December 2014 archive

Reflections of 2014 from San Antonio Wedding Planner

blog_headlines_2014For this post, I decided to open up more on a personal level and reflect on 2014. I would say my emotions were all over the place. I started the year off strong with my previous company, Royal Tea Princess Parties – a children’s party planning company, but knew it was time for me to pass the torch on to someone else which was a sad moment for me. I had been doing it for 9 years and it was a struggle juggling this business along with my current business, Royalty Event Parties, and my day-to-day stuff that goes on in my personal life. Let me back track just a little….

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I have a 13 year old daughter who acquired brain damage from birth trauma. My life path changed the day she was born and I have done everything I can to be a strong advocate for her and be there for her day-to-day needs. I dress her, bath her, brush her teeth and hair, wipe her face and hands after each meal, & help with bathroom duties. All the little things we take for granted I do for her every day. Now that she is a teenager her hormones are high and her behaviors change all the time. She is also diagnosed with an array of other things but the top 2 are mood disorder and anxiety. I also have a son that gets frustrated at times so that can add to the stress. Just like a roller coaster, she has high/great days and also low/hard days. I am constantly working on making it better each and every day!

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In June, I ended up selling my business to my old employee. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. It was hard to let it go after building it up and hosting over 900 parties! It was my baby and I wanted this company to continue on…and it has! I feel good about the decision and she is doing fantastic with it! I did this so I could focus more of my time and attention to Royalty Event Parties, my wedding consulting business.

facebook_ad_vintage_edited-1I began my invitation services in 2014 as well. I partnered up with Carlson Craft and Printswell and started 2 online storefronts. I meet with the couples one-on-one and give them the customer service they deserve in a non-pressure, relaxing environment.

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I was able to attend 2 bridal shows in 2014 and loved it!! I met so many brides and helped many with their invitations and consulting needs. I helped many couples with their wedding by providing day of and full service coordinating. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching the couple as they see their reception all set up for the first time. All those months of planning has finally arrived and their excitement, tears, & laughter is carried into my heart. I feel so blessed to be a part of their most special day.

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Also in 2014 I attended the Sandals training program and became a Certified Sandals Specialist and also went to Nassau, Bahamas to become a WeddingMoons Specialist. I have been working with couples in planning their dream honeymoon in a budget they can afford! I can also assist in destination weddings there too. In the past, I went to Mexico and toured the Palace Resorts and became trained with their wedding/honeymoon packages as well.

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I have had a very busy year! I have lots of “New Beginnings” in store for 2015 and will be adding and changing parts of my business. I am in the process of working on them right now and can’t wait to reveal them in the near future!! The season is here for proposals and new engagements. I am looking forward to talking to new couples and helping make their special day the most memorable moment of their life! Happy New Year!!! Here’s a cute proposal I found…

If you need assistance with your wedding please contact me, Trudy Scott, at 210-595-9263 or email me at info@royaltyeventparties.com. I am looking forward to a great 2015!

Personalizing ideas for your wedding

As a professional wedding coordinator, I have seen today’s couple really want to incorporate special & unique touches throughout their wedding that really gives off a “WOW” factor to their guests. For some it starts with the save the dates or even how they tell everyone, “We’re getting married.” Eighteen years ago when I got engaged I did it the old fashion way, I called everyone. Now couples might take a cute picture with a caption “I said yes!” (Photograph from Brit+Co) and share on Instagram or Facebook.

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Save the dates can be really creative too. Carlson Craft carries hundreds of choices. Some of the most unique I found were puzzle save the dates, save the dates made out of wood and a streamer save the dates. Too cute!

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Another way couples can show their personalities, have some fun & be creative, keep organized, and inform guests about wedding news is with their wedding website. Many of the wedding websites such as The Knot, mywedding.com and weddingwire.com offer wedding websites for their couples to create and have fun.

