Today 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.

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!

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.

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!

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

Royalty 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.

The Yellow Rose Carriage Company offers beautiful carriages.

This 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.

Events By Reese can turn your wedding into royalty with their rentals.

There 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.