Archive of ‘Wedding Planning’ category

Royalty Themed Wedding Tips – San Antonio Weddings

001_1Today is my 15th wedding anniversary so I thought it was only fitting to write this blog about Royalty Weddings. Of course, I am going to relive mine a little in this blog…it’s a sentimental day! Since a little girl, I had a vision in my head as to what kind of dress I wanted for my wedding. It changed a little when I asked my soon-to-be husband what HE would love to see me in (and not see me in). He said anything but a lot of sequins, bling and crystals. I asked him if a little was ok and he said, “Yes.” So, that meant I would be paring down my look a little because that is what I had envisioned. I was ok with that. the tulle, fluffy dress was a must, though! The second change I made was the theme. Instead of it being just a traditional wedding my mom REALLY wanted me to use the Cinderella themed invitations. It wasn’t my top choice but I went with it, especially since she was paying for it and I saw the excitement in her with them. I truly do feel that God was showing me a glimpse into my future when I literally became Cinderella in my children’s party planning business. It was fate!

So, now for some tips for Royal touches you can incorporate into your own wedding without paying like Royalty. I was on a super tight budget and I made it work plus I have seen other couples with the same theme on a typical wedding budget as well.

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Jenny & Zach’s wedding at Spinelli’s in Comfort, TX

1. The tiara! Every princess must have one. This past weekend my bride really surprised me when she wore a stunning gown and large tiara – she really did look like royalty!

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2. Jewelry. No matter what your dress looks like you can always make a statement with gorgeous jewels (fakes are ok, too). The latest trend is the brooch bouquet.

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Both photos from my wedding at Victoria’s Black Swan Inn, San Antonio, TX

3. The colors. In my wedding, I only used gold and ivory as my main colors with touches of color in the bridal bouquets. There were touches of Cinderella blue from figurines that family members had given me but that was it. Deep purple is a royal color and even red. Try one of those colors!

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Castle-like venue at The Lambermont, San Antonio, TX.

SAMSUNGRoyalty head table at The Koehler House, San Antonio, TX

4. The venue. I had my wedding at Victoria’s Black Swan Inn. When I saw it for the first time I knew this was the place I had to have! I spent most of my budget on the venue so I sacrificed in other areas such as the centerpieces and linens. I used what the venue offered and because it was such a beautiful place it didn’t matter. Everything was so elegant and she had so many beautiful furniture and décor already that it made up for it.

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The Yellow Rose Carriage Company offers beautiful carriages.

021_21This carriage was from my own wedding.

5. Horse and Carriage. I had to have one for my royal theme! It was a lot of fun and you can rent them for an hour and let the guests take carriage rides as well.

View More: http://limelightsa.pass.us/sonterra

View More: http://limelightsa.pass.us/sonterraEvents By Reese can turn your wedding into royalty with their rentals.

View More: http://limelightsa.pass.us/sonterraThere are so many royal-like invitations with my invitation services.

6. If you have it in the budget then some other ideas for a royal look would be the red carpet entering the venue, gold chargers with china, tall centerpieces that make a statement, gloves for the guys and girls, ice sculptures, uplighting, quartet for the ceremony, cocktail hour and possibly the dinner, upscale invitations with brooches, chiavari chairs, rented furniture for creating spaces, cigar bar, luxury vehicle for the send off, fireworks, etc. The ideas are endless!

If you would like to contact me to discuss your royal wedding ideas I would love to hear them! Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263, Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com. San Antonio wedding coordinator.

What’s your Plan B for your wedding? – San Antonio Weddings

I have to start this blog by telling a (not too funny for the bride – but somewhat funny for me as a coordinator) story at a previous wedding of mine. We knew that a cold front was going to blow in later in the evening during the reception but didn’t realize just how windy it would get. She had a table of pictures out as well as my floor easel with her bridal portrait. I didn’t want anything to happen to that picture so I bungeed it to the easel tightly and knew it wouldn’t go anywhere, so I thought. Well, later in the evening, the wind picked up and pictures started to fall, even the bridal portrait. But how could this be? Oh, it never left the easel. The entire easel with picture fell bungeed together. The frame broke but the picture was still perfect. Luckily, I had a bride that was very laid back and understood things happen.

As a coordinator, I am always thinking about the what if’s. The main one being, WHAT IF IT RAINS? Have you thought about that too? I thought this topic was very appropriate for my next blog since I had to deal with the Plan B just this past weekend for a wedding I coordinated. If you are getting married during a rainy season you definitely need to keep the Plan B in mind when booking your venue where part or all of your wedding will be outside. Be sure to ask the venue coordinator what it is. Some do not have a Plan B so that means it is all up to you to provide a cover for your guests.

