I'm a wedding vendor and have rented from Parties by Design for probably 100+ events over the…read moreyears. Charlene is always there for her clients! I've never worked with a more responsive vendor! Her pricing is great, she delivers on time or early every time, she is very communicative. And she is so positive and sweet which is just a plus! You can not go wrong with using Parties by Design! I recommend them constantly!

A friend of ours found Parties by Design for our party. We called and scheduled the rental of…read moresit-down tables with chairs, standing bar-height tables, and white tablecloths. They were super nice on the phone. Prices are reasonable. But the real test was their VERY prompt arrival to deliver everything on time. They set up the tables for us and brought the chairs to a great spot for our outdoor party. Everything was solid and of good quality. The following day, Charlene and her husband returned, again on time. Both are charming people who are obviously quite good at what they do. Very efficient. Highly professional. We will absolutely support this local business with our future needs.

Jen & Mia are an absolute dream team and they did a wonderful job with my wedding. When I first…read morereached out to Jen, I asked what packages she offered for day-of coordination. She said that she didn't do packages, but that she will simply do anything that you need her to during the allotted time. This was 100% true and she went above and beyond to accomplish everything we needed. Jen does a great job at making your vision come to life and she takes the time to listen to your comments and concerns. On the other hand, she also takes control when necessary and makes suggestions to help your day run smoother. Everything we asked Jen to do, she executed perfectly. And for the things we didn't think of, she was always one step ahead of us. Mia, Jen's assistant, was so sweet and did an amazing job supporting Jen. I really don't know what our wedding day would've looked like without them, and I would recommend this team to anyone for any wedding. Thank you so much!

They are The Best Investment To My Wedding Day…read more I had the honor of hiring Central Texas Planners and having Mia as my Day of Coordinator. I worked with Jennifer on the set up. She was very patient with me when i hadn't filled the questionnaire out completely. i was so busy with little help and all the questions were a lot, but important to help them. She didn't get angry or anything even called me the week of to prepare and finalize things. Offered advice and answered my questions. Jennifer was very responsive. Now Mia was my onsite person my day of coordinator. She was nothing short of amazing the sweetest person ever that packed a huge punch in the day. She was very responsive and handled everything that came our way with tact. She assisted with my thrown together rehearsal. My photographer was going to cancel the day before and she calmed me and even tried to work on suggestions. My Husband best man failed to show she calmed me and worked around all the changes we made last minute. She took a very good photo of my husband and I on our send off with my polaroid that i just love. She even remembered everything that i forgot. She communicated well with all my vendors and took the worrying off my shoulders. She kept us on schedule and when we veered off she reassured that it was ok. She checked in with me and my helpers and helped my step dad drape my beautiful backdrop for the wedding. She went above and beyond for me as if she was family i am forever thankful to have had her and would hire them again in a heartbeat. (Not that i want to actually have a wedding again!). I wish i had pictures of her in action i def have videos. She was overwhelmingly the best investment to my wedding.

The wedding venue was perfect for our small intimate rustic themed wedding we had. Its perfect if…read moreyou want to be close to nature and have the ceremony and reception in one location. The owner, Candy was very helpful and offered suggestions with the whole event planning. The venue is cost friendly and loved the DIY packages. The family and kids had a great time with taking pics in photo booth to kids running around in the grounds. Favorite moment is before the start of the ceremony. I was in the ladies changing room and my husband outside knocked on door and wanted his Pastor to pray for us. So we extended our hands through the door.

My wife and I were married at La Escondida Celebration Center on December 12, 2015…read more The venue is absolutely beautiful. There are two distinct ceremony sites on the property. We chose the one down by the creek area. The pavilion for the reception is spacious and has a nice attached deck with additional benches for guests to use. There is also seating under the trees and a nice flagstone patio at the entrance. Candy had some good suggestions for planning and was available to answer our questions. The small house attached to the pavilion has a nice dressing area for the wedding party, and there are 4 bathrooms for guests to use. All of the staff members were friendly and helpful. Our guests were very impressed with the location, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves at this beautiful venue.

