Hotel Zaza Houston Wedding with a Traditional Ceremony at Annunciation Catholic Church
Bride and Groom Grace and Andres at Houston’s Hotel Zaza Museum District.
What makes a hotel suite ideal for getting ready on your wedding day? Read more to find about this, Catholic Wedding Etiquette, and the best way to set up a first look.
Getting Ready in one of Hotel Zaza’s Magnificent Seven Suites
Hotel Zaza in Houston’s Museum District has a whole floor of wonderful, unique suites they call the “Magnificent Seven.” Bride, Grace, selected the largest of the seven, the “Black Label Suite.”
For photography, this suite was absolutely perfect. There are floor to ceiling windows throughout for that great lighting, AND tons of space for hair and makeup as well as photographing details, all without having to disrupt the bridesmaids having their coffee and mimosas.
The Bridesmaids Group Getting Ready Photo: Sometimes it can be tricky to get a photo like this if the HMUA are scheduled to finish right as the bride gets dressed. Grace wisely scheduled lots of time for getting ready—as she had an evening wedding, and Zaza has so much space
If you’ve ever been a bridesmaid, you know clutter when getting ready is unavoidable. There are always multiple bags, boxes, water bottles, and curling irons, so booking a nice large space makes a ton of sense.
One of the suite’s two bedrooms was empty and had recently had housekeeping service. This room (the first of the photos below) made the perfect studio for details photos. Then, when it was time for Grace to get dressed, she escaped to the relative privacy of the bedroom so her mom could help her get dressed.
The Groom Gets Ready by the Pool
Andres and his groomsmen had their own getting ready space—a room just off the beautiful pool deck. After the men donned their boutonnieres, they grabbed their custom flasks and headed out to the deck for a few casual portraits and a toast.
First Look in the Black Label Suite
For the uninitiated, a first look is when a couple makes time for a special moment to see each other for the first time on the wedding day before the altar.
Andres’s reaction to seeing Grace in her wedding gown.
A great first look photo draws you in to the way the couple is feeling—so the look on their faces is more important than the backdrop. Factors like privacy, comfort, and predictable lighting are paramount. For Grace and Andres, I suggested a first look inside the suite, rather than outside because it was cold and windy that day. Caleb and I were able to capture their tender first moments, along with their private vows, right there in the suite right after Grace finished getting ready.
Grace also had a sweet first look moment with her father.
Portraits Outside with the Wedding Party
Grace & Andres’ Wedding party cheer them on during portraits outside Hotel Zaza.
After the first look, the couple (no longer needing to avoid each other) walked together to the location for wedding party portraits, giving us even more chances to capture moments of them together. Since their ceremony was after dark, I strongly recommended a first look so they’d have the chance to capture outdoor portraits together. In this case, if they had waited to see each other in the aisle, the only photos they’d have together would be at the church. With the first look, they got a lot of variety in their final gallery and more photos overall.
We also popped inside to the first floor area of Hotel Zaza where their cocktail hour would soon be held to get some portraits by the Piano.
Ceremony at Annunciation Catholic Church
Grace & Andres’s Wedding Ceremony at the stunning Annunciation Catholic Church in Downtown Houston
To properly photograph a Catholic wedding, it’s essential to stay silent, respectful, and barely noticeable throughout the ceremony. Though not all Catholic Churches explicitly ask, Caleb and I never use flash for any part of the ceremony, never walk in front of guests who are seated, and never step foot in the altar area.
It’s also typically pretty dark inside Catholic Churches, so our cameras and lenses have to work well in low light and take close up photos from great distances. We know we’ve done it right when the photos feel like you were right there with the couple, but in real time nobody even noticed us. These photos were mostly shot from the back of the aisle, all the way to the side, or from the choir loft.
Family Portraits After the Ceremony
Family portraits are an essential part of any wedding—they tell the story of who you are and where you came from. Most Catholic Churches will allow you to spend 15-30 minutes following a wedding ceremony taking these photos, and the rules for photographers at this time are more relaxed because it’s no longer a religious ceremony. The guests were allowed to stand on the front stairs of the altar area, which makes a nice riser to allow multiple lines of people in a group photo where everyone’s face can be seen.
I quickly set up a portable flash on a stand to add much needed light to the area. Grace and I had made a list of family portraits before the wedding and I worked quickly from a prepared checklist to photograph all her desired groupings of family members. We started with the largest group and dismissed people to head to the reception as soon as they were done. At the end, we took a few more portraits of the wedding party and a few of just the Bride and Groom on the Altar. This whole process took less than 30 minutes for about 15 different groupings because we were well organized and all the family members were notified ahead of time.
Reception Details at Hotel Zaza
One of Zaza’s signature decor staples is the big framed black and white portraits of celebrities that line the walls. Photos from Grace’s Bridal and Engagement sessions were inserted into some of the frames near the reception hall as a subtle nod to their night in the spotlight.
According to Grace’s friends, bows are kind of her thing. Bows are also having a huge moment right now. I love how she incorporated bows throughout her decor, including on the cake.
Reception at Hotel Zaza
The Bride and Groom opened the reception with their first dance.
Grace and Andres opened their reception with their first dance. Her dad gave a toast, and then dinner was served. Epic wedding planner Courtney had dinner ready for the couple before the guests were seated, so they could spend dinnertime greeting each of their guests. I went with them to take candid photos of Grace and Andres with their guests.
Party All Night (and a Second Dress)
Other Vendors and Wedding Resources:
Hotel Zaza’s “Magnificent Seven” suites: HotelZaza.com/
Venue & Catering: https://www.hotelzaza.com/houston-museum-district/weddings
Hair and Makeup by: Sunkissed and Made Up Sunkissedandmadeup.com
Planner: Courtney Hynes
Video: Luis Margarin https://luismagarinfilms.pixieset.com
Floral: The Senterpiece https://www.senterpieceflowers.com
Cake: Susie’s Cakes Houston https://www.susiescakes.com
Stationery: https://kraftweddingpapers.com
DJ: https://jonnyblackproductions.com
Grace and Andres booked two photographers for unlimited time and received 1246 total images from their wedding. They also had an engagement session in Colorado, and a Bridal session at Hotel Zaza before the wedding.
Grace left us this review on Google:
“Libby and her partner, Caleb, are simply amazing for so many reasons. No detail goes unnoticed. Not only do they make a photo shoot fun, but they are also efficient and know all of the right lighting, poses, spots, etc. I hate getting my picture taken and we had so much fun with them! Not to mention we got our gallery so fast!!! Libby welcomes feedback on editing style which I appreciate because not everyone has the same style. You can tell by the work that Libby is a seasoned photographer. I cannot recommend Libby Dollar Photography enough!!!”
If you’d like more information on how to work with us for your wedding contact us here!