Win A Justin Tuck Autographed Helmet!

Hey Footballl Fans!!!

Brass Tacks Events is giving away this New York Giants mini helmet signed by Justin Tuck as a token of our appreciation to all our friends and supporters back in "The Big Apple". The helmet is 100% authentic, signed in-person at a recent event and we will even include a photograph of Justin signing it.

Keep reading below to see how you can win it.



Here's what you have to do for a chance to have this awesome piece of Big Blue memorabilia sitting on your shelf:

1 - visit our website -- http://www.BrassTacksEvents.com/

2 - click on the "about us" tab

3 - under the "our philosphy" section, copy the first sentence...hint, it's only 3 words.

4 - go to our facebook page -- www.facebook.com/BrassTacksEvents

5 - "LIKE" us

6 - find the post entitled, "New York Giants - Justin Tuck Helmet Giveaway", and paste that 3 word sentence in the comments section.

That's it. One winner will be chosen at random on January 7th. We will contact the winner via Facebook Messages and ship the helmet to you.

Good luck and GO GIANTS!!!

Ways To Save When Planning Your Wedding

In all our years of planning, designing and coordinating weddings, never once has a bride come to us and said, "money is no object." It sounds great in the movies, but it never happens in real life. One of the biggest challenges that we face when working with a bride and helping her to establish a budget is combatting the images she sees on television in the wedding reality shows. A recent survey conducted by TheKnot.com found that the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is $27,800. Most of the weddings that you see on those TV shows cost well above $50,000.

So, if you want to have a beautiful day that looks like a $50,000 wedding but costs far less, here are some money saving tips:

RECEPTION

Cut the guest list. This will reduce your catering costs and save on invitations and even the number of centerpieces

Avoid "peak" wedding months: April, May, June and September, October, November

Hold your ceremony and reception in one location

Get married on a Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday

Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths

Shop the off-season for extra decor -- buy twinkle lights the day after Christmas, get modern black vases on sale after Halloween and pretty pink ones after Valentine's Day

FOOD & DRINK

Serve beer, wine, and a signature cocktail instead of a full bar

Choose a venue that allows you to bring in your own alcohol rather than purchase from them - Their markup can be 200%-300%

Buffets are much less expensive than plated dinners

Skip the champagne toast - Hardly any of your guests will actually drink it anyway

FLOWERS

Use more greenery than flowers

Swap out costly flowers -- peonies can be five times more expensive than roses

Stick to just one or two kinds of flowers

Buy flowers that are in season

Include non-florals, like lanterns, candelabras, floating candles in water filled vases

Reuse ceremony flowers and bouquets for the cake table and centerpieces

CAKES

If you have 100 guests, you do not need 100 servings of cake - typically, only about half of your guests will actually eat cake

Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement with a larger sheet cake hidden back in the kitchen

Skip exotic fillings like guava and mango

STATIONERY & FAVORS

Get single-page invites to save on postage

Give out one favor per couple

Have favors double as place cards

Email your save-the-dates

Make your own menu cards and place cards

PHOTO & MUSIC

If you know of a photographer that you want to hire but cannot quite afford, ask them if their second shooter is available for less

Skip the band, hire a DJ

Sarah and Michael are looking forward to April 2011!

We are pleased to announce that Brass Tacks Events will be coordinating the wedding of the breathtakingly beautiful Sarah and strikingly handsome Michael scheduled for this coming April. We are honored and thrilled to be a part of their special day. The wedding will be photographed by Christina Carroll (one of our favorites) who took the engagement photos featured below.

~ http://www.brasstacksevents.com/ ~ www.facebook.com/BrassTacksEvents

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Kate & Tyler

Kate and Tyler were married in October in Smithville, TX. The bride was gorgeous, the groom was dashing, and the bridal party was a super-fun bunch of their closest friends and family. Thanks to photographer Summer McWilliams for the images seen below. http://www.summersimages.com/

Photographer Jeff Loftin

It seems that nowadays anyone can go out and buy a fancy new digital camera and call themselves a wedding photographer. The reality is that a true professional has studied both the technical and artistic aspects of photography, has plenty of experience shooting weddings, and actually knows how to work those fancy digital cameras. I know that every bride is looking for the best value for their money, but I promise you that if you find a photographer on craigslist that is willing to shoot your entire wedding day - 8 hours - for $500, they are not a true professional. At best, they are a hobbyist. At worst, they are a crook.

