Venues We Love | Houston Wedding Blog

Venues We Love: The Grove Houston

If you’ve visited Discovery Green (and if you haven’t, spring is a great time to check it out), you’ve probably caught sight of The Grove. The 10,000-square-foot glass, wood and steel restaurant—designed by Larry Speck, former dean of architecture at UT Austin, with interiors by Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group partner Candice Schiller—is a sight to behold. AND it’s the site where this month’s giveaway winner will be enjoying a very, very nice dinner with a very special someone. So make sure to get ON that if you haven’t already, Houston bride.

But did you know that The Grove is also an amazing place to have a foodie-friendly rehearsal dinner, engagement party or full-on wedding (three private rooms, room for 250 guests, outdoor ceremony space—everything you need)?

We love that this stunning space “happens to be among the most eco-friendly places in all of Houston,” as catering director Tatiana Escobar puts it. She points to The Grove’s on-site tomato and herb garden, and the restaurant’s use of “eco-friendly materials made from corn, sugarcane or coconut fiber,” along with its commitment to strict recycling and composting practices. Of course, green is great—but eco-friendly, architecturally captivating AND famed for its fabulous food? That’s even better. Escobar says that just like regular ol’ restaurant diners at The Grove, wedding guests take full advantage of chef Robert Del Grande’s “exquisite American Rustic menu featuring a range of tantalizing appetizers, salads, seafood, rotisserie specialties, steaks and decadent deserts,” and The Grove’s “stylish and precise service.” Yum. For more info call 713.337.7321 or visit The Grove at Weddings in Houston.

Venues We Love: The Lancaster Hotel

The Lancaster Hotel isn’t just home to The Bistro—the upscale American cuisine hotspot where this month’s giveaway winner will be enjoying a romantic dinner with her hubby-to-be—it’s also Houston’s only member of the esteemed Historic Hotels of America. What that means for a discerning Houston bride like yourself who may decide to wed at this stately theater district property is magnificently preserved architecture and décor, inside and out.

How you choose to use the classically European-styled space for your wedding day is up to you, but catering manager Adrienne Dedeaux-Solomon often recommends the lobby’s sweeping staircase for bridal portraits, and a pairing of the lobby and the adjacent Bistro for a reception of up to 150. What’s more, the venue’s dedicated staff can “plan all of your festivities, from the rehearsal dinner to in-room massages for your bridal party,” Dedeaux-Solomon notes. Plus, your visiting guests can take advantage of any number of the 93 “tastefully appointed rooms and suites” at this gem of a property, which travel guide “Frommer’s” has designated one of its “Favorite Romantic Historic Hotels in the USA.” A little bit of Houston history, a whole lot of national prominence, and all the attentive, every-little-detail-counts service you’d expect from a boutique hotel experience—that’s what you’ll find at The Lancaster. For more info, call 713.228.9500.

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

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.