Lucas Chavez
By Michelle Johnson | Photos by Nesossi Studios
One of life’s most important milestones is the celebration of a couple joining as one: the wedding day. This special day brings friends and family together to witness a joyous occasion. Every bride wants the day to be perfect, one that will remain a cherished memory for many years to come. In our mind, we frame a picture of what this life-changing moment should be. Visions of everything from the dress to the reception have been memorized for future use.
The planning of this wonderful day is where things become a little more difficult. There are so many details to consider, and most brides are not sure where to begin. The best solution is to bring in a wedding consultant, a professional with the ability to make a bride’s dreams a reality. These creative individuals can make bridal wishes come true and relieve stress allowing brides to enjoy every moment of their big day. Fortunately, there is an extraordinary wedding consultant in Richmond whose job is to make bride’s wishes come true, seamlessly.
A Variety of Services
Lucas Chavez, owner of LC Floral Designs in Richmond, has been successfully planning and participating in high-profile events in Fort Bend County for many years, including the biggest day of a girl’s life. Wedding consultants, like Chavez, offer a variety of services for brides, grooms and their families. They can assist solely with the actual wedding day, the entire week of the wedding or provide consulting throughout the planning process. “Flexibility is important when working with a bride and groom,” said Chavez. “An initial consultation helps my team and I determine what a bride wants and needs; however, a bride’s needs can change throughout the planning process. It’s critical to remain flexible and be able to provide assistance in all areas if we are needed.”
Chavez meets with brides, grooms and family members to determine exactly what they want, along with determining their budget. He arranges details, recommends themes and colors, as well as helps select the perfect location for the big day. Chavez’s services include interviewing and hiring vendors, creating schedules for the wedding day, planning the rehearsal dinner, maintaining an account of expenses and monitoring the complete set-up of the ceremony and reception. This includes the seating, décor, cake, food, entertainment and rental equipment. All in all, Chavez and his team play a critical role in guiding a couple in managing and implementing all of the tasks required to host a successful, stress-free wedding.
But weddings aren’t the only events that Chavez and his team are known for. “We strive to provide personalized services for our clients with unique and beautiful floral designs for all occasions from major events to their everyday floral needs,” said Chavez. For the past 15 years, Chavez has made the fashion show for the Fort Bend County Fair beautiful with floral décor, and his regular clients appreciate that they can find exotic floral looks right here in Fort Bend.
Wedding Coordinator Extraordinaire
“Creative” is the word used to describe Chavez as a wedding consultant, florist and event planner. He is the “go-to” event planner and florist in the Richmond area, and as one of his long-time clients, Cindy Reaves, says, “Lucas can make anything beautiful!”
Chavez began his career studying Interior Design. “I was looking for a summer job and found work at a floral shop,” said Chavez. “I never went back to school; I just continued working from there. I went from the floral shop to employment with a special events company, and after working with them a few years, I left and started my own shop. In the beginning, floral design was my main focus. Eventually, I incorporated my event consulting services into the business.”
With a focus on customer service, Chavez started LC Floral Designs in Richmond. “At LC Floral Designs, it is important that we design to reflect our client’s thoughts. We strive to offer premium quality and the best customer service possible. Our reputation is built on our customers. We are dedicated to serving our clients with respect, quality of product and eye to detail that will accomplish the personal message they wish to convey.”
Chavez’s wedding consultant services are in keeping with this precise attention to detail. All consultations require a scheduled appointment where during the initial meeting, the level of service and budget will be discussed. Depending on the bride’s requirements, Chavez’s attention to detail brings the bride’s vision to life.
With long-standing, professional relationships with local vendors and venues, Chavez’s clients can be assured of two things: value and commitment. “We have professional relationships both in Fort Bend and in Houston with many venues and vendors,” said Chavez. “Our clients can be assured that any services we arrange will be of the highest caliber.”
Chavez compares his role as a wed- ding coordinator to that of a movie director. “The couple goes home with a video of their day, but it is my job to coordinate every detail and insure that every person plays their part so that the story flows and a memory created that the family will cherish forever.”
