A Gorgeous Glimpse of the Oct. 19 I Do! Wedding Soiree

It was one for the record books, darlings. Seriously. If you were lucky enough to be with us last Thursday evening for the one-and-only I Do! Wedding Soiree at The Astorian, we want to a) THANK YOU for attending our signature wedding fantasyscape (aka the hottest bride-and-groom cocktail bash in town), and b) take you right back to the magic, with this amazing video and gorgeous gallery of photos from our outstanding show photographer Aisha Khan of Ama Photography & Cinema!! BIG THANKS to ALL of our amazing show exhibitors, and a special shout-out to our Soiree partners, without whom none of this would be possible: The Astorian, Cordua Catering, EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design, LG Entertainment and pianist Scott Graham. We invite you to join us at our Spring I Do! Wedding Soiree on 2.8.18 at Corinthian-Houston. Tickets and info are here.

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Houston Bridal Show Blooms Design Studio

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I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

I Do! Wedding Soiree - AMA Photography - Houston Wedding and Bridal Shows

All Photos: Ama Photography & Cinema

Houston Wedding Planners and Wedding Stylists at the I Do! Wedding Soiree

Kat Creech Events-Ama Photography&Cinema Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema  | Design: Kat Creech Events

You’ve likely been dreaming of your wedding day for years! But turning those dreams into reality can be tougher than it looks. Whether you crave a small and intimate affair, or a lavish celebration, complete with Champagne fountain and late-night fireworks, a professional wedding planner will be your greatest asset as you create the wedding celebration of your dreams. You want to enjoy your wedding day and planning process, after all, not be bogged down by contracts and minutia!

Three super-talented wedding consulting and styling firms will be demonstrating their wedding planning expertise and styling know-how at tomorrow evening’s I Do! Wedding Soiree. Meet A Day to Remember, Kat Creech Events and Bourbon & Lace, and find out how these planning pros can find your ideal vendors, and help you stay relaxed AND get the most for your wedding budget, as they help you transform your inspiration board into reality! Take a look at the photos to see some of their impressive work.

A Day To Remember-Serendipity Photography Photo: Serendipity Photography | Design: A Day to Remember

Advance-sale tickets are available now for the I Do! Wedding Soiree, TOMORROW, Feb. 28th from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Corinthian. Be sure to get them before they sell out, and we’ll see YOU at I Do!

Bourbon & Lace Photo: Courtesy of Bourbon & Lace

2016 NACE Houston Wedding Award Winners

We at Weddings in Houston take pride in supporting our partners within the wedding industry, and a huge part of this is our support of NACE (National Association for Catering and Events)! Over the years, we have enjoyed many events and experiences with the Houston chapter of NACE, which we feel is one of the best in the nation. We don’t mean to toot our own horn, but we are so proud of our CEO, publisher and resident “Queen Bee,” Radhika Day, who accepted the prestigious 2016 Spirit of NACE Houston award at this week’s annual NACE Houston awards ceremony.

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Photo: Solaris Studios

We would also like to congratulate our talented Weddings in Houston partners on their awards for 2016 weddings and styled shoots! Find Alex and Jerry’s wedding, and Allie and Kyle’s wedding in our NEW Special Anniversary issue, hitting newsstands on Jan. 1, 2017, and find our gorgeous “Painter’s Palette” styled shoot at link below.

NACE Houston 2016 Table Presentation of the Year:

Painter’s Palette, Weddings in Houston Styled Shoot

Kat Creech, CMP, Kat Creech Events

Gary Archer, Bright Star Productions

Jill Raines, CPCE, EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design

Rebekah Cunningham, Dream Bouquet

 

NACE Houston 2016 Wedding of the year, under $50K:

Alex and Jerry, A Celebration of Love

Claudia G. de Velasco, A Day To Remember

Johanna Terry, Johanna Terry Events

Jill Raines, CPCE, EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design

 

NACE Houston 2016 Wedding of the Year, Budget over $100,000:

Allie and Kyle’s Wedding at The Corinthian

Kat Creech, CMP, Kat Creech Events

Jill Raines, CPCE, EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design

Boyd Bryan, Jackson and Company

Aisha Khan, Ama Photography & Cinema

The coolest part? These award-winning wedding pros can be part of YOUR Houston wedding plans. Just click the links above, email or call the ones that make your heart go pitter-pat, and get started on planning your dream wedding! Who knows? Your own Houston wedding celebration just may wind up in Weddings in Houston!