I came for a wedding and it was spectacular and beautiful! The cathedral has seating enough for, I…read morewould assume about 150-200? I came a little late, so there was a row of chairs in the very back. It offered a first glimpse of the bridesmaids and bride walking in. The inside is simple gorgeous, yet at the same time quaint and beautiful. Lovely bright windows make it perfect for a morning, afternoon or evening wedding. It can be dark if it was on a day without natural lighting. The grounds are gorgeous, and I cannot imagine how much more beautiful it would be on a summer day. We went to a winter wedding in January, but the garden area was still very nice with metal arches and some foliage around. The event space is perfect for anyone who loves glass windows and light. It pours through into the dining area and offers a lovely outdoor view. I can see it might be challenging in the summer with the heat from the windows, but it was simply perfect for this event. There's a long hall that is perfect for a buffet or dancing that offers some privacy from the dining area. I like how you can split up the activities so there is not so much crowding or awkward people watching during the buffet table and dancing. I would highlight recommend any prospective brides or event planners to check our this space. There's a lot you can do with it, despite being a little far from town.

BRIDES BEWARE. At first I was so excited to have found this venue. The chapel, reception space, and…read moreon-site accommodations seemed too good to be real when I signed the contract... boy was that true! The price is affordable, but the manager (Pedro) sent me 2 different invoices trying to charge me different prices AFTER I signed my contract. I had to forward him our previous emails with the contact and then screenshot and re-send the prices listed on the venue's website in order to make sure I was getting the correct price. When we did our final walk thru we talked about having the decorations (fake flowers, candelabras, table, etc.) in the chapel removed and Pedro told me that was no problem. He did not mention any additional price for the removal, nor was that listed in the contract but THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING he strong armed my father out of $250 for him to have someone take them off the stage. The kicker was he didn't even have all of the decorations removed! The candelabras and table were still there and my bridesmaid had to do it for us. During the initial consultation I was told that we pay a fee and that covers the beer, wine and bartender and everything over that fee we settle at the end of the night. During the final walk thru my fiancé asked about liquor being served. Pedro told us if we purchased our own liquor he would be able to serve it. Due to the increase of guests (now over 100) the bar fee would increase from $500 to $795. Again, THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING, Pedro tells my fiancé that there is no beer or wine because he claimed we would be bringing the entire bar. When asked what the $795 for the "bar cost" on our invoice included Pedro said it covered the plastic cups, ice, and bartender. We had to have a family friend go to Costco 3 hours before the start of our wedding to get the alcohol needed so our guests could enjoy an open bar. There was a line item for "coffee and soda" on our invoice, which was supposed to supply separate soda from the bar. The only soda available was poured from un-refrigerated liter bottles and was used for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic soda servings. We were charged twice for sub-par refreshments and couldn't do anything about it because it was the day of our wedding. The accommodations are convenient, but include zero amenities. There were not enough towels for everyone, dead cockroaches in the Rectory House, sticky floors, poor plumbing, no cooking utensils or items (e.g. pans, baking sheets, pot holders, etc.), no coffee machine, and poor lighting with burned out or almost dead lightbulbs. We gathered our trash, but didn't have enough trash bags or any cleaning supplies to tidy the place before check out the next day at 9:00am. There is no welcome binder or information for what is expected at the end of the stay nor where to take the garbage. While we were packing up another bridal party was arriving to a dirty house, which begs the question of whether or not the sheets on the bed, houses, kitchens, and bathrooms were even cleaned before we got there. During the wedding reception, Pedro was the bartender not a hired professional like he implied. He made lewd comments to a few female guests and also proceeded to sell the venue's beer (which he originally claimed had no alcohol) for cash even though we had brought alcohol for an open bar. Cash tips were also paid out to Pedro since he was the bartender. Overall, I couldn't recommend this place for an afternoon brunch let alone a whole wedding. Our special day was marred by the unprofessionalism and crude behavior we experienced.

