Houston Wedding Blog

Wedding and Celebration Venue: Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE

2010-03-10T20:09:35Z

January cover of Weddings in Houston magazine

If you’ve seen Weddings in Houston’s March issue (and if you haven’t—what are you waiting for??), you’ve no doubt been seduced by the swank, sophisticated Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE, featured on our cover (as backdrop to a beautiful bride holding a custom floral handbag by Darryl & Co.) and in our knockout “Urban Elegance” fashion spread. Recounts Weddings in Houston publisher Radhika Day, “The hip and chic hotel was the perfect setting for our fashion shoot, especially when the city was being pounded with rain.” And the “sexy bar and the cabanas by the pool actually inspired us to add to the story—it was a lot of fun!”

So here’s the scoop: Before you get too excited about having your wedding at the spectacular Sorella, we want to let you know: The property’s on-site meeting and event space will open in fall, 2010, and be able to accommodate wedding receptions for up to 300 guests. So all you super-stylish city brides who plan to wed in 2011 and beyond, make sure you check it out when it does. Word is, it’s going to be gorgeous. The rest of you glamour gals, take note:

Even if you can’t have your whole shebang at CITYCENTRE’s crown jewel (for now Hotel Sorella can accommodate very small ceremonies in its lobby lounge followed by festivities in its open-to-the-public bar and restaurant), you sure can take advantage of its European-influenced opulence in other ways.

For instance, how about getting your bridesmaids or BFFs together for a pre-wedding overnight escape? Sorella director of sales Jodi Doughty says that with its sleek “Italian designed-furnishings, hardwoods that transition to carpet in all right places [and] two- or three-seater sectional sofas,” the hotel is the perfect place to gather “a few girlfriends in your room for a great glass of wine,” followed by a divine dinner at culinary hotspot Bistro Alex, and perhaps a chick flick, with cocktails, natch, at CITYCENTRE’s Studio Movie Grill.

Speaking of escapes…there’s nothing like a little pre-wedding getaway with your future hubby to reconnect you two, and relieve the stress of constant planning. Hotel Sorella’s 520-square-foot are just the ticket, with their insanely luxurious beds, decadent walk-in showers and awesome views.

Of course, with its CITYCENTRE location, stylish design and gracious service, Hotel Sorella is also a great place for visiting guests to stay. Doughty says visitors love being able to “look down at the CITYCENTRE development from their windows, people-watch and get in on the action.” And CITYCENTRE offers much-needed “balance for the groom’s side,” she adds, in the form of dude-friendly gathering spots like the Yard House, with its burgers, big screens and 80-plus beers.

If you haven’t yet seen Hotel Sorella, we highly recommend a visit. You’ll be able to get a great sense of the space by checking out (or checking into) a room, sipping a cocktail beside the sleek fireplace at the seductive Monnalisa bar and gazing at stars, and into your fiance’s eyes, in the open-air courtyard. And if you want to star in your own on-property bridal fashion shoot? Hey, for a fee, and with a fabulous photographer on your side, you can do that, too.

Unique Wedding Reception Menu Ideas from Campbell’s Catering

2010-03-08T19:44:07Z

There’s nothing wrong with a nicely presented plate of meat and potatoes—for a fancy dinner out with your fiancé, that is. When it comes to your wedding reception, however, wouldn’t you like to serve up something with a little more pizzazz? Something that will get guests talking, moving, perhaps even salivating in anticipation a little? Something that says, “This here is a celebration, folks. Let’s have some fun!”

Courtney Campbell of Campbell’s Catering sure thinks so. And she and her culinary crew are catering to wedding couples who share her passion for food that looks elegant and exciting, and delivers fabulous flavor and fun in equal measure.

Sound good to you, Houston bride? Here are a couple of Campbell’s specialties, which are, she notes, “elegant and unique without breaking the bank”—what a concept!

“We have encouraged many of our recent brides whose receptions are taking place at 8:30 p.m. or later to go with some very upscale and unique passed hors d’oeuvre, such as our duck wontons served with a spicy mango chutney, our Italian chicken lollipops, and our Spanish shrimp cocktail shooters garnished with guacamole and blue corn chips.” Uh, yum. “These are all very hearty and elegant at the same time.”

To add a dynamic and delicious interactive element to the festivities, Campbell suggests her signature Gourmet Potato Boat Bar, featuring dressed-up potato skins filled with fun “theme” goodies. Our faves?

The New Yorker, topped with sliced Italian sausage, and sautéed peppers and onions, and topped with fresh mozzarella.

The Califonia Fresh, loaded with fresh sprouts, homemade guacamole and shredded Monterey jack cheese.

The Mojo, topped with rum-sautéed shrimp and zingy Cuban mojo sauce.

