We knew that a band would be out of our budget so we immediately started looking at DJs in the area. David’s step-father had a great contact through his work with Bar Mitzvahs. He was able to give us a substantial discount on his services for both the ceremony and reception. Also, the DJ owns an event production company so we were able to get special event lighting (including ceiling lighting, column lighting in the reception room and cake room, a gobo on the dance floor, and a gobo above the cake). Because the DJ was already going to be at the wedding he also gave us a discount on the lighting since it was not two separate events for him. I highly suggest looking for vendors that can act as double duty! It can save money in the long run!
The lighting on the columns was on a low setting during dinner and then was increased for dancing later.
One of the main reasons we chose Hackberry Creek Country Club was because they had a low food and beverage minimum. This was important because we had such a small guest list that we would not be able to fill a higher food and beverage minimum. Ironically, a plated meal was less expensive than a buffet or station style set-up. Because we were able to save money on the plated meal we were able to splurge for 3 different passed canapés (Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese Crustini, Crabmeat Salad, and Smoked Salmon with Dill Cream Cheese), along with 3 signature mini martinis (pomegranate, watermelon, and apple) for the cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony.
Note: This picture was taken from Hackberry Creek’s website.
Our wedding was very bold and vibrant and we wanted our cake to match. We did not want a traditional white wedding cake nor did we need a groom’s cake because of our guest list size. I have always been a red velvet and chocolate lover so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into our cake. Ultimately we decided on a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting between each layer. The outside was covered with dark chocolate butter cream and coated with dark chocolate ganache. I found the design for our cake on The Knot (see my inspiration board) and instead of using green dots with green cymbidium orchids we chose fuchsia and orange dots with mango and purple callas lilies and orchids. We had a four tier cake with one fake tier to add more height (this was a cheap alternative while still adding to the visual appearance). It was delicious!!
As you can see from the picture below it was so hot in Dallas that our cake started melting, but at least it tasted good!
