MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING

MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING

by | Feb 28, 2024 | Weddings 2024, Spring/Summer 24

The Marriage of Alec Strauss And Sid Greehey, Jr.

By Jake Gaines Photography by Matthew Alvarado, Beloved Photography

There was no other favorite choice for their wedding reception than the legendary McNay Museum of Art, as Cary Alexandra Straus (Alec), daughter of Cary and Tony Straus, and Sidney James Greehey, Jr., son of Cheryl and Sidney James Greehey, Sr., all of San Antonio, were joined in holy matrimony.

Originally pals in middle school, thanks to carpooling, they were reacquainted later as adults by a mutual friend. They both love spending time outdoors, which was the perfect setting for Sid to ask Alec to marry him, much to her surprise. They were hiking in Comanche Lookout Park in northern San Antonio and when they made it to the top and were enjoying the beautiful sunset, he popped the question. Afterward, they joined their parents and a few close friends in sharing a celebratory toast.

The rehearsal dinner at the San Antonio Country Club kicked off the festivities for the big weekend. Their nuptial ceremony at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, as well as the reception at the McNay, incorporating various shades of blue as the theme, was planned by Carrie Catalani. The picture-perfect bride wore a veil and dress by Rivini from Julian Gold, along with blue Manolo Blahnik shoes and custom jewelry made by her brother. Alec’s bridesmaids were her three sisters-in-law: Elizabeth Marceau, Caroline McSween, and Emma Straus, along with 13 close friends who were a part of her house party. Sid’s groomsmen were his father, Sid Greehey, Sr., and his two brothers-in-law: Collin Straus and Perry Straus.

For the reception, the 500 guests enjoyed a buffet dinner catered by Rosemary’s Catering/RK Group, where the lighting accentuated the venue’s vast grounds, along with the exquisite floral décor by Statue of Design, and cozy seating areas that enhanced the natural beauty of the setting “The beautiful full moon shining down on the courtyard made it an exceptionally special evening,” shared the bride, Alec Greehey. “We also loved our private dinner alone inside the museum while everyone else was in the courtyard. We were very touched by all of the guests who attended and all of the love and support we felt.”

Veuve Clicquot, the couple’s special drink for the occasion, was served to the attendees who enjoyed dancing to The Party Jammers from Memphis. To add special flair, the horn players from the band brought the newly married couple through the cocktail reception in the “Second Line” dance parade style, so that everyone followed along with them into the museum. As the evening progressed, Sid’s father’s 1968 convertible Corvette Stingray 427 supplied the very special getaway car for the newly married couple. Later, the after party on the rooftop of the St. Anthony Hotel helped continue the fun.

Alec graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL., and is an Andrologist and Junior Embryologist at the Fertility Center of San Antonio. Sid graduated from Texas A&M University and St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio and is a criminal defense attorney at Dunham and Jones in San Antonio. The couple honeymooned in Cambodia and Thailand and in their spare time, they hike, swim, scuba dive, hunt, and play pickleball together.

MEET ME IN MARFA

MEET ME IN MARFA

by | Jun 27, 2019 | 2019 July Aug, Feature Six

Shara Ticku And Bennet Grill Marry In Marfa

By Eleanora Morrison 
Photography by Matthew Alvarado of Beloved Photography

It was a match made in Manhattan. For Shara Ticku and Bennet Grill, romance first began to bud the night they met, when they discovered they shared a common bond…that they each called San Antonio home. They grew  together through nearly eight-years of courtship while living and working in New York City. The couple would venture west to rest under the open, starry skies of Texas, which is why it’s no surprise they chose to unite their loved ones and friends and wed in an elegant and cinematic setting in Marfa.  

With a shared admiration for adventure, it was only fitting that Shara and Bennet planned an authentically bohemian fête at the modernized and repurposed local hotspot, Hotel St. George. In a nod to the history of Marfa, where many cherished memories were made for the bride and groom throughout their dating years, the ceremony was held on the lawn of the iconic pink Presidio County Courthouse on the town’s main street. Shara’s parents, Beth and Forrester Smith and the late Dr. Maharaj Ticku, and Bennet’s parents, Jill and Kevin Grill, welcomed 250 guests to celebrate the matrimony of their children.

The bride had twenty attendants, including Leslie Ticku (the bride’s sister) and Calvin Smith (the bride’s step-sister) as her maids of honor. Her eighteen bridesmaids were: Wendy Bowman, Campbell Cannon, Kathryn Conner, Juliana Dusek, Amanda Fox, Eileen Griffith, Juliann Grill, Grace Grill, Katelyn King, Alicia Kuhn, Gracie LePere, Laura McKnight, Ashley Moser, Libby Nichols, Whitney  Park,  Lauren Reinbach, Lauren Romano, Amanda Smith, and Sydney Wallace. The groom had six attendants, including Best Man, Austin Esecson, with Corbin Page, Sean Quinn, Chris Straka,  McLean Smith, and Barrett Sullivan, serving as his groomsmen.

Shara wore a bespoke wedding gown, by designer Hermione de Paula of London that featured embroidered red roses along the bottom of the train. The coloration theme of the wedding and reception was inspired by West Texas sunsets and Georgia O’Keefe’s famed painting, Summer Days. The elegant palette of red, orange, pink and terracotta created a perfectly picturesque backdrop for the event. After the ceremony, the wedding party led a walking parade with all 250 guests down Marfa’s main Highland Street, with mariachis memorably serenading the joyous commute to the reception.

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Carol Peterson, Michelle West and the Gage Hotel wedding team from The Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas flawlessly executed a reception to remember. The signature  drink of the evening was named Ghost Lights, as a tribute to the Marfa Lights. Ranch Water (the bride and groom’s favorite) was also a specialty cocktail of the celebratory weekend. San Antonio’s Paloma Blanca restaurant’s famously irresistible Tres Leches cake was the inspiration for the wedding cake, which was made using the restaurant’s exact recipe.

The Motts band of Austin had guests on their feet dancing all night, and even learned to play a special requested song for the bride and groom, Scar Tissue by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band ended the reception with a classic, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and sent the newlyweds off in harmony. The late night was topped off with an after-party at the Brite Building, where freshly baked sausage and jalapeño kolaches fed a hungry and happy crowd. Built in 1831, the Brite Building sits in the heart of downtown Marfa, located above the Ayn Foundation, which houses several Andy Warhol artworks.

The newlyweds honeymooned in equal parts adventure and relaxation. They began with skiing in Japan, and ended in Kauai at the St. Regis Princeville Resort. The couple resides in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, where Shara is the founder and CEO of C16 Biosciences, a biotech start–up she founded that uses biology to produce sustainable alternatives to palm oil, and where Bennet is a principal at Blue Wolf Capital, a private equity firm based in New York.

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