Unforgettable Beginnings by Sabrina Says

Love, Handfasting, and a Riverbank Promise: Tawnee & Steven’s Intimate Medina River Wedding Some weddings are grand productions with hundreds of guests, elaborate timelines, and dance floors packed until midnight. And then there are weddings like Tawnee and Steven's. The kind that remind you exactly what a wedding is supposed to be about. No distractions. No pressure. No performance. Just love. On a warm afternoon at the beautiful Medina River Natural Area in San Antonio, Tawnee and Steven stood together beneath the trees, surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature, and promised forever to one another. As an officiant, I have the privilege of witnessing all kinds of weddings. Every ceremony is special in its own way, but there is something particularly powerful about an intimate elopement . When there are only a handful of people present, every word carries a little more weight. Every glance means a little more. Every promise feels deeply personal. And that was exactly the at...

What My Couples Say I Really Do (And It’s Not Just Officiate Weddings) As a wedding officiant, I spend a lot of time talking about ceremonies. I talk about creating meaningful moments. I talk about telling love stories. I talk about helping couples feel comfortable and confident on one of the biggest days of their lives. But every once in a while, I get reminded that what I think I do and what my couples experience can be two very different things. Recently, I took a long look through my Google reviews. Not because I needed an ego boost (although let's be honest, kind reviews can absolutely brighten a day), but because reviews reveal something important. They reveal patterns. And patterns tell the truth about your brand. When I read through review after review, I noticed something surprising. My couples aren't really reviewing a wedding officiant. They're reviewing an experience. And that realization made me smile. They Say I Make Them Feel Like Family One rev...

How to Make Your Wedding Feel More Personal (Without Spending More) When couples first start planning their wedding, they often find themselves drowning in inspiration. Pinterest boards . TikTok videos . Wedding magazines. Instagram reels. Advice from family. Advice from friends. Advice from that one coworker who got married three years ago and somehow still talks about it every week. Before long, it becomes easy to feel like your wedding needs custom everything, expensive upgrades, and the latest trends just to feel special. But here's the truth: The most memorable weddings aren't necessarily the most expensive ones. They're the most personal ones. Years from now, your guests probably won't remember whether your napkins matched your centerpieces. They likely won't remember the exact shade of your bridesmaids' dresses or whether your cake had four tiers or five. What they will remember is how your wedding made them feel. Did they laugh? Did they cry? Did they fe...

Lydia & Ana's Granberry Hills Wedding: A Love Story, a Surprise Proposal, and a Spurs Game 7 Victory Wedding Date: May 30, 2026 Venue: Granberry Hills Event Facility, San Antonio, Texas Officiant: Unforgettable Beginnings by Sabrina Some wedding days are memorable. Some wedding days are unforgettable. And then there are wedding days where a beautiful couple celebrates their love at one of San Antonio 's most beloved wedding venues while the entire city loses its collective mind because the Spurs win Game 7 and advance to the NBA Finals . May 30, 2026, was one of those days. At Granberry Hills in San Antonio, surrounded by family, friends, laughter, and more than a few happy tears, Lydia and Ana celebrated their marriage in a ceremony that perfectly reflected who they are: genuine, joyful, family-centered, and completely in love. Lydia and Ana with their officiant, Sabrina And somewhere between the first kiss and the last dance, phones started buzzing with alerts that ...

  💍 AVERAGE WEDDING COST BY CATEGORY (2025–2026) The average cost of a wedding has gone up all over the US.  Costs have increased ~20–30% since 2021 Floral + décor saw the biggest jump (hello inflation + supply chain) Photography + videography pricing climbed due to demand and editing time Officiants remain one of the BEST value vendors relative to impact (we are the only REQURED vendor, after all) 😉 But, for those of us marrying in Texas, what does that look like? What Should You Budget? ITEM UPDATED AVERAGE Venue $12,000 – $15,000 Band $4,500 – $7,000 Photography $3,000 – $4,500 Alcohol / Bar $2,500 – $4,000 Wedding Rings $2,500 – $4,000 Flowers $2,500 – $5,000 Rehearsal Dinner $2,500 – $4,000 Videographer $2,500 – $4,000 Wedding Dress $2,000 – $3,500 Wedding Planner $2,500 – $6,000 Lighting & Décor $2,000 – $5,000 DJ $1,500 – $2,500 Guest Entertainment $1,200 – $3,000 Transportation $1,000 – $2,000 Invitations & Stationery $500 – $1,200 Cake / Desser...

The Biggest Regrets Couples Have After Their Wedding Day (Or: The Things No One Tells You Until It’s Too Late) There’s something no one really prepares you for after your wedding day. It’s not the dress being put away. It’s not the quiet after months of planning. It’s not even the “what do we do now?” feeling. It’s the replay. The moments you relive in your head. The things you wish you had done differently. The tiny “what ifs” that sneak in when everything is over. Because here’s the truth: Most couples don’t regret getting married. But many quietly regret how their wedding day felt. And that’s the part we need to talk about. First, Let’s Normalize This Before we go any further, hear this:  Having wedding regrets does not mean your wedding wasn’t beautiful.  It doesn’t mean it wasn’t meaningful. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. It simply means… you’re human. Even the most joyful, magical weddings can come with a few “I wish we had…” moments. And the goo...