Hi Friends! I hope you had a great Fourth of July! Well as y’all know it’s been nearly a year since Hurricane Harvey forever changed our city. That weekend and the following days will likely not be forgotten by any of us Houstonians, and that’s especially true for my friend Christie and her fiancé Brian, whose wedding was planned for that fateful weekend.

It seems that Mother Nature has always played a role in this gorgeous couple’s journey to the alter! They met at a party thrown by mutual friends, but Brian only came to the party because he was coaching a baseball game that was rained out! This cute young man owns RTG Baseball.  So fun to see the next generation of entrepreneurs following their dreams.  Their chance encounter was clearly meant to be because they have been together every day since they first met!

After playing a match-maker of sorts, maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Mother Nature would make an appearance at their wedding. Originally scheduled for August 27^th, 2017, Brian and Christie were forced to postpone their nuptials as Harvey made landfall that weekend. With some friends and family already gathered, the couple turned what should have been their rehearsal dinner into a spontaneous Commitment Ceremony. That evening they were married “Under God” in honor of their grandparents who likely wouldn’t have been able to make another long trip for the rescheduled wedding.

Luckily, their venue, The Farmhouse, had another open date – December 8^th. When they learned that all their vendors were also available, they knew that December 8^th was meant to be. Christie even calls it a “God wink” – I love that!

I know Christie because she is a New Home Coordinator for Goodchild builders. We have done so many projects together and with me having two girls at the marrying age, we always spoke about the planning of her special day. When Christie was searching for the perfect location, she had a list of must-haves. With her father still recovering from a bone marrow transplant, she needed something budget-friendly and close to MD Anderson Cancer Center. She wanted to be able to select her own florist and caterer, and most importantly, the venue must allow her creativity to shine. A friend of Christie’s mentioned The Farmhouse, a new venue that was still under construction at the time. When Christie first saw the renderings, she fell in love and immediately knew she had found the perfect spot.

With the wedding venue booked, Christie spent hours on Pinterest searching for unique, budget-conscious ideas that would complement her upscale farmhouse aesthetic. Amy Weaver, a dear family friend, was enlisted to help with the floral design. Although not a professional florist, Amy has an immense passion for creating beautiful arrangements and often helps family and friends with special events. Together with her mom, Christie and Amy made an inspiration board and brought Christie’s vision to life. They spent many evenings perfecting ideas for each centerpiece, bouquet, and boutonniere. Christie says these “wine nights” were a blast! I love the long centerpieces Amy created for Christie’s reception — she is such an amazing talent!

Amy designed smaller centerpieces for all the round tables. So pretty!

On the wedding weekend, Amy and friends loaded a van and made the short trek to Conroe where they would make all the florals over two days.

The morning of the wedding, Christie, Amy and their families went to The Farmhouse to set up for the ceremony and reception. Mother Nature made an appearance yet again – it snowed! What an unexpected wedding gift! Glad she had that beautiful wrap!

Christie says that when she saw everything they had created looking so lovely against a background of snowy white, she cried with gratitude. It’s easy to see why!

With her family still facing outrageously high medical bills from her father’s bone marrow transplant, it was critical for Christie to stay within a modest budget. In keeping with the farmhouse theme, Christie chose Red Sage Catering to provide a simple, fresh and affordable wedding dinner. Red Sage owns its own farm and grows all the produce used for events. Christie selected a menu of fresh spring salad, tomato basil chicken, green beans almandine, garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, and a carving station with roasted beef. Yum! Sounds delicious!

Christie says that staying on budget was a challenge, but with careful planning and creativity, along with lots of help from her mom and Amy, she kept the total cost to $38,000! Wow! I would think a wedding this beautiful would have cost ten times that much! Impressive job ladies!

Look at all of those happy smiles in the crowd for this beautiful couple!  This was certainly the perfect day!!

Well we can’t sign off without you knowing who this amazing photography is from.  Ellen Ashton Photography  did a beautiful job!! I hope you enjoyed Christie’s wedding story as much as I did! Thank you Christie and Brian for sharing your beautiful day with us! Best wishes for a long and happy marriage!! ‘Til next week!  xo Leslie