Texas Weddings

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Houston Zoo Engagement Session from Day 7 Photography

From Joshua Tyi… Lindie and Roman’s wedding was such a beautifully sophisticated affair. These two chose a venue and decor that truly matched their dynamic personalities – classy enough for a quiet girl from the south yet bold enough to satisfy a boisterous Russian family. You’ll love the high ceilings and broad ballroom filled with pleasantly beautiful teal, white, and black tones avec beau coups peacock feathers to boot!

The ceremony blended Jewish traditions, including the signing of the Ketubah, smashing of the glass with both Methodist and Jewish rites of marriage. The reception also did not disappoint with the traditional lifting of the bride and groom above the dance floor, a plethora of polka dancing and chutzpah.

The bold colors were peacock inspired and the elegantly selected flowers chosen for their simplicity to balance the boldness of peacock teal. The cityscape view added to the majesty and grandeur of this celebration. Forty-one stories above the pavement of Houston provided the wedding guests with no shortage of sights… that is, until the surprise belly dancers arrived, as a gift from the bride’s family to liven up the party. And if there’s one thing we know about belly dancers – they can get a party started! In a highly sophisticated way, of course. Did I mention there was an ice bar? With peacock feathers inside of it?

All in all, it was one of my favorite weddings to date. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Lindie, Roman and Samantha!

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I have a penchant for falling head over heels in love with any engagement session that includes a sweet, sweet fur baby and this gorgeous e-sesh captured brilliantly by Day 7 Photography is most certainly no exception. Image after image of two seriously cute sweeties, some crazy cool backdrops (hello, Houston Zoo) and an adorable (+ loving) pup, it’s like the perfect kick-off to the sure-to-be amazing Fall weekend. Get your pretty on in the full gallery.

From Day 7 Photography… Brian and Rachel are both teachers in Houston, Texas, and they both love the Houston Zoo. The zoo was a perfect spot to capture where they first fell in love, and we also went to a nearby park afterwards. The park we went to was called Love Park, and it’s the place where Brian proposed to Rachel. We also had their one-eyed dog join us for the fun! Their dog was so sweet and loving, and it was perfect for our shoot. To represent their jobs as teachers, they brought some of their favorite classroom books, and we set up a little spot for us to sit down and take some candid photos!

Photography: Day 7 Photography | Venues: Houston Zoo

Houston Wedding at The Grove from Day 7 Photography

Good food, good company and good music. Three key ingredients for any seriously fun set of nuptials, and the “priority list” these two sweeties decided on when tackling their big day party. A day that was not only drop-dead gorgeous, but chock-full of those kind of stunningly gorgeous details that just make your heart sing. I’m talking contemporary meets pretty in every possible way. Dive into every love-filled moment captured by Day 7 Photography right here in the full gallery.

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Summer Weddings

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Houston Wedding from Something to Celebrate

From the Bride… I love good food, Alex loves good music. So, when we started planning the wedding, we picked only three priorities – good company, good food, and good music- and chose to not sweat the small stuff. So much of our joy comes from sharing in the happiness of our loved ones, and for Alex and I to share the things that make us happy in order to make others happy was all we could ask for! Because we had chosen to not worry about all the small details, the big day was relaxing, stress-free and so enjoyable. The ceremony was quirky, fun, and serious all at the same time… I especially loved Alex’s personal vows (they were in poem form!!) and how we chose to memorize our traditional vows so we could say them to each other as we placed wedding bands on each others’ fingers. The music throughout the ceremony was performed by a few of Alex’s good friends, making it even more meaningful and beautiful. Our reception was amazing as well: the food was out of this world (more than one guest told me it was the best wedding food they’d ever had!) and I had a ton of fun greeting our guests and listening to our close friends’ and family members’ heart-warming toasts.