The BBQ, filled with barbecued pulled pork and topped with barbecue sauce and sliced scallions.

Campbell says the Gourmet Potato Boat Bar, with 25 themes to choose from, is especially “great for weddings that have two different nationalities being combined,” and a nice icebreaker for rehearsal dinners where guests are reconnecting or meeting for the first time.

And now if you’ll excuse us, we have to go dab the drool from our chin.

Candy Centerpieces and Favors from Harvard Sweet Boutique

2010-03-03T22:58:50Z

Sure, flower arrangements are a splendid choice for your bridesmaid luncheon or bridal shower. But you can’t eat roses.

Harvard Sweet Boutique’s centerpieces, on the other hand, are not just lovely to look at, but ridiculously delicious too. We absolutely adore the pink-and-green Garden Party centerpiece, with its fancifully tied, modern striped boxes. For a case of the blues you won’t want to kick, the Ocean centerpiece combines tranquil blue hues with rich chocolate brown for a look that’s both hip and classic. Any centerpiece you select can be filled with mouthwatering Harvard Sweet confections of your choice, from toffees to fudge brownies to peppermint bark and more.

We also have a hunger for Harvard Sweet Boutique’s wedding favor boxes. How pretty these babies will look on your tabletop, and how pleased your guests will be to open them and find decadent chocolate truffles or diminutive gourmet cookies inside.

Rachel Ray’s a big fan of Harvard Sweet Boutique—she featured their sinful chocolate chip cookies on her show as the “snack of the day,” much to gobbling guests delight. Your guests, too, are sure to cobble. Um, can you add us to the invite list—please?

Invitations and Gifts from Hello & Co.

2010-03-01T20:16:45Z

She loves how “fresh and energetic” her wedding clients are, and they love her totally original designs and gracious, personalized service. She’s Mali Chi, and her “correspondence company” and gift boutique Hello & Co. is one of Houston’s finest sources for completely custom invitations and unique, eco-friendly, utterly elegant gifts.

To get a sense of her wedding couples’ invitation needs, Chi asks clients to bring in “albums, magazines, pictures of things they like—as much stuff as they can.” She also inquires about their wedding flowers, color palette and bridesmaid dresses. From there, Chi sets to work. “I get really into creating textures and patterns,” the veteran designer notes, and Chi’s passion for her work shows in her finely wrought representations of peonies, peacocks, butterflies and clematis vines.

When it comes to printing techniques, Chi says she’s a sucker for letterpress—the relief-printing technique that produces beautifully textured invitations, often with an alluring vintage feel. But with the expense of letterpress, it’s no wonder Chi says that these days, “I’ve started doing a lot of embossing,” which provides a pressed-dye texture similar to letterpress, but at a lower price point.

To view more of Chi’s designs, visit Hello & Co.’s invitation gallery, and remember that each one of the styles you see is totally customizable—your design will be yours alone. Which is exactly what you deserve for your wedding, Houston bride.

Beautiful Bridal Bracelets Part II

2010-02-22T16:30:46Z

This spring and summer’s bridal gowns are all about the right to bare arms, and we support it! But bare doesn’t have to mean naked. At your wedding, Houston bride, those pretty arms and hands of yours are going to be on constant display (holding your bouquet, exchanging rings with your beloved, cutting the cake, etc., etc…). We recommend you dress your wrist appropriately, with a beautiful bridal bracelet that catches the light just so.

A couple of things to consider when choosing a bridal bracelet:

Matching is not required. Sure, you can select a coordinating set that includes necklace, earrings and bracelet. But it’s equally fine (and even a little more fashion-forward) to go with mismatched pieces, like chandelier earrings and a chunky, bejeweled bangle, or an Art Deco pendant and a filigree cuff.

Don’t get snagged. Make sure to take into consideration your gown material when choosing a bridal bracelet. If the skirt of your gown is tulle or lace, you may want to avoid gem-encrusted bracelets, and bracelets with sharp edges or catches, and instead stick with smooth bangle styles. If, on the other hand, your skirt is sleek satin or silk taffeta, you can get away with just about any bracelet construction.

Buy for the future. Choose a bracelet that you really love, and that you will want to wear over and over again. This may mean selecting something that complements your ring set, or an heirloom or vintage piece that makes an enduring statement, and that you can pass down to future generations. Your wedding-day jewelry is special, of course, but that doesn’t mean it has to be stuck in a safe or jewelry box once you’re wed.

OK, now for the fun part. Our best local jewelers offer a spectacular selection of bracelets from classic to ultra-contemporary, so drop in and try on a few styles.

