Closing Ceremony

Last night we had the privilege of providing the microphones and sound for the Closing Ceremony of St. Peter the Apostle Church in Galveston. The church took on more than 4 feet of water during Hurricane Ike, and it was sadly determined that it had to close. The church had been there for 45 years and was a fixture in the Galveston Catholic community. It was nice to see so many parishoners attend the outdoor service. Luckily, the weather was perfect and a kind neighbor ran an extension cord across the street to provide electricity for the service. St. Peter the Apostle Church will be missed.

Congratulations Will and Alicia

Such an elegant and romantic wedding! The ceremony took place in the room where we performed for the reception, and it was so pretty. The colors were ivory and mocha (a dark taupe color). The tables had white pin tuck overlays over white floor length linens, topped by 2 simple, elegant ivory flowers in a vase. The chairs had white chair covers with mocha sashes. There were ivory menus at each place setting, tucked in a specially folded napkin. As I said, it was very elegant.

Alicia was so beautiful in her white strapless gown. It had gorgeous embellishments on the front, with a French bustled back. Her veil matched with its embellishments. She carried an ivory bouquet of hydrangeas and roses. The Bridesmaids wore floor-length mocha gowns with champagne colored sashes. They carried smaller versions of Alicia’s bouquets, and they were all wrapped with ivory satin ribbon. Will and his Groomsmen looked so handsome in their taupe suits with ivory boutonnieres.

After a few words from the Bride and Groom and toasts, it was time for dinner. The guests loved the buffet stations! Then it was on to the cake cutting. Alicia’s cake was so elegant. It featured 4 stacked ivory tiers with ivory designs on each. The bottom of each tier was wrapped in a mocha ribbon. The top tier featured Alicia and Will’s last initial and a topper of hydrangeas. Will’s cake was perfect for the couple, as it was designed around the couple’s university, the University of Alabama. It had a large crimson A and said “Crimson Tide.”

After the cake cutting, it was on to the first dance and a family dance. Will and Alicia opted to do the family dance dedicated to their parents, grandparents, and close family members. So they briefly danced with all of them before it was party time.

This group partied from the first song to the last. From Hip Hop to slow to Spanish, they were on the floor all night. Favorites included Suavamente, Yeah, Don’t Stop Believin’ (everyone sang along on that one!), La Vida es un Carnival, Baby Got Back, Tu Sonrisa, Chicken Dance, Calle Ocho, Cha Cha Slide, Boot Scoot Boogie, Cupid Shuffle, Low, and many more. This group was fun!! Sweet Home Alabama was a big hit, as it’s the song of the Newlyweds’ alma mater. So, all the Crimson Tide students and alumni were on the dance floor having a blast, waving pom poms and singing along. At one point, the dancers spontaneously broke into a Conga line, which circled the room. At another time, they ended up with couples doing a ‘tunnel’, in which each couple went under the arms of the others and ended up at the end of the tunnel (kind of like a Grand March). Then there was the Thriller dance, and I can’t forget it when some of the male guests (I assume they were in a college fraternity), got out on the dance floor and did step moves while everyone gathered around. They were fantastic! Didn’t I say they this group was fun!?!

Finally, the night came to a close and the Newlyweds made their exit through cloud of bubbles, jumped in their Party Bus, and headed off to their honeymoon. Congratulations Will and Alicia!

Congratulations Robert and Lori

This wedding featured the colors of berry/purple and ivory. Lori wore a beautiful V-necked gown with beaded accents on the bodice, with a satin sash on the waist and matching trim on the skirt. The Bridesmaids wore a variety of floor-length berry colored gowns and they all looked beautiful. Robert wore a black tux with tails (very handsome!), with an ivory vest and tie. The Groomsmen wore white shirts with berry vests, and dark red rose boutonnieres. Lori’s flowers were ivory roses with dark red rose accents and the Bridesmaids carried dark red roses with ivory rose accents. As a special accent, there was a white dove at the reception, in a cage decorated with matching ribbon. It was at the ceremony also, and was there to represent marriage (because doves mate for life).

