From the moment Rachel Brill Lipshutz attended a party at Silver Street Studios, she knew that she wanted her upcoming wedding to Scott Lipshutz to be held in the vast expanse. "I just loved the juxtaposition of a formal event in such a huge warehouse/industrial space," she explained.
Scott, who would turn 30 the Monday after the weekend wedding, was game.
"We just wanted to break the mold and do something completely radical and different that fit our personalities," the bride said. "I feel bad calling myself the 'anti-bride' but I kind of was."
Following a bit of tradition
She was, however, bride enough to go for the beautiful white gown and the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony complete with huppah and officiates Rabbi Brian Strauss of Temple Beth Yeshurun and the bride's cousin, Judge Alice Dubow of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. And before heading over to Silver Street, the wedding party dressed and posed for formal photos at The Houstonian.
All was by the book for the 275 guests until the curtain rose on the reception. Working with the bare tableau of the warehouse, Scott Konitzer of Blooming Gallery created an exceptionally elegant environment with over-stuffed sofas and chairs, lavish lighting and just the right touch of calla lilies and candles. DJU Productions handled the staging, audio-visual, and the dance floor and Aztec provided rentals as well. "It literally took a village to set up and orchestrate the event," Rachel recalled.
They did it their way
The unexpected elements of the wedding came during the reception. Rather than a seated dinner, the couple ordered a progressive dinner via passed heavy hors d'oeuvres with food from Underbelly; Gatlin's BBQ, which set up make-your -own BBQ slider stations; and an oyster bar with on the spot shucking from Airline Seafood. Fluff Bake Bar did a cake cup tower in lieu of a wedding cake and River Oaks Donuts provided the donut holes for late night. Guests took home Underbelly's signature dish — goat and dumplings — in mini takeout containers.
As hoped for, the reception took on a life of its own as Buzz and the Blue Cats, a nine-piece band from Austin kept the dance floor packed. Although the newlyweds were scheduled to leave the reception at midnight, they had the band play on an extra hour and canceled their getaway car.
Rachel is a graduate of Westside High School and Trinity University in San Antonio and works as a senior sourcing analyst for Sysco Corp. Scott, a graduate of Memorial High School and the University of Texas, has a CFA and MBA is an investment analyst at Invesco.
Rachel Brill Lipshutz and Scott Lipshutz pose for a portrait in Silver Street Studios.
