Archive of ‘Wedding Vendors’ category

Vintage Wedding Decor Ideas – San Antonio Wedding Consultant

View More: http://elegantbeautyphoto.pass.us/laura-and-tim-sawicki-weddingIn San Antonio, the vintage look is still in when it comes to weddings. I don’t think it will ever go out of style for some couples. The most important part in having your vintage-inspired wedding look perfect is the location. Either having it in an old historic building with antiques, wood floors & intricate details or outside with beautiful surroundings of trees and flowers is essential for everything to tie together. Here are some ideas in San Antonio and the surrounding area for a great venue to accomplish the vintage look.

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

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The next step is to purchase or rent vintage furniture and décor. I have had several brides go to thrift stores and antique stores and make some great finds! Antique vases, books, trinkets, jewelry, luggage, containers, etc. are perfect for adding to the charm and ambiance of the venue space. A past couple of mine got lots of old library books and tied them together with ribbon and had them on each table for part of the centerpiece. They added in old gloves, lace, tea pots and trinkets to really give the table a vintage feel.

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Here is another example from a past couple of mine where she had shopped around for vintage vases and then added beautiful creams and shades of pink colored flowers. The bride actually made the exquisite birdcages hanging from the ceiling to incorporate a vintage yet glamorous look to them.

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If you really want to have your guests feel they have gone back into time, it’s all about how you design your tables with the vintage items, the flowers you choose, the furniture style used and even the dress attire of the wedding party. All the small details will be noticed, I promise you, so have fun with it! Here are some furniture rental companies in the San Antonio area:

If you need help planning your vintage-styled wedding please contact Trudy Scott of Royalty Events Planning at 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

Table Decor Do’s & Don’ts At Your Wedding – San Antonio Wedding Coordinator

IMG_7540As a wedding coordinator, I have seen it all in terms of décor. Each couple has their own budget and style which determines what the entire feel and look will be of their wedding. I do try and make suggestions for adding elegance and a little more pizazz to the table but it is up the couple if they will follow that advice or not.

Don’ts For Table Decor

Let’s talk about the Don’ts of what to do for your table décor. This list is what I have actually seen at weddings and I have frowned upon. However, there is really nothing I can do when everything has been ordered or purchased and this is what I have to work with when setting it all up.

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1. Don’t rent or purchase shorter linens than the table. It doesn’t look classy to have the legs popping out at the bottom! Guests do notice.  If you aren’t sure about the length call a rental/linen company that can tell you exactly the size you need. Do you know what a 108, 120 or 132 is? You need an expert to tell you.

2. Don’t have clashing linen textures on different tables. Stick to one type, i.e. satin, polyester, crinkle, etc., and make sure all the tables are using this same type. This includes the cake, gift and sign in tables too.

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3. Don’t have just a small centerpiece in the middle of the table with nothing else on the table. This looks so blah. Don’t you want the wow factor when guests walk into the venue and see the reception? I’ll give you ideas under the “Do’s List”.

4. Don’t do some crazy origami fold for the napkin. Guests will wonder why a swan is on the table. You don’t need that!

 

5. The white linen with the colored overlay. This look is so old fashion. You don’t need the overlay!

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6. Using the same centerpiece for all the tables. This will make the room seem very uniformed and uninteresting.

Do’s For Table Decor

My favorite part of a wedding is setting it up. I love to get creative and make each and every area look the best it can. If I know I’ll be setting up a specialty table like a candy bar, cigar bar, dessert table, etc., I usually will bring extra décor that I own with me to jazz up the table even more (the couples don’t even know I do this). It’s just something I love to do! Here is a list of Do’s for your table décor at your wedding.

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1. Do personalize the table with menu cards, unique table #’s (or places you’ve traveled, favorite things to do together, favorites of each other, etc.), pictures of each other, small trinkets of something important to the both of you, décor that goes with the theme (ex. antique décor or maracas – I have had couples do both of these).

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2. Fold the napkin in simple ways such as the rectangle traditional fold or the waterfall fold where it hangs over the edge of the table. For a touch of elegance you could put the napkin in the water glass but this gets tricky when the caterer is trying to fill the water glasses.

3. If you have to choose between white or ivory linens go with the ivory. It is a more elegant color and looks better with additional colors. White linens reminds me too much of a sweet sixteen party.

