Holiday colors for your event

I know when you think of holiday events, or weddings during the holidays, clients really struggle with the color scheme because they don't want it to look like Christmas. Red is a beautiful and dramatic color. Here is a way to use red without the obvious Christmas comparison.

Our Wedding Video

Kudos to my friends over at Our Wedding Video, Jim and Laura Rough. I have been using them since I started way back when and they are still my go-to videographers. Here is a link to a wedding from early July.

Click Here to check it out and please give them a call if you are looking for a videographer. Speaking of vendors: when planning your special day, it is important that you build a team that has synergy. This event was a classic example of great vendors working together to pull off an event. Rebecca and Joga's wedding was two full days over a holiday weekend. We were non-stop beginning early in the week and cooperation amongst the wedding professionals was key in delivering quality services. I want to acknowledge the core of our team. They are wonderful San Antonio wedding professionals with whom you will not be disappointed:

Catering: Holly, catering manager and Robbie, Chef at Anne Marie's Catering
Photography: my favorite go-to guy, Brian Tsai of Life Mosaics
Beauty: again, my favorite, Hilda of Salon Diva
Video: Our Wedding Video
Venue: Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum
Floral: in house designer at A Regal Affair
Cale: Elms Bake Shoppe
Lighting: Bishop-Petty Lighting

Update: 8.22.08 8:40 am
I've been receiving a lot of emails about the music on my website and this video. I actually first heard on this video created by Jim Rough of Our Wedding Video. It is Michelle Tumes, Lovely. You can buy it here:

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway???

The style network peeps arrived in town yesterday to begin filming another episode of the very popular Whose Wedding Is It Anyway. Wow, I was really shocked to learn of what really happens with these reality shows.

Donnie Brown of the fabulous Dallas event planning firm of W. Donnie Brown Weddings is in town to save the day. He is working on a local wedding held at El Tropicano Hotel in downtown San Antonio.

If you have not had the chance to meet Donnie - he is a hoot! He is so clever and so funny. My dear friend Margaret Dodson of A New Leaf Floral Design has been friends with Donnie for years and did floral design back in the day when she lived in Dallas. I look forward to seeing Margaret on the show with Donnie.

While I won't give away anything going on with the show, just know that it will be fun in that reality show crazy kind of way.

Sylvia Weinstock Cake

Photo courtesy of David Sixt

Anuthentic Hindu Wedding in Telugu Tradition

We are just coming off a long weekend. We are pleased to have been a part of the Welker - Ivatury wedding these past few days. The priests at the Temple in Helotes were so gracious and welcoming. I hope to return soon.

I wanted to share this one bit of information which endears me to the Hindu religion: "Hinduism accepts all religions as true and valid paths to God."

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world that has been in continuous practice for thousands of years. Although it has changed through the years, the core principles remain the same. The goal of a Hindu is to attain Self (God) realization. Hinduism allows for wide latitude in practice of religion and each devotee decides for him/herself what the most suitable way is.

Anyone can adopt the principles of Hinduism in daily life without being required to convert to Hinduism. Hinduism does not encourage proselytization or conversion from other religions. It respects all other religions and paths to God as valid. A popular hymn elegantly expresses this notion:

Aakaashaat patitam toyam yatha gacchhati saagaram Sarva deva namaskaaram Keshavam prati gacchhati
transalation:

Just as rain water, regardless of where it falls, eventually reaches the ocean, salutations
to all Gods eventually reach Keshava (One God).

Here is the content of their wedding program:

The marriage of Rebecca and Joga unites two souls, two families, and two communities into one harmonious existence. A deep significance is attached to every step within it. With the completion of the ceremony, Rebecca and Joga enter into Grihasthashram, the second phase of life, which is devoted to family.

8:30am-10:30am
Upanayanam, Sacred Thread Ceremony

Upanayanam is known as the sacred thread ceremony. Upa means near and nayanam means going; that is the act of going to a teacher to learn. The meaning of the word upanayanam can also be interpreted as nayanam meaning eye prefixed with upa- (auxiliary), creating the interpretative meaning: bringing the ultimate truth nearer in sight. The hallmark of having gone through the Upanayana ceremony is the wearing of the Yajñopavītam (Sacred Thread) on the body. The thread is circular, being tied end-to-end (only one knot is permissible); it is normally supported on the left shoulder and wrapped around the body, falling underneath the right arm. The length of the thread is generally 96 times the breadth of four fingers of a man, which is believed to be equal to his height. Each of the four fingers represents one of the four states that the soul of a man experiences: waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and knowledge of the absolute. Joga performs the Upanayanam the morning of the wedding day in order to prepare for marriage.

