Friday, November 30, 2012

Real Weddings: Genevieve and Phillip

Now booking weddings for December and 2013. For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209. Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

Genevieve and Phillip were were such a fun couple adding great elements such as a red carpet photo shoot (photoboth set-up by Studio 563) and AMAZING food, complete with a mash potato bar, gourmet mac and cheese, and a selection of roasted turkey, salmon, prime rib, and much much more!

Elements:

Wedding Planner- Rachel Stepanov
Ceremony- St. Thomas Moore
Reception- Renaissance Glass Oaks Ballroom
Photography- Studio 563, Jenna Vincent
Florist- Bouquets of Austin, Becky
Hair/Makeup- Keep Austin Gorgeous
Rentals- Marquee
DJ- Altared Weddings
Videographer- Altared Weddings
Bakery- Simon Lee
Mariachis- Mariachi Estrella

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Testimonial: Kelly and Nathaniel

Rachel was AMAZING on my wedding day. She coordinated everything beautifully and handled everything. If anything went wrong, or caused concerns on the day of, I was completely unaware because she managed ALL of it! The reception flowed smoothly, largely due to her help. The value of her services for the price is just incredible. I highly recommend Rachel for help with wedding coordination!

Elements-
Photography: The Photo Shoppe
Florist: Exquisite Petals
Ceremony: Southwestern Chapel
Venue: Cimarron Hills Country Club
Coordinator: Rachel Stepanov

Thursday, November 22, 2012

About Me: Rachel Stepanov

Now booking weddings for December and 2013. For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209. Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

My husband and I were engaged in 2004 after two years of dating, and thus started my wedding career. I loved every part about planning my wedding, working on every detail, and dreaming about the day to come. It was actually my husband that had planted the idea of me becoming a wedding planner, and after initial stipulation that idea took on roots and grew.

I did things a bit backwards; before I had any experience as a wedding planner, I educated myself and became certified by Penn Foster University. A few months went by, my wedding took place and I then became a "wedding consultant" for David's Bridal. While at David's, I began an internship at one of the top wedding planning companies here in Austin. After about six months, I was then hired as a wedding planner for another top Austin company and worked as a company owned wedding planner for a year and half.

After that, I went into business for myself, and became more successful than I could have imagined. After not even being in business for a complete year, I was named The Best of The Knot; a coveted award voted by past clients. Not only do you have to be voted, but you have receive multiple votes.

In September of 2010, against all odds, I became pregnant with triplets and decided to sell my business to take care of my unique pregnancy. I became a mother on April 1st, 2011 and have been enjoying the experience of raising triplets ever since. As mentioned before, I decided to exclusively return to the wedding industry on accordance to God's will and inspired by Proverbs 31:10-31, the story of the Virtuous Wife.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Five Easy Ways to Save on Your Wedding

Now booking weddings for December and 2013. For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209. Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

In times like these we are all cutting back. But when it comes to your wedding how can you save without looking cheap? Here are five great tips for brides with champagne tastes on a beer budget.

1. Schedule your wedding during an off peak season, day of the week, or time:

Many vendors (venues especially) will give discounts to brides willing to schedule during slower times. Think its a funny idea to have a wedding on a Sunday? Well, that is actually the traditional time to perform wedding ceremonies. So you're set on having a Saturday event...Look into having one in the afternoon instead of the evening; you'll also find major savings during this time and you can think about serving a brunch (even more savings). If you're willing to be flexible with your date and time, it just might make the difference in actually having your wedding at the perfect venue.

2. Select a city owned venue:

In Austin, we are fortunate to have MANY beautiful city owned parks and recreation centers. A lot of the times these venues are a great steal. One thing to watch out for is that these sites are usually bare bone packages. It might take you (or your coordinator) a little more work in the end, but, if done correctly, you can select all your own (perfect) vendors instead of the venue selecting them for you, save a lot of money, and have a great and memorable party that is uniquely yours.

3. Pass on the traditional champagne toast:

So you spend all this money, pour all this champagne, and nine out of ten of the guests take two sips and then leave the rest. You would be astonished with how cost affective it is to just have the guests toast with what they are drinking. Not only do you save money on the bubbly, but your caterer can cut back on servers, saving you even more.

4. Skip the grooms cake:

Okay, so maybe my bakers don't like this idea, but did you know that having a groom's cake is totally a southern tradition? If you ask a bride in California what flavor her groom's cake is, she would look at you like you just sprouted antennas. If you're set on having two different flavored cakes, try having two different layers on your wedding cake.

5. Hire a wedding planner:

Many people know that a wedding planner will save you time, but did you know that a good wedding planner will also save you money. Many times other vendors will actually seek out a wedding planner and offer them savings to pass on to their brides. In the past, I was able to offer one bride a videography package for free. Not only did that eliminate the cost of my services, but it also left her with some extra money in her pocket.

Something that I tell my brides that they might not want to completely save on is music. Either your DJ or you band have complete control of the entire reception. I guarantee that your guest will not remember the flowers that you had, but they will remember if they had a blast. The best way to assure a good time is to have a professional in charge of your music.

For other great tips, schedule your free initial consultation (FREE- a word that is not heard too often in today's economy.)