Alex and I both really love being in nature and admiring God’s awesome creation. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved trees – climbing them, drawing them, daydreaming under them… and so when I was picking a wedding motif, trees immediately came to mind. Trees represent what we strive toward in our marriage: they start small, from just one seed, but grow with time and careful cultivation into solid structures capable of patiently weathering the different seasons of life with grace and beauty. I incorporated the natural look and colors of trees, branches, and floral touches into the wedding invitations and programs, the styling of the bouquets and centerpieces, the table number tags, the guestbook, and, of course, into the choice of reception venue (The Grove’s second floor is called “The Treehouse” after all!). When I walked into the reception for the first time with my husband and gazed out across the room, I was surrounded on all sides by natural light and beautiful treetops – it was absolutely perfect!

Another main inspiration behind our wedding was to have our guests “share our joy.” We didn’t want our wedding to only be a celebration centered around us. We wanted our guests to see that our joy had come from trusting in God and using His example of love for us to love one another. One detail of this was our wedding favors. Alex and his groomsmen put together small care packages as wedding favors for our guests to take and give to someone in need. Whenever they gave them out, we hoped that they could remember to “share our joy” by loving and encouraging someone who needed it.

Many details were, of course, found on Pinterest and wedding blogs. Two of my very talented bridesmaids helped DIY the cupcake stand from scratch and draw the table number tags, another friend of mine drew the guestbook tree, and of course, one of the groomsmen was in charge of assembling all the care package favors.

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Wedding Dresses

Badgley Mischka

Spring 2014 Bridal

2014 Bridesmaids

Spring 2014 Accessories

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Justin Alexander

Spring 2016

Spring 2018

Justin Alexander Fall/Winter

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This wedding is everything I dream about weddings wrapped up in one lovely post. It’s al fresco meets ballroom, DIY meets chic. Honestly, there isn’t one thing planned by Something to Celebrate sitting in this gallery by Heather Curiel Weddings that I don’t want to pin, favorite…or basically hang on my walls. It’s beyond from start to finish, and it’s all sitting pretty right here.

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Houston Wedding from Day 7

From Something to Celebrate…Janet and Keith dreamed of having a wedding that reflected who they were as a couple. Many of their first dates were outdoors so selecting The Courtyard on St. James as the backdrop of their summer evening wedding was an easy choice. They envisioned a wedding that conveyed a timeless, intimate and laid-back atmosphere, with an abundance of unique textures and candles, and neutral hues serving as the color scheme.

The couple values their respective family heritages so it was important to honor their culture on their wedding day as well. Both Janet and Keiths parents immigrated to the United States as refugees during the Khmer Rouge. During their wedding, the two performed a Sand Ceremony where Keith brought back Cambodian soil and ashes, which came from burial grounds of those who died during the war. This heartfelt moment was symbolic to the couple as they gave tribute to their family history while looking forward to their future.

At one point in the couples relationship, they dated long distance overseas, which led to quite a bit of traveling back and forth. To continue to tie in different chapters of their story, they asked their photographer to incorporate elements of travel into their photo booth. There were vintage suitcases and paper airplanes strung up as a backdrop for picture taking guests.

Among Janets favorite memories of her wedding day was when she stood in the foyer as the ceremony began. Music was playing and the wedding procession started to make their way down the aisle. At that moment, Janet was overwhelmed with emotions and thrilled with excitement to marry her best friend.

When asked to share advice for future brides, Janet highly recommended a wedding planner to help make the planning process easier as it can be overwhelming when being bombarded by a variety of wedding ideas. Janet also stresses the importance of keeping your day personalized to you and your husband-to-be and the love you share for one another.

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I couldn’t possibly put my finger on what I love most about this gorgeous ballroom beauty captured by Day7. The first thing I fell in love with was this bride’s gorgeous BHLDN gown. It’s a stunner. Then I fell in love with the palette of soft pinks. It doesn’t get prettier. But then I saw the way this Groom looked at his lovely Bride, and all of the things I loved so much went out the window, because that look is priceless. See even more of this gorgeous ballroom wedding here.

