Archive for May, 2011
Summer Sips: Cocktails for the Summer months
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011Submitted by Lisa, Cocktails
Cool your guests down in these summer months. Enjoy some of our favorite summer quenchers that are sure to wow all your wedding guests. Summer weddings are the perfect setting to have a signature cooling cocktail.
Summer Beer
- 1 frozen limeade (thawed)
- 4 cans of beer
- 1 bottle of vodka or tequila
Directions: Mix the thawed frozen limeade and 4 cans of beer.
Stir in your choice of vodka or tequila. Mix together and serve in a glass.
Lisa’s Specialty Hurricane
- Myers Dark Rum
- Malibu Rum
- Disaronno Amaretto
- Orange Juice
- Pineapple Juice
- Grenadine
Directions: Mix 1 Shot of Myers Rum, 1 shot of Mailibu Rum, 1 shot of Disaronno Amaretto, splash of orange juice, splash of pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine. Mix together and serve in a glass.
Sangria on the rocks
- 1 bottle of Presidente Brandy
- 4 bottles of table red wine
- Orange Juice (46 oz)
- Pineapple Juice 46 (oz)
- Fresh berries of your choice
- Ice
Directions: Mix 1 bottle of Presidente and 4 bottles of red wine in a large container. Mix in the orange juice, pineapple juice and stir. Add the berries and stir. Mix together serve in a glass over ice.
Frozen Sangria
- 6 oz can of frozen limeade mix
- 6 oz of water
- 6 oz can of frozen concentrate orange juice
- 1 liter of grapefruit soda (well chilled)
- 1 bottle Dry Comal Creek foot pressed red wine
- Sliced oranges
- Sliced lemon
Directions: Blend limeade and orange juice concentrate with water. Add foot pressed red wine. Add chiller grapefruit soda and mix. Put in the freezer until slushy. Serve in a glass slushy and garnish with sliced orange and lemons .
Tags: cocktails, San Antonio, Summer Cocktails, Summer Drinks, wedding, weddings
Posted in Beverages | No Comments »
Feature Friday: Five Star Wedding Gown Specialists
Friday, May 27th, 2011
Perhaps you’ve chosen a luxurious new gown that perfectly expresses your individual style, or a family gown that has been passed on to you by your mother or grandmother. Whatever you choose, the experts at Five Star Wedding Gown Specialists can assist you with cleaning, restoration, pressing, alterations, and gown preservation.
Five Star Wedding Gown Specialist is the only licensed specialist in San Antonio who is able to provide “Museum Care” preservation. Five Star Wedding Gown Specialists are certified & licensed fabric experts who have been expressly trained to clean every fabric imaginable with the utmost care.
Your wedding gown is one of the most precious possessions you’ll ever own. It will always be symbolic of one of the most important days in your life. The time and money invested into your gown is considerable. That’s why it’s so important to trust its cleaning, care and preservation to the experts at Five Star Wedding Gown Specialists.
Tags: dresses, Gown Preservation, San Antonio, san antonio wedding, traditions, wedding, Wedding GOwn Cleaning and Preservation, Wedding Gown Preservation, wedding ideas, wedding planning, weddingsPosted in Feature Friday | No Comments »
Bride of the Week: Dulce Romero
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.”
- Judy Garland
The Wedding Guide would like to congratulate Wedding Guide bride Dulce Romero on her engagement!
Ulises Urbina and Dulce Romero met in 2007 while they were both attending college. The couple became friends but, they were beginning to have deeper feeling for each other. A few months after meeting, Ulises decided to ask Dulce out on a date. Dulce accepted and after a couple of weeks they became boyfriend and girlfriend.
The couple spent the remainder of their college years together in California. After graduating with their master’s degrees. Dulce planned on moving to Texas to pursue her doctorate. Ulises made a decision to follow her to Texas, so they could be together. Dulce tells us, “The support, respect, and love we have for each other has allowed us to be at the stage of our relationship we are now. He is my perfect man!”
On December 11, 2011 Ulises proposed to Dulce. The couple was out for a night on the town in San Antonio; they made their way to the Riverwalk. While taking in the romantic feel of the Riverwalk, Ulises popped the question. Dulce tells us, “It was the perfect setting for the proposal!”
They are planning to get married on September 10, 2011 in California.
Tags: Bride of the Week, engagement, engagement stories, engagements, San Antonio, san antonio wedding, wedding, weddingsPosted in Bride of the Week | No Comments »
Get Organized!
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011Purchase your Wedding Guide Keepsake Organizer and Planner today and receive a FREE Wedding Guide tote bag (valued at $7)! Click here to purchase your San Antonio Organizer or click here to purchase your Austin Organizer.
With listings of the finest wedding professionals for attire, facilities, cakes & catering, photography & videography, entertainment, flowers, décor & invitations and more, you will be able to turn your wedding dreams into reality!
