< Previous10 COAST BRIDAL | 2022 FEATURE ‘A REAL DESTINATION’ More couples are choosing the island to tie the knot and in their own style story by KATHRYN EASTBURN A fter more than two years of pandemic re- strictions and protocols on large gatherings that changed or delayed many weddings across the country and locally, weddings are back with a vengeance, said Peter Ochoa, director of events at The Bryan Museum, a popular wedding venue in Galveston. “It’s insane!” Ochoa said. “It’s the hottest time in the wed- ding biz since way before pre-COVID. We’re all scrambling to keep up and getting new inquiries every day. It’s a very good time to be in the wedding business.” Ochoa cites the convergence of couples who put off their weddings during the pandemic dovetailing now with the regular cycle of couples, resulting in booked venues across the island and county. And he points to couples with strong opinions about just how they want their weddings to be. (Above) Peter Ochoa, director of events at The Bryan Museum, and Connie DeRome, proprietor of Island Flowers, team up to create beautiful weddings at the museum in Galveston. (Opposite) Galveston’s historic buildings provide a unique backdrop for wedding portraits. STUART VILLANUEVA COAST BRIDAL | 2022 11 COURTESY RYAN R JONES PHOTOGRAPHY12 COAST BRIDAL | 2022 FEATURE Nationally, weddings are trending toward more customized experienc- es reflecting the unique wishes and interests of the bride and groom; destination weddings where guests and wedding parties gather for entire weekends; big parties; and, in some cases, quicker, more intimate wed- dings put together in elegant packag- es, according to Brides magazine. Ochoa and local wedding floral designer Connie DeRome, proprietor of Island Flowers in Galveston, agree they’re seeing those trends as well. “The bride and groom bring in their own preferences,” DeRome said. “They all want their unique touches.” Working with a group of bakers, caterers, restaurants, event planners and suppliers, DeRome represents Galveston Bridal Group in the island’s downtown, planning weddings and receptions at the island’s many venues, including historic homes and churches, The Bryan Museum, Moody Gardens, the Galveston Railroad Museum and even the deck of the tall ship Elissa. A recent wedding at The Grand Galvez Hotel was “glammy, vampy, sparkly with a lot of bling” and replete with red roses instead of traditional white, reflecting the couple’s wish for a unique wedding style, DeRome said. Another bride planning her wedding and reception requested stand-up ta- bles and cocktail-style service of food and drinks rather than a traditional sit-down dinner. And even formal traditional sit-downs are reflecting couples’ more specific tastes with tabletop designs trending more toward a tablescape of greenery and scattered flowers with upscale glassware, table linens and cutlery rather than a tradi- tional restaurant look, DeRome said. Ochoa has observed more involve- From downtown to beachside, Galveston is home to a variety of wedding venues. “The bride and groom bring in their own preferences. They all want their unique touches.” CONNIE DEROME COAST BRIDAL | 2022 13 ment by grooms in wedding planning, he said. Recently, he received a thank you note from the groom for a wed- ding he oversaw, a task traditionally assigned to the mother of the bride. Whatever their tastes might reflect, more couples are seeking out the island for their weddings. “Galveston, especially in the last three or four years, has become as popular as Hawaii or the Caribbean,” Ochoa said. “It’s close by for Texas couples with nice hotels, lots of great restaurants, and it’s more convenient for everyone. It has become a real destination.” Surprisingly, now that word is out about Galveston weddings, couples are booking from New York and Chi- cago, Ochoa said. The Bryan Museum is booked for weddings every Saturday into 2023 and even into 2024, he said, with March, April, October and No- vember being the busiest months. The flip side of “wedding-palooza,” for people who’ve waited a while and want to get married now in a formal but streamlined manner, The Bryan Museum has come up with a new pro- gram called Marriage in the Moment, complete with an officiant, flowers, DJ, photographer and cake. “They still get the experience of lux- ury, which is what our venue is about, but it’s all condensed within one hour,” Ochoa said. The venue’s first Marriage in the Moment was between two very busy doctors, he said. COVID might have halted and limited weddings for a time, but it also contributed to the boom going on now, Ochoa