If you do not live in San Antonio, you might also be dealing with tornadoes, blizzards or hurricanes. Yikes! Can’t even fathom all that. I’ll just stick to the rain. Here are your Plan B options:

courtyard_1The rehearsal was outside

 

1. Move the ceremony inside. This can take place in the reception area with either closing a partition to hide the guest tables or moving in the tables and setting them after the ceremony when the guests move to the cocktail hour space. This might be a little stressful so make sure you have a coordinator and extra staff helping with this. They will probably just have 1 hour max to complete the room flip.

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2. A tent. PLEASE call your rental companies a couple of months before the wedding to get some pricing on tents so you’ll know exactly who to call when the time comes. Maybe ask them too to put it on hold with a deposit (you might loose the deposit if you don’t use it, though). Contact them about 1 month prior if you haven’t put it on hold to see if it is still available. Ask what they can do for you to ensure you have a tent, if needed last minute. It’s worth asking, right? You’ll want to make sure you rent one that is large enough for your guests, dance floor, bar, & catering area. Consider flaps for the sides too in case it is windy or cold.

3. Most venues will require you make a decision on using Plan A or B the day before. Be sure to ask the venue ahead of time about their policy on this. Some will make the call the morning of which is what I think is fair! However, keep in mind that once the call has been made there usually is no switching last minute. The set up time takes hours to complete and realistically you can’t expect the venue to change everything once it is complete.

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I have had some interesting moments at weddings but the one thing I remember about my wonderful couples was that they didn’t let the weather get them down. Please don’t blame the venue or coordinator if the weather clears right before your wedding and wished you had just stuck with Plan A. Weather can be tricky and you just never know what will happen. This past weekend at Ring Mountain Event Center in Comfort, TX, I had a wedding where the weather was very unpredictable. It was cloudy early, then it got sunny for a bit and then it stormed with hail! The one thing that really stood out to me was how calm both the bride and groom were because they knew they had a great Plan B in place and they knew I would take care of any hiccups during the event. I would say the timeline was changed quite a bit but everything still flowed during the evening and it was beautiful.

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A few months ago at the Lambermont in San Antonio, TX, we knew the day before that storms were going to hit during the reception. So, I went to the venue and spent the evening figuring out the new diagram with all the guests inside instead of outside. It was tight but it all worked out by moving tables out after dinner to make room for the dance floor. The only thing I remember happening was a couple of centerpieces blowing down when the wind picked up that were under the covered patio. We were not expecting such strong winds! You have to be prepared for anything and just know it is what it is and it is OK.

I would love to help coordinate all the details about your wedding. Please call me and we can talk about your wedding and your needs. Please go to my website to learn more about my services. Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263, RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com

Questions and tips for the wedding florist – San Antonio Weddings

What’s the next step in planning a wedding? Let’s review from my past several blogs….

  1. Get organized before you start the planning process
  2. Decide on your color and style
  3. Choose a venue
  4. Look at your catering options (buffet, sit down, food stations, etc.) and decide on the caterer and food style (to get an estimate on cost). You can figure out the specifics later on.
  5. Choose a photographer

So, what is next? As I mentioned in a previous blog it is important to list in order the most important items you want to include and spend more money on to the least important (and could even take out to keep within your budget). Many brides have florals and décor at the top of their list. They are so excited to collect pictures for me and the florist to show us all these grand centerpiece & design elements they just LOVE. I always tell the brides to show me their Pinterest boards (usually in the initial consultation) so I get a feeling of what their expectations are before meeting with the florist. I truly get a sense of their style, expectations and budget based on what they show me.

Bridal Styles:

  • The classic/traditional bride
  • The modern bride
  • The country/rustic bride
  • The sophisticated/dramatic bride

IMG_3603!cid_image8DD9FC6D-A541-44A9-8069-33CCEDC28435I’ve worked with all these types so I really understand their vision and I work with the florist, rental companies and venue to ensure every element of the design works with their style.

Tips

Flowers really do make a powerful and beautiful statement. They can also eat up your budget easily too. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • If you choose a venue that has a lot of character, charm, or in-house centerpieces – go with it! This will save you a lot of money if you are on a tight budget because it will mean less flowers you’ll have to purchase. The space is already beautiful, right?
  • Have a winter wedding and choose a venue that decorates accordingly. That means less you’ll have to buy.
  • Be sure to buy flowers in season. This will trim your expense. Also, maybe go with a less expensive flower in the same color family. go to ww.blissezine.com to learn about different flower types, their colors and what season they are available.

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  • Depending on the size of your wedding, have 2 or 3 different centerpieces on the guest tables. The design of the room just looks better this way! I always recommend a tall centerpiece (taller than the eye level of a guest so it isn’t in their view), a low centerpiece and maybe another design element like a candlescape, wine bottles, crystal candle holders or a crystal tall centerpieces. The options are endless. I have a couple that is going with a vintage feel at their wedding coming up and they got old books, doillies and vintage gloves. They are using silver teapots for their flower arrangements.