Q&A With Award-Winning Wedding Stylist Kat Creech

Kat-Creech-Events

Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema

“I think that, subconsciously, I knew the event industry was for me when I was young and prepared dinners for my parents,” says Kat Creech, owner of renowned Houston wedding-design and planning firm Kat Creech Events. “While the menu only consisted of hot dogs, peanut-butter sandwiches and hamburgers, with cookies for dessert, the table was set, the napkin was folded with a menu card placed on top, the candles were lit, and the lights were dimmed.” Now all grown up, and the recipient of multiple industry awards—plus countless accolades from the wedding couples whose spectacular celebrations she has styled—Creech is still setting those tables, placing those menu cards and lighting those candles…only now, on a MUCH grander scale.

Houston Wedding Blog: What was the official start of your journey to becoming a wedding stylist?

Kat Creech: I began the hospitality journey in 1989, at the young age of 16, and climbed the career ladder. In college, I received my first management position as the bar manager of a fine-dining establishment. Upon graduating with honors from the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College in 1999, I entered the catering and events industry full time, moving from an operations manager role to a special events role in 2005, and there was no looking back.

I found my place, and I have loved it ever since. I have never lost my thirst for this industry! I have a passion to do great things, to think differently, to execute events differently, leave a legacy, and ensure that lasting memories are made.

HWB: What is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding stylist?

KC: A wedding stylist and a wedding planner could have similar roles, but there are differences. A wedding stylist handles all the aesthetic items, such as theme, color, story, interests, vision and vibe. A wedding planner is much like a project manager, overseeing the event’s logistics.

Kat-Creech-Events-Real-Wedding

Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema | Venue: The Corinthian | Consultant & Planning: Kat Creech Events | Linens & Chairs: EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design

At Kat Creech Events, we do both. As wedding stylist, we are about about creating a personal brand for your wedding day. Our firm focuses on the design storyboard…and that something special that you can’t quite put your finger on. We obsess about the little details. We look past the daunting checklists, the digital boards, the wedding color, and really get to know our clients—the foundation of what makes them who they are. We ask deeper question and get deeper answers, and then we bring in our creative partners to come play in the wedding playground.

The wedding planner side of the business provides us with a bird’s-eye view of the event as a whole. In the end, it is an intangible journey that results in an epic reality.

Kat-Creech-Styled-Shoot

Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema | Design & Styling: Kat Creech Events | Rentals & Linens: EB Inc. Event Rentals & Design | Dinnerware, Stemware & Stationery: Bering’s | Flowers: Dream Bouquet | Lighting & Special Effects: Bright Star Productions

HWB: What’s your best advice to a couple who may be feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of the advice, inspiration and ideas they are encountering?

KC: 1. Hire a designer and planner. They are your true investment to create a day you will never forget. Many have different packages to fit into your needs, wants and budget. Our firm acts as the general contractor for your event and ensures that the perfect creative partners are brought in to accomplish all the various elements that are so important in your event: design, decor, venue, entertainment, food, lighting. Trust in the professionals to help you execute your vision.

2. Create a hierarchy of the items that are most important to you, and build your budget around those items.

3. Don’t always go for the discount. Be conscious of the investment you are making. I always break down the investment into man-hours and billable rates, to provide a better understanding of how a professional is getting paid to do their job for you. As they say, you get what you pay for.

4. Budget. My very best advice is to break the overall budget into a price per person. A true professional can guide you to determine if your budget is in line with your expectations.

5. Be kind. This is the most important day of your life and probably the biggest party you have ever thrown. Don’t let your stressful emotions get the best of you. There is life after your wedding. Be kind to your family, your wedding party, and your vendors. It costs nothing and it will get you a lot.

Like what you hear? Love what you see? Schedule your consultation with Kat Creech Events, and find out how this exceptional event stylist can bring your event vision to life! And don’t forget to mention that you found her on the Houston Wedding Blog!

Vanderbilt Styled Shoot

Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema | Coordination: Kat Creech Events | Venue: The Astorian | Flowers: Dream Bouquet | Gown: Ivory Bridal Atelier | Lighting: DJU Entertainment