The best is yet to come

From the first date to the honeymoon, and everything in between, these newlyweds have buzzy stories to tell. We wish them the best as they begin their exciting new chapters. 

Family members gathered at The Tremont House for a weekend of festivities honoring the couple including singing, dancing, and poetry. Pictured, from left: Devesh Achari, Vasudev Achari, Ameeta Achari, Rahul Rao, Lakshmi Achari, Arup Achari, Asha Sanghani, Radhika Achari, Sachin Sanghani, and Gaurav Sanghani. (Photo: Rebecca Davidson Photography)

Lakshmi Achari + Rahul Rao 

When Lakshmi Achari and Rahul Rao started planning their wedding, they knew Galveston Island was the perfect spot. Lakshmi’s mother’s parents lived there for many years, hosting holidays and summer vacations for the family. When her parents Arup and Ameeta Achari got married, they tied the knot at Moody Gardens in the first Indian wedding the resort had ever hosted. 

This time, the traditional Indian wedding took place at The Tremont House in Galveston. The wedding festivities included a Mehndi (applying henna to the bride), Haldi (blessed cleaning of the couple with turmeric), and Sangeet (night of song and dance before the ceremony to bless the couple and kick off the events). At the Sangeet, friends, family, and the couple performed dances, Lakshmi’s brother sang, and Lakshmi’s uncles recited poetry. The bride’s wedding jewelry included the same maang tikka (forehead ornament) that her maternal grandmother, mother, and sister wore at their weddings. 

Bottom right: The bride and groom enjoy a moment together during their wedding reception. (Photo: Rebecca Davidson Photography)

Lakshmi attended Bunker Hill and Memorial Drive Elementary Schools, Spring Branch Middle School, and Memorial High School before moving onto Texas A&M University for a degree in psychology and minors in chemistry and creative studies. When she returned to Houston to attend the University of Houston law school, she met her future groom. 

Rahul grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is the son of Maheshwar and Mamta Rao. After graduating from Louisiana State University with degrees in political science and business administration, he pursued both a law degree and Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Houston. 

The couple met in 2018 as law-school classmates. They began dating and Rahul proposed to Lakshmi inside the white gazebo at Brenner’s on the Bayou. Rahul surprised Lakshmi by hanging photos of the couple all around the gazebo, each with a handwritten note about the specific memory. 

After the wedding, reception, and a relaxing honeymoon in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives, the couple is now back in Houston. 

TEXANS TAKE MASSACHUSETTS The Schwartz family and friends traveled from Houston to Boston to celebrate the wedding of Mitchell Schwartz and Katy Berk. Pictured, from left: Mike Schwartz, Cass Schwartz, Katy (Berk) Schwartz, Mitchell Schwartz, and Lauren Schwartz. (Photo: Liz Banfield Photography)

Mitchell Schwartz + Katy Berk 

Hometown friends and family made the trip to Massachusetts to celebrate the marriage of Mitchell Schwartz and Katy Berk. Mitchell, son of Cass and Michael Schwartz of Bellaire, and Katy, daughter of Carly and Sam Berk of Cambridge, MA, were married at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Katy and Mitchell met in 2019 while both working in New York City. They hit it off with many shared interests, especially a love of travel and the outdoors, and they connected over the fact that they are both avid skiers. 

The OG Condit Elementary boys reunited for a festive weekend. Pictured, from left: Alex Bishop, Garrett Browne, Mitchell Schwartz, Nikhil Roy, and Landon Goodman. (Photo: Liz Banfield Photography)

After attending Condit Elementary School and St. John’s School, Mitchell earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a vice president at American Securities LLC, a private equity firm in New York City. Katy grew up in Cambridge, MA and graduated from Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, Georgetown University, and Columbia University Law School. She is now an associate attorney at Aksia LLC, an alternative financial investments firm in New York City.

Several of Mitchell’s longtime childhood friends attended the wedding to celebrate their friend-since-kindergarten. Alex Bishop, Garrett Browne, Landon Goodman, and Nikhil Roy have kept in touch over the years since first meeting at Condit Elementary School and enjoyed reuniting in Boston for the occasion. 

Katy Berk and Mitchell Schwartz wed in a beautiful ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. (Photo: Liz Banfield Photography)

The reception featured a Massachusetts favorite: lobster rolls. After the ceremony and before dinner was served, guests flocked to the passed local lobster delights that were a big hit for Massachusetts natives and Texas travelers alike. After dinner, the Condit crew and the rest of the guests gathered on the dance floor that was packed all night for hits played by Boston-based band Splash! To recover from all the festivities, the newlyweds then spent several weeks honeymooning in New Zealand. 

