#TuesdayTips :: Make it Mobile

These days you have the freedom to get as creative as you want with your wedding day! I just love how just about everything is mobile these days! I personally did a wedding last year where the bride & groom had a surprise for their guests - - after dinner, an ice cream sandwich truck showed up! You should have seen everyone's faces! Make it mobile and give your guests an unexpected surprise!

"Maggie" the Mobile Bar from Saddles and Sapphires

Mobile Bars
How cool is it for someone to bring the bar to YOU? There are many different options when looking for a beverage service, so look into having a mobile bar at your wedding and all the attention that goes with it!

Penguin Perry's Ice Cream Sandwich Truck

Mobile Desserts
As I mentioned above, last year we had a wedding where the bride & groom hired Penguin Perry's to show up at their reception and serve ice cream sandwiches after dinner. The guests were absolutely in love! An ice cream truck of any kind is a welcomed surprise and a sweet treat for your guests!

Stella Buttercup from The Camper Concierge

Mobile Photo Booth
Photo booths have been popular for quite some time now. The mobile photo booth is another way to give your guests something entertaining to do, incorporate your colors or theme with props and signs, and it gives a fun lasting memory for you and your guests to take home.

Ruthie's Rolling Café

Mobile Food Trucks
Late night surprise snack? Outdoor reception dinner option? There are local food trucks available in just about every style of cuisine you could ever imagine, and you can book them to come serve delicious things at your event! Mexican? Cajun? Asian? Homestyle cookin'? There's a truck with just about any type of food you crave!  

Petunia by Bunches Rockwall

Mobile Flowers
Another attention grabber are the mobile floral trucks! They give off such a romantic vibe! They add romance and curiosity, not to mention the incredibly sweet scents wafting in the air!

Brookielynn's Bungalow Bus

Photo by Lauren Sellari Photography

Mobile Photo Props
Whether you want bridal portraits, family photos, or holiday special photos, renting a vehicle as a prop is a fabulous idea. You can rent just about anything from VW Busses (which so many people love!) to antique trucks and classic cars. 

Open House at Sparrow Creek Ranch

Sparrow Creek Ranch hosted their first open house last weekend and it was a wonderful success! I was completely proud to be chosen as the planner/coordinator for the event! Myself, along with 18 fabulous vendors, put together an amazing day filled with beautiful, delicious, and entertaining things for brides to experience! Guests attended from all over DFW, both east and west, and even farther...we had visitors from as far as Las Vegas!

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

SCR is a rustic chic barn located an hour west of Fort Worth in Graham, Texas. It was built by hand with love by Kevin Fullerton. He spent evenings building it for 6 months in preparation for his daughter Kalli's wedding. It was a labor of love, and it's an incredible story! The special touches he included are priceless! Contact SCR for a tour and a first hand look at the amazing details that make this venue!

The day included some amazing touches by everyone involved! The Mini-Barn is available at SCR (also lovingly made by Kevin). We used it as a champagne bar where guests could pick up a mimosa on their way in! We organized a strolling fashion show along with two mock ceremonies and mock reception tables....and since everything was already set for the day, our photographers shot some "styled shoots" of the fashion show models in the incredible mock setups! On top of all the fun things going on, we gave away 15 prizes! Click here to see a collection of the open house photos from all of our wonderful photographers and vendors!

Thank you to each and every vendor who put their time and effort into making this day amazing for our guests, and thank you to each couple who attended with friends and family to enjoy the event!

Audrey's Florist

Borrowed Treasures TX

Bridal by Maia

Cakes by Teresa Ford

DJ Platinum T

Double R Trading Co.

Joy's Flowers Graham

Krazy Cakes

Lucero Cervantes Photography

Michell Events

Mike's Westside Rental

Mirror Magic North Texas

Providence Place Bridal

RV&V "Stella Buttacup" (formerly Cozy Cruiser)

Season Hallelujah

Sister & Sister / SASE Shirts

Sparrow Creek Ranch

Texoma Photo Booths

Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Strolling Fashion Show :: Bridal by Maia, Providence Place Bridal

Styled Shoots :: Lucero Cervantes Photography, Whitney Bowman Photography

Music + Announcements :: DJ Platinum T

Ceremony Rentals :: Borrowed Treasures TX, Mike's Westside Rental

Reception Rentals :: Borrowed Treasures TX, Mike's Westside Rental, Michell Events

Flowers :: Joy's Flowers Graham, Audrey's Florist, Michell Events

Planning + Coordination :: Michell Events

Chalkboard Signs, Calligraphy + Stationery :: Season Hallelujah

Photo Booths :: RV&V, Mirror Magic North Texas, Texoma Photo Booths

Wedding Cakes :: Cakes by Teresa Ford, Krazy Cakes

Venue + Mini-Barn Champagne Bar :: Sparrow Creek Ranch

Gifts + Attire :: Sister & Sister / SASE Shirts, Providence Place Bridal, Double R Trading Co.

Photo by Lucero Cervantes Photography

Photo by Michell Events

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Kevin Fullerton + Family :: Sparrow Creek Ranch

Photo by Whitney Bowman Photography

Planning Tips :: 5 Ways to Greet Your Guests in Style

Greet your guests with an unexpected surprise as they arrive at your ceremony or reception. A small special touch will go a long way! You want your guests to feel comfortable, welcomed, and appreciated, so add a special touch that they will remember!

Greet them with a cocktail or mocktail. If you're having an outdoor summer wedding, set up a cute table with mason jars of iced lemonade and straws. If you're having a more elegant indoor affair, greet them with a white gloved server and a silver tray of champagne flutes containing a special champagne cocktail created specifically for your wedding.

