Chapter 2:
Im her. I’m the Planner.
Welcome back babes to my BB SERIES !! In case you missed my last post, “BB” standing for ..“Becoming Bridges,” aka I’m marrying Love of my Life Alec Bridges! I’m planning my big day and taking you guys along with me! My hope is to document this special year of my life while helping other brides-to-be navigate this crazy journey of planning a wedding!
Recap: my last post I revealed my venue which will be the Four Seasons in Austin,TX ! Check it out if want the 411 on venue shopping And engagement shoot photos. So what’s next!
VENDORS VENDORS VENDORS
So let me rewind. I decided that I wanted to save money and plan my own wedding. Aka design, shop, style, plan to the last little detail.
Not going to even try to lie, it’s for sure been a lot of work. Thankful that as a nurse I’m able to have week days off to make phone calls and have meetings( especially since my venue isn’t where I live!) <— first suggestion: if you can choose a venue in your same city, DO IT! It will be a lot easier to source things, locate vendors, and coordinate meetings. But, it’s totally possible to plan if you fall in love with a venue that’s not in your home base( I’m doing it!) so don’t let that discourage you!
From one newly engaged gal to all ladies out there engaged, soon to be, someday hope to be,… I’m sure you’re wondering where to freaking start ?!?” I got you girl…. well I hope to help the best I can 😉 let’s do this.
BREAKING IT DOWN:
So we’ve got our venue and we’ve got our date. Side note: So I don’t need catering, but I would assume that would another vendor you’d want to research early on. I won’t be covering in my series because the hotel will be doing our food and beverage(F&B). Keep that in mind though ladies!
Ohh the BIG BAD BUDGET— okay. I’m going to be real. I had no idea how much things were going to cost. There’s no easy way to find this out— research, time, and more time. Luckily I’ve done a lot of it and that’s what I’m gonna break down!
FLORALS
Let me tell ya, the world is your oyster. You can find florals from HEB for 400-800 dollars(gorgeous), or shop what I like to call “premium” and get quotes upward of 10,000 dollars(ya heard me right!!). Seriously, whatever you can spend/ or want to spend you can pretty much work with the florist to figure it out. After reaching out to about 4 floral companies this how I decided !
So I had an idea of what I wanted to spend, the design&style I envisioned, and a couple MUST haves that I really didn’t want to compromise on. Without giving up too much (because I want things to be surprise) my floral vibe is very sophisticated, yet romantic. White/neutral tones… with minimal greenery! My wedding style is chic, elevated mod, with romantic, warm notes throughout. HAVE MOOD BOARDS FOR EVERYTHING. <— it helps keep your style consistent and easily communicable between you and the vendor! I will post a few of mine below so y’all can see what I’m talking about!
After creating a mood board, start researching different floral companies and email them! Most likely they will want to schedule a phone consultation where they will ask you about what you envision, color scheme, and a few number questions such as bridal party count ! They will also love to see your Pinterest board! Try and send that before hand so they can be better prepared on the phone. ( this was so helpful, and I felt like we got way more done this way!)
EXPECTATION: So as far as pricing; it really depends on how many you have in your bridal party, flower girls? Grandfathers.. ect. But overall I’d say for a floral company to come in, design,set up, take down/retrieval/tax.. I’d budget minimum of 2000-3000! Not saying you can’t find lower than that… but after my research that seemed to be the case. You can also do the most, or even just be a little extra, and end up spending 5000-7000!
For example: wanting a floral arch, arbor, aisle florals.. aisle petals? What about welcome table florals? Guest seating florals?! There are a ton of little details you forget might need floral arrangements.
I will link some of the amazing companies I talked with ! PSA: I won’t be sharing who I went with during this process because I want to save that for my Big Day! ….
http://www.stemfloral.com/shop
https://www.bouquetsofaustin.com/contact/
https://www.wildbunchesfloral.com/
Next up in the lineup: makeup and hair. Oooo the makeup and hair; ya know ya girl was excited to book this one!!!
I’m gonna put it out there because hey, it’s posted flat out on the internet. Bridal hair and makeup is usually around 400-500 dollars. This includes your trial as well(usually). Guest hair and makeup usually comes out to be between 175$-210$ depending on the company! That’s the range I found after finding companies I thought did fab work. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. PERIOT. #thankyou. I’ll be linking some of the amazing companies I found through my research. Houston/ Austin based! Xo, (one Dallas based!)
https://www.luxbeautyandbridal.com/
http://www.etoillyartistry.com/
https://www.bespoken-beauty.com/
Amazing amazing vendors ^^. As a bride- to -be was Uber impressed with all the artists and at the end of the day went with the company I felt most captured my vibe!( … not sharing, y’all will have to wait till my big day!)
I touched on a florals and glam ! ( two of the big ones I’ve been working on lately!)
Not sure if I’ll include but I have already nailed down my wedding photographer and my dress!If y’all want a blog post on those let me know in the comments or on Instagram! Next up on my list, entertainment! … Well, that’s it for today. I am feeling excited to be moving forward in this process. It’s definitely one of a kind and super special. Soak it up ladies! Xo,,
Soon to be bride, Rachael.
#bridaljourney #bridetobe #weddingplanner #weddingblog #howto #weddingstyle #weddinginspo
RachaelB. 
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