Organizational necessities include pocket tabs for each of the seven category sections to store and organize papers, receipts, estimates and samples and business card organizers store up to 40 business cards for all your wedding professionals.
The three-ring binder and included three-hole punch allows for adding pages easily including your custom printable worksheets and checklists from AustinWeddings.com or SAweddings.com. The beautiful cover is durable and light and allows your planning memories to be preserved for a lifetime. Measures 10-3/4” wide x 11-1/2” tall x 2 ¼” deep.
Purchase your Wedding Guide Keepsake Organizer and Planner today and receive a FREE Wedding Guide tote bag (valued at $7)! Click here to purchase your San Antonio Organizer or click here to purchase your Austin Organizer.
Tags: wedding organizer, wedding planner, wedding planning, wedding planning binderPosted in Planning | No Comments »
Wedding traditions explained
Monday, May 23rd, 2011Take a look at the origins of some of our favorite wedding traditions. Times have certainly changed!
Bridal Veil
Some say the bridal veil originated from the time when marriages were arranged and a bride would keep her face covered until the vows were exchanged so as not to scare off the groom. Others say the veil originated from ancient Roman times when women were captured with a sack thrown over their head and taken to the altar. For some, the veil served a dual purpose as it would later become the bride’s burial shroud.
Bridesmaids
In ancient Roman times, it was custom for bridesmaids to dress similarly to the bride in hopes of confusing evil spirits that wanted to do harm to the bride and groom.
Best Man
When women were in short supply, a man seeking to marry would go to the neighboring village and kidnap a woman for his bride. Since this was an important and difficult task, the groom chose only his best man to accompany him on his quest. The best man also protected the groom and bride from anyone, such as the bride’s family or other prospective suitors, who wanted to take the bride away.
Today the best man’s most daunting task is holding the wedding ring during the ceremony to ensure it does not get lost.
Bouquet
The carrying of strong scented flowers and herbs by brides was thought to ward off evil spirits.
First Kiss
Dating back to ancient Roman times, the first kiss was thought to seal the union between husband and wife by joining their souls.
Tying old shoes to the car
This tradition has two variations. The first comes from Tudor times where guests would throw their shoes at the bride and groom’s carriage hoping to hit them for good luck. According to the Anglo Saxon tradition, a groom would symbolically transfer the power of authority from the father of the bride to himself by striking his bride with a shoe. The bride would then throw a shoe at her bridesmaids in belief that the catcher would receive her good fortune and be the next to get married.
Old, New, Borrowed and Blue
“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” is a popular phrase from the Victorian era which has continued to be used ever since. Something old is symbolic for the bride’s old life with her parents and the bond she has with them. Something new is symbolic for the bride’s new life she is about to embark on with her husband. The something borrowed is from a happily married woman, in hopes that her success will be passed to the new couple and something blue represents fidelity and constancy.
Tossing the Bridal Bouquet
It was believed that the could fortune of brides could be passed on. In order to secure the bride’s good fortune, women would rip pieces of the wedding dress off of the bride. To distract them and salvage her dress, the bride would toss her bouquet into the crowd, bringing on the belief that whoever catches it will be the next person to get married.
Posted in Articles, Celebration | No Comments »
Feature Friday: The Pink Tulip
Friday, May 20th, 2011
Since 1994, The Pink Tulip has been fulfilling stationery needs for the Austin area with a wide variety of invitations from some of the finest stationery houses in the business. They offer custom invitations & stationery in addition to the well-established collection at The Pink Tulip.
With fresh ideas, new lines, and custom designs, The Pink Tulip can assist you in making your invitations truly unique. As they continue to grow. The Pink Tulip is proud to offer you one-on-one service and is happy to answer all your questions concerning wording, etiquette, timeline and budget.
Invitations range from simple to extravagant and traditional to contemporary. They also help you with save the date cards, ceremony programs, shower & rehearsal dinner invitations, thank you notes, napkins, cups & koozies, and calligraphy. The Pink Tulip offers you a wide selection of invitations carefully selected for their unique designs. The Pink Tulip is constantly seeking new lines and creative ways to make your invitation one of a kind!
Tags: Austin, austin wedding, Austin Wedding Invitations, austin weddings, Feature Friday, invitations, Texas, Texas Wedding Invitations, The Pink Tulip, wedding, wedding ideas, wedding invitations, weddings
Posted in Announcements, Feature Friday, Invitations | No Comments »
A bit of sunshine: Yellow Inspiration
Thursday, May 19th, 2011Bring the sunshine to your wedding! Yellow is a vibrant color that can add something extra to your wedding. Particularly for an outdoor wedding, using the natural elements of a garden and additional whispers of yellow will really liven up your event. Enjoy this bunch of yellow bliss.
Tags: yellow inspiration
Posted in Inspiration | No Comments »
Bride of the Week: Vanessa Perez
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
“Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.”
-Vincent van Gogh
The Wedding Guide would like to congratulate Wedding Guide bride Vanessa Perez on her engagement!