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4. Stick with just FLOOR LENGTH linen and no table overlay. You don’t need it! Color can be added in the flowers and napkins. There are beautiful linens nowadays (the champagne color is one of my favorites) and that’s all you need!

5. If you have more than 15 tables then you need to have 3 types of centerpieces to really give the room a nice look. I recommend a tall, medium and low (or switch out the low for a candlescape with elegant candle holders). Just be sure on the medium size that guests can see each other still from across the table. Use different styled vases too so the tables have their own look. Get creative! If you are using white or ivory table cloths then use some color in your centerpieces to spice up the room.

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6. Add even more to the table with these ideas: chargers, party favor, dinnerware and glasses. When you add your personalized items that I mentioned from above, your table is complete and will look beautiful!

7. I did want to mention the chair…Chiavari chairs are my first preference but can be a little pricey if you’re on a budget. The next option is the bistro chair and then the folding chair. I would recommend one of these options before covering the chairs. It is completely my opinion, but I feel the room looks classier without the chair covers. Again, it looks so uniformed and like a sweet sixteen party with them on.

If you need help with your décor and how you should design the look and feel of your wedding reception please contact me. I have seen a lot of weddings and can tell you what I have found looks fantastic! I’m here for you!! Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263, http://www.RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

 

 

The Wedding Party- Who to choose and what to wear? – San Antonio Wedding Coordinator

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One of the first things you’ll probably think of after getting engaged is who you’re going to ask to be a bridesmaid and groomsmen, right? It can be hard to narrow down your selection. You don’t want to hurt feelings. You think about who can afford to be in my wedding. Who is the closest to me? These were all questions I thought of because I had been in several friend’s weddings prior to my own wedding but knew that I wouldn’t be able to have them in mine just for the fact of I felt like I had too many already for the size of my wedding & the cost of it. If I had it my way I would have had 10-11 girls but kept it at 7. I couldn’t even narrow down a maid or matron of honor so I ended up with one of each!

What if there are more guys or girls on one side? That is perfectly fine! As a coordinator in San Antonio, I have seen this happen time and again. The simple way of making it work is having 2 groomsmen walking with 1 girl for the recessional, for example. That’s all! No harm.

Before asking any of your wedding party you need to first sit down with your fiancé and decide on how large you want the wedding party to be. If you want a small intimate wedding then having 7-8 each would be too many. Also, it is important that you pick a church/ceremony location that will be large enough for your wedding party to either stand at the altar or sit down in the front row. I’ve done some ceremonies where we had to have 2 rows on either side because their were 10+ each.

Get creative with the way in which you ask. Wouldn’t it be fun to hand deliver a small gift with an invitation inviting them to partake in your wedding. How fun! If you had an engagement party you could ask them while there and/or announce to everyone who they were.

Your Responsibility

IMG_6788Even though you are not responsible for paying for the wedding party attire you still need to keep in mind other expenses that are involved.

  • Their Bouquet/Boutonnierre
  • Their dinner at the rehearsal and reception and possibly for their guest
  • Their wedding party gift
  • Transportation Expenses to the reception

Some couples, as a nice gesture, might even pay a portion of the attire cost or provide the shoes or piece of jewelry for it.

The Attire

This brings us to the attire. You will want to research styles of current trends both online and in stores. I recommend looking online first and if you see a dress you really like (and the bridesmaids like) then call around to different stores in your area and see if they carry it or something very similar. That will save a lot of time. Please limit how many girls go with you to look at dresses. Everyone has different ideas as to what looks best on them. You will never get all the girls to agree on 1 dress. If your maid of honor likes it and a couple of others that go with you….note that dress as a good possibility. It will be your final decision to make, not theirs.

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The maid/matron of honor doesn’t have to wear the same dress or color as the others. I see this a lot. What about having all the girls in a different shade of pastels or have a few dress options in the same color? How about everyone picking our their own black dress, you decide on length, for an evening wedding? In a past wedding I was in she did that and it worked out great! That way all body types will look good in something. I currently have a bride that really wanted a floral design on her dresses but couldn’t find anything so she is having a seamstress make her dress. I’ve been in weddings in the past where this happened. I remember even renting my dress at a wedding I was in. This would be a great affordable way for the girls. You know how the saying goes, you wear it once and never wear it again…it is true! I’ve been in 7 weddings and never wore my dress again.