Bridal Trends
As with any industry, trends are huge in the bridal business, especially with colors and themes. “The Great Gatsby/Roaring Twenties themes are huge this year,” said Chavez. “The color for this year is Radiant Orchid, which is a purple with pink undertones that exhibits creativity and originality. It can be used as an accessory color and goes well with neutrals, as well as bold colors.” Chavez recommends that brides can use the color for nail polish, bridesmaid’s dresses, flowers, tabletop accessories, cake adornments, linens – virtually wherever they would like a pop of color. “Radiant Orchid is a great color for brides. Golds and blues still remain strong for brides as well, and in men’s wedding attire, Charcoal Grey is the new black.”
In describing 2014 themes, “Over-the-top glitz and glamour are the trends for 2014. The elegance of the Roaring Twenties has made a great impact on the fashion and themes for this year. Feathers, bling, rhinestones, pearls, sequins, gold, art deco, sparkling tabletops and lush displays are trending. Everything is big and bold, like the style of the 20s.”
According to Chavez, 2013 was a year trending with rustic theme for weddings featuring wood, outdoor type themes with lanterns, mason jars and other accessories. But for 2014, bling is in.
An over-the-top theme was featured in one of the most unique weddings Chavez has seen this season. “This wedding was very different. Guests did not see a wedding cake at the reception. Everyone thought that the cake would be brought out onto the floor when the couple was ready, but to our surprise, the cake was lowered from the ceiling in the center of a chandelier surrounded by champagne flutes. It was brought down to the level of the bride and groom, and all of the guests were invited to come and take a flute of champagne. Then, the cake was cut and served. After this, the chandelier holding the cake was raised leaving the space available for dancing.”
Chavez has not had the opportunity to include this type of dramatic cake entry into a wedding, but he would love to given the chance. “It was very creative and unexpected. I love these unique situations. Everything I do is over-the-top. I can do traditional type themes and flowers, but I love creating the unexpected, memorable things that people talk about.”
In April of 2013, Chavez served as wedding consultant to Erin Knight and Jared Wessel for their event featuring 350 guests. “We designed the flower arrangements for the ceremony with the focal point being the alter. I handled the wedding day events, which concluded with a beautiful reception at Safari Texas Ranch. The mother of the bride wanted a total transformation of the reception site, and we accomplished this with draped walls of ivory chiffon, purple up-lighting, beautiful table linens and flowers. Columns, lounge chairs and tables in French motif style were brought in to complement the décor. Large flower centerpieces adorned the tables. For this event, I coordinated throughout the year with different vendors to make this celebration a success.”
A One Stop Shop for Floral Needs
LC Floral Designs features custom floral arrangements, gift baskets, gourmet and fruit baskets and consultations for all types of events from a dinner for two to a wedding with more than 300 guests. They service both Fort Bend and Houston, and orders can be placed via telephone or online by calling 281-342-8839 or visiting www.lcfloraldesigns.com.
Located at 204 East Highway 90A in Richmond, the shop is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturday.
Top 5 Tips for Planning a Wedding
According to wedding consultant Lucas Chavez, follow these tips to help create a beautiful and stress-free wedding day.
1. Set a wedding budget, and make sure all contributing parties are involved.
2.Do your homework prior to setting the wedding date to avoid conflicts with holidays, events, etc., such as Valentine’s Day when prices for flowers excel in price or a street celebration like Mardi Gras, which may delay arrival to your ceremony site.
3. Once the wedding date is set, move fast to find a ceremony site and reception venue. Schedule and confirm immediately because venues can book very quickly, especially on popular wedding dates.
4. Be smart and look for “last season’s looks.” This can save you money, and you will still look gorgeous.
5. Use vendor or wedding professionals who you personally have experience with or who friends recommend. Get to know them and their work, check their reviews and ask lots of questions. The effort is rewarded when you are paired with the right vendor to make your dream wedding come true.