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  • Use the bridal bouquets for the head table or guest tables. This will save you from having to buy a centerpiece for those tables. I would say that most of my weddings, this is what the bride chooses to do.

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  • Repurpose the flowers from the ceremony to the reception. If you’re getting married at a church, more than likely you will donate the altar flowers to the church (their policy) but if you are getting married at the same location as the reception many times I will have a couple that will move the altar or aisle flowers to the reception area. They might use an arrangement at the sign in table, on the guest tables or near the sweetheart table.

At the appointment show the florist all your ideas. You will also discuss your bouquet and boutonnieres/corsages at that time too so come prepared with a list of who will need one of those. Don’t forget about the flower girl and ring bearer too.

Questions To Ask

  1. Can you work within my budget?
  2. Can I see some of your work?
  3. Do you do more than 1 wedding a day? (a professional florist will never overbook, he knows what he can handle in one day)
  4. What is your deposit?
  5. When is payment due?
  6. Will I receive a mockup of the centerpiece? There are florists out there that will not charge you for this. One in San Antonio that I use a lot even will get the color of your linen for you so you can see how it will look on your wedding day.
  7. What is your delivery and set up fee?
  8. How early will you arrive to set up?
  9. Do I get to keep the flowers at the end of the night? What about the vase? Most vases are theirs and they will want them back. You can order vases that you can give to the guests too. You’ll need to discuss that with the florist.

shellie21The budget for your flowers really can be high or low. It just depends on the extravagance you are wanting. Go to a couple of florist to comparison shop and see what they have to offer. Most florists specialize in a certain style and offer something different. Do your research ahead of time and visit their websites. You’ll get a great sense of who they are from pictures of past weddings they have done.

Be sure to read past blog posts about how to plan your wedding with great tips and questions to ask. If you need help with planning your wedding in San Antonio and the surrounding area, please contact me. I would love to help! Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

San Antonio Wedding & Color Inspiration Boards

 

inspiration board_kimLast September, I wrote a blog, “Choosing colors for your wedding based on symbolism.” It ties in with this blog in the fact that I have created a new category on my website called, “Inspirations & Tools.” I created a page, Event Inspiration Boards,  where I designed wedding inspiration boards from past clients to show a wide variety of style, themes, colors and ideas that you can create for your wedding. I did talk about each of the weddings in what their inspiration was.

color_trend_navy/coral.inddAnother page I created was, “How Color Inspires“, where it ties more into this blog. I used wedding inspiration boards provided by Carlson Craft Invitations (a company I use for my own invitation services) with many color palettes. I also listed color symbolism for most of the colors and also mentioned the Pantone colors of the year. Be sure to click on the link to find out what those colors are…hint, hint.

Under “Wedding Tools“, I have several links to pdf’s where it can help you with the planning process. I do intend on adding more links to other pertinent information soon.

I know how stressful planning a wedding can be. I truly am here for you and will be there for you through it all! If you need help please contact me. I would love to learn more about you and what your dream wedding is! Trudy, 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

Here is the previous blog, “Choosing colors for your wedding based on color symbolism” from September 19, 2014.

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Photos provided by Daniel W. Torres Photography

Can’t decide on a color palette for your wedding? Why not decide on your wedding colors based on the symbolism of that color to incorporate some meaning into your wedding! Here is a list of positive connotations in helping you decide.

Red – passion, love, celebration, joy and good luck
Pink – romance, charm and tenderness
Orange – energy, vibrance, warmth, change
Yellow – happiness, cheerfulness, peace, courage, hope and faith
Blue – loyalty, fidelity, unity, peace, eternity
Green – life, nature, fertility, abundance, hope and equality
Violet/Purple – royalty, mystery, spirituality
Silver – richness, purity
Gold – life, prosperity, royalty

From Wedding Invitations by Jennifer Cegielski

I suggest you tie it together with printed signs at the reception, a note in your invitation, pictures depicting the symbolism at your wedding events, etc., to let the guests know why you chose the colors you did.

Something to keep in mind…

You can see from these inspiration boards how colors can change the entire feel and look of your wedding. Color can warm the space up to give an intimate setting or brighten the room up to give a more light and airy feel. Choosing your color combinations are important and if you are having trouble trying to decide have a wedding planner help you. As myself being a wedding coordinator/planner, I would ask important questions about what style, feeling and experience you are trying to portray with your wedding and recommend color combinations that go together. If there is a special tie to certain colors based on family customs/beliefs, special memories, etc., I would want to know that as well.

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Photos provided by Daniel W. Torres Photography

The Pantone color for 2014 is Pantone 18-3224 Radiant Orchid. Use this color for a trendy, popular look. Why not try something different? Ultimately, the colors come from the couple and what you like. Get creative!