After a delicious dinner, it was time for the Special Dances. The Newlyweds danced while a friend sung “Bless the Broken Road.” Then, Lori danced with her brother (and they were very, very good!) while Robert danced with his mother. And then, party time! It was so funny when the dancing started. The Bride and Groom were immediately on the dance floor, along with two Groomsmen. The Groomsmen were doing the Running Man and the Robot, and Robert and Lori were dancing along. The Groom was quite a dancer and his Groomsmen were hysterical!! Then they got crazy with the Chicken Dance (I think over ½ of the guests were in that one), and it got crazier with YMCA. I have to say major props again to the Groom, Robert. He is so funny and hilariously entertaining on the dance floor. At one point, Lori did a Polka with a family member, and they rocked the Polka! I tell you, this group was F-U-N!!! (And once again, they show that you don’t need alcohol to have a great time!) Other hot songs for the night were The Twist, Macarena, Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Shout, and more.

After two very nice toasts (one which ended with “…and keep dancing!” (I loved that), it was time for the cake cutting. The Bride’s cake was so pretty! It had 3 white, stacked tiers, with ‘painted’ designs on each. At the base of each tier was a rhinestone ‘ribbon', and it made the cake really sparkle! The top featured one lone stargazer lily. It made for a very elegant cake. Robert had a two-tiered chocolate cake with chocolate accents.

After the bouquet and garter, and changing in to going-away clothes, the Newlyweds made their exit. They walked through a very long ‘tunnel’ of friends and bubbles, and headed off to their Caribbean cruise. Congratulations Robert and Lori!!

Our condolences

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Robert Schaerer of CR Cakes. Chef Robert was a nice guy with an incredible talent for beautiful, delicious, and affordable cakes. He opened his bakery about a year ago, and was already becoming known for his amazing cakes. Our thoughts are with Chef Robert's family at this difficult time.

Galveston Bridal Show on Sunday

Here's one last reminder to come visit us at the Boutique Bridal Show of Galveston Island this Sunday, August 16th, from 12:00 - 4:00. For more information, go to www.bridalshowgalveston.com. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations Brandon and Krystle

Such a pretty reception for such a nice couple! The colors for this wedding were white, ivory and dark red, and they looked very elegant. The tables had white floor length table cloths with ivory overlays. Each centerpiece had dark red roses floating in a bowl, on a mirror. On the mirrors there were candles and scattered rose petals. The chairs had white chair covers with dark red organza sashes.

Krystle was stunning in her ivory gown with champagne accents. It had a halter neckline atop a beaded bodice and a gorgeous train with satin champagne trim. She carried white/ivory roses with dark red calla lilies. The Bridesmaids wore dark red cocktail length gowns (each got to pick her own style, which means they all looked great!). Brandon was handsome in his black tux and white vest, and his Groomsmen wore matching tuxes with darker taupe colored vests. It was all made for a very classic and elegant look.

Other touches included well wishes cards near the sign in table. The guests wrote some good wishes for the Bride and Groom on a small card and then dropped them in a vase. Those cards are a great item to put in a scrapbook later, or to read on each anniversary. As favors, the guests got to take home wedding pens, which had different phrases that alternated when you clicked them. The phrases included, “To have and to hold” and “Forever and ever” and others. I’ve never seen pens like those before and they were really cute. There were also little custom made heart-shaped soaps in little boxes, and wedding bell escort card holders on the tables. A lot of planning and time went into this wedding and it showed!

I must also mention the families. We loved them! All of the family members (as well as the guests) were so nice and so much fun. You can tell they all genuinely love each other and enjoy their time together, and are united in their faith. And then there’s Krystle’s mom: she’s awesome! She was very involved in the wedding process and really helped Krystle and Brandon with so much. She made the wedding planning go smoothly and you could tell it was a labor of love.

Instead of saving the bubbles for the exit, this couple had a bubble entrance. We had all the guests line up starting at the doorway, leading right up to the head table. Krystle and Brandon entered through the lines, were showered with bubbles, and went right to their seats. It was a fun and unique entrance.

The dancing started with the first dance, followed by the Father/Daughter dance. They had practice their dance and it was beautiful. Then the Mother/Son dance followed and it was so much fun! Brandon and his mom were grooving, doing the bump, and all kinds of fun dances. Everyone loved it and they were both great dancers! After the special dances, it was party time. The favorite song of the night was definitely the Cupid Shuffle, and the Cha Cha Slide was not far behind.

A perfect match to the wedding day colors, the Bride’s elegant cake featured four ivory stacked tiers, with a fondant drape running diagonally down the front, with red gum paste roses that looked like real roses. It was topped by two bejeweled, entwined hearts. The Groom’s cake was an ivory open bible with a dark red fondant ribbon, with scripture written on it. It was a nice way to recognize their faith on their wedding day.