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For the ceremony, I have seen many brides incorporate special brooches, charms, candles, and pictures of loved ones that have passed away. This past bride of mine added a charm to her bouquet with a picture of her grandmother. This was so special to her. She was very emotional the first time she saw it. Programs are another idea to really say whatever you like and thank those that helped with the wedding planning (or in life). Why not turn your program into a bookmark, that way your guests will save it and use it over and over again. Carlson Craft offers lots of great program ideas as well. (top photo provided by Mint Photography)

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What about the reception? Where do I even begin. There are so many personalized touches you can do throughout the reception. Since I have a marketing degree and love to design, I’ve personalized candy labels for candy bars, water station personalized signs, Mr. and Mrs. signature drink signs, table numbers, place cards, invitations, etc. for my couples. Most of the time I didn’t even charge them. I just love doing it! Here are some other great ideas to personalize your reception:

  • Create your own monogram and display it through a gobo (a large lighted image on the wall or ground)
  • Use a special picture that is meaningful to you for your gobo (I recently had a bride use stars for the ceiling of her tent to symbolize the stars in the sky on a family ranch where she had the reception)
  • Instead of just using numbers for the tables incorporate words, phrases, food, etc. that is meaningful to the both of you. One of my past couple’s used cities that they have traveled together to as their table designation.
  • Party favors have become very personalized these days with koozies, coasters, favor boxes, candy labels, cookies, ribbon, tags & seals used for bags, etc. With every wedding I coordinate I always see so many different and create ideas. Here are a few from my past brides.

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With a little creativity, a special memory you want to share with others, and websites like Pinterest, you can easily personalize your wedding in extraordinary ways. It is endless! You can go to my Pinterest boards to see lots of great ideas there too! If you need help planning your wedding please contact me. I am very creative and we could work together in creating special personalization throughout every aspect of your wedding. Trudy Scott, Royalty Event Parties, 210-595-9263, http://www.RoyaltyEventParties.com

Tips for finding a wedding dress for less

bridalShhhhhh…can you keep a secret? I never told anyone how much I spent on my wedding dress (15 years ago) because I didn’t want them to think I was super cheap (even though I was). I had a very low budget to plan the wedding of my dreams and had to think creatively. With alterations, I only spent about $400 (not including accessories or shoes). How did I do it? Well, I went to a dress shop, known for budget dresses, and then scoured their clearance rack. I had asked my hubby what kind of dress he would like me in and he said nothing with a lot of rhinestones and bling. So, simple it was. My theme was literally Cinderella, so I knew I wanted a fluffy tulle dress with gloves. I actually found it on the clearance rack for around $300. It wasn’t until later that I realized it wasn’t a bridal gown at all but a fancy bridesmaid dress, go figure. It worked for me and I loved it!

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One organization that I support is Brides Against Breast Cancer. I have volunteered a couple of times when they have done a show here in San Antonio. The way it works is past brides donate their dress to this organization and then they travel across the nation and sell these dresses to other brides at a fraction of the cost through shows at mostly hotels. The best part is most of the proceeds go back to breast cancer research. A close friend of mine that was in my wedding, and I in hers, just won her battle with breast cancer and is in remission. I am a strong supporter of this organization.

wedding_dressSo, now that the internet is in full force there are a lot more choices than there was 15 years ago for searching for your bridal gown. PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com  is a great website where past brides post their gown on their website and actually earn a commission if the dress sells. There are over 19,000 gowns from more than 350 different designers and nearly 30% of their listings are for new, unaltered, unworn gowns. They stated that typically a used wedding dress that’s 2.5 year or younger will sell for 50% of the retail. They also have listings for bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dresses, flower girl dresses and accessories.

