A Christmas Wedding With Deep Greens and Snowy Whites at the Sunset Coffee Building in Houston, Texas
When most of your relationship’s pivotal moments occurred around Christmas, what better theme for your wedding than the most magical holiday of the year? Meeting on a dating app, Chelsea Hunt and Jack Betz went on their very first date just before Christmas 2017. “Christmas has always been a big part of our relationship since it began,” Chelsea reveals. “When Jack proposed, he wanted to do it surrounded by those vibes, so he did it in a beautiful ornament store in the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston.” Though Jack’s question-popping wasn’t exactly a surprise—as their jeweler is a close family friend of Chelsea’s—the moment didn’t lose a hint of sparkle or whimsy.
The overall aesthetic of their wedding started out as a joke based on the stunning wedding dress the bride purchased early in the planning process. “I picked the first dress I tried on. I knew it was the one immediately,” she explains. “It was honestly nothing like I expected my wedding dress to be. It’s a long-sleeved, Swiss dot dress with pearl details that only needed a very slight alteration since it was custom-made to my measurements.” When friends and family asked Chelsea to describe her dress, the bride replied in jest: “Victorian Christmas ghost.” And so, when it came to the decor, they decided to get their inspiration from “the scene from A Muppet Christmas Carol with The Ghost of Christmas Past. We wanted it to be candles, greenery, creams and neutrals.”
But, before celebrating in a winter wonderland, the couple headed to the Holy Rosary Catholic Church for a “quick” ceremony. “Our ceremony was an abbreviated Catholic ceremony, as my husband [is of that faith], and I am not. We held it at the church he attends regularly,” the bride tells. Chelsea carried a crisp arrangement of white flowers accented with pine and other winter greenery as she met Jack, sporting a classic black suit and cowboy boots, at the altar. On her and her bridal parties’ bouquets: “I wanted white and cream flowers with green elements that tied in the seasonal themes. I felt our bouquets were very organically shaped and really emphasized the natural elements we had.”
Following their vows, the newlyweds lead their friends and family over to the Sunset Coffee Building to kick-start the revelry. “The space our reception was held in was a great canvas for our décor, with exposed brick and hanging starlights already in it,” Chelsea notes. “We wanted the main focal points to be the six real trees and the cedar-and-pine greenery running the lengths of the tables.” Small faux trees dotted the room, including at the bar as an accent for the deep-green wine, beer and spirits menu.
As with many wedding receptions, the food was integral to the fun-and-free vibe of the evening. “We loved our dinner! We had Chuy’s cater our wedding and it was a HIT! Our cocktail hour had chips, queso and their creamy jalapeño dip!” the bride recalls excitedly. “We both love Tex-Mex and were excited to share with out-of-town guests.” But the deliciousness didn’t stop at dinner; the couple elected to serve a decadent Tres Leches cake as their wedding dessert.
In the aftermath, Chelsea and Jack knew they stayed true to themselves. “Don’t be afraid to be 100% yourself on your wedding day!” they advise. “It’s easy to get caught up in meeting a certain aesthetic, but we enjoyed ours so much because we did stuff we loved.” They quickly add: “Also, have the speeches at the rehearsal dinner: more time for dancing that way.” Smart input for brides and grooms who want to spend as much time as possible on the dance floor!