10:30 am
Snathakam and Kashi Yatra

Snathakam is a ceremony performed at the temple. Joga will wear a silver thread on his body and perform a Puja, or prayer ceremony, and Kashi Yatra.

Kashi Yatra is a unique ceremony that takes place in the early morning hours of the wedding day. This ceremony has Joga saying that he has discarded worldly pleasures and is going to Kashi, the sacred city in India. For a higher spiritual purpose, Joga is given a final opportunity to leave before the bride enters. He is asked if he would like to abandon worldly life and lead the life of an ascetic. To stop Joga from his symbolic departure to Kashi, Ron Welker, Rebecca’s brother requests Joga not to leave, but to stay and marry his sister.

11am-1:30pm
Mehndi Ceremony

Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration that is applied for special occasions, especially weddings. The tradition of henna started in India in the early days when bridal decoration was scarce. The patterns of mehndi are quite intricate. Henna is applied to Rebecca, female family members, and her closest friends in the late morning of the wedding day. Rebecca has good reason to look after her henna, for she is not expected to partake in housework until the henna is gone. This means she will not be rubbing, scrubbing, or tubbing.

6pm-7pm
Gauri Puja

In Hindu tradition, any auspicious event is commenced by a Puja. Puja is the prayer ceremony when blessings from the Gods are obtained for the event. Rebecca worships the goddess Gauri. Gauri is the Mother Durga who symbolizes divine supremacy, energy, woman power, and fertility. During this time, female relatives give their blessings to Rebecca to remove obstacles and to bring good fortune to the her. Rebecca offers prayers to the goddess Gauri seeking the blessings of prosperity and a long and happy married life.

Hinduism believes in the existence of a Supreme Being. This Being is described in the Vedas (scripture) as "unmanifest, unthinkable, and unchanging." The Supreme Being manifests in this world in different forms and at different times. Hinduism also believes that the soul is divine and eternal. It is neither created nor destroyed. When a soul has found release from this cycle of rebirth is it said to have achieved liberation (moksha).

Hinduism accepts all religions as true and valid paths to God. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says, "Whenever there is a decline in dharma (righteousness) and an increase in adharma (unrighteousness), at that time I manifest Myself." In this way, all religions are seen as the manifestation of the Divine into this world.

The Hindu Wedding

The traditional Hindu wedding is a deeply meaningful and symbolic combination of rituals and traditions. It is a ceremony that is about 4000 years old. Each phase of the ceremony has a symbolic, philosophical, and spiritual meaning. The ceremony not only joins the souls of the bride and groom, but also creates a strong tie between two families. The ceremony is traditionally performed in Sanskrit, which is the language of ancient India. Today the ceremony will be performed both in Sanskrit and English.

7:30pm
Welcoming of the Groom

Accompanied by his parents, Joga arrives at the site of the ceremony, and is greeted by the bride’s parents. The mother of the bride, Patricia Welker, welcomes the groom with an aarti (prayer). After receiving the blessings of his elders, Joga is escorted by Rebecca’s parents to the mandap (wedding altar) accompanied by his parents.

Ganesh Puja

The priest begins the ceremony with an invocation to Lord Ganesh so that his divine grace, power, love, and spiritual strength may remove all obstacles for the bride and groom. Ganesh puja is considered auspicious for any important occasion as it ensures the successful completion of the wedding ceremony.

Kanya Agaman (The Bride’s Arrival)

Rebecca arrives at the Mandap in the company of her Godfather: Steven Welker, maternal Uncle: Michael Hickey, and two eldest Aunts: Mary Ann Welker and Virginia Aharrah. As Rebecca’s family members guide her to the Mandap, they promise to guide and morally support the couple. During the bride’s entry, Julie Popplewell, Rebecca’s cousin, will play auspicious music on the oboe.

