Top 5 Things To Look For When Choosing A Venue

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Top 5 Things To Look For When Choosing A Venue

Hello again lovebirds,

As you know, we love all things wedding venues! So, today we thought we could talk about the Top 5 things we think you should look into when choosing a venue!

While there are so many details to think about when deciding on what venue you want for your wedding day, we think these five things are crucial and can really help you when it comes to decision time.

Let’s take a look!


Here are the Top 5 Things To Look For When Choosing A Venue

  1. Privacy
  2. Space
  3. Features You Like
  4. Available Backup Plans
  5. Good Customer Service

Now, let’s break them down!

Privacy:

When getting married it may be important to you that the venue belongs to just you and your event the day of. When talking to venues, see if you have to share the space! Privacy also comes into play when getting ready and preparing for the day. Especially if you aren’t sure that you want to do a first look, think about asking about a specific and private space where you and your spouse-to-be can get dressed and prepped ahead of the ceremony!

Space:

Having enough space to do everything you want during your wedding is a big deal. The most beautiful venue in the world may exist but if it cannot fit the needs of your guest count, then you may want to think about looking elsewhere (or resizing your guest list). Make sure the space can accommodate your guest count and that it has enough space to do things you want to do like have a cocktail hour, dance, photo booth, etc.!

Features You Like:

this one always has us thinking of that sentiment, “you only get married once”…well if you only do this once, it is important that you love the space you marry in. If there is something specific your heart desires in a wedding venue, like an outdoor ceremony space, lodging, or a built in bar, seek out venues that have those special details. The more you love about the space, the more you will love your wedding day. Don’t compromise on details, they will be what make you smile come the day of and when looking back at pictures.

Available Backup Plans:

Texas is known for its crazy weather. One minute it is sunny and beautiful, the next it is pouring down rain. If you really love a venue, make sure they have provisions in place come yucky weather days. THEN, make sure that rain plan is okay with you. Bad weather plans usually involve tenting (which can be more money) or doing an indoor ceremony. Do your homework here!

Good Customer Service:

Working with a great team is so important when it comes to wedding planning. See if you like the vibe your venue gives off during the tour, through email, via phone, etc. If you don’t love the staff, communication may be difficult and you do not want to deal with the additional stress during wedding planning! Make sure your personalities mesh!!

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to choosing a venue, lovebirds! 

There are even more things to consider than just what is on this list.

If you have questions or concerns about your venue prospects, let us know! We are always happy to help!

Until then, do your homework and FALL IN LOVE with a venue!

Sending you all the food luck vibes! Cheers!

Xo,

C+K


  

The Guest List: What You Need To Think About

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The Guest List: What You Need To Think About

 

Well hello there, lovebirds!

 

How is the wedding planning journey going? We certainly hope very well!

 

Today we are going to talk about a very specific piece of the wedding planning puzzle: The Guest List.

 

Believe it or not the guest list may be the most important part of your wedding planning process. Guest lists determine quite a few things.

 

  1. Guest lists will give you an idea of what overall pricing for the big day may be

  2. They will help determine the venue you book

  3. It will help determine whether you want to do a buffet or seated dinner

  4. They will help determine whether you want to do a full bark or just beer and wine

  5. Guest lists will help you know how many save the dates/invitations/thank you notes you need to send

 

These are only a couple of things the guest count can affect…but do you see how many details it really touches come wedding day?

 

It can also be a point of major stress for couples. A lot of brides and grooms think they need to invite everyone in the world…we are big believers in inviting WHO YOU WANT to your wedding.

 

We have some tips on how to conquer the guest list so it is an enjoyable process rather than a stressful task to check off your wedding planning to-do list.

 

Keep budget in mind

If you have a final wedding budget in place when it comes to spending for the big day, this will help you in a multitude of ways! Depending on what your budget is, this will help you to know how many people you can easily afford to invite to your wedding. Take into account the price per head for feeding and serving alcohol to your guests as one of the first priorities when planning your wedding. By knowing what this price will be, it will help you determine if you can afford 100 people or 500 people.