100_3238Some other tips for purchasing an inexpensive dress are:

  • Purchase a simple dress and add accessories to it (i.e. sash, brooch, stand out jewelry, tiara, gloves, a wrap, etc.) to personalize it to your liking.
  • At any bridal shop go to the clearance rack for discontinued dresses or those dresses that have been tried on numerous times. Look for makeup marks are rips (the salesclerk might even make a better deal than what the sticker says).
  • Ask the sales clerk if they carry sample gowns at reduced prices. This might be your opportunity to actually get the exact dress you wanted from the bridal magazines.
  • Ask to see the slightly damaged dresses or the dresses that have been purchased by other brides and returned to the shop. They might agree to sell to you instead of avoiding the expense of returning it to the supplier.
  • Other locations to try – consignment shops, bridal outlet stores and even department stores (the formalwear and prom sections).
  • If worse comes to worse, think about borrowing a dress or renting it from a friend.

One last thing I want to mention is to please be careful when purchasing your dress online. There are a lot of fraud sites out there. Only buy from a reputable company. But, do keep in mind that you are purchasing a dress that you haven’t tried on and it could completely fit and look different on than in the picture.

bridal connectionThe Bridal Connection, a bridal shop currently located in Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio, Texas, will be moving to the Stone Oak area soon and I am super excited! They offer a lot of beautiful, high quality dresses and will work within your budget. Be looking for their grand opening.

If you need any other recommendations for your bridal gown purchase please call or email me at 210-595-9263 or info@royaltyeventparties.com. I am a professional wedding consulting/invitation company in San Antonio. I am here to help with your wedding planning! Please go to my website for more information about my services and be sure to “like” my Facebook page to keep up with what is going on with Royalty Event Parties.

Planning an outdoor ranch-style wedding in the Texas Hill Country

IMG_3022Recently, I just finished coordinating a beautiful fall outdoor ranch wedding outside of San Antonio, Texas. The planning had taken over a year by the bride and I was hired about 3 months out to coordinate the day of. The ranch she had her reception at was originally owned by her grandfather who had passed away. He had wished for one of his grandchildren to have their reception there and his wish came true! It was a really special day for the entire family.

_0407My bride was very DIY when it came to décor. She had a vision in her head and knew to make it just the way she wanted she needed to create it herself. If you are crafty I say, “Go for it!” You can save a lot of money and get exactly what you want by making it yourself. But, please give yourself extra time to do this. Even with all her planning, well in advance, she was still scrambling for help the night and morning of trying to complete her projects. Who wants to stress that close to their wedding? You can also hire a wedding coordinator to assist you in these tasks at hand.

IMG_3009Be sure to book your vendors well in advance (6-8 months) and be sure to follow up at least 1 month prior to ensure your order is correct. Two weeks before the wedding, we learned that the bathroom company didn’t have her order on file for some reason and we were frantically trying to ensure having a bathroom even up to 2 days prior to the reception. There are so many items to figure in when having a wedding on a ranch with nothing but land. Here are several points to remember:

1. Tent – does it need flaps, heat or fans for the weather expected? Will it be big enough to hold all your guests, dance floor, DJ & band, other vendors (caterer, bartenders, etc.)? Having a CAD drawing is crucial.

2. Bathrooms – Do you want a comfort bathroom with 2-4 stalls?

3. Electricity – Do you need to rent generators?

4. Water – Do you have a water source?

5. Tables, chairs, bars, dance floor, linens, china

6. Parking area – Do you have some of the land cleared for parking?

7. Decor

8. Large cleared out grassy area with no weeds for tent (need to maintain this space up until the wedding) and prepare for bugs (spray the area)

Nov 15  CAD _0362There’s a lot to consider, isn’t there? Don’t forget to prepare for the weather and have heaters/fans/additional tents on standby so they are available to you if needed. If you wait until the last minute they will be rented out and then what will you do?

Lastly, you need to think about your budget when planning a wedding of this caliber. It will probably cost you more than a typical reception at a venue for all the items you need to consider for. The venues already have all those items in place.

If you need help with planning your wedding and where to get the items needed for an outdoor wedding please contact Trudy Scott with Royalty Event Parties, 210-595-9263 or info@royaltyeventparties.com. I’m here to help with coordinating, planning your honeymoon and ordering invitations/stationery.

The 2nd and last photos were provided by The Wedding Shoppe.