Creating the Perfect Wedding Day Timeline

Posted Aug 24th, 2021 by RBG / Permalink /

Creating the Perfect Wedding Day Timeline

Hey Babes! Hope you had a great weekend!!😘

I want to focus today on your wedding timeline – why you need one and how to make it perfect!

Why do you need a wedding day timeline?

One main reason: a timeline makes sure nothing falls through the cracks on your big day! If you don’t have a plan, everything can get scattered, things tend to not happen, and you can feel really disorganized. That is NOT GOOD! 🤪

The wedding timeline is “THE BIBLE” for your wedding weekend. Think about it- you’ve booked your vendors, like photographers and videographers for example, for a set number of hours. You have to think about, based on the shots you want them to get and the hours you’re paying for in your contract, what time they need to get there. 📙 This applies to all of the vendors!

Timing the wedding day is so important. If you haven’t timed things out appropriately and end up going over the allotted time with each vendor, you’re going to end up spending more money. So, the more that you can plan for in advance, the easier-breezier your wedding weekend will be! You’ll feel more organized and know that everything is going off seamlessly. And, it will be easier on your wallet and we know weddings are EXPENSIVE!!💸

Great, I know I need a timeline. Now how do I build it??

1. Start with the day PRIOR to the Wedding:
The way I do it with my clients is to actually work from the day before the wedding. Let’s say the day of your wedding is on Saturday. I always suggest starting your timeline on Friday and talk through the rehearsal details- where and when is the rehearsal and then dinner after? How is everyone getting between the two venues? Where are the bride and groom sleeping on the night of the rehearsal dinner so we know where they will wake up on the wedding day? ⏰

2. Continue with the “GETTING READY” portion for the next section:
On the day of the wedding, I start the timeline from the time you need to start getting ready and then work all the way through the big day. Make sure and ASK your hair and makeup artist what time they need to start to have you finished at your desired “ready by” time. You add each detail to the timeline- when are hair and makeup arriving, who is bringing food to the getting ready room, when is transportation taking everyone to the ceremony location, etc.

3. Move on to the “CEREMONY” timing for the next portion of the timeline:
So, you’ll need to add the ceremony to the timeline- what time can you get inside the ceremony location, how long will the ceremony be, incorporate the pictures after the ceremony, and how the bridal party and guests are all getting to the reception.

4. Next, focus on the “RECEPTION” timeline:
Is there a cocktail hour? When are guests entering the room after cocktail hour? What about the arrival of the bride and groom and the bridal party? You then will need to think about the flow of the reception – and, the best part is, there is NO wrong answer! It’s best to make a simple goal for the event, and then choose the timeline based on that goal. So, if the goal is to PARTY🎉 then get through all of the formalities at the beginning of the reception and save the last few hours for DANCING!💃🏼🕺 Some formalities to consider as you’re putting this timeline together include- introductions, first dance, parent dances, toasts, cake cutting, garter and bouquet toss, etc.

If you have everything scheduled on your timeline, on your wedding day, you’ll be able to actually enjoy the things that matter, because you’re not having to focus on the elements that need to go down and when they need to happen.💯

There are so many different ways to put together your wedding timeline based on what you are wanting for your day. After reading all of this, some of you might be overwhelmed with all the details! Not to worry- RBG is here for ya!😇

Have you heard about the Bride Babe Club? If you join our club of Bride Babes, you get access to me PERSONALLY to help you walk through any of these questions! Click here and I’ll see you on the inside!💕🎉

Of course – my biggest piece of advice: the best way to have the best day is to hire a wedding planner. This way you have someone not only helping you create the wedding day timeline but also run it for you on the day of the wedding! Want to hire us? Click here to check out As You Wish Events and let us know how we can help you have the MOST AMAZING wedding day!

Until Next Time –

Until Next Time -

BYE, BABES 😘

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Julie and Aharon

Posted Aug 19th, 2021 by RBG / Permalink /

Julie and Aharon

Irving, Texas

BABES, if you’ve ever dreamed of a Winter Wedding, this one is going to give you major inspo vibes!

We loved creating a Winter Wonderland-themed Jewish wedding for this special couple! A custom Chuppah, snowflake escort cards, ice sculptures, and video mapping of snowflakes falling on the ballroom walls are just some of the exquisite details you will see that transported guests to another world for this wedding!

