1315 21st Street
Galveston, Texas 77550
info@thebryanmuseum.org
(409) 632-7685
501(c)(3) Non-Profit
Week 3: Limo, Planner, & Cakes
Hello Brides & Grooms,
For my 3rd installment of 12×12, we have 3 new vendors you’ll love: One that will help you prepare for your wedding, another that will feed you at the reception, and one that will whisk you away at the end of the night.
This week I interview a vintage limousine service, a wedding planner, and a wedding cake designer.
First up: David Massicott: Limos
1) How long have you been in business?
Vintage Limo Service is celebrating its 11th anniversary. We have been in business since 2009 serving the Galveston County and surrounding areas.
2) What’s the Galveston wedding scene like?
The Galveston Wedding scene is a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of Houston. The summer months are popular wedding months but we are booking more reservations from October through December.
3) How did you find your profession?
Vintage Limo Service started with a passion for classic cars. We decided to create a business so that we could share our collection and love for cars with others.
4) What do you love most about your job & what is the most challenging aspect of it?
Chauffeuring weddings is such a happy occasion…everyone is all smiles! The most challenging aspect is keeping informed of any last-minute transportation changes so we can provide excellent customer service and make our customers feel like royalty.
5) What are some of the most memorable weddings or events you’ve done?
We had a spontaneous request from the newlyweds to stop at their favorite fast food restaurant, Whataburger, before heading to their final destination…we were happy to oblige. Photos were captured of our clients enjoying this moment at a local Whataburger and it was a big hit on Facebook.
6) What’s a hot trend right now & what do you project for 2021?
We’d have to say we predict smaller more intimate outdoor weddings for 2021.
7) How have weddings changed since you’ve started working in the wedding biz?
When Vintage Limo Service started in 2009 most couples got married in the church, then had the reception at the church hall or a separate venue. Today more people have the marriage ceremony and reception at one venue and often less formal.
8) What’s something all weddings have in common?
Something all weddings have in common…Everyone’s happy!
9) Do you participate in Bridal Shows? If so are they helpful?
Yes, we think having one of our vehicles at these shows allows the couple, their parents, or wedding planners to view our cars. They see how these vintage motorcars make an impressive backdrop to the couples’ wedding photos. When they pick up one of our brochures, they are pleasantly surprised that our services start as low as $495.
10) What sets you apart from the pack?
Vintage Limo Services provides unique and rare Rolls Royce and Bentley vehicles. Our vehicles are extremely well maintained and in excellent condition. We cater to your needs because we need to provide excellent service. Most vintage car services in Houston are located on the north side and will charge more to come to the Galveston County area. Our current line-up includes a 1950 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, a 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II, and a beautiful 1960 Bentley S2.
11) How many events have you collaborated with The Bryan Museum on?
We have worked with Peter Ochoa at The Bryan Museum since their grand opening. We have participated in numerous weddings, bridal shows, fundraisers, photoshoots, and special events.
12) What’s one piece of advice you’d give a newly engaged couple?
I’ve been married to my 5th-grade sweetheart for 34 years now. My advice…Put more planning into your marriage than into your wedding day and never stop learning how to improve your communication with your future partner in life.
David Massicott
Vintage Limo Service
409-750-2398
Next up: Pam Duram: Wedding Planner
1) How long have you been in business?
I started Moments Planning & Events 12 years ago
2) What’s the Galveston wedding scene like?
It’s eclectic! From formal affairs with all the bells and whistles to footloose fancy-free beach celebrations
3) How did you find your profession?
I am the person that celebrates EVERYthing, always have been – so after years of planning dinner parties, birthday celebrations, back to school dinners my family pushed me to try it for others and from there I started taking courses to learn as much as I could.
4) What do you love most about your job & what is the most challenging aspect of it?
I love meeting new people, developing relationships with my clients and their families, it’s weird the most challenging is the same; families and their relationships and being able to navigate so that everyone feels important in the process.
5) What are some of the most memorable weddings or events you’ve done?
We had a recent wedding with a real wedding crasher, I thought that was just in the movies but here it was in real-time, let’s just say he could sure dance! But we had planned a stunning wedding in NY on a beautiful farm in the middle of nowhere, and it ended perfectly!
6) What’s a hot trend right now & what do you project for 2021
I believe we are seeing the resurgence of intimate weddings and I love that, it doesn’t take away from the day I think it encourages clients to choose quality over quantity, I think this will carry over into the next year as we all create a new normal.
7) How have weddings changed since you’ve started working in the wedding biz?
I think people crave interaction and you see more vendors that move … like DJ’s who dance with the guest, social media usage for those photos to be seen by everyone
8) What’s something all weddings have in common?
