Archive for the ‘Celebrity Wedding’ Category
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Now that the guests (and throngs of reporters and camera crews) have all gone home, and Chelsea Clinton and new hubby Marc Mezvinsky are settling into what will hopefully be a long and loving married life, we’ve had a chance to think about what Houston brides can learn from the presidential daughter’s wedding.
First off: Go big, if you will, but don’t go over the top. Chelsea didn’t have much choice when it came to the size of her invite list (about 400 guests reportedly attended the Rhinebeck, N.Y. nuptial celebration), but she did have many choices when it came to the scale of her wedding’s design. With help from Boston-based wedding planner Bryan Rafanelli, Chelsea kept things simple and elegant, relying heavily on the inherent beauty of the Beaux-Arts-style Astor Courts, her wedding venue.
Also: Make it about YOU. Yes, Chelsea had a LOT of folks to please, from her president dad to her secretary-of-state mom to her fiance’s family, heads of state, dignitaries and Hollywood types, not to mention her own dear friends and colleagues, and Marc’s, too. But she still managed to have her wedding align with her personality and tastes. Case in point: Chelsea, a vegan, might not have expected EVERYONE to eat an entirely animal-product-free menu (heck, the girl served shortribs!), but she did insist on a gorgeous, and, we hear, absolutely delicious, gluten-free, vegan wedding cake, from La Tulipe Desserts. After all, what good is a wedding cake if the bride herself can’t eat it?
And finally: Have fun! Even while a no-fly zone was in effect overhead and security swarmed the Astor Courts grounds, Chelsea still managed to have a great time at her wedding—AND make it fun for guests. The bride, groom and family members (yup, including President Clinton) got hoisted in chairs for a traditional hora just like at every Jewish wedding everywhere (Marc and his family are Jewish), the 18-piece big-band ensemble had folks kicking up their heels on the dance floor, and the after-party on the tennis courts, which featured ’80s classics and top-40 hits, apparently had revelers raging until after 4 a.m.!
So we say, thank you, Chelsea, for showing us how it’s done. And congratulations!
For a great rundown on why Chelsea Clinton is such an inspiring bride, and a bit on Chelsea’s wedding in the annals of presidential-children’s-weddings history, click here. Enjoy!
RELATED POSTS:
http://houstonweddingblog.com/2010/04/flower-powered-wedding-cakes/
http://houstonweddingblog.com/2010/01/reception-decor-inspiration-taylor-creative-weddings/
http://houstonweddingblog.com/2010/04/daytime-wedding-wow/
Posted in Celebrity Wedding, Ceremony, Reception | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Don’t know why, but we’re in a musical mood today. Maybe it’s because we were just grooving to this
sweetly hilarious song (scroll down to Bulletin Board) from KRBE’s Special K and Phoenix created specially for Roula Christie and hubby Tasos Kostas in honor of their recent wedding (how cool is THAT)?
Well, whatever the reason, we’re all excited to talk tunes—specifically, slightly offbeat, but truly sensational alternatives to the standard Ceremony Strings, Cocktail Combo, Party DJ triumvirate.
OK, so everyone loves a good string section at a wedding ceremony. But instead of lulling guests with the sonorous sounds of acoustic music, why not go electric? We’re not talking Hendrix here, but instead the marvelously deep, rich sound of an electric harp. Or how about an electric violin, assisted by a loop station, which lets the performer play multiple parts in real time—along the lines of this violinist, playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D , an enduring ceremony favorite. Imagine how beautiful this would sound in your ceremony site…
As for the cocktail interlude before the big bash, we love the idea of music with a theme. You might not want to have bluegrass fiddlers or a tabla-sitar combination or soundtrack music from your favorite science fiction flicks for the ENTIRE night, but the cocktail reception is a great place to personalize your wedding with music that means something special to you and your new spouse. Coordinate hors d’oeuvre and/or specialty cocktails with your themed music for a true guest treat!
At dinner, it’s all about dancing. But that doesn’t mean you have to stick strictly to pop classics, beloved oldies and wedding standards, Houston bride. Have your DJ mix it up a little with music that might be unfamiliar or unexpected—but is irresistible to dancers. We’re fans of Egyptian belly-dancing music, Bhangra remixes, Turkish Darbuka drumming, Cuban hip-hop, South African choir music, Southern gospel—we could go on and on, but our feet are tired!
Just promise us one thing: No Chicken Dance. Really.
Tags: Beautiful Music
Posted in Celebrity Wedding, Entertainment | No Comments »
Monday, January 11th, 2010
 Real Wedding: Roula Christie to Tasos Kostas If you’ve perused our fabulous new February issue—and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for, Houston bride?—you’ve likely checked out our story on the Oct. 24 wedding of 104.1 KRBE’s Roula Christie to Tasos Kostas. We are thrilled to feature Houston radio star Roula’s magnificent reception at the Omni Houston Hotel (and may we offer our mea culpa—we referred to Roula as co-host of the Roula & Ryan show, when, in fact, she’s one of the few women in radio to have her own show: You go, girl!). And we’re even more thrilled to have had a chance to speak with Roula recently about how planning and having a wedding—and BOY, what a wedding—has impacted her life as Radio Roula.
First off, let’s just get this out there in the open: Roula loves her job. No, we mean she REALLY loves it. Why? “I think it’s that people always surprise you,” she tells us. “It’s different in TV—you don’t know anything about the personality of the anchor. They’re just there to deliver the news. But for radio, especially for our show, we are the actual people on the air. You get emotionally attached.” With that kind of audience connection, it’s no surprise that when Roula got engaged to Tasos, she talked about it, LOTS, and her listeners weighed in.
But there were limits to Roula’s revelations. “I shared as much as I could…but I didn’t want to give away the farm before the wedding happened.” Plus, she admits, “I was a little worried about people who might try to crash the wedding—not that they’d mean any harm, but that was NOT the day I wanted to be a radio personality.” So how did keeping details under wraps work out for the ever honest and outspoken Roula? “It was SUPER hard to do!”
In the end, Roula and Tasos had the wedding of their dreams, and the couple are loving their newlywed life. Roula credits her hubby big time for accommodating her morning-radio schedule, and the 4 a.m. alarm that goes with it—yikes! “Poor thing,” she says. “I try to say, ‘Go back to sleep,’ but…” Luckily, the happy Houston bride notes, “He’s totally 100 percent fine with it. And that’s why we work as a couple.”
With wedding planning behind her and married bliss ahead, Roula’s got a few things to say (shocking, huh?) to Houston brides-to-be: “Don’t let planning become your job. Don’t make it your life, or you’re going to be disappointed when it’s over.” As for weddings themselves, Roula’s a huge fan of showing off Houston’s best to guests (another shocker, right?). Her own event, for instance, featured Shipley’s Do-Nuts, delivered fresh to visiting guests’ hotel rooms on the morning of the wedding, and welcome bags that paid homage to her favorite Houston attractions. Whatever you choose to highlight at your own wedding, make it personal, Roula says. “Show them those fun little things you and your groom love to do—give them some insight to who you are as a couple.”
Words to wed by, Roula. Thanks, and congratulations to you and Tasos!
Tags: Roula Christie
Posted in Celebrity Wedding, Planning | No Comments »
|
|
