Love At First Sight

Blind date leads couple down the aisle in a tropical Texas beach wedding

It’s often said of short engagements that lead to long-standing marriages, when you know, you just know. That theory certainly applies to Lila and Mitchell Malone. It took just one blind date and a weekend getaway three months later to Port Aransas for the couple to realize that they indeed were in the know about the rest of their lives together.

New to Houston and working as head design associate and project manager for Creative Tonic Design, Lila, a San Antonio native, and Mitchell met at Hugo’s for dinner on a steamy July evening in 2015 and by the end of the evening, Lila knew this relationship was a “no brainer.” Three months later, on a weekend trip to Port Aransas, surrounded by the gentle waves and colorful sunsets rooted in Lila's childhood, the couple realized it was time to take their relationship to the next level.

“We fell in love that weekend. I knew he wanted to marry me. There was no option,” Lila said. “My mother grew up going to Port Aransas and we spent summers there. I knew we would get married there.”

This island that housed so many childhood memories became the next chapter of Lila’s adulthood, and she and her mother, Bonnie Chumbley, also a designer, set to work creating a vibrant, fun, and meaningful celebration. The mother/daughter duo capitalized on the island’s natural assets for decor and design, adding their own touches in everything from tabletops to floral.

“My mom is the most creative person I know, so we just took this head-on,” Lila said. “We went for fun and a less-is-more feel. We had these beautiful palms, sand dunes and the beach around us, so we worked with that.”

There was no special instruction on the wedding invite regarding attire, but the couple’s friends and family knew them well enough to eschew the LBD and add their own pops of personality to the celebration in bold, tropical prints fit for a May Texas beach wedding.

One look at the couple’s wedding pictures and the happiness is infectious, but look closer and there are special moments captured on film honoring the memories of Lila’s brother and Mitchell’s mother. The couple chose a glorious confetti release as a way to include them in their day.

“They were fireworks in our lives, with personalities that lit up a room. It was an ode to them and my favorite moment of the whole weekend,” Lila said.

A tasty wedding highlight included lobster enchiladas from Lisabella's Bistro & Bar in Port Aransas. The restaurant is owned by family friends and brought back the dish at Lila’s request. It was one of the little touches that made a big impact.

“At the end of the day, it was Port Aransas. We made it fun and beautiful right where we were,” Lila said.

After all, when you know, you just know.

• Rehearsal Dinner Venue:The Tarpon Inn

• Rehearsal Dinner Dress: Hand painted dress Lila found in a small boutique in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

• Reception Venue:Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Course

• Ceremony Venue:Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Course

• Photographer: Matthew Alvarado, Beloved Photography

• Florist:Ray Briones Flowers

• Dress:Watters

• Shoes: J. Crew

• Groom's Tux: J. Crew

• Wedding Planner:Wedding Planners Inc. Robin Waters for logistics the day of the wedding

• DJ: Band - Dysfunkshun Junkshun

• Ceremony Music: John Amundsen, son of a family friend

• Cocktail Hour Music: Dysfunkshun Junkshun

The couple slipped away before the ceremony for their "First Look" photos at the Little Chapel on the Dunes.

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better luck next year

Houston declines on list of best places for celebrating July 4th

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A new national report delivers good news and bad news when it comes to celebrating the 4th of July in Houston: The city is one of the most affordable places in the country for star-spangled celebrations, but it's falling behind overall as a great place to celebrate the holiday.

A new WalletHub study, "Best & Worst Places for 4th of July Celebrations (2025)," deems Houston the 39th best U.S. city for celebrating Independence Day, a steep decline from last year's ranking of No. 25. It ranked 15th in 2023.

WalletHub annually compares the 100 biggest U.S. cities across 18 metrics like affordability, the variety of celebrations on July 4th, weather favorability, safety, and more.

On the upside, Houston is the third most affordable U.S. city for celebrating Independence Day in 2025, and WalletHub found it's the city with the second-cheapest three-star hotels nationwide.

Houston also ranked 14th in the category for the most "attractions and activities" surrounding the holiday. Festivities in the region start as early as July 3rd, with numerous suburbs hosting their own 4th of July celebrations with fireworks and other festivities. But a predictably low score in the "weather" category lowers the hot and humid city's overall ranking.

This is how WalletHub ranked Houston in the remaining three categories in the study:

No. 40 – 4th of July celebrations rank
No. 92 – Safety and accessibility rank
No. 94 – 4th of July weather rank

Though Houston earned a middling national rank, it still ranked as the No. 1 city for celebrating Independence Day in Texas. Corpus Christi (No. 93), the Dallas suburb Garland (No. 94), and Laredo (No. 98) all ranked near the bottom as the worst cities for celebrating the holiday state- and nationwide.

The best place for celebrating Independence Day in 2025 is none other than Los Angeles. Rounding out the top five cities are New York City (No. 2), Seattle (No. 3), Las Vegas (No. 4), and Minneapolis (No. 5).

"The 4th of July is one of the most beloved holidays in America, allowing many of us to not only celebrate our independence but also get a day off of work and gather together with family and friends," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "The best cities for the holiday help you make the most of your day, with affordable food options, good weather, fun recreation choices and long, spectacular fireworks shows."

Here's how other Texas cities fared on WalletHub's list of the best cities for celebrating the 4th of July:

No. 40 – Dallas
No. 49 – Fort Worth
No. 73 – Arlington
No. 80 – San Antonio
No. 82 – Plano
No. 85 – Irving
No. 88 – Austin

An additional Fourth of July report by WalletHub (created from an online survey of "over 200 Americans") revealed public sentiment regarding the federal holiday has soured, with 38 percent of respondents saying they "don't feel financially independent this fourth of July." Additional economic issues that are concerning Americans include rising inflation rates, tariff woes, and others.

"More than half of Americans say inflation is affecting their 4th of July plans," the survey said. "7 in 10 Americans think the founding fathers would not be satisfied with the current economy."

Despite these worries, WalletHub discovered one in four Americans say celebrating Independence Day "is worth going into debt" for.

Other intriguing observations made by the survey include 65 percent of Americans claim they are "making a bigger effort" to buy U.S.-made products, though nearly one in three people say they aren't willing to pay more money to purchase things made in the U.S.

Additional findings from the survey include:

79 percent of Americans say U.S. independence is threatened by the rising federal debt
53 percent of Americans plan to spend less money this Fourth of July than they did last year
48 percent of people say tariffs are affecting their Fourth of July plans
Nearly 2 in 3 people believe access to credit should be a basic American right

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