Your venue allows you to bring in your own alcohol, BUT not how much?

You can imagine, having the opportunity to provide your own alcohol can be a huge cost saving. For the state of Texas, you will still need to hire a TABC certified bartender which will cost $100-150 per bartender for a 4 hour event.

For alcohol in general, rule of thumb is to consider the following:

Each guests will consume 2 drinks their first hour and 1 drink each consecutive hour after that. Of course, you will have guests drink more, less or none at all. The numbers provide averages.

If you have a large number of guests whom are heavy drinkers, increase the total number 25%

So, for 150 guests for a 4 hour reception = 750 drinks

On average, the bar consists of 50% beer, 25% wine and 25% liquar. These percentages can be adjusted based on your specific group of friends and family

Beer would equal 375 cans = 16 cases
187 glasses of wine
187 glasses of cocktails

It's always best to consider buying beer in cans vs. bottles as it is safer and more "green". You may consider recycling the cans.

- A bottle of wine will yield 6-7 glasses which would require 31-32 bottle

When purchasing alcohol, the breakdown is as follows:

- A 750 ml. Bottle will yield about 16 cocktails.
- A liter bottle will yield 22 drinks.
- A 1.5 liter bottle will yield 39 drinks.

Wedding Feature: Stephanie & Benjamin's Summer Wedding

With each couple that I work with in helping to plan their wedding, I can't help but to feel the buzz of excitement the week of the wedding. Having been a Bride myself, I know what the couple is feeling and it simply gives me butterflies as I know they are about to embark on one of the happiest and most memorable days of their lives. With being 3 days away from Stephanie & Ben's wedding, who needs coffee when you have the wedding buzz?!

For me, Stephanie and Benjamin has been a truly adorable couple to work with. When they look at each other, you can see just how much they adore each other and are in love. Their summer wedding is filled with detail, detail, detail from custom hand towels to gourmet styled meals and an array of eclectic songs to ensure that every guests dances the night away. They are having a wedding surrounded by family and friends with a collection of truly talented wedding professionals to bring it all together. Of course, with yours truly, they will be assured that the event will run flawlessly. As many have teased me in past, my events usually do run down to the minute in exact precision. 8:39 for the first dance....really!

Event Ingredients:

Church: St. Michael Catholic Church
Venue: The Courtyard at St. James

Photographer: Morgan Lynn Photography (engagement pics shot in New Orleans)
Florist: Events in Bloom

Cake: Cakes by Gina

C. Music: Divisi Strings

Hair/makeup: Your Beautiful Face

Linens: Elegant Beginnings

DJ: JM Productions

Transportation: The Original Trolley Company

Host Hotel: Hotel Derek

TLC is casting for "Four Weddings" in Dallas/Ft. Worth.....could this be you?

Yup, that's right! "Four Weddings" is now able to include September weddings on Season Two!

We were very excited because we know a lot of you have brides getting married in September who were interested in being a part of the show. But don't forget, we still want to meet your brides getting married in June, July & August as well. This season is turning out to be better than ever and the vacation prizes are out of this world. Below is a reminder about how the show works and send us your brides quick! WE want to give everyone a chance to be a part of this incredibly fun show:)

"Four Weddings" is a new hit show on TLC, but it's NOT like a "Bridezillas" type of show or anything that is snarky or negative...it is the exact opposite. We're doing a show that actually wants to see their wedding day turn out as perfect as they've planned it. TLC is giving these brides the opportunity to feature their wedding on the show and a chance to WIN an all expense paid, 5-star vacation that they can use for their Honeymoon or 1st anniversary trip or whatever they want! It's also fun because they get the opportunity to exchange ideas and vent their frustrations with other brides and attend each others weddings.

They're looking to feature ALL types of weddings. It can be your first, second, third or thirteenth wedding. No wedding is too small or too big! Any and all ages welcome.


Here is a link to the show's page for clips and more info and I've attached our one-sheet for you to forward to your brides. We look forward to hearing from you!!


If you'd like to be considered for the show, please email or call the Casting Department immediately at: TLCBrides@gmail.com or 212-505-7775.

Support the Pink Door Organization and embellish your wardrobe - June 12th

One of my admired colleagues in the fashion industry, Misti Pace-Krahl, owner of Misti Style has teamed up with Pink Door to create an amazing event filled with glam and luxury showcasing truly unique items from the most couture designers. This is a perfect way for any group of gal pals to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon. With a portion of the ticket sales benefiting Pink Door what better excuse do you need when choosing the hottest and most unique accessories to "pop" your summer wardrobe?!

