A Wedding to Remember at The Ballroom at Bayou Place

A Wedding to Remember at The Ballroom at Bayou Place

Downtown Houston’s The Ballroom at Bayou Place has seen many incredible events since it opened a year ago. From Super Bowl parties to fashion shows to charity events, The Ballroom has hosted many memorable experiences both big and small. But it’s hard to compare to the excitement felt when it was time for our very own Houston Treasure, Kirksey Gregg to tie the knot this September.

 

Kirksey Gregg and Shay Calhoun met on Match.com in 2015 and went on their first date at La Griglia in River Oaks. Kirksey put his decor talent to work and wooed Shay by adding a unique floral arrangement to their dinner table. A year later they were engaged at The Nutcracker Market, a local event that Kirksey produces. They knew immediately after getting engaged that their wedding would take place at The Ballroom at Bayou Place.

 

 

While weddings already require lots of planning to execute smoothly, the added obstacle of Hurricane Harvey hit the city of Houston a week before the wedding day. The Ballroom at Bayou Place was fortunate enough to not have flooded, but the horrible storms that stalled the city put a wrench in some of the plans. Luckily, Kirksey had his own team at The Ballroom, his favorite vendors, family and friends, to help with all the details. From the florals lining the altar, to the Harry Potter and Texan-themed party favors, no detail was missed.

 

 

The wedding ceremony took place in the Smith Ballroom, a large open ballroom ready and waiting to be customized for any event. For Kirksey and Shay’s wedding, florals ruled the venue. Kirksey executed the overall design with a total of over 7,500 stems of roses! That’s not including the other flowers that made appearances such as hydrangeas in white, lavender, blue and green, white Hawaiian Dendrobium orchids, Golem and Moonglow carnations, and many more. The flowers were curated by lifelong friends of Kirksey: Susan Weatherford and Debby Carnithan at Southern Floral Company.

 

The couple’s color scheme was made up of a range of violet from lavender to aubergine, and both grooms had on custom tailored Italian suit jackets in aubergine. The wedding party wore lavender, and the florals matched the gorgeous violet theme as well.

 

 

The Wright Touch, an integrated event marketing firm that works with The Ballroom at Bayou Place, in collaboration with Kirksey, designed and produced the wedding invitations, program, menu and thank you cards along with the grand staircase.  It was a beautiful touch to an already incredible wedding exit.

 

Susie’s Cakes also worked closely with Kirksey to design the perfect custom wedding cake. The end result was a white almond and dark chocolate cake with buttercream icing on top, and was displayed on a mirrored square pedestal with half round tiered cakes on each side. Damask designs were pressed into the cake to match the table linens. On top of the cake was an abstract hand blown glass sculpture representing two lives joining together that was given to the couple as a Christmas gift.

 

 

The wedding reception took place in the Texas Ballroom adjacent to the Smith Ballroom and started off with a decadent cheese plate. Kirksey’s personal friend and executive chef, Ric Rosser, designed and orchestrated the menu from start to finish. Some highlights were: Maine Lobster Bisque, and toasted basil baguettes, Chesapeake Bay lump crab cake with lemon reduction, West Texas harvested potato stuffed with short rib tower with charred tomato demi glace, and Brussel sprout and pork belly confit. Certainly a menu that will be remembered long after the last plate was finished.

 

A large digital monitor that scaled the full length of the stage, was positioned as the backdrop to the band. Digital frames were positioned throughout the venue depicting art from the masters which changed artists during each of the dinner courses. Dessert culminated with the digital frames displaying images of both Kirksey and Shay from earlier in the evening, portraying a true masterpiece.

 


 

Party favors represented Shay’s love for Harry Potter with two themed tables overflowing with goodies that included Chocolate Frogs and Butterscotch Beer. Not to be forgotten, there was also a Texas themed table for Kirksey featuring Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets, pralines, and cotton candy. Along with the incredible party favors, the dance floor was the place to be after dinner. A giant dance floor was set-up in the center of the room featuring the David Caceres Band orchestra on stage with Yvonne Washington as the vocalist. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, creating the perfect glam evening ambiance.

Meeker Pictures, a portrait and wedding photography collective, caught every moment of the wedding. From the incredible room details to the grooms saying I do, Meeker Pictures captured it perfectly, immortalizing the evening for Kirksey and Shay. (For a complete photo gallery, scroll to the bottom.)

 

 

As the evening progressed, the groom’s’ friends and family mingled around the many tables, and the balconies were filled with guests enjoying Houston’s stunning downtown views. At the end of the night, guests eventually migrated to the foot of the staircase at the entrance to The Ballroom at Bayou Place. Kirksey and Shay made their exit down the stairs lined with self-standing sparklers. It was a truly perfect ending to a once-in-a-lifetime wedding.

 

To find out how your dream wedding can become a reality, contact us here.

See more of Kirksey + Shay’s beautiful wedding photos by Meeker Pictures below:

 

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