Sullivan Street Caterers (Briana Fuchs) - Blanco... B-
When I met Briana, I felt confident that our wedding would be successful. She assured me that it would be unnecessary to hire a day-of coordinator, since she and her team would take care of all the details. The tasting at her office, though only of one dish, was fantastic. She was great at responding to emails and answered all my questions in a timely manner. We booked her 1.5 yrs prior to the wedding and sorted out most of the details at that time, including the menu and rental agreement (she took care of ordering, set-up, and clean-up of all the rentals, which was a huge help!).
Closer to the wedding, we finalized all the details, rentals, and exactly what her team would be doing, which included a good deal of set-up, decorating, and clean-up. We also hired 2 bartenders through her. I emailed her a complete list of the bar contents (provided by us, to include 3 kinds of wines, champagne, 3 kinds of beers, sodas, garnishes, cocktail napkins, 2 signature drinks, etc). I also gave her all the decor items with instructions on how to set them up (cake box, paper fans and parasols, sparklers, guest "book" (a write-on vase), etc).
The food was mostly good, though some was lacking: the sliders were dry with oversized buns and minimal meat; the caesar salad "bites" were quite large and needed to be cut, though she had told us ordering knives would be unnecessary, so guests were left to figure it out; the avocado halves filled with corn salad weren't ripe, so I ended up with corn salad in my lap (on my wedding dress); my mom said the mushrooms were disappointing (I didn't have any because I'm allergic). On the flip side, the mac-and-cheese bites were AMAZING, and guests were very pleased with the cheese and fruit display served after the ceremony and before the reception, as well as the watermelon fresca and lavender lemonade the caterer created. The rest of the food seemed like typical wedding fare.
Most of the decor was executed as discussed and looked fantastic! They set up and lit candles on the tables, set out doilies at place settings, rolled forks and napkins, and transformed the downstairs display cases with white tablecloths so that it didn't look so tourist-y.
The issues of the evening:
- My mom had to track down the card box during the reception. It was not put out before she went looking for it.
- I had specifically asked, one week prior to the wedding, if water would be available the entire night and Briana said it would be. My mom had to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water for my brother's date. I do not know how long water was not available, and this was following at outdoor ceremony in Texas in June.
- My sister was excited that we purchased non-HFCS apple juice for her children to have at the wedding. Unfortunately, the bartenders said they knew nothing of it. The groom had to go to the kitchen to get the apple juice.
- My cousin from Washington was so excited to try lavender lemonade. The bar told him they were out. I went an hour later and the bartender got me a glass. My aunt told me about my disappointed cousin and I gave it to him.
- I specifically asked, one week prior to the wedding, if cream and sugar would be available with the coffee. Cream was not put out until much later. Unfortunately, guests were coming to me asking about it.
- I specifically asked, one week prior to the wedding, if we could have food and cake packed for myself and my husband to consume later that evening. Briana said of course, they always do that, and cake is always included. Cake was not included.
- Like I said, we provided them with a complete list of bar contents and purchased the items ourselves. Unfortunately, one of the three kinds of beers was not made available to guests. Garnishes were not served with the signature drinks (cherry/lime spear for one, bitters for the other). The 600 cocktail napkins I provided were not given out with drinks. There was confusion over which acrylic cups to use for mixed drinks, even though we specified and provided appropriate numbers. The bar service seemed amateur at best.
- A good deal of votive candles purchased, which we had discussed placing throughout the venue, went unused.
Overall, we were pleased with Briana and her team, but the number of details that were messed up were too numerous to overlook.
Old Blanco County Courthouse (Lesley) - Blanco... A
I found this venue when doing a search for "unique wedding venues in central Texas". It was fantastic! It's quite affordable at $500 and we were able to completely customize everything since we had to rent everything. Lesley was easy to work with and a very honest person. She really helped put us at ease with the entire event. We had a key to the courthouse for the entire weekend, which let us do some set-up and clean-up on our own schedule.
The Floral Studio (Maxine) - San Marcos... A-
The arrangements they created were wonderful! We loved our two styles of centerpieces, our 2ft floral initials that hung on the doors, and the small arrangements that went up the stairwell. The bouquets, corsages, bouts, and cake flowers were beautiful as well. The only issue I had was the I paid extra the week before the wedding to have white rose petals line a 30ft path, the first thing the guests would see at the ceremony. Unfortunately, she put the petals on the other side of the park, in an area the guests would not walk. It was disappointing that I paid extra money at the last minute for something was ill-executed. However, overall, I was very pleased.
Whole Foods - Austin.... A+++
We had a "cake buffet" for the groom's cake and ordered six 8" rounds from Whole Foods at regular price (~$26 each) with regular decorations (nothing "wedding" about it). We got chocolate explosion, German chocolate, chantilly cream, strawberry shortcake, tres leches, and the flourless almond torte. They were the rave of the reception and looked emaculate!
Classic Cakes By Lori - Dripping Springs... A+++
This was the only bakery we considered for the bridal cake and the only one we needed to! I sampled Lori's cakes at a bridal show, and then did a tasting at her lovely shop. Everything was perfect. She called a week before the wedding to confirm everything, and the cake was beautiful and delicious!
Make-Up - Celia Alcantar, MAC @ Barton Creek Nordstroms... A+++
I met Celia when she helped me find a foundation color so I could DIY my make-up. However, she was so hilarious that I asked her if she would come to my house in San Marcos to do the BMs' make-up, as well as my mom, aunt, and grandmother. She agreed and her work was amazing! The girls loved her!
Kris Kimura Quartet - Austin... A+++
Kris (saxophone) and Ryan (piano) played for the ceremony and the music brought tears to everyone's eyes, it was so beautiful. The reception was seamless thanks to Kris' charisma and the wonderful music of the quartet. They are the best! Everyone young and old really enjoyed the atmosphere they brought to the reception.
AL Collective (Photography) - Austin... A+++
Ashley and Laura are amazing gals. They did our engagements, my bridals, and the wedding, and everything they did was wonderful. My husband and I are not the most photogenic people, but they put us at ease and took amazing pictures. I love that we get reproduction rights, and they edited all the pictures. It was wonderful working with them and they are great at communication. The walkie-talkies at the reception were helpful, too!
Hair - Katlin, Venus Day Spa - South Austin... A+++
Katlin came to my house in San Marcos to do hair for the bridal party and my female family and everything turned out wonderfully!
Vistaprint... A+++
We ordered our engagement party invitations, STDs, and invitations through this online company. They were everything we hoped for and more. I love the designs they had available, and they were really classy.