February is Wedding Month at PaperCity and throughout the month we’ll be telling stories of notable Texas weddings. Some might involve well-known figures, many won’t. But all will be wedding tales that go beyond the ordinary and perhaps say something about love. And ourselves. 

Both Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees had already celebrated their 60th birthdays when they finally met. Vibrant, attractive and younger than their age might suggest, both had been single for some time. Some 18 months ago, they both attended at a private luncheon at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Interesting that the retired GM of The Houston Galleria store and the Houston Best Dressed Hall of Fame honoree had not met before. That changed at the luncheon when they locked eyes across the table. But that appeared to have been that. Wrong.

A few months later generous philanthropist Vanderhider posted something on Instagram. It caught Dees’ attention so he reached out with a comment. She responded with “I was just thinking about you.” And so the courtship, at first long distance as Dees was living in Los Angeles at the time, began.

This was no “love among the ruins.” The couple had trouble keeping their hands off of one another. Friends were over the moon for the romance between the retired energy exec and the handsome man who could live up to her deservedly elevated expectations.

After a year and a half of togetherness, Vanderhider and Dees decided to wed and tapped Richard Flowers of The Events Company to organize their wedding — in Puerto Vallarta.

“We wanted a small, intimate wedding with our closest friends and family. We felt that if we had the wedding in Houston, people might get their feelings hurt if they were not included,” Hallie Vanderhider tells PaperCity. “So we decided to make it a destination wedding. We chose Puerto Vallarta because it is fairly easy to get to, a beautiful location, and we were able to secure two villas next door to each other for our guests.”

As one who attended the festivities, I can attest to the fabulousness of every moment of the four days of celebration from the welcome party and the rehearsal dinner to the wedding and the farewell brunch. Every detail was executed with precision and beauty. And with more flowers than anyone could have imagined.

On arrival guests were tucked into side-by-side Villa Alexa and Villa Divina, which allowed for much partying back and forth as the wedding guests shared pool time, cocktail hours and breakfasts on the terraces.

The romantic rehearsal dinner took place on the terrace at Café des Artistes. The beauty of that evening set the stage for the wedding at Villa Verano, a magnificent estate with lush gardens overlooking the Pacific.

The sunset wedding was held poolside in the garden festooned with flowers including a grand floral arch that set the stage for the nuptials. The bride wore a couture gown created by her good friend designer Pamela DeVoss (aka Pamela Rolland). The blush hued gown (blush the color theme of the wedding) was beautifully hand-beaded and included a flowing veil.

Accenting the gown, the bride wore diamond cluster earrings, a yellow diamond ring by Chopard, and diamond bracelets — one that had been her mother’s and the other a gift from a dear friend. Most important was the wedding band.

“My wedding band was a replica of my great-grandmother’s ring. Something I admired when I was a child.” Vanderhider shares. “It was crafted by Tony Bradfield of Tenenbaum Jewelers and the diamonds were cut as they were in the late 1800s. Bobby’s ring was engraved with a special note from the bride.”

The groom wore Armani white dinner jacket and black pants with a blush bow tie. His silver cuff links were by Elsa Peretti, a wedding gift from the bride who had a special message inscribed on the inside. She selected the “bean” design due to its representation of new beginnings.

The nuptials were conducted by the Reverend Joseph Rios, brother of the couple’s friend Angel Rios, who sang “The Lord’s Prayer” for the ceremony.

It was a joyous occasion with cocktails served on the terrace overlooking the ocean before wedding guests entered the blush-hued dining salon that was lighted with scores of candles and dressed in volumes of flowers including a flower wall that served as backdrop to the dinner table. Chef Franco Sfara was brought in from Mexico City to prepare the wedding dinner.

A spectacular fireworks display followed dinner and dancing to the fab sounds of Hermes and Omar The Twins from Cabo concluded the night.

Sunday brunch on the beach at La Palapa Restaurant brought an end to the festivities.

“Honestly the entire weekend was memorable. I think from the welcome party through the wedding reception, all was exceptional. The rehearsal dinner was gorgeous and yummy,” Vanderhider says. “There is no one better than Richard. He took my vision and made it more gorgeous than I dreamed.

“All of the flowers were spectacular at every turn.”