Beyond Houston’s borders, here are a two more fabulous bracelet finds to tempt you:

Bride and press fave Tejani has a big, beautiful selection of bridal bracelets that are not just stunning, but surprisingly affordable, too. Among our most coveted styles is this 1½-inch-wide sterling silver, zircon and crystal bangle…but you can have your pick from bracelets grouped by categories including Daring, Dainty and Antique.

Tejani Bangle

On the edgier side, there’s Melinda Maria, whose statement pieces have won celebrity fans including Vanessa Hudgens, Anne Hathaway and Faith Hill. We’re crazy about the Infinity Pod Bangles, and slightly daintier Mini Pod Bangles. But with a drapey, stately goddess gown, nothing would be more beautiful than this lovely leaf bangle, don’t you agree?

Melinda Maria Leaf Bracelet

Make Wedding Planning Fun with Katie & Co. Stationery

2010-02-19T18:38:30Z

Katie & Co. Shop

We hear you, Houston bride: This wedding planning thing can be pretty stressful. Creating seating charts. Hounding guests who don’t RSVP. Houston’s fickle weather. Talk about things we’d just rather not deal with.

But as far as we’re concerned, some of this stress is inevitable, so your best bet is to seek out ways to have fun planning your wedding.

May we recommend a trip to Katie & Co.? This fabulous new shop serves up huge doses of style and fun in the form of stationery and, oh yes, wedding invitations galore.

Located in the über-hip Washington corridor, this airy shop radiates style from the red—yes, red!—chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the beautiful stationery lining the walls. Toss in the wedding stationery collection, and you can see why Katie & Co. has all the makings of a Houston bride’s guilty pleasure.

Katie & Co. Invitations

Owner Katie Hackedorn regularly goes to market to check out the hottest new wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, save-the-dates, thank you notes, programs, and just about every other piece of wedding-inspired stationary you could want. And without fail, she always returns with some ultra stylish and colorful finds. That includes tons of gorgeous letterpress designs by the likes of Spark Letterpress for those of you who want to apply that “something old, something new” adage to your invitations.

Katie & Co. Invitation Portfolio

The shop’s also always adding special offerings that Houston brides won’t find anywhere else. Case in point: These black velvet invitation portfolios made especially for Katie & Co. by Revelry Invitation Studio. Talk about making a statement with your invitations!

Katie & Co. Board

And your wedding stationery isn’t all you’ll find here. Katie & Co. also sells chic note cards and personalized stationery, gift items and candles. As paper loving addicts, we might be a little biased, but we think Katie & Co. has got some pretty fabulous gifts for those ultra hip, paper-loving bridesmaids of yours. And as an added bonus, they’ve even got some absolutely gorgeous paper for wrapping those sweet finds for your gals.

So what are you waiting for? Ultra fun one-stop wedding shopping and planning awaits!

Wedding Reception Fun

2010-02-17T23:34:44Z

We love the idea of injecting a little extra amusement into your wedding, don’t you? We’re not talking balloon animals and bouncy castles here (although, if that’s your bag, Houston bride, go for it!). We’re thinking about intriguing, unexpected, slightly more grown-up diversions.

For instance:
Magic on the Move
The strolling magician is a very cool cocktail-reception idea. Imagine a suave, debonair magician circling the room and stopping by cocktail tables. Guests don’t have to do much except maybe pick a card, any card, and enjoy the mystery and excitement of good, old-fashioned sleight-of-hand—and enjoy it they will, guaranteed.

Photo Booth
Fast becoming a reception favorite, the classic or digital photo booth gives guests a chance to make their own wedding memories. Throw in photo booth frames—these can easily double as place-card holders—and you’ve got a fun wedding favor, too! Ask your photographer for a booth rental referral.

Sweet Sensations
Another much-loved activity-favor combo is the custom candy bar. Stock your bar with your favorite childhood sweets, or match your candy colors to your reception palette. Supply guests with custom-monogrammed or imprinted bags, tins or boxes, and let them go to town!

Planning a warm-weather wedding? There’s something so nice about ice cream. Rare is the guest who’s not charmed by the make-your-own sundae bar or cone cart. Your wedding caterer can help you plan the perfect treat.

Late Night Fun
Planning to do a post-reception lounge or after-party? Consider featuring an authentic cigar-roller. If your groom, dad or dude friends are cigar fans, they’ll love the chance to watch a rolling pro do his thing—and enjoy the fruits of his labors, accompanied by a sophisticated postprandial libation, afterward (in the appropriate outdoor setting, of course).

For indoor late-night entertainment, nothing beats a little karaoke! Rent a setup, stock your song list with classic wedding tunes and your favorite hits, hire a karaoke MC, have your wedding coordinator set up a stage, and you’ve got the makings for YEARS of amusing wedding anecdotes. What could be better than that?

