-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

“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!

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!

In recent years, these cakes have transformed from the bland fruitcake to more popular flavors and have a true spotlight in the wedding! Many grooms are opting for chocolate cake for the groom’s cake since the bride’s cake is normally white cake with some sort of flavoring. This cake can be any flavor that the groom desires and we’ve seen it all! Chocolate, marble, carrot, red velvet and even an ice cream cake have made it into our venue. With so many creative bakers in San Antonio, the options are endless!

Now, you have two options when serving the groom’s cake. It can be served at the rehearsal dinner or at the reception. If serving it at the wedding, make sure to opt for a different flavor from the bride’s cake to give your guests options. Also, the groom’s cake does not need to feed all of your guests, but there aren’t normally leftovers!

As far as the design or theme of the cake, let your groom’s imagination run wild or surprise him with something you think he’ll like. Think about his occupation, hobbies, interests or favorite sports teams as a starting off point and then lean on your baker for ideas of what to do with this idea. We really have had some amazing and totally unique groom’s cakes here at Plaza Lecea, from a replica of a Costco store, to military branches, music instruments or a fav band to poker-themed ones and the ever popular sports team cake.  

What to Register for:

You can register for almost anything!  The main items are kitchen utensils, appliances, bathroom necessities, tools and décor. Many of the main places you might register at have a guide that can help you with the things you need. Here is a great guide from Target.com broken down into different categories: http://bit.ly/9M4qZu. Now-a-days, nothing is off limits as something you can register for.   You just need to remember you are trying to come up with things that are affordable, you want or need, and fit what you want your home to look and feel like. Don’t be surprised if you find a random Snickers bar or even that 60” TV listed on the registry too—the great thing about registering at chain retail stores is that they allow you to edit your registry online as well!

Where to Register:                                    

It is okay to go to more than one place to register; this gives your guests options.  You need to think about your guests when deciding on places to register.  Think of the price range that most of your guests would be able to pay and pick your place accordingly.  If you have a mixture of price ranges, go with somewhere like William Sonoma for your higher end items and then pick somewhere like Bed Bath and Beyond for your more reasonably priced items so that way no one feels left out. If you decide to go with only one place, then make sure you pick items you will use in all price ranges. Note, even if you think there is no way any of your guest would buy something like that for you, you may be surprised so put it on the list anyway. Plus for the brides in a time crunch, completing your registry online gives you the opportunity to figure out what you want to get whenever you are available to do so! It’s unfortunate that Crate & Barrel isn’t open 24 hours when you are planning your wedding—so inconsiderate!  

Here is a list of our fav stores and price points:   

• William and Sonoma: $$$
• Crate and Barrel: $$$
• Pottery Barn: $$$
• Macy’s, Dillard’s, etc: $$+
• Bed, Bath, and Beyond: $$
• Target: $+
• Sears: $+
• Home Depot/Lowes: $$
  • If you are building a new house to move into together this is a great option.  You never know if you will need a ceiling fan or blinds.

There are many places you can register beyond the list we’ve provided so think about your fav retailers! When you get there let them know what you are there to do and the company will have someone to help you get started. Recently, they have started giving you cards to put in the invitations to say where you are registered and many stores give you a completion coupon as well. Check with your retailer about special offers on items that were left on the registry and they often give you 10% off that item!

Until next time, happy planning!

For girls: Sugar & Spice! We love this theme the most because all of the fun activities that the hostess can provide for the guests and mommy-to-be! You can truly incorporate any color scheme with this theme. Try having a candy bar for your guests to represent the sugar part–or even a cupcake bar where guests can personalize their cupcakes and mommy-to-be can judge the winner. For the “spice” part, flavor different teas so that guests can have a taste of something different, or pass out spiced teas as favors. Even do mini candy bars at each table as a centerpiece (two to three vases filled with candy) or incorporate large lollipops into a floral centerpiece to further the theme.

For boys: Rockstar! A little outside the box, but completely fun for the mommy-to-be that doesn’t want a cutesy shower. Again, colors options are endless but the most common colors are blacks, gold, silvers and reds. Beginning with backstage passes as invitations will set the tone for this fun event. Try renting a red carpet or silver disco ball to hang in the center of the room. Place a “set list” out so that guests can see what the plans for the event on the table or in a central location so that everyone can see it. You can have mini grammys as awards for the games that you play and label the tables as “Rockstars”, “Groupies”, “Roadies”, “#1 Fans”,   or by instruments: “Bad-a** Bassists”, “Lead Guitarists”,  ”Deadly Drummers”, etc. For a fun game idea, come up with rock songs that have Baby in the title and make people name that tune and make sure you have some Rockstar beverages available for your guests as an added fun touch!

