Barbara's Brides

g cocktail hour. Her knowledge of local vendors and the Driskill was so helpful. The preferred vendor list and wedding checklist that she provided to us really helped our planning process. We felt completely at ease on our wedding day!

the way. Barbara gave me the most honest and thoughtful advice throughout the vendor choosing/planning process. I respected and valued her opinion SO much and she never tried to steer me in any direction other than my dream wedding. And Gerad...omg Gerad! He was an angel on our wedding day. He is 100% perfect for this job--he was such a calming presence throughout the day and kept Aaron and I on time for everything--we truly would not have made it through the day/night without him! I LOVE THIS TEAM SO MUCH!

nd when, as well as temper a general feeling of anxiousness I had about planning such a big weekend with so many events. Needless to say, all that worrying was unnecessary. When we got to Austin, our wedding, our rehearsal dinner (my in-laws booked Barbara separately for that) and brunch went off better than I could imagine. It was gorgeous and the best weekend of our lives. She is a gem and so is Gerard.

ere terrific and greatly exceeded our expectations. The vendors she recommended and we selected were excellent! The venue was transformed into the vision the bridal couple and we wanted! She always returned our telephone calls promptly and there were many. Barbara helped us stay organized and free from worry when we arrived in Austin. Both Barbara and Gerad are truly professional and made us feel very confident our dinner would be a success. We had a great time and received so many compliments from our guests.

of her hand. She guides you on vendors and will give you a realistic view of expectations. She was an advocate for me during our floral meeting. She got to know me ahead of time and what me and my fiancé like and don’t like and our budget. During the floral meeting, she knew exactly what to ask for and how to articulate what we liked and didn’t like. She saved us money just in that meeting alone! They made everything happen on wedding day and I had no clue when things were getting fixed (I messed up the seating chart and they used their resources and figured it out without bugging me during my hair and makeup). My family felt so much love from them and knew they could ask her questions or count on her to make things happen. Her company offers everything from limited service to full service and packages in between. I know there are so many wedding planners out there so you need to find the right one for you based on personality and experience. For me personally, I loved Barbara’s years of experience and her ability to say no if it would not work and protect me. She was a mother figure for me and someone to really count on. I had a small wedding with no wedding party and my mom passed away, so her expertise and guidance and protection was perfect! Gerad on her team is amazing and a rockstar and so wonderful to work with. You would be lucky to have either of them as your planner for your wedding.

n our smallish wedding (100ppl), Barbara brought her full attention, experience, and resourcefulness. She respectfully and patiently navigated quite a few strong personalities (including my own ;) ) and helped us coordinate seamless transitions from the wee hours of hair and makeup all the way through the final farewell. Barbara will take you and herself seriously, and will be a great partner to help you pull off your vision for your special day.

uine conversation. I hired her as my full service planner later that week, and we planned my wedding over the following 20 months. I pretty much stuck to Barbara’s vendor recommendations and they all turned out AMAZING. I had a million questions and lots of wild ideas, but my favorite thing about Barbara is that she was team bride-and-groom throughout everything. On my wedding day, the zipper on one of my bridesmaids’ dresses broke as she was putting it on, disaster right? Wrong. It was no problem because Barbara had blush thread with her, and her team took the time to sew my bridesmaid into her dress (s/o to Gerad, Barbara’s Associate Planner who is also amazing!). There was a little hiccup at the reception (not related to Barbara at all) but Barbara had it under control and practically solved the problem before I even knew about it. She is amazing, her team is amazing, and I highly recommend her! She is such a joy to be around!

verything on the actual wedding weekend. Working with Barbara was seamless - she's responsive, she knows exactly what she's doing, and she answered every question I could throw at her. Gerad was our Day-Of Coordinator and I cannot sing his praises enough! Gerad seemed to be in ten places at once at any given moment and I didn't worry about a THING on the day of my wedding. We had a cake situation where our three-tier white cake came completely un-decorated (my fault!) and Gerad managed to find enough extra florals to decorate the cake himself hours before the wedding. He also directed traffic for the perfect downtown Austin wedding photo, kept the crazy wedding party on time and in the right locations, and managed to be SO MUCH FUN and such a delight to work with. He felt like a friend I've known forever even though we just met that weekend. I can't imagine a coordinator out there more efficient, professional, or perfect to work with.