I cannot say enough good things about Natalie & the Country Sugar team! I took care of the majority…read moreof the planning and reached out to Natalie in search of someone who could help with the final details and day-of support. They had the perfect package to fit our needs - Two Weeks Notice. She took over the communication with vendors two weeks prior to our wedding date, making sure vendor deliveries and arrivals were all scheduled accordingly. As anyone who has planned a wedding knows, there's high stress and sometimes things go wrong. Specifically, the day before the wedding we had a hiccup with our florist. I called Natalie in tears and she was quick to take on the task of making sure the flowers were fixed. She communicated with the florist throughout the day making sure that all bouquets, centerpieces and arrangements turned out the way they were supposed to, keeping me in the loop along the way. All of the florals turned out beautifully. Our wedding day was flawless, at least that's the way Natalie made it feel! It really was the most amazing day of our lives and I am so grateful that Country Sugar was there to support us.

Country Sugar could not have been any better. They made our day perfect and listened to our every…read morerequest. The whole process was seamless and it truly put me at ease knowing I didn't have to keep following up.

If I could give more than 5 stars I would!…read more Do not plan your wedding (or event) WITHOUT the help of Yellow Umbrella Events! My wife and I considered doing this on our own and I couldn't imagine how much stress this would have added to our wedding planning. We got married this past weekend at Xcaret Hotel Mexico and had 56 guests that Yellow Umbrella took care of all the rooms and logistics for. Shea, Mia, and the team made it so easy for us and all of our guests every step of the way. They took care of all our guests, booking, correspondence, deadlines which allowed us to fully focus on our wedding. In only a few days after our first meeting with them, we had an incredible website set up for our wedding with every possible detail for our guests. The room booking experience was seamless and we literally didn't have to worry about any of it. What a relief! On top of that, they went ABOVE & BEYOND in making sure we had not only the best wedding experience possible but as well as our week stay afterwards. Not to get into all the details but we had a few communication issues with the venue and Shea and Mia went WELL beyond their scope of work to get things handled for us. Many of our guests have been messaging us this week telling us that it was the best wedding they've ever been to and that makes us so happy. I highly recommend you at least explore a conversation with the Yellow Umbrella team. I will certainly go with them for any group bookings we do in the future!

Amazing team, so lucky we found them!…read more My husband and I cannot say enough good things about Cheryl and Shea. They are seriously the dream team of wedding planning (and really any event). We had essentially a 4~ day destination wedding in Hawaii and they helped plan a day for rehearsal and welcome party, and the actual wedding. The other two days were one for family where they suggested the event and a beach day after the wedding that we handled. We started planning our destination wedding in Hawaii in September 2019 to get married in January of 2020 and it was no easy feat but we were lucky to have the best help to make our special day incredible. We first heard of Cheryl and Shea through my friends whose wedding they planned in Austin. While planning our own wedding, I commented to my friend that I wanted to find a team as great as hers and lo and behold we found out they specialized in destination weddings. We originally interviewed 4-5 local planners as we wanted someone on the ground but after speaking with Cheryl, we knew they were the perfect fit. Cheryl was incredibly helpful, responsive, and easy to work with on our realatively short timeline. Did we mention we also left the country for a monthlong, pre-wedding honeymoon?! Cheryl and Shea helped us source vendors in Hawaii, managed the relationships and timelines, and was there whenever we had a question or follow up. Here are some of the highlights they helped us with; -Suggest a fun family day event (from 12-9 PM!) -Source our amazing hair and makeup artist -Find us a bartender who made bespoke cocktails to service in freshly shucked and cored coconuts and pineapples -Source a hotel for our guests and get travel planner rates. -Managed difficult vendors and made it look effortless -Deal with my difficult mother and helped me deal with it (honestly this can't be emphasized enough) Don't hesitate to book Yellow Umbrella Events for anything you're planning, they're amazing.

