — The heart and soul of our wedding started with our save the dates and invitations. I made the save the dates myself. I printed, cut, and designed it in its entirety. One of my bridesmaids also had a button maker and we attached a magnet with our logo and date. Our actual invitations was also designed by yours truly. The only thing that was professionally done was the letter pressed cover by Workhorse Printmakers. All of the inserts and assembly were done by Ryan and me.  2.  Place Cards — The idea of “take your seat” place cards actually came from Martha Stewart. We used good quality paper to ensure that the chairs would be able to stand on their own. 3. Party favors — We gave all of our guests mini bundt cakes. The box was wrapped with ribbon and placed with a thank you label that we designed ourselves. 4. Cake Topper — I purchased our cake topper from a vendor on etsy. We designed it to match our logo J hearts R. 5. Menu Cards — We designed the menu cards to match the style of our wedding invitations. Each guest was provided their own menu card. 6. Signs — All of the signs were designed by us and made to match the style of our wedding. 7. Wedding Programs. 
 
The day itself was just like every other bride describes their wedding day… a blur and a dream all at the same time. As you probably guessed, sleeping was really hard. I was too excited. That morning, all of my friends started to stagger in to get their hair done by the girls from the Kats Meow. They were really wonderful and were able to get us all done in record time. A good friend of mine, Jeannie Tran (happymakeupgirl), flew in from Los Angeles to do our make up and she was amazing. She airbrushed all of us to give us a more natural and bright look. Being that she was also a guest at our wedding, she was there to provide touch ups throughout the day.
 
After we finished getting ready, we arrived at the church which was the hardest part for me. I was so excited and anxious for us to get started that waiting felt like forever. Finally it was time and I was called to walk down the aisle. From that moment, all of the stress and anxiety brought on by the anticipation of our wedding day immediately left. I was walking down the aisle towards my groom and could see only him. Our ceremony turned out beautifully. We had a string trio (Avalon Music) that filled the church with the most beautiful music. It really set the mood. Being a Filipino Catholic, our ceremony was long… and we were kneeling throughout most of it. So you can imagine how hard it was on our backs and knees!!!  (Hahaha.)  It was all worth it at the end when we finally said “I Do.”
 
Next came the party. If I could describe what my dream wedding would look like, it would be exactly how our reception turned out. Lisa from Blooming Gallery did an amazing job decorating our reception. She was able to take what I had pictured in my head and make it into a reality. There were candles everywhere which gave the room a romantic glow. The flowers were lush and decadent.   The uplighting was the perfect shade of sheer pink.  It really was a “WOW” kind of room. The Alden (now called The Sam Houston Hotel) was the perfect venue. The food and service by 17* Restaurant did not fail. To top everything, we had the most amazing DJ and friend, DJ Elroy Boogie. We provided a few “must play” songs and from that he was able to decipher the mood and the type of music that we wanted played throughout the night. Another friend of ours also provided the photo booth, Flashbox. This photobooth not only had the best props, they were also the best quality photos I’ve seen of its kind. We are so blessed to have friends of many talents.
 
You know… every bride will tell you that you cannot go into your wedding thinking that everything is going to turn out perfect because something always goes wrong. In my case, I don’t think that’s true. I truly felt like everything turned out perfectly.  Actually I think it turned out even better than I could have ever hoped for. It was the most beautiful, emotional, amazing day of my life, one that I will never forget. Stefano, you were truly the backbone of our wedding day. Knowing that you were there to capture each emotion of every moment was a comfort to us. We can look back at our wedding pictures years from now and will be able to relive that day because of you. Thank you for everything!

Photography: Stefano Choi Photography | Church: Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Reception: The Alden Hotel | Floral Design: Blooming Gallery: Wedding Flowers by Lisa | Invitations: DIY by the Bride | Invitation Covers: Workhorse Printmakers | Ceremony String Trio: Avalon Music | Wedding Cake: Who Made the Cake | Party Favors: Nothing Bundt Cake | Cocktail Hour Entertainment: Gabriel Montoya | Photo Booth: Flashbox | DJ: Elroy Boogie | Hair: The Kats Meow | Makeup: Jeannie Tran | Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal, Vera Wang Collection | Bridesmaids Dress: BHLDN | Junior Bridesmaid: J.Crew | Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic | Groomsmen Suits: Zara | Flower Girl Dress: Nordstrom | Ring Bearer Suit: Janie and Jack

For more information on how Little Black Book Members are chosen click here.
BHLDN and J.Crew are members of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, I get to “meet” you bride and grooms out there in SMP-land.  You send me a sweet email regarding your feature and we chat back and forth about the specific details or just, in general, how very awesome you are.  Because, let’s face it, you lovelies ARE awesome – and today’s darling Houston bride?  She’s like a crazy cool combo of seriously sweet + oh-so-chic, and from the very first “hello” in my inbox, I knew her wedding was going to be one of my all-time faves.  And guess what?  I was right.  See her stunning DIYs, gorgeous venue (Agave Road) and breathtaking gown captured by Clayton Austin in the full gallery.  You’ll love her just as much as me.