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Vintage Garden Wedding from Carlea J Photography

From the Bride…The day was how I imagined, full of love and laughter, surrounded by family and friends, sharing that special day with all of them. I remember praying the morning of that it wouldn’t be a horribly hot and humid day that Houston was known for. The ceremony and reception was indoors, but our first look was outside next to the church and we both sweat a LOT! Thankfully, it was somewhat tolerable. I tried to remember as much of the day as I could, since everyone always says the day passes by in a blur! I made it a point to take a step back and take in each moment. It certainly helped that my father is so goofy. The guests and I will never forget when he found the traditional pace of the father and daughter dance too slow and he broke out his own dance moves.

Most of my inspiration came from Style Me Pretty which I browsed a LOT! My sister would even comment that I was addicted. This was how I decided to go with a neutral palette with gold accents and even choose PINK! (well, if we’re being technical, blush) for my bridesmaids. I never really liked pink, but it evoked the feeling of soft romance that I was going for in my wedding. As for tradition, I am somewhat of a reformed traditionalist and wasn’t set on having something new, old, borrowed, and blue. However, my bridesmaids sweetly surprised me with a hand-stitched “tear-chief” (handkerchief for my tears) with D + J and our wedding date in blue letters that was my something blue. One aspect I absolutely adored was incorporating our love of giraffes into the wedding. Instead of a pillow for the rings, I found a stuffed giraffe for the ring boys to carry down the altar.

I am so grateful for all the family and friends who helped with the wedding. All my bridesmaids and wedding coordinator, whose own experiences with their own wedding gave me insights and made the planning process easier. It also helped a lot that they are so crafty (see “tear-chief” above) because we were able to make all the floral centerpieces, bouquets, and boutonnieres. This allowed us to add peonies (my favorite!), to the bouquet, since we found them for a steal from the local grocery store. Since I wanted to bring the outside in, my friend had the brilliant idea to cut pear branches from her yard to complete the look with the cloudberries for the altar arrangements. I am also blessed to have a graphic designer friend who did all the stationary and kept me sane throughout the printing process. On the day of, my sister did my makeup, and my mom, who did my hair, magically transformed me. Take advantage of any special skills your family and friends have to offer. It definitely made my wedding more personal and memorable.

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BHLDN

Bridal 2016

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This wedding from Carlea J Photography simply defines lovely. From it’s romantic hues to it’s gorgeous blooms by Plants and Petals and all the sweet details in between, it just doesn’t get prettier than this vintage garden wedding at the The Parador. But you don’t have to take my word for it, there is so much more proof of the pretty waiting for you in the full gallery of images.

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DIY Inspired Vintage

From the Bride… Glen and I met by chance through a friend. We walked the same high school hallways, went to the same movie theatre and lived not far from each other most of our lives. Fate didn’t work it’s magic until I was just about to start college and he decided to ask me to dinner on the Philadelphia waterfront. I fell hard for his for his dashing good looks and fantastic sense of humor. His English background makes him dangerously charming and he was always such a gentleman. Turns out, he’s quite the gentleman all the time so I figured I’d better hang on to this one! We dated for quite a few years and he proposed on a family holiday to Devon, England. It was simple and outrageously romantic all at the same time, just his style. Through (his) tears, I said yes and the rest is history!

The inspiration for the event was a classic and vintage garden party. I was raised to love antiques and that objects have stories of love and life, Glen has also adopted this interest of mine after years of antique malls and yard sales. We incorporated as many vintage elements as we could. All the ladies that attended the wedding received vintage hankies as a momento of the day. I knew the groom was going to cause quite a few tears of joy. Our table numbers were postcards from significant places. One of our passions in life is traveling and I thought it would be a great symbol for this new journey of marriage and life we are about to embark upon. Almost all of my jewelry was borrowed from various women in my family.

I am a graphic designer so I’ve essentially art directed the day – from the programs and advice cards to the menus and thank you notes. The invitations were letter-pressed by a local printer, Cara Matocha. She helped me set the mood for the event before the guests even arrived. I absolutely love this printing technique so letterpress was a must for us and also gave a nod back to the vintage theme we had started. My local Houston friends helped us immensely with invitation preparation.