ride came early and left before the wedding was over! So, in no time, Barbara had arranged another carriage and had it waiting for us at the exit! Talk about a life saver and master problem-solver!!! She also is so knowledgeable about the industry and willing to help. I reached out to Barbara with questions about when to send invitations, what wedding favors to use if we aren't doing a late night snack, how to maximize our flowers and decor, etc. And, I quickly learned there is conflicting information online, so you need a Barbara to help you sort through all the online wedding articles! And, finally, she is the most organized! Our wedding timeline was down to the minute, and she executed it perfectly the day of! We also got to share a very special moment with Barbara - she served as our officiant!! Our family friend wanted to preside over the ceremony, but he is not ordained. So, after the ceremony, we had a private ceremony with our photographer and Barbara, where she legally married us! It was such a special part of our day - and an added bonus for you if your officiant doesn't show, is not ordained, etc.!! Barbara also made Kyle and me feel loved and special on our wedding day! She went out of her way to ensure we were cared for - from giving us bottled water (of course with a straw because lipstick), encouraging us to sit down and take in the moment during our private dinner, setting up our memory table and cigar bar as we had envisioned, etc. She also picked up our doughnut wedding favors on the day of so that we did not have to worry about it! And, if you want a genuine, joyful, kind and honest planner who will laugh with you, care for you and work really hard for you - YOU HAVE TO HIRE BARBARA!

her!! Barbara has great relationships with the top vendors in Austin and was so wonderful throughout every single process. She always knew who to call, and if there was a problem, I did not find out until after she had already solved it. I cannot stress this enough - even if you think you don't really need a planner - you NEED a Barbara. I had a lot of hiccups along the way, including a nightmare hair/makeup trial and having to find a new company only a couple months out, Barbara called every (trusted) company in Austin and got me quotes and availability by the next morning. The Republic of Texas Biker Rally ended up being in town the weekend of my wedding, upon discovering this only days before leaving town, by the time I called Barbara she already had maps and closure listings for me and additional routes for our incoming guests. She is very quick and responsive, and very reliable & an all around joy to work with. Barbara's team worked tirelessly on our wedding day and we truly could not have pulled it off without them.

fortunate events with another wedding planner. Barbara was recommend to me by another vendor and I am so grateful for that. Switching to Barbara was so simple and was a huge weight off my shoulders. She was so generous with her time, given our 13 hour time difference, she answered text, emails and calls promptly. I showed Barbara a vision of my venue (Barr Mansion) that I had seen on Pinterest and it just so happened to be one of her wedding she planned. What a dream it was! Barbara seemed to be able to read my mind on things, she quickly took notice in areas I was particular about and areas I was nervous to make the decision she took control and was absolutely nothing short of perfection. Our wedding day was the best day of my life and I’m sure I can thank Barbara for everything falling into place so effortlessly! Everything was more than I could have ever hoped for. She was on top of everything, extremely happy and brought the most calming feeling to the room. Barbara is hands down the BEST wedding planner and we are so, so happy with everything she did for our day!

I hate decorating). I also wanted to work with someone who had vetted and established relationships with the best Austin vendors, and let me tell you, Barbara hooks you up with the BEST florist, photographer, DJ, etc. She had also done numerous weddings at my venue already (Barr Mansion), so I could trust her judgement with it. I met with Barbara and her go-to florist to go over the overall feel of my wedding and my goals for the look. They worked so well together that I only had to give a few adjectives, and they knew EXACTLY how and what to do. Because my wedding was in expert hands, I was completely stress free in the months leading up to my wedding and on the day of (not exaggerating, just the way I felt). I showed up and was directed on where to be when by Barbara and my photographer, who also work seamlessly together. Because I didn’t have to worry about the details, I could enjoy every moment getting ready and catching up with my closest friends. People could not stop commenting on how beautiful the flowers and decor were, and how smoothly the whole night flowed. Everything was like clockwork and I was able to enjoy (and remember) every, single, moment. Barbara even had extra sparklers for ~100 guests in her car (?? only a wedding planner would) after we forgot to bring them. Barbara does not promise anything she can’t deliver, and she is very open and honest about everything so you have realistic expectations and are not left in the dark. She is very prompt with replies during her busy, booked up schedule, which clearly takes great time management skills and attention to detail. I can say that not all highly rated planners are guaranteed to deliver on your wedding day (as my friend experienced during her summer 2018 Austin wedding with a different highly rated planner). You can absolutely trust Barbara with the most important day of your life, and I’m so SO glad I chose her!!!