Monday, November 19, 2012

Why You Need a Wedding Planner

It used to be that wedding planners were only for the wealthy and famous, but with the typical wedding becoming more and more elaborate and with more couples paying for their own weddings while working a full time job, the necessity for wedding planners has boomed. Not only are planners helping to pull all the details together, they can also be a valuable resource for finding the right vendor for the right price....Many times, vendors will even give the brides a discount, just for using a wedding planner.
Don't take my word for it. Recently, I stumbled across this article:

Leslie Ramos & Jason Carmona
The key to Leslie and Jason’s flawless Texas wedding is simple—hiring a day-of wedding planner to ensure every detail went just right on their big day. While the couple planned the majority of the wedding, hiring Buon Affare Events relieved unnecessary stress during the wedding. “Rachel [our wedding planner] was the key to our wedding being a success. She ensured that the day flowed perfectly and that all issues were handled without it interrupting our evening. If anything went wrong, we certainly didn’t notice!” says the couple.

To share their vegan ethics with guests, Leslie and Jason not only perfected their reception menu, featuring pear-walnut empanadas and green apple and jicama stew, but also handed out Farm Sanctuary glasses to guests as favors, igniting many powerful conversations about the sanctuary and veganism after the celebration.

As unforgettable as the ceremony was, Leslie and Jason say they’ll never forget their honeymoon, sponsored by family and friends, which included a music tour of the UK, as well as a food tour of Amsterdam. “To this day and forever, we still find ourselves daydreaming of our three-week European honeymoon,” say Leslie and Jason.

The couple were an ordinary, everyday couple, that were busy with their careers and didn't have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on a wedding planner, but decided to have somebody in charge so that they and their family could enjoy the celebration.
*Article written by By Melissa Feineman for Vegan Weddings,http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=2252&catId=6

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Now booking weddings for December and 2013. For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209. Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

(Note: This is not the actual kit I put together, forgot to take pictures of that one, butound this at http://mymojuba.com just so you can get the idea)

Below is an example of what I put in my wedding day emergency kit:

Agenda (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Allergy medication (first aid kit)

Anti-Diarrheal (first aid Kit)

Baby powder (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Black socks-men’s (shoulder bag-main pocket)

Bobby Pins (bead case)

Bubbles for send-off back-up (main case)

Bug Spray (main case)

Cake cutting set (main case)

Chap Stick (shoulder bag-lipstick pocket)

Clear nail polish (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Clothes Pins (shoulder bag- back pocket)

ContactSolution/case(main bag)

Corsage Pins (bead case)

Cotton balls (bead case)

Deodorant (main case)

Dryer Sheets-for static cling (main case)

Ear ring backs (bead case)

Emery board (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Energy Drink-5 Hour Energy (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Extension cord (main case)

Eye drops (first aid kit)

Eye Hook (shoulder bag- inside flap)

Eyelashes/Eyelash Glue (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Fake rings (bead case)

Fingernail Clippers (bead case)

Fingernail polish remover (main case)

Fingernails (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

First Aid Kit (main case)

French tip nail pen (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Garter (main case)

Gas Relief (first aid kit)

Gloves-for cake (bead box)

Glue Stick-great for sticking material to skin (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Goldfish Crackers (main case)

Hair ties (bead case)

Hair brush/comb (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Hairspray (main kit)

Hand Sanitizer (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Itch relief (first aid kit)

Lighters2-long necked (shoulder bag- front pocket & inside)

Lint Roller (main kit)

Lotion (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Mints (shoulder bag- front pocket)

Mirror (main case)

Pads/Pantiliners (main case)

Pain reliever (first aid kit)

Pens (shoulder bag-inside flap)

Peptobismol (first aid kit)

Push pins (bead case)

Q-tips (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Razors (main kit)

Reserved Signs (main case)

Ribbon (bead case)

Safety Pins (bead case)

Scissors3 (shoulder bag-front & back pocket)

Sewing kit (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Sharpie (shoulder bag-inside flap)

Snacks-Kashi granola bars (main case)

Spot Remover (shoulder bag-back pocket)

Straws (shoulder bag-front main pocket)

Sunblock (shoulder bag-back inside pocket

Super Glue (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Tampons (main bag)

Tape-double side (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Tissues (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Tooth picks (bead case)

Toothbrush/Paste (shoulder bag-front main pocket)

Tweezers (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Urinary pain relief (first aid kit)

Water (main case)

Friday, November 16, 2012

As Seen On Style Me Pretty: Ann and Daniel

Now booking weddings for December and 2013. For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209. Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

This was one of my all time favorite weddings, but I have to admit, it was a challenge. I had to be in charge of a Vietnamese tradition in which the couple visits every guest. With limited time, it definitely tested my timing skills, but all worked out well and the couple even were able to get in a private dinner! See more of Ann and Daniel's wedding on Style Me Pretty.

Here is what Ann had to say about me:

"Rachel was my lifesaver. Her and her staff did a great job in helping us plan the flow & timing of the wedding (we received many compliments on how nicely everything flowed), they set the ballroom up nicer than I could have imagined, they took all my stress away on the actual day... we both agree it's the best money we spent! I highly highly recommend Rachel and her team! We wouldn't have had as great of a wedding without her."

Modern Austin Wedding by Table4Photography

May 3rd. 2011 by A. Blaire | Filed Under | 12 comments

As much as I gush day after day about the big day’s design, I am a huge sucker for the ceremony. It’s where the magic happens. This darling duo celebrated with two and started their day off with a traditional (and emotional) Vietnamese ceremony. The images from Table4Photography just tell the story so perfectly – these two love each other so much! So much so, they take the plunge literally at the end of the night and jump in the pool! So brave! Would you do that? See even more in the full gallery!