My maids of honor (yes I had two, I’m a lucky girl) we’re miles away, one in Philadelphia and another in Los Angeles. They are fabulous and were so supportive and helpful via email and phone calls throughout the planning process. When they arrived in Houston a few days before the wedding they quickly met and joined my Houston maid and they got to work! We created petal toss cones from pages of a vintage book on friendship, cards for each of the vintage hankies and quite a few things for our BBQ rehearsal dinner.

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Houston Engagement Shoot at Memorial Park from Archetype Studio Inc.

This couple? They make camping look chic. And sweet. And adorable. And stylish. I may not be the camping type, but if it looks this pretty, I’m totally in. I just can’t get enough of the images Archetype Studio Inc sent our way, and really, can you blame me? Because sitting in this gallery are snapshots these two cuties will treasure forever, and you can get swept up in all the sweetness right here.

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Fall Weddings

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Casual Rustic

From the Bride… Before we began planning our engagement photos, Jason and I discussed the importance of wanting everything about our wedding to reflect ‘us’. Sounds cliché, but we wanted to keep it simple, with no extra props or fluff, unless it was actually a part of our relationship history. We decided to place ourselves in a setting we’re comfortable with, so it was an easy decision that our pictures would be taken outdoors and camping would have a starring role. Outdoor adventures have played a large part in our relationship which started with a New Years camping trip, after we had been dating for only one month. These experiences continued over the next three years, as we camped in the San Juan Islands and rafted down the Grand Canyon on a surprise vacation. Jason and I are blessed to have shared interests and tastes, which also means an appreciation for all things modern. This is the reason we incorporated a pair of Eames chairs I gave him into the camping portion of the shoot. We wanted classic images that would reflect our personalities and love for one another, which is why we also chose to include our ‘furry children’ in the pictures. We both brought a dog to the relationship, so it only seemed natural that Sadie and Deluca be included in the photos representing our future family of four.

I love a good juxtaposition, so we also chose to have a more formal outfit for the other half of our images. It was in these pictures I incorporated my second-most treasured piece of jewelry (my engagement ring obviously the first!), the monogrammed necklace Jason gave me when he proposed, which bears my future married initials. Planning and organizing the e-session was certainly a group effort. My handsome, handyman/future husband built the makeshift tent, my mom made the chevron pillows, and Jason’s mom and Oma brought the dogs to us at just the right time. The real credit, however, goes to Koby and Terilyn who not only made us incredibly comfortable, regardless of our setting, but let our personalities shine with their images. They captured us exactly as we are. We are beyond grateful for them and their photography skills, and now have a series of images showing our excitement and love for one another, that we can treasure forever!

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Photography: Koby & Terilyn Brown, Archetype Studio Inc |Location: Memorial Park, Houston, Texas

Houston Wedding from Archetype Studio Inc.

Give me a wedding designed around a mid-century modern concept and you’ll have one giddy blogger on your hands. That’s for darn certain. But add in an entire gallery of crisp, clean captures from Archetype Studio Inc, and you’ve just let me have my cake and eat it too. With detail after detail of streamlined perfection (did I mention they gave custom silhouettes as favors?) I firmly believe this Houston fête is minimalism at its finest. So sit back and get comfy, because this pretty party is just getting starting…

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Houston Wedding from Still-Life Media Photography

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Modern

From the Bride…Jason and I knew from the beginning that we wanted a unique and personal wedding, which was the driving force behind the planning of our special day. Since we met while working with power tools, on a church mission project, we decided to DIY as much as we could, to make sure our wedding was reflective of us and our love of building things together. We immediately started our planning with an inspiration board. As lovers of good, mid-century design, all our favorite items played harmoniously with one another and instantly created an obvious theme of juxtaposing materials. We knew we wanted to avoid a color palette that we would regret in 20 years and also didn’t want to limit ourselves to matching everything with a bold color. Therefore, we chose a neutral scheme of grey, white, and sand. We utilized the texture of overlapping tonal shades and heavily relied on the warmth of the materials to read as our ‘color’. Our graphic designer created an amazing cohesive suite for us with a save the date, invitations, and wedding reception signage. My favorite detail was the wood-grain embossed cardstock of our invitations, paired with silver foil lettering. If Jason and I could be paper, we like to think our invitations are what we would look like!

