An Elegant Ballroom Wedding at Chateau Cocomar in Houston, Texas

Alima Foh (26 and a registered nurse) and Jeremy Uluocha (27 and an administrator) met in their high school cooking class, so they cooked up an elegant celebration in Houston, Texas, to show off their city's glamorous side to their families and friends. Drawing inspiration from the castlelike Chateau Cocomar, the couple designed a royal affair—an all-white color scheme complemented by regal emerald green and gold. Alima and Jeremy's 275 guests gathered to celebrate and dance throughout the night in the ballroom, embellished with hand-painted gold-leafed walls, crystal chandeliers, marble floors and Venetian-inspired murals. After welcoming the newlyweds with a traditional Liberian dance—a nod to the bride's heritage—guests noshed on a feast fit for royalty: honey-soy-glazed game hen with carrot and ginger gastrique, red-wine-braised short ribs, garlic mashed potatoes and truffle asparagus. Tables were adorned with one of three simple arrangements including white hydrangeas, baby’s breath, white polo roses and Italian ruscus. Aside from round gold doilies and emerald green napkins that accompanied each place setting, there wasn't much to direct attention away from the allure of the space. "It was important to us to let the architecture and beauty of Chateau Cocomar shine through without overdoing it," Alima says. —Jane Kellogg Murray