Posts Tagged ‘wedding planning’

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

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.

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.

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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