So, come get your "Sparkle" on June 12th from 9am-6pm. And support an amazing cause!!

Purchase tickets here: www.MISTISTYLE.com/events

Wedding Program: Thank you to your guests...

Very commonly, a Bride & Groom take the opportunity to thank their guests for joining them by having a note on their program. It is most commonly listed on the last page or back of the program. Another good place would be the very inside cover or backside of the cover page.

If you are like me and cringe at the thought of expressing yourself through creative writing, you may look for outside sources of inspiration such as a poem. I found a one recently that truly expresses the meaning and importance of the day.

"Marriage is not a culmination, it is a beginning.
The beginning of a life that will grow and change in

ways more wonderful than we can imagine.
Many years from now, when we look back upon our life,
love and this day, we will remember that flowers, music
and food were not what made this day so special.
It will be our memories of sharing the beginning of our life
as husband and wife with you, our friends and family.
Having you here with us today has made our
wedding truly wonderful."

Being a Wedding Planner ..........

As most of you know, I don't make it a habit to brag or show boat myself or creative talents. With so many gifted and talented event professionals, I feel it would be quite unprofessional and foolish. Having been a business owner for less than 5 years, I feel I am still developing and growing my talent and business skills.

BUT today, my email box greeted me with a notice from WeddingWire letting me know I had a new review. This is always a great interest to me and my team. The reviews truly let us know how we're doing, where we can improve and if our clients are happy.

Photo credit: Clint Shuttlesworth

The newest review came from one of my biggest clients (Ava & Matthew) that I've had ever in soiréebliss! Events history. She and her groom were truly a delight to work with. The importance of her review was that the week of her wedding, so many things went wrong for me personally; lost power for 3.5 hours in my office during the busiest production days, car problems which threatened time efficiency, miscounts on paper for stationary items, and computer problems when working on seating charts and event documents. I felt like gremlins were teasing my last inch of patience that week.

So, after reading Ava's review, I was truly touched by the rave review and praise for all the hard work, long hours and sleepless nights. YES!! It completely made my heart grow with utter happiness to know we made a difference in making a couple's wedding day truly memorable. It's moments like this that validates my decision to have started soiréebliss! events 2.5 years ago, why I work the long hours, the personal sacrifice of personal time and how I approach every wedding in such a personal manner with heart-felt care and concern. Today is a day I am truly proud.

And, it goes without saying that soiréebliss! Events is not just me, I'm thrilled to have an amazing team. My deepest appreciate and thanks to them; Helen, Sarah, Traci, Cassandra, Janna and our newest member Jennie. Without them, I wouldn't be able to make an event happen.

Let me share with you what Ava had to say:

Three wordse helped us fulfill our wedding vision by listening to our desires and ideas and used her creativity to enhance our wedding.

Professional - She was always polite, timely, and had a great network of vendors that also delivered superb services.

Worry Free - She was always on top of every detail and kept everything running smoothly so planning the wedding was a truly enjoyable experience.

During the wedding week, Samantha and soireebliss! were with us every step of the way from final walkthroughs, to rehearsal and dinner, to the wedding and finally the reception. Every detail was covered, all ran 100% smoothly and the event was a total success.

As a recent bride I highly recommend you hire a wedding planner; and that wedding planner should be Samantha. She and her team work so hard that she is worth every bit of her fee. After saying "I DO" to my fiance, hiring Samantha was one of the smartest things I've done.

Thanks again Sam for everything.

Photo Credit: Shawn Fashion Photography

It's Official....the new award badge is here

With each little award or recognition, I get so very excited. Each award is truly precious and humbling to me. Not only is it a testament to amount of care, passion and hard work we put towards each event, but it's a recognition that are we are impacting the lives of those we work with. It also serves as a little motivator on days when things feel challenging or as though everything is going wrong. It reminds us of the joy and great rewards of being an event planner.


So, even though it's a simple little badge, I share it with great pride and with great humility thank my clients who chose to hire soireebliss! Events for one of their biggest and most memorable days in your lives.


Sincerely,


Samantha, Helen, Sarah, Traci, Cassandra & Ashley