Every client wants the magical moment that they have been dreaming of, all of those details may be different, but the desire is the same as their dream wedding.
9) Do you participate in Bridal Shows? If so, are they helpful?
I do, and I think they are a great place to meet on the surface but hopefully, follow up with a good old meet and greet over champagne and cupcakes.
10) What sets you apart from the pack?
ME. lol! I am the only me with my quirks and all, I love a good checklist, tons of glitter and I am a servant at heart, and I want to see my clients happy on the wedding day and there is nothing I won’t do.
11) How many events have you collaborated with The Bryan Museum on?
10-12 in total and a few bridal sessions
12) What’s one piece of advice you’d give a newly engaged couple?
That at times the planning process can feel stressful but it’s ok to step back and take a break, focus on each other and that’s what is most important once everything is done.
Pam Durham Certified Wedding & Event Planner Lover of Sparkly Bobbles
Phone: 409-739-5586
www.moments-events.com we don’t remember the days…we remember the moments
And last, but the tastiest; Jula Tragni: Wedding Cakes
1) Tell me about your business?
Cakes by Jula is a full-service bakery. We specialize in wedding and groom’s cakes. We also make lots of sweet treats like cupcakes, cake balls, cookies, cannoli, brownies, lemon bars, and others.
2) How long have you been in business?
I’ve been doing this since 1982. In 2008 it was taking over my house and my family kicked me out to open a brick and mortar bakery and we’ve been growing ever since. I have a great staff of decorators, bakers, and front counter help.
3) How did you find your profession?
Okay. I admit it. School and I did not have a good relationship. I used to help my grandmother bake at home. My parents had a mom and pop grocery store and I would make cakes and desserts to sell there. There was a Catholic church across the street and some of them would come over after Mass and buy the desserts. Then one day someone asked if I could make a wedding and I immediately answered that I could. It was a large five-tier cake with six satellite cakes around it. I was so nervous from beginning to end, but it turned out great and the rest is history.
4) What do you love most about your job & what’s most challenging
I think the thing I love most about my job is helping brides’ dreams come true, putting a smile on their faces, and adding to the wonderful memories of their special day. I love it when my bride walks in and sees their cake and it’s exactly what they wanted. I think the most challenging aspect of my job is getting the picture of someone’s cake that’s in their head into my head and then onto paper. Sometimes it takes a while and I might have to use different strategies and techniques and ask lots of questions.
5) What are some of the most memorable weddings or events you’ve done?
Well, the first one I ever did that I mentioned earlier: the five-tier cake with satellite cakes. We needed three cars to transport everything because nobody had a car big enough for everything.
I did a seven-tier cake with pillars between each tier that I needed a ladder to complete because it was so tall when it was on the table.
We also did cakes to celebrate the fourth birthday of special quintuplets on their TV show. We felt honored they trusted us to be included in their special day.
6) What’s a hot trend right now & what do you project for 2021
“Naked” and semi-naked cakes have been popular in the past few years and I don’t see them losing popularity soon.
Using fruit instead of flowers is becoming popular. I think 2021 will see an increased use of edible flowers and petals, alternate cakes such as large chocolate chip cookies tiered like a wedding cake, and, believe it or not, a return to yesteryear in the form of antique and Victorian-style cakes.
7) How have weddings changed in the last 10 years?
There’s not as much bling, glitter, and color on the cakes as there used to be.
Groom’s cakes, however, have gotten more elaborate. It seems they are more into carved cakes that reflect their personality than plain chocolate tiered cakes.
8) What’s something all weddings (or couples) have in common?
Love. Always has. Always will be.
9) Do you participate in Bridal Shows? If so, are they helpful?
We do participate in bridal shows, but we are selective. They are a good way to get your name in front of brides, but they are also good for keeping in touch with other vendors and meeting new vendors.
10) What sets you apart from the pack?
Our cakes are beautiful, and they taste great. Some places can make beautiful cakes, and some can make cakes that taste good but rarely do you get a cake that both looks beautiful and tastes great.
But I think what sets us apart is our customer service. We try to help make the bride’s day special from referring to other vendors she can trust in making sure her cake makes her day and is one less thing she has to worry about.
11) What’s the Galveston wedding scene like?
Galveston is unique in that it comfortably accommodates different styles:
beachy, Victorian, rustic, historic, or elegant. Galveston is also a destination wedding location for mainlanders, and couples across Texas and all over the United States. There is a special ambiance in Galveston you just can’t find anywhere else.
12) What’s the first piece of advice you’d give a newly engaged couple?
Your relationship is a partnership founded on love. Always respect each other. Always be willing to give and take. And if all else fails, she is always right!
Cakes by Jula
cakesbyjula.com
832-932-1353