Some Houston Wedding Providers

For those of you planning a Houston wedding, here is a list of service providors I either considered or used for our wedding. I hope this helps anyone else looking in the Houston area. Disclaimer(s): I do not work for or derive any financial benef it from promoting these companies. Also, as the years pass, this information may become out-of-date.

Engagement Rings

Logan found my ring at Jonathan's, located at 6222 Richmond. Appointments are required - their number is (713)977-9886. He got a great deal - a beautiful diamond in the setting of my choice for under $2500. E-mail me for more details.

Wedding Bands

His - Houston Gold Exchange, 12586-C Westheimer, Houston, TX 77077, (713) 531-0700
Hers - Service Merchandise (multiple locations)

Clothing

Dress - After looking all over town and reserving dresses at every location, I finally chose my fairly traditional Mori Lee gown from Bridal Warehouse (now BridesMart) in Baytown, TX. Cost: $430
Tuxcedos - From Al's Formal Wear (Astrodome branch)

Invitations

We made our own invitations and programs. It was a lot of work, but worth it - many people were amazed that they weren't professionally done.

We wanted an invitation with Jewish writing, but found our choices were limited. So, I found examples of what I wanted in a bridal magazine, scanned them, and used Microsoft Word (MAC) to lay out the invitation as we wanted it. We purchased the paper for the invitations - an embossed, willow white formal invitation with response cards, envelopes & tissue paper - from Paper Direct, 800-A-PAPERS, and printed the invitations using an Apple LaserWriter Select 360. As an added touch, I found gold foil that sticks to toner from a local art store. We placed the foil over the art or text, and ran them through an empty photocopier (you can also use a laser printer).

We printed the mailing envelopes (no labels) in a calligraphy font, and hand-addressed the inner envelopes.

The paper for the programs was purchased at Kinko's, and also printed on the Apple LaserWriter.

Chapel

Our wedding was in the University of Houston AD Bruce Religion Center (central campus). They have two areas - a small chapel for smaller ceremonies, and the main chapel, which can accomodate up to 250. Basic chapel rental for 2 hrs. costs $190. Use of piano costs $20, use of pipe organ (which includes organist and rehearsal) costs around $200 more. If interested, call (713)743-5050, and ask for Diane.

Since I work at Rice, I have been asked about the Rice Chapel. I have looked up the details for inquiring minds. For starters, you must be affiliated with the University (as a Rice student, alumni, faculty, staff, or child of the previously mentioned) or have someone who is affiliated with the University sponsor you. Once that requirement is taken care of, the rates for 3 hrs. are $310 for students, $625 for all others. The chapel has permanent seating for 126, and up to 100 additional chairs can be added for a rental fee of $2/chair. An organist can be added for $175 - but only Rice musicians and instructors are allowed to use the organ. If interested, call (713)348-4096, and ask for the scheduling coordinator.

Since my husband and I were both Rice students and are now Rice staff, why didn't we use the Rice Chapel? Well, the chapel is decorated in gold tile, which my husband hates. Also, we didn't think it would be large enough to accommodate my huge family. Reception/catering options in the Rice Memorial Center and Cohen House were too expensive for us, and we wanted the wedding and reception in the same area so that non-Houstonians would have to drive as little as possible. So, UH won out over our alma mater.

Reception Location

Since most of our guests were traveling in for the wedding and didn't know Houston very well, we looked at locations close to the freeways or to the chapel. We chose:

University Hilton (central campus) - beautiful location, and prices are more reasonable than most hotels in Houston. This is a fully operational hotel that also serves as a training facility for UH students studying Hotel & Restaraunt management. We had an open bar (beer & wine), and catered buffet reception for about $19-20/person. management was in flux while we were planning our reception, which caused a few problems. Still, a great option, and we got a free suite for using the facilities! Their number is (713)743-2500.

Photographer

Ed Borgman Photography - NOW RETIRED AND UNAVAILABLE
I can't say enough wonderful things about Ed & Bonnie Borgman. We were treated like family from the very beginning. On our first visit, we were given a tour of the studio, then shown all their equipment, then given several actual proof books of recent weddings to peruse. At the wedding, Ed & Bonnie took LOTS of photos, but weren't obtrusive, and didn't "get in the way", nor did they try to run the show. Prices are on the middle-to-high range, but the quality is astounding. Several packages to choose from. Tell him you saw my photos on-line!
Photography by Jetton - 5104 Cedar, Bellaire, TX 77401, (713)663-6124
Really liked him, and I would have used him if we hadn't discovered Ed Borgman. Reasonable prices, lots of package options.
Barfield Photography - 1312 Woodvine, Houston, TX 77055, (713)688-0148
Women photographers - very emotional photographs! The samples we saw really captured the feelings of the day. Prices in middle range.

Florist

Everyday Flowers: Ruby Belton is a real sweetheart! I enthusiastically recommend her to everybody. She first gets to know you, your tastes, your gown, colors, expectations, and then shows you photos of past work. She is very creative, and uses much more than the standard roses. And I got all sorts of freebies, too! Her number is (713)591-2911.

Bakery

Of course, we had the most fun interviewing bakeries and sampling cakes all over town. This was the toughest choice for us to make.

Rosemary Huong's French Bakery - 8282 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036, (713)995-5120
Absolutely delicious, and very reasonable - a cake that fed 216 people cost $350, and it was decorated with fresh flowers and our own cake topper (Mickey & Minnie). They make very rich liquor-laced cakes, and a killer Italian Creme, but we went with the Vanilla/Strawberry. Rosemary also does catering, flowers, invitations, etc. on the side and has a small gazebo area to hold weddings.
ABC Bakery - 2015D W. Gray, Houston, TX 77019, (713)942-CAKE, 3 locations
Family-operated outfit, very good cakes, delivery & deposits were a bit high.
Three Brother's Bakery - 4036 S. Braeswood, Houston, TX 77025, (713)666-2551 , other locations
Standard kosher bakery. I love their bagles, and their cakes are very good, but I could never get a price list out of them.
Cake Affairs - 4910 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TX 77401, (713)666-0505
Very Christian staff, very helpful, lots of variety in their cake flavors, and reasonably priced, but they are not open on Sundays, which is when my wedding was held. Still, a great bakery.

Entertainment

Ultimate Entertainment: Theresa & Jody Selby are a husband & wife team. They own all their own equipment & music, and Jody will also provide karaoke for an extra charge. They conduct themselves in a very professional manner, and make sure ahead of time that everyone knows who is the boss - the bride and groom. Prices are extremely reasonable. We were very impressed by these two - give them a call! (713)680-2087

Reference Materials

Besides the obligatory bridal magazines, the following books really came in handy:

"Bridal Bargains" - a must read.
"Houston Weddings - The Coopwood & Fields Consumer Planning Guide", by Geri Samuels, "I DO" Publishing
"How To Have A Big Wedding On A Small Budget", by Diane Warner, Writers Digest Books
"The New Jewish Wedding", by Anita Diamant, Fireside-Simon & Schuster