Houston Wedding Venue: Hotel Sorella

Upon walking into the lobby of Hotel Sorella, it is already obvious you will be having an extraordinary visit.  Situated in the thriving City Centre in west Houston, Hotel Sorella serves as a fabulous location outside of the bustle of downtown Houston, while still offering all the amazing amenities of a metropolitan center.  Delicious restaurants, fabulous stores, green space, and the modern Hotel Sorella, all connected by tree lined sidewalks.  It's hard to beat that anywhere in Houston!  

Whenever there is chance for Hotel Sorella to show off it's style, it does so with great flair and a fabulous sense of taste and moderation.  Bold patterns and creative layouts are just a couple of ways Hotel Sorella keeps its space fresh and modern.  One obvious theme of Hotel Sorella is its unique chandeliers sprinkled throughout the entire hotel.

I had the pleasure of taking a tour of Hotel Sorella's new event space.  Connected with the hotel through a sky walk, this new space is separate from the hotel while still being within easy access.  This makes events more personal without the possibility of other hotel guests accidentally wandering past.  Upon walking into the building, the lightness of the building is the first impression.  The grande airy foyer is filled with elegant angles and modern furniture making it perfect for a relaxed cocktail hour.  

The La Scala ballroom itself is quite unique.  Twelve black chandeliers span the length of the ballroom at interesting angles.  Tall skinny mirrors are set around the room to create extra depth and interest to the space.  One of my favorite things about the La Scala ballroom is that it did not follow the typical hotel formula of a boxy ballroom, but instead created subtle angular lines to expand the space.  For a bride looking for a unique and elegant wedding reception, Hotel Sorella is the perfect fit!

Love & Glitter,

Natalie Shaw

If you want to find out more about Hotel Sorella, or want to hear more about my tour, please contact us at Soireebliss! Events.

Photo credits: Natalie Shaw

Houston Wedding Venue: Chateau Cocomar

From the grand exteriors and high elegant ceilings to the sweet details and thoughtful architecture, Chateau Cocomar is stunning to behold.  

Set at the end of a quiet street, Chateau Cocomar seems far less like a typical venue and more like secluded palace tucked away in a hidden garden outside Houston, Texas.  The gorgeous circle driveway accented by a regal fountain serves as a beautiful focal point upon arrival.  My first impression upon walking through the front doors was how grande the entire space was.  With so many large spaces and elegant rooms to work with, Chateau Cocomar is a venue filled with endless possibilities.
  

Grande monastery door imported from France lead you into the gorgeous vaulted hallway made famous by Archetype's award winning photo.  It is just one of the numerous antiques imported from around the world sprinkled throughout the rooms and halls of the chateau.  

My favorite space was the Chantilly Chambers.  The main focus of this room is an incredible marble fireplace stretching the entire height of the room. The beauty of this room, along with all the other ballrooms, is it's love for color, bright or soft.  Bright and rich colors easily pop off the clean architecture and are enhanced by the amazing amounts of natural light let in by the elongated windows.  Soft colors simply embrace the natural colors already in the marble and rooms enhancing the look of the venue itself.  Honestly it is hard to go wrong with any look in Chateau Cocomar!

Love & Elegance,
Natalie Shaw

Credit: Photographs by the amazing Koby & Terilyn Brown, Archetype Photography

Real Wedding - Part I: Samantha & Todd's Classic Evening Affair

As an event planner, I have a very special career.  I have the opportunity to create for couples magical, memorable moments (days really) which they will cherish for a lifetime. Planning a couple's wedding day for me is one of the most cherished parts of my career as it's an honor to be entrusted with something so special. 

So, just imagine how incredibly special it was for me to have the opportunity to plan my own wedding.  It's time to reverse the role and for me to be the "Bride"!  After having planned over 150 weddings, I had an endless list of ideas, themes and locations.  The possibilities were endless and my creative juices were running 1000 miles and hour with exhilarated excitement. How was I to choose just one location or theme; Garden of the Gods in Colorado, Caramel by the Sea in California, Acapulco Meixco, San Juan Puerto Rico, a good down home Texas wedding in Austin, or keep it local in Houston.  The options were endless for me and my imagination was unleashed. WHEEE!!! 

After several months of exploring flight and hotel costs, venue options, budget decisions, my fiancée (now husband) and I narrowed our choice down to one location.  While destination weddings are incredibly fun and unique, it's not always possible for all your guests to travel. We decided it was most important to share the day with those nearest and dearest to us and selected the Omni Woodway Hotel in Houston.  The Omni's luscious indoor garden area (Palm Court) allowed us to have a garden feel without being outside. Which was very nice as most Houstonians know that outside weddings in Houston is just so hard to come by due to weather. The reception itself would be held in the Noé Restaurant at the Omni.  A chic, schwanky space that isn't commonly used for events. Perfect!

