I Do...Rain or Shine

Post by Martha & Dawn:

This past Saturday was full of adventure. Everything was ready to go for a beautiful outdoor wedding at Austin 71.

All of our vendors arrived on time, the ceremony site was perfect, the reception was beautiful, the food warm and delicious, the band ready to go, the cake was set, and most of the guests arrived on time when all of the sudden it started to drizzle just a few minutes before the ceremony!

Everyone checked the forecast a thousand times (including our boss, Dawn, who was supposed to have a quiet night at home with her son at home), and no precipitation was supposed to be there. What do you do?

Well, we’ve learned that attitude is everything and just have to say that everyone involved in this wedding kept a wonderful attitude to make this work.

A big thank you to RadioStar and Kurant Events for moving their entire equipment setups to a better place (in the same venue of course) to make sure nothing got ruined and to accommodate the guests. Ann at Austin 71 was so easy to work with and helped make the entire process that much easier.

Also, thank you to the DJs: Penguin Entertainment, Dexter and Complete Music who we called during the ceremony just in case RadioStar was unable to play because of the weather. Fortunately for the couple and the guests, RadioStar went above and beyond to make sure they were able to play. Everyone absolutely LOVED them! What a treat to have something different when it comes to wedding music.

Here is a list of the amazing vendors that made the wedding perfect:

ANN KELSO SALON
AUSTIN PARTY CENTRAL
AUSTIN 71BAG PIPER – NICK CLASSEN
ECLECTIC IMAGES
KURANT EVENTS CATERING
MANDOLA’S ITALIAN MARKET
ANTIQUE LIMO
OFFICIANT – DANIELLE PENLAND
PEGGY POLING - Custom linens
RADIOSTAR
SIMON LEE BAKERY
VERBENA FLORAL DESIGN
VIDEOGRAPHER – JOSH MOLLEUR

What a day! We will never forget it, and we wish the bride and groom a life full of happiness! Kelly and Martha were truly Fairy Godmothers this weekend! With crazy weather, they were on top of everything!

Before setup

During Setup

Kelly tying chair ties on chivari chairs

ownfairygodmother.com

Austin 512.644.6886

Houston 972.804.3295

Special Rates

Still wondering whether or not you really need a coordinator? Our rates have changed recently, but we have special rates for several coordinators in both the Austin and Houston markets who have a few 2008 dates available. Please call or e-mail us to see if we have availability and to schedule your no-obligation consultation!

Ask for:
Amy, Bronwyn, Maranda, or Martha!

ownfairygodmother.com

Austin 512.644.6886

Houston 972.804.3295

Bad Etiquette

It's peak wedding season in Texas, and we are all being bombarded with wedding invitations filling our mailboxes. Obviously, I LOVE weddings. I love all of the personalized details, the emotion, the flowers, the food...what's not to love? Bad etiquette.

All of the offenders will remain nameless, but these are a few of the mistakes that I've seen recently. I'm not sharing these to be rude or catty by any stretch! I'm hoping to prevent the same embarrassment for others.

I received a note on my door that a piece of mail was unable to be delivered due to insufficient postage. It was a wedding invitation, for a wedding that is FOUR months away. Seriously, we had to pay to receive a wedding invitation that will almost certainly be misplaced with over four months to go. (Six weeks prior is when the invitations should be mailed.)

We received a wedding "newsletter" from a bride that was intended to update all of the wedding party and family about important dates, deadlines, and events. This is a fabulous idea, and it truly does help keep everyone on the same page and "in the know." Yes, we live it Texas, but it says "ya'll"...which is really the conjunction of "you" and "all", so it should read "y'all" since the word "you" doesn't have an "a" in it. We received it on May 9th, and it lists a wedding shower for May 24th with an invitation still to come. I don't know if you've checked your calendar lately, but that's Memorial Day weekend which is only two weeks after the newsletter arrived. We have plans! I am positive that many people do by now. It's inconsiderate to the couple being honored as well as the guests to not give enough notice, because inevitably, it means that fewer people will be able to attend.

This brings me to the invitation to the shower that arrived a few days later. Wedding registry information should never be listed on any invitation OTHER than a shower invitation. This is the ONLY place that it's considered appropriate. That being said, the invitation should never say "Bring a gift" in any form or fashion. It also should never require that the guests bring their own beverages - BYOB is appropriate for a backyard barbecue with neighbors and very close friends, but NOT if it's a shower. Finally, I would love to let the twelve people (yes, twelve) know that we will be unable to attend the shower, but there's not an email address or phone number to call and RSVP. One less thing on my to-do list, but how will they ever plan for food?

If you have hired a planner, they will more than likely be glad to review these things for you and your wedding party before invitations are mailed. In the end, everyone is happy!

ownfairygodmother.com

Austin 512.644.6886

Houston 972.804.3295