Intimate, Elegant, House Party Wedding by Willow Tree Photographs

“An intimate day with our closest loved ones” is how Houston bride Lisa describes her vision for her autumn wedding to Paul.  To keep things cozy, casual, but decidedly vintage-chic, the couple selected a 6,500-square-foot, Old-World-style residence on the grounds of an oak-dappled Hockley country club as their venue—and kept their guest count to a cozy 80 friends and family members. Houston Wedding Blog fave Tamara Menges created lovely arrangements of hydrangea and roses and berries, with a palette based on pale greens and antique-pink hues, and placed them throughout the residential space, along with framed personal photos of the wedding couple’s, to blend with the rustic-luxurious decor, rather than stand out from it. Heavy hors d’oeuvre, fine wine and cocktails subbed in for “a stuffy sit-down dinner,” Lisa notes, and guests spent the evening mingling, getting to know one another, nestling down on sumptuous sofas, laughing, conversing, and, as the evening went on, dancing to the tunes of a singer-songwriter-guitarist (he played acoustic for the ceremony) turned DJ. “It was exactly the way we wanted it to look and feel,” Lisa says—and the joy and satisfaction she felt shows, radiantly, on her face and Paul’s, captured for posterity by Willow Tree Photographs.

Photos: Willow Tree Photographs ~ Flowers & Decor: Tamara Menges Designs ~ Bride’s Dress: Lazaro from Ivory Bridal Atelier ~ Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo and Toms ~ Groom’s Tuxedo: Hugo Boss ~ Officiant: Minister Lynn Turner of Weddings Performed ~ Venue: Houston Oaks Country Club & Family Sports Retreat, Founder’s Lodge