Tag Archives: Wedding Budget Tips

La Tavola Linen’s Dreamy 2016 Collection!

In the past month I took a “work trip” up north a few hours to visit some amazing vendors in Dallas (I say this in parenthesis because I really just met cool people and played with fun linens). I had a great time doing a little private mentoring workshop with Lindsey Brunk (if you don’t know her name, you should, she is pretty much the bee’s knees of the planning and style world). I also got to visit the La Tavola fine linens show room and fell in loovveeee.wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0062

I often use linens as the inspiration piece for designs in weddings and in my home. When designing a wedding or a room in my house I almost always start with a table runner I’m in love with (or some other form of wedding linen) or a pillow that I paid way too much for. I’m a sucker for pillows especially. Some girls have shoes. Some girls have jewelry. I have pillows. And will never have enough. PS- La Tavola has pillows you can rent for your party. This shouldn’t be an “extra” but a necessary in my opinion… Okay maybe not for everyone. One day, I will do a blog post entirely on the purpose of a pillow at a wedding. Feel free to drool here at this stunning assortment.

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So they are the shiz in fine linens for weddings. They search the world for the latest patterns, colors and textures and manufacture them in the sunshine state of California. I would sleep in their soft linen Tuscany collection any day. Even their basic poly blend linen is woven to feel like pressed cotton. I can tell you folks, one big way to make your event Style Me Pretty worthy, pick out a decent linen. The best part? La Tavola’s basic linen starts at just $13.00 (plus shipping) WHAT. A. STEAL.

Here are some photos from their 2016 Linen Collection Release Party that happened in Napa (sorry I couldn’t make that one!). Thanks to Studio EMP for the pretty photos. Credit to Found Vintage Rentals for the furniture, Casa de Perrin for the tabletop decor, Paula Le Duc for the catering, and of course La Tavola for the showstopping linens.

Geometric fun! wedding_planner_fredericksburg_0066

Fall inspiration!

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And my personal favorite… these botanical prints! I have been dreaming of mid century modern wedding (or styled shoot) lately with lush tropical botanicals and a green color palette…

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A particular velvet table runner (from La Tavola) has actually been the inspiration piece for styled shoot/workshop I am styling this November (Cedar & Stone Workshop). Maybe I’ll post some sneak peeks soon!

Budget Tips for Planning A Hill Country Wedding

We all work on a budget when planning a wedding. Whether the budget is huge or small, if you spend a dollar on flowers that is one less dollar you can spend on cake. We all must be budget conscious. If you are looking to save some cash, here are a couple of really reasonable budget tips for planning a Hill Country wedding.

– Consider getting married on an off day (example Thursday, Friday or Sunday) or in an off season. Off-season will vary depending on location, but for a Texas Hill Country Wedding this is likely going to be December-February, or July-August. This can save you up to $1000 in some cases, and if you have a lot of family or friends flying in for the weekend anyway, this typically doesn’t extend their travel plans, just changes them. This can also save on lodging and flights, since you won’t be traveling at peak times.

-Cater buffet style. Plated style incurs more staffing, serving pieces, and china then buffet style. Buffet style is also a lot less work. There are no extra time or money costs of collecting menu selections from your guests and guests can choose their own portions. Station and Family style will likely fall between the buffet and plated menu prices as there is more setup required, usually a specialized menu, and sometimes extra serving pieces and staff.

-Stick to beer and wine, and maybe a signature drink. Open bar weddings are awesome, but rarely do the guests remember them, because they had one too many of their favorite cocktails. Feature unique beers and wines (maybe local or sentimental) or consider a signature drink that shows your style. This is plenty of alcohol for your guests to have a good time.

-Re-use flowers, as much as possible. If you are getting bouquets for all of your bridesmaids, plan to use them as floral centerpieces for the head table, gift or cake tables. After photos and the ceremony they are going to set them down on a table somewhere, where they aren’t in water and they aren’t being displayed. Make good use of them! This will save you the cost of arrangements for those tables. If you have aisle arrangements they can double as flowers for a fireplace mantle or staircase you want to decorate.

-Re-use, really as much as possible. For example, buy mason jars for guest favors, but have them use it through the evening as their glass! If you are using baby succulents for décor on the tables, have the guest take them at the end of the night as favors (provide care and travel instructions).

-Consider using high-end plastics instead of china. Clear plastic plates and silver plastic flatware are perfectly acceptable for casual weddings. If you are having a buffet the plates and flatware will likely be stacked at the end of the buffet tables. This obviously isn’t okay if you are serving quail, but if you’re menu is an eclectic Mexican buffet or a southern bbq, it fits perfectly. In this case put your favors on your place settings for each guest, request a 3D napkin fold, or print up menu cards, where the plate would be, to make the table look full and beautiful! This isn’t the most “green” option, so consider getting recycled bamboo plates like these and recycle them after the wedding!

-Get a wedding planner! Believe it or not, wedding planners can save you tons of money. Let a planner know up front what you are looking to save money on and they can usually make it happen. Often, planners have vendor discounts they can pass on to you and will know who the best and most affordable vendors to work with are. They also know tricks of the trade that you can’t find on Pinterest!

These are just a few of the most basic tips for saving a buck on your Hill Country wedding. I hope some of you can buy a couple more margaritas on that honeymoon to Cabo!