With a date and location, the plan was in motion.  Time to create the theme and letting the planning begin! OHHH, my most favorite part. For me, I'm a huge fan of the classic Hollywood Regency designs, but have a flair for a stylish vintage. My color choice would be black and white complimented by neutral whites.  

Our focus for the wedding was to create an event that was truly about our guests' experience and not necessarily about an over the top decor design. With guests travelling from around Texas and Indiana to join us, we planned from the moment they arrived that they would know they were here for a different kind of wedding.  Once they checked into their room, they were delivered a welcome bag with a bottle of champagne and a personal welcome note from us.  When they arrived in Palm Court for the ceremony, they were greeted by a butler to hand them a glass of champagne embellished with a luscious strawberry accent.  What better way to enjoy a wedding ceremony than with champagne?!

My fiancée and I kept our wedding party very small to keep it simple.  We wrote our own ceremony as this was truly the most important part of the entire day. One that would be the most memorable for the two of us.  As we recessed down the aisle, guests showered us with petals. A fun alternative to a grand exit!

We designed the rest of the evening quite simply; cocktail hour to mingle and greet guests, a 3 course meal, toasts and dancing.  No complications, no unnecessary traditions, just an evening spent celebrating and dancing with family and friends. It was truly an evening that we will cherish for years to come.  

As an Event Planner based in Houston, it was truly hard to select my those who would help bring my ideas to reality. I know so many talented professionals and how to chose just a few?! We are so thankful for the wonderfully talented professionals who helped make it possible for us.

Venue: Omni Woodway - Teresa Westbury was amazing and has become such a dear friend
Florist: Sheli with P and P Events - I love how she took my ideas/designs and made it possible
Photography: Steve Lee Photography - his talent surpassed our expectations
Ceremony Music: Divisi Strings - their talent surpasses all expectations
Reception Entertainment: Space City Entertainment - Jason is always such a joy to work with 
Cake: Plated desert by Omni Woodway
Favor: Mini desert bar by Petite Sweets - everyone knows how much I love sweets
Invitations: Invitation Solutions 
Hair/Make-up: Pink Palette - they do such wonderful work. I felt utterly beautiful
Dress: Priscilla of Boston - its the icon of all wedding dress. 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Check back on Saturday for "Real Wedding Part II: Handmade Items and Tips I Used" as I share some of my designs that I created to customize our wedding along with tips to make your wedding day memorable.

Real Wedding Video: Xochy & Todd's Houstonian Wedding

After a very busy Spring wedding season, we are happy to have a small break to catch up on our blog. We know you love seeing real wedding and were were perusing some of the amazing weddings we have had over the years.  One of our favorite weddings was in 2010, originally published on Style Me Pretty.

Xochy and Todd was a very spirited couple who had wanted to host an amazing wedding for their family and friends.  The evening started with a cocktail hour hosting a sushi bar, casino tables and live music. When the ballroom doors opened, guests were greeted with a ballroom designed to "WOW".  Guests spent the evening dancing and celebrating to the sounds of a band and DJ. Not a detail was missed! Check out this amazing video recap from 31 Films.

Real Wedding: Kelly & Ron's Vintage Chic Glam Wedding

Kelly and Ron is one of the most fun couples.  Their wedding was designed with a vintage glam influence. The design theme is carried through the invitations, bridal attire, cake display and wonderful get-away vehicle.

One of the most heart-warming traditions I am beginning to see more and more is for brides to wear their Mother's veil in place of wearing their dress.  In Kelly's case she had it restyled to fit her dress and theme.  Her vintage fur wrap was then her "something borrowed" from her Grandmother.  For a November wedding, it was just enough!

Kelly and Ron chose to have their wedding Thanksgiving weekend as they love the holidays so much. It's the perfect opportunity for all your family to be together, says Kelly.  In honor of their love for the holidays, they had traditional Christmas songs play throughout dinner mixed with Frank Sinatra jazz.  For their grand exit, Kelly had a vision of falling snow flakes and the sound of jingle bells.  The Phoenix Group had exactly that!  They created fake snow as guests were gathered outside with their very own jingle bells.  What a spectacular site......in Houston!

It was truly a pleasure for the Soiréebliss! Events team to be a part of their very memorable wedding day. Many thanks to our talented team of event professionals who helped make the day amazing.

Vendor List:
Church: Holy Rosary
Reception: The Bell Tower on 34th Street
Photographer: Joseph West Photography
Bride's Cake: Who Made the Cake
Groom's Cake: The Chocolate Bar
Cookie Bar: Michael's Cookie Jar
Florist: Wedding Flowers by Lisa/The Blooming Gallery
Videography: A&A/Nico
Grand Exit (Fake Snow): Phoenix Design Group
Transportation: Monarch Vintage Cars
Reception Entertainment: DJ's Unlimited