Red | Houston Wedding Blog

Champagne and Red Wedding at Chateau Cocomar by Civic Photos

WEDDINGS IN HOUSTON SPRING 2015 | REAL WEDDING FEATURE

Brittney & Randy ~ July 19, 2014

Listen up, ladies: There’s something to be said for making the first move. Just ask Houston bride Brittney—who may never have ended up with the love of her life if she hadn’t asked handsome Randy for his digits at that Southern Methodist University dorm icebreaker 10 years back. “We ended up talking for hours on end,” she recalls, “then officially started dating on Sept. 24, 2004…and the rest is history!” At the couple’s beautiful Chateau Cocomar wedding, the groom, whose family hails from Ghana, changed into traditional Ghanian clothing halfway through the reception and delighted in watching his family shower his bride in money—a Ghanian tradition that Brittney says, “was a complete surprise to me, but made for an awesome story and a unique experience at our wedding.”

Champagne & Red Wedding at Chateau Cocomar by Civic Photos

Photos: Civic Photos ~ Rehearsal Dinner: Raveneaux Country Club ~ Venue: Chateau Cocomar ~ Consultant & Invitations: A Day to Remember ~ Flowers: Flora & Eventi ~ Decor & Rentals: EB Inc ~ Lighting: DJU Productions ~ Wedding Dress: Pronovias from Weddings by Debbie ~ Mother of the Bride Dress: T. Carolyn Fashions ~ Honeymoon: Jamaica

White, Red and Black Wedding at the Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

WEDDINGS IN HOUSTON Spring 2015 | Real Wedding Feature

Lisa & Joel ~ September 20, 2014

As Houston Rockets director of broadcasting Joel Blank recounts his initial blind date with KHOU-TV anchor Lisa Hernandez: “We had our first date, and knew we had gone on our last first date.” The couple made it official with a lovely late-summer wedding at the dazzling Crystal Ballroom at The Rice, where guests dug into fajitas, indulged in a decadent “dessert gallery,” and danced the night away. We don’t know who’s luckier—the bride, who, dressed in her stunning Ines Di Santo mermaid gown, tearfully exchanged vows with the man of her dreams, or the groomsmen, who each went home with an NBA game ball signed by Dwight Howard, James Harden, Kevin McHale, Calvin Murphy, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. You be the judge!

White, Red & Black Wedding at Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

Photos: Morgan Lynn Photography ~ Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo from Ivory Bridal Atelier ~ Venue: Crystal Ballroom at The Rice ~ Catering: Sambuca Catering ~ Decor & Rentals: EB Inc Events ~ Cake: Susie’s Cakes & Confections ~ Invitations: Katie & Co. ~ Videography: 31 Films ~ Honeymoon: Turks & Caicos

Red, Gold & Black Wedding at Hotel ZaZa by Select Studios

WEDDINGS IN HOUSTON FALL 2014 | REAL WEDDING FEATURE

Brittany and Ryan ~ November 23, 2013

“I’d never given much thought to the idea of ‘love at first sight’—until the moment it happened to me,” says Brittany. The bride first locked eyes with her hubby-to-be at a country-music festival in Steamboat Springs, Colo.—an instant that, she says, “felt like a movie” and changed her life. Eleven months into their long-distance relationship (he was in Austin, she in Houston), Ryan proposed aboard a gondola at Las Vegas’ Venetian Hotel. The couple’s Catholic ceremony was intimate and spiritual; their red-gold-and-black Hotel ZaZa reception was all about fun. “Since our love story began at a music festival,” Brittany says, dancing ruled the day—the highlight of a celebration “designed to include all of our guests; we wanted them to feel how much we loved them.”

Red, Gold & Black Wedding at Hotel ZaZa by Select Studios

Names: Brittany Tiner & Ryan Deck ~ Number of Guests: 300 ~ Venue: Hotel Zaza ~ Invitations: Katie & Co. ~ Flowers & Decor: Darryl & Co. ~ Cake: Who Made the Cake ~ His & Hers Signature Cocktails: Whiskey Press; Dirty Martini ~ Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo from Ivory Bridal Atelier ~ Jewelry: Zadok Jewelers ~ Photography: Select Studios ~ Registry: Bering’s; Williams-Sonoma ~ Honeymoon: Dominican Republic

Red, Black and Gold Winter Wedding at the Magnolia Hotel by DC Stanley Photography

How’s THIS for a proposal story? “It was a night of reliving ‘firsts’—a Rockets game (our first official meeting), dinner at Vic & Anthony’s (our first official date), drinks at Hotel Zaza…,” says bride Brie Anna. “On a balcony overlooking the Museum District, he surprised me with a hand-drawn charcoal portrait of the two of us. The entire portrait was black and white, EXCEPT for a canary-yellow diamond engagement ring placed on my ring finger within the picture. My eyes were instantly drawn to the yellow image and I turned to find Craig down on one knee!” The couple’s December wedding, with its Catholic church ceremony and “lounge-feel” Magnolia Hotel reception—“NO traditional seating—cocktail-style vignettes and comfortable couches,” the bride recounts—captured the festiveness of the season, as did the surprise “flash mob” organized for the groom! Congratulations to the happy couple, and thanks to DC Stanley Photography for the fantastic photos of the fabulous winter wedding.

Photos: DC Stanley Photography ~ Reception Venue: Magnolia Hotel ~ Cake: Supreme Kakes & More ~ Registry: Macy’s

Romantic White and Red Wedding at Chateau Polonez by Civic Photos

If you fell helplessly in love with this ridiculously gorgeous couple’s retro-chic engagement shoot by Civic Photos, just wait until you see their wedding! Houston bride Kristy and her groom Desmond wanted to give their guests a glimpse of what it would be like to attend a romantic wedding in a French chateau and, “Chateau Polonez provided the perfect ambiance,” she says. Kristy looked like a dream in a stunning fit-and-flare lace gown with a Swarovski beaded belt from Winnie Couture and show-stopping Christian Louboutin sheer, sparkling pumps. And dashing Desmond more than held his own. Looking for winter wedding inspiration? Take a cue from Kristy and Desmond’s creamy ivory, white and deep red palette–a perfect color combo for cold-season festivities. Big thanks to fine photographers Saul Munoz and Barett Henry of Civic Photos, and our most sincere congrats to Kristy and Desmond, we wish you two the best!

Romantic White and Red Wedding at Chateau Polonez by Civic Photos

Photos: Civic Photos ~ Wedding Venue: Chateau Polonez ~ Wedding Gown: Winnie Couture ~ Bridal Accessories: David’s Bridal ~ Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin ~ MOB & Bridesmaid Dresses Designer: Jim Hjelm ~ Photo Booth: Civic Photos