Our wedding day was full of special moments, including our families getting ready together at the hotel, with our wedding parties. Jason and I were able to deliver letters to each other to read, and Jason’s was so touching it made me feel even more blessed that God picked him to be my husband. We also chose to do a first-look, since it would give us a moment to share our thoughts with each other and have a few, quiet minutes to ourselves. I immediately realized it was the best decision we ever could have made, onceI saw his sweet expression and the tears in his eyes. I’ll always cherish that moment and Terilyn and Koby’s amazing photos that reflect just how personal it was for us!

I fell in love with our reception venue while on an architectural tour with my company. After showing it to Jason and visiting a handful of other venues in town, nothing said ‘us’ like this modern building. We knew we had found a unique place and were booked as their first wedding reception! A beautiful downtown Houston church was perfect for our ceremony and it was important that Jason’s childhood pastor marry us. We asked family friends to do the scripture reading and the solo’s, and even included honorary groomswoman and bridesman positions for two of our dearest friends. We carefully selected the solos based on our favorite hymns. We spent a lot of time making our ceremony personal, Christ centered, and a little quirky. Our pastor included in his homily a description of a poster Jason gave me while dating. We chose to display this framed poster at our reception, because it describes our relationship so well. We shared a joyous walk down the aisle as husband and wife, to ‘In My Life’, by our favorite band, the Beatles.

At the reception, silhouette artist, Cindi Rose, was busy cutting silhouettes of the guests to take home as a favor…..her accuracy and speed was a hit with our family and friends! The band was insanely fun and sang our favorite oldies and Beatles songs that kept guests of all ages dancing. Our florist, can only be described as my kindred spirit and has a level of creativity that’s out of this world. In lieu of traditional ribbon or lace around the bridesmaid’s bouquets, he soaked thin slices of wood in water before wrapping them around the bouquets; one of my absolute favorite details. His magical mind also worked with us on the custom designed cake stand for our reception. We knew our architectural, cantilevered cake wouldn’t look proper on a regular table, so he created an acrylic stand, incorporating our favorite succulents and manzanita branches into the base. We chose not to have a groom’s cake, but rather design a cake that reflected both of us. Instead, we alternated the flavors of the cake tiers, in order to have a variety. Since Jason and I admire mid-century architect Richard Neutra’s iconic house numbers, we decided to make our own. We cut them out of poplar wood, painted them metallic silver, and mounted them to blocks of cedar to use as the table numbers. Jason also built the custom white trays used for the escort cards, which we filled with pebbles and succulents, to accent the cards, which were done in calligraphy by my sister.

At the end of the evening, we walked through a dazzling sparkler send-off to our bright orange getaway car. Jason bought the 1970 Roadrunner about two months before we began dating, and has worked on restoring it throughout our entire relationship; a true labor of love. Our getaway departure was my FIRST ride in the completed car, and I couldn’t think of a better way to christen it, than to ride away from our wedding reception as husband and wife!

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Wedding Dresses

Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier Bridal Fall 2015

Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Spring 2016

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Wedding Dresses

Pronovias

ATELIER PRONOVIAS

PRONOVIAS

Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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Confession time. I’ve never really considered myself a girly girl. (I know, I know… a non-girly girl obsessed with weddings. Such a juxtaposition.) I prefer flip flops to heels, football games to The Real Housewives and I can’t bake one.single.thing. But, when it comes to the color pink, well… my tomboyish tendencies take a serious back seat. Because pretty pink hues playing nice with a drop-dead gorgeous (Houston) wedding? That’s an entirely different kind of lovely. See it all captured by Still-Life Media Photography in the full gallery.

