Since I have been with Plaza Lecea, I have worked 20+ wedding trade shows and have seen the overwhelmed faces and sheer exhaustion from most of the attendees. It’s hard on everyone attending and showing at these events, but you can do a few things to help take the stress off of yourself and so that you are really able to make the most out of your experience.

-Preregister! By going to http://www.weddingfairshow.com/orderform.asp you not only save $3 on admission, but you also save about 15-20 minutes when you get there by filling out your information online instead of waiting in line. Just remember to print out your receipt so there are no hassles or confusion on the day of the show.

-Wear comfy shoes. You’ll be thanking me afterwards. Since the show is at the JW Marriott, there is a lot of close, convenient parking; however, if you arrive when the show has already started, you may have to walk a pretty good distance. And, when you get inside you’ll be spending a good 2+ hours walking around. Give your feet a little break. On the flip side, if you wear something uncomfortable, there are some couches outside of the large room where most of the booths are if you (or fiancé or dad) need a break. And if you are super tired, check out the 5 hour energy sample booth! How awesome is that?

-Don’t eat ahead of time…unless you’ve already chosen your caterer, cake and chocolate fountain company. There is a lot of food at these shows, and you’ll get to taste and critique with your fiancé/mom/friend/insert any other person attending with you here. And seriously? Who doesn’t love a little cake or a chocolate dipped strawberry? They are hard to resist! Some of our caterers that will be on display at the show are:

• Absolutely Delicious Catering
• Catering by Celebrations
• Heavenly Gourmet
• Spice of Life Catering

And if you are super thirsty after tasting all of these delicious foods, you can stop by our booth for some water and to chat! We love to see our already booked brides just as much as the new ones.

-Make labels with your wedding info. Most vendors will ask you for your info, including us. Instead of your hand going numb from writing your wedding info over and over again, we have found that if you includes these items in a label, it will really save you a lot of time and hassle:

• Name, Fiance’s name
• Contact info: Address, email, phone
• Wedding date
• Approx. number of guests

-Bring a camera/camera phone. There will be lots of fabulous ideas and trends to check out at the show, so take some pictures to help you remember it all. And do not be afraid to go to booths and just take pictures of their set ups–we love the compliment that you like our taste and style, even if you’ll be having your event at another venue!

We really hope you have a fabulous time at the show. There are so many vendors to check out and we’d love for you to stop by our booth for more information about our facilities. There are only a few opportunities each year for wedding fairs and they really are worth the money to attend. You can knock out half of your wedding to-do list (or at least do a lot of the leg work with narrowing down your list of vendors) with your best friends while checking out some of San Antonio’s finest wedding vendors!

Til next time…happy planning!

By Susan & Stephanie

Wedding Toasts/Speeches are one of many memorable pieces of a wedding reception.  This memory will stay with the bride and groom forever so, if you are the best man or maid of honor, you’ll want to ensure you create that memorable speech that they’ll treasure.

You might be saying to yourself, “I don’t like to give speeches or talk in front of others” but it’s really okay!  Many people are uncomfortable speaking in front of others. If you speak from the heart the words will flow, but we definitely recommend writing your thoughts down so you have some sort of outline of what you’d like to cover. Keep it under about three minutes because people tend to lose focus easily. Here is a breakdown of the anatomy of a wedding speech:

• Opening: Many people start of their speech with a joke to break the ice and their nerves.
• Compliments: Compliment the bride, bridal party and guests (ie: I have never seen such an amazingly beautiful bride or crowd)followed by letting everyone there know who they are and how they know the couple
• Introduction: Introduce yourself and your relationship to the bride or groom.
• Story: Tell a story of how the couple met and your involvement or when you knew that their partner was different from all the others. It’s fun to joke during this time, but don’t include intimate details that would embarrass the couple. Check out the information below for questions that might help with the stories.
• Advice: Give any advice that you think is applicable. Ask your parents or any successful couple about why they have lasted and share this with your best friend. It might just save their marriage.
• Wishes for the Couple: Here is where you may get a little emotional and tell them about what you hope for in their future (ie: I wish you both the best in life and love).
• Toast: Raise your glass and ask guests to do so as well, and toast to the newlyweds.

If you are still struggling as to what you’ll be saying, think about what you know about the bride and the groom. You don’t need to mention lots of things, but those things that you love about each of them and about them together. Don’t forget the funny or crazy stuff you know about each of them also. Some questions you may want to ask yourself to prepare the speech are:

• How did you become friends and what makes your friendship special?
• What special moments as a family member do you have with either/or both of them?
• How did the couple meet?
• Why do you think they belong together?

