Heather's Glen offers the finest in Houston TX wedding venues in Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas

Everywhere I look, I’m seeing a lovebird wedding theme.  Cute and sweet, with endless possibilities.  It gives a little something sentimental to a natural motif.  Birdcages and bird-printed anything are in abundance right now in home decorating, so it’s not difficult to tie a few elements in.  With most themes, I’m on board as long as it’s not overwhelming.  This one is pretty easy to not over-do. 

The robin’s egg blue seems to be the most popular color with this theme, and come on- it’s precious.  Check out weddingpaperdivas.com for tons of invites, save the dates, and correspondence cards with lovebirds.  For your favor tags, or even on the back of your programs, how about having printed (calligraphy?!) a quote or poem about a  bird or love birds?  I think this Emily Dickinson stanza from her poem “Hope” is sweet:

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune–without the words,
And never stops at all

Any other ideas?

Over the weekend the Wisteria decided to make its presence known!  Here are some snapshots of the gorgeous lavender vine.

Wisteria at Heather's Glen

So Pretty!

 

I love it.  Love love love it.  It immediately imparts a formal feel to anything that could possibly be written: invitations, programs, correspondence cards, calling cards*.   Although traditional script looks lovely and elegant, swirly and whimsical is becoming increasingly popular.  My favorite, that I found through Brides Houston magazine, is May Belle.  Check her work out at www.may-belle.com.  Below are some pics of other calligraphy creations. 

And here I will admit one of my pet peeves: labeled addresses.  On a formal invitation, it just ruins the effect, whether it’s the return address or send-to.  If your handwriting isn’t great, be resourceful!  Get a family member or friend with handwriting you like, purchase a great pen, and buy them dinner as a thank you (along with a hand-written thank you, of course!).  If you can’t think of anyone whose handwriting you’d like, you don’t have to spend a lot for this effect.  Get in touch with an art department at a nearby university, or even put an ad up online. 

*Calling cards are back in fashion and make great gifts for bridesmaids!

May Belle Calligraphy

Primele Calligraphy

Betsy Dunlap Calligraphy

Betsy Dunlap Calligraphy

Happy third day of Spring- finally!  That was a long and cold winter for Houston.  We are thrilled that the temperature is finally rising, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming.  Below is a snapshot of the Lady Banks roses that have exploded over one of the trellises.  Each year, March is so exciting as color climbs its way back into the garden.  The azaleas are being a little shy, but it won’t be long until they proudly show off.  If you haven’t been to Heather’s Glen, give us a call or shoot over an email and let’s schedule an appointment. 

This weekend I went to Carolyn’s shower!  It was a little like a tea party.  Her fiance is from Canada, so tea served in mismatched tea cups were a nod to Victorian style.  A friend also mentioned to me that in Canada most families do not simply own one pattern of teacups, but rather end up collecting several kinds as different family members will bring one when they visit!  I love this idea- a lot less pressure to match all the china while entertaining!  Towards the end of the shower, one of the hostesses announced for everyone to look on the bottom of their teacup; two were a pattern called Carolyn, the bride’s name.  Those two guests received a prize.  Cute!  Each guest took a teacup home for a favor. 

I did get a great wedding idea on the way to the shower.  A bunch of us carpooled, and I was in the backseat with a dear friend, Lynda.  She mentioned that she went to a wedding once where the bride requested that all married couples bring a picture from their wedding day.  At her wedding, a table was designated for these photos and it was a huge hit!  The photos spanned several decades and guests got to meet each other and trade wedding day stories!  A table full of photos of friends’ and families’ wedding day?  Very romantic!

So, as I reported in an earlier blog, I have 2 weddings and their respective showers this spring.  On Saturday I attended the first shower: Bonnie’s.  Bonnie was an intern at Heather’s Glen last year, and knows EVERYTHING there is to know about weddings.  She’s been planning her own wedding since about six months after meeting her future husband  

The shower was delightful.  The springtime theme was displayed with the pink tulips, plaid Easter-ey tablecloths, gerber daisies, and flower seed favors.  The tags attached to the zinnia seeds I picked up read: “Find a perfect garden plot / and plant these seeds in a sunny spot / so they may grow and bloom / as a reminder of the bride and groom.”  So sweet!