 

Saying No is OKAY

A lot of couples get plagued with ideas and requests from their friends and families when it comes to the guest list. Peer pressure is a very real thing when you have people begging you to invite their significant other or their friend of their friend…the list goes on. If there are people you do not want at your wedding, it is simple, don’t invite them! Stay true to who you and your partner want at the wedding. If you are surrounded by people you want to have at the wedding, your heart will be full come wedding day. Follow your gut, invite the important and meaningful people!

 

Divide and conquer

This may seem a bit harsh, but we really think it helps! Guest lists can seem huge and daunting, so why not break it up? By having a list A: All the people you want at the wedding and then a list B: All the people you need at the wedding and then a list C: the ideal list that makes up your dream wedding guest list, this will help you prioritize and cut down should you need to!

 

Lastly, if you take anything from this read, it would be that we hope you enjoy making your guest list. It is one of the fun and “easy” parts of the process where you can snuggle up with your love, have a date night and brainstorm! 

 

Make it a sweet moment the two of your will cherish always!

 

If you need help or have any questions, we are always here! Also, take a look at this awesome selection of Guest List forms from Zola.com

 

Until next time, lovebirds…

Cheers to guest lists and love!

 

Conor and Kaitlyn

Venue Showcase: Woodbine Mansion

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Venue Showcase: Woodbine Mansion

 

Hello Lovebirds,

 

Welcome back to the We Do Weddings Blog! Are you ready for the newest Venue Showcase: Woodbine Mansion? Today we want to share some love with the incomparable Woodbine Mansion located in Round Rock Wedding.

 

The Mansion has a great history. It has been a fixture of the Pflugerville community for over 100 years! Recently bought and refurbished and beautified by Becky Navarro of Pearl Events here in Austin, Texas, the venue is truly incredible. 

 

The inside is as beautiful as the out. We personally cannot get enough of all the details and rooms. From a stunning bridal suite to an impeccable groom’s den, this venue is truly one of a kind. No matter where you go in the entire mansion, every detail and nook is picture worthy.

 

Here are some fabulous features of the venue:

  • Over 1.5 acres
  • Served as a Texas Historic Landmark since 1973
  • Private gardens for outdoor entertaining
  • Two spacious courtyards for outdoor entertaining
  • Elegant gazebo and garden trellis
  • First and second floor mansion access
  • 5 private changing rooms
  • Vendor green rooms
  • Wireless Internet throughout the property
  • Parking onsite
  • Handicap accessible

Woodbine Mansion offers tours and we highly recommend going! If you think the pictures of it are beautiful, just imagine how gorgeous it is in person.

 

Want to take a look at their website? Click here!

 

Make sure to ask for Maddie, she is wonderful to work with and will give you all the Woodbine information you need!

 

Need help connecting? Let us know! We are happy to do an introduction!

Until then, fall in love with Woodbine as much as we have!

 

Cheers to you all, lovebirds!

C+K

 

Photos taken from Woodbine Mansion Website

Austin Wedding Vendors To Know About

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Austin Wedding Vendors To Know About

 

Hello again lovebirds!

 

We hope you are having a wonderful day and that your wedding planning is going beautifully.

 

While we work solely with wedding venues (for now), we have been in the Austin Wedding Industry for quite some time and thought it was high time to shed some light and love on some of other favorite Austin wedding vendors!

 

You know the saying, “it takes a village”? We firmly believe weddings are successful and wonderful because of the team of vendors who come together to create the day.

 

From catering to floral design to draping to rental install, so many details can go into a wedding and we thought it might be nice to share some amazing vendors from the Austin area who are great to work with (PS — THERE ARE SO MANY MORE THAN JUST THIS LIST, we could go on and on and on with options!!) 

 

We hope this list helps you as you go through your wedding planning journey! Everyone on this list is amazing to work with and will be sure to help make your wedding a dream come true.

 

Take a look at some Austin Wedding Vendors To Know About:

 

Planners:

Middleton Events

Simply XO

Pearl Events

 

Caterers:

Crave

Royal Fig

SoHo

 

Florists:

Flora Fetish
Wild Bunches

Remi + Gold

 

Bakeries:

Sweet Treets

Simony Lee Bakery

Cakes Rock!!!

