Tag: Houston Wedding

Wedding Menus with a Houston, Texas-Twist by Lola Catering + Events

Houston’s culinary scene is a fusion of gulf coast fare, mixed with Southern classics and south-of-the-border cuisine. So, it’s no wonder why the city’s couples crave a medley of flavors when carefully selecting their wedding menu. The team at Lola Catering + Events, one of the city’s most creative boutique catering companies, are experts at building personalized menus incorporating the favorite foods of each bride or groom.

We talked with Lisa Somera, owner of Lola Catering + Events, about some of their favorite Houston-style wedding menu items. Keep reading to get a taste!

2017-05-02_0009 2017-05-02_0007 Photos: Courtesy of Lola Catering + Events

Somera and team have loved spicing things up lately for couples who have a taste for Tex-Mex. Recent favorites have included chipotle nachos, pepper salsas made from scratch, vegan baby bell peppers stuffed with Tex-Mex quinoa, as well as a traditional take on fajitas and a tiny take on brisket, carnitas and chicken tacos.

2017-05-02_0006 2017-05-02_0012 2017-05-02_0008 Photos: Courtesy of Lola Catering + Events

Flavorful seafood with a kick has also been popular for Lola’s recent couples. Some standout items have been the grilled honey chipotle shrimp and the shrimp crostini — a deep fried polenta crostini topped with a butterflied jumbo shrimp, stuffed with herbed crab meat, topped with a portobello slice and melted mozzarella, then drizzled with sweet jalapeño jam. YUM.

2017-05-02_0005 2017-05-02_0010  Photos: Courtesy of Lola Catering + Events

And for couples who want their wedding menu to be a fun yet refined rendition of a Texas cookout, Somera recommends the passable poblano mac n’ cheese bites along with balsamic braised short ribs, over roasted garlic mashed potatoes within an edible sea salt tasting spoon.

2017-05-02_0004 2017-05-02_0011 Photos: Courtesy of Lola Catering + Events

Hungry for more? Get your wedding menu cookin’ with Lola Catering + Events today. We’re certain you’ll love your wedding menu with a Texas twist down to the very last bite!

5 Creative Ways to Use Cigars at Your Wedding

We talk a lot here on the Houston Wedding Blog about how to celebrate girls and guests, but today is mainly about the guys. If you or your boo love the aroma and sophistication of fine Cuban seed tobacco, or you simply want to treat guests to the luxury of hand-rolled cigars (perhaps paired with single-malt scotch and a live jazz combo?), Houston’s Lucho Cigars is gonna give you reason to celebrate.

From the bachelor weekend to the wedding after-party, we’ve rounded up five ways to creatively use Lucho’s smooth, firm, flavorful, hand-rolled cigars at your wedding celebrations. Read on and savor!

2017-04-20_0004  Photo: Civic Photos | Cigars: Lucho Cigars

1. The Bachelor Bash — Welcome your groomsmen to a weekend of hijinks with a tobacco treat that’ll make each dude feel like a VIP. To make the gift a little more personal, you can pick out a cigar to fit each of your guys’ taste, from Lucho’s 20 different cigar types, ranging in intensity, color, size and shape. Cigar aficionados also can schedule cigar-smoking, cigar-selection and humidor-care workshops, for a unique and educational bachelor party experience at the line’s Uptown Park store.

2. The Post-“I do” Photo Op — Cigars in hand (or mouth) create a celebratory feeling in both your wedding photos and at the event itself. Your pre-reception cocktail hour is the perfect time to take a puff and celebrate that you just made the most amazing commitment of your life! That cigar may also help relieve any lingering jitters you felt while standing in front of tens or even hundreds of people.

2017-04-20_0002  Photo: Civic Photos | Cigars: Lucho Cigars

3. An Interactive Cigar-Rolling Station — For those who aren’t tearing up the dance floor, or just need to take a break, a cigar-rolling station offers a memorable and relaxing source of entertainment. Lucho’s team of master rollers will create fresh handmade cigars before guests’ eyes using their finest tobacco leaves, high-end wrappers and 20-plus years of experience.

4. Customized Labels — For a manlier take on the monogram, couples can request to have personalized labels created for any and all cigars in their wedding. Labels can include a couple’s logo, new initials or even a photo! Think of this as the groom’s way to add his touch to the wedding theme and brand.

