Houston Weddings can be expensive! Let’s remember they are technically a luxury, and as fun and incredible as they can be, you don’t NEED a big wedding. Often times I hear my brides tell me how much they have had to spend or they wished they had the money to allot for X. This blog is going to give you some ideas on ways to save money without lowering the quality of your day – because in this industry you get what you pay for. Harsh… but I can only be honest, and want the best for my people!
One of the easiest ways to save money on a wedding in Houston is to have your wedding during an off-peak season, such as during the summer months, or on a weekday. This can result in significant savings on everything from venue rentals, to catering, and floral arrangements.
Another way to save money on a wedding in Houston is to choose a “budget-friendly” venue. When I say “budget friendly,” let me explain… There are many beautiful and affordable wedding venues in Houston, (such as The Homestead Tx, pictured in this blog post) that offer all-inclusive wedding packages. From decor rentals, chairs, tables, catering, etc, choosing vendors who provide more than one component often results in a cheaper total. Think of it as same quality, but less “middle men” and less labor costs since bundled services typically only include one set of labor costs vs the labor costs for 4 or 5 different companies.
One of the biggest expenses of any wedding is the cost of feeding and entertaining your guests. To save money on your wedding in Houston (or anywhere, really), consider limiting your guest list to only your closest family and friends. This can significantly reduce the cost of catering, venue rental, and other expenses, while still allowing you to have a memorable and meaningful wedding celebration. The money saved by having a smaller guest list can be put towards decor, premium wedding vendors, or even your savings account!
Hear me out… if your “all in” budget for photo and video is 5k, I always recommend to my clients to pick one must-have instead of splitting your budget in half and hiring two mediocre companies to get both. I know, I know… it’s a hot take, but I promise you won’t regret investing in one must-have photographer or videographer. The videographers here are not going to like what I have to say… but I obviously vote on investing in a great photographer over a great videographer. Your photos will last forever! In addition to being digital, they are tangible items you can print, hang or create albums of, and pass down through the generations. One thing I love to suggest to my clients is to create a dropbox folder for your guests to drop videos into and create your own slideshow together of your big day as a date night.
Want to chat about the possibility of me photographing your Houston Wedding? Contact me to learn more!
Space Center Houston offers an array of exhibits and experiences for those fascinated by the universe! The center focuses on education and fun. It’s perfect for families!
Be inspired by nature’s beauty at the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston. Walk through the Rainforest Conservatory, a live butterfly habitat that will make you feel like you’ve been transported across oceans! The center also doubles as a museum for butterflies and entomology for those who love the science of nature.
The Houston Zoo is full of animal encounters that will leave you in awe! This is a fun attraction for all ages. It’s also a favorite amongst locals!
If you love shopping, The Galleria is Houston’s top shopping destination. It’s also the largest shopping center in Texas and the fourth largest in the country! With luxury shopping, fine dining and an indoor ice skating rink, there’s something for everyone at this shopping destination.
Want to find the perfect spot to document your Houston trip to share with your online community? Visit Houston’s beautiful street art and murals that are Instagram worthy! You can book a private tour by cart with Joyride to visit some of Houston’s lesser known murals as well as some of the most popular. Or you can discover them on your own with friends!
The Springs Event Venue has an incredible array of venues thorughout Houston, Texas area and one of my favorites is Wallisville! From, livestock, to fields, a beautiful outdoor ceremony space, the list goes on. The second I stepped foot onto this venues lot I was in awe, this Florida girl had no idea what Texas had in store for her. Here are some awesome reasons why I love this venue, and why you should check out any of The Springs Event Venues out.
Ourdoor view of seating and main venue building at The Springs Event Venue of Wallisville
For starters:
The outside space is HUGE! and absolutely beautiful views from any direction. (Not all Houston, Texas Venues have incredible views in every direction).
Lets talk about the accommodations! Seriously I wish I had more images of the Bride and Grooms suits because they are amazing! So spacious and has everything you can imagine!
I had the pleasure of Second Shooting with Heather Purvis Photography and she is an amazinggggg person and had been an incredible friend to me since moving here to Texas
AHHHHHH! It has been a crazy ride but man am I pumped. Ashlee and Bobby were seriously so much fun!! All they wanted to do was party and celebrate with their family and covid didn’t stop them (with protections and mandates in place of course).
I started a new thing and you can let me know if you like this format or nah… but I decided I wanted to feature my couples answers to a small questionnaire I send after the wedding to help me give you better content/ reading material as well as just ideas!
SO here we go: How did you meet? To our surprise, online dating isn’t that bad after all!!!!
When was the first time you knew you wanted to marry eachother?I don’t want to be long winded, but it was a beautiful November night and my now hubby asked me to attend his Aunt’s birthday party in Houston Texas. At this party the music, food, and my dancing skills were on point. Towards the end of the night, the photographer asked for his family to get together and take a picture. Not thinking anything of it then proceeded to my chair, because I knew I wasn’t family. Quickly, I realized that Bobby’s mood changed and boooyy did it go downhill after that. Our first major BLOW UP occurred after 8 months of being together. Come to find out the blow up was due to our own insecurities about how deeply we were in love with one another. You see, I went to my seat because I knew I wasn’t family and would of been deeply hurt by the rejection if my boyfriend told me to sit down. For my now hubby, he took that as a sign I wasn’t ready for that level of a commitment. Once we realized the root of our disagreement and expressed how we felt about one another. he then asked me to marry him.
What’s your favorite activity to do together? That’s a hard one, because we have some many. But if I had to narrow it down, we take pride that we are Leo’s and our birthday’s are a day apart. With that being said, we love to travel and celebrate our birthday’s together.
If you could give one piece of wedding planning advice to future couples what would it be? Just know that something isn’t going to go right and it will still be beautiful. With that being said, hire a day of wedding coordinator at the least. If you can afford a wedding planner, hire one (we used Lilliejane designs)
and lastly my personal favorite question becaue well coffee and beer is life 😀
What’s your favorite beverage of choice? My husband’s favorite beverage is a Jack Daniels Margarita. My favorite beverage is a drink called a painkiller.
I am obsessed with these two and how much fun they had with each other and their guests. Just want to give a big thank you to the vendors of this beautiful wedding down below and really hope you enjoyed this style of blog! Please feel free to leave a comment below about things you would like to see more of here :}
Venue: The Woodlands Waterway Mariott
Florals, and planning services: Lilliejane designs
But i am here to help you make the best of a stinky situation. Your wedding doesn’t have to be boring and lame, due to a lame situation. Some of my favorite weddings have been small, intimate, and emotional. Let’s look at some ideas that can help you plan the most epic backyard small wedding.
Tip 1.) inviting fewer people allows you to have more fun! When you invite a small number of guests it allows you to spend more on each of those guests, making them feel special and loved just as they make you feel attending your small intimate wedding.
Tip 2.) Now that you have spent less on your number of guests ( food prices, table settings etc. Spend more on your decor, photographer, vendors, etc. The vendors can make or break your day. Get that video you’ve been eyeing or that incredible photographer who is out of this world but you just couldn’t afford with a big wedding.
Tip 3.) Rely on your vendors to help you plan and organize and enjoy! With way less people and way less moving parts, you can just sit back and enjoy! I always like to help plan epic locations or the timeline for my clients and with a small wedding you tend to have more time to play with!
Tip 4) Pick an epic location and ask them about their offseason, or days during the week to get a better deal!
let's make magic together!