Ah, weddings. Those magical, once-in-a-lifetime occasions. Unless of course you’re in that small, elite group of people who collect spouses like Pokémon cards — in which case, congratulations, you’re already familiar with the drill.
According to the gospel of Elite Event Planning and their high priestess of matrimony logistics, Chantel Aboyetes, you too can plan “one of the happiest days of your life” without losing your sanity. Bold promise, Chantel. Because if my time on Earth has taught me anything, it’s that nothing says “happiest day” like two families passive-aggressively fighting over whether the centerpieces should be peonies or hydrangeas.
Step 1: Take Your Time and Celebrate the Moment
Ah yes, the calm before the storm. You just got engaged. You’re glowing. You’re happy. You’re imagining a future filled with joint Costco memberships and that smug satisfaction of owning matching coffee mugs that say “Mr.” and “Mrs.”
Chantel says to take a moment to enjoy it. Savor it. Post those ring selfies. Breathe it all in. Because soon, you’ll be up at 3 a.m. researching the difference between “cream” and “ivory” linens, wondering if your relationship can survive this hellish Pantone prison.
Also, be sure to celebrate — but not too much. You don’t want to accidentally spend your entire wedding budget on tequila shots before you’ve even booked the venue.
Step 2: Discuss Your Budget, Guest List, and Priorities
Aka: the first time you’ll see your partner’s “what do you mean?” face in its natural habitat.
Here’s how that conversation usually goes:
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You: “I was thinking we could keep it small, maybe 50 people.”
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Them: “Oh good, I was thinking closer to 300 so we don’t offend anyone.”
The budget talk is where your dreams meet capitalism head-on. Want an open bar, designer flowers, AND a live band? Fantastic. That’ll be approximately the GDP of a small island nation.
Priorities are crucial. You need to figure out what matters most to you. Is it the food? The music? The fact that Aunt Sharon doesn’t corner your new spouse to share her opinions on politics over shrimp cocktail? Decide early and stick to it — or at least until Pinterest shoves an entirely new vision board down your throat.
Step 3: Hire a Wedding Planner (Because Apparently, You Have Money)
According to Elite Event Planning, hiring a wedding planner is a game-changer. And they’re right — if the game in question is “How to Avoid Having a Complete Emotional Breakdown Before You Say ‘I Do.’”
A wedding planner will:
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Manage vendors
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Keep track of the timeline
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Tell your groomsmen to tuck in their shirts
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Calmly explain to your mother why your wedding isn’t “ruined” because the cake flowers are one shade lighter than the bouquet
If you’ve ever tried to wrangle a group of adults into doing anything on time, you know this is money well spent. Especially if you’d prefer to sip champagne on the big day instead of crying in the bathroom because the chair covers aren’t “whisper gray.”
Step 4: Decide Between Full-Service Planning or Day-Of Management
Chantel and her team at Elite Event Planning offer two magical flavors of stress prevention:
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Full-Service Planning – They hold your hand from the “Yes!” to the “I do.” This means they help you pick vendors, keep you on budget, and essentially serve as your professional emotional support human.
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Event Day Management – Perfect for couples who think they can handle planning on their own but want someone to take over when the day comes. It’s like saying, “I can steer the ship fine, but could you park it in the harbor while I go drink champagne in the captain’s quarters?”
Both options are infinitely better than the alternative — which is your cousin Chad “helping” by setting the wrong playlist on shuffle so you walk down the aisle to “Baby Got Back.”
Step 5: Understand That Time Is a Suggestion, Not a Rule
According to the pros, most weddings take 12–18 months to plan. This gives you time to book the perfect venue, order custom invitations, and overanalyze every decision until your hair starts turning prematurely gray.
But Elite Event Planning has apparently pulled off weddings with just 48 days of planning. Which is either a testament to their skill… or evidence that they can survive on caffeine, adrenaline, and pure stubborn willpower.
Here’s the thing: the less time you have, the fewer decisions you have to make. And honestly? That’s a blessing. Nothing accelerates decision-making like the pressure of an approaching date. It’s the wedding equivalent of cramming for an exam — except instead of memorizing dates, you’re frantically deciding between chicken or fish.
Step 6: The Guest List – Or as I Call It, The Political Minefield
People think wedding guest lists are about who you love. Wrong. They’re about avoiding nuclear family meltdowns.
Invite Aunt Carol? Sure, but then Aunt Linda will want to come — and they haven’t spoken since “The Great Potato Salad Incident of ’03.” Invite your college roommate? Fine, but then they’ll expect a plus-one for the guy they met three weeks ago at a vape shop.
And no, you can’t just “keep it small.” Keeping it small means accidentally offending exactly the wrong person, and then hearing about it in passive-aggressive Facebook posts for the next decade.
Step 7: The Budget – Or How to Spend $20,000 in 4 Hours
Your wedding budget is a living, breathing creature. It grows. It evolves. It feeds on your optimism and your savings account.
Elite Event Planning can help you stick to it, but remember: “within budget” in wedding world is like “just one drink” at happy hour — technically true, but somehow still wildly expensive.
You’ll start with reasonable numbers:
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Dress: $1,000
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Venue: $5,000
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Catering: $6,000
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Flowers: $1,500
Then reality sets in:
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Dress alterations: $400
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Chair upgrades: $800
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Extra appetizers because “it’s a long ceremony”: $600
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Signature cocktails that require artisanal ice cubes: $500
Suddenly, you’re looking at a number that could have funded a used car or a semester of college tuition. But hey — love is priceless, right?
Step 8: Vendor Selection – The Tinder of Wedding Planning
Picking vendors is basically dating with contracts. You meet, you see if you click, you commit. The difference is, if they ghost you, you’re out a deposit.
Elite Event Planning’s job is to make sure you find the ones who don’t disappear, overcharge, or think “edgy” means giving you neon orange tablecloths.
And remember — no matter how good they seem, always check reviews. The last thing you need is to discover your DJ thinks “Mustang Sally” is an appropriate song for the cake cutting.
Step 9: Expect the Hiccups (Literal and Metaphorical)
Chantel promises her team will handle any last-minute hiccups on your big day. This is good, because “hiccups” in wedding language translates to:
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The florist’s delivery van broke down
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The officiant is stuck in traffic
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The flower girl ate too much frosting and is now vomiting behind the dessert table
Your job is to smile through it. Their job is to make sure you never know how close the whole thing came to turning into an episode of Cops.
Step 10: Remember Why You’re Doing This
At some point, you’ll forget that this whole circus is supposed to be about you and your partner. You’ll be too busy fielding texts from your bridal party about shoe colors or figuring out how to politely say “No, I will not be releasing live doves during the ceremony.”
But here’s the truth: The food will get eaten. The flowers will die. The photos will be edited to hide Uncle Bob’s open mouth chewing. And at the end of the day, you’ll be married. That’s the win.
Everything else? That’s just the glitter on the glue gun.
Elite Event Planning Contact Info
If you’re in San Antonio and want someone else to handle the chaos while you sip champagne and pretend none of it is stressful, here’s where to find them:
Elite Event Planning
1868 Grandstand Dr
(210) 426-1998
Chantel@Elite-EventPlanning.com
Elite-EventPlanning.com
Instagram: @EliteEventPlanningSATX