2017-04-20_0006  Photo: Civic Photos | Lables: Lucho Cigars

5. A Flavorful Favor — Bid adieu to your wedding guests with a flavorful cigar favor bag that they can use to celebrate your wedding after the official party has ended. Add in a tasteful ribbon or dash of your wedding colors to wrap up the night with a perfect pairing of masculinity and elegance.

Want a handmade cigar of your own to celebrate your perfect day? Contact Lucho Cigars and get on their books. Be sure to let them know you heard about them from their fans at the Houston Wedding Blog!

Bright Star Productions Brings Weddings to Life with Lighting Design

Have you ever fallen in love with a wedding’s aura, but you couldn’t explain exactly why? Well, what you might not have detected was the seamless and subtle use of professional lighting to create that soft and elegant, bright and vibrant, or warm and inviting feeling that captivated you.

For more than three decades, Houston-based Becca & Layne Wedding shot by J. Cogliandro Photography 2017-04-19_0005 Lighting: Bright Star Productions | Top Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema | Top Consultant: Kat Creech Events | Middle Photo: J. Cogliandro Photography | Bottom Photo: Adam Nyholt, Photographer | Bottom Venue: Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District

“Design is a collaboration,” Tritico says. “Flowers without lights are just bushes in the dark. Beautiful linens without lights are just tablecloths. It’s that layer upon layer of design that makes something stand out.”

Tritico says that getting to know the couple plays a crucial role in determining their wedding’s optimal lighting design. Often, couples come in with scores of ideas, which Bright Star’s team sifts through to understand exactly how each couple wants their wedding to look.

“People are coming in with these big storyboards, but if you put it all together it would look like a jumbled mass of silliness,” he says. “Once you get to know the clients and you get a sense of who they are, you are able see their vision through their own eyes.”

Tritico and his team recently worked with a bride, Kris, who revealed that she loved the soft amber glow of the “old-timey” light she remembered from summers spent at her grandparents’ home in New England. The team translated her memory into a nostalgic lighting design filled with hanging Edison bulbs, combined with uplighting on the walls to mimic the look of the rising sun. Take a peek at similar Bright Star designs below.

2017-04-19_0002 2017-04-19_0001 Photos and Lighting: Courtesy of Bright Star Productions | Top Venue: Crystal Ballroom at The Rice | Bottom Venue: Bell Tower on 34th

Do you love what you see? Want to create a custom lighting design of your own? Schedule a consultation with the best of the best — Bright Star Productions — today, because these pros book up fast…some might say at the speed of light!

Venues We Love: Agave Estates…PLUS A Romantic Dinner for 2 GIVEAWAY

2017-04-24_0002  Venue: Agave Estates | Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema

When it comes to weddings, it’s all about the ambiance, darlings — that total experience of sight, sound, fragrance, flavor, setting, landscape and design, all rolled together. And TBH, it’s hard to imagine a wedding location with more built-in ambiance than Agave Estates, Katy’s beautiful hidden gem, nestled into a 30-acre wildlife sanctuary that feels a million miles away from downtown Houston (in reality, it’s only 30).

When you first glimpse the terra cotta walls, wood arbors and curved archways of Agave’s private enclave, you may think you’ve somehow stepped back in time…and into an era of cobblestones and courtyards, the sound of a burbling fountain somewhere in the distance. But nope, no time travel here, honey. You’ve just found yourself face-to-face with a full-service wedding site designed specifically to create a sense of total escape and immersion for your outdoor wedding ceremony and unforgettable reception. In other words: You’ve found a little slice of Paradise.

2017-04-24_0003 Venue:Agave Estates | Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema

Agave Real Wedding Ceremony & Reception  Venue: Agave Estates | Photo: Akil Bennett Photography

For those couples seeking a true Spanish Villa vibe — and room to celebrate with up to 300 of their nearest and dearest — the estate’s Agave Road is a favorite. With towering oak trees, fluttering palms, huge hand-carved wood doors and 10,000 square feet of reception space, Agave Road doesn’t just offer ample space and great service, but some of the most gorgeous photo opps in the entire region.

For weddings on the more intimate side, Agave Real features natural stone and wrought-iron accents, glowing sconces, plus a lovely view of the lagoon-like reflecting pool, and is a superb celebration spot for groups of up to 200.

