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Happy Monday SJE blog fans!   I hope you enjoyed your Super Bowl weekend.  If your guy proposed, then CONGRATS!!!  Today I’ll be highlighting Venues.  Three things to consider when selecting your reception venue are capacity, location, and cost.

Capacity

How many people can your venue hold comfortably?  Sometimes when you visit a venue, you are given the capacity that the space can hold by the venue manager.  However, if that number gives you a pause, then you might be in for a tight fit.  A wedding planner can plan the space with you down to the exact the floor plan you’ll have on your wedding day.  Sometimes we (wedding planners) can take a look at a space and determine that your dream won’t be fulfilled in your chosen space.

Location

Obviously, if you have guests traveling from out of town you’ll want to skip long treks across the city for your guests.  If your ceremony is at one end of the city and your reception at the other, it can be a pain and an additional expense (for you) to transport your guests comfortably to the final destination.  But if your heart is set on a specific venue that’s far from your ceremony your wedding planner can help you make the transition a smooth one.

Cost

Finally it all boils down to the cost.  You may have booked your venue simply because it was the least expensive option you could find.  Maybe they cut a great deal for you and you couldn’t say no.  A wedding planner can review the contract with you and help you determine what you are more likely to actually spend on that “cheap” venue.

Hello my lovelies.  I hope your Thursday is a smashing one!  Can you believe we’ve practically reached the end of January 2011 already?

Team Simply Jubilee Events or (Team SJE) as we affectionately call ourselves, is always on the lookout for fresh and inspiring wedding professionals and products for our brides.  Of course being members of the amazing Houston event industry we get invited to many events and are fortunate to rub elbows with the beautiful people.  So when the invitation arrived in my inbox to attend Ivory Bridal Atelier’s Grand Opening I was excited. 

I must admit before I went to the opening I assumed I would be attending just another bridal boutique store.  I could hardly think of why Houston needed yet another bridal boutique.  However, I was wrong!

I loved everything about the store, from the wide plank, dark chocolate floors, to the sparkling wall sconces.  Ah, but you may be wondering what makes Ivory Bridal Atelier unqiue?  Hold on, I’ll tell you!

First, they have built two large dressing “suites” for the brides.  This creates a wonderful cocoon for you to share with your friends and family when shopping for your gown.  So no more standing on a wooden box for the whole world to see.  Next, they bring champagne, cupcakes, and accessories to the bride while she shops to make it a truly enjoyable experience.

The store is run by two sisters, Ronit and Sharon Levy and perhaps they are the biggest treasure of the store.  The two of them seem truly humble and honored to be a part of Houston’s bridal gown community.  They were gracious hosts and kept thanking everyone over and over for the tremendous outpouring of support.  Even their mother was there looking fabulous and asked me to fix her dress.  What a hoot!  I wish these ladies all the best!

Details:

• 2800 Kirby Drive Suite 218 Houston, TX 77098 in the West Ave Shopping Center of Upper Kirby
• Dresses range from $2800 to $15000
• Website: Ivory Bridal Atelier

Happy Thursday SJE fans!

Today I’m going to introduce you to one of our favorite photographers…Blanca Duran!  We had the pleasure of working with Blanca in October and her husband Alex.  Not only did we love these two, but their love story made us swoon.  Judging from our recent photographer interviews, our brides love Blanca too!  We have 4 brides who have booked her for 2011!!  The image  featured is from the engagement session of our couple Doug and Donielle who were married October 30th 2010.  For more information about Blanca  Duran photography please check her out at Blanca Duran.com

Good Morning SJE fans!  June has proven to be hot and rainy so far for Houstonians.  But we’ve come to expect the unexpected here.

The team here at SJE considers NOLA to be our second home.  We’ve spent a lot of time in the great city of New Orleans over the years and the vendors have come to know us quite well.  As matter of fact we’ve had 2 weddings in NOLA this year and we have 2 more in October!

One of our favorite vendors in the Big Easy is Fat Cat Flowers.  Our brides love Fat Cat too!   Often we find that brides who reach out to us in the middle of the planning process have already booked Fat Cat Flowers.  This is a testament to the stellar work and reputation of the team at Fat Cat Flowers.

The photo shown here is courtesy of MQ Photography and features a bouquet from the wedding of Melanie and Peter 04-19-2009 in NOLA!

Every Friday this month, we will be featuring local event professionals. Today we would like to introduce you to Collide, a collaboration between Divisi Strings and LG Entertainment. This is a great alternative if you are looking for something different than your regular DJ or wedding band. I had a chance to listen to them in person and they sound awesome!

If you think they’re only appropriate for very formal events, think again! Check out their website for audio clips of classical and contemporary music. Your guests will be pleasantly surprised when they hear Michael Jackson’s Beat It or Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody filling the air.

http://www.divisistrings.com/

Photo Courtesy of The Corinthian Houston

Every Friday this month we are going to be featuring wedding planning tips. Check out last Friday’s feature on the beginning stages of wedding planning. Today we are going to be focusing on choosing the right venue. The following are some tips on picking that right location for your wedding/reception:

• Stay within your budget. If your budget is for $10,000, don’t rent a venue for $8,000. Keep in mind that you still have to pay for food, bar, décor, and entertainment. There are plenty of great options out there in a variety of price ranges.
• Fees. Be sure to ask what is included in the room rental. Read that contract in detail. Some venues charge you extra to cut the cake, or have very specific pricing on their bar. You want to make sure that the low price you’re being offered up front isn’t because a lot of extra fees are added.
• Don’t ever commit to something after just seeing pictures. Go visit the venue or, if you live in a different city, send a family member to look at it. Pictures can be very deceiving.
• When picking your venue make sure it is a fit for your personality and style. If you are a laid back kind of person, then a reception at the St. Regis may not be your best fit. Be sure that you pick a place that you will feel comfortable in.
• Keep in mind the location. If you are having your wedding and reception at separate locations make sure they are within 10 miles of each other. You want the reception to be able to start shortly after the ceremony.
• Size of the room. If the venue says they fit 300 people make sure that they can fit that many without losing too much space for a dance floor and buffet. You don’t want to feel claustrophobic at your own wedding reception.

What happens if it is your wedding day and one of your vendors is a no show? Here are some quick fixes that will save your day.

Where is the pastor?: Have your wedding planner or one of your friends fill in for the ceremony and then after you get back from your honeymoon, go get married at the court house.

Where is the band?: Get your i-pod out and plug it into your venue’s sound system. Have a family member or friend be an onsite DJ.

Where is the florist?: Make a quick run to your local grocery store and buy as many flowers as you can, get ribbon in your wedding color and make simple wedding bouquets. For your reception, run to Hobby Lobby and buy lots of candles.  Candles always make great center pieces.

Where is your photographer?: Have a friend go to the store and buy all the disposable cameras he or she can and put them on the tables at your reception. Let guests capture some great candid shots. Have a friend fill in as photographer during the ceremony.

To avoid these entire problems, make sure you use reputable vendors. Your wedding coordinator should have a list of vendors. You can also use sites like The Knot to find recommended vendors.

Quick Fixes are courtsey of About.com