Fashion / Weddings

Houston’s Ultimate Party Wedding Includes Karaoke, the Worm, a Taco Truck and Dazzling Golden Shoes

This Couple Met at Age 8, Enjoyed a Mountaintop Proposal and Married in Style

BY
photography Chris Bailey

Emily Maas had high hopes for her wedding day, even higher than the summit on which her fiancé, Andrés proposed. The big day was everything she imagined and more, a blend of sleek sophistication and a roaring good time.

From the sunlight gently touching the trees of Houston Country Club to the groom’s karaoke moment and the tantalizing taco truck send-off, the day was a smashing success for both the blissful couple and the five- to six hundred gathered guests.

The bride stunned in her mother’s vintage dress, with a graceful white lace bodice and a flowing ecru skirt and train. Emily removed the 1980s sleeves though, of course. It was just one of the sentimental touches of the night.

There were even sweet moments before, like when written marriage advice from Emily’s students arrived in the mail, with bold drawings in bright marker.

With bouquets of dainty white flowers from Events in Bloom and 17 bridesmaids donning glorious gold-toned caftans, it was an elegant, understated affair with a dash of pizzazz.

Emily could think of no lovelier place than the Houston Country Club to be wed. It was the venue for her sister Blair Burke Foster’s wedding, which Emily had adored.

Set your Easter Table with Bering's

Swipe
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024

The weather was superb. It had rained that morning, but by the evening all had cleared up into soft skies. It was beautiful by the golf course.

The smitten pair wed on May 5, making for a legendary Cinco de Mayo. The wedding was planned in less than a year from Denver, where they currently live.

You see, this sensational wedding was a long time coming. Emily and Andrés boast an almost impossibly adorable meet-cute.

Emily, a University of Texas grad and now teacher at St. Anne’s in Denver, and Andrés, graduate of University of Colorado Boulder and now commercial analyst at Enterprise Products, both hail from Houston. Emily attended Kinkaid, and Andrés attended Lamar.

“We actually met when we were really young. My dad was the coach of a Little League baseball team that my brother was on, and Andy was on that team,” Emily laughs. They were just eight years old at the time of that first meeting.

wedding Emily Maas (Photo by Chris Bailey )
The couple was more than ready for their Hollywood moment. (Photo by Chris Bailey )

But the next chapter of their love story did not begin until after college, when each moved back to Houston and fell into the same circle of friends.

“We were actually Snapchat friends. It’s so funny — I don’t even have Snapchat anymore. But we were Snapchatting each other back and forth and flirting that way,” Emily says.

The Sky-High Proposal

It was quite the reconnection. It culminated into that sky-high proposal. After camping out for one night, Emily, Andrés and a couple of their friends hiked to the summit of Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado.

“He said ‘Let’s take a picture.’ We took a picture and he proposed. I was just shocked — the hike was four hours long, and he was brave enough to carry the ring the whole way,” she laughs.

Every ring from the wedding holds a special place in Emily’s heart. Both of Andrés’ parents had passed away, and his mother had left her wedding ring to his older brother. Andrés asked if he could give the ring to Emily, and his brother said of course. He wouldn’t want anyone else to have it.

The bride returned the loving gesture. Her grandfather had passed away a few years ago, and her mother found his wedding band.

“I wanted to give Andy something with similar sentimental value. I had his ring engraved with our wedding date to make it kind of our own,” Emily says.

The two said their I do’s before a simple, rustic cross of greenery above their altar. The moment they kissed, the guests shook maracas that had been waiting for them. Next, the reception.

No Ordinary Wedding Party

Newly married, the Maases danced to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” performed by Jordan Kahn Orchestra. 

Then, it was the time for to party.

Which meant a mandatory wardrobe change for Emily into something a little less down-the-aisle and a little more fashion-forward.

“It was this cool gold shirt with flowers sewn into it and white culottes-style pants, and then I wore these cool gold tennis shoes. It was like my favorite thing ever,” she says. Her glorious party outfit was by Jenny Kim Couture.

As it turns out, the pants were an ideal choice. How else could the bride break it down, at one point even doing the worm on the reception floor?

wedding emily Maas (Photo by Chris Bailey )
Not every bride can do the worm. (Photo by Chris Bailey )

The bride and her friends and family danced the night away to lively music, from Motown classics to top hits. At one point, Andrés grabbed the mic. It was his time to shine.

“My husband is known for singing this Macy Gray song, ‘I Try.’ That’s his karaoke song. The first night we hung out, he sang that a bar. At the wedding, he got up and sang it. I thought it was so funny. Everyone was singing along, it was just really fun,” Emily notes.

Delightful cocktails didn’t hurt. The signature came in the form of a Ranchwater, a classic with tequila, lime juice, Topo Chico and jalapenos. Toward the end of the night, guests sipped on a Horchata-brandy freeze.

The energetic couple and crowd were satisfied by savory sustenance from Houston Country Club. It was done station-style, all the better for mixing and matching all cuisines imaginable.

There was a Southwest Station with fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas, a Dim Sum Station with spring rolls, dumplings and tempura veggies, a Slider Station with all different slides and fries, like waffle and sweet potato, and the crowd-pleasing pimento grilled cheese.

Dessert was as pleasing to the eyes as it was to the stomach, with both a bride’s vanilla cinnamon cake and a chocolate caramel groom’s cake shaped like a buffalo in honor of his alma mater.

They wished the night would never end, but it was time for the twosome to be whisked away into the night. The Maases did it in memorable fashion, making their getaway in Coreano’s Taco Truck, passing out tacos as they pulled away.

May 5th was already a holiday, but the couple celebrated it like no one had ever seen before.

Witness the Extraordinary: April 8 Total Solar Eclipse
Learn More

Featured Properties

Swipe
X
X