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Richmond Wedding at Briscoe Manor from Julie Wilhite Photography

From the Bride…We both travelled from different states to Detroit, Michigan to attend the end of year watch night service (Dec 31st, 2013) and also to see my Spiritual Father and Pastor. There, he arranged with my sister and some friends – and took us all to a nice restaurant for dinner. When it was time for dessert, the waitress came out with some cheesecake with strawberries and the wordings in strawberry syrup “Will you marry me?” Then he got on his one knee and popped the most beautiful ring. After I said, “Yes,” he cried.

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Wedding Dresses

Badgley Mischka

Spring 2014 Bridal

2014 Bridesmaids

Spring 2014 Accessories

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Traditional affairs in Texas have a style all their own. A sort of “traditional with a kick,” if you will. And when that amped-up style meets two seriously stunning cuties and the amazing work of Julie Wilhite Photography, it takes it to an entirely new level. A level planned to absolute perfection by Something to Celebrate and boasting beautiful blooms from Blooming Gallery and a whole lot of sweetness overload from Susie’s Cakes. See it all right here in the full gallery. It’s crazy amazing.

And a gorgeous film from Perry Evan Films for even more beautiful inspiration…

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Ballroom Weddings Religious Institution

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Classic Weddings Romantic

From Julie Wilhite… Andrew and Kelly initially met through friends, but the timing was not quite right. They later reconnected on Facebook and have never left each other’s sides. Through a mutual love of adventure and travel, they fell in love. Their wedding was elegant and romantic using the colors silver and royal blue. The flowers were absolutely stunning, bringing the garden inside the chapel just for the two of them.

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Downtown Houston Wedding from Keely Thorne Events

You know why I am seriously smitten with this breathtaking Houston wedding? Well, other than the fact that the bride calls it “prairie chic meets urban cityscape” and it’s a chock-full of swoon-worthy details planned to perfection by Keely Thorne Events? It’s pretty. The kind of pretty that can only be delivered by the lush florals of Bows and Arrows + Events in Bloom, a breathtaking Monique Lhuillier and a fab Petroleum Club setting. It’s just that good. And the gallery captured by Chris Bailey Photography? Amazing. Join me there for sooo much more.

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From the bride… After getting engaged, Matthew and I sat down to discuss how we envisioned our wedding day. Both of us loved the idea of a grand, sophisticated, cityscape wedding. To throw in a twist, we also wanted the wedding details to reflect our Texas upbringing, as a way to share where we are from with our family and friends, joining us to celebrate our marriage from all over the world. This juxtaposition between what my florist calls “Prairie Chic” and “Urban Cityscape” was quite a challenge, but it is what gave our wedding such a unique, personal touch.

Our reception was held at the Petroleum Club, which is on the 43rd floor, overlooking all of Downtown Houston. We transformed the space with décor and draping from the elevators foyer into the East and West Lounges and into the main Petroleum Room. Events in Bloom was able to bring the outdoors in, by hanging hundreds of small candles from the ballroom ceiling, which captured the stars and skyline seen through the massive two story windows. Below the candlelight, Bows and Arrows and Events in Bloom each put together grand floral focal points, as well as perfectly detailed flower arraignments filled with native foliage that surrounded our guests with the feeling of springtime in Texas.

Matthew and I found our band while hanging out one night in Austin, Texas. Sauce the Band set the active tone of the night and had all of our guests on their feet. The energy in the room was contagious. It puts a smile on my face thinking about all the fun we had with our loved ones that night.

I cannot thank Emily Moise with Keely Thorne Events, and all of our vendors for helping us put together what I, and all of our guests, call “a night to remember”. It is an amazing feeling to look back on my wedding day and love everything, down to the smallest of details. It is a feeling that I hope every woman can enjoy.

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Bows and Arrows

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Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier Bridal Fall 2015

Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Spring 2016

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Houston Hotel ZaZa Wedding from Akil Bennett Photography

Glamourous weddings come in many shapes and forms, from simply sophisticated backyard soirees to drop-dead gorgeous ballroom affairs. And this enchanting Houston wedding? It falls in the latter category, with a breathtaking Hotel Zaza setting and some of the most amazing details you will ever lay your eyes upon planned to perfection by Something to Celebrate. It’s the fab stylings of Events in Bloom meets a mesmerizing Pnina Tornai gown meets a gallery of pretty captured by Akil Bennett Photography. And the beautiful bride and groom? The epitome of stunning. See so much more in the full gallery.

