GETTING HITCHED, TEXAS GULF STYLE 2021 FLIP-FLOPS OR FORMAL? GROOMS GET MORE COMFORTABLE Lone Star Love YOU DON’T HAVE TO HEAD TO THE HILL COUNTRY FOR A RUSTIC TEXAS WEDDING THE NEW NORMAL SMALLER, MORE INTIMATE WEDDINGS 2021 $7.99 COASTMONTHLY.COM 645485005999 PLUS WEDDING SERVICES DIRECTORYGALVESTON THE BRYAN MUSEUM Real Bryan Couple: Stacie & Jacob, Photographed by Aaron Dominguez/Spotlight Weddings 1315 21ST STREET (409)220-3021 WWW.THEBRYANMUSEUM.ORG/WEDDINGS-EVENTS Your Wedding Day One Stunning Location ^ PETER@THEBRYANMUSEUM.ORG ^ EVENTRENTALINQUIRIES M USEUM C EREMONIES R EHEARSAL D INNERS R ECEPTIONS C ONSERVATORY G ARDENSgalvestonbridalgroup.com All your wedding needs under one roof. 409-789-3500 A Finer Event • Cakes by Jula • DarKer Side DJ’s Island Flowers • Kirk Surber Photography • Nefertiti Bridal Rexberry Luxury Weddings & Events • Riondo’s Ristorante Friends of Galveston Bridal Group: Betsy By Design • Coastal Catering • Events @ the Tasting Room • Galveston Railroad Museum Gypsy Joynt Café & Catering • Ryan Jones Photography • Sea Star Base Galveston Something BLUE Bridal Boutique • Stuart’s Mobile Cigar Experience • Tour de Tents Wedding Bliss Events • Wedding Heart Ceremonies Galveston Bridal Group photos by Kirk Surber Photography4 COAST BRIDAL 2021 26 CONTENTS 8 ‘IT’S THE NEW NORMAL’ Couples continue to march down the aisle with smaller, more intimate weddings 14 ‘IT’S JUST MAGIC’ Whether it’s a Texas theme or a beach scene, local culture makes wedding planning easy 20 NAUTICAL NUPTIALS For some brides, the grand entrance and exit are better by boat 24 WEDIQUETTE Zoom, traditional, or both? Avoid snags with these helpful tips 26 LONE STAR LOVE From barbecue to Gulf-caught seafood, caterers meet demand for Texas-style receptions 32 SWEET DREAMS Couples go beyond the traditional cake with dessert bars and custom confections 36 A HINT OF HUE White wedding gowns still are popular, but color is trending 40 FLIP-FLOPS OR FORMAL? From khakis to tuxes, grooms get more comfortable choosing their own style 44 BLOOMING BEAUTIES Delicate and vivid, buttercups are in high demand for bridal bouquets 46 THE PROFESSIONALS Who’s who on the local bridal scene The Coast Bridal team would like to extend its sincerest thanks to Connie DeRome of the Galveston Bridal Group for providing the exquisite gown and bouquet of quicksand roses for our cover shoot at The Barn at Willowynn in Santa Fe. We’d also like to thank Holly Barker , venue director at The Barn at Willowynn, for opening the farmhouse to us just days after a winter storm knocked out power across much of the state. Also deserving of thanks is our stunning model, Kenzie Gonzales, who is a hair stylist and makeup artist at Total Technique Salon in Texas City. Gonzales styled her own makeup for the shoot but left the hair styling to colleague and Coast Monthly hairstylist extraordinaire Rebecca Rivera . Finally, we extend a special thanks to photographer Ryan R. Jones for the use of his beautiful images of weddings on the upper Texas coast. SPECIAL THANKS cover photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS Sea Star Base Galveston is an award-winning event venue boasting an outdoor chapel on the water, a 3600 sq ft 5th floor ballroom with floor to ceiling windows featuring spectacular bay views, and unforgettable ceremony sail-ins and/or reception sail-aways on one of our choice vessels. www.ssbgalveston.org Best Venue Sea Star Base Galveston is a 501c3 Nonprofit. All proceeds support our educational programs and services for families, children, disabled persons, Veterans, and historically under-served populations. Say “I do” by the sea Contact Event Manager Angela Escue at 409.572.2560, ext. 1015 or email aescue@ssbgalveston.org for wedding packages designed to be fabulously “yours!”6 COAST BRIDAL 2021 FROM THE EDITOR A TOAST TO WEDDINGS BIG AND SMALL L ast year, as we were putting the final touches on the Coast Monthly Bridal Issue, life was being funda- mentally altered, and weddings, as we knew them, were coming to a screeching halt. Some couples canceled or delayed their nup- tials, while others made their big days considerably smaller. In the spirit of social distancing, many couples went virtual, inviting friends and family to watch them exchange vows on digital screens. The delays and rescheduling left the industry at the altar in the early days of the pandemic. But love always finds a way and so did brides and grooms, planners, florists and all the supporting players who work to make wedding dreams come true on the upper Texas coast. Some found a silver lining, learning there was beauty in smaller, more intimate weddings. But this is Texas, where big is, well, big. Couples still love to celebrate and share their big days with loved ones at big bash- es and often with barbecue. Texans are huggers and two-step- pers and those cultural mores are lost in virtual venues. As we planned this issue, life was dramatically different than a year ago. Island wedding planners and venues were seeing strong demand. “More normal,” was the way one wedding industry vendor put it. Social distancing might still be with us in the months ahead, but the days of Zoom and gloom appear — knock on wood — to be in the rearview mirror. Of course, as we’ve all learned, life is unpredictable. Still, weddings are symbols of hope and bright futures and that’s what we have today. We wish everyone happy, joyful wed- dings no matter how big or small. LAURA ELDER Coast Bridal Editor MELISSA RIVERA Creative Director/Design Editor8 COAST BRIDAL 2021 FEATURE ‘IT’S THE NEW NORMAL’ Couples continue to march down the aisle with smaller, more intimate weddings story by VALERIE WELLS W hether couples plan to go barefoot on the beach to say their vows or dress to the nines at a high- end island venue, a common denom- inator is the desire for smaller and more meaningful weddings, island wedding planners said. Some couples are getting married in their living room, then planning a larger reception in the future when traveling and gath- ering are easier. COVID-19 restrictions over the past year created a need to have smaller guest lists in manageable venues, experts say. The side effects result in more personal moments. Even large weddings that typically would have had 150 guests now only have 60 on average, said Peter Ochoa, director of events at The Bryan Muse- um, 1315 21st St. in Galveston. “It is more intimate,” Ochoa said. “It’s the new normal. And it’s more fun.” But even more weddings now have only 10 or fewer guests, planners said. “No matter how big your wed- ding is, it’s still just the bride and the photos courtesy of RYAN R JONES PHOTOGRAPHY Couples can have the wedding of their dreams even during a pandemic. After careful planning, this couple wed in the Conservatory at The Bryan Museum in Galveston following strict social-distancing guidelines while not sacrificing any of the memorable moments with their closest family and friends.Next >