The newest member of the Agave Estates family is Agave Rio — a delightful patio restaurant serving up fresh seafood, steaks and Latin-influenced fare, along with classic, tropical-leaning cocktails, all in an al fresco environment that welcomes you to linger long, and savor the feeling of a relaxing oasis. It’s also a perfect place for elegant rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, bridal showers and day-after brunches. Want to try it out for yourself? Comment on our Agave-themed Facebook and Instagram posts, or email us your first and last name, fiancé’s name, wedding date and wedding venue (either booked or wish listed!) for automatic entry into our Agave Rio Dinner for 2 GIVEAWAY! One lucky bride or groom will WIN; winner will be notified on Tuesday, May 2 and announced on Facebook and Instagram. Shouldn’t it be…YOU?

2017-04-24_0004 Venue:  2017-04-24_0005 Venue:  2017-04-24_0006 Venue: Agave Estates | Photo: Civic Photos

Want to find out more about Agave Estates? Schedule your tour now, and make sure to tell them you found them on the Houston Wedding Blog!

The 8 Commandments of Perfect Bridal Fit by MW Couture

Having begun sewing at the age of 15, Minerva Wooldridge quickly moved on to creating custom wedding gowns from hand-selected materials and exquisite embellishments, eventually founding her own Houston atelier, MW Couture. She is known throughout Houston and the U.S. as an alterations expert and designer of heirloom-quality special-occasion garments, who follows a strict set of rules to ensure that every bride leaves her store with the perfect fit. “My goal is to put my quality on display all the time,” she says. “You don’t take your dress from here unless you are 100 percent happy and satisfied.” We talked with Wooldridge about her rigorous regimen, known to her and her staff as “The Eight Commandments.”

Black, White & Blue Wedding at Crystal Ballroom at The Rice by Ever & Anon Photography Gown Alterations: MW Couture | Wedding Gown: Brickhouse Bridal | Photography: Ever & Anon Photography

1. The First Fitting — Wooldridge and her team strive to create the most welcoming and comfortable environment possible for the clients who have entrusted MW Couture with their wedding-day look. One way she does this is by reminding brides from the very first phone call to bring their slip, bra and shoes to their first fitting, so she and her team can get the entire look right from the get-go.

2. Dress With Care — Wooldridge also dresses the bride herself, paying special attention to every detail of the dress. She says that this helps her client feel more confident, as she expertly sets the gown to each bride’s body.

3. Find the Vibe — “Sometimes having the bride describe her wedding is like looking into a crystal ball. It lets me know her personality,” Wooldridge says. By hearing more about the event, Wooldridge can determine if she should go more romantic, modern or elegant with the design and fitting.

4. Listen and Answer — “The first time the bride comes in she might be very emotional,” Wooldridge says. She and her team listen intently to make sure they don’t miss any key elements the bride might mention, and that they answer all questions and address all concerns with confidence and empathy.

Black, White & Blue Wedding at Crystal Ballroom at The Rice by Ever & Anon Photography Gown Alterations: MW Couture | Wedding Gown: Brickhouse Bridal | Photography: Ever & Anon Photography

5. Talk It Out — Once alterations are underway, Wooldridge and her team go into great detail to explain all changes that have been made to the dress and offer any further ideas they might have, leaving the floor open for the bride to ask questions of her own. “Everything has a solution,” Wooldridge says. “I am trying to find the best solution, so she can have a dress that is both personal and unique.”

6. Right On Time — The team at MW Couture is always conscious of brides’ timeframes and takes pride in making achievable alterations within acceptable pickup dates.

7. Quality, Quality, Quality — Wooldridge insists that all alterations at MW Couture are “equal to or better than the original construction of the dress.” We can vouch for that!

8. Conclude with Gratitude — Lastly, Wooldridge thanks the bride for trusting the family at MW Couture with the most important garment for the most important day of her life! She wishes all wedding couples luck and a lifetime of memories.

Ashleigh & Quinn-Brad Adcock Photography-Cadillac Bar-Isabella Invitations-Dream Bouquet-MW Couture-DJU-043 copy Alterations: MW Couture | Gown: Lillian West from Whittington Bridal | Photo: Brad Adcock Photography

There are few experts in the wedding business as professional and caring as Minerva Wooldridge and the team at MW Couture! Want to get your perfect fit? Schedule a consultation with MW Couture today!