that it would still run smoothly and be beautiful and I believed them. Reliable, dependable, honest and responsive are just a few words I would use to describe this team. Barbara is a lady who knows what she is talking about and hiring her was by far the best decision. Wish I could do it all over again with her and her team!

edding prep, so I was completely lost on what I needed and where to start. As soon as I hired Barbara, though, she immediately pointed me in the right direction and gave me all the guidance I needed throughout the whole process to make smart decisions. She also provided me a list of her preferred vendors, which are all amazing! In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Barbara coordinated with all the vendors to make sure everything would go smoothly on the day of. She didn't miss one detail and thought of everything. She even caught things that I had missed and didn't realize until the day before (like the microphone for a reading during the ceremony - kind of a big deal) and immediately contacted the appropriate vendors to get what I needed. On the day of the wedding, my husband and I didn't have to worry about about one thing. Barbara was at the venue when the vendors started to arrive and she pulled everything together beautifully. When we arrived at the venue we couldn't believe what we saw! Everything was perfect and even more beautiful that what we had imagined. Additionally, during the reception, Barbara made sure that we stayed on schedule and that everything went as planned, which allowed my husband and I to actually enjoy the wedding. Our wedding was the best day of our lives thanks to Barbara and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding planner. Thank you, Barbara!!!

hich vendors to choose- which is so helpful in the wedding industry! It can be overwhelming at times, we wouldn't have been able to do it without her. In addition, our day of, Gerad, was perfect. He kept everything running smoothly and made sure we were well taken care of. He executed our vision with so much care and attention to detail. Highly recommend!!

sent me with the best of the best options, and all I had to do was select. I never had to do any hunting or searching for vendors, and all of her people are amazing. My friends and family are still raving about the food at my wedding, and we completely went with Barbara’s choice with catering. On the actual day of my wedding there were some hiccups that I didn’t even know about until after I returned from my honeymoon! Talk about a stress free day. She really took care of it all.

ing hiccups with other vendors, we felt confident in Barbara's hands and she did not disappoint! Our wedding day went so smoothly and was everything we hoped for thanks to Barbara's Brides. Highly recommend working with them for your wedding day!!

tch the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing locations last minute. Oh and did I mention my wife was suffering from debilitating food poisoning from the night before! She was supposed to show up at the venue at 10:30am with the bridesmaids, but instead made it crawling in at 4:30pm. Additionally, Barbara had to deal with TWELVE hard-drinking groomsmen beforehand, since I had six Marine Corps buddies show up early to practice the sword arch. Although inside the bridal cottage it was a chaotic blur of Pedialyte sips and constant tears, Barbara was outside, calmly bringing order to the chaos, expertly directing the vendors and her crew to adjust timelines, setup locations, and overall strategy to adapt to mother nature and my wife’s severe illness. Barbara stayed calm and collected throughout, and through a small miracle (read Barbara’s experience and judgment), we began the wedding on time in a beautiful secondary location at the venue. I am sure that any wedding planner in Central Texas would be just fine on a sunny day with no contingencies, but we all know that is not how reality works. If you want someone who will facilitate the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE no matter how crazy the circumstances, we can assure you that Barbara is the obvious choice. I could go on and on about the wedding planning assistance and guidance she provided for us, but I will let you read the other five star reviews to learn about that. I will end this review where I started; Barbara comes to play on Gameday! She will accept nothing less than excellence from every vendor, caterer, and her own employees, which provides an amazing guest experience. We were told by just about every guest it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and we could not have done it without Barbara!

