AWE Events incorporates different cultures, trends, and traditions into each unique event

Founder and executive coordinator of AWE Events ATX Veronica Gonzalez blends them into one-of-a-kind events. You could say she specializes in creating wedding joy.

Veronica was born in Puerto Rico and brought up in a happy and loving home, She cultivated her passion for planning at an early age as the president of her high school student council. After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in New York, she went back home to Puerto Rico. There she worked with a museum and later with a production company, planning everything from movie premieres to festivals.

Then she decided to go back to school. However, during her 2nd year of law school her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Veronica put school on hold to take care of her. After her mother’s passing, she decided to follow her passion. She started planning her business in Puerto Rico before moving to Austin in 2015. She realized life is too short and to live life to the fullest. AWE Events ATX was born!

Prioritize what you really want

As a wedding planner, Veronica appreciates being a part of a close-knit community. Every couple and each event is different and there is a planner for every style. For Veronica, seeing and hearing the excitement of the couples she works with makes it all worthwhile. “I like interacting with my clients. I want to see them get excited talking about their flowers or a new idea they had just as much as on the big day. It creates an adrenaline rush for me” she says.

There are two areas where AWE Events suggests paying close attention. First, knowing what type of wedding you truly want, and second, prioritizing where you are spending your money. It’s important to sit down together and discuss what kind of wedding you want. A simple ceremony with a big, boisterous reception or a traditional one is going to make a big difference. Therefore, it will be easier to prioritize where you spend your wedding dollars. She has seen couples with a $10,000 budget invest $6,000 of that into the venue. “It makes the planning process difficult and you see the quality of the remaining vendors take the hit,” she said.

Read the vendor contracts

Once you know what kind of wedding you want, you need to know what questions to ask. Therefore, when picking your vendors Veronica said read the contracts first. For example, you’ll learn what services are included and what kind of regulations to follow. You might even learn your dream venue doesn’t allow lit candles and that was one of your priorities. Or that your caterer requires additional staffing for a plated dinner service which wasn’t part of the initial quote. Talk to your planner. “I want my Brides to ask me everything.” Veronica says, “this process can bring some anxiety. Go through and make sure the personality fits, that we understand your vision.”

AWE Events most unusual wedding was also one of her first Austin-area weddings

“The whole thing was unusual, from the planning process to the wedding itself,” Veronica explained. The couple was living in Dubai at the time, so all planning had to be done via Skype. It was a Mexican-Asian wedding with many outstanding entertainment details. Among them bride and groom pinatas, a hookah lounge, and a churro cake. The wedding ceremony itself was took place on a dock. The whole event was about having fun. Consequently, this was AWE Events first true keep-Austin-weird wedding. She learned to go with the flow to make her clients’ dreams come true. Veronica takes pride in curating personalized events each and every time.

In addition to weddings, AWE Events ATX also produces corporate events. Veronica loves the conceptual variations that set corporate events apart. With their own staffing services now as well, AWE Events ATX can help make your next event exactly what you’ve dreamed of. As she said, “there’s so much to talk about. We love what we do.”