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About this vendor

Carrie Solinap Blair
Carrie Solinap Blair
Accounts Receivable

113 years in business

We speak English

The Crystal Ballroom at the Rice is an elegant 1913 historic ballroom located in the heart of downtown Houston’s Rice Hotel. This gorgeous ballroom venue was originally the capital of the Republic of Texas and is now a fantastic space ideal for a large event.

Facilities and Capacity
The Crystal Ballroom at the Rice is a unique space, able to accommodate large gatherings in its main ballroom or smaller events in one of the adjoining private rooms, especially the Empire Room. The main ballroom is a luxurious 5,000 square foot ballroom with a 1,500 square foot parlor. This space maintains its 1913 design, complete with a full wrap-around balcony and covered terrace. The ballroom has an elegant lobby entrance with crystal chandeliers, and you can prepare for your big day in the ballroom’s private dressing room. The spacious ballroom has 35-inch ceilings, a full stage, and a beautiful dance floor for celebrating. This opulent ballroom can accommodate 400 guests for a seated dinner and up to 800 guests for a reception. If you want all the luxury of this space with a more intimate setting, you can hold your event in the Empire Room. The Empire Room is on the same level as the main ballroom and can accommodate 100 guests for a seated dinner and 120 guests for a reception. The space comes with a serving bar, lofty ceilings, and a multimedia presentation system for any slideshows or videos you may want to present during your reception.

Services Offered
The Crystal Ballroom at the Rice is a gorgeous venue, with multiple service options. The venue has in-house event planning services and the staff is there to assist you every step of the planning process. The Crystal Ballroom offers the following services:

  • Event planning
  • Bridal suite
  • In-house catering

Crystal Ballroom at the Rice is an elegant and historic wedding venue in Houston, Texas.

FAQ

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$29,871

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$1,273

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$1,230

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
China
Clean Up
Event Planning
Flatware
Glassware
Linens
Set Up

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

3

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party

What event services do you offer?

Event Planner

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Valet

Still have questions?

Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!

Wedding couple

Reviews of Crystal Ballroom at the Rice

Weddingwire
4.8/5 69 reviews
Google
4.4/5 177 reviews
Shannon
Shannon Sent on 01/21/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Perfection!

Extremely professional and well organized, great communication. They made our wedding day stress-free. Not to mention the absolute beauty and historical relevance of the building! Can’t recommend enough.
K
Kirsten Sent on 01/25/2022
5 out of 5 rating

AMAZING wedding with Houston History

We could not be happier with our choice to have our wedding at the Crystal Ballroom. We are so grateful to the team (especially Cassidy - our venue coordinator) for the hospitality they showed us and the ease they created for our day. It is a perfect room with gorgeous murals and chandeliers with so much opportunity to really 'make it your own'. Plus, the food was DELICIOUS, not something you can always say for wedding venues. I could not recommend them more!
K
Kaitlyn Sent on 10/15/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding!

Everything about my daughter's wedding in October 2021 was fantastic! Cassidy was on top of everything and did not let anything go undone. They were great when we had to postpone a year due to the pandemic. No issues. Before the wedding the communication was fantastic and they were so thorough in the walk through. Two days before they contacted us for another meeting to be sure everything was covered and always answered emails quickly. They even suggested things that were more work for them, like bringing in Whataburger for late night. They were concerned about every detail, not just normal things like food preferences/allergies but also what time does the band want to eat? When we discovered at the wedding that two of the groomsmen could not have pork touch their plate, they handled it immediately without complaint. They had four bartenders and there was never a line, one of the most important things at a wedding! They boxed kids meals to go when the parents of two flower girls did not want the kids to stay due to COVID. There was not one thing they could have done better. So impressed! And so convenient in downtown Houston!
Ally
Ally Sent on 05/29/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Dream wedding

The Crystal Ballroom is a stunning venue! It’s difficult to find a place in Houston with so much history and beauty and this place has it all. It’s truly one of a kind! On top of that, Emily and Cassidy, the coordinators, are absolute gems to work with. They will take care of you from start to finish. I began planning my wedding before Covid and had to reset my event two times. They were completely flexible with every change I made. We also switched from a buffet dinner to a seated dinner last minute because of Covid regulations and we were able to keep all the same food selections in the switch. You do have to book catering through Sambucca, but I personally found that less stressful than having to hunt down and select a caterer. The food was also delicious. The day-of was perfectly executed and we enjoyed every minute of our day, thanks to Emily and Cassidy! Multiple guests told us our wedding was the best wedding they have been to! I would highly recommend this venue to anyone.
Jessica
Jessica Sent on 02/04/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding Reception