Antarpatalam

An Antarpat (a white fabric) is held in front of Joga as Rebecca makes her entrance to prevent him from seeing her. This symbolized traditional barriers and reminds the bride and groom to avoid ideological differences in marriage. The Purohit (Priest) chants the Vedic shlokas invoking

the blessings of God.

Kanyadaan (Giving away of the Bride)

Daniel Welker joins the hands of Rebecca and Joga, declaring to all gathered that he hands her to the care of the man of her heart. Dan seeks a pledge from Joga of his enduring love, fidelity, and security in caring for his daughter. Once Joga has agreed, He and Rebecca both pledge to support each other in fulfilling the four goals of human life: Dharma, the duty to lead a moral life; Artha, the duty to lead a joyous and fruitful life; Kama, the duty to lead a pleasant and productive life; Moksha, the duty to obtain enlightenment.

Sumuhurtham

The Purohit seeks the blessings of the couple’s ancestors as well as the blessings of God. Thereafter, Joga and Rebecca apply the paste made from cumin seeds and jaggery on each other’s hands. The bitter taste of cumin seeds and the sweetness of jaggery cannot be separated, applying this paste communicates that the relationship of the wedded couple is unbreakable and inseparable. The Antarpat between the two is removed at this stage. As the fabric is brought down, the couple greets each other as a gesture of their willingness to accept each other as partners in life.

Sumangli

The bride changes into a white cotton sari with a red border. This is called Mandhuparkam. White signifies purity and chastity and red signifies strength. Rebecca returns accompanied by eight married women (Sumangalis). Some hold plates full of rice and turmeric powder mixed together. The others hold plates with small lamps m ade from a mixture of rice flour, sugar and milk. Rice, the staple crop of the south, signifies abundance. The lit lamps represent sweetness and light, two qualities that the bride brings with her to this new phase of life.

Mangalsutra

Joga ties two strings (each with a golden disc representing the mangalsutra) separately around Rebecca’s neck, each with three knots to represent the strength of their union on every plane - physical, mental and spiritual.

Kanyadaan Akshata

Having tied the mangalsutra, Joga and Rebecca now exchange garlands. Those present at the wedding shower their blessings on the couple by sprinkling flowers and turmeric-coloured rice (Akshata) on them.

Havan (Lighting of the Fire)

The fire is lit outside to invoke Agni, the Vedic Deity of Fire, to be the witness and bless their marriage. The flames are enhanced by offering crushed wood and ghee (butter) into the ceremonial fire.

Saptapadi (Seven Steps)

These steps are representative of their marriage vows. The Purohit ties Joga’s cloak to Rebecca’s sari and guides them to take seven steps hand in hand around the sacred fire. The number seven refers to the earth, sun, moon, and the four planets visible to the naked eye that are all locked together in harmonious interrelationships governed by a single law.

Rebecca leads three rounds and then Joga leads four rounds, signifying that both are capable of leadership. At this time, John Aharrah fills her hand with rice, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. Rebecca will offer the rice to the sacred fire. The seven steps symbolize the following:

Step 1: To love you and be faithful always. I take this first step with you.
Step 2: To put our love and marriage in front of all social, cultural, and religious difference, with you I take this second step.
Step 3: To always respect your family. I take this third step with you.

Step 4: To be your best friend and eternal partner. With you I take this fourth step.
Step 5: For an abundance of pure and nourishing food and a life that is noble and respectful. I take this fifth step with you.
Step 6: For the welfare of all entities in the universe and for begetting noble and healthy children. I take this sixth step with you.
Step 7: For a long and joyous life that is filled with loyalty, harmony, unity, and trust. With you I take this seventh step.

Having exchanged these vows of love, devotion, and faithful union the couple agrees to be each other’s partners for eternity. Upon the completion of the seven steps and the declaration, Rebecca and Joga are officially considered husband and wife.

Arundhati Darshana

Rebecca and Joga gaze up at the pole star (Druvaloka) and meditate on stability in the marriage union. Each night as the stars rotate in the sky, the pole star (north star) always remains fixed. In the same way as life is constantly changing the union of the bride and groom should remain fixed like the pole star, Druvaloka.

Aashirvad (Blessings):

The priest offers his final blessings and good wishes to Joga and Rebecca and declares them husband and wife.

Here are the vendors for Friday, July 4th.

