Houston Garden Party Wedding With Unforgettable Ceremony Wallpaper

With the idea to bring the outdoors inside, Caroline and James’ wedding day utilized a modern elegance to host their dream garden party — with unforgettable floral-infused ceremony decor.

Caroline and James’ memorable first meeting included western-themed attire and a sweet piglet. Caroline was helping organize a gala fundraiser, with that year’s theme being a Western bash. Due to a slight change of plans, James ended up being Caroline’s blind date for the evening. He arrived with a mutual friend and was introduced to Caroline at the pig race station while she was cradling a piglet! For their engagement, James organized an elaborate display of flowers at their home while Caroline was out getting a haircut. She arrived to find James dressed in a suit and was immediately treated to a surprise engagement party that night.

Caroline wore a stunning jacquard wedding gown by Romona Kaveza. "My wedding gown was Romona Kaveza from Casa de Novia. Going into wedding dress shopping, the one thing I knew was that I didn’t want it to be strapless. However, the Romona dress was the first one I tried on, and it was so spectacular I just fell in love with it. The detailing is so fun without being over the top. I probably tried on 60 other dresses around town *just to be sure* but I went with my gut and am so happy I did!"

Caroline's bridesmaids wore mismatched gowns in a variety of fresh greens.

James wore a classic tuxedo from Q Clothier paired with Black Lucchese boots.

After the formal dinner, late-night bites included brandy freezes, chicken tenders/fries with a condiment bar, and honey butter chicken biscuits.

The ceremony utilized neutral-toned florals and a unique display of dogwood branches. These branches appeared to extend from the unforgettable green and white wallpaper backdrop, which dated back to the 1960s. The couple stood in front of the elaborately mirrored mantle in a room hung with elegant crystal chandeliers. The River Oaks Country Club in Houston provided a casual-but-elevated space to transform the ballroom wedding into a garden oasis. Their reception focused on lively decor and a room that encouraged guests to mingle. This included an array of dinner tables set in comfortable lounge arrangements. A circular bar with a large light-up tree served as a focal point for the space. They even had a checkered peach-colored dance floor!

The showstopping wedding cake featured four white tiers covered with a vibrant array of abundant florals.

"Our first dance to 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal! We took a few dance lessons but ended up choreographing the dance ourselves in our kitchen a few weeks before. We practiced every night and had it timed perfectly for the first 1.5 minutes of the song. Well, it turns out the band did an abridged version that wasn’t the first 1.5 minutes of the song, so we just went with it and had a blast even though our dance moves were not at all choreographed to the lyrics like we had planned."

Unique touches inspired by their custom floral monogram graced their invitation suites, bar signage, and cocktail napkins. "I used illustrations from our invitation suite by Mesh by Alex and created/printed my own stickers for a variety of DIY details, including welcome bag packaging, stationery for our day-of letters to each other, gift wrap for parent presents, plastic cups (waterproof stickers were key), and chicken tenders/fries containers that were passed around for late-night bites!"

"For the rehearsal dinner, I wore my mom’s wedding dress from 1987! We took it to Jenny Kim Couture to remove the shoulder pads and make some other minor updates. It proved to be truly a timeless dress and was so special!"

Caroline and James' advice for couples? "Try to imagine yourself as a guest at your own wedding when planning. Make the logistics as easy as possible for them. Flow is very important – try to ensure guests are never waiting around for long periods of time, and always make sure they are fed and have a drink in hand — treat others how you want to be treated!"