Houston Trunk Shows: It’s That Time Again!

2010-02-15T21:42:59Z

Just when you were beginning to wonder where all those divine designer trunk shows had gone…they’re back! That’s right, it’s trunk show season again in Houston, and we’ve got the scoop on the hottest upcoming shows in town.

First up, this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18-20, Saison Blanche comes to Brickhouse Bridal, with its collection of stunning couture gowns. New designs include an ethereal silk organza ballgown with a handkerchief-tiered skirt and rose-appliqué bodice. Breathtaking! Take advantage of free style advice and, as always, a 15% discount off trunk show gown purchases.

Also at Brickhouse, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-20, are your dates for a not-to-be-missed Amsale Bridesmaids trunk show. If you’re in the market for maids’ wear, you must pop in to Brickhouse for a viewing of these chic (and very-rewearable) chiffon and taffeta dresses, available in a variety of lengths, in alluring hues like Flamingo, Rhubarb, Wisteria and Peacock.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19-21, Maison de Mode hosts La Sposa, part of the world-renowned, Barcelona-based Pronovias Fashion Group. La Sposa bridal consultants will be showing a collection of regal, sophisticated gowns worthy of European royalty (and you, Houston bride). And, of course, there’s that 15% discount to entice you, as if those luxurious La Sposa gowns and Maison de Mode’s gracious hospitality weren’t enough.

Stay tuned for more trunk show announcements, and be sure to check Weddings in Houston’s regularly updated Shows & Events listings.

Put a Ring on It

2010-02-12T18:55:02Z

Wedding band from Select Jewelers

You’d never settle for the first guy you met. So why would you settle for the first engagement or wedding ring you see? After all, you and those rings are going to have a long, sparkly future together. Shouldn’t you wear a ring that screams your name? One that reflects your great taste and style?

That’s what we thought.

Whether you’re scoping out engagement rings (you know, so you can start dropping hints) or you’re looking for special wedding bands for you and your fiancé, we recommend a visit to Select Jewelers.

Wedding band from Select Jewelers

For more than a decade, this hometown favorite has been making Houston brides’ dreams come true. By bringing in diamonds and jewels from around the world, Select Jewelers offers Houston brides with some of the sparkliest and—dare we say—prettiest wedding and engagement rings around. More than a few of those are from the Hearts on Fire line, which sets the bar for perfection in diamond cuts. And if you need a necklace, bracelet, or earrings to wear with that gorgeous wedding dress of yours, this family-owned store offers plenty of irresistible options.

Men's wedding band from Select Jewelers

It’s not just the ladies who get lucky here, though. Select Jewelers also sells a variety of men’s diamond wedding bands. You know, in case your guy gets jealous that you get to wear all those pretty diamonds.

Of course, there are more gems here than meet the eye: From the moment you walk into Select Jewelers, you’ll receive personal attention and all the help you need to pick out or design that stunning ring your want. Even better: Select Jewelers offers some seriously fabulous deals, so you (or your honey) can save a little dough.

If that’s not a rare gem, we don’t know what is!

Thank you, Bridesmaids

2010-02-10T16:04:31Z

Trying to figure out how to thank your bridesmaids for all their love and support (not to mention for sweetly enduring your endless indecision about whither French-pleat or goblet-fan napkin folds, and graciously agreeing to wear sea-foam and spaghetti straps despite pale skin and ample arms, etc., etc.…)?

We’ve compiled some of our favorite ideas for you, and put ’em in this post!

Jean Picard, regular Weddings in Houston contributor and Master Bridal Consultant (that means the international Association of Bridal Consultants has designated her one of the very best in the biz), is a big fan of the pre-wedding bridesmaids tea. Check out her planning and décor tips, menu suggestions and expert tea-making tutorial right here.

We discovered Vivabox at a very cool gift show and just had to spread the word. Our past post on this lovely little gift concept gives all the details on how to choose a Vivabox for each bridesmaid (they’ve got manly ones for your groom’s dudes, too), how they work and where to buy.

Doing the destination thing? Have a look at these sweet silk cosmetics, brush and jewelry bags from Neiman Marcus. We love the vibrant colors and personalized-initial option, and your maids will love packing these for wedding-destination travel!

Whether you plan to wed in town or afar, these super-chic clutches are a perfect complement to any bridesmaid outfit (just check out the range of colors and patterns—amazing!), and a great gift from you to your gals.

Of course, every bridesmaid appreciates a little pre-wedding pampering. And what better way to relax and indulge with your maids than with a group spa outing? Treat your bridesmaids to a day of massage, mani-pedis and divine face/body treatments at one of Houston’s top spas, and you’ll come out smelling like a rose!