I have to report on Bonnie’s gift from her mother.  She received a pair of crystal Waterford Irish Coffee cups!  Because Bonnie and Chris don’t drink champagne, they’re opting to toast with Irish coffee at their wedding.  I love this because they’ll be serving a coffee bar at their wedding!  Such a great idea. 

Waterford Irish Coffee Pair

Love that crystal.  I’ll have more about wedding showers next week after hitting up Carolyn’s!

Friday night’s bride and groom shared a toast from a traditional German bridal cup.  You’ve never heard of that, you say?  I hadn’t either.  Let me retell the tradition I’ve unearthed (okay, googled), and then check out the pic. 

Centuries ago, in a faraway land called Nuernberg, there was a wealthy nobleman.  His daughter fell in love with a lowly goldsmith and wanted to marry him.  Well, Dad didn’t like that much, so he threw the goldsmith into a dark dungeon and continued to offer his daughter richer, more appropriate suiters.  According to the story, she got paler and paler as she longed for her beloved.  Her father finally relented, and offered a proposal, “If your goldsmith can make a chalice from which two people can drink at the same time without spilling one single drop, I will free him and you shall become his bride.”  He figured that he’d proposed the impossible.  Evidently, the goldsmith was determined and inspired by love, and skillfully created a masterpiece.  The cup is a sculpted girl, with a hollowed out skirt to serve as one cup, as the arms of the sculpture were raising a bucket that swivels so it can be filled swung towards the other drinker.  The two could drink from each end, without a drop spilled.  Here’s a pic of a traditional German bridal cup.

German Bridal Cup

Isn’t that sweet?  What will you toast with?

Picking out the guys’ attire can be so boring, especially after all of the excitement of selecting a wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses.  Make your guys happy by choosing to vamp up their tuxes with funky accessories.  Rather than typical vests to matchy match with the bridesmaids dresses (come on- that’s so high school prom, right?), focus more on coordinating.  A bowtie with a pattern, argyle socks, suspenders, and shoes (chuck taylors?) are a fun way to let the guys know they can have fun!  Check out some photos below.  Let me know if you guys have any fun ideas, too!

Hooray for calendar flipping!  The first day of March is always exciting, because our Spring weddings are just around the corner, as well as all of the spring blooms in the garden!  If you’ve yet to find your dream wedding location, call or email us and we can schedule an appointment to tour and discuss wedding packages.

Most Heather’s Glen inquiries begin with one question:  “do you have my date available?”  Usually question number two is concerning our bar/alcohol policy.  I decided to do a little blog explaining our bar system to clarify. 

Can we bring in our own alcohol?

 Yes! In all of the full wedding packages (Queen Mary and up), a bartender and security are included. We do not have a liquor license, so Heather’s Glen does not provide any alcohol; you are welcome to bring it in!  Most couples love this feature, as there is no corking fee or “adult” alcohol head count.  You may bring in (typically rehearsal day), or have delivered, as much or as little alcohol as you wish.  The TABC-certified bartender(s) serves your guests as security keeps your party safe.  During coordination, the couple assigns someone to be in charge of taking any leftover alcohol after the wedding.  This is usually a family member or close friend. 

What about other beverages?

Our packages include your choice of two beverages:  iced tea (regular or raspberry), punch, lemonade, or coffee.  You are more than welcome to bring in any sodas, juices, or mixers. 

May we hire margarita/daquiri machines or provide a signature drink?

Absolutely!  Margarita machines are wonderful, especially if fajitas are on the menu!  Signature drinks are welcome as well; please bring them already mixed, with the appropriate garnishes you wish them to be served with. 

Anything else I need to know?

Last call is 15 minutes prior to the end of the event.  To ensure safety, the bartenders DO card, so be sure to remind any youngins to bring their IDs. 

Cheers!