The Crystal Ballroom was a DREAM to work with. From the time we signed the contract to the big day, they made sure every detail was covered and truly made our day flawless. I would 1000% recommend them to anyone!
S
Stephanie Sent on 02/18/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Everything was perfect!

Crystal Ballroom at the Rice helped my wedding dreams come true. They were so easy to work with during the planning stage and more than happy to accommodate on any changes we had. The communication was good and I never had any issues getting an answer from them. On the day of the wedding, the staff was just as amazing. They were eager to get my husband and I (along with our families) anything we needed and made sure we were well taken care of. The food was delicious too! We received a lot of compliments from our guests. Everything was truly perfect. Would highly recommend!
Ashley
Ashley Sent on 12/15/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Hired them for my wedding

Can’t wait to have my wedding here
L
Lily Sent on 07/13/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Crystal Ballroom & Empire Room were perfect!

We couldn't have gotten luckier to have the Crystal Ballroom (at the Rice) as our reception venue! We also used the Empire Room as our cocktail hour space and, between that room and the ballroom, we couldn't have been happier as both are just decorated beautifully to begin with and have so much history. If the elegance of the rooms didn't sell us already, the Crystal Ballroom team are phenomenal to work with and we couldn't have asked a better team to organize and execute our special occasion! Thank you so much to them as well as to Sambuca (for such delicious food)!
E
Elizabeth Sent on 02/20/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Dream Wedding Venue

Choosing the Crystal Ballroom as our wedding venue was the easiest decision we made throughout the wedding process. This venue is gorgeous and not to mention the history of the building itself is a huge plus. We've received so many compliments since our wedding about how beautiful it was and that the food was actually delicious! Rarely have I experienced such great food at a large event such as this. The design and layout between the ballroom, parlor, terrace, foyer and the Empire Room provided so much space for our 230 person guest list. The Sales Manager, Hailey, was an absolute doll to work with as well. She was always so responsive to my many emails and calls. I cannot recommend this venue enough!
R
Rachel Sent on 04/01/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Jamie and the staff at the crystal ballroom are absolutely amazing. Jamie is so thorough and was so awesome to answer all my 10,000 questions. Getting to sample the food was great, too and they let my husband and I eat our dinner during the cocktail hour to get it out of the way so we could enjoy the entire reception. The day of coordinators took care of us too (and our parents). They always made sure we had a drink in our hand. LOVED the crystal ballroom and wish I could get married all over again just to experience it all over.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

69
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
illustration message review

Are you interested?

Real Weddings

Miranda & Chris
81 photos · 11/11/2023
Gabby & Elisandro
38 photos · 12/23/2022
Chloe & Dylan
58 photos · 10/29/2022
Liles & Weston
131 photos · 11/02/2019

Team

Carrie Solinap Blair
Carrie Solinap Blair
Accounts Receivable

Professional Network & Endorsements

Jessi Marri Photography Jessi Marri Photography Wedding Photographers

FAVORITE venue to shoot at!

C. Baron Photography C. Baron Photography Wedding Photographers

We love to visit the Crystal Ballroom. The ballroom itself is beautiful and historic. However, there are so many other lovely parts of this venue. The balcony and the bridal suite are absolutely lovely to photograph!

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Crystal Ballroom at the Rice frequently asked questions

Crystal Ballroom at the Rice includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Chairs
  • China
  • Clean Up
  • Event Planning
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
  • Linens
  • Set Up
The space offered by Crystal Ballroom at the Rice for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
Crystal Ballroom at the Rice offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Covered Outdoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Crystal Ballroom at the Rice offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
Crystal Ballroom at the Rice offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Planner
Crystal Ballroom at the Rice is recommended by 97% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in quality of service, 4.9 in professionalism, 4.8 in average response time, 4.8 in flexibility and 4.8 in value.
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