Crystal Ballroom At The Rice | Houston Wedding Blog

Champagne and Lime Green Wedding at the Crystal Ballroom by Sarah Ainsworth Photography

WEDDINGS IN HOUSTON FALL 2014 | REAL WEDDING FEATURE

Sara and Bret ~ October 26, 2013

Sara always had a crush on her best friend’s older brother. And Bret, for his part, felt the same way about his younger sib’s BFF. But it wasn’t until 10 years after they’d first met that the pair expressed the connection they’d felt all those years. “One night, Bret texted me and said he had always felt that there was something between us and he wanted to see if there was. I agreed, so he drove up to Austin that night,” the recent bride recounts. “We got engaged four months later!” The couple’s classic Crystal Ballroom at The Rice wedding was a perfect expression of that longtime love, finally realized, and forever embraced.

Champagne and Lime Green Wedding at the Crystal Ballroom by Sarah Ainsworth Photography

Names: Sara Preston & Bret Labadie ~ Number of Guests: 220 ~ Venue: Crystal Ballroom at The Rice ~ Invitations: Katie & Co. ~ Flowers & Decor: Plants n’ Petals ~ Catering: Sambuca Catering ~ Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero from Brickhouse Bridal ~ Rehearsal Dinner: The Grove ~ Photography: Sarah Ainsworth Photography ~ Registry: Williams-Sonoma ~ Honeymoon: Anguilla

Crystal Ballroom Summer Wedding with Vintage Touches

When you’re a school kid, a prank phone call often leads to getting busted. Almost never does it lead to getting…married—Christina and Kevin being the exception. “I went to an all-girls high school and Kevin went to an all-boys high school. My friends and I called Kevin during a sleepover and forgot to dial *67. Kevin texted my phone back the next day and we started texting back and forth, eventually met, and the rest it history!” And what a cute history it is. Knowing Christina’s passion for the Houston Astros, Kevin used the ruse of a Minute Maid Park tour to propose to his future Mrs., while his family hid out in the dugout taking pix of the whole shebang. The pair wed in a traditional Catholic Mass followed by a reception for 230 of their nearest and dearest at the historic Crystal Ballroom at The Rice, done up in seasonal shades of peach, light orange and yellow. Traditional wedding rituals abounded, including a formal reception line, a marriage dance, a money dance, and bouquet and garter tosses. We’re grateful to Christina and Kevin for sharing their classic and perfectly personalized Houston wedding with us. Thanks, too, to George Street Photography for the fine wedding photos!

Crystal Ballroom Summer Wedding with Vintage Touches

Photos: George Street Photography ~ Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero from Brides Against Breast Cancer Sale ~ Groom’s Attire: Al’s Formal Wear ~ Cake: Cakes by Jula ~ Catering: Sambuca Catering ~ Flowers: Floral Events Inc. ~ Photo Booth: Mugshot Box ~ Venue: Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

Classic Winter Wedding at the Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

“We wanted a very classic winter wedding, and the historic Crystal Ballroom was perfect for this,” says Houston bride Ingrid of her wedding to her handsome groom George. The pair, who met online at eHarmony.com—“We had our first date a music festival at Discovery Green, met for dinner again the next night, and could not get enough of each other from then on,” Ingrid recounts—hosted 215 guests for an evening of ceremony and celebration, including all-night dancing to a full live band, and a gold, pewter and cream wedding color scheme that echoed December’s wintry hues. “We danced a well-rehearsed fox trot to ‘It Had To Be You’—our friends and family were very impressed by it. The band kept a full crowd on the dance floor and everyone (young and old) enjoyed it. Guests finally sent us on our way with white ecofetti that looked like snow, and the party continued at the pub next door.” Now that’s how to kick off a life of good times together! Big thanks to Blanca Duran for very pretty photos of this fabulous fete, and congratulations to Ingrid and George.

Classic Winter Wedding at the Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

Photos: Blanca Duran Photography ~ Bride’s Dress: Allure Couture from The Princess Bridal ~ Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade ~ Makeup: JN Co Makeup Artistry ~ Cake: Supreme Kakes & More ~ Catering: Sambuca Catering ~ Decor & Flowers: The Bloom Room ~ Venue: Crystal Ballroom at The Rice

Texas-Chic Crystal Ballroom Wedding by Sharon Nicole Photography

We don’t often associate the ultra-elegant Crystal Ballroom at the Rice with barbecue and boot mugs. Fortunately for the 220 guests who attended Kristen and Bert’s May wedding, the bride did. Following the couple’s emotional church ceremony—conducted by a friend of the groom’s who’d recently been ordained as a priest—the celebrants headed to the historic Rice Hotel for a fabulous party. “Bert’s family is from Florida, so I wanted to share some wonderful Texas BBQ with them,” bride Kristen explained to us. “The theme and decor of the reception just followed from that. I wanted it to be elegant, but still with the feel of a Texas wine country / barbeque celebration.” Well, Kristen, you certainly achieved your aims, and then some. ’Course it helps to have stellar vendors like Darryl & Co. and Who Made the Cake on your team. Big thanks to Sharon Nicole Photography, big hugs to Kristen and Bert—congratulations!

Photos: Sharon Nicole Photography ~ Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero ~ Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden ~ Bride’s Makeup & Hair: Flawless ~ Cakes: Who Made the Cake ~ Catering: Goode Company Barbecue ~ Flowers: Darryl & Co. ~ Coordinator: Save the Date with Valerie ~ Ceremony & Reception Venue: Crystal Ballroom at the Rice

Classic Crystal Ballroom Wedding by Kimberly Chau Photography

What we love most about Emily and Brian’s wedding celebration is its timeless elegance. Nothing over the top, no razzle-dazzle, no extraneous floral flights of fancy or excessive decor. Just pure, heirloom-quality prettiness. Same goes for the bride. We adore her infectious smile, her chic updo, her single strand of pearls and picture-perfect rose bouquet–echoed elegantly, we should add, in the gentlemen’s fine boutonnieres. And let’s just appreciate for a moment how this adorable couple is confident enough to let their venue–the historic Crystal Ballroom at the Rice–speak for itself. Just a few lush hydrangeas, pale pink roses, a little greenery, and lots of low-profile votive glow. Simply divine. Thanks so much to Houston photographer Kimberly Chau for sharing this wedding with us! We have a feeling this classic celebration, and her photos of it, will stand the test of time.

Classic Crystal Ballroom Wedding by Kimberly Chau Photography

Photography: Kimberly Chau Photography~Bride’s Dress: Casablanca from Ventura’s Bridal~Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Ann Taylor~Flowers: SCF Events~Decor & Rentals: Distinctive Details~Cakes: Julie Moncrief~Rings: Hoffman Diamond Company~Venue: Crystal Ballroom at the Rice~Coordinator: Kelly Balfour, Eventology Weddings