edding planner, we knew that Barbara is also licensed to officiate weddings. So we asked her to do the honors for us and she graciously agreed. Barbara did a great job, from helping us develop our vows to walking us through the logistics to pronouncing us husband and wife. Barbara is the best!

ention I was suffering from debilitating food poisoning from the night before

azing Jared and Norma are, they were professional, easygoing, resourceful, flexible and made everything stress free for us. My husband and I appreciated their help so very much Thanks again for everything!

for a planner at the time but after my brief conversation with her that day, and looking at all of the fabulous reviews for Barbara's work, I knew that I wanted her to work with my daughter and I to guide us and help keep things as stress-free as possible over the coming year. Throughout the planning process Barbara was very giving of her time, provided excellent recommendations and responded quickly even to the smallest questions. The big day finally came on 9/22 and it was the most magical, memorable day I could have imagined! As the mother of the bride, being able to relax and enjoy the entire weekend knowing that all of the details were covered by Barbara and her team was such a blessing. Thank you Barbara for helping to make Olivia and Ian's day perfect!

that sealed the deal. Let me be your friend and tell you that she is an absolute PRO. Barbara knows the wedding industry better than anyone (she's been doing this for 30 years!), she has solid relationships with the BEST vendors (this is really important) and gives honest feedback on what will work and what won't (also important!). On my wedding day, honestly, I got a little emotional about how much Barbara did for me! She was magic! She made our day come together so seamlessly and perfectly, and right when I thought I needed something, Barbara appeared. Weddings are ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS, and Barbara knows this. She is the conductor that keeps the concert in perfect harmony. She handled vendors, my family, stubborn venue problems, calmed my nerves several times, and made my semi-dreary/kind of rainy outdoor ceremony into a really special experience. When it started sprinkling on guests, umbrellas magically appeared (she had hidden them under their seats!). She's organized, timely, professional, committed, experienced, delightful, and will 100% be there for every step of the way. Is it weird to say we miss her?! She's the best.

st DJ and photographer. Thanks again!

didn't find out about until 3 weeks before the wedding... and we didn't fit in the ballroom I had booked anymore. Barbara didn't bat an eye and seamlessly re-worked the event to have the dinner outside (which ended up being even prettier), including getting a tent and amazing lighting. Seriously cannot rave about her enough. She has THE best recommendations and is so great at getting all the vendors together. Plus, she has been doing this for so long that she knows everyone in town and I swear was able to just pull magical amazing wedding things out of thin air for me. I love her so so much and my wedding is only a success because of her. Thank you Barbara!! I also have to mention her colleague Gerad! He handled all of our day of coordination and was an absolute dream! He is such a sweetheart and true professional. For example, he flawlessly bustled my complicated dress, hid comfy shoes at the reception and helped me into them, kept us on schedule, made sure I always had champagne and even when my husband's family placed a bunch of ugly things on my cake table to "help decorate" he saw the look on my face and graciously found another inconspicuous spot for their items, ha! :) I LOVE HIM!! I'm like ummm do you want to be my friend and have coffee with me later... **I found her because she planned my best friend's wedding, which was also amazing. She and Gerad are seriously the best.

e problem or complication, even when we did worry unnecessarily, Barbara was there with her calm, reasonable demeanor to help us know that she’d taken care of everything. An important point about how wonderful Barbara made this process was her interaction with my now-wife -- a strong-willed person who runs her own business, and who would most of the time rather handle everything herself rather than trust someone else. Barbara not only helped her feel calm and relaxed, so we could enjoy the day together, but she also made her feel truly cared for. That was the most special thing about Barbara to me. Barbara played a big role in our wedding day becoming as wonderful as we hoped it would be.

t the appropriate vendors ASAP. She was also able to turn my vague ideas into a beautiful masterpiece, that was honestly better than I imagined. Lastly, because she is so on top of things, I was worry free on wedding day. My wedding was flawless and I would recommend her to anyone and everyone!

to begin in terms of vendors for our son and daughter-in-law's rehearsal dinner. She led us to great sources within our price range and guided us through all the smallest details and decisions every step of the way to insure a beautiful and successful dinner. I cannot recommend her more highly. Thank you again, Barbara!

