Venues We Love (And Are Going to Love Even More in About Five Months): St. Regis Houston

Houston Wedding Venues

We’re already fans of The St. Regis Houston’s refined elegance and perfectly posh River Oaks location. We adore its incredibly attentive, detail-oriented service, overseen by the charming and gracious (not to mention incredibly sharp and creative) Tobias Rimkus, director of catering.

And when May rolls around, we’re going to have even more to love about the St. Regis Houston…1,200 more square feet to love, that is, plus luxurious new ballroom décor and furnishings, and brand-new, state-of-the-art electronics, sound systems and flexible lighting capabilities. That’s because in May, the St. Regis will unveil its gor-ge-ous $7 million ballroom and pre-function renovation, courtesy Dallas-based architectural and interior design firm ForrestPerkins. Brides will find space to accommodate more than 280 guests for a formal ceremony plus dinner—imagine making your entrance via the ballroom’s dramatic stairway, then greeting your guests for cocktails on the ballroom’s outdoor terrace, overlooking the lush greenery of Briar Oaks.

The St. Regis is accepting wedding bookings for dates starting May 22. And hard-hat tours will kick off once structural work is completed (you can check in with Tobias Rimkus at 713.840.7600 for updates). For now, check out these design boards for a glimpse at the rich color palettes, fine furniture and beautiful lighting you’ll be seeing live when doors to the reno’d space opens this spring.

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All That Glitters…Looks So Great On Wedding Shoes!

Rodo Crystal Peep-Toe Pump

Rodo Crystal Peep-Toe Pump

The bling thing is so hot for 2011 weddings, if Swarovski weren’t family owned, we’d buy stock in ’em. The ubiquitous Austrian crystals and rhinestones are showing up on everything from invitations to linens to cakes (a la Susie Edwards’ dazzler on display at October’s I Do! Bridal Soiree @ ZaZa).

Lauren Jones Angel Peep-Toe
Lauren Jones Angel Peep-Toe

As for wearable sparkle, designers are doing amazing things with bling—from crystal- and rhinestone-encrusted belts and bodices to tiers of tulle sprinkled with tiny crystal beads for a dreamy, fairytale effect. But our hands-down favorite use of sparkle is on bridal footwear.

Christian Louboutin Marlena
Christian Louboutin Marlena

Cinderella knew the effect of a twinkling shoe. Dorothy’s helped her find her way home. Your sparkling wedding-day shoes may just create a little magic of their own. At the very least, they’ll look incredibly glamorous peeping out from beneath your bridal gown.

Artyce Custom Shoes
Artyce Custom Shoes
Artyce Sandals
Artyce Sandals
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Hot Designers + Big Savings = Mia’s Sample Sale!

Mia Bridal Sample Sale Mia Bridal Sample Sale Mia Bridal Sample Sale

If you’re on the hunt for THE ONE, this is THE WEEK. We’re talking about Mia Bridal Couture’s sensational sample sale, today through Friday. That’s where you’ll find Houston’s most delicious selection of deeply discounted designer bridal gowns…and hopefully, in there somewhere, the perfect one for your perfect day.

Mia’s got more than 100 gorgeous gowns to choose from, and no appointment is necessary. Buy your gown TODAY (Wednesday, Dec. 1) and get an extra 10% off the already low sample-sale price. Yum!

Here are the deets…tell a friend! Or not. This is a first-come, first-served sale, after all–maybe best to maximize your odds. Happy shopping, Houston bride!

Mia Bridal Couture – Sample Sale
Wednesday, Dec. 1 – Friday, Dec. 3
Mia Bridal Couture
1958 West Gray
Houston, TX 77019
For more information call 713.622.2022 or e-mail info@miabridalcouture.com

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The Best (Or Worst??) Of New Wedding TV PART II

There’s so much so-bad-it’s-good wedding reality on TV this season, we couldn’t fit it all in one blog post. Hence, part II of our rundown of new shows. Check out these previews, and let us know: Love it? Hate it? Hate to love it? Drop your comments here!


Premiering this week, it’s weTV’s “Jilted,” where hopeful brides hand out the ultimatum: “Marry me, or lose me forever!” Bad for real life. But good for TV? You be the judge!


On The CW, you can look forward to “Shedding for the Wedding,” where 10 overweight couples will compete, “The Biggest Loser”-style, to drop pre-wedding pounds and win wedding-theme prizes (rings, cakes, etc.). Did we mention they all have to live together? At least nobody’s getting drunk or screaming about prenups. Yet.

Vh1’s answer to the new wedding reality, is “My Big Friggin’ Wedding.” We’re calling it “Jersey Shore” meets “Bridezillas” meets “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” And we can’t turn away. Like watching a car wreck. What are YOU calling it?

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The Best (or Worst??) of New Wedding TV Shows: What Do YOU Think?

That’s it. It’s official. Weddings have overtaken cooking, fashion-design, makeovers (personal and residential) and insanely procreative families as the go-to obsession of reality TV. And we’re (mostly) loving it. Shows like “Say Yes to the Dress,” “Platinum Weddings” and “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” have provided us with endless inspiration, tons of laughter, a few tears, and a reassuring sense that we’re not the only ones fretting over “crumb-catcher–yay or nay?” or whether to match our napkin rings to our table numbers.

So we should be THRILLED that there’s a whole new crop of wedding TV shows hitting (or soon to hit) the airwaves, right? But we just can’t shake the feeling that in an effort to vie for viewers in an increasingly crowded wedding-TV landscape, the new shows have wandered a little too far “outside the aisle” as it were.

We want to know what YOU think. We’ve pulled previews and clips from the best (or worst??) of the bunch. Love ’em? Hate ’em? Love to hate ’em? Hate yourself for loving ’em? Drop your comments here and tell us what you think!

Vh1’s answer to the new wedding reality, is “My Big Friggin’ Wedding.” We’re calling it “Jersey Shore” meets “Bridezillas” meets “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” And we can’t turn away. Like watching a car wreck. What are YOU calling it?


On The CW, you can look forward to “Shedding for the Wedding,” where 10 overweight couples will compete, “The Biggest Loser”-style, to drop pre-wedding pounds and win wedding-theme prizes (rings, cakes, etc.). Did we mention they all have to live together? At least nobody’s getting drunk or screaming about prenups. We hope.

Remember, we want to hear from you. Post your comments here!

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