I had a hair/makeup trial a month before my wedding and wasn't very pleased with the results. The day of my wedding, I took pictures of the trial with me and had some photos of hair inspiration for my floral hairpiece. Bernadette had lost all the info from the trial and had to start from scratch with makeup colors, but this ended up being a blessing in disguise, as everything she had done wrong at the trial was done perfectly the day of the wedding. My makeup looked great and my hair was perfect all night. She is not a friendly makeup artist who will chat you up, but she did do an outstanding job.

We found D'Pasteles through an internet search. Roxana and Joel provided us with a lot of attention at our tasting and were very open to our ideas and requests. We ordered 300 cupcakes and a top tier, and they had a special deal where we get a replica top tier for our 1-year anniversary so we don't need to freeze our cake for a year. The cakes were already set up when we arrived at the venue and everything was delicious. D'Pasteles was extremely affordable and we were very impressed by their attention to detail and consistent friendliness and helpfulness every time we talked to them.

I found TNT from some recommendations on the Knot. I signed a contract quickly and didn't have to worry about anything; Terica sent me several options for our photobooth guestbook that matched my wedding decor perfectly and I had tons of materials leftover afterwards. Our guests LOVED the photobooth, and we received a CD of all the pictures about a month and a half later. Photos were also available online a week after the wedding, although the cards provided at the wedding did not show all the numbers needed to log in. The attendant that evening was MIA at times, but a pail filled with quarters was provided so that guests could fend for themselves. The photo quality is amazing and the photobooth produced some of our favorite pictures of the night. If you can splurge on a photobooth, go with TNT!

Great value for location; guests were pleased with the cost and proximity to venue and major city sights.

I found a great deal for the Omni at hotels.com, getting two nights for the price of one. My husband was responsible for checking in the day of the wedding, and waited for 20 minutes along with several other people whose rooms weren't ready yet at 4 pm. He let the front desk know that he was getting married in an hour and needed to shower/dress immediately, so they got our room ready and let him check in while the others continued to wait. We had the misfortune of getting a room right next to the elevator (read: LOUD) so it was not the most romantic, secluded environment, but room service was great and the Sunday brunch at the Omni's Las Canarias Restaurant was phenomenal. The room itself was very comfortable and had a large bathroom and view of the Riverwalk. Highly recommended.

We signed up for a 3-session emergency dance lesson with Dee two weeks before the wedding. She helped us put together a simple yet elegant first dance that we pulled off without a hitch. While the lessons were a bit pricey, we felt that they were well worth it and we learned a lot. Our only criticism is that the first two sessions we were able to practice to our music in a private room, but the last session the room was unavailable so we had to practice our slow bolero on the main dance floor while two-step music was blasting out of the speakers. Not the most encouraging environment for a last-minute slow dance routine! That aside, Dee had a good sense of humor and was very patient with us.

We hired Mariachi Tamazula after seeing them perform at Austin City Hall. Part of their appeal to us was the fact that they include in their repetoire songs by Selena; in spite of requesting Selena songs well in advance, they did not play any at the wedding because our guests had nonstop requests all night. Although that was a bit disappointing, their performance was punctual and every song was well played. They even allowed my husband's nephew to sing lead vocals on a song with them. They looked great and had several female musicians, which also allowed them to perform several mariachi songs that you wouldn't otherwise get to hear. As much as I missed the Selena, I have no complaints about their performance and highly recommend them as their prices are incredibly reasonable, even if performing out of town!

Prior to the wedding, Lauren and Michelle were wonderful about answering my many questions and meeting with me in person so that I could see the space and make plans to execute my vision. The day of the wedding, we did have several disappointments during the reception; the air conditioner was freezing (it was the end of December) and the microphone we had rented didn't work. During this time, our contact Lauren was nowhere to be found and our problems took a long time to get fixed. In spite of those issues, the venue was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to rent the HEB Science Treehouse to entertain our younger guests. We DiY'ed the music by connecting our laptop to the venue's sound system and it sounded great all night long, and we rented the Ruiz House for the bridesmaids to get ready in before the event. The ambiance is wonderful; just make sure you know how to get in touch with your contact person at all times!

But our ceremony was beautiful and the chairs were set up very early so we got an early start on decorations. We had some last minute requests for a microphone and podium and those were ready for us as well. Overall, the ceremony was beautiful and elegant, and guests were impressed by how much the space had transformed from the rehearsal dinner the night before. We had room for over 200 guests and a very large bridal party, yet the space felt cozy and inviting and the standard lighting was awesome and romantic.

Pat Rendon at Oak Hills Florist did an amazing job. Her team came in early and had everything set up before we arrived; our ceremony centerpieces were gorgeous and she created beautiful aisle markers with orchids that were elegant and sophisticated. The bridal party flowers were absolutely perfect and my bouquet was custom-made with wired orchids and beads to match a photo I had brought her. We received many compliments on our flowers and Pat did a tremendous job of taking our requests and ideas and making them come to life. Her prices were extremely reasonable and she was a pleasure to work with. HIGHLY recommended!

Although initially I had some issues getting in contact with my event coordinator, the night of the wedding our caterer was spot-on. Everything was ready with time to spare and our tables/linens and buffet line were gorgeous. Our coordinator Gabino made sure that my husband and I were served dinner immediately and was constantly checking to make sure that we had what we needed. He also took personal care of my parents and made sure to check in with us whenever he had any questions. We received many compliments on the food and we very pleased with Absolutely Delicious' service and quality.