Leah + Josh

If I could take all of the important emotions that should go into a wedding day and compile them into one room, it would be Leah and Josh's wedding at the historic One Eleven East venue in Hutto, TX. This wedding was full of so much joy, peace, happiness, jubilation, and most importantly love. The blue grass band was the perfect choice to complete this wedding day as guests gathered around to dance and celebrate. Not only was their love for one another evident, so was the love that each guest brought into the room. This will be a wedding I will always remember. Sometimes it isn't about the decor or the perfect timeline. It's about coming together to celebrate one of the most magical experiences we have on earth - devoting our life to another soul. Leah and Josh did just that. Sending you blessings for years to come!

A special thank you to Lindsey Baker Photography for capturing the love and jubilee on this day so flawlessly. Pure talent, my friend. Scroll down to see how she captured the day and for the full vendor list.

Vendors:

Wedding Planner and Coordination: ACH Events

Venue: One Eleven East

Photography: Lindsey Baker Photography

Rentals: 10th Collection

Catering Team: El Chile Group

Cakes: Sugar Mamas Bakeshop

Blue Grass Band: Matthew Downing Music

Bar: She + Him Bartending

Floral and Decor: Put together by family and friends

Congratulations on your engagement! Getting engaged is such a fun and exciting time in your life! You are starting the whole process to make a lifelong commitment to each other. But if you aren’t careful, all of the joy and excitement can be overshadowed by the pressure to plan a guest list, book vendors, pay deposits, and quickly you can find yourself stressed about the whole process instead of enjoying it. The first steps you take after your engagement can really set you up for success!

With engagement season in November and December, and booking season in January and February, it is extremely important to prioritize items on your wedding to-do list that need to get done first to make sure you lock in the vendors that are most important to you before someone else does.

So you got engaged, now what?

The first thing I always tell brides is budget, budget, budget. Figure out exactly how much you are looking to spend total. Make sure you know how much your parents plan to contribute, or in-laws, or if you are financing yourself, and decide exactly what budget you want to stay within. This is super important for you to be able to know exactly how much you should allocate in the budget for each vendor.

Once you have established an overall budget, decide the items that are most important to you. Is your date flexible? Do you have a dream venue? Have you had your eye on a specific photographer you know you definitely want to hire? All of these things are factors that play into what your budget for each item should be, and it will also help prioritize which vendors to book first.

For some, the wedding date is extremely important because certain days of the year have significant meaning. If that is the case, start reaching out to venues as soon as possible and see what their availability is. For others, the dream venue is the most important. Make an appointment and go see it and lock in a date as soon as possible. Typically if it is your dream venue, it is a lot of other couple’s dream venue as well and venues can book up peak dates and months two years in advance!

If you are looking for a way to keep up with your budget and deposits and see what you have remaining, click the link below and you can download my user-friendly budget spreadsheet! Plug in your vendors, put what your total contract amount is, put what you paid for a deposit, and it will show you your remaining balance due and your overall total cost. This can help you stay more on tract with your budget.

In addition to budget and prioritizing vendors, you also need to write down your top three must haves for the big day. Is having a ton of flowers super important to you? Then make sure you allocate a little less for the caterer/bar and add that to the floral budget. Are you more interested in a high-end caterer or a plated meal? Then maybe hiring a DJ instead of band is a better choice. Writing down and establishing what is important to you can help you determine what you would like to spend on each vendor.

When looking at different vendors, be sure to price out and compare packages. Not every vendor has the same packages so be sure to know exactly what you are paying for. And as a rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. If photos are extremely important to you, make sure you allocate enough of the budget to afford an established and experience photographer. There are certain areas you can cut cost to keep a wedding affordable, just remember like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Lastly, if you need help figuring out what cake vendor to use, or florist, etc., ask around! Vendors love to work with people in the industry who also do a fabulous job and can definitely lead you in the right direction. If you plan on hiring a wedding coordinator or planner, think about booking them sooner in the process, rather than later. A wedding planner or coordinator’s goal is for you to have an amazing and perfect day and they are going to refer you to other vendors who are going to help make that happen. I absolutely love helping brides get the best vendor for their style and budget and it can make the wedding day go much smoother knowing you have a solid team of vendors.