Vanessa Perez and Alfred Gomez met in high school. Their romance was a typical high school sweetheart love story. Alfred always chased after Vanessa and his persistence paid off; the couple started dating thier senior year of high school.
On their eight year anniversary, Alfred decided to ask Vanessa to be his wife. On April 13, 2011, the couple was enjoying a quiet day at home together. It was their anniversary and the couple was excited to exchange gifts. Vanessa had been hinting for weeks that she wanted a new laptop, she was hoping thats what Alfred had got her. Alfred told her to close her eyes while he got her gift. Upon opening her eyes, she saw him down on one knee. Vanessa was overwhelmed with emotion. Alfred toook Vanessa’s hand and said, “I knew from the moment I met you that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, Vanessa Ybarra Perez will you marry me?” She said, “Yes!”
The couple plan to get married on April 14, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas
Tags: Bride of the Week, engagements, San Antonio, wedding, weddingsPosted in Bride of the Week | No Comments »
Picking the perfect wine
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011Amazing amounts of energy have been devoted to planning your perfect wedding. The dress, the cake, and the food and the atmosphere are all points that have been scrutinized to their tiniest detail. Then why is it that many people pay little to no attention to the wine they serve? This shouldn’t be the case. Here are four points that will make wine-buying less challenging and easier to navigate.
1. Find a wine shop you can trust. Good wine shops work well with caterers and are probably already working with yours. A good wine shop incorporates 4 elements: selection, service, knowledge and price. You should not accept anything less than excellence in these areas.
2. Pair the wine with the food. Look for wines that have good acidity. This will help carry the food flavors. Meats generally call for red wine, chicken and fish with white wine. Chicken dishes are fantastic with Chardonnay, Viognier or Cotes du Rhone Blanc. Fish is easily paired with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Tocai Friulliano while Merlot and tuna is a great match. Take a chance and taste these varieties from different countries as they capture different flavors.
3. Pair the wine with the season. People tend to drink lighter wines in summer and heavier wines in winter. Experiment with dry Roses, Rieslings and Chianti’s for the summer months. These wines go great with food. Try Pinot Noir’s and Syrah’s for the autumn months. Winter months beg for Cabernet Sauvignon and Barolo. These wines will help warm your soul when it’s cool outside.
4. Buy the wine you enjoy. When it is all said and done, it is still your wedding.
To find wine in Austin, visit the Beverages section of our Austin website.
To find wine in San Antonio, visit the Beverages section of our San Antonio website.
Tags: Beverages, Picking wine for your wedding, Reception Wine, wedding, Wedding Wine, winePosted in Beverages | No Comments »
FAQs: Mother of the bride/groom attire
Monday, May 16th, 2011The mother of the bride often finds herself in the spotlight during her daughter’s wedding. The last thing she needs to be worried about is not looking her best on the big day. The pressure is on to choose an ideal dress that looks great, complements the wedding theme and colors, that is affordable according to her budget, and matches the formality of the event.
Should the mother of the bride inform the mother of the groom on what she is wearing to the wedding?
Traditionally, the mother of the bride buys her dress first and politely informs the mother of the groom on her color choice and style. This courtesy is so the two mothers do not wear clashing colors or to prevent overdressing.
Is there a certain color the mother of the bride/groom should wear?
Mothers should avoid white, champagne, and ivory. These colors are reserved for the bride. Color choice has a lot to do with the time and formality of the event. If the event is an afternoon beach wedding, a black floor length gown would not be appropriate. On the other hand, an evening black tie event can call for a black cocktail dress. Consult with the bride first about attire, just in case she has a specific look in mind for the mothers.
How far in advance should the mother of the bride/groom purchase her dress?
Start shopping as soon as possible. Keep in mind alterations, special orders and all the timing that goes along with dress shopping.
How dressed up should the mother of the bride/groom get?
This all depends on the formality of the event. If you are attending an evening event you are expected to dress up a little more than usual. Under-dressing for an event can be taken as disrespectful.
What style of dress should a mother wear?
Choose a dress that is age appropriate, elegant and classy. One thing that a bride doesn’t want on her wedding day is being upstaged. It is a special day for the mother of the bride/groom but she should avoid upstaging the bride.
Where can I find a mother of the bride/groom dress?
Many bridal shops feature lovely gowns appropriate for mothers and grandmothers. Visit the Bridal Wear and Accessories section of our Austin and San Antonio websites to find a bridal shop near you.
For mother of the bride/groom dresses in Austin, visit the Bridal Wear and Accessories section of our Austin website.
For mother of the bride/groom dresses in San Antonio, visit the Bridal Wear and Accessories section of our San Antonio website.
Tags: MOB, MOG, Mother of the Bride, mother of the bride attire, mother of the bride dresses, mother of the bride/groom attire, Mother of the Groom, mother of the groom attire, mother of the groom dresses
Posted in Bridal Wear, Fashion | No Comments »