 

Photo by Steven Mastroianni

Provide interactive entertainment. Photo and video booths make for great entertainment and give your guests something to do during your cocktail hour. You can incorporate your guest book with the photo booth, so when guests arrive they can take a photo and put in the book as they sign. You can even provide props that go with the theme of your wedding! A caricature artist is always a great form of entertainment. Even those who don't want their own photo drawn enjoy watching the artist draw others. A strolling magician is another great idea to keep guests of all ages entertained. 

 Photo by Boothographers

Have games and icebreakers available. It usually happens that there are guests at the wedding who don't know everyone, so create a fun game of ice breaker questions about your and your groom-to-be that will get your guests talking. It will be an entertaining conversation starter! Games like cornhole and horseshoes are great for outdoor events. You can also provide a few casino games, whether it's renting a roulette table or simply putting dice on the cocktail tables.

Photo from RootWeddings.com

Hire live musicians. Whether you have a harpist or a string trio for your ceremony, or a jazz trio for your cocktail hour, live musicians create a festive ambiance for your wedding. We've had tropical themed weddings with steel drummers, trumpet fanfare as guests arrive, and even bagpipers! Make it different than the normal unnoticeable background music and your guests will be sure to take notice.

Photo by Michell Events

Provide a "sugar rush" to get the party started. Candy stations and buffets are very popular with children and adults alike! The candy buffet can be designed in your wedding colors to add to the decor of the room, and providing take home bags for the guests will create an interactive favor station for everyone to participate in. Provide scoops and tongs, label each different candy with a sign , and get creative with the setup using jars, bowls and vases.....your guests will enjoy the pre-party boost!

Photo by Michell Events

7 Ideas for a Glamorous New Year's Eve Wedding

Throwing a NYE wedding is I've had the pleasure of working on a few NYE weddings and parties throughout the years, and one thing's for sure....they're always full of sparkle, personality and fun! Pop the bubbly, cheers with your loved ones and ring in the New Year as Mr. & Mrs. in style!

Champagne Bottle Guestbook
A creative way to provide a "guestbook" for guests to sign, and a wonderful addition to your home to look back and remember for the years to come!

Clocks
This is a timeless and classic theme for NYE weddings! Don't go overboard with it, but using clocks as accent throughout your décor is a classy touch!

Fireworks & Sparklers
NYE is the perfect time for fireworks and sparklers! Arrange a special fireworks show for your guests with professionals, or have a sparkling grand exit by providing sparklers for your guests!

Urban Fringe Living

Photo Booth & Props
Photo booths are a great way to provide fun entertainment for your guests, plus a keepsake for you! Have a sparkly photo booth background for the occasion and provide some funny themed props!

Paper Sparkle Designs

Champagne Signature Drinks
NYE is a classy night, so make your bar match accordingly! Offer a champagne cocktail as a signature drink for your guests so they can chime in your marriage (and the New year) in style!

Southern Living

Sparkly Dresses
New Year's is definitely a time for glitz and glamour! The ladies can dress accordingly with sparkle and shimmer for a NYE wedding!

Theodora James

Resolutions for Table Numbers

Choose a group of love resolutions and use them as table numbers. Your guests will mingle around the room in order to read them all...

Pink Lotus

Planning Tips :: Wedding Budget Breakdown :: Entertainment

Entertaining your guests is an important part of any event. Give them something memorable to look back on! The suggested budget for entertainment is 10%, so for example, a $20,000 wedding would have a $2,000 entertainment budget. Keep in mind that you can lessen or not use other portions of the budget that you don't want or need and add that to your entertainment budget.

Entertainment can include the following types of vendors:
-DJ
-Live band for the Reception
-Live musicians for pre-ceremony, ceremony entrance and exit
-Live painter to paint your event as it happens
-Caricature artist to draw your guests 
-Live dancers to put on a show
-Fireworks show and a sparkler exit

Here are some ideas for FREE or extremely inexpensive entertainment:

- Create a scavenger hunt for your guests. Print the list for your guests and include it in your programs or at each place setting so they can join in the fun throughout the evening.

- Get social! Create a #hashtag and/or Snapchat filter for your wedding. Put out signs or cards asking guests to snap photos and post them using your #hashtag and filter. Entertainment plus memories to keep!

- If you have an outdoor venue, set up lawn games for your guests. Hula Hoops, Horseshoes, Lawn Dice, Cornhole, Giant Jenga, etc... If you don't have the ability to put these together on your own, they can be rented rather inexpensively....or maybe even borrowed from a friend.

-Surprise Dance! Whether it's the bride & groom, bride & her father, or groom & his mother...a surprise fun and funky dance will be loads of fun for the guests! Start out slow and then surprise the guests by switching it up into something fun! You can even invite the guests to join in and increase the fun!

- Flash Mob! Plan it with family and friends in plenty of time before the event. Pick a song and dance, teach it to some family and friends, and create your own surprise flash mob at the reception!

:: TIPS ::

1. Combine portions of your budget to get extra bang for your buck:
Fresh Made Cotton Candy Cart with Take Home Bags (entertainment/favors)
Photo/Video Booth with Props (entertainment/photography)
Surprise Late Night Food or Dessert Truck (entertainment/food + beverage)
Chocolate Fountain and Hands-On Desserts (entertainment/food + beverage)

2. Be sure to check your contract for start and end times and any additional fees or requirements. Know what the overtime charges are so you can plan accordingly just in case.

3. Make sure any musician, bands or live entertainment will deliver and set up themselves, and make sure they come with all necessary resources needed to perform (sound system, a plan for power access, etc...). You don't want to have surprises at the last minute!

4. If you're having multiple musicians (for example, a harpist for the ceremony and a band for the reception) see if you can book them all through one agency. This makes coordinating much easier, and you may even save a bit when booking this way.



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