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Houston Wedding at The Crystal Ballroom from Akil Bennett Photography

From the Bride… James and I have a unique sense of humor that makes us laugh at most situations. We have the ability to laugh at ourselves and at each other as well, which definitely helps ease tense moments. We also share similar interests like shopping fashion and eating indulgent food. But first and foremost, we put God first and that enables us to really love and respect one another.

James and I looked forward to sharing the things we loved with our closest family and friends during the wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner on Friday, the traditional Ghanaian ceremony on Saturday and held the wedding on Sunday. We really wanted our wedding weekend of events to reflect who we were as a couple. We absolutely loved every part from beginning to end.

The decor was what set the atmosphere. We loved how it had a modern feel to the ceremony and reception. Our spoken word artist, Tydric Martin, set the tone for my walk down the aisle, and our officiant, Pastor Wright, really created a touching ceremony. The cocktail hour had amazing energy with the sounds of LG Entertainment where our guest noshed on some of our favorite items and drank cotton candy martinis. Our favorite parts from the reception were the band, Hard Proof Afrobeat, which we chose because it was non-traditional and their sound is reminiscent of the music that is played in Ghana, where James’s family is from. We also loved the late night stations where people could entertain themselves with the cigar roller, the photo booth or the sketch artist while nibbling on nutella and chocolate cookies and sip on mini Coke floats! Our grand exit really topped off the night as our family and friends lit our way with sparklers! It was truly the best night of our lives and we wish we could relive it all over again!

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Pnina Tornai

Dimensions Collection

Metallic Collection

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A little bit vintage, the perfect dash of romance and a whole lot of love, this wedding is just a dream come true for any bride-to-be (or blogger in my case). It’s Houston sophistication at its finest yet with a cozy warmth, all planned to perfection by Bash! A Special Events Firm. With gorgeous florals from Stems Custom Floral and a collection of picture perfect images from Akil Bennett Photography – it’s safe to say, this gallery is bursting at the seems with pretty. See it all here.

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Houston Wedding from Stefano Choi Photography

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Classic Weddings Vintage

From The Bride… What I wanted most for my wedding was the bring the warmth and intimacy of my family home into this occasion marking Dan’s and my commitment to creating a new family and a new home. That meant that I wanted every detail to reflect a kind of vintage romantic aesthetic and to convey the sweetness of love, a plan aided by our coordinator, Traci Rushton. Our chuppah, or marriage canopy, serving as our symbolic first home, was sewn by my aunt from a vintage tablecloth. It will become a staple of each life-cycle event for our new family. Mark Miller of Stems Custom Floral, then incorporated it into a framework of dogwood trees to bring in a sense of the natural and organic. He continued that theme– of things found, lovingly collected, and curated– in our centerpieces, each unique and made up of small containers, antique vases, and objects he selected overflowing with blush-colored roses.

Our Scottish terrier, Tillie, was also an important part of our wedding and decor. Dan and I were talking about getting engaged, but it wasn’t until I brought home this adorable, energetic, affectionate puppy that we realized how much of a family we had become. He proposed exactly one month after she started bounding around our home, and, although she couldn’t be trusted to attend the wedding, we made sure she was part of it. She was featured on our save-the-date, a paper cut-out by Julene Harrison, in Scottie silhouettes directing guests to their seats, as a little terrier peeking out from our cake, and in blush and silver cookies guests took home to continue the celebration.

A vintage silver locket pattern with our initials was another motif: first featured in our invitations, it reappeared on programs, napkins, and, most adorably, on necklaces worn by our three darling flower girls, whose happy faces reflected our own joy during and after a wonderful night!

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Claire Pettibone

Couture Bridal

Fall 2015 Romantique

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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.

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DIY Inspired

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!