From the Bride… Ryan and I are both originally from Texas, but I was living in California and he was still living in Texas when we first met. If you can believe it, we actually met in Las Vegas! We randomly sat beside each other at a blackjack table at midnight in Treasure Island on family vacations, then walked the strip until 6am exchanging life stories. We’ve been inseparable ever since. The craziest part is I went back to the exact chair where I met Ryan during my Bachelorette Party, I sat down with $10, played only 3 hands, and won three blackjacks in a row. It was like fate was confirming that I should marry him! Although we didn’t want a Vegas themed wedding, we did make our thank you gifts a deck of cards with stickers that read “What Happens in Vegas, Leads to Marriage in Texas.”

Most of the inspiration for our wedding stemmed from the wedding venue itself and wedding blogs like SMP! The first moment we toured Agave Road we knew it was perfect. Living in Houston, we wanted a venue that felt like it wasn’t apart of the city, and Agave Road genuinely felt like we were at a destination wedding. The venue has a distinct Spanish feel that I wanted to compliment with a winery theme I had always dreamed of for my wedding. The theme then became sort of a Modern Spanish Vineyard wedding. With all of the inspiration I got from this blog, everything came together so perfectly. All it took was some personalized touches through Do-It-Yourself projects for my vision to truly come to life.

Being a Graphic Designer, I am constantly going through Do-It-Yourself projects and I knew that our wedding would be the ultimate place to bring all my ideas to life. I lived on Etsy, purchasing over 25 items for the wedding. Some of the DIYs included cake toppers I painted along with hand-died ombre escort cards that were placed in old white shutters I found at a habitat restore outlet for $5. Our table numbers were stained and then placed next to hinged frames with pictures of me and Ryan at that corresponding age so guests could see us grow up together. Also, some of our reception tables had wooden wine boxes that I personally stained and had filled with beautiful flowers from our florist along with glass jars and lanterns. For our guest book, I bought a wooden book from Lorgie on Etsy and filled it with mini envelopes of different colors from Paper Source. We had our guests write notes and seal them so we can open them on our 1 year anniversary! One of my favorite quick projects was a shadow box frame where I cut out hearts from maps with the city names of where we met, got engaged and got married. It was such a delight seeing all the projects come together on the day of to make our wedding feel personalized to who we are.

It’s hard to pick one favorite memory, since our entire wedding was a dream! But I think we both agree that our First Look was our favorite moment of the day. Our photographer decided to shoot the first look from the bridal suite balcony as we met below in a clearing behind the venue. And since he was so far away, we felt completely alone. It was such a pure moment, being able to see each other for the first time and having no one around to pose for. But even though he was far, Clayton perfectly captured the moment with what we think is the best sequence of pictures from the whole day.

My advice to future brides is to stay organized! I created one document that was a check-list for the entire wedding broken up into individual months. It made planning so easy since I only had to focus on what was to be done that month and didn’t stress about the big picture. But remember, when the actual day comes, don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t forget the whole reason you are there! As long as your groom is at the altar and you both say “I Do,” then you had a perfect wedding!

Wedding Photography: Clayton Austin | Wedding Venue: Agave Road | Floral Design + Linens: Agave Brothers | Wedding Cake: Edible Designs by Jessie | Dessert Table: Sweet | Wedding Invitations + Paper Goods: The Bride | Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Fillmore (Ballet Noir) | Bride’s Shoes: Vera Wang Lavender Flats | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale via Bella Bridesmaid | Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Makeup: Beauty by Brit | Hair: Sensia Studio & Spa | Photobooth: Think Event Group

For more information on how Little Black Book Members are chosen click here.
Amsale is a member of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.

This gorgeous Bride found out pretty quickly that planning a Texas wedding from Montana is no easy feat, that is until she brought on the lovely Emily Moise of Keely Thorne Events. That’s when she found the wedding of her dreams quickly unfolding before her very eyes. With inspiration from an early morning sunrise directing the color palette and floral decor from Events in Bloom so perfectly luxurious yet with a dash of whimsy – this wedding is inspiration overload in the best possible way. See it all here.

