Right off, everyone employed at the Bella Sera is extremely friendly, enthusiastic, and 100% committed to making your event exactly what you want. The Bella Sera was the first place we visited and after the consultation, we knew immediately that it was the place for us. Most people tell you to shop around but we were positive that this was the place for us.
Our consultation was about a year and a half out from when we wanted to get married. We met with the owner, John, and he was one of those people you automatically feel comfortable with. He was warm and welcoming and truly made an effort to get to know us in the short time we had with him. We went over a rather comprehensive list of all things wedding in order to determine desired elements, budget, and generally whether or not they would be able to accommodate us. John was upfront and honest with us that they always assess the uniqueness of each event to make sure the Bella Sera is a good fit for everyone and that they are not solely interested in getting booked like other venues. If they feel they can't accommodate an event, they will be honest about it which is something that stood out to me and in my opinion, speaks volumes about their character and integrity. Apart from our wonderful meeting with John, the venue is GORGEOUS. We were able to tour the space and the attention to detail and the way the decorations and lighting all come together is truly magical. We ended the meeting extremely excited and even though we probably would have booked them that same day, John encouraged us to go home and think about it before we made any decisions. Again, they truly have your best interest in mind and want your event to be perfect, even if it isn't with them. We never felt pressured.
When we were ready, I was able to call and book our date over the phone. Again, everyone was super friendly and flexible. Over the course of the year leading up to our date, we had a series of meetings meant to accomplish various things. We worked with Austin throughout the rest of our process and he was the best. At our first meeting, we confirmed any details we had covered at the consultation and talked more about budget, guest count, etc. Here, we learned a little more about the different packages and what was included in each of them. The next meeting was event production where we discussed dances, add-ons, activities, etc. Pretty much the logistics of the event and the elements we wanted. Here, we were able to decide what add-ons we wanted, we decided to do fun things like the photo booth, sparklers, and the s'mores and hot chocolate bar. The third meeting was the design meeting where we got to choose our lighting, decorations, everything! They have specific individuals who specialize in design and we had so many options to choose from. Anything you have in mind, they can make it happen. We did a winter wonderland theme and everything was beautiful! The possibilities with them are limitless! They put a table together for you so you can see what everything will look like. The fourth meeting was food tasting and that was a lot of fun. The food was tasty and we ended up going with the chicken alfredo and the pork tenderloin. After this, we had a final meeting just before the wedding where we went over all the details again and were able to meet with the DJ and select our music for the ceremony and the dance. During all of this, payments and communication were also super easy as they use Honey Book which was really great to use and allowed us to have all of our stuff in one place.
They really take care of everything: planning, production, food, DJ, photography, bar, and fun extras. All we really had to do on our own was hair/makeup, dress/suits, flowers, invitations, and cake. We also booked a mariachi band on our own, which the happily accommodated and incorporated.
The DJ who was assigned to us was Enrique and he was amazing. He took the time to help us figure out and plan our music. He was also a great bilingual DJ and was able to do everything in both English and Spanish without a flaw. He was fun and kept the crowd moving. Our photographer was Andrea and she was also wonderful. The engagement session is part of the package and those turned out great. All of the wedding photos turned out amazing as well and she and her partner captured every moment.
There was so much that went into our wedding and I didn't feel any of the stress of it. Everything was so detailed and for everything that is included, it really is an amazing value. You can have a beautiful wedding for less than what most pay. Words cannot express the experience we had and how grateful we are for the Bella Sera family. I can truly say my wedding day was perfect and everything I wanted. read more