New Braunfels and Gruene have truly become a one of a kind wedding destination. Gruene Estate, a wedding venue in Gruene Texas, has been a leader in the Hill Country wedding industry for almost a decade. We have seen many couple say “I Do” in our original open-air wedding chapel. Although it all comes together on the wedding day, we have witnessed some of the pit falls of the wedding planning process. Here are a few of our recommendations to avoid common wedding planning mistakes for a positive wedding planning experience.
Set Realistic Budget Expectations
You don’t want to have buyer’s remorse when you see the price tag for your wedding. Create and set a realistic budget and stick to it! Do some research and make sure that you are getting the best deal possible. Ask for quotes from multiple vendors. Ensure that you understand all the cost involved with the services that you are shopping for. Is tax included? Are there extra incidentals that might be incurred that aren’t on the price tag?
Speaking of price tag, be realistic about what is affordable for your wedding budget and then look at items that fall in that price range. It very difficult to look at wedding décor, vendors or apparel that are outside of your financial wedding goals, and not being able to actually book them. Girl we know, it’s hard to say no! To stay on budget, keep a wedding spreadsheet with expenses incurred. Money spent adds up quickly and you can be over your budget before you know it.
At Gruene Estate, we created a wedding venue that doesn’t need a lot of extra décor. Our hand made wooden farm tables, original open-air Hill Country wedding chapel, the historic Gruene family homestead, and our rustic elegant reception pavilion set on 17 gorgeous Texas Hill Country acres have enough soul to satisfy the needs of any Pinterest inspired bride! In addition, we also include a wide array of décor items that are no extra cost to couples. This allows our brides to allocate money that would have been spent on décor, and use that towards hiring other wedding vendors to elevate your guests wedding experience.
Timing Is Everything!
Ensuring that your day is not rushed is essential to making sure that your wedding day goes off without a hitch. Here are the major items that to think about, and they usually occur in this order: hair and makeup, first look, wedding ceremony, photos/cocktail hour, reception, and send off. There many little items that fit in between those big ones, but this is typically the format that we see on a regular basis.
When it comes to hair and makeup, the ending time of your styling session will dictate when you can all start the dressing process. Communicate with your stylist what you want done, when it needs to be done by, and how many bridesmaids they will be styling. A mistake here will have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the day. Communicating these needs up front will ensure that you don’t end up with 2 stylists, 10 brides’ maids, and hours of work ahead if you.
This same approach needs to be taken with your photographer as well. Have a conversation beforehand, and discuss which poses are most important and what locations are must haves. Golden light only lasts for 15-30 minutes, so having a well thought out game plan will put you in position to capture those memorable moments and that quickly fading light!
At Gruene Estate, we are the only wedding venue in New Braunfels and Gruene that provides a professional wedding coordinator for the day of your wedding. In addition to day of wedding coordinating services, she will create a day of wedding timeline that our couples create with our in-house wedding planner a month before their event. Having your time line planned out and rehearsed puts our brides in the position to be on time on their wedding day.
Hiring Friendors
While we are on the topic of photographers, stylists and other vendors, it’s a good reminder to hire professional vendors that can take control of the day and deliver a great product. We all have friends that have beautiful photos on their social media feeds, or a friend who always look stylish and fashionable before a night out on the town. Those skills do not often translate into what it takes to pull off wedding day top tier quality bridal services. We have seen many friendships strained and even ended because a bride chose a friend over a professional wedding vendor. Weddings can be stressful, and hiring professional vendors who manage that stress on a regular basis will be a asset to you on your wedding day. Plus, the final product is always better. In addition, it allows you to have confidence in your wedding team and give you the chance to step back and enjoy your wedding day.
Book Your Accommodations Early
Since you have hopefully settled on having a New Braunfels wedding, you’re going to need to make sure that your guest has a place to stay. Waiting until the last minute to book room blocks and accommodations is often an overlooked mistake made by couples in the planning process. New Braunfels and Gruene have lots of great hotels, B&B’s, and inns, but we also have a very busy social calendar. There are major events in town almost every weekend of the year, this is what makes it such a fabulous Texas wedding destination, but make sure that you look at New Braunfels and Gruene’s calendars for events that might coincide with your date. Events like Wurstfest, Gruene Wine and Music Fest, concerts at Whitewater Amphitheatre, Gruene Hall, and all summer months will often leave many hotels booked (Formula 1 and SXSW in Austin will also see rooms booked in NB). Reserve your room blocks a year in advance. Remember, you are just holding the rooms, your guests are going to be the ones that pay for them. Communicate to your guest on your wedding website where the room block options are located.
Gruene Estate has onsite overnight accommodations in our historic Gruene family home that are available for both the bride and groom as well as the wedding party. We also have several historic vacation rentals that are Texas State Historic Landmarks in the heart of downtown New Braunfels. Our units, The Telegraph Stations 1 and 2, and the Historic Ludwig House are well over 100 years old. Between the three units, we can sleep up to 20 guests on one property. The location is ideal as we are a block from the plaza in downtown New Braunfels, one block from the Tube Chute on the Comal River, and a short 3-minute drive from Gruene Estate. Are vacation properties are ideally located for your wedding party and guests to take advantage of all that New Braunfels has to offer as a wedding destination.
Having been in the wedding business for almost 10 years, Gruene Estate has helped many couples navigate the pitfalls of the wedding planning process. A well thought out plan and through research will put you in position to avoid common wedding planning mistakes! We look forward to helping you on your wedding day. We are currently doing virtual tours of the venue and booking for 2021, so click the link below and let us show you around!
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Pictures By Southwest Creative
This article was provided by Gruene Estate.
This article was provided by Gruene Estate.