 

Photographers:

Mint Photography

Vanessa Joy

 

Videographers:

Photohouse Films

Adam Grumbo

Rob Adams Films

 

DJ:

DJ Gatsby

Exodus Sound Co.

Hype Rhythm

 

Live Band:

Matchmaker Band

Royal Dukes

Plush Party Band

 

Invitations:

Design to Flourish

The Inviting Pear

Percolator Letterpress

 

Extras:

Vogue Vignette

Victoria’s Visuals

Fancy Fluff

 

Need help reaching out to any of these lovely vendors? Let us know! We are happy to send introductions your way!

 

Need even more vendor ideas? Like we said before, the great options go on and we would be happy to talk with you more if you need help finding someone based on style or budget!

 

Enjoy perusing the list and enjoy wedding planning, lovebirds!

 

Until next time, cheers to love!

C+K

 

Venue Showcase: Pecan Springs Ranch

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Venue Showcase: Pecan Springs Ranch

 

Hello lovebirds,

 

We hope wedding planning is finding you well and that you are so excited to find the venue of your dreams. Today we wanted to start a new sub-series of our blog spotlighting all our partners so you can learn more about their spaces and teams. Welcome to Venue Showcase: Pecan Springs Ranch

 

First up is Pecan Springs Ranch.


A little fun fact. Pecan Springs Ranch owner Judy actually helped us while building the site and was our first official venue partner! Judy is perhaps the sweetest person you will ever meet and is a dream to work with (which is always a good thing when it comes to venues).


We were lucky enough to do a shoot out there this past winter and even in the cold, this venue is STUNNING. Take a look at the pictures!

 

Venue Showcase: Pecan Springs Ranch

Pecan Springs Ranch has so many sites that you can marry at, but here are our Top 3:

 

  1. Fireplace Ceremony Site

    The fireplace gives you an element of coziness and home. It is gorgeous dressed up or down and makes for a warm (littleraly if you want!) place to say I do.

  2. Pergola Ceremony Site

    This is a gorgeous ceremony site, particularly in the springtime with gorgeous floral elements. It offers a wonderful arch to marry under and is utterly romantic.

  3. Treeline Ceremony Site

    The land is the real show stopper here. The scenery makes for a perfect picturesque site to wed.

 

Here are the amenities they offer with rental of their venue:

 

  • 6,000 sq ft climate-controlled building
  • 12-hour rental period
  • Prep kitchen with a walk in cooler
  • Option to use a built-in Bar
  • Multiple beautifully landscaped outdoor ceremony locations for your wedding
  • 4500 square foot Creek Side multi-purpose pavilion
  • Separate Groom’s area
  • Bridal House
  • Handicap accessibility
  • Ample and clean restrooms
  • Included in rental is 400 fruitwood chairs, twenty-five 60″ round tables, 3 farm wood tables, 4 beer garden tables,4 six foot tables, 4 eight foot tables and 5 cocktail tables, lawn games, vintage buffets, LOVE letters, hand carved stone cross, all outdoor lighting and outdoor furniture.
  • Complimentary use of facility for one hour rehearsal (by appointment only)
  • Complimentary use for engagement or bridal photos (by appointment only)
  • On-site property manager
  • Outside vendors welcome caterers must have insurance and be approved by PSR (we also have a preferred vendor list)
  • On site decor rental items (available for additional fee)
  • On site “drink” donkeys (available for additional fee)

 

Pricing Idea: $4000-$7000

 

FAQ:

 

