Archive of ‘Wedding Planning’ category

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

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.

Sandals Destination Wedding Testimonial

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Recently, through the Association of Bridal Consultants, I attended the Sandals Weddingmoons specialist training in Nassau, Bahamas. While I relaxed in a whirlpool after a long day of training, I met this wonderful couple, Cindi and Jack, who talked about their Sandals destination wedding as if it had just happened. Actually, they got married on May 29, 2010, at Sandals Montego Bay with 20 of their closest friends and family. Even before their wedding, they have come back year after year to Sandals for their vacation. They were so excited to talk about how amazing Sandals was I had to ask for a testimonial. They were THRILLED to share their answers to my questions…

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1. Why did you decide on Sandals to have your wedding?

     “We decided to get married at Sandals because we wanted a destination wedding that would be no stress for us or our families.  We both work and just didn’t have time to dedicate to all the extreme planning that goes into a wedding.  We had been to many Sandals before and loved watching people get married on the beach.  Every wedding we watched was picturesque. There is nothing more beautiful than a white sand beach, blue water and a beautiful sunset in your wedding pictures.”

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2. What did you like about the planning process with them?

      “It literally took 20 minutes to plan our whole wedding!  We arrived at Sandals, had a drink on the beach and then met with our wedding coordinator.  She brought us champagne and we got to sample three different types of cake and we picked our favorite.  Then she had us pick our favorite flower package.  It was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done in my whole life.  I know so many brides that spend an insane amount of time planning and prepping for their wedding.  I spent about 20 minutes planning/prepping and then got to spend the rest of my day sipping drinks with my future husband on a beautiful beach.  It just doesn’t get much better than that!”

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3. What was the most memorable part about your wedding at Sandals?

     “The beauty of everything!  Our flowers were gorgeous, the set up was beautiful and the beach/sunset was beyond gorgeous!!  Our wedding looked like something out of a magazine!  I still LOVE looking at our pictures!  We also loved the fact that we got to spend our wedding day on the beach and swimming in the water with our families.  We enjoyed getting to spend time with our 20 guests that came to watch us get married. The wedding coordinator came to get us to start getting ready about an hour and a half before the wedding.  The day was so relaxed and so much fun instead of being stressful and spending the whole day inside getting ready.” 

 4. Why have you come back to Sandals each year?

     “We come back to Sandals every year because we love it so much.  We love having a large variety of amazing food, love that all drinks are included and no tipping is a huge plus.  It is so nice to lock up your wallet once you get there and know that you never have to pull it out again until you leave.  The staff is always so friendly and fun!  We always make at least two or three sets of friends each time we have gone to Sandals. We have yet to have a bad experience at a Sandals.”

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5. What location has been your favorite and why?

“We have two favorites.  If we are going to be alone and want a quiet romantic getaway, then our favorite is Negril.  Sandals Negril is so quaint and the beach is very beautiful!  This is definitely the resort to go to if you are more into spending time with one another and not so much with other people.   If we are going to have fun, meet some people or bring friends with us, then our favorite is Sandals Royal Bahamian.  The private island is beyond beautiful and made the trip over the top. We also love having the option of a quiet pool and a party pool.  There are so many amazing restaurants and things to do at this resort.”

6. What value do you see with Sandals?

     “We love that Sandals is truly is all inclusive!  There is no hidden fees or anything they don’t tell you about.  There is always food and drinks available to you and everything is so good.  The resorts are always clean and there is always someone to help you with whatever you need to make your vacation amazing.” 

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Royalty Event Parties, an established wedding consulting company in San Antonio, is a Sandals Certified Specialist and Weddingmoons Specialist. I’m here to make sure you feel the same way as Cindi and Jack do about your honeymoon or destination wedding! Please contact me to find out more information about Sandals, Beaches and Grand Pineapple. 210-595-9263, info@royaltyeventparties.com.

