Megan and Jake’s wedding has officially stolen our wedding loving hearts. A classic, absolutely glamorous, big ‘ol fashioned party overflowing with unbelievable elegance crafted by Something To Celebrate, Lauren Carrillo. It’s really no wonder we’re downright obsessed, and thanks to captures from , Morgan Lynn Photography you’ll find us in THE VAULT.
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From The Bride…My husband and I met when we both started classes at the University of Texas for our MBA degrees. We spent the first semester as friends and study partners but a romance quickly developed and the rest is history! He comes from a town where everyone knows each other, and I come from a large Polish/Czech family, so these groups combined with our prior college friends and the mutual friends we made in grad school created a very large wedding guest list – about 300 people attended!
Although I definitely was not the girl who had been planning her wedding since her Barbie doll days, I did find myself gravitating toward a few consistent themes during the planning process: classic, glamorous and a big ‘ol fashioned party. I started telling vendors that my vision was “Ralph Lauren glamorous” and that seemed to click for everyone! We landed on navy, gold and white, with a touch of greenery, as our core colors. One of my favorite uses of this palette was for our invitations, where we strayed from the traditional eggshell-colored paper and went with gold foil-pressed wording on a bold navy background.
Our rehearsal dinner at the classic Houston staple, Brennan’s, set the tone for the night to follow – lots of libations plus delicious food, funny speeches, and warm embraces from friends and family who came from all over the country to support us. And of course, Brennan’s famous banana’s foster for dessert!
The church for our ceremony is over 100 years old, and its dramatic columns and high gaping ceiling are breathtaking on their own, but with the romantic candles lit all the way down the aisle alongside each pew, it was even more magical on our big day. The ceremony took place at 7pm in the evening, which meant we had plenty of time to get ready, though we didn’t do a first look and instead spent the prep time without our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. One of the most sentimental moments of the getting-ready process was preparing my bridal bouquet for the aisle – it was wrapped in a handkerchief made out of pieces of my mother’s and two grandmothers’ original wedding gowns. Jake and I did exchange notes and gifts, brought to our respective rooms by members of the wedding party, and that was the only time I cried all day! The ceremony itself was a traditional Catholic wedding, but not a full mass. Seeing Jake’s face when the doors to the aisle opened is something I’ll never forget!
Our black-tie optional reception at the Crystal Ballroom was a blast, and it truly looked like a CRYSTAL ballroom with the centerpieces dripping in crystal atop navy or gold table linens. Jake and I love to travel, so instead of a traditional guestbook, guests signed a “guest globe” which was next to various photos labeled with the locations of all our travels. Now, instead of having a guest book rotting away in an attic somewhere, we have a gorgeous globe with the signatures of all our loved ones sitting in our living room as decor – it’s a great talking piece!
We danced all night to the best music from our band, Doppelganger, while the guests enjoyed custom rolled cigars and wearing fun dance floor props like light-up cowboy hats and Mardi-Gras masks (since Jake is from Louisiana and our wedding was during that time of year). My favorite part of the night was at the end when our videographer surprised the guests and played our Same Day Edit video on a big screen — it captured the whole day of events like a movie trailer in which we were the stars of the show! At the end, our band followed us from the upstairs ballroom down the staircase and through the crowd of guests blowing bubbles and wishing us farewell. Our wedding was truly the most fun we’ve ever had.
My best advice for brides-to-be? Planning can be overwhelming and people will exhaust you with their opinions, etiquette rules, and advice. At the end of the day, what makes YOU and YOUR SPOUSE happy is all that matters. When we had trouble narrowing down the most important criteria for us to achieve our ‘ideal’ wedding, it helped to reverse the questions: “What would we regret about our wedding day if we decided _____?” For me, a desire to get married in a church was a sentiment that became crystal clear this way; I felt a tug on my heartstrings when I thought about saying “I do” at an alternative location, so that was that – a church ceremony – one decision down! Other advice? Hire a coordinator and get a hydra-facial the day before the wedding.
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Photography: Morgan Lynn Photography | Cinematography: readyset[film] | Coordination: Something To Celebrate | Wedding Dress: Watters | Cake: For Heavens Cake | Ceremony Venue: Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Reception Venue: Crystal Ballroom at the Rice | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Dessy Collection By Vivian Diamond | Hair And Makeup: Pink Palette Artists | Ceremony Music: Divisi Strings | Transportation: R And R Partnership Inc | Accommodations: Magnolia Hotel | Cigar Roller: Bobalu | Dance Floor Props: Arne's Warehouse | Floral Design & Decor: A Memorable Event | Reception Music: Doppleganger | Rehearsal Dinner: Brennan's Of Houston | Save The Dates: Minted