GETAWAY NEWLYWEDS Madison (Madi) Goeringer and Chris Simon’s love story began as co-counselors at Camp Periwinkle. They recently married at River Oaks Country Club. (Photo: KHCollective)

Madi Goeringer + Chris Simon 

Newlyweds Madison (Madi) Goeringer and Chris Simon met while volunteering as camp counselors at Camp Periwinkle. The Periwinkle Foundation hosts overnight summer camps for patients facing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and being treated at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Volunteering at Camp Periwinkle was an impactful experience for both the bride and groom, and it became the site of their engagement when Chris proposed in front of the lake where they met. 

Two local families, the Simons and Goeringers, are now blended after an elegant wedding and reception. From left: Mia Simon, Chris Simon Sr., Judy Simon, Chris Simon Jr., Madi (Goeringer) Simon, Kurt Goeringer, Patricia Goeringer, and Alex Goeringer. (Photo: KHCollective)

Madi, daughter of Kurt and Patricia Goeringer, grew up in Houston and attended The Kinkaid School. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and is now a pediatric nurse practitioner. Chris, son of Chris and Judy Simon, attended Strake Jesuit and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. He now works in power sales and origination at Citi. 

The newlyweds waved goodbye to family and friends as they drove down River Oaks Boulevard in a vintage sports car that belongs to Billy Cohn, a childhood friend of the groom’s father. (Photo: KHCollective)

The couple was married at River Oaks Country Club, surrounded by friends and family, and then celebrated at the reception with live entertainment from Midtown 10. Guests enjoyed signature cocktails with custom monogramed ice cubes and an Astros-themed groom’s cake in a nod to Chris’ favorite team. 

Madi and Chris Simon recently married at River Oaks Country Club. They share details about their wedding in a new column, Wedding Buzz. Here, they’re pictured all smiles on River Oaks Boulevard. (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

Before leaving town for a honeymoon on the Caribbean islands of Saint Martin and Anguilla, Chris and Madi left the reception in style. With Chris in the driver’s seat, they cruised away from the crowd in a 1959 Triumph TR3 that belongs to Billy Cohn, a childhood friend of the groom’s father. 

DATING-APP SUCCESS Chloe Carter and Shane Stevens said “I do” in an oceanfront ceremony in La Jolla, California. (Photo: Brandon Colbert Photography)

Chloe Carter + Shane Stevens 

It all started with a swipe on the Hinge dating app. Chloe Carter and Shane Stevens made a digital connection while she was living in San Diego and he was in Houston. A month after meeting online, the couple met in person when Shane visited California, and they knew this was a relationship with a future. For the first year, Chloe and Shane got together monthly, alternating between Houston and San Diego, and filled in the rest of the time with FaceTime dates. 

From swiping on the Hinge app to long-distance dating to wedded bliss, the bride and groom found forever love. (Photo: Brandon Colbert Photography)

When they decided to spend all of their time together in person, Chloe left California and moved to Houston where she works as a registered nurse at Houston Methodist in the Texas Medical Center. Shane, a chemical engineer and technical product manager, has worked with Baker Hughes for 12 years. 

Before settling in West University, Shane grew up in Sugar Land and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Houston. Chloe is a San Diego native, attending California State University and earning Bachelor of Science degrees in molecular biology and nursing. 

The couple chose California for the wedding ceremony and reception at the La Jolla Cove Rooftop by Wedgewood Weddings. The intimate ceremony took place in front of breathtaking ocean views, and the reception kicked off with a choreographed first dance to This Too Shall Last by Anderson East. Chloe and Shane placed handwritten notes at each place setting with personal messages for their guests, and gifted custom leather luggage tags as party favors. Signature cocktails named for their Maltipoo pups, “The Toby-Rita” and “Oliver’s Mule,” were big hits with the guests.  

Chloe and Shane bid wedding guests farewell and left for their honeymoon in Hawaii. (Photo: Brandon Colbert Photography)

After the wedding, the newlyweds traveled to Kauai, Hawaii (aka “The Garden Island”) for a honeymoon on the Napali Coast with plenty of hiking, boating, snorkeling, and visits to waterfalls. Chloe and Shane love adventures and plan to continue traveling as husband and wife with ski trips planned for winter months and summertime national park hiking adventures. 

Editor’s note: Congratulations to all of these newlyweds! If you were recently married and would like to submit your wedding to The Buzz, email us at [email protected].