Cocktail’s Bar Services (Cocktails) has been serving San Antonio’s event industry for almost seven years. The idea for such services stemmed from owner, Lisa Scherrer’s own experience in the bar and restaurant industry. After working for years for different companies, Lisa decided to venture out on her own and launched Cocktails in 2003. First starting with staffing for caterers, venues and events, then in 2007 they were granted licensure by TABC to provide full bar and catering services.

Cocktails offers clients the option of doing an open bar, cash bar or partial cash bar for their next event. For an open bar, the client would bring in the alcohol and Cocktails would serve it to their guests. Or, for a nominal fee per person, you can have Cocktails do all the work and provide all of the alcohol and mixers so that you don’t have to worry about a thing on your special day. For brides on a budget, a cash bar is a wonderful option. You simply pay for the set up and your guests pay for the drinks. If you would like to offer your guest some beverages, but do not want to break the bank, a partial cash bar would do the trick. You could do a cocktail hour, where you pick up the tab during a 1-2 hour timeframe and then a cash bar the rest of the evening. Another option is providing beer and wine free of charge for your guests, but if they would like hard liquor, they can pay for that themselves.

Making their mark in the event world of San Antonio, Cocktails works approximately 75-100 events per year and provides services for events exceeding 3000 guests. They are also very comfortable working at Plaza Lecea because they have the same priorities as we do: Keep the client happy (the night time view is a plus too)! They continuously work with their clients to provide the best service and customize packages to fit their budget. They also take that extra step to ensuring client satisfaction on the day of their event as well by assisting caterers when needed, arriving early for set up and staying late to help with the clean up, or providing a special drink recipe for an individual’s wedding party.

A bar service tends to be an after-thought, but in reality it is an integral part of a successful event! Don’t leave it to last minute to book or hand it off to your groom. Here is some insight from Lisa about the importance of a professional bar service,

“Brides should remember that as well as the venue, caterer and decorations, the bar service is a vital part of an enjoyable wedding. A professional, responsible and courteous service will always leave a lasting impression on your guests. We spend most of the event providing service to your party, (so) don’t let your bar service be an after-thought in your planning. Cocktails will help you decide on a service to fit your budget and can also provide you great contacts and suggestions, for all your needs on your special day.”

The Essentials: Website: www.cocktailservices.com Phone: 210.363.8025; Email: info@cocktailservices.com. Click here to see all of their happy client’s testimonials: www.cocktailservices.com/testimonials.htm

A recommendation from a corporate client in 2008 is what brought Heavenly Gourmet to Plaza Lecea’s doorstep. Our client insisted that we had to have them on our list so we did a little research and thought they might be a good addition to our list of approved vendors. Owner Loretta Ortiz personally promised to make sure that they would serve our clients with affordable, hearty and “heavenly” food and they have  surely exceeded our expectations! What we really love about Heavenly Gourmet is that they are genuine people who want to make sure that their customers are extremely satisfied with their services and cuisine. Loretta is one of the most humble people we have come across, consistently striving to make sure all of her customers get the best value possible.

We have had Heavenly Gourmet out here for numerous luncheons, offering our clients a variety of menu options and also creating a completely custom menu to fit their needs. Box lunches start out at $7.50, which include a hot or cold sandwich kettle fried potato chips, your choice of pasta or fresh fruit and a homemade cookie.  Hot lunches are around $12 and include nine different options.

If you are looking for an evening event, they have you covered as well. Dinner options start at on $10 a person and are inclusive of a choice of salad, protein, starch, veggie and a dinner roll. Our personal favorite is their Penne a la Vodka w/Chicken and we think it’s actually heavenly (pictured above). Some of their other popular dishes include their Heavenly Chicken (signature dish: Breast of chicken, stuffed with goat cheese, cream cheese, and black forest ham, then breaded and sauteed and topped with a poblano cream sauce-a gourmet take of chicken cordon blue), Pecan Chicken with a Honey Chipotle sauce, and a Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Lemony White Wine sauce. Are you drooling yet? We are! Budget savvy brides also love Heavenly Gourmet because of the quality of their food is amazing, while being completely affordable.

Loretta says that what really started her uber successful company was a dollar and a dream. With fresh food, old fashion customer service, humble hearts and a lot of gratitude, they continue to succeed in a competitive market. They are strickly focused on catering services so that they can direct all their attention to providing brides, corporate clients and social clients with tasty food and unbeatable prices. Last year alone, they did over 320 events (17 of which were at our venue)! Can you say busy? They continue to work to surpass that this year and they would love to caterer your next event.

If you are looking for a caterer with reasonable pricing, impressive service and down-right good food, Heavenly Gourmet is perfect for your next event. Here are the essentials: Website: www.heavenlyg.com; Phone: 210.496.9090; Email: heavenly.gourmet@scbglobal.net. Call or email them today about doing a taster at their office.

San Antonians are known for their culture as well as their diversity, and the flower industry in the city is no different. It’s easy to find a fantastic florist at a reasonable price; you just have to know where to look!