There is something SO special about winter weddings! If you are debating what season to set the date, we hope this inspires you to create your own wedding winter wonderland! ❄️🥂💫❄️

Until Next Time-

BYE, BABES 😘

Venue: The Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas
Photography: F8 Photography – Kim Skyles

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How to Save Money On Your Wedding Day

Posted Aug 17th, 2021 by RBG / Permalink /

How to Save Money On Your Wedding Day

Hey Babes! This post is one you’ll want to save! Today I want to help you get the most value for your budget on your wedding day. I’ve got so many tips and tricks to share- let’s dive right in!

Tip #1- Create a budget spreadsheet. If you don’t have a clear, set plan it’s hard to figure out how much money to spend on each category and there are quite a few categories to consider- number of guests, all the possible vendors, bits and pieces going into the wedding day. Create a line item list and assign a monetary value to it. This will really help you create a plan Let’s be real– if you don’t have that starting point and an overall number, you’re kind of flying blind!💸

The next tip is HUGE and probably the biggest piece of advice I can give you when it comes to scaling down your budget…

Tip #2- Scale down your guest list. If you think about it, the more guests that come, that means more guests eating, drinking, needing a seat, an invitation and the list goes on and will quickly crash your budget. Think about the people you share your life with and start there. If you want to slash your budget, slash that guest list, girls! 🙅‍♀️

Next…Saturdays are PRIME TIME when it comes to weddings. And prime time means prime price.

Tip #3- Consider other days of the week. Like I said, Saturdays are costly because that’s when a vendor’s prices are at their highest due to high demand. So, they will charge that prime rate. An option is to consider a Thursday, Friday, or Sunday. This could end up saving you up to 20% just by choosing a day other than Saturday! Of course, this depends on the area you live in, the venue you’ve chosen, and the vendors you are considering. If you’re not tied to Saturday or the venue, it’s worth looking into or at least pricing it to see how much you could save! 📆

This one’s a big one… it’s all about that DRESS!

Tip #4- Buy your dress from a trunk show. If your heart is set on a specific designer, wait until they have a trunk show. There will be days specified on a salon’s website or social media pages specifically showcasing a designer and a collection of theirs. The dress may not always be carried in the salon so you’re more likely to get a better deal. 👰

Now, let’s talk decor!

Tip #5- More hard goods. Live products will always be more expensive than what we call hard goods. Live goods are florals, greenery, and anything that’s alive. Hard goods such as candles, lanterns, and things of that nature, with no life span, will get you more bang for your buck. So get creative with your decorations and remember, your wedding doesn’t have to be all about the flowers to be amazing! And bonus…hard goods can be repurposed!🏮

Speaking of repurposing- can you guess what tip #6 is?

Tip #6- Repurpose. A great way to save money is to take things from one event to another. Let’s say you’re having a welcome party- why not take the centerpieces from that and use them the next day at your bridal luncheon? Then you’re only paying for someone to transport them rather than for more centerpieces. OR, utilize the ceremony chairs at your reception. While guests are at cocktail hour, flip those chairs! ♻

Now for a word of wisdom from me – 100% isn’t necessary!

Tip #7- Don’t do 100% of Everything. Let’s say you have 300 guests. Do you need 300 menus? Absolutely not! One way to cut down on menus and go from 300 to 30-60, is to frame several menus for each table. Think about this- not everyone is going to take a program at the ceremony. Couples or families may share so think about ordering 75% to accommodate. If you are going to have flip-flops for guests to change into later in the evening, keep in mind that most will be worn by females. We typically don’t see the male attendees change. A suggestion for this would be ordering for 50% of your guests so you are not overwhelmed by all the extra flip flops at the end of the night! Think through what you’re ordering and decide if in reality, will 100% of your guests utilize the item. 💯

Whew, we’re almost done with the list… did someone order a drink?

Tip #8- Be smart about the bar and alternative bar options. Your bar tab can be a huge piece of the pie sliced right out of your budget if you’re not prepared. Listen, if you can afford an open bar with champagne, wine, beer, and signature cocktails, go for it. But if you don’t have a budget for it here are some options: Serve beer, wine, and champagne throughout the night.

If you know your crowd is a liquor crowd, you could incorporate a signature cocktail instead of a full bar. If you know your crowd is all about that vodka, have mixers that only include that liquor. Another tip…Shut down the bar during dinner. There are a few ways you can do this. First, you can stop serving and allow guests to have tea and water for one hour while they focus on the food. OR, have the waitstaff come around and offer a glass of red or white wine. That’s one drink per person for that hour. Price this option out just to make sure you’re actually saving. It will be dependent upon the wine you choose. 🍷

On to the next tip… paper and print can add up.

