$70 for 50 invitations plus response cards. They arrived in a timely manner. The invitations are do-it-yourself; you have to assemble them on your own. SO, BE SURE TO REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS IN THE 'COMMENT' SECTION OF YOUR ORDER!!! Otherwise, like in my case, they will NOT send instructions!! I had mine printed cheaply at a local print shop. I printed on the translucent paper, then overlaid it on top of the cardstock. They came out beautiful!!

A plus--this site sends you extra ribbon/glue spots, so you don't run out.

The Bright Shawl is in the middle of the pricing range. We rented the whole facility and had a lot of guests, so the fixed cost per guest was low. Food pricing is around $23 per head, which is a sit-down dinner. Buffets are cheaper. There is a beautiful art gallery outside the ballroom, providing a nice bar/appetizer area. The outdoor courtyard has a garden and a fountain, and is absolutely quaint! It's a historical landmark, which I thought was really cool.

The Bright Shawl personnel take care of you! They are efficient, courteous, and cheerful. They know the best DJ's and referrals in town. They organize your reception for you and are involved as much or as little as you want them to be. Other reception facility people try to tell you what you want. The Bright Shawl does what you want, and will throw in some advice, but they say, "It's your day--we want YOU happy!" They always return their calls quickly, and never show frustration with you if you can't make up your mind on something on a dime, or if you don't understand something (unlike Spring Hill).

The dollar amount includes 7 hour wedding day coverage, bridal portrait session, engagement session, and coffee table album. ALSO, what sets her apart from others is that she GIVES you the high-def CD of all your photos at the end. She doesn't charge an arm and a leg for every single small picture, like most photographers do.

Donna is FUN to work with!! She is a good-hearted, sincere, down-to-earth person. I had a blast. Plus, she just has a natural talent for making you look great! None of my pics had double-chins, visible bra-straps, etc. She will bring out the best in you. She takes unique pictures that really reflect your personality, and she uses lighting. She took a full pic of me in front of a fountain, the sun setting behind me, the rays surrounding me. Donna does incredible work.

TheKnot.com is a great place for favors. They always have wedding favors on sale. I bought bubbles and personalized hersheys bar wrappers ($15 for 100) You can buy the chocolate with the personalized wrappers already attached ($30 for 150), but the shipping is $50, versus $15. The website is easy to use. They also have refurbished disposable cameras for weddings, starting at $1.99 each.

I grew up at Travis Park, so it holds a special place in my heart. The facility itself is beautiful. Pastor Rohlfs is a big help with wedding tips, and he dedicated a lot of time with us beforehand for marriage advice. The only thing is, if you plan on contacting the wedding coordinator, Esmerelda, call the church, don't e-mail her. You'll get a faster response. Esmerelda is also helpful with recommending organists, etc. Pastor Rohlfs does respond timely to e-mails.

I bought my dress at Alfred Angelos. They have made my wedding such a happy experience! They are really customer-oriented by calling to provide follow-ups, always making sure customers are helped by a sales assistant, etc. They also provide discounts for your wedding party if they all get their dresses at Alfred Angelo's, too. The dress was a great quality, too, unlike other common-named bridal shops.

Central Market catered sandwiches and dips for my bridal shower. The sandwiches were made with homemade bread. They had interesting choices, like a spinach/cheese mix, as well as a salmon sandwich. All were excellent!! I cannot tell you how much it cost, since I did not sponsor the bridal shower.

The staff was courteous, nice, and professional. I brought with me a picture of what I'd like in a cake. Even though they had never done THAT particular cake before, they were able to do it, and do it beautifully! They use all natural ingredients. The icing is to die for! The yellow cake is a little less moist than I'd like, but it was still very delicious.

I originally picked Los Encinos for my wedding reception venue. Bertha, the owner/manager, was terrible. She was unorganized, did not keep track of my payments accurately, and did not even know the square footage of her facility. She mislead (can I say lied??) me on many accounts. On the phone, she said the facility could fit easily up to 200 people indoors. I visited the facility, counted the chairs/tables, and at 110, everyone was squished like sardines, and there was not even room for a dance floor. Because I live out of town, Bertha and I had to have a verbal contract, and then my representative signed a paper copy in San Antonio of the terms agreed to by Bertha and I over the phone. I entered the contract because she promised a large discount. A week later, she said, "Oh, I don't know if I can give you that. I didn't say that. Did I? I have to re-think that." So, she raised the price. A week later, same thing happened AGAIN--she raised the price even more. So finally, I called back and said, "I just can't work with you. More important than money is TRUST, and that, you lost with me a long time ago." As soon as I said that, she began offering more and more discounts again, until the discounts totaled more of a discount than she even offered in the first place!! To her credit, (after much debating), she DID agree to refund the partial down payment I had begun to pay. However, my father and I had to place calls 1-2 times per week for over THREE months before we received the money. She kept saying, "Oh, I don't know how much you paid down. I don't have records of that. Let me get back to you." (which she never did; we had to be the ones who kept calling). We had to fax her multiple copies of the credit card transactions, because she kept losing them. Needless to say, we had to jump through many, many hoops and remind her weekly of her promise.

In conclusion, I know this was a long review, but please, please, PLEASE do NOT make the mistake I and other brides (see other review sites for other horror stories) have made. The location is beautiful, but that's it. Management is disorganized and fraudulent. I am now having my reception at The Bright Shawl. They have made planning the reception SUCH a happy experience!!! They are wonderful, honest, organized, considerate, and efficient!