We were so blessed to be able to work with Helayne. Before we even hired her, she was the first of…read moreall the planners we contacted to respond, to set up an interview, and to follow up. I appreciated her drive and organizational skills from our very first emails. Our wedding was fraught with planning drama, and despite the fact that we only booked partial planning services, Helayne went above and beyond to help us out when our planning experience hit the rocks. She is the perfect balance of honest and accepting. I know our wedding was offbeat and one with many firsts for her, but she never made us feel like our choices were any less meaningful just because they weren't "traditional." However, she didn't shy away from having the hard conversations - she told us bad news plainly, and honestly, but always had a backup plan. She doesn't sugarcoat things, which, when you're planning an event, is a valuable asset. Despite our planning drama, I almost began to enjoy watching her handle vendors on our behalf - she has this masterful ability to question people in such a way that she gets a truthful answer from them, even if they don't want to give it. Maybe it comes from her history as a teacher! My mother described Helayne as a military general, and that is absolutely accurate. She is meticulous, prepared, grounded, realistic, and capable. And maybe has a secret twin, because I'm not sure how else she managed to be everywhere at once on our wedding day.

Where do I begin!?!…read more Helayne was a complete blessing in disguise! She was the complete package from the first time we met up with her! After spending multiple hours going over every single detail of my wedding (details that I had no idea would matter), I felt completely confident in Helayne! She did not leave one stone left unturned! My wedding rehearsal went by flawlessly, due to her patience, attention to detail and overall joyous personality! On the day of my wedding, Helayne worked proficiently making sure every detail we previously talked about was executed. And executed, it was! My setup was gorgeous, my bridal party was always in the loop and never once out of place. She made sure that my photographer was taking all the right pictures, my bridal party was getting ready at the right time, and that my bride to be was stress free! I never once lost confidence in Helayne and her services! After we said "I do", I was able to sit back, relax and completely enjoy my reception. She was even flexible when I decided during the reception to cut out the bouquet toss and other events because I simply wanted to dance! She never lost patience, even when my DJ turned out to need more help then he should of. Helayne went up and remind him what to announce and when to announce it (even though she provided him with a detailed itinerary). She made sure to check in with the my family/friends that were part of our reception to give them a heads up before they were needed. ( 10 minute notices before best woman & maid of honor speech, etc) I can not speak more highly of anyone! Without Helayne, I feel that my wedding day would have been a complete mess! At the end of the night, all my family and wedding party could talk about was how AMAZING Helayne was! I wish you nothing but the best in your new business and I KNOW that you will continue to do great things! Thank you so much for making our wedding day a success! -Natalie & Adriana

nice and quick experiment, aLeo customer service is great. no regrets at all!! 10000% recommen.read more

This company is unreasonably averse to telephone communication or text messages, which is…read moreimpractical and frustrating. If you want to speak to them by phone, they actually charge you for it ($100/hr). Also, they insisted on $1000.00 "officiant fee" even when we brought our own officiant! Their rationale was to have a licensed minister "on call" in case of a last minute problem or emergency with our officiant. Which is a reasonable idea, but NOT a reasonable fee to have someone "on call" for an hour at $1K per hour. Make it $250 or something, and then charge the full amount if officiant actually used. $1000 rip-off. And that's just one questionable "fee." There were also fees for "coordination," "planning and hosting" (?? isn't the hosting on the venue?), a doubly-charged "meeting fee" ($100 for a phonecall, charged TWICE...when I pointed out error, they agreed, promised refund but refund never came). Plus $200+ for an overpriced "welcome" sign (I had only wanted a couple baloons), $200 for a "card stand" that we were led to believe was already available, and finally a nearly $400 "processing fee." For many of these charges, I was never clear what we were paying for. Lastly, Kari insulted/offended our officiant and the bride regarding vows that were really none of her business. A net negative. Would NOT recommend.