ots of people), everything flowed smoothly and I was able to enjoy the wedding my husband and I dreamed of. Thank you, Barbara, for your attention to detail and for pointing me in the right direction with quality vendors.

e was fun to be around and calming when I needed it. She was always accessible, super organized, and had the best vendor suggestions. She orchestrated our ceremony and reception at the Stephen F Austin with ease and professionalism. I highly recommend her!

vices and it was by far the smartest decision I made. She guided me through every step and her vendor suggestions were immensely helpful. Her experience in the business is evident and her guidance through the entire process put my nervous mind at ease. She is able to handle any situation that might arise quickly and professionally and most importantly she ensures that your wedding day goes the way that you want it to go. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day and it was all thanks to Barbara.

on my wedding day. She handled everything from start to finish. She is a must have and I would highly recommend her to any bride who is planning a wedding.

and,thankfully, found Barbara Hearne of Barbara's Brides. Barbara was quick in her communication responses and full of great ideas and suggestions. She immediately began to work with me to bring the wedding couple's vision to a reality. Barbara's knowledge and experience was invaluable in finding the perfect venue and vendors to create a special evening that included some unique requests. It became something, in a good way, of a three ring circus with both a decorated indoor event space with musicians and an outdoor dinner served under trees strung with party lights. Barbara was the perfect Ring Master! From florist to furniture movers to caterers she and her team smoothly orchestrated all the pieces into place. It was magical and beautiful and everything I had hoped for and even more. Because of Barbara's skill and hard work, I was able, on the night of the dinner, to sit back, relax and enjoy this "once in a lifetime" night. Best of all though, my son and new daughter-in- law loved it. I highly recommend Barbara's Brides!

e Barbara to guide you through it is incredibly helpful. She was quick to answer any of my questions and wasn’t afraid to let me know her honest option in a respectful manner. Her recommended list of vendors is comprehensive and includes people she knows and has worked with several times so I always felt comfortable using vendors she recommended. She also knows exactly what vendors to suggest based on a couple’s budget and preferences which was a HUGE help to us as our budget range for some of our vendors was a little tight. Barbara saved the day after the officiant my husband and I chose on our own had a scheduling conflict 2 weeks before our wedding; thankfully, Barbara was able to recommend someone at the last minute to take his place who did a fabulous job! On the day of the wedding, Barbara make sure everything ran on-time and as smoothly as possible without making us feel rushed. I had family members comment on how wonderful of a job she did staying on top of everything which really says a lot! Barbara offers a range of different package options so even if you don’t have the funds for full service wedding planning, you definitely need to hire her for at least day-of wedding coordinating!

ds.

xperienced. She is more than expected!!! Highly recommend ! Thank You, Barbara!

wedding. Barbara is organized, direct, and even created a bustle for my dress on the night of my wedding. To me what set Barbara apart from others is that she has the experience to properly improvise and direct all of our vendors (and guests) to be in the right location at the right time. If you want a person who will make sure all the details you painstakingly planned are executed as you dreamed, hire Barbara.

with lots of moving parts, and Barbara handled them all without any issue, making sure that we and our guests had the best possible time. She kept everybody in line and on time, and the event went off incredibly smoothly. We really appreciated her skills on our wedding day, and family members and friends even told us how good our wedding coordinator was. Thank you, Barbara!

! I wasn't worried about a thing that day! She managed all the details so well and added a special touch that made everything look more beautiful than I had planned. We loved working with Barbara's Brides!!!

music options to suggest. And she was on top of everything and assisted us so much throughout the day. I would highly recommend Barbara.