If you need to read from a written speech, go ahead!  That’s okay too!  Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the bride and groom.  The bride and groom will appreciate anything you say or do.  Just relax, speak from the heart and let it happen.

On an added note, sometimes speeches are also given by the Father and Mother of the Bride, the Father and Mother of the Groom, and other close family members.  This is a great opportunity for the bride and groom to thank and toast their guests if they have not been able to make it to all the tables or if they did not do a receiving line.

The internet is full of information about this subject.  You can even find examples of speeches you can use.  All you’ll have to do is fill in the right information. Do some research if you need to, but it’s important to get it done ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about it at the last minute.

Here’s to the husband
And here’s to the wife;
May they remain
Lovers for life.
– Traditional toast

A toast to love and laughter, and happily ever after.
– Traditional toast

By Laura, ECC

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” -William Cullen Bryant

Autumn has officially arrived and while the weather here in San Antonio may not always look or feel like autumn, let Plaza Lecea give you some great autumn décor ideas to bring the look and feel of autumn to your event!

Party favors are great ways to thank your guests for coming to your event and can also add that touch of festivity to your event décor.  When we think of autumn, it just doesn’t seem complete without pumpkins!  Mini pumpkins can be purchased locally at craft stores and some grocers.  A simple ribbon hot glued around the pumpkin adds a great finishing touch to these easy and fun party favors.  For extra detail, a “thank you” note can easily be tied on to the stem!

Centerpieces:

For those events with multiple or even one main table, think candy corn for the centerpieces!  These bright and colorful little candies add the perfect blend of fall colors to create a brilliant centerpiece.  By filling a glass jar with your desired amount of candy corn and topping off with either candles or flowers, a festive and elegant centerpiece is born!

Another fun idea is using pumpkins and leaves! What isn’t more autumn than this duo? We love the idea of pinning leaves to the top of a pumpkin so that the pumpkin looks like a vase and the leaves look like flowers. Using silk leaves with wire “veining” works best and using lots of leaves will give the best full-effect. Even using a combination of pumpkins, leaves and candy corn will really bring an autumn theme to life!

Decoration:

When deciding upon your event decorations, don’t think expensive, think CONSTRUCTIVE!  For a spook-tacular event, these fun and simple decorative candles can be made with an inexpensive glass votive and black construction paper!  A hole punch and a permanent marker can be used to create the appearance of eyes.

Want a more elegant feel to your candles?  Choose a burnt orange or a crimson red and a leaf or floral shaped hole punch that can be located at your local craft store!

Linens:

Don’t forget that your table linens can create all the difference when it comes to bringing color to your event!  We have tons of fall colors, including burnt orange, deep red, chocolate brown, champagne, olive green, plum and ivory in lots of different textures! At Plaza Lecea, we provide linens for your booked event with us, so stop in and we will show you the perfect linens for your autumn event!

When looking for the perfect favors for wedding guests, it’s important to pick something that reflects the bride and groom’s personalities and remains sinuous with the overall theme of the wedding. Anyone can put M&M’s into a goody bag and call it a favor, but why not spice it up a bit?

My Wedding Favors (www.myweddingfavors.com) offers extremely unique wedding favors at reasonable prices. For example, their “Love Birds in a Window Salt & Pepper Shakers” are adorable, simple and different.  For a fun-loving couple, the “Perfectly Suited Personalized Playing Cards in a Travel Case” are a great way to thank your guests while giving them something they can actually use!  My Wedding Favors has everything from “Luxurious Silk Fans” to “Ocean Breeze Scented Seashell Soaps” to “Lucky Elephant Tea Light Holders”. This website is a great source for purchasing favors or to get some good ideas!

 Favor Warehouse (www.favorwarehouse.com) is another fabulous favors website. Favor Warehouse makes choosing the perfect favor even easier by categorizing them by seasons. Fall favors include:  “Fall for Love Personalized Cappuccino + Optional Heart Whisk”, “Fall for Love Acrylic Luggage Tags” and “Fall for Love Personalized Notebooks”.  For winter, Favor Warehouse boasts “Snowflake Design Bookmark Favors” as well as “Winter Wonderland Collection Wine Stoppers”.

At American Bridal (www.americanbridal.com), you can find everything from cool “Luminous Mini-Lantern Favors” to elegant “Photo Glass Coaster Favors”. If you’re looking for something really different, check out “The ‘Gratest’ Love of All Stainless Steel Cheese Grater Favors in Showcase Gift Boxes”, the “Meant to ‘Bee’ Ceramic Honey Pots with Wooden Dippers” or the “We Clicked Mouse Pads”.

Be sure to pick the favors that suit you and your partner’s personal styles the best, and your guests will be sure to love them!