Hindu Temple of San Antonio (in Helotes)

Priest: Sri Lanka Ramalinga Sastry

Brian Tsai of Life Mosaics
Anne Marie's Catering

Sarovar Indian Cuisuine

Maharaja Resturant (for the sweets)

Jim Rough of Our Wedding Video

the staff of A Regal Affair

Mandala Art Gallery, Mehndi Artist: Pramod Goshai
Hilda DeHoyos of Salon Diva, Rebecca’s Hair/Make-up

Sitarist, Chuck Morrow of Austin

and Star Shuttle for getting stuck at the bottom of the hill and making it one crazy night! Like the bride's family said, it wouldn't be a Welker wedding without at least one big mishap. We were happy to keep the tradition going.

A Smiling Bride

This is Leticia. She married the man of her dreams, Jake on May 24th. We loved working with Leticia because this is pretty much how she looked the entire time. She was so happy and always smiling - it was infectious.

Here she is cooling off outside of Mission Concepcion. The only fan around. Summer came early this year and I think it was around 95 degrees. It felt like 102. She was a trooper.

Grandpa Glowacki, giving the traditional toast of the family: "Jake, put your hand on top of Leticias. I want everyone to see, this is the last time you will have the upper hand."

Parents of the Groom

Grandpa dancing with a Bridesmaid.

My hearfelt thank you to all the vendors who made this day so easy for us:

Anne Marie's Catering

Southwest School of Art and Craft

A&M Floral Elegance for body flowers

Philip Thomas Photography

in lieu of the dollar dance...

Why is cousin Joe so happy? Because he won the wedding raffle. What is that - you ask?

It's this thing. We had 100 raffle tickets custom made similar to these above. We had 100 printed and they sold for $10 per ticket. So we raised $1000 for the bride and groom that evening. The prize was tailored for our family demographic - oh, yeah, did I mention this was for my baby brother's wedding this past November - back to the demographic: drinkers.

I wish I could claim credit for the idea, but it was my sister Christie. I was the one that provided all the liqeur, the favorites of the demographic. Crown Royal, Jack Daniels, Skky Vodka, Jose Cuervo Gold and the great standby Parrot Bay Coconut Rum. These were no regular size bottles. In the event a more sophisticated palette won, I threw in a few bottles of wine, champagne and truffles.

Before the raffle drawing, Cousin Joe and Uncle Jimmy were saying that if they won the basket, they would auction it off and get Michael and April more money. So, Joe, man of his word did just that.

Now throw in Uncle Danny as the auctioneer. He starts the bidding at $300. Uncle Danny has had few and sometimes hears bids that really weren't there, but they didn't mind.

There is cousin Joe, with wife Abbie, staring down Uncle Jorge who has ran the bid up to over $1000.

There is my cousin Jorge, Jr., egging on Cousin Joe as Uncle Jorge (on the right) has the high bid at $1000.

Here are Michael and April in shock as Cousin Joe bids again and gets the basket for $1300.
Wow, that's $2300 on a basket of booze. Like I said, know your target demographic.

Here is the check hand off. Woo Hoo!

Here is Joe, telling his Uncle, my dear Dad, that he would have gone higher because he wasn't leaving the reception without the basket. He made my father proud that evening. It was a family rivalry of sorts. Joe is from my Dad's side of the family, his sister's Virginia's son and Uncle Jorge, the doctor from New Mexico is my mother's brother. It was fun all around.

All photographs courtesy of Winfield Little. The dollar dance is a traditional feature at Mexican American weddings. This was our way of continuing with the dollar dance tradition of gathering money for the bride and groom for their new household in an updated fashion to fit our needs. We knew the family attending would be receptive and fun.

Top secret underwater wedding at Sea World today

My great friend Keith Thompson presided over an underwater wedding today at Sea World. Apparently, this isn't normally allowed, so no one, but immediate family and the closest of friends were invited. The gates opened at 4:30 pm and the marriage ceremony began promptly at 5:00 pm.


I thought this might be a market I can tap into if Sea World wasn't so against it. I wanted to run over and get a picture, but didn't find out in time. Congratulations!


Here is what an underwater wedding might look like....maybe in the near future, I can get a photo of the wedding and update this post.

We're getting a face lift!

and no, it does not require scissors....

soon, you will see some pics of our weddings in Mexico, Spain, the Carribean, Utah, Colorado. Destinations have been great and we hope to bring the world of weddings to you.