Tip #9 – Use flat print and lighter-weight paper for invitations. There are tons of different processes, but flat will always be less expensive. You can save with flat print as opposed to engraving, letterpress, or thermography. Consider the weight of the cardstock. The thinner and lighter, the more money you will save!💌

And, now it’s time to circle back for my last tip.

Tip #10 Focus on what’s important to you. If you look back to tip #1 and the spreadsheet, keeping track will help you splurge on what’s important to you. Is there a band you’ve always wanted? Is amazing food your biggest non-negotiable? I would say, pick 1-3 of your most important categories and put more money in those buckets! Remember, for every bride and groom it’s different. You want to be happy, for it all to be great, and to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! In the end, go for what you want, while saving on what’s not in your top 3. 💕

I hope these tips and tricks were helpful as you plan your big day!

Until Next Time –

Until Next Time -

BYE, BABES 😘

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Ashley and Jason

Posted Aug 12th, 2021 by RBG / Permalink /

Ashley and Jason

Dallas, Texas

WOW is the first word I would use to describe this wedding!!

Ashley and Jason had the first wedding to ever take place in the Wyly Theatre in Dallas, TX! This event was truly unique and personal to the bride and groom as it was inspired by the groom’s career as a pilot and all of the travels the couple went on together. Elegant details like airplane wax seals and letterpress flight patterns in the paper products nodded to the couple’s journey together. And now they’re off- to have a perfect life together!!🛩💕

Their wedding design melded the Bride’s love of hot pink with their style, which they described as “Restoration Hardware Chic”- I think we hit the nail on the head- what do you think?

Until Next Time-

BYE, BABES 😘

Venue: Wyly Theatre Dallas
Photography: F8 Photography – Carter Rose

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Behind the Scenes of Creating a Luxury Wedding

Posted Aug 10th, 2021 by RBG / Permalink /

Behind the Scenes of Creating a Luxury Wedding

Hey Babes!

I want to take you behind-the-scenes of one of the BIGGEST weddings of my career: The Kendall and Michael Kelly Wedding!✨

The Statler Hotel in Dallas—IYKYK—is where the magic happened! We began with an enormous blank slated ballroom that was perfect for the glow-up it was about to get. The idea was Old Hollywood and we definitely accomplished that by bringing in mixed metals, silver and gold tones, and touches of black and white making it crisp and elegant. We rented all sorts of tables, mirrored and crystal, draping them with black and white linens. It was all designed to create an aesthetic variance, keeping it VERY classic, VERY elegant, and VERY upscale!✨

Flowers were perfectly placed throughout from the cocktail hour to the reception and the most stunning, dramatic entrance. We will get to that one later! But, all the flowers were white roses, white Phalaenopsis orchids and white hydrangeas. Adding these and all the different textures and monochromatic colors came together to really modernize the look.✨

Now for table talk— The chargers and beautiful places settings with silverware tucked into napkins and coasters on top of the glassware all worked together to keep the tables as Covid friendly as we could make it for the comfort of our guests.✨

The reception could not have been more stunning with hanging crystal rain from the ceiling just over the dance floor, making everything POP. The perfect personalization was the client’s monogram in the middle of the dance floor! Behind the stage- one of my fave pieces-the LED wall-with custom video and tons of graphics absolutely emulated the design. There were gold bubbles, fireworks, and the couple’s monogram again, making the entire design come together, which all helped create one of the best moments of the night…stay tuned!!✨

For cocktail hour, we had two(!!) champagne walls and escort card walls on each side with dripping crystals. Then more flowers!! Flowers in the bathroom. Flowers on the bar. Flowers everywhere. A flower wall for photo ops. There was no shortage, y’all! And remember that dramatic entrance I referenced??! We had a tunnel adorned with flowers to walk through. No detail was left behind when it came to flowers – they were absolutely STUNNING!✨

Let’s talk about the moments that I’ll never forget. From the cake cutting of this OVER.THE.TOP cake floating on a Lucite stage, to the last dance with fireworks behind the couple as they dipped on the final note of the song. If you’ve been with me for a while, you know how much I love confetti drops so the coolest moment was…. THE CONFETTI DROP! The groom lifted the bride up and just spun her around. The joy on her face at that moment was unforgettable. And it was indeed the coolest moment to witness. To see them off, guests had gold pompoms to shake as they sent them on their way and down the iconic Statler staircase. ✨

This wedding and all the glitz, glam, and gorgeousness was truly one of the biggest events of my career…one I’ll never forget.✨

I hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at a Statler wedding in the making for the most deserving couple!👰✨🤵

Until Next Time –

Until Next Time -

BYE, BABES 😘

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