and DeRome observed. “The pandemic has given a lot of people the mentality, ‘Hey, life’s too short to wait,’” Ochoa said. PHOTOS: COURTESY RYAN R JONES PHOTOGRAPHY “Galveston, especially in the last three or four years, has become as popular as Hawaii or the Caribbean.” PETER OCHOA14 COAST BRIDAL | 2022 Celebrate your special day surrounded by our lush gardens then have your reception upstairs amongst the vintage surroundings in our parlor, dining and great rooms. We can accommodate up to 100 guests. We have packages that make your day relaxing and stress-free. 2327 Ave K, Galveston, Tx, 77550 409-497-4944 | virginiapointinn@yahoo.com Make Your Special Day Amazing COAST BRIDAL | 2022 15 Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Galveston, Vargas Cut & Catch features PrimeSteaks and the Freshest Seafood available. 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Co. & affiliates: 2775 Sanders Rd Northbrook IL. © 2022 Allstate Insurance Co. seanodonohoe@allstate.com www.allstate.com/SeanODonohoe GALVESTON THE O'DONOHOE AGENCY 409-744-1888 seanodonohoe@allstate.com www.allstate.com/SeanODonohoe GALVESTON“Choose a bridal gown that’s easy to move in, soft and flowy lines with minimal train because you might be bare-footed. The groom could have a linen button down and khaki pants that are rolled up for his bare feet. It’s also fun to provide guests with flip-flops if they don’t want to go barefooted.” COAST BRIDAL | 2022 17 FEATURE CEREMONIES BY THE SEA Create the perfect coastal wedding with these easy tips N ature does much of the work when it comes to coastal weddings. Picturesque views and rhythmic sounds of waves are part of the package. Whether you’re actually on the beach or tying the knot in the many nearby architectural landmarks, these tips by Connie DeRome, of the Galveston Bridal Group, make it easy, breezy and beachy. Décor should be casual and beachy. Incorporate botanicals that grow around a coastline, such as palm fronds and bam- boo. Work with colorful tropical flowers and tropical leaves, seashells and lanterns. Hay bales wrapped with white towels are great for seating at your ceremony. Plus, they can be recycled for use after your wedding in preventing beach erosion. Music could be a single acoustic guitar or a steel band that has the sounds of the islands. Cakes can feature tropical flavors decorated with palm fronds, orchids and even birds of paradise. Food can be coastal-themed with seafood, lots of fruits and vegetables. A signature tropical-themed cocktail can be created just for your wedding. Our Gulf Coast offers perfect weather almost any weekend you want. Rent a beach house you can use for everything: ceremony, reception, a gathering place for family and friends, for cooking, sleeping and outdoor activities. PHOTOS: COURTESY RYAN R JONES PHOTOGRAPHY and GETTY IMAGES18 COAST BRIDAL | 2022 FEATURE THE BIG PICTURE Get to know a wedding photographer before taking the plunge M any people and services help make weddings memorable. But few actually have the pressure and the privi- lege of documenting a couple’s big day through photographs. Coast Bridal catches up with Galveston-based photographer Ryan Jones, of Ryan R Jones Wedding Photography. Jones, who shot the cover for this issue, takes us behind the lens with insight on some of the best and trickier moments wedding photographers face, offering tips on what couples can do to get the best shots to capture all the special moments. What are some things couples could do, and shouldn’t do, to ensure they have the best wedding photo shoot? Choose the right photographer. Get to know their per- sonality and have trust in their ability before hiring one or signing a contract. Do an engagement shoot with the pho- tographer you hire. Even if you already have engagement photos, make sure that you get in front of the lens with the photographer who is going to be at your wedding. A lot of couples who I meet already have engagement photos taken by a friend or an out-of-state photographer and tell me they don’t need/want an engagement session. I always try and urge them to do one with me anyway because it’s the best method for getting great wedding photos. Engagement sessions build confidence. Couples get to learn about my personality, the way I walk, talk, instruct and direct during a photo session. Plus, they get to see the end result and are always blown away by how I make them look in photos. Hence, on their wedding day, they are excited and confident in my ability and photography is one less thing they have to worry about on their big day. Destination weddings are hot. What’s