For twins: Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat has the best inspiration that we’ve seen so far: Thing 1 and Thing 2. Just perfect for a twins shower! With a red, aqua (or tiffany blue) and white color pallatte, this theme can come to life! Think goldfish centerpieces (very cheap to get at your neighborhood Walmart or pet’s store) or bright Gerber Daisy’s in red or dyed blue (they also have the silk ones so you dont have to worry about dying anything). Even stacking Dr. Seuss books could make for a fun centerpiece and they can always be found for a discounted price at Half-Priced books. Think props too! Fun Cat in the Hat hats around the cake area and pop ups can be found easily. Have guests sign the inside of a Cat in the Hat book as the sign in book.

We offer great rates for Sunday day-time events! Call us at 210.615.0009 for details!

If you can spring for fresh flowers for your upcoming reception, we highly recommend it! There is no better way to add that extra flair to your wedding than with fresh flowers. Plus your reception space will be filled with the fresh aroma of these gorgeous additions.

A way to keep down costs for your fresh flowers is to purchase ones that are in season. You can even combine in-season flowers with flowers that are available year-round to make it more cost-effective. Here is a list of flowers that you can get all year round and by the season. Happy searching!

Year-round florals:

Alstromeria

Aster (if from Africa)

Bouvardia

Calla Lily

Carnation

Chrysanthemum

Delphinium

Freesia

Gardenia

Gerbera (Gerber Daisy)

Gladiolus

Gloriosa Lily

Iris

Lily

Orchid

Ornithogalum

Rose

Stephanotis

Stock

Veronica

Winter (December-January)

Amaryllis

Anemone

Aster (US grown)

Camellia

Daffodil

Dutch Tulip

French Tulip

Grape Hyacinth

Hyacinth

Jasmine

Parrot Tulip

Poinsettia

Ranunculus

Sweet pea

Filler foliage: Ivy, Holly, Baby’s Breath, Wax Flower, Hypericum Berries

Spring: March – May

Bells of Ireland

Camellia

Daffodil

Forsythia

Grape Hyacinth

Hyacinth

Lily of the Valley

Parrot Tulip

Peony

Queen Anne’s Lace

Ranunculus

Scabiosa

Sunflower

Sweet Pea

Tweedia

Filler foliage: Banana leafs, Heather, Wax Flower, Baby’s Breath

Summer: June – August

Cockscomb

Cornflower

Cosmos

Dahlia

Daisy

Forget Me Not

Hydrangea

Lisianthus

Love in a Mist (Nigella)

Phlox

Queen Anne’s Lace

Scabiosa

Snap Dragons

Sunflower

Sweet Pea

Tuberose

Tweedia

Zinnia

Filler Foliage: Mint, Baby’s Breath

Fall: September – November

Amaryllis

Anemone

Cockscomb

Cornflower

Cosmos

Daffodil

Dahlia

Daisy

Dutch Tulip

French Tulip

Grape Hyacinth

Hyacinth

Hydrangea

Kniphofia

Marigold

Parrot Tulip

Phlox

Queen Anne’s Lace

Ranunculus

Scabiosa

Sunflower

Sweet Pea

Tuberose

Tweedia

Zinnia

Filler foliage: Ornamental Cabbage, Hypericum Berries, Euonymus, Heather, Baby’s Breath & Wax Flower

The Essentials:

• Extra copy of directions to reception
• Cell phone
• Numbers of all participants in wedding
• Numbers of all vendors
• Driver’s License
• Cash

Beauty:

• Nail polish (2 shades)
  • Clear for runs
  • Shade being worn
• Nail file
• Nail polish remover
• Cloth headband (for pulling back hair while applying makeup)
• Compact mirror
• Makeup (for touch ups)
• Curling iron (humid or outside weddings)
• Hairdryer (rainy weddings)
• Hairspray
• Bobby pins and barrettes
• Brush and comb
• Perfume

Hygiene:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Floss
• Deodorant (roll on or spray)
• Feminine hygiene products (tampons, sanitary pads, etc)
• Breath mints

First Aid/Medicine:

• Bandages
• Neosporin
• Allergy medicine (Claritin, Benadryl, etc)
• Aspirin and pain relievers
• Pepto Bismol, Alka Seltzer or Tums

For the “What ifs”:

• Wine Remover (Satin Devil Fruit and Red Wine Remover)
• Small hand towl (for stain removal on dress)
• Wet wipes and tissues (for tears and spills)
• Lint brush
• Extra earring backs
• Travel size sewing kit (with small scissors)
• Extra buttons
• Double-sided hem tape
• Extra pantyhose
• Flat shoes for the reception
• Foot cushions
• Crochet hook (for bustling)
• Umbrella
• Mini flashlight
• Swiss army knife
• Smelling salts
• Static guard
• Febreze (the small bottle)
• Tide Pen
• White chalk (for covering up stains on dress)
• Q-tips
• Super glue
• Visine
• Purelle
• Bottle water
• Snacks
• Hand Lotion
• Straw (so that you don’t spill your drinks on you as you are getting ready)
• Baby powder
• Safty pins

With all of these items, you’re sure to curtail the the typical wedding day debacles!