We will also unveil our event / wedding accessory website. We have been scouring the globe for unique wedding items for our boutique. We love all things shiny and you will see many items with genuine swavorski crystals. We have been working on this since early last year.

We continue to be your best choice for your Texas Wedding Planner, Destination wedding planner, and just plain event planner for any corporate event.

hot gossip: I hear Bret Michaels of Poison fame (I am showing my age here) is coming to town for a new club opening. Keep your eyes peeled to the blog for a press release coming soon.

The Knot Announces First Annual Real Wedding Awards

here is the press release and some of the details:

#1 wedding website to host contest to find the best wedding of 2007

Call for Entries Begins February 14, 2008

www.TheKnot.com/RealWeddingAwards

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2008--The Knot, Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT, www.theknot.com) the #1 wedding website, requests you to save the date for the launch of The Knot Real Wedding Awards - the first of its kind showcase the best real weddings across America.
Kicking off this Valentine's Day, the first annual The Knot Real Wedding Awards is a one-of-a-kind program that invites recently married couples and top wedding professionals to see photos, videos, and websites from the most incredible weddings of 2007.
Entries will be uploaded to viewing galleries where The Knot editors, real brides, a panel of experts, and the world at large will be able to vote on their favorites in the following categories: -- Overall Best Wedding of 2007
-- Best Wedding Photos
-- Best Wedding Videos
-- Best Wedding Ideas
-- Best Wedding Web Pages
-- Best Wedding Blooper/Disasters
The winning events will be featured in a story in the best-selling The Knot Wedding Magazine, and a television special on The Knot TV. Visit www.TheKnot.com/RealWeddingAwards to stay tuned for more details regarding the program, including other fabulous prizes announced on February 14, 2008.
To receive more information about this program or to speak with an editor, please contact Sr. PR Manager Melissa Bauer at (212) 219.8555 x1020 or email her at mbauer@theknot.com.

Lovely Wedding

I was surfing the net like I always do and came across an Austin photographer I had never heard of before - and I work there all the time!!! They have nice pictures in case any of your are interested....but the best thing I found was this post on their blog. It is a non-traditional wedding they shot on 7/07/07. What a day, and I too, like the blogger, wonder how many people were married that day. I love the minister's shirt. It is a spin off quote from a movie that I can't recall the name.

They are Serendipity Photography. You can check them out here. Appears to have great quality and the starting commission is amazing. $1000. Check them out soon before that rate goes up.

Erin + Robert, April 8, 2006

This was a fabulous wedding which Marissa Martinez was the lead coordinator. Steven Pizzini, our fabulous event designer, did a magnificent job. Instead of me inventing the wheel, please click here:
http://www.photographybyvanessa.com/thebuzz/2006/04/erinrobert-april-8th.html

This is the blog by her photographer. Just take a look at the smile on those faces, that awesome cake by Lisa of Sugarhill Bakery and the awesome event design of Steven.

Thanks to Marissa - who had another flawless event.

One of our best weddings ever!

It's late Saturday, the 29th of April. Fiesta has just wrapped up and I am sitting here reminiscing of our wedding last weekend.

Can I just say I love chocolate pintuck linens. To you non-event people out there, I know, I am speaking a foreign language. It was a perfect night to end a perfect weekend. Words cannot describe, so here is a picture of the lovely bride in the front courtyard of the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum. I will post more pictures later so it can tell the whole story of Friday night's wedding western shindig and Saturday's wedding festivities. We ended the night with a beautiful sparkler send off.

This was by far our best wedding of the year and we have just had two fabulous weddings before this one.

I am not a name dropper, but here are the wedding professionals I worked with this weekend who helped make this fabulous:

• Winfield and Karen Little Photography
• Marcus Revilla Photography (yes, we had 2!)
• Don Strange of Texas
• Botanika
• Henry Brun (great entertainment)
• Owen Temple (another great Texas musician)
• Cathy Young Cakes (delicious!)
• The Buckhorn Museum and Saloon
• The Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum (right now this place is my favorite!)
• Westin Riverwalk Hotel - always excellent
• The Marguerite B. Parker Chapel at Trinity University

I could not have had such a great event without the help of my staff: Marissa Martinez, Greg Reese and Amber Shelton.