Houston Wedding Blog

Wow-Worthy White Wedding Bouquets

What could be more perfect than a dreamy, dewy, snow-white wedding bouquet? It’s the perfect accompaniment to a white bridal gown, and white is never going to look dated or misguided when you’re mooning over wedding photos with your kids (and theirs) decades down the line.

But those tight, white bundles of perfectly uniform blooms all perfectly tied are so perfectly…perfect. Maybe too perfect. How about introducing a little contrast to kick up the white a notch? How about adding a feathery touch or a flutter of wings? How about checking out these examples of gorgeous white (but not quite) bridal bouquets we’ve picked just for you?

White Wedding Bouquets

Black-centered anemones, fragrant eucalyptus and pops of palest pink and yellow give this loosely arranged bouquet a beautifully organic feel.

White Wedding Bouquets

How can you not love this whimsical white bouquet—those green-striped orchids and graceful fern fronds, those joyful butterflies and spotted brown feathers? Thanks to the always-delightful Austin Wedding Blog for sharing this one!

White Wedding Bouquets

And speaking of feathers, here’s a completely different way to use them in your white bouquet. Very glamorous, but somehow sweet and demure at the same time.

White Wedding Bouquets

Another take on the white-offset-by-black theme. Imagine this sophisticated bouquet paired with a black ribbon belt, or black bridesmaids’ dresses. So chic!

White Wedding Bouquets

Of course, sometimes less is more. Especially in the case of simply tied, naturally sculptural white calla lilies (like these from Chicago’s Fleur), and nuthin’ else. Fifty years from now, the image of these will resonate as elegantly as the real thing does today.

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Bridal Fall Preview 2011: Reem Acra

Reem Acra Fall 2011 Bridal Collection Reem Acra Fall 2011 Bridal Collection

We can’t help but be captivated by Reem Acra’s fall 2011 “Picture Perfect” collection—another of our favorites from the recent New York bridal market. Inspired by “the leading ladies of iconic films … their strength of character stays with me,” as the designer told Weddings in Houston, speaking to us for an exclusive profile piece you’ll find in the upcoming January issue, Acra has created a filmography of bridal fashion with this collection.

Reem Acra Fall 2011 Bridal Collection Reem Acra Fall 2011 Bridal Collection

Gowns include the deliriously romantic “Breakfast at Tiffanys,” with its contemporary fitted bodice and softly layered skirt, and the modern-mermaid-silhouetted “Pretty Woman,” featuring an exquisite halter neck and equally exquisite embroidery—a signature of Acra’s. Check out both gowns, on left and right above. We love how the designer accessorized models with cropped lace veils, some featuring oddly whimsical (but somehow sexy) animal ears. Along with sheer gloves and the palest-of-pink ribbon belts, the overall effect was mysterious and magical, and very, very beautiful.

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Brickhouse Bridal Honors Veterans Day With Gown Giveaway

2010 Military Gown Giveaway

You probably know that Houston is home to many military brides-to-be—future brides who either are serving on active duty themselves, or whose fiancés are. Well, this Thursday, Veteran’s Day, Brickhouse Bridal will once again help some of those brides get just a little bit closer to having the wedding of their dreams.

Starting at 10 a.m., Thurs. Nov. 11, Brickhouse will open its doors to military brides as part of the Brides Across America Nationwide Military Gown Giveaway. Salon staff will hand out numbers on a first-come first-served basis, and will bring qualifying brides (you must be engaged and on active duty, or have a fiancé on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, and provide verifying documentation) into the store for individual consultations, and assistance selecting the perfect gown from among nearly 250 options.

Military Gown Giveaway

One bit of advice: Brickhouse urges qualifying brides to wait until Thursday to come into the salon to search for their gown, since some gowns that will be featured in the giveaway may differ from those in the store’s regular stock.

We can’t tell you how proud we are of our military brides—proud, too, of Houston’s very own Brickhouse Bridal, for its generous contribution to this worthy cause.

And just to give you a little context, national nonprofit Brides Across America and its partners in cities across the nation have donated more than 5,000 gowns from top designers including Vera Wang, Amsale and Pronovias, over the past five years alone.

Are you a military bride, or do you know someone who is? Call Brickhouse Bridal at 381.681.3430 or e-mail.

And thank you, for all you do.

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Bridal Preview Fall 2011: Rivini

Rivini Fall 2011 Collection Rivini Fall 2011 Collection

Whew. It’s been an exhilarating (read: kind of crazy) couple of months, what with working on soon-to-be-launched redesigns of the Weddings in Houston website and this here blog, not to mention putting together the big, beautiful, bursting-with-inspiration January print issue of Weddings in Houston.

Of course, in the midst of this delightful madness, the New York bridal market just wrapped, and we are so excited to treat you to a preview of our favorite fall 2011 collections, straight from the market runways.

So let’s just start with a bang shall we? Bridal couture darling Rivini staged its show at the Alvin Ailey Theater, home of the legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Which would have been cool enough. But then there were the gowns—oh, what gowns. Inspired by the French impressionist Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny, designer Rita Vinieris created a magnificently textured collection featuring extraordinary pleating, layering, tufting and draping—in other words, lots of working of fabric that somehow never looked overworked.

Rivini Fall 2011 Collection Rivini Fall 2011 Collection

We checked in with Emily Sutton of Mia Bridal Couture for her take on the Rivini fall 2011 collection, and here’s what she told us: “Seeing these gowns on the runway whisks you away to [Monet’s gardens]. Rita manipulated the structural details to provide strong silhouettes with effortless movement.” Sutton says she loves how the collection’s bold lines “were softened by floral motifs and organic draping.”