knew Barbara was our planner within minutes of our first conversation. She listens, she offers ideas and advice without being pushy. She offers different packages based on each couple's needs, and will tailor accordingly should you need additional assistance as you get further along in the planning. Her relationships with local vendors are strong. We ended up choosing all of our vendor's based on her referrals, and loved all of them. Many of them gave us discounts as well, since we were referred by Barbara. Barbara was incredibly proactive and responsive throughout the planning process, and come the weekend of the wedding, she was basically a superhero. Our wedding was on a Saturday, and I know Barbara had another event two days before, because I saw it on her Instagram feed. I would have never known she had another event so close to mine. She was in constant contact and answered all of my questions and concerns like a true pro. When I was unable to stick to the wedding day timeline, I called her in a panic, and she was so calm and collected and quickly reworked the schedule so we were still able to accomplish all of the photos we wanted. I could go on and on about all of the amazing things that Barbara did to ensure our wedding was wonderful, but the point is, that she did make it wonderful. We had the best day with our loved ones and will be forever thankful to Barbara for her huge role in our special day.

n immaculate rain plan, she consistently showed up as someone we could depend upon and go to for all of our wedding needs and details. I will always be thankful for the patience she gave in answering every email I sent her and guiding us in such a way that was honest and true to our vision and budget. Although both of our moms have passed, she gave us her input when asked and her encouragement constantly. Our wedding was the fairy tale vision that we both always dreamed for and finally had the chance to experience it and live it purely. We are both so happy to refer Barbara to any bride and as soon as my sister or loved one gets engaged, Barbara's services will be my gift to them. She is truly a wedding angel and we were so blessed to have her be a part of this life event we will cherish forever. Much love and gratitude, Ashlynn and Diana HENLEY!

formed to our satisfaction. From our initial consultation, Barbara blew me away with her knowledge and experience regarding weddings, the industry, and what it takes to execute a bride's vision (i.e. budget, flow, guest satisfaction). Her insightful suggestions were a nice change from the same generic advice I received from the other planners that I talked to. Here's the thing - every bride has some idea of what she wants on her wedding day. Barbara listens to this and not only helps you execute your vision but enhances it. Admittedly, I was skeptical about some of her ideas but deferred to her anyway. Well, my guests RAVED about the things that we included (all of which were due to Barbara). Once I booked Barbara, she was always available (via phone or email) to answer my questions or to offer her suggestions. The planning process is stressful especially if you're planning from a distance and the event involves several moving parts. However, I always felt at ease after speaking with Barbara. On the day of the wedding, Barbara and her team were EXCELLENT. They set up the rooms beautifully, and if there was an issue or a problem, I didn't have a clue! Everything flowed nicely and everyone had a wonderful time. To be clear, while I hired some of Barbara's preferred vendors, the majority were vendors that she had yet to work with. Barbara wasn't phased - she managed the event efficiently, effectively, and professionally. Trust me - I was a very picky and particular bride. If you are looking for a wedding coordinator who is smart, sharp, professional, and experienced, you will find all of that and more with Barbara's Brides. She will go above and beyond to make sure your wedding is a beautiful success!

thing we wanted/envisioned for the rehearsal dinner and wedding day. We would highly recommend Barbara to anyone looking for a true professional wedding planner in Austin, Tx. Simply put, she is the best in town!

our hands. She helped make our wedding day wonderful! Plus she is LGBT friendly!

ler

e and has the best vendors for us to work with. Our wedding was perfect and Barbara was so easy to work with and the ultimate professional. She is also allot of fun to work with and we had a lot of laughs with her during the process which was great since planning a wedding can be very stressful. We would recommend Barbara to anyone and we couldn't have pulled it off without her!! Victor and Mistie Garza

daughter lives and works in New York but still considers Austin her hometown. She and her fiancé wanted to get married in Austin with a Texas chic themed wedding. Many of their friends from across the United States traveled to the wedding and had such a fabulous time. With Barbara’s assistance, my daughter’s vision of an elegant wedding with a taste of Texas hospitality truly happened. I have received so many compliments from guests thanking me for inviting them to such a wonderful wedding. One of the best things about Barbara is her suggestion of vendors, which are top-notch. Plus, she has such a great working relationship with all of them. The flowers by Bouquets of Austin were just breathtaking, and she was also able to negotiate with some vendors to get exactly what my daughter wanted. In addition, Barbara knows the staff and management so well at the Driskill Hotel where my daughter’s wedding reception was held. She even has the Driskill’s wide range of menu selections memorized. Most of all, it was just fabulous not to have to worry about all the details on the wedding day. Barbara just took care of them. Barbara, thank you so much!