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IMG_7505For the groomsmen, decide on how formal you are wanting to go. I’ve seen a lot of styles with the guys too. Everything from pants with white shirts and suspenders to the tux. Suits are a very common choice right now and a lot of couples are choosing this option for the men. Bow ties are coming back and at my most recent wedding the groom looked so cute with his bow tie on! Have fun with the attire!! Make a statement!

Bella Bridesmaids and Debi’s Bridal, both of San Antonio, are great places for getting bridesmaid’s dresses. If you need some guidance on how to choose your wedding party or have any other questions about coordinating please contact me. I would love to help you! Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com.

Should I use videography for my wedding? – San Antonio Wedding Coordinator

I just received a beautifully done highlights video from Christian Ellis Images and decided to use this blog to talk about your videography for your wedding this week. This video is of a couple I helped coordinate their wedding for at Spinelli’s in Comfort, Texas. Lets watch the video first and then talk more about this important topic for your wedding. Click on the picture to be taken to their highlights video.

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  Click on photo for highlights video

How important is videography for you? As a coordinator, I see it vary from couple to couple. Some MUST have it while others just don’t care. I think that it should be an important part of your wedding. What is nice is that the videographer can create a 4-7 minute highlight video so you don’t have to fast forward through all the raw footage. You can then share this short video to all your friends and family. What a great way of remembering your wedding with these videos!

I have to tell you a funny story about my own wedding (years before I was a coordinator). I just didn’t have it in my budget to hire a professional videographer so we had “Uncle xyz” film it with his camera. I don’t even know where to begin. The camera moved constantly, he would zoom in and out all the time, you couldn’t hear anything and he videoed so much pre-stuff that his camera went dead after the ceremony!!! I got 30 seconds of my reception. I was a little upset about this. Plus what he got isn’t good at all, sorry Uncle xyz (I changed the name to protect his identity, lol).

There are different styles of videographers in San Antonio that each have there own unique look and feel to their videos. There are the crisp, modern feel, the romantic & dramatic ones (like above), and the movie-like ones as in the one above plus the following. Crissman Videography is a videographer that my couples have used numerous times and his work is spectacular. He is always trying to improve himself and is currently working on ariel shots through a drone he just purchased. That is pretty cool! Here is a highlights video he did at a wedding I coordinated at the La Orilla Ballroom.

During the interview process be sure to ask the videographer these important questions:

  1. What do your packages consist of?
  2. Do I need you before the ceremony? (if you want a little of the both of you getting ready then, “yes”.)
  3. Do you have some videos I can see? (be sure to watch some of these before signing a contract)
  4. Do you do any special effects in your highlights video?
  5. What sets you apart from other videographers?
  6. What is your deposit? When is payment due?
  7. Will you have more than 1 camera person?
  8. What do you wear? (some are more casual than others so you’ll want to be aware of this especially if it is a formal event).
  9. How long will it take to get the video back?
  10. Will I have the rights to send it to whoever I like?
  11. What if I decide the day of that I want you to stay longer than originally agreed upon?
  12. Can I choose the song for the highlights video?
  13. Will I get all the raw footage that you shoot?
  14. Will you use mics for the ceremony?
  15. Can we have guests come up to you and say something to us for the video?

It is important to ask the potential videographer all these questions because each one has their own rules, packages and timeframes for doing everything. I encourage you to try and budget for a videographer so you will always have the special moments of your wedding you can reflect on in the years to come. As a coordinator, my job is to…

Create Memories For a Lifetime

Creating Fun

I am in the San Antonio area if you need help planning your wedding. Please contact me! Trudy Scott, Royalty Events Planning, 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com

Choosing the ideal music for your wedding – San Antonio Wedding Coordinator

Arranging for the best kind of music at your wedding will really set a tone, entertain your guests, and keep your dance floor filled throughout the event. You’ll need to arrange for music in different areas of your wedding…the ceremony and reception (cocktail hour, dinner and after dinner). Your budget will be a deciding factor as to how many and what kind of music you will have throughout the events of the wedding. Every couple wants a fun and entertaining reception. I recommend a lot of your budget be set aside for your music and entertainment. Let’s break it down…..

