Mancino Iron Works!

Whether you need a unity candle stand, shepherd hooks, arch, candelabra, or table accent, Mancino Iron Rentals is Austin's favorite place. I met the owner, Alan, years ago at an open house for Hamilton 12, an amazing venue with great food. Brandt and I had just started getting serious, and as I saw Alan load in all the beautiful pieces of iron, I was impressed, and started taking stock of his inventory. Yes, after years of working in the event industry it is hard to impress me, but impressed I was, and it was the first day I let myself daydream about being a bride at a wedding.

Lucky for me, Alan's table was right next to mine during the open house, so each moment I wasn't talking to a bride, I was persistently asking him questions. As I talked to Alan I gleaned quite quickly he was superb at customer service, knowledgeable, and made each person he spoke with feel comfortable and at ease. A prerequisite for hiring any vendor, in my opinion.

As my job duties changed at Complete Music and Video, I hadn't seen Alan in years until it came time to plan my own wedding. While not wedding protocol, and not something I recommend, he was the first vendor I called after I booked Vintage Villas. Now I am thrilled to have his rentals at my wedding, my chupppah maker loves working with him, and everywhere I go and say "I hired Mancino Iron Works" the reply is "Oh, I love working with Alan".

Go to his website at www.mancinoiron.com

Two Thumbs UP on the UP Lighting

Lighting tends to be so versatile and can truly create and recreate the atmosphere of any event. This is especially fun in a facility that has a permanent decor that might not blend with the colors you have chosen for your wedding.
For a wedding this past New Years Eve, the designer used every different kind of lighting imaginable: gobo lighting (custom monogram), static lighting, up-lighting, and spotlighting each table. The bar, the halls, and even the ceremony room was lit up in hues to match the colors of her wedding and enhance the beauty of the Melrose Hotel in Dallas. Throughout the evening we changed the colors as the night progressed from ceremony into the cocktail hour, then dinner, followed by dancing to provoke the desired mood for each stage of the night.
For my own wedding, set in Spring, and at Vintage Villas, we will do simpler lighting. Daylight will be extended and with the beautiful open windows, we have chosen to use up-lighting and gobo lighting in the Sunset Room, where the later portion of the night will occur.
We are using Complete Music and Video of Austin for both the up-lighting and gobo. All the photographs you see are at the lovely Vintage Villas, Complete Music Lighting, and taken by Becca Valley, the owner of Complete Music and Video. The up-lighting is wireless and synced together, so there won't be any ugly wires, tape, and is very affordable. Only $500 for the up-lighting. I am thrilled we offer this as a service and was the first bride to say sign me UP!