your insider take on that trend? What wedding photographer doesn’t want a destination wedding under their belt and on their portfolio? I’ve been fortunate to have photographed hundreds of weddings in Hawaii when I lived there and also many more weddings in places like Mexico, The Bahamas, Florida, New York and California. It’s like hitting the reset button on my creativity to push the envelope when getting to photograph someplace fresh and be able to do something unique and different. I love the challenge. I think that destination weddings are good for couples, too, in the fact that they are someplace (Above) Ryan Jones is a Galveston-based photographer specializing in weddings and portraits. (Opposite) Jones is no stranger to destination weddings. He recently covered one for a Galveston couple in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. COURTESY COAST BRIDAL | 2022 19 foreign and beautiful with amenities, room service and restaurant dining. Destination weddings feel like a vacation and a wedding day wrapped up together. I feel that desti- nation weddings are generally more personable and happy since it’s mostly family and tight-knit friends who make the trip. My overall consensus is that the couple has a lot more memorable moments during a wedding week away from home than they would on a wedding day in town, given that they are sight-seeing and vacationing with friends and family days prior to their wedding. And, don’t forget that they don’t have to go anywhere to honeymoon the following day. Do some venues lend themselves to good wedding photos more than others? Absolutely! When I lived and photographed in Hawaii, there weren’t too many venues that didn’t offer great views or landscapes for wedding ceremonies and portraits. Choosing a venue in Texas is an important choice and one to consider with wedding photography in mind. Take The Bryan Museum (in Galveston) for example. It’s a photog- rapher’s dream photographing a couple in its lush gardens and historic architecture during sunset. I think a couple should consider this when choosing a venue. You, as a bride or groom, should consider the background or scenery for your wedding photos. If you absolutely love a venue that isn’t ideal for outdoor photography, then consider what’s nearby and accessible. Talk to your wedding photographer when choosing a venue. I counsel couples who are getting married in Galveston all the time about venues that are great for photography. Usually, couples who are planning to get married in Galveston have high expectations for wedding photos and want to incorporate some form of nature or sun- set into their wedding portraits. If your venue doesn’t offer something great scenically, then consider the beach that is nearby and accessible. What should couples look for when they’re selecting a wedding photographer? The number one criteria for choosing a wedding photog- rapher is personality. This is truly the secret to getting good wedding photos and goes hand in hand to what I stated earli- er about engagement photos. You want to trust your wedding photographer, feel comfortable with them, and have a friendly rapport with them. Your wedding photographer is going to be with you all day long and has a huge responsibility on their shoulders when documenting your wedding. Don’t just look at their individual photos on Instagram or Facebook, but rath- er look at an entire wedding. Anyone can post a great photo that’s been carefully edited, but not everyone can photograph an incredible wedding from start to finish. When choosing a wedding photographer, you should get out from behind your email and meet them in person, or talk on the phone. Get a feel for their personality and ask them important questions like: how many weddings have they photographed, or what type of equipment do they use. You may not know anything about camera equipment, but those type of questions force the photographer to talk confidently, or not. You want a photographer that not only takes good photos, but one that communicates well. You want a photographer that you trust will do a good job from start to finish. What’s your best, or worst, wedding-photographer war story? I photographed a wedding in Hawaii on Secret Beach once, a remote island on the windward side straight off Kualoa Ranch. The entire wedding party and guests had to take small ferries across a bay to reach the island. Moments after the ceremony, thunder clouds rolled in and it started storming. Everyone was soaked and huddled under tents and umbrellas while stranded on this small little island. COURTESY RYAN R JONES PHOTOGRAPHYNext >