Have any other questions while you are kick starting the planning process? Please feel free to email me! Congratulations again on your engagement and happy planning!

Ashley and Colin's Georgetown wedding encompassed everything a perfect Texas wedding should: the Texas Hill Country, gorgeous bouquets of flowers with warm colors, glitz and glam for the reception, a large bridal party, margaritas, and a ton of laughter! These two are so very special to me as I have known Colin almost his entire life and Ashley a couple of years. Their wedding day could not have been more flawless and perfect. They even picked up the hashtag #barbieandken between all of the vendors because they were seriously the most perfect bride and groom.

Ashley and Colin, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your big day. You two are a force to be reckoned with and will go on to change the world together. You have smiles brighter than the sun and contagious personalities that can bring laughter to any room. I wish you both the very best in your marriage and in life and many many years of happiness to come!

A special thanks to Eureka Photography for capturing the day so perfectly. Mylah, you did a phenomenal job.

Thank you to all of the other vendors who made this day unforgettable!

Wedding Planner and Coordinator: Abbie Cole Hillis Events

Photography: Eureka Photography

Venue: The Milestone Georgetown

Floral & Decor: Bouquets of Austin

Cake: Classy Cakes by Lori

Catering Team: Catering by Mopsie

Officiant: Short and Sweet Weddings

DJ: Complete Wedding and Events

Ceremony Music: Angelic Strings

Hair and Make up: Beauty by Shannon Nicole

Dress: Danielle's Bridal Boutique - Colorado

As the wedding planning process comes to an end, a big daunting task that is typically left to a week or two before the wedding is figuring out which vendors to tip and how much.

The rule of thumb is to definitely tip the vendors who don’t work for themselves where the workers probably only get a portion of what you pay the main company. This puts a little extra cash in their pockets and rewards great service. I always tell my clients, if you know someone has gone above and beyond, no matter what they have charged, and you feel like they deserve a little something, by all means feel free to tip them.

Below is a break down of all the different vendors and what the typical protocol is for tipping each of them.

Catering/Bartending:

For catering, always double check that your contract and payments to your caterer don’t already include tip. If they don’t, you should tip 15 to 20 percent of the total bill. Another way to tip is offering $50 to $100 for each bartender and $20 to $50 per server.

Photographer and Videographer:

If the photographer or videographer has their own company/studio they are not expecting a tip but if they are working under someone, then giving them an extra $50 to $200 is a nice gesture. I always suggest to tip any second-shooters $50-100.

Ceremony Staff and Reception Staff:

It's not mandatory to tip the ceremony staff, reception staff and delivery staff, but if you'd like to, then you can offer them $20-$50 each.

Officiant:

Often times officiants won't accept tips, but a $100 donation to their church is a great way to thank them. If the officiant is non-denominational, consider giving them a $50-$100 tip, especially if they aren't charging for your service.

Wedding Planner:

Wedding planners won't expect a tip, so this is optional based on service. If you were given a huge discount or the planner went far above and beyond their contracted services, offering a tip of 10-20% is a nice way of saying "thank you" for the efforts.

Hair and Makeup Artist:

A 15 to 20 percent tip is expected, just like it would be for any other regular salon visit, but it isn't required. If each individual is paying for their own services, be sure to communicate whether they are in charge of tip or if the bride is taking care of it. Sometimes this can get lost in communication.

Band or DJ:

For musicians, a $25 to $50 tip per band member is appropriate. Offering an extra $50-$100 tip is a nice gesture to your DJ, especially if they have to carry a lot of heavy equipment from one location to the next.

Transportation:

If it isn't included in the contract, 15% would be a nice tip but not a must.

Florist:

The florist doesn't expect a tip. However, they do typically do a lot of work to set up and tear down for a wedding. An additional, 10-15% tip is always nice.

I always tell my clients to have any outstanding balances and tips in labeled envelopes with the vendor’s name on the outside on the day of the wedding. This way I can confirm that all outstanding balances are taken care of and tip money is put into the appropriate vendor’s hands.