From the Bride… I knew I was up for a huge challenge wanting a wedding in Houston and living in Montana. Planning my wedding wasn’t as easy as I thought. When I started the wedding planning process, I had no idea where to begin. All I had were these random tidbits of ideas plus an extremely long list of things that I didn’t want. It was early on that my future husband suggested that my mother and I hire a wedding planner. That’s when we went to Keely Thorne Events and met our extraordinary wedding planner, Emily Moise. Emily took all my tidbits of ideas and with her creative ability turned them into the most phenomenal wedding that PJ and I could have ever imagined.

I wanted my decor to have a traditional yet fun and whimsical feel to it. The colors we chosen reminded us of an early morning sunrise .. pinks, purples and sky blues. We both love the outdoors so I knew it would be important to incorporate the natural look and feel of wood throughout the wedding ceremony and reception area. My love for the outdoors and nature is also what led me to select a hummingbird as a wedding logo. Atheneum Creative integrated the hummingbird into our save the date cards, wedding invitations, along with our wedding programs, table cards, menus and escort cards all which were custom designed by Amy Boyter at Atheneum Creative.

One thing that was very important at every step of the wedding planning process was that we wanted our wedding to be about hosting our friends and family rather than us being on display. For that reason we decided not to do a head table during the reception and incorporated sitting areas throughout the reception room to facilitate a laid back and comfortable atmosphere. We really just wanted people to relax and have fun. With that in mind … Our obvious choice of venue was no other than the Luxury Exquisite Boutique Hotel “Hotel Zaza”. One criteria I had for the venue was that I wanted it to be a historic building. Hotel Zaza is the former “Warwick Hotel.”

On the day of our wedding, our guests were seated while listening to classic rock favorites such as The Beetles, Led Zepplin, Queen and many more other bands. The music was performed by the very unique string quartet group called Divisi Strings. I am sure it was an unexpected surprise to many of our guests.

After the ceremony my husband and I were escorted to a private room where he and I snacked on hors d’oeuvres with our Shiner Bock Beer and our signature drink Bubble Berries. In the foyer, before entering the Phantom Ballroom, our guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. In the meantime the ballroom was being transformed into a truly magical setting by the phenomenal and very gifted Rob Smith with Events In Bloom. You could actually smell the breathtaking flowers before you could see them! The floral arrangements were incredible.

Adorning each dining table were gold trimmed chargers, pale blue water goblets and Burlap wrapped Votive candles of assorted sizes and colors along with gold Chivari chairs. The unique uplighting that was put in place created the most amazing atmosphere where you felt like you could have an intimate conversation with a guest while being surrounded by 150 other guests! And the dancing… I don’t believe there was one single person that came to our wedding that didn’t at some point get up and dance to the fabulous sound of the live band Drywater. Drywater kept our party going till 1:00am. Even then our guests weren’t ready for the night to end, especially since Hotel Zaza brought out the most amazing sliders and fries for the remaining guests to snack on.

Our wedding cake, made by Who Made the Cake, was equally amazing. Our cakes had special meanings to us. My bridal cake was a 5 tier white cake with shimmery Buttercream frosting and a vanilla filling. Each layer was a different shade of sky blue making it an Ombré effect. The cake toppers were actually two birds that I had fashioned up myself. The bride wore a string of pearls and a veil. On the groom I had painted a tux and created a top hat and a tiny bowtie. When it was time to cut the cake we used PJ’s Saber sword from the “Corps of Cadets” at Texas A&M University, which is where we met and both went to college. The grooms cake was the show stopper. It was a 3 tier chocolate square camo cake with a Mallard duck decoy on top, complete with shotgun shells, cattails and an A&M logo on the front. Did I mention that the filling was peanut butter?

We really just wanted all of our guest to have the time of their life at our wedding. Each and every moment was captured by our photographer Adam Nyholt. 31 films captured our entire wedding ceremony on video. They also created a unique video production of our love story.

To this day, our guest are still raving about our wedding and what a fantastic job our wedding planner Emily Moise did with creating such a masterpiece. It was truly “the wedding to end all weddings!”

Photography: Adam Nyholt Photography | Venue: Hotel Zaza | Wedding Planner: Emily Moise of Keely Thorne Events | Cinematography: 31 Films | Cakes: Who Made the Cake | Decor: Events in Bloom | Stationery: Atheneum Creative | Wedding Dress: Ivory Bridal Atelier | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Band: Drywater | Ceremony Music: Divisi Strings

For more information on how Little Black Book Members are chosen click here.