Plus, we LOVE Rivini’s use of black and blingy belts, and chunky jewelry, as edgy counterpoints to these romantic gowns.

Check out our favorite designs from the Rivini collection—and check baclk over the next few weeks (or better yet subscribe to WIH and let US come to YOU) for more fall 2011 previews!

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To Do This Week: Kenneth Pool @ Mia Bridal Couture

Mia Bridal Couture Trunk Show Mia Bridal Couture Trunk Show
Mia Bridal Couture Trunk Show Mia Bridal Couture Trunk Show

At the New York bridal market a scant couple of weeks ago, Amsale Aberra showed off her extravagant side once again with the fall 2011 Kenneth Pool collection. We’re talking miles of tulle, acres of exquisite crystal embroidery, and those head-turning, show-stopping, figure-hugging silhouettes that are the hallmarks of a Kenneth Pool creation.

Everything that’s amazing about Kenneth Pool gowns will be on display this Friday and Saturday at Mia Bridal Couture, along with expert consulting advice direct from the design house, at an ultra-exclusive trunk show. If you’re on the hunt for a truly unforgettable gown, don’t miss this limited opportunity—and the awesome 15% discount that comes with it!

Mia Bridal Couture – Kenneth Pool Trunk Show

Friday, Oct. 29 – Saturday, Oct. 30

Mia Bridal Couture

1958 West Gray

Houston, TX 77019

All brides will enjoy a special 15% discount on all Kenneth Pool gowns during the event.

For more information call 713.622.2022 or RSVP

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I Do! Bridal Soiree Is Coming To The Houstonian On Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011

Dream Bouquet Tablescape Lavishly Luxe Tablescape

We know that as a planning-mode bride with an overstuffed schedule, you appreciate a little advance notice. Especially about upcoming events with high sell-out potential. That’s why we’re letting you know NOW about the I Do! Bridal Soiree, coming to The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa on Sunday, Jan. 23.

If you only attend one bridal show before your wedding, make it I Do! @ The Houstonian. Seriously. This extraordinary showcase is our biggest, most bountiful wedding event, with nearly 100 of Houston’s absolute most in-demand wedding vendors—we’re talking invitations, cakes, floral, lighting, linens, jewelry, entertainment, the works—on hand to show off goods and share their expertise. With YOU.

I Do! @ The Houstonian also treats attendees to the season’s most spectacular designer runway show (so if you haven’t yet picked your gown, grab a front-row seat, honey). Plus we’re serving fine food and drinks, showing off gorgeous tablescapes and handing out a fabulous door prize or two.

This show WILL SELL OUT (it does every single year), so don’t miss your chance to experience Weddings in Houston’s one-of-a-kind resource for planning your once-in-a-lifetime wedding. Get your tickets now, and rest easy through the holiday season, knowing the year’s most luxurious, sophisticated, spectacular bridal showcase awaits you just around the corner.

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Peanut Butter? We Like Ours Smooth. Bridal Jewelry? We’ll Take Chunky All The Way!

Itty-bitty pearl drop earrings and delicate little diamond pendants are perfectly fine for weddings. Really. But the hottest look in bridal jewelry these days, like the hottest thing in soup (hey, those chilly nights are just around the corner!) is bold, thick and chunky.

We are crazy about these chunky wedding jewelry pieces—and we hope you are, too. No wallflowers here, thought fabric flowers aplenty (check out that peach-satin and black-glass bib from RiRiFisch—gorgeous!). Plus chunks of crystal, big fat faux pearls and lots of lush color.

MEG Chunky Bridal Necklace

MEG Chunky Bridal Bracelet

How yummy are the two styles above (necklace on top, beautiful ribbon bracelet below) from MEG? “MEG is a brand that has the chunky style down,” says our friend Lindsey Brewer, bridal consultant extraordinaire at Brickhouse Bridal, who’s seen many a Houston bride fall hopelessly in love with the line’s lovely, statement-making pieces.

Pearl and Crystal Bridal Bib Necklace

The “Ellen” necklace by Erin Gallagher is like a cascade of sparkle–imagine how stunning this would look draped against your decolletage at your candlelit reception.

Chunky Blue and White Bridal Necklace

Peach Fabric Flower Bridal Necklace

The “Your Majesty” bridal necklace by Etsy’s Sol Bijou (above) combines Kyanite, Labradorite, Blue Mystic Topaz and Rock Quartz with polymer clay and organza flowers, faux pearl clusters and French satin ribbon, all in grays, blues and shades of white. And, like your wedding, it’s one of a kind. Wow.

With its matte peach satin blossoms accented with jet glass beads, RiRiFisch’s “Dianna” necklace is a vintage-inspired vision of loveliness. It comes with black ribbon ties (a hint of elegant edginess we LOVE for winter brides), but you can switch out for a different color if you so desire.

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Sold-Out I Do! Bridal Soiree Is About to Be Unveiled!!

 

We’ve been putting on the pretty and cueing the lights, polishing the wow and breaking out the OMG…and it’s all about to happen. In just a couple of hours, we are throwing open the doors to the totally sold out I Do! Bridal Soiree @ Hotel ZaZa, and we can’t wait. Thank you so much to the amazing vendors who have been working their tails off all morning to make those ZaZa rooms look utterly breathtaking. And thank you to all the brides who snapped up tickets at  breakneck speed–we are so excited to meet you! And just in case you didn’t manage to snag tickets to tonight’s show, we’ll be doing I Do! again in January @ The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa (that’s plenty of advance notice–so this time no excuses for not getting tix in time).

The rest of y’all–we’ll see you (and show you the absolute BEST in Houston wedding everything) in just a few minutes!

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