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Vera Wang

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Houston Wedding at Agave Road from Clayton Austin

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.

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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!

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Amsale

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Elizabeth Fillmore

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Vera Wang

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Houston ZaZa Wedding from Keely Thorne Events

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.

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Seabrook Yacht Club Wedding from Mustard Seed Photography

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!” [dotted]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 | Sound + Lighting: Pro/Sound | Stationery: Atheneum Creative | Wedding Dress: Ivory Bridal Atelier | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Band: Drywater | Ceremony Music: Divisi Strings

Both modern and nautical-inspired pretty make an appearance in this sweet Lakewood Yacht Club affair and let me be the first to tell you, it’s downright lovely. From the DIY details so expertly crafted by the bride and groom (seriously… they are DIY pros) to the pops of vibrant yellow to the amazing florals from Special Arrangements, there’s not a moment that won’t leave you completely speechless. Not to mention the fab chevron pattern adding just the right touch of whimsy to everything from the linens to the sweet paper goods. Don’t miss a minute captured by the ever-amazing Mustard Seed Photography in the full gallery.

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From the Bride… Our enjoyment of sailing made a nautical inspired wedding a natural choice. We wanted to capitalize on the water views we enjoy by living in the Clearlake area just south of Houston, and that led us to select Lakewood Yacht Club for our wedding day. Navy and white were obvious choices in nautical colors, and the addition of lemon yellow freshened up the pallet. I chose to incorporate both nautical elements as well as modern elements to keep the wedding whimsical and fun. John and I spent hours in the garage and in my craft room fabricating most of the décor. My mother and mother-in-law sewed all the yellow chevron table runners for our guest tables. John and his dad handcrafted all of the wood items. I scored nine foam core chandeliers from The Limited after they were used to decorate the Christmas store front displays and my lovely bridesmaids spent hours painting the chandeliers with Mod Podge and glitter. We installed the chandeliers as an installation above the dance floor, which really helped to define the space. The theme of nautical and whimsical continued to the flower arrangements, which contained the soft and luscious Ranunculus along with modern addition of the Thistle and the Succulent and the bright pop of the yellow Billy Balls.

My dress was one of my most favorite aspects of the day. I felt like a princess in the Maggie Sottero, and I adored the way the billowy skirt swirled around and really picked up the nautical ocean theme of the wedding. It was important for us that the bridal party wasn’t over burdened by having to purchase a bunch of new items for the day. The guys all wore gray suits they already owned. I told the girls they could get whatever navy chiffon bridesmaid dress they wanted and gave relaxed guidelines on the jewelry and shoes. I’m relieved the girls got to wear things they already owned, and I loved how each of their dresses and accessories were unique to their personal style.

One of John and my favorite treats is frozen yogurt from our local yogurt bar, Berrylicious. We invited Berrylicious to cater a make-your-own yogurt bar, which was a huge hit. Our cake was made by a very talented and generous friend who captured the detail of my dress in the icing. One of my favorite elements was the cake stand I found on sale. I borrowed a mix of modern and vintage cake stands for the cupcake display to serve our two favorite Rise Bakery cupcakes. John and I handmade the glitter heart strands that adorned the front of the cake table.

We were absolutely thrilled with every aspect of the day. The photos really capture the essence of the day, and looking at them allows us to relive the emotions we felt during our wedding. I’m so glad we chose Mustard Seed Photography. They captured every detail, and their natural style conveyed the true emotions in our wedding images.

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Houston Wedding from Julie Wilhite Photography + Something to Celebrate

So, I kind of have a thing for grooms sporting big bow ties and I most definitely have a thing for brides rockin’ the stunning Christos Desiree gown, so this wedding? It’s like a seriously chic dream come true. One that happened to take place at the breathtaking Rice University Cohen House and featured beautiful blooms from Last Petal and the fab stylings of Something to Celebrate. I mean, does this day sound incredible or what?!? Julie Wilhite was on hand to capture all of the pretty and it’s a traditional meets romantic love-fest you just can’t miss. See it all right here.

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