Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/135434
The Couple: SHYLY UNNAMED Date: March 3, 2013 Venue: Family ranch near Bellville, Texas Event production and flowers: Todd Events, Dallas and Houston Caterer: Cassandra Tomassetti, Dallas Bride's gown: Zac Posen Groom: Ralph Lauren Photographer: Karen Sachar DIVINE DETAILS 150-year-old German church, back to its roots Salvation Army Harbor Light Choir • The Salvation Army's Harbor Light Choir from Houston sang spirituals during the ceremony. • Young guests were seated in a charming tent made from old quilts that had been sewn together, making the evening magical for them as well. • The bride and groom walked down the aisle in custom boots by Stallion and Lucchese, found at Houston's Pinto Ranch. • Dinner was served atop one long farm table in a poetic pasture of swaying native grasses. Oldfashioned bulb lights were strung from thin poles, in the vein of a country social, and heat lamps stationed around the trestle table warded off the evening chill. • Tables were softly styled in shades of pink, apricot, cream and green. • Pressed Parisian glassware in greens and pinks added color to each place setting. • Niche mixers from Fever Tree were used to make cocktails, such as Arnold Palmers. • Flowers were arranged in the Flemish style — with irregularity and haphazardness. • The cocktail hour consisted of local cheeses served alongside Marcona almonds, spiced pecans, and honeycomb and fruit chutneys paired with wine, Moscow Mule cocktails and sparkling water. • The prairie-sited reception was appointed with furniture, decorative elements, artwork and artifacts from the ranch. • A cherry-blossom arch at the altar and baby's breath at the end of each row of seating gave the ceremony a refined rustication. • Cake was served in jars, with demitasse spoons attached with satin ribbon. Four flavors were offered: a traditional white wedding cake, a chocolate groom's cake, red velvet and lemon. • The bride was inspired to have a pastoral wedding dinner after attending a dinner hosted by the farm-to-table concept Outstanding in the Field. NOTES FROM A WEDDING: Eight years ago, the bride purchased the 150-year-old German church where the couple was wed and brought it to the family's ranch on two flatbed trucks. Since then, she's repurposed it as a living space, and this occasion offered a chance to return the structure to its intended use. The Couple: CINDA WARD & ARMANDO PALACIOS Date: October 26, 2012 Venue: Ceremony: St. Martins Catholic Church, Warrenton, Texas • Reception: Round Top Inn Catering: Armandos, Houston Bride's gown: BHLDN Groom: Vintage Armani tux Photographer: Chinh Phan for Catchlight Group Inside the tiniest church The bride in transit to the wedding DIVINE DETAILS • Choosing to have a very small and intimate affair, the couple invited only 18 guests. • The groom had long known that he wanted to be married in St. Martins in Warrenton, which was built in 1915 and is the smallest active Catholic Church in the world; its 12 miniscule pews seat just 20 people. • The only adornments at the ceremony were simple candles and a photograph of the groom's parents on their wedding day. • A cocktail party at the nearby Round Top Inn was held before the wedding. • Father TJ Martinez, founding president of Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School, officiated; the couple finds his work for underprivileged youth at his school deeply compelling. • Following dinner at the inn, the festivities continued at the couple's nearby compound of three historic homes in Round Top. • Honeymoon: These true professionals took their honeymoon at the Houston institution they own together, Armandos restaurant. NOTES FROM A WEDDING: Round Top has long been a special place for the couple. The groom has had a home there for more than three decades, and together the couple has restored the historic 1830 residence of the town's first settler, James Winn, who was given a land grant by the Republic of Texas and the State of Chihuahua. Alexandra Palacios and her mother St. Martins, the world's smallest active Catholic church Armando Palacios, Father TJ Martinez, Cinda Palacios