Website Coming Soon!

I am so very excited....I just realized that Wray & Company Catering by Design is about to launch their new website. This is a much anticipated website for the valley's wedding industry. I can't wait to see it! In the meantime you can find out a bit about the Wray's and their company by checking out RGV Wedding Vendors.

RGV Wedding Vendors

Several months ago fabulous RGV vendors came together to showcase their work for the brides of the valley. Click here to view the fruits of our labor...Enjoy!

For more information you can find each vendor at:

Quinta Mazatlan
Anahi Photoart
Dream Weddings by All Party Rentals
Cynthia’s Cakes
Five Star Productions Videography
Hair+Makeup Artist Rose Mary
Sposa Mia Bridal
Leticia Arriaga Wedding Coordinator
Wray+ Co. Catering by Design
Special Flowers

Thank you everyone for all your amazing work!

"I Do" Wedding Extravaganza

Come join us at the "I Do" Wedding Extravaganza, see you there!

Ana de Roux Invitations

I came across Ana de Roux's work on WeddingWire (another great source for brides) recently and I had to share with everyone! She makes costume invitations for all occasions. For example the one shown with vibrant colors and beautiful designs. I absolutely love it especially for the valley....palm trees all around! ;)

The best thing is that she is right here in the Rio Grand Valley....yay! Check out her web page for more chic ideas and make an appointment with her to begin designing your own wedding invitations!

Shoes, Shoes and more Shoes!

Brides these days are choosing to show off some of their personality through their shoe choice. Whether you are wanting to keep it a bit more traditional or jazz it up a bit, here are a couple of fun ideas....one may just fit your quirky needs! Cinderella's traditional glass slipper is not on the top of these modern day brides' minds.

Real Weddings

Hey take a look at the survey conducted by The Knot. Here is a portion of it.....click here to take a look at the entire article by Business Wire.

2009 WEDDING BUDGET SURVEY RESULTS

In 2009, $28,385 was the average wedding budget in the US (not including the honeymoon) reflecting less than a 5% decrease from 2008.

“As the economy continues to affect consumer spending, brides remain committed to planning a memorable event and are thoughtfully cutting back,” said Carley Roney, editor in chief of The Knot Inc. “Approximately one third of brides who had a wedding in 2009 said that the economy had impacted their overall wedding plans.”

Leticia Arriaga Event Coordinator can help you setup a budget (and stick to it!) for your upcoming wedding!

Special Flowers

The Guerra ladies are a fabulous duo and owners of Special Flowers in McAllen, Texas. They are such hard workers and always go above and beyond to make any bride's dreams come true. They work together with the bride to design floral arrangements that perfectly fit the style of every bride. Their work is elegant, creative, and unique!
This wedding cake was designed by Cynthia's Cakes and the base of flowers was created by Special Flowers. This is one of my absolute favorite cakes ever! Photo taken by Anahi Photography.

Check out more of Anahi's work on my webpage.

Distant Lands

Distant Lands is a rental company managed by Christina and Natalia, a mother daughter team, who rent out tents and accessories to recreate beautiful and exotic lands. Distant lands has several signature themes including Magical Morocco, Arabian Nights, African Safari, Midnight at the Oasis, Passage to India and Buddha Lounge.

Christina & Natalia will also brainstorm with any client, including brides, who wish to customize a theme for their special event. They ask for 4-6 months so they may be able to research and ensure authenticity of any custome theme. Distant Lands is a unique rental company for those brides who dare to dream of faraway paradises!

La Antigua Revilla

Susana, from All Party Rentals, and I checked out a banquet hall called La Antigua Revilla. A beautiful hall which can be divided up into 2 sections. The larger of the two sections can hold up to 350 guests while the smaller one can accommodate around 225 guests, when opened up and used together this ballroom can hold up to 600 guests. It has a beautiful room where the bride and her party can retreat to so they can bustle her dress, touch up her makeup or even just take a moment for themselves. They have great vendor access all along the back side of the hall as well as an ample area for caterer set up.

All Party Rentals as well as Marylu's Flowers & Gifts/Thee Wedding Center provide their services to La Antigua Revilla to create the wedding/event of your dreams.

Dream Weddings

I visited with Susana yesterday from Dream Weddings/All Party Rentals. She gave me a quick tour of her locale. She also showed me the area for her new and improved showroom, which is under construction at the moment. It looks like it is going to be amazing....an area just for you brides to be able to make important decisions on linens, drapery, chargers, chairs, tables, etc.

Susana and her amazing crew are always looking to give their clients the best quality as well as reliability, which is exactly what everyone wants for their special day! These are a few pictures of their work.....Enjoy!

Looking Fabulous

There are so many details to keep in mind when planning your dream wedding, but one must never forget to prepare oneself for the HONEYMOON! A fabulous way to do that is head on over to Essentials they have fantastic services to glamourize any bride (for their wedding and honeymoon alike)!

If you are working on shaving off a few pounds to fit into that perfect dress try their Endermologie treatments, besides being a relaxing massage it also molds your body and helps with cellulite reduction...absolutely wonderful! Need to get bikini ready for your beach honeymoon check out their Laser Hair Removal.....you ladies know which areas need some work! ;)

As for myself I am getting ready for Eric and my 2nd Valentine's Day as a married couple! There is ALWAYS something that I can do at Essentials to give Eric a wonderful surprise! Don't forget to ask them for the monthly specials.....always a great deal!!! These ladies know how to pamper us!