When establishing the budget for your wedding there are some aspects where you can safely scale back your spending and other aspects where you simply should not. Don't spend a fortune on invitations or those silly jordan almonds that nobody ever eats. Take those extra dollars and put it into your photography budget. I assure you that 50 years from now, nobody will talk about the candy-coated nuts you put into little organza bags, but you and your future generations WILL be looking at your wedding album. I guarantee it!

So, taking all of that into consideration, I would like to introduce you to one of Austin's finest. If you are looking for a photographer that is a true professional, look no further than Jeff Loftin. In Jeff you will find a genuine artist and a pretty fantastic guy as well. In speaking with Jeff you will instantly get a sense of his passion for wedding photography.



I invite you to take a look at some of Jeff's work at his website and posted here below. Each photograph in his portfolio demonstrates his mastery of the craft. See it for yourself.


This is one of the first images I ever saw from Jeff's portfolio and I decided immediately that I had to get to know him and his work better. I think you could go so far to say that this is one of his "signature" photos.



I love this photo below. It belongs on the cover of a magazine.



Yet another stunning photo. Words cannot justly describe the grandeur of this image.



I adore the richness of the colors in this one. ...and there's something about the angle from which Jeff shot it. I really like the perspective.

These photos remind me of the grace and glamour of hollywood starlets in the 1930's and 1940's. Like something out of a Victor Fleming film.



I included these two images to demonstrate how a color image vs. a black and white can really effect the "mood" of a photo. I encourage all brides to have some black and white photos in their wedding albums.

Here's another photo of that same bride as above. I really like the use of the soft natural sunlight through the window, creating an effect akin to Rembrandt lighting.

...and a black and white photo with just a splash of color.

Now let's talk about the artistry of this photo below for a bit. First, by taking the color out of the image we are able to focus on the figurative "shape" of the image and the literal shapes within it. You have the geometic patterns of the windows and the tile floor as a backdrop for the roundness of the train on the bride's dress. Jeff has put the bride near the corner of the room and yet despite that purposely harsh angle she is still enveloped by the windows and the sunlight. Adding to the effect, Jeff has softened (or blurred) the focus of the outer portion of the image creating a sort of halo around the bride. This photo should be hanging in a museum.

Great use of lighting creating a very soft, angelic feel.

It's most likely rather obvious why I like these two below. The eyes tell the whole story.

...and sometimes a girl's just gotta have fun. Yeehaw!

For more info or to get in touch with Jeff, please visit his website - http://www.jeffloftinphotography.com/ - or find him on facebook.

...and be sure to tell him that Brass Tacks Events sent you!!

Ronald McDonald House Benefit - Texas Hold 'em Tournament

Thanks to everyone that came out in Support of our benefit for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin & Central Texas. We hope you had fun and enjoy the prizes you took home. Here are some pictures from the evening:

Your Budget: Invitations vs. Photographer

I was working with a bride just the other day and we were discussing the best use of her budget. She had drawn up a preliminary idea of where she planned to spend her money and I couldn't help but notice how much she allocated for invitations and how little for photography. I pointed out to her that she should have an elegant, yet simple invitation without going overboard and put the extra money towards her photographer.

Consider this: you will likely keep a copy of your invitation as a souvenir and tuck it away in a drawer or box, but won't really look at it much in the years to come. Your photos, on the other hand, will be viewed by you, your family, friends and will be passed down to future generations. Quite literally, your photos could last for 100 years or more and be enjoyed by your great-great-grandchildren. When you put it in that perspective, doesn't it make sense to spend the extra money and hire a true professional to take your photographs on one of the most important days of your life?

The photos you see here were taken by one of my favorite photographers. She is more than just your typical wedding photographer as I believe she elevates your photos to the level of art. Christina Carroll is indeed an expert in the field and you can clearly see it in her work. I invite you to visit her website and see for yourself. Take a look at her "galleries" section and her blog - which she updates regularly.

( http://www.christinacarrollphotography.com/ )

If you like what you see, give her a call or send her an email. Not only is she an amazing photographer, she is pretty wonderful person too.

...and be sure to mention that you heard about her from Brass Tacks Events!

Austin Bridal Extravaganza

Had an amazing time at the Austin Bridal Extravaganza this past Sunday. Here are some pics of our booth.