Posts Tagged ‘San Antonio weddings’

Budget Friendly linen and decor ideas for your wedding – San Antonio Coordinator

Last week I got a little off track when I talked about my wedding and also gave you easy ideas for creating a “Royal Inspired” wedding. I guess I had to brag a little about my wedding because of course, every bride thinks their wedding was the absolute best and I DO share my wedding day with Prince William and Princess Kate. Ok, ok, lets get back on topic with my latest blogs….how to plan the perfect wedding. I have already discussed the venue, catering, photography, and flowers. Now I want to tell you about some great ideas on the look you are trying to achieve but maybe on a tight budget.

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For many brides, the most important part of the planning process is the linens and decor. It can be fun going to a rental or linen company and mix and match color combinations with the main linen, table runner, and overlays. As a planner, I carry around a color wheel from a paint store so we can “play” with colors. I have worked with all kinds of brides…those that know exactly what they want the room to look like to those that really have no clue and look to me for ideas and suggestions. I consider myself creative and have seen a lot so I’ll use my expertise to ask important questions and from there make recommendations. Let’s go over some budget friendly ideas you can use for your reception.

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Rio Cibolo Ranch Boot Centerpiece

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Some venues include white, ivory or black linens. Definitely take advantage of this and use theirs. That can be a big savings. Some venues even offer in-house center pieces that are included as well. They might look a little worn but maybe consider jazzing it up a little with a few fresh flowers, bling, branches, etc. At Rio Cibolo Ranch they offer boot centerpieces with fake flowers inside them. Maybe add a bandana, a small rope or fresh flowers and you’ll get a new look! If you do have to purchase the linens from the venue they will probably be at a cheaper rate than you might find elsewhere. Olympia Hills Golf & Event Center does just this.

If you do need to rent your linens then normally, polyester will be cheaper than other fabrics. You can use that kind to help save a little there. Another idea is to purchase the linens wholesale and then sell all of them after the wedding to recoop maybe half of your cost. I have had several past brides do this.

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Forgo on the overlays and runners. If you really had your hearts desire on something creative on the table you can use fruit or party favors for each place setting. Or how about votives, framed pictures of the two of you, petals, antique items you find from garage sales, grandma’s doilies, cheap fabric you find on clearance as runners. The ideas are endless! If you are going for a rustic look why not cut a tree up and use the trunk and limbs for center pieces, table number holders and candle holders. The ever popular mason jars and painted and twined wine bottles are a winner too.

Craigslist and Ebay are great ways of finding good deals from other brides that are trying to sell their wedding items. Look on there regularly. Postings can pop up at any time.

Shop around for rentals such as vases, candelabras, candle holders, or other unique pieces. You never know who might be having a special. If you go to a bridal show, that might be a good opportunity to get a good deal on something you may need.

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For my couples, I offer rental items that I know they would need such as cake stands, easels, table numbers, chalkboards, baskets, birdcages, etc. As an incentive for using my coordinating services I offer 2 items for free and the rest 50% off for my day of services and 4 free with my full planning. My couples love this! See if coordinators in your area might offer something like this too.

If you need help with planning your San Antonio wedding please contact me. I would love to help you. Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263, trudy@royaltyeventsplanning.com.

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:

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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.

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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.

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.

How to choose the perfect San Antonio wedding photographer

I hope you are keeping up with my blogs. I am going to walk you through the process of planning your wedding. I know how planning a wedding can be overwhelming and you don’t know what questions to ask, tips to save money and which vendors to choose. As an experienced wedding consultant I can guide you to planning the PERFECT wedding you have always dreamed of. In my last 2 blogs I talked about choosing your venue and catering options. I hope you have checked that off your list of “To Do’s.”

The first thing I always tell a couple when planning their wedding is to make a list of the most important to the least important items they want to include in their wedding. I use this as a guide in choosing vendors, especially when the budget is very tight. By seeing it in writing it helps the couple realistically look at every aspect of the wedding and when they just don’t have anymore money left for the last item on the list, they are ok with that. They see all the other great items on the list that they did get. It is also important to keep track of your budget. Weddingwire.com offers a great tool for keeping track of your budget. Here’s the link. As a planner I can do that for my couples.

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So, lets say that photography is the next most important aspect of the wedding they listed after the venue and catering. The questions I always ask a couple is, “What is your style you are trying to show with your wedding?” There are modern weddings, rustic/country, vintage, Victorian, themed, traditional, simple, romantic, beachy (photo above by David Keith Photography), etc. Once I know their style then I can narrow down the search for photographers. If the couples have a certain budget they want to stay within I’ll find that out as well. If photography is at the top of the list I can pretty much figure they are ok with spending anywhere up to $4000 for a great photographer. Don’t worry, though. There are many photographers out there that are just as good and have lower pricing (maybe they aren’t as experienced or offer smaller packages).

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For some photographers, they are photojournalists. They have gone to school for photography and they are very creative in the way they take pictures. Their pictures are edited a little more than others and they might have added elements to the pictures that add a dramatic flair. I absolutely love this kind of photographer!

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Some photographers are a little more laid back in their work but still offer exceptional quality. Their pictures are very casual, less formal, candid shots. The glow of the sun or the tones and colors of the images might show a more elegant feel to the pictures too. Here are a couple of samples from 2 different photographers. The 2nd photo is from Mint Photography.

b&gView More: http://limelightsa.pass.us/sonterra

Another style I have seen in photographers is the crisp, modern feel of the pictures. The images are sharp and give a more traditional feel to the photograph.

After viewing some samples of their work you’ll want to review their packages. Here are some questions you’ll want to ask a photographer when trying to decide on the perfect photographer for your wedding:

  •  Does the package include 2 photographers (or an assistant)?
  • How many hours will I have the photographer(s)?
  • Will each photographer be at different locations for the “getting ready” time – one with the bride and the other with the groom?
  • Are the photos edited? If so, how are they edited and how many will be edited?
  • How long does it take to get back my pictures?
  • Will I have the print rights of the photos to do what I like afterwards with them?
  • Will the photos be on a disc for me or only online? Will my guests have to pay for prints if they want them?
  • Does the package include an engagement and/or bridal portrait session? Will I receive a print with that?
  • If I need the photographer longer than the package includes how much extra will it be?
  • Will the photos be stored in a safe place if I loose them in the future? How will they be stored?
  • What is the deposit and when is payment due?
  • Do you offer videography with your package (sometimes you can get a discounted rate with both services)?
  • Are there any travel fees or other costs I need to know about?
  • If I don’t need something included in your package can I take it off and the price be lowered? (ex. an album, prints, cd)

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Some of my couples can’t decide which package is best for them. If you can’t afford the unlimited hours package then you can choose a lower package with limited hours and either have them start when the ceremony begins to save some time at the beginning or have them leave after all the important moments are done (usually after the garter/bouquet toss). Some photographers will do a “fake” send off so the couple still gets pictures from what would have happened at the end. Here is an example of a picture a couple took doing just that.

If you need help planning your wedding I can help. Please contact Trudy Scott at 210-595-WAND (9263) or email at Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com. You can find out more about my services on my website, http://www.RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com. I would love to talk you more about your wedding!

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