Ceremony

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At my wedding, I had an outdoor ceremony and knew I wanted a trio of strings to play. I was on a budget and knew it would probably be ok to only have 3 play vs the typical quartet. It worked out just fine. The more popular musicians are going to cost you a little more but you know you’re going to get a really good group that is reliable, professional and sounds great. One way to save on this is to contact the music department of local colleges and see if there are students that play on the side. I can guarantee you they will be cheaper but you are chancing the quality and reliability. If you are getting married at a church look into their organist. This might be included in their ceremony services at no charge. Guitarists are another great idea for a different style of music you want played. Something that is done a lot in San Antonio is Mariachi bands. Mariachis really make a statement and is entertaining for sure. I had a couple that got married in very old cathedral with a very traditional Catholic ceremony but really wanted the Mariachis to play there for an even more authentic Mexican feel. It was spectacular! The easiest and most popular way of having the music for the ceremony is through the DJ. They can usually set up an extra speaker and create a song list just for the ceremony.

I have seen many of my couples extend the guitarist, strings and Mariachi bands into the cocktail hour as well.

Cocktail Hour

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You can usually get a good rate by extending out the music from the ceremony into the cocktail hour. You’ll want background music played typically during this timeframe while the family and couple are taking pictures. Mariachi bands are entertaining so a lot of times the band will play half way through the cocktail hour and part of dinner so the couple can enjoy them as well. One hour is a good timeframe for them to play. I have seen jazz bands & guitarists hired just for the cocktail hour as well. Having the DJ play background music is the simplest and probably cheapest way. Even better is using an ipod.

Music during dinner

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Dinner usually takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on how many guests are at the wedding. As a coordinator, I always tell my couples how important it is to greet your guests. All of the guests came from all over just to attend your wedding. It would be disrespectful by not saying, “Thank you.” I usually advise the couple to eat quickly and then use the dinnertime to greet the guests. With that being said, you would not want your band or DJ to start playing loud dance music during dinner. You could have them play some soft background music or even set up an ipod with your play list. Some venues even have their own surround sound system and you might be able to use theirs. I do not recommend having the mariachis play for the entirety of dinner as they are very loud and they might start to annoy the guests after a while. Keep it simple during dinner.

Music after dinner

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Now the fun starts! Dinner is done and let the dancing begin. Again, depending on your budget you will want to either hire a DJ or a band. Popular local bands can easily cost up to $6,000-$8,000 so make sure you budget well for this. You’ll want a band that has a repertoires that span all kinds of music for all types of guests. Guests really love the live bands and I have never seen a wedding where no one danced with a live band. I always see it opposite of that. The right DJ is so important. Your wedding coordinator can advise you of the best ones so be sure to really take her advice. You want a DJ that has the experience, is professional, fun and reliable. I recently coordinated a wedding and I must say that this DJ I worked with really got the guests on their feet. Everyone was dancing and had the best time!

A few DJ’s that I recommend in the San Antonio area are DJ For Hire, Cutting Edge Entertainment, and 5150 Productions.

The DJ can make or break an event so be sure to interview them and ask these questions:

  1. How many years experience do you have being a DJ?
  2. How many events have you DJ’d?
  3. Do you have a video or recording your can share with us?
  4. What will you be wearing?
  5. How do you charge (hourly, the event)?
  6. What is the additional cost for an extra hour?
  7. do you take breaks?
  8. Will you emcee during the reception?
  9. Will you put together a timeline (if you do not have a coordinator)?
  10. Will you play requests?
  11. What does your packages include (lights, uplighting, gobo, etc.)?
  12. What is the deposit?
  13. When is payment due?
  14. How long will it take you to set up?
  15. What do you need for the set up (table, chair, linen, electrical outlet)?
  16. Will you play outside?
  17. Do you have an extra speaker for the ceremony location? If so, is it an extra charge?
  18. Do you provide a lapel mic?
  19. Do you have references and testimonials?

If you need help planning your wedding please contact Trudy Scott at 210-595-9263 or Trudy@RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com. Please go “like” my FB page to keep up with events, tips, pictures and blogs of mine. I am here to help! http://www.RoyaltyEventsPlanning.com

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