First off, it has been a while since I have been on here, but I want to say theknot helped me a lot in my wedding planning and so did this community board!
Ceremony and Reception Site:
Horseshoe Bay Resort (Gazebo Lawn and Yacht Club Ballroom)= A
The resort was beautiful and the staff was great. I did however have to go through three different wedding coordinators because they left during the time I was planning for the big day. The gazebo lawn was recently renovated and looked even more gorgeous than before. They were able to decorate and set up exactly how I wanted them to. There was not a ton of activities for guests to participate in since it was still winter time, however they do have a heated outdoor pool and a jacuzzi that some people took advantage of.
Dress Store:
Blush Bridal= A+
Blush Bridal let me try on my dress so many times even after I bought it and was waiting for it to come in. They gave me valuable advice on everything from my veil, to jewelry. All the women in the store are super sweet. The dress came in quicker than they thought it would as well.
Alterations:
Alexia Gavela= A+
I learned about AG from all the reviews on this board and decided to try them out myself. They were excellent! Very reasonably priced. The staff is extremely nice. I asked the lady if she could sew in a piece of my mother's wedding dress into the inside of mine (my mother passed away a few years ago and this was very special for me). She did this with no charge. I was very pleased with my expereince at AG!
Cake:
Amazing Kakes= B
The cake was amazing...it tasted great...it looked great...however they arrived literally as I started waling down the aisle. No one had heard from them all day, but I had confirmed times with them earlier that week. The wedding coordinator even had the kitchen trying to come up with some cakes incase they did not show. We had a grooms cake too so they were constructing to cakes in the back. Finally, the wedding coordinator got a message over the walkie-talkie that they arrived. I was so relieved. Also, during the planning process they had a hard time drafting a picture of the cake we wanted. We were unable to know if they understood what we were looking for until we saw the final product the day of. The cake look great and ended up being what I wanted, but there was definitely some uncertainty in the process.
DJ:
Greenbelt DJ Productions= A+
Our DJ, Joel, was amazing. He books about a year in advance so I am glad we came across him when we did. He did an exceptional job of making the reception run smoothly and got everyone on the dance floor. During on final consultation a week beofre the wedding he showed us his system and we went over so many detail from what songs NEVER to play to when to fade out certain dances (first dance, MOG, etc.) Definitely one of the top vendors we used!
Photography:
Bill Alewine (Alewine Photography)= B+I do not have all the pictures yet but here is the link to the sneak peak. I am pretty happy so far. I felt like he should have posed the wedding party more during our photos. I feel like he rushed a lot during that time. I guess I'll know more when I see all the photos. He was very nice and easy to work with and was reasonably priced.
http://alewinephotography.com/blog Linens:
BBJ Linens= B
The specialty linens I rented ended up being a last minute concern. They had to send an emergency set in because they were afraid the originals form Dallas would not arrive in time. Then the day of they said those might not arrive! I was really concerned since linens were really important to me. They ended up arriving in time and they added volumes to the room! But the scare was not appreciated!
Flowers:
Beth Richard, Exquisite Petals= A++
I hope you have read this far, because Beth Richard was the absolute best. She made my vision come to life completely. I had planned the flowers about a year in advance and would talk to her periodically and send her pictures. I could not have been happier with what she did.
Hair and Make=up:
Keep Austin Gorgeous= A++
This is another vendor I researched on this board and I am so glad that I went with them. They did an amazing job at my trial and traveled all the way to Marble Falls to do 9 girls hair/make-up. They did an amazing job and all of my bridesmaids agreed it was the best hair/make-up experience they had so far, wedding or not. I really appreciated their willingness to work with my schedule and all the attention to detail. They were priced over what I planned on paying for hair and make-up for me and all my girls, but I would'nt go with another vendor no matter what.