  1. Required Catering Options? No, but they do recommend you pick from their preferred list
  2. Must use from Preferred Vendor list? No, but if you choose another vendor not on the list they do have to be approved by the venue
  3. Bad weather options? Yes
  4. Air conditioned? Yes
  5. LGBTQ Friendly? YES!
  6. Sparklers allowed? Yes
  7. Can you bring in your own decor? Yes, but nothing can harm or damage the venue or it’s staff.
  8. What is included in the rental fee? “Included in the fee is exclusive use for 12-hour rental, an on-site manager to take care of all venue related items, one hour for rehearsal (scheduled 30 days prior to event around other booked events), 17 acres of versatile grounds, indoor/outdoor ceremony and reception space, Bride’s house, Groom’s room, catering prep area, walk in cooler (available during the rental), 3 pine wood farm tables, 4 beer garden tables at pavilion, twenty-five 60″ round tables, five tall boy cocktail tables, four 6ft tables, four 8ft tables and 400 folding fruitwood chairs and outdoor patio furniture and a bride & groom chair.  Vintage buffet, lawn games,  and light up “LOVE” marquee letters. PSR does a one time set up of ceremony and reception per your layout.  Use of buildings and property for engagement or bridal photos (by appointment).”  
  9. Are there any other additional fees you should know about? In addition to the rental fee,  we also require a $1000.00 refundable damage and security deposit for weddings, refunded within 30 days after your event. Day of event liability insurance is also required– it is  approximately $175.00.

 

Availability: Check them out through the search option on the website!

 

We really cannot recommend this venue more. It is beautiful, it is located just a few miles out of downtown Austin and it will make you feel right at home!

 

Need more information on them or want a direct contact to Judy and team?

 

Let us know, lovebirds! We are here to help!

 

Until next time, cheers to love!

C+K

 

*images taken from Pecan Springs Ranch Instagram*

 

Events AROUND Your Wedding

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Events AROUND Your Wedding

 

Hello love birds!

 

Today we are thinking about weddings and all the events and celebrations that surround them.

 

You may be scratching your head and thinking…what events?

 

There are lots of ways to celebrate your upcoming nuptials and there are so many events these days that have been built around weddings.

 

Let’s break it down by PRE-Wedding and POST-Wedding.

Take a look —

 

Events AROUND Your Wedding, PRE – Wedding:

Photoshoots

Engagement Shots — this is typically a fun first way to really celebrate your engagement. Couples get to get dressed up and take pictures in an area that is special to them and then these pictures can be used for all kinds of things! The pictures can be used for save the dates, wedding websites and can even be showcased on the wedding day!

Bridals — this is a photoshoot dedicated to capturing the bride in her dress ahead of the wedding day. Typically these are shot at the venue and are reflective of what you will look like on your wedding day. People do these shoots because there is rarely time to capture these images on wedding day. Plus how fun is it to get to wear your wedding dress TWICE???

 

Engagement Parties

— typically these happen within the first few months of getting engaged. It is a great way to get together with friends and family members and celebrate the wedding that is to come. Some fun ideas for these parties are: his & hers celebrations, cocktail hours, themed bashes

 

Showers

— showers are where the presents typically come in. While grooms can have showers, brides are usually the stars of these events. Family members usually hold these early in the day showers so friends and families can come shower the bride in all the gifts she and her love registered for early on in the planning process.

 

Rehearsal Dinners

— a great way to get everyone together one last time before the big day. Rehearsal dinners are wonderful because they typically include sentimental toasts, stories and bonding moments between the blending families. This is a great time to give gifts to parents and celebrate your bridal party too.

 

Events AROUND Your Wedding, POST – Wedding:

 

Post Wedding Brunches

— A big trend happening in weddings right now is post wedding brunches. This is a great way to celebrate after the big event with friends and families and bask in the glow of being a newlywed. These are fun as you are able to chat about the wedding and what everyone thought and loved about it.

 

Collective Honeymoons

— Now this is a new one even for us, but another recent trend going on in weddings right now is taking a honeymoon where friends and families can come along! If you are a fan of big groups and want to travel with buddies, this may be for you! 

 

Needing more ideas about how to celebrate after the wedding? We loved this article from One Fab Day. You will be inspired by these fun ideas!

 

Also, if you need help finding a local venue for one of these events be sure to look on our website! Most venues love to do additional celebrations on top of weddings!

 

Until next time love birds,

C + K

 

**picture by Al Gawlik 

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