Destination Wedding Feel, Right In Your Own BackYard

A few months ago, I traveled to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands for a relaxing vacation as well as to do some research for some destination wedding events. A destination wedding can be a beautiful experience for not only you but your guests as well. These wedding events are usually very intimate, and create many opportunities for fun, travel and celebration. As great as these type of events are, sometimes that much dreamed about locale just won't work with every budget.

A dear friend and client is experiencing this exact issue. She is wanting a tropical, destination wedding but financially, the timing is just not right to do any traveling. So she is opting for a local venue with a lake. She loves the sand, the sun and the aqua blues and green of the ocean and, so that is where we started. It's important to her that her guests feel the casual elegance of a beach, even if there isn't a beach.Take a look at the inspiration boards we created to help start the planning process.

We are still tweaking the process but this is giving us a place to start. By the way, if you want to play with inspiration boards, check out Style Me Pretty's Style Circle. There are lots of great photos and layouts to help build your inspiration board and rev up your creativity. Well, I think we are ready to start planning. What do you think? Is there anything you would suggest we add or take away? I would love to know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for more trendy ideas using the senses to create the effect for your destination wedding event, at home.


 
Event & Wedding Planner  
Alpha Prosperity Events  
Southwest Houston Area  ~ New Orleans

Welcome 2011

Alpha Prosperity Events would like to wish all of our clients, fans and supporters a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! With the approach of 2011 right around the corner, we know that the new year will bring on new energy, fresh ideas, and a renewed creative spirit to be all that we can. And no, I have no plans to sabotage myself by making any new year's resolutions but I have already set some goals for 2011. For those that follow me on Twitter, you already saw my statement for goal setting borrowed from A. Glasgow ~ "In life, as in football, you can't score and find success if you don't know where the goalposts are."  Keeping this in mind, how many of you actually have a goal set for something in particular?

This statement can apply to something as simple as event and wedding planning as well. Let's say you are planning a wedding for 2011 or 2012, and your only thought is that you want your wedding day to be perfect. Well, if you haven't put a measurement on what is perfect or what will make it perfect, how do you know when you have reached it. Or, if you haven't set the amount you intend to invest on certain items, you may find yourself short changed on the one thing that would have made your wedding perfect. When planning your big day, your business venture or anything else, make sure you establish where you are trying to go and what you are trying to reach; otherwise, you may wind up with a lot of fumbles, interceptions, and unhappy team players.

See you in 2011!!!

Event & Wedding Planner
Alpha Prosperity Events
Greater Houston ~ Missouri City ~ New Orleans

"Houston, We Have Granted a Wedding Wish!"

Our Blushing Bride & Groom

Just a little teaser of what we have been up to for the past several weeks. We have been super busy planning and coordinating a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple at the spectacular La Torretta Resort & Spa in Montgomery, TX.  As mentioned in a previous blog, we got the chance to plan the first wedding event for the Wish Upon a Wedding - Houston Chapter, and it has been a tremendous experience.

Esmeralda and Jose-Luis make a beautiful couple. We really enjoyed meeting their wonderful family, many of who came all the way from Weslaco, Texas. They were a great couple to work with and they made my job as their wedding planner, oh so easy and memorable. The bride was clear about her wedding vision but was also flexible about working with us and the other vendors so that we could get her the dream wedding she wanted; and thank goodness because we had about thirty days to get this dream wedding planned, coordinated and celebrated.  To add a special note for us, we got the chance to work with so many wonderful wedding and event vendors that were instrumental to the beauty and success of this event. I must say a huge thank you to them all and that I hope to get a chance to work with many of them again. We even got the opportunity to make many new friends throughout the process.

Photo Courtesy of Grasshopper Productions

Photo Courtesy of Event House

Photo Courtesy of Elegant Custom Invitations

I know you want to see more but we don't want to give away too many of the fabulous details just yet, so stay tuned because there is more to come. I must also, thank the members of the Houston Chapter's, Wish Upon a Wedding Board and Committee, for allowing us to be a part of such a wonderful endeavor and for assisting us throughout the process. I look forward to our continued involvement of volunteering and contributing to this very worthwhile cause.   


 
Event & Wedding Planner  
Alpha Prosperity Events  
Greater Houston ~ Missouri City ~ New Orleans

Wish Upon A Wedding Houston Wish Granter

Yes, I know we've been missing on our blogging duties for the last couple of weeks but it has truly been a whirlwind of activity for Alpha Prosperity Events. Some of this excitement centers around the wonderful opportunity of participating as a wish granter for the 1st wedding event for Wish Upon Wedding, Houston Chapter.

Wish Upon a Wedding provides weddings and vow renewals for couples who have faced terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances. When we were asked to provide the wish/service of wedding planning to a deserving couple it was a "no-brainer" for us, and it has been non-stop planning meetings and activity since meeting this beautiful wedding couple. To make this even more interesting, we have less than thirty days to get this wedding event planned, produced and completed.

I don't want to give away too many of the details just yet because this fairy tale event is truly worth waiting for, but if you want to keep up as the plans unfold, follow us here on Twitter or "Like Us" here on Facebook.  

