The Nuptials Of Claudia Kiolbassa And Luke Hendry
By Leanne Raesener Photography by Caroline Jurgensen Photography
Claudia Kiolbassa, of San Antonio, Texas the daughter of Nita and Michael Kiolbassa and Luke Hendry of Boerne, Texas, the son of Tory and Gary Hendry, were recently married in San Antonio. They were attracted to each other’s kindness, faith, and sense of adventure. The couple dated for two and half years and were engaged for 11 months. Luke successfully surprised Claudia by secretly arranging a curated creekside picnic lunch for the couple, thus creating the perfect setting to pop the question. At the same time, his sister concealed herself in the nearby woods‒telephoto lens at the ready to photograph the special occasion. It was a joyful afternoon and cause for celebration. The venue for the rehearsal dinner was at the San Antonio Country Club.
For the wedding ceremony at Christ Episcopal Church, summer garden pastels of blues and pinks were chosen. When the bride arrived at the top of the sanctuary aisle, it took five trumpet calls to catch her attention and that of her father, who were deep in conversation awaiting their cue. Alas, the doors opened to reveal Claudia and the joy on the relieved and very patient groom’s face was worth every suspenseful moment.
The bride wore a Carolina Herrera wedding dress made of a guipure lace with a strapless fitted bodice with an A-line skirt, accented in back with a blue silk faille bow, from Julian Gold Bridal, San Antonio. The guipure bolero was added to create the complete gown, while the in-house custom veil was also created from the same lace as her gown to frame the train perfectly. The bridesmaids’ gowns, designed by Creivax et Cie of San Antonio, were of satin-backed crepe in sky blue and embellished with white Swiss guipure to match the bride’s gown. The wedding event planning team was Robin Waters of Wedding Planners, Inc., and Carroll Devine Nelson, while Nathan Johnson and Tracy Davy of Gro Floral and Event Design of Dallas planned the exquisite floral décor.
Not only was there a “get the bride down the aisle on time” moment, but there was also a “where’s the bride and groom?” moment. After the ceremony, while the newlyweds were taking pictures at the church, the bride’s brother told the wedding party’s bus driver that they were “good to go.” However, it wasn’t until they were halfway to the reception that they realized they had left the bride and groom behind. The bus and wedding party returned to the church to find Claudia and Luke standing in front of a quiet church and empty parking lot.
The summer garden party theme continued to be the inspiration for the reception and sumptuous seated dinner at The Argyle, where the floral decor created decorative nuances that enchanted all as a selection of the bride’s favorite Ginger Margaritas and the groom’s preferred Old Fashioneds greeted guests upon arrival. At the same time, a hand-turned champagne decanter supported the grand methuselahs of Perrier Jouet that kept the flutes fresh all evening.
The evening’s dance band, The Big Swing and the Ballroom Blasters from Atlanta, provided a breakout quartet as background music during the reception. As a special surprise for the bride and groom, the tented front lawn was partitioned with a drape, concealing the dance floor and bandstand area during the cocktail hour, which was removed to reveal an acrylic dance floor floating over a continuation of the floral designs. Dueling pianos and brandy freezes punctuated the celebration.
The bride attended The University of Alabama and is a studio artist. The groom graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and is the marketing manager at Anera Sports. The couple honeymooned on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. They now make Dallas their home. The Hendrys especially enjoy parenting their golden retriever, Scout, and supporting each other’s interests, including travel, art, and golf.