Save the dates for your wedding – San Antonio Wedding Invitations

Congratulations! You’re getting married and you now want everyone to know about it, right? Save the dates are the perfect opportunity to do this and let your guests know well in advance about your wedding date so they can start planning accordingly. My invitation online stores through Royalty Event Parties, carry a huge selection of save the dates and is the perfect starting point in your stationery wedding needs. Click here to see more! save_the_date_chalkboard

Here are some pointers about save the dates:

  1. They should be fun! Show your personality and style with the look you choose. Even if you are having a formal wedding you don’t have to show so much formality in your save the dates! Magnets, chalkboard designs, fold out notes, etc. are really popular!
  2. Send them out six to eight months prior to your wedding. There should be no excuses for those guests to not plan on coming! This will give the out of town guests time to plan for destination wedding & holiday travel.
  3.  It is ok to select a style different than what will be on your invitation. Most of the time you won’t have your invitation picked out 8 months prior so go with maybe a style that incorporates the same colors of your wedding or image (rustic, traditional, modern, etc.).NYSS-Booth_20x36_4-2014.indd
  4. Do I need to put the venue location on them? No. The important information is your names, the fact that you’re getting married, the date and city in which your wedding will take place and that there will be a formal invitation to follow.
  5. You need to make sure that whoever you send a save the date to will also receive an invitation. That would be kinda rude if you didn’t. How awkward for the next time you saw them too.
  6. There is an advantage to sending out save the dates…you will get a feel for the turnout of who will and won’t be able to attend. However, even if your guest says they will not be able to attend you must send them an invitation.
  7. DO NOT send Evites as save the dates! Yes, this might be a cheap way of doing it but I feel that the proper & formal way is the traditional way, through the mail. Your guests will appreciate it more too.
  8. Don’t forget to mail save the dates out to everyone including your wedding party and parents. You’ll also need to decide on which of your guests can bring a plus 1 if they don’t have a significant other before mailing them so you address the envelope the proper way.101_5520

I hope these tips about save the dates has helped you with your wedding planning. If you would like to order save the dates or if you have any other questions for me please do not hesitate to contact me. Remember, you’ll receive 10% off orders and 15% off orders if you are using me for my consulting services as well. The code for Printswell is 10%OFFSPECIAL (Carlson Craft automatically takes 10% off). 210-595-9263, info@royaltyeventparties.com, http://www.RoyaltyEventParties.com.

What to know about vendor wedding contracts

Recently, I met with a potential bride for my initial consultation for wedding coordinating. She pulled out her Ipad and showed me 38 questions she had for me. I was pretty impressed that she was being so thorough with her vendor selections. I spoke about all my services and what I had to offer and at the end I asked her if she had any additional questions. I had pretty much covered all her questions except for a few. So, after all the questions have been answered and you feel confident this vendor is a perfect fit for you what’s next? You’ll sign a contract. Your wedding is going to be one of the most important days of your life. It is very important that you pay great attention to all the legalities of all your wedding purchases…the contracts!

Tips

DSC_0149Make sure you get every business transaction in writing. This is very crucial! I had a bride, in the past, that hired a mariachi band for her ceremony and cocktail hour. I asked her for the contract so I could review it and she hadn’t signed one. They said they were good for it. WRONG! I insisted she get something in writing from them. They put together a vague one page sheet and guess what….they couldn’t do the ceremony at the last minute. It ended up working out after she said she wouldn’t use them at all if they didn’t come to the ceremony. However, their contract didn’t outline each and every location of service. She asked for a more detailed contract and could never get one from them. Be sure all specifics are laid out in the contract in writing! If they don’t offer you a contract then walk away!

Write everything down. This includes:

  •  When deposits and payments are made (write it at the top of the contracts to keep track of it).
  • When you arrange for a service (write down the name of the person you spoke to and the date along with the order plans). You would hate to be charged double!

wedding_vendor_contractRead the fine print. Inquire about additional fees they might be trying to sneak in. If you do not agree with them then ask that they be taken off. Most vendors will want your business and be open to this. Also be sure that all the details of their service and what was agreed upon is stated in the contract. I had a bride attend a bridal show and sign a lengthy & well drawn out contract that day so she would receive the show special, a free keg. The day of the wedding there was no keg and I asked where it was. They were not aware of the keg because they had failed to mention the show special on the contract and had forgotten it. They ended up running to the store and bought canned beer instead.

Don’t rush into signing a contract before you can take the time to thoroughly read it. Ask if you can take the contract home with you so you can review it at your leisure.

Just like the bride who came prepared with 38 questions for me, do the same with every vendor. Look online for, “Questions to ask your caterer, venue, cake vendor, etc.” You want to make sure the vendor you work with has experience, a good contract, shows professionalism and can answer your questions. Here’s a link to my Wedding Tools page on my website. If you have any additional questions about what to look for in your contract, contact Trudy Scott, Professional Wedding Consultant, 210-595-9263 or info@royaltyeventparties.com.

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