We’re not talking about age here, but a unique gift idea for your bridal party.  A company called “Thirty-One Gifts” has a large assortment of stylish and affordable products to fit every personality and situation.  You’ll find items from signature purses and totes to storage solutions that help organize your life.

For the Bridesmaids:

Your bridesmaids will love receiving something beautiful yet quite useable in their everyday life.  For instance, this thermal tote shown in painted floral cupcake (one of many styles), with their names embroidered on them.   Surprise them with them with the bag full of different types of your favorite chocolates. They won’t melt waiting for them to receive them either.

How about a cosmetic bag filled with items they may need during your wedding events, or grab them a gift card to get their make up done for the wedding day and put in their personalized pouch. We love the zipper pouch and at $12, it’s a GREAT deal!

Another option would be getting them a basic tote to carry all their belongings on the day of the event, like a Tote-Ally Awesome Tote or the Expand-A-Tote Day Extender. And you really can’t go wrong with the Retro Metro Bag.

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We are having an Open House on Wednesday, January 18th from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with some AMAZING vendors:

• Heavenly Gourmet Catering: www.heavenlyg.com
• Raul’s Photography: www.raulsphotography.com
• Cakes & More: www.sacakes.com
• Cupcake Photography: www.cupcakesphoto.com
• Got it Covered Events & Catering: www.gotitcoveredsa.com

Stop by our venue from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and try out some San Antonio’s finest caterers, photographers and cakes! Plus we’ll get you caught up on all the latest trends in linens and colors as well as show you around the space. RSVP here today: http://bit.ly/plazaopenhouse.

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!

There are so many traditional elements to a wedding that make up the day. From the first kiss to the first dance, we love them all! But today we are here to focus on first dance songs. Your first dance is one of the moments in your lifetime that defines you as a couple. It can show off your quirkiness or even your deeply romantic side. Whether you are classic, contemporary, a bit off beat or a country couple, choosing the genre and the song that means the most to you guys is super important. Think about the one song that has great meaning between for the two of you.  It may be the song that was playing when you first met, one that you always played while being together, or one that just tells your story.

Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling:

Classics:

• Unforgettable-Nat King Cole
• Can’t Help Falling in Love with You-Elvis Presley
• The Way You Look Tonight-Frank Sinatra
• It Had to Be You-Harry Connick, Jr.
• At Last-Etta James

Country:

• You Just Get Better All the Time-Tim McGraw
• Bless the Broken Road-Rascal Flatts
• I Cross My Heart-George Straight
• I Swear-John Michael Montgomery
• Making Memories of Us-Keith Urban
• It’s Your Love-Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
• Amazed-Lonestar
• From This Moment-Shania Twain

Modern classics:

• (There is) No Greater Love-Amy Winehouse
• You and I-Michael Buble
• For Once in My Life-Michael Buble
• Love Song-311 (The Cure)
• She-Elvis Costello
• Fade Into You-Mazzy Star
• I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing-Aerosmith

Not so mainstream:

• First Day of My Life-Bright Eyes
• I’m the Man Who Loves You-Wilco
• I Wanna Grow Old With You-Adam Sandler
• I’m Sticking With You-The Velvet Underground

For more resources, there are hundreds of pages on google when you search for wedding songs, but we love The Knot’s lists:  http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-music-ideas/articles/wedding-song-ideas-real-brides-must-play-lists.aspx

Or for a more unique selection, check out the Offbeat Bride’s blog here:  http://offbeatbride.com/2010/03/unique-first-dance-songs

And, always, always, always, consult with your DJ or Band. This is their whole world! They know the most songs and are able to steer you in the right direction!