I also advise my clients to bring a couple hundred dollars cash on their wedding day, if they aren’t sure how much each person is worth tipping and extra envelopes. As the night progresses, if they see someone going above and beyond, they can always have me pull from that cash to tip those vendors who deserve a little extra. Again, definitely not a necessity but maybe a different way of handling tips if you aren’t sure on a tip amount.

If you are trying to stay as budget-friendly as possible, a great way to show your appreciation for all the vendors involved in making your wedding day special is to write a heart-felt thank you note that can be passed to each of the vendors as they set up the day. Vendors also love to be reviewed and referred so make writing reviews online part of your post-wedding to-do list and refer your friends!

Between visiting venues and testing out your favorite cake, it is easy to forget some of the smaller details to make your wedding day as special and perfect as it can be! One of my favorite pieces of advice to engaged couples is to plan the wedding that you want with the details that matter to you. Guests will love the uniqueness and it will make the day that much more special for the two of you.

Music –

Get creative with your ceremony music list that you either give to your DJ or your ceremony musician. Do you and your fiancé have a favorite song you love to jam out to in the car that is upbeat? Use it for the ceremony recessional! Along the same lines, do you love the piano? Then hire a pianist for an hour to play before, during, and after the ceremony. You typically only need to contract them for an hour, and it is a minimal hit to your budget. Using songs that have a greater significance to you will naturally make the day more special!

Special Time for the Bride and Groom –

Schedule time in your day to spend a few minutes alone. I always recommend this to the bride and groom and it is always a hit! Step away for 15 minutes to eat dinner alone in the bridal suite before your grand entrance into the reception, or if you want to eat with your guests, plan 10 minutes in the bridal suite or groom suite with just the two of you to kiss and hug and indulge in the fact that you are officially married before all the partying and celebration begins. One of my favorites is a special dance at the end of the night while all of the guests line up for the send off. Schedule a song for the DJ to play, and have one last dance to end the night with just you and your spouse. Plus, it will give the photographer the opportunity to get one last romantic shot.

Guest Book –

If you are okay with branching out from the traditional wedding scene, then branch out with your guest book! There are plenty of ways to make a completely original guest book that you and your fiancé can use years after your wedding, instead of a book that just sits on a shelf. One of my personal favorites was a bench that a groom made for a bride and had it sitting out by the welcome table to have each guest sign. The bride and groom have a gorgeous backyard, and now the bench will be a special piece that will always remind them of their wedding day. If you are looking to add a fun piece of wall décor to your new home together, hire a calligrapher to make a wooden sign to have on the sign in table and have guests sign the wood and hang it on your wall to enjoy for years!

Cake/Sweets Table –

It is extremely easy to ride on the side of caution when it comes to the cake table. The Pinterest worthy cakes are absolutely gorgeous, but also come with a hefty price. I love to encourage the bride and groom to incorporate something original or their favorite sweet into the cake table. Guests absolutely love the change up, and it allows the bride and groom to eat something they truly love on the biggest day of their lives. I have seen a bride surprise the groom with a Whataburger cake that was the talk of the night. I have also had a bride order Round Rock Donuts to be the complimentary sweet towards the end of the reception with coffee, because who doesn’t love Round Rock Donuts? My favorite was when a bride and groom brought in Amy’s Ice Cream, local here to Austin, TX, because Amy’s was a staple in their relationship as they started dating. Regardless, the cake table does not always have to be just cake – there are so many other fun options to choose!

Favors –

Wedding favors are definitely not a necessity but can be a very fun way to let the bride and groom’s personality shine through. Does your grandma have a famous jam recipe? Have her make mini jam in mason jars, tie a cute note with a bow, and leave them out for guests to take with them! The guest will enjoy the yummy jam for months to come and it won’t go to waste like some favors can. Love chocolate? Personalize a chocolate bar with your names and picture for people to take with and enjoy. Serving beer cans or bottles at your wedding? One of the easiest ways to personalize your wedding favor is to print a unique design or saying on a koozie for your guests to take and enjoy every time they enjoy a beer at home.

Focus on what makes you and your fiancé, you! And try to incorporate your favorite foods, obsessions, and hobbies into the day. Whatever details you have left in the planning process, let this list inspire to cater your wedding to you and your fiancé’s tastes and personalities!