Wow. They sure don't make five-star hotels like they used to.

The walls are very thin; noise echoes in the halls. There was a party down the hall from us on our wedding night, and it was so loud that we couldn't sleep for about three hours. We called security, and they did not address the problem. I complained to management the next morning, and they gave us a free breakfast, but still... And the hotel can't help all the noise from Sixth Street, but they could at least make the rooms a little more soundproof. I mean, if you're on the seventh floor, don't you think things would be a little more quiet?

Also, the room and especially the bathroom felt run-down and aging. If we had it to do over again, we'd go with either Hotel San Jose or the Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental.

Arthouse is an excellent downtown venue if you're looking for an artsy, modern vibe. However, there were so many errors and careless mistakes on the part of the event coordinator that we wish we'd found another option. Don't get me wrong: as an art gallery, Arthouse is wonderful. As a wedding venue, or a venue for pretty much anything that isn't art? I would not choose to work with them again unless I wanted ulcers. Example: they had the wrong starting time, and on the day before our wedding, I was on the phone at 4:57 p.m., reading aloud the contract over the phone to the venue representative in an effort to convince her that they had made a mistake. Another example: they lost the very large check I mailed them, six weeks before the event. And there's more examples where that came from...

I first saw Jennifer on the Austin edition of Platinum Weddings, and I was almost embarrassed to call her because I thought she'd laugh at my small budget. Not at all! Jennifer was so generous and understanding of our budget. Across the board, she was supportive, fun, generous, and eager to help us come up with great ideas to fit our wedding. I am so glad that we worked with her and I highly recommend her services to anyone.

A friend was supposed to make our cake for us, but she became very ill at the last minute, leaving us with a week and a half to find a wedding cake! Fortunately, my mother-in-law stepped in and took care of it. She called half a dozen bakeries, and she settled on Whole Foods Bakery. (That's separate from Whole Foods Catering, although they do work together.) The bakery was very helpful and friendly to my mother-in-law. They are surprisingly affordable. And, everybody at the wedding said it was one of the best-tasting cakes they'd ever had at a wedding. All around a success!

The store has a wide selection with a slight discount built in. There is also a rack of clearance dresses, and I noticed a wide range of sizes on the clearance rack. And, even though it was crowded when we went to the store, we got very good service from the employees. Not a whole lot of room in the store, so try to go when it's not too busy.

We rented linens from APR to cut down on the catering fees. While we saved a lot of money, you really have to be careful with these guys. There was a slight problem when one of my attendants returned the linens (we were already off on the honeymoon), and my attendant was able to solve the problem -- but APR called me twice in the meantime, when my attendant specifically asked them not to. I've heard other stories of these folks being careless. While there was nothing wrong with our order, just make sure you're very organized if you rent from APR.

Definitely a casual BBQ spot, but it was very appropriate to this relaxed gathering of friends and family. The food was good. Only problem is parking is very scarce; be prepared to carpool and then hunt or else pay $5 to park across the street.

My husband is a graphic designer, so we knew from the start we wanted nice invitations but not to pay the astronomical fees that most places charge. At Paper Place, we got high-quality paper and envelopes. They also have plenty of options for ordering your invitations from an outside company, but we were very happy with the option we chose. Much better than just relying on the paper selection at Michael's.

If only my dress had been available at another salon.

The saleswoman who helped us was delightful, but from there the experience went downhill. The real problem was with alterations, which I wish I had chosen to take elsewhere. The alterations staff does not practice good customer service; they overcharge for less-than-adequate work (they forgot to sew on two buttons on the bustle!), and they did not convey accurate expectations from the outset. When I expressed concern about the dress slipping down, the alterations lady kept trying to tell me that it wasn't, but it was slipping down, right there in front of our eyes. I mean, my girls were showing, for crying out loud.

Also, David's has a very stringent policy regarding their discounts, so if you don't buy accessories on the spot, they refuse to cut you any kind of deal. The flimsy garment bag we bought for $10 fell apart, and they wouldn't supply us with another.

Again, I wish this dress had been available elsewhere, or at least that I had gone elsewhere for my alterations.