Inspiration...Where to find inspiration for your special day?

Find inspiration in what you love....
I love the look of short nails painted red....I am drawn to blue....I used these in my own wedding.
Bride's ask me how to find inspiration for their day....I say use what you love!  What makes you feel good when you look at it.  

Style Me Pretty! Another Featured wedding!

OMG!!!  We are so happy that Jacey and Anthony's wedding was featured on the wonderful wedding website Style Me Pretty.   This wedding was a favorite of mine and I very happy that everyone will be able see this gorgeous event.

Bridal Inspirations on Style Me Pretty

Here are some more photos from this day.  Be sure to click the Bridal Inspirations link above to see the feature. 

Our Wedding Slideshow...

We had to wait to share until after it was announced that our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty.  Now that it is we can share.  We just love this slideshow....I could watch it over and over!   Have your speakers on to hear the music.

Click Here for Wedding Slideshow   

Jacey & Tony - Garden Wedding

Southwest School of Art 

Garden Wedding

Our wonderful couple Jacey and Tony said “I Do” at the beautiful Southwest School of Art on March 3rd. Jacey was the one of the most TRUSTING clients....in turn making the planning of her wedding one our most favorite! Jacey gave us an outline of what she wanted for her wedding and then let The French Connection design it from there. She was so excited each time we presented an idea and she embraced everything with enthusiasm. For this stunning event, The French Connection partnered with Mandarin Flower Company to create an overall garden feel with one of a kind touches. The garden roses in the centerpieces and throughout the event were AMAZING!!! Guests arrived to pre ceremony Aqua Fresca & Prickly Pear Lemonade and then entered into the Gazebo area for a beautiful ceremony. The Gazebo was draped in fabric with a backdrop of cascading pink and white flowers. The aisle was lined with peach and pink petals. The bride wanted to keep her outdoor dinner area a SURPRISE for the guests. A secret garden wall was built to divide the Garden Gazebo area, where the ceremony took place, and the River Garden where dinner was to be. After the ceremony guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while the wedding party took pictures. When it was time for dinner, the doors to the “Secret Garden” were open to reveal a beautiful setting. Hanging parasols were hung and lit from above creating garden setting of soft colors the guests dined under. The delicious meal was provided by Don Strange Catering. After dinner we led guests into the chapel for cake and dancing. This is a signature transitions for us. Tracy French always says she likes to keep the guests moving from space to space to create interest. At this venue she likes to change things up when moving guests in for dancing. For Jacey and Tony we created a more modern feeling while still tying in the colors from the overall palette. We LOVE the furniture we brought in for this event! The guests were entertained by one of our favorite band Ice House Band of Dallas. It was a beautiful evening for a beautiful couple.

Succulent and Garden Rose Bouquet

Ceremony & Reception Location: Southwest School of Art
Floral: Mandarin Flower Company
Photographer: Perez Photography
Caterer: Don Strange Catering
Band: Ice House Band
Cake: Cathy Young
Custom Invitations: Happy Menocal
Other Print work: The French Connection

Megan & Dean - Winter Wedding

Witte Museum

The Witte Museum was the setting for Megan and Dean's February 4th Winter Wedding.    As you know, we LOVE the Witte Museum! It offers so much versatility.    We worked with Megan and her mother to plan the wedding.  They were so much fun!   In the middle of planning the wedding Megan moved to Oklahoma to be closer to Dean.  This made the planning long distance but we were still able to create exactly what Megan had envisioned.    

Megan wanted a Winter Wonderland inspired wedding.    Navy, white and silver where the colors.    In the planning Megan informed she had some friends who were florists....This generally does not turn out good when a client says this...but this time it was a wonderful surprise that her friends truly were very talented florists.    We did not have a huge budget but Mandarin Flower Co. was able to create a simplistic design that made the style of the wedding look clean and modern instead of thrifty!        

Winter Wonderland - Photography Perez Weddings.com

Embracing the winter season, and working with a smaller budget, we were able to select a few items to make statements.  Illuminated columns for the ceremony with white branches created a simplistic, yet striking ceremony site. White chiavari chairs paired with slate colored linens translated an amazing winter wonderland inspired reception.   When watching your budget you want to want to pick a few things to make a statement with.  These touches will stand out and help make your event.    

Megan personalized their wedding by having her father make red and white wine in miniature bottles for guests to take home as a their wedding favor.   Megan and Dean also asked all of their guests to complete an Ad-lib about their wedding day and put it a box for the couple to keep as a reminder of the special family & friends that shared their day.  This was so much fun!!!

The guests danced the night away to the music played by the DJ of The French Connection.   This group loved to dance and they had a great time!

Ceremony and Reception Location: The Witte Museum 

Floral: Mandarin Flower Co.

Photography: Perez Photography

DJ: The French Connection

Ceremony & Cocktail Music: The French Connection

Invitations & Print work: The French Connection

Who Pays For What - Tips from eleGALA.com

Wedding Budget Etiquette - Who Pays for What?

tips from eleGALA.com
photos by: Perez Photography

Learn which side of the family is typically responsible for which wedding costs and the tradtional wedding budget etiquette.
Tradition states that the bride’s parents are responsible for fronting the bill for the wedding reception; these days, the bride’s parents, groom’s parents, and the couple themselves all contribute to the wedding pool.

That said, it helps to come to the budgeting table prepped with the traditional list of which side pays for what. These conventional “rules” can then be adjusted according to your financial situations:

Wedding Costs Paid by the Bride and/or Bride’s Parents:
Ceremony rental fee
Bride’s dress and accessories
Ceremony flowers and décor
Bouquets for bridesmaids and flower girl

Photography and videography
Engagement party
Bridesmaids’ luncheon
All vendor services for reception, including food, beverages, décor, and entertainment
Groom’s ring
Invitations and stationery
Transportation for bridal party to and from ceremony and reception

Wedding Costs Paid by the Groom and/or Groom’s Parents:
Marriage license and officiant’s fee
Groom’s attire
Bride’s bouquet, boutonnieres for ushers, and corsages for mothers and grandmothers
Honeymoon travel
Rehearsal dinner
Bachelors’ dinner
Both of the bride’s rings

Costs Incurred by the Wedding Attendants:
Their own attire, including shoes and accessories
Bridal party hosts bridal shower and bachelorette party
Groom’s party hosts the bachelor party

Witte Museum, San Antonio- March 2011

On March 2011, Holly Keyt and Colin Son were married at the Witte Museum, here in San Antonio. Their reception was held in one of the ballrooms at the Witte, while the ceremony was held in the beautiful courtyard. The bride and groom had their first dance to "Make You Feel My Love", the same song Colin proposed to.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple had different cakes on antique stands at every table. In place of table numbers, guests were guided to their seat by the name of the cake that sat on that table.

The wedding is featured on Style Me Pretty! Go check it out and leave a comment. They love to hear what you think over at Style Me Pretty.

Below are a few photos from the wedding. Thank you to Perez Photography!

These adorable postcards were attached to welcome bags that the bride and groom put together for their out of town guests.

These beautiful paper flowers were handmade by the mother of the bride! The rustic sign was custom made to guide the guests to the ceremony location on the museum grounds.

Succulants were used as both placecard holders and gifts for the guests to take home at the end of the night.

Vendors:
Venue: Witte Museum
Wedding Planner: Tracy French – The French Connection
Caterer: Page Barteau
Floral: The French Connection
Menus, Programs and other print work: The French Connection
Photo Booth: Boothography
DJ: The French Connection
Ceremony and Cocktail hour Music: The French Connection
Dinner Music: Monte Vista Strings
Linens: BBJ