P.S. Be sure to incorporate your colors into your invitations and all your stationery too. Currently, I am offering 10% off all orders (except Disney) and 15% off for those using my consulting services. Call me to schedule your in-person appointment.

As a professional wedding consultant in San Antonio, Texas I have seen all different kinds of styles and colors for weddings. If you would like to discuss your wedding I am here for you! I always offer a free consultation so you have nothing to loose! Please contact me at 210-595-9263 or email me at info@royaltyeventparties.com.

Stay Organized & Simplify Your Wedding

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For this blog, I thought I would back track a little and give you tips and advice on how you can stay organized and simplify the planning of your wedding. I understand that you have never planned a wedding before and you are probably searching online on “how to plan a wedding,” – RIGHT? Take it from a coordinator that has planned many weddings and events, I know how stressful it can be! Here are some tips you can follow to make your planning process a little easier for you.

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1. Assemble The Team – Decide who is going to be in your wedding party and delegate tasks to them, friends and professionals (the wedding coordinators especially). I highly advise that you leave the most important tasks to the professionals to handle and give the smaller tasks to the others. Who is part of the wedding party? It’s the bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid or matron of honor, best man, junior bridesmaids, ushers, flower girls, ring bearer and the parents. The people you choose obviously care a lot about you and probably won’t mind helping with these small tasks & will feel like part of the team (i.e. running errands, helping with a diy project, putting together party favors or invitations, go shopping to find essential items like the ring bearer pillow or flower girl basket, creating the seating charts, etc).

View More: http://elegantbeautyphoto.pass.us/laura-and-tim-sawicki-wedding

2. Hiring a wedding consultant is the #1 way of making your wedding planning process easier. Wedding consultants can do as much or as little as you wish them to – from helping out with referrals and ideas at the beginning to handling the entire affair. Consultants are a valuable source for find the best vendors just for YOU. They pride themselves on interpreting and creatively executing your vision. No matter what your budget is, there will always be a creative way to orchestrate the wedding you envision. The consultant can do this.

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3. Stay organized. Over the months of planning you would have visited with many vendors, venues, stores, etc. That means you will accumulate lots of brochures, receipts, pictures and business cards. Be sure to purchase either a 3 ring binder or better yet, a wedding planner binder where you can keep all your wedding related items together. A pouch for the receipts is essential. If you plan on tearing out pages from magazines invest in a small 3 hole punch so you can place in the binder without being loose (or use clear pocket sheets). As a consultant, I use 3 ring binders for my full planning couples as well. I even have it tabbed in different categories. I recommend you do this as well in yours. Example: Vendors with sub categories of Florist, Photographer, Cake, Caterer, Venue, Invitations, Formal Wear, Entertainment, Hair/Makeup, Hotel, Transportation, Registry, etc. Other tabs could be Bridal Showers, Bachelorette/Bachelor Party, Wedding Party, Pictures, Inspirations, Receipts, etc.

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4. DO NOT delete emails from your vendor correspondence. You need a paper trail of some sort. A contract with all the specifics is a must but having what was discussed in an email can be beneficial as well if later on they say they didn’t agree to that (and it wasn’t on the contract). You can then show them that they, in fact, agreed to that particular item. I recommend you create a folder in your email for, “Wedding” and then move all those emails into that folder. It will make it easier to find later on. If something was discussed in person or over the phone it is crucial that you get it in writing! I have a bride dealing with a venue right now that won’t pay for the linens that the couple says they agreed to at the initial consultation. Nothing was ever in writing about this so the venue will not agree to pay for the linens now. ALWAYS GET IT IN WRITING!

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5. Lastly, I know money can be a touchy area but you need to discuss with those involved with paying for the wedding what they are willing to help with at the beginning of the planning process. This is so important because it will factor in what your budget will be and just how big or small your wedding can be. It will determine the type of vendors you can choose from, where you have your venue and what you can include. This is definitely going to simplify so much because you’ll know how to plan for everything. Something that I tell my couples the first time I meet with them is to just be aware that what you think something is going to cost probably will be more. They have never planned a wedding before and they just don’t know. As they start talking to the vendors they realize pretty quickly that it is going to cost them more than they originally thought. That’s when the list of most important to least important items for your wedding comes into play (I discussed that in my catering blog post). I just spoke to a bride that wants to  have her wedding at a pricey venue for 150-200 guests with a $15,000 budget plus she wants me for her full planner. She asked if this was feasible. I honestly told her, “No,” she could not afford a full planning coordinator with that budget and at that venue. What I recommended to her was to look at other venues that were less pricey and to make the list. Creative thinking by me.

As a professional coordinator, I am very organized myself. You have to be when you are planning multiple weddings all at the same time. There is a lot to keep track especially when each couple is at different points of their planning process. If you need help simplifying and organizing your wedding I can help! Contact Trudy at 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

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