Wedding Fair Vendors

I was glad to see so many great vendors that I have worked with in the past at the McAllen Wedding Fair. Emilio from Mariachi 7 Leguas represented the entertainment group, unfortunately I didn't see a performance from them this time around (hopefully next time). There were also awesome photographers, Eric Sierra and Flipart Images. Wonderful florists made their presence known, Special Flowers & Gifts; and Cantu's Special Events had some amazing flower arrangements to show off. It is amazing how many great vendors there are here in the Rio Grande Valley...bringing the right combination of vendors together can create the day of your dreams! As a wedding planner and event coordinator I am here to help in any way I can.



I was also able to meet some great new vendors that I have never had the pleasure of working with. Hopefully 2010 will bring me new experiences with these vendors and we can help make a bride's dreams come true! A couple of new vendors that I am hoping to work with soon are PolluxCastroInc they have a background in several different photography styles such as commercial modeling, action sports, architectural photography, and many other styles as well. I can only imagine they must have a great eye when shooting bridal sessions and wedding day coverage. The other photography duo that I hope to work with is Haydon Photography based out of Austin, Texas. If I am correct, Joe Anna Haydon is originally from the Rio Grande Valley and wanted to share her talent with her home town! Again, the Valley is so fortunate to have such talented individuals sharing their passions and talents with us! Hope to work with you all soon!


Have you heard of the Fantastic Four? They have nothing on this next group of vendors the Fantastic Eight! They are under the umbrella of Social Situations a wedding shop in Harlingen, Texas who showcase Rio Grande Valley vendors in all areas of the industry. Showcasing their work at the Wedding Fair this year were Anahi Photography, Five Star Productions, Casa Los Ebanos, Wray & Company Catering by Design, the wedding shop, Puesta Del Sol, Bloomers Flower Shop, and of course my self, Leticia Arriaga Event Coordinator. Social Situations has information on these vendors as well as many other great, local vendors!

Husband of the Year!

I completely forgot to thank one individual who has stood by me constantly. He has had to suffer through Saturday nights without his best gal, weeks without clean clothes ;), and a messy home all because I am too busy to get to those chores. (He is even busier than I am)

This last week in particular trying to prepare for the wedding fair was an exceptionally busy one for me, but I didn't hear a single complaint from my lovely husband, Eric. I even asked him to come out to McAllen to help me at the wedding fair and without thinking twice he agreed to do so, eventhough he had to be up early this morning for work. He did a wonderful job helping me out at my booth. If you didn't know any better you would have thought HE was in the event planning industry!

Thank you so much Eric! ;)

Wedding Fair

After a lot of hard work, the wedding fair was once again a great success. I hope everyone in attendance found some valuable information for planning their upcoming event.

I was so happy with the outcome of my booth. Huge thanks to all the wonderful vendors that helped me bring it together. Susana from Dream Weddings provided linens and chargers, Bloomers provided the amazing florals (we had an awesome cherry blossom theme going), Wray & Company Catering by Design showcasing their place settings (plateware, glassware, flatware), and Anahi Photography made me an absolutely wonderful photo album to help exhibt the work we have done together! Thank you!

I met some great couples with fantastic ideas for their weddings! It was a pleasure meeting everyone and I am excited to begin planning their big days! For those brides and quinceaneras who were unable to swing by my booth please check out my webpage for more information and I look forward to meeting you during our complimentary consultation!

Rio Grande Valley Wedding Fair

A great way to begin planning an event is to attend a wedding fair. It is an opportunity to meet fantastic vendors, such as photographers, caterers, reception sites, and ME, your event coordinator to bring it all together!

This Sunday, January 17th, the Wedding Fair is hosting one of the largest shows in South Texas at the McAllen Convention Center. It is from noon to 6 pm. Vendors begin preparing their booths in the early morning hours to showcase their work to all you brides and quinceaneras out there.

If you are planning a wedding, quinceanera, maybe an anniversary, you should stop by tomorrow and have a look. Don't forget to stop by my booth, Leticia Arriaga Event Coordinator, look for the cherry blossoms and I'll be there. If you aren't able to make it be sure to go to my webpage for more information on planning your next event!

Blogging Bells!

Welcome to the blog!
I have been sitting in front of my computer deciding what should go on this blog....think, think, think!

If I could have a wedding of my own year after year (with Eric everytime of course) I would. I have been married for 1 year 9 months now and Eric, my husband, refuses to let me have the "wedding of my dreams" on a regular basis....we figured the best solution to this was to help other brides create their dream weddings instead! With that decided, I began my career in wedding planning...

I hope to be able to provide valuable information for those planning an event, particularly weddings, in the Rio Grande Valley. I thought the best way of doing that is "becoming a bride" myself! I will tour the Valley (McAllen, Harlingen, Brownsville, & South Padre Island) finding the best of the best in venues, florists, caterers, rental companies, photographers, videographers, bakers, etc. I also intend to bring you the trends, not only of the Valley, but the industry as a whole.

I hope you will visit often....especially if you are celebrating a special event! Take a look at my webpage to check out some photos of some recent weddings I've worked on.