1. Floral Elegance, Ltd (210.494.2024): Floral Elegance, Ltd is a small family owned business, complete with innovative design, over 15 years of accredited experience and award winning floral masterpieces. Owners, Adrianna and Mike Pedraza have worked with San Antonio’s Elite List of Wedding Vendors and Venues.  Floral Elegance, Ltd was the Official Florist for: Mrs. Texas International 1999, Miss San Antonio USA 1999-2009, Miss Teen San Antonio USA 1999-2009, Miss Fiesta San Antonio 1999-2009, Miss Texas USA 2007, and USA Local Pageant 2009. Floral Elegance Ltd’s wide range of services includes: daily personal orders, modern floral designs, full scale decorating, table lighting and up-lighting, drapery, and custom table linens.
2. Oak Hills Florist (210.349.6549): Located at 1729 Babcock Road, Oak Hills Florist has been serving San Antonio and the surrounding areas for over 30 years and boasts everything from fruit and gourmet baskets to tropical and European designs. A certified Texas Master Florist, Oak Hills Florist is able to provide the customer with an array of unique floral pieces for any event, including wedding ceremony and reception décor. Oak Hills Florist offers same day delivery to all of Metro San Antonio and twice daily to the Medical Center.
3. Blooming Creations Florist (210.520.1005): Located at 8035 Culebra Road, Suite 102, Blooming Creations is family owned and operated. They commit themselves to the finest floral arrangements backed by friendly and prompt service. Blooming Creations specializes in the following services: large inventory of fresh flowers, tropicals, plants, European/dish gardens, contemporary and traditional arrangements, high-style floral arrangements, silk arrangements, dried floral arrangements, weddings, gourmet and fruit baskets, and candles. With such a vast spread, you are bound to find a center piece that captures your heart!
4. Riverwalk Floral Designs (210.227.1775): Riverwalk Floral Design Studio is located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, on the ever-popular San Antonio Riverwalk. They specialize in high style, European, traditional and tropical designs, and South America roses. The owners, Tom Moore and Bob Fancher, are frequenters of the market and go almost daily to hand pick the flowers they sell in order to ensure quality, freshness and variety. Riverwalk Floral Designs is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday and from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday.
5. Botanika (210.733.8120): Located at 2615 Broadway, owner Melissa White has to be one of San Antonio’s most talented floral designers. Consistently providing clients with modern, elegant and super chic floral arrangements, bouquets and more! We heart her artistic and creative elements that she brings to each arrangement. Melissa is available by appointment only.

These are only a few florist options that San Antonio has to offer. The best way to find the florist that’s right for you is to research! Ask local friends and family, your wedding planner can also be a big help when it comes to narrowing the search.

A rising star in the catering community here in San Antonio is Columbia Culinary Team (CCT), one of our latest additions to our approved caterers list. Their incredibly creative menu is what sets them apart from any other cater that we’ve worked with yet! They are definetely not serving the bland and dry “catered chicken” at your event. This caterer’s menu is flooded with gourmet renditions of classic and contemporary foods. With items such as the Tandoori Style Quail, Veal Osso Buco or Scampi Modo Mio, your guests will be amazed at restaurant-quality style of food served at your next event.

Prior to opening their doors over 2 1/2 years ago, the CCT catered private events and gained a rather large following here in the Alamo City. Handling crowds of up to 1000 guests (w/events for up to 2000 guests in 2010)  is the same as catering a small dinner party for their team, as they strive to pay attention to the customers needs completely. CCT prides themselves on provided a dining experience that is at least equal to, if not better than that of the city’s best restaurants and we have to agree! Plaza Lecea has had CCT cater numerous in-house events and we have all experienced the first class service and savory dishes. They always have plenty of staff on-site for the events to ensure that every guest has a pleasurable experience.

Some of CCT’s most popular dishes include: Seared pepper crusted tuna on a chipolte cream cheese crisp with chili escabeche, smoked marinated pork loin with a peach jalapeno glaze, and bleu cheese stuffed bacon wrapped dates in a maple sabayon (is your mouth watering yet?!). Executive Chef, Jeff White, has a great ability to create tantilizing dishes for the masses, which is not an easy feat when you have cook the meals in their kitchen and then transport it to an event.

One of our favorite things about CCT is their affordability. Brides on a budget can still serve an amazing meal with quality service to their guests with CCT. Prices start out at $12.50 a person and go to around $50 for the works (majority of the dishes are under $25), but this pricing is also inclusive of porcelain plates and glassware. They also have a unique spin on service style. While most caterers only offer seated or buffet meals, CCT also has an option for family style service in addition to a seated or buffet meal. This is their most requested option, where they deliver large platters of food to each table–kind of like a buffet at your table. Your guests can choose the amount of food and the specific items that they want, fostering a family dinner-like atmosphere.

In addition to catering, CCT also provides bar services, linen, decor and event management services for your event. We are very proud to have such an innovative catering service on our list of approved vendors and we hope that you will check them out as well: www.thecct.net