The bouquet toss was so funny! The ladies were ready, Krystle was ready, I counted 1…..2….3!... Krystle tossed the bouquet, and… nothing. Where did it go? Sure enough, it was 15 feet up, stuck in the chandelier. It was hilarious! (I wonder if it will end up on America’s Funniest Home Videos?) We all laughed and I handed Krystle another bouquet. With a warning to keep it low, the final throw and catch was a success. Brandon’s garter removal and toss went off without a hitch.

Near the end of the night, many of the guests left and the immediate family stayed to party. It was so much fun watching Krystle, Brandon, their parents, and their friends laughing and being goofy on the dance floor. It was a small group but they were getting crazy out there, having a blast! But, finally the evening came to a close, a waiter climbed up a ladder to retrieve the bouquet, and the Newlyweds headed out to a new and wonderful life together. Congratulations Brandon and Krystle!

Congratulations Jason and Jessica

This was a wedding done Texas style. From the colors to the décor to the food, it was Texas all the way. The guests were tipped off to the theme when they arrived at the ceremony. As they listened to slow country love songs during the prelude, they saw two large western boots filled with assorted yellow and blue flowers at the altar. They were the biggest boots I’ve ever seen!

The colors were light blue with dark blue accents. The tables had white table cloths with light blue toppers. The centerpieces had rope lassos around them, and lassos also decorated the sign-in table and special tables. On the gift table there was a large blue tub to hold cards. It had the word “Texas” on it, and was accented with bluebonnets. There were two arrangements on the bar that consisted of Texas wildflowers in western boots. The coolest thing of all the décor was the candle holders. They were small, sawed off logs, ranging from 6” to 8” high, and had small holes drilled in the center for tea lights. They were hand made and were the perfect touch for this elegant Lone Star Celebration!

Jessica looked gorgeous in her white, strapless gown. It had a beaded, wrap-style bodice with a satin train and a corset back. It really accented her tiny waist. She looked so pretty and her beautiful bead-edged veil completed the look. Her bouquet consisted of assorted ivory/yellow flowers, including roses and hydrangea, and it was tied with a light blue ribbon. The Bridesmaids wore light blue gowns and carried bouquets of light blue hydrangea with yellow roses. Jason and the guys wore black tuxes. He wore a white vest and tie while the guys wore light blue vest and ties. They all wore matching yellow rose boutonnieres. The two Flower Girls were so adorable! They wore white dresses with light blue sashes atop white western boots. They carried the yellow petals in small tin buckets that were painted with bluebonnets. It was so cute!

The Bride’s cake had four ivory tiers with different accents on each. It was accented with blue hydrangeas and yellow roses. The Groom’s cake was interesting. It was green, iced with white yard lines to look like a football field, and said “Go Gators” and “The Swamp.” On the top there was a flat Gator head that was entirely edible. The table itself was covered in a Florida Gators print cloth. The whole Groom’s cake table was awesome. (While the Bride is from Texas, obviously, the Groom is from Florida). But by the end of the night, Jason had changed into a Texas flag print vest, which showed that he’s seen the light and loves Texas! I’ll also give you one guess what they served the guests for dinner…… You guessed it. Bar-B-Q, of course!

The garter removal was a bit unusual in that the Jessica wore a rope tied around her leg. But the secret was that she couldn’t find her garter, so I (with her permission, of course), fashioned a garter out of one of the lassos I took off a cocktail table. It actually worked out very cute, as the garter matched the décor.

Just when we thought the reception was winding down for the night, Jason, Jessica, and a bunch of the kids (and a few adults) ended up doing what I’ll call the “Run and Slide”. I have no idea how it began, but suddenly, the Bride would line up with all the little girls, they’d race down the dance floor, throw themselves on the floor, and slide the rest of the way. (And yes, Jessica was still wearing her wedding gown. But now, with her boots, of course.) Then Jason and the boys took their turn. This went on for at least 10 minutes and it was so funny! Note for the tuxedo place: if you got a pair of pants returned Monday with the knees worn out, now you know why. LOL The photographer and I agreed that we’d never seen that at a wedding reception before, but it was so much fun to watch! Congrats Jessica and Jason, you’ve officially been one of our wedding firsts. :-)

As the night came to a close, the tired but happy Newlyweds jumped in their truck and headed out to their new life together. Congratulations Jason and Jessica, and yee haw!