 
Event & Wedding Planner  
Alpha Prosperity Events  
Greater Houston ~ Missouri City ~ New Orleans

If Music be the Food of Love...

What is a wedding or any event for that matter without music. Music sets the mood and creates the backdrop or scenery for the masterpiece you are creating with your event. Music can create memories, renew relationships and restore the spirit. Much like food, music creates atomosphere.

When selecting music for your wedding reception, don't box yourself in with only one choice or vendor. Of course you may want either that band or deejay to keep the party rolling but what about music selections to impress and wow. Why not kick your wedding reception off with a fabulous bride and groom entrance along with a second line band and parade. With that kind of trumpet solo, all will stop and pay attention. Mariachi bands are also very exciting here in Texas but don't think you can't get a mariachi band in Michigan. And of course, for something a little more formal consider a group of symphony musicians or trumpeteers. Your guests may or may not be familiar with this type of music or entrance but I guarantee it will make an impact. As a matter of entertainment, you will be introducing your guests to something new, something that is sure to be memorable. For more ideas about music for your wedding ceremony, reception or other special event, give a look to Notes from Colin by Colin Cowie.

So yes, if music be the food of love, make sure you serve up heaping portions of it on your wedding day.

And there you have it, another trendy wedding and event idea from Alpha Prosperity Events. See you next time.


Event & Wedding Consultant 
Houston ~ Missouri City ~ New Orleans 

Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss (Well, It's About Time!)

 Photo courtesy of TLC

Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss

Finally, a television bridal series that I look forward to watching. Glad to see things are looking up for plus-size brides, who want to be drop-dead gorgeous on their wedding day too. We at Alpha Prosperity Events will be following this series to see if the designers are sending appropriate sample dress sizes for the plus-size bride. If Kleinfelds and Randy Fenoli can't set the tone for a change, where sample wedding dress sizes are concerned, I don't know who can. The series starts October 1, 2010 on TLC. Check back and leave your comments about the show. I'd love to know your thoughts.

Hope this a trendy idea, that will make finding the "dress," a lot less stressful for the full-figured bride. Here's to big bliss

 
Event & Wedding Planner 
Alpha Prosperity Events 
Houston ~ Missouri City ~ New Orleans

Sometimes, We All Could Use a Professional!

Well, our new logo has finally been completed. It was such a labor of love to get the right feel and look for a design to represent us and after a lot of investment, it's here. Hope you all like it as much as we do.

I want to thank the wonderful Nicole Mullins for all of the hours and phone consultations she so patiently devoted to me to get this done, the right way. I totally relied on her skills in graphic arts and branding because these were skills that I just didn't have. Could I have done the logo myself? Of course, I could have. I did the last logo, but I wasn't happy with it because I could never get the colors or positioning right, and it just wasn't me. And to be blunt, I just didn't know what the heck I was doing. So I sought out a professional that could listen to my vision and deliver my product, which she did.

My journey through this process is much like planning a wedding. Of course, you can plan it yourself and that is a wonderful experience if you have the time, the energy and the know how to get it done. But after planning your wonderful masterpiece, don't you want to sit back and enjoy the moment. A professional wedding coordinator can make that happen. Sometimes, hiring a professional just makes sense.




Event & Wedding Planner
Alpha Prosperity Events
Southwest Houston ~ New Orleans

Wedding Do's and Don'ts from the Guest's Perspective

One of my event assistants attended a wedding recently and she came back with a list full of things that she found interesting about this wedding. I don’t think she ever considered herself a wedding expert but I must say when it comes to wedding and event coordination, she has definitely been taking notes. Here, we share with you some “Do’s and Don’ts,” from the wedding guest's perspective.

Hire a Wedding Coordinator ~ If you are going to have a wedding guest list of anything over 100 people you should hire someone to organize particular highpoints and activities of the wedding. A wedding coordinator would be beneficial to create timelines to keep things flowing and to keep all players/vendors in the know about when things are happening or when tasks need to be done. Don't leave this task to a family member; they want to enjoy the wedding too.

Don’t Skimp on the Entertainment ~ When hiring a band or DJ, make sure they have the ability to act as the Master of Ceremony. If you have to skimp here, make sure your wedding coordinator can step into this role. Your guests will be very disappointed if you start cutting your cake and they aren't ready with their camera or they are in the restroom and miss the whole thing because there was no emcee to announce what was happening. We have some great recommendations if you need help in this department.

Discuss the Dress Code with the Entertainment ~ Make sure it is clear what they will be wearing while performing. It won't look very cohesive if your guests are dressed in cocktail attire and the band or DJ is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

Greet Your Guests ~ As the bride and groom, you made the choice to invite three hundred people to your wedding. I can only assume that you made that choice because all of these people are near and dear to you in some form or fashion. Make sure you get around, visiting every table to speak to as many guests as possible. Of course, you may still miss some people but no one can say you didn't make the effort. My assistant was so disappointed and felt slighted because after traveling quite a distance, and buying a very nice gift, the bride never walked around to say hello to her or any other guests.

Just a little trendy advice from the guests you are inviting to your wedding. Hope you were paying attention.



Event & Wedding Planner
Alpha Prosperity Events
Southwest Houston ~ New Orleans