Our Lady of Walsingham Houston Wedding Photography
If you have not found a wedding ceremony venue yet, fear not! You are not alone! Other brides have walked before you, and their experience and recommendations may be of great value to you!
Michelle was in just such a predicament. Finding the perfect ceremony venue was a long and painful process for her. Early on, she had narrowed it down because she and her fiancé, Elias, wanted to be married in a Catholic Church. However, the challenges seemed to increase from there. “I only would consider churches that had an older gothic feel to them, I didn’t want anything too modern. From there, we had to find a church willing to marry an interfaith couple, and a church that treated me like a person (despite the fact that I was not Catholic). When I found Our Lady of Walsingham, I knew it was perfect! The church itself is gorgeous, as well as the grounds. It reminded me of a castle, which was perfect for my fairy tale wedding theme. I could see many places that would make beautiful pictures, and I loved the stained glass windows. I also loved how friendly and kind the priest and his staff were, I never felt anything but welcomed and loved from the moment I set foot in that church. The price was also relatively low compared to other Catholic churches in Houston, which was wonderful. I also loved the bridal room and the size of the church. We had a pretty small wedding, so I wanted a church that didn’t make the small number of guests (60) look pitiful yet a long aisle for me to walk down. This church was very cozy and the perfect size. Ultimately, I felt that this is the church God had called me to get married in.
The Love Story
“On July 1, 2011, while I was interning in Houston, my college roommate Nicole visited and we decided to go out. That same night Elias went out with a group of his friends. It was here at Red Door that we crossed paths. I had noticed Elias from across the room but didn’t think he would notice me because he was in a big group. I was wrong though, as he had noticed me almost as soon as I entered the room and was just waiting to approach (he later told me). He got his opportunity when Nicole stepped away to get a drink. I was left standing awkwardly alone and that is when Elias swooped in and asked for a dance. The rest of the night we only had eyes for each other. He asked for my number and after we went our separate ways for the night he kept texting me.
Eventually, he invited me to travel to Colombia with him to meet his family for the first time. While we were there he surprised me with a visit to the romantic city of Cartagena. He told me to get ready and wear my nicest dress, and we went to a romantic patio in the old part of the city (which was inside of castle walls) for drinks. He kept telling me the sweetest most romantic things about how much he loved me, and I thought he was going to propose right there. But then he got up and said we were leaving, and a horse-drawn carriage was waiting for us. We got in and rode around the city, and he surprised me by playing his guitar and serenading me with my favorite song. The carriage stopped in front of a beautiful old church, he got out and onto one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!”
The Wedding Day
For about a week leading up to the ceremony, Michelle and Elis had not seen one another. So seeing each other for the first time, knowing that this was the moment they had been waiting for and that they would leave as husband and wife was huge!
For Michelle, the most emotional part of the ceremony was when the doors opened and she and Elias saw each other for the first time. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I was so filled with love and excitement that I was breathless!”
For Elias, the most emotional part was seeing Michelle come into the sanctuary and the short amount of time that they spent on their own in the car after the ceremony. “The first time I saw her I felt amazed by an angel; I couldn’t believe she was going to be just mine”
The Reception
“We barely considered any other reception venues. We’d visited Proof Bar and Patio before we were even engaged and loved the place – it’s so modern and cool. I wanted our reception to feel like a big party. I didn’t want it to feel stiff and formal. I didn’t want a ballroom. Since we were having a smaller event I didn’t want to look like we were trying to do things that big weddings do. I liked the appearance of Proof a lot, we really did minimal decorating. I also liked Proof because it was a club in Midtown, similar and near to where Elias and I met, but it wasn’t so clubby that I would be ashamed to have my conservative Grandma there. After talking to the manager, that pretty much sealed the deal. He was so laid back and easy to work with. He let us have whatever we wanted as far as vendors, and we didn’t have to pay for the space (just a minimum amount on alcohol, which was no problem). The size was perfect because it didn’t look empty, but people had room to move around. I also loved that it was a rooftop place outside, yet there was a cool inside space that could be used in the event of rain.
The reception felt like it flew by so unbelievably fast it was a blur. My favorite part of the reception was probably my sister’s (maid of honor) speech- it was really sweet! Overall, I just really enjoyed having all my friends and family together in one place, which is something that will probably never happen again. Elias’s favorite part of the reception was the first dance.
Before they knew it, the newlyweds were off on a 7-day cruise that departed from Galveston and in Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and Mexico.
Words of Wisdom
“Things are going to go wrong at your wedding. Don’t let them ruin your day, embrace them. At the end of the day you are still going to be married, and someday (very, very far in the future depending on how bad things go wrong) these bumps in the road will be really funny stories!”