y. I chose Barbara because 1. She taught me everything I know, and this was such a special role reversal for her to execute something I had planned instead of the other way around 2. I knew I could trust her to execute my vision (and it was VERY hard for me to let go of control here), to think of things I somehow didn't, and to do all of this while keeping everything and everyone organized and me calm. Barbara's expertise and experience is matched by few in the industry and I would highly recommend her to any bride.

ride that didn't want to plan a wedding before I had a wedding to plan, so I needed lots of help pulling my hopes and dreams together. Having Barbara coordinate our wedding was HANDS DOWN the best decision we made! She is efficient, thorough, connected, and a masterful manager of people. She steered us toward amazing vendors, and I found great peace in knowing she would not refer us to vendors she didn’t trust. We were not disappointed. Barbara will plan your whole wedding for you or you can choose to be part of the process, which is what I wanted, so she also provided us with a target budget and a timeline of tasks to complete during the planning process and was available all along the way to attend meetings with vendors, give advice, and keep us on track. Wedding planning is stressful, and I can’t imagine having done it without her. In addition, having Barbara and her team in charge on the wedding day was INVALUABLE! Their presence allowed our parents, wedding party, and us to just show up and enjoy the day. We didn’t have to do any set-up, and we didn’t have to manage people, vendors, unexpected issues, or the schedule. We just did what she told us to do when she told us to do it, and the whole day was amazing! Most brides say that they don’t remember much about their wedding day, but I got to be so present in every moment that I remember it all (and our guests are still raving about how great it was). I could not be more grateful to Barbara for making this momentous occasion so magical and stress free.

never even flinched! She is such a professional and we felt like she understood exactly what Ashley and Graham wanted for their wedding day. The venue she recommended was a perfect fit for their personalities and we learned to trust her completely. She communicated with us beautifully and never let a detail go unnoticed. We were so thankful for her help leading up to the wedding but would have never realized what a difference she and her team would make on the day of the wedding. The details that Barbara's Brides handled on the wedding day allowed me to enjoy the event instead of managing the process. The time goes so quickly on the "day of" and I was so thankful to know that she was on site and handling everything so I could enjoy the day. She protected us from distractions and made sure that we were able to celebrate with our friends and family. The only negative thing about working with Barbara is that, now that the wedding is over, we don't have an excuse to see her. Barbara, you were the best and we will always be thankful for your expertise AND your care for us personally. I'm excited to know that there are many more brides who will be blessed by working with you in the future!

the ground and we sure did find one! We got married this past weekend on 10/17/15 and our day was flawless. We are beyond grateful. Thank you Barbara!!! Aloha from our honeymoon in Hawaii...

uld hold. I immediately booked with her and never regretted it. She recommended amazing vendors and steered me through the process, helping to make my pinterest board and random ideas a reality and at times telling me which of my ideas just would not work, which I always appreciated since I don't want to waste money on something people won't like or appreciate. I would 100% recommend Barbara to any of my friends planning a wedding.

rfect with bride, vendors and helping our special wedding be the most fun and beautiful!! Thank you Barbara. Mother-of-the-bride.😍

providers in your area or become your friend for the myriad of details that you don't even know are ahead! She has a valid reputation of guiding her brides to professional providers who have her same style of listening and performing to your satisfaction . We began thinking small and ended up with almost 200 of our closest friends. As our guest list gathered steam, every time I called Barbara with an increase in the numbers, she simply managed the appropriate providers and said, "No problem, we will accommodate accordingly." On the big day, she was gently tireless with a preagreed upon timeline. She had the wedding party in the right places at the right times - helping tie bow ties, keeping the vendors on point, and sending us off to the hotel at 10 PM with dinner in boxes. She is tireless and sent us off to the hotel with dinner in boxes and chilled bubbly which we enjoyed in our wedding attire! Barbara is well prepared to keep the plates spinning, her services are reasonably/competitively priced and worth every dime! She never has a bad day and encourages her brides to call for any question! Her performance is stellar and I still call her my friend!

ded to me, even things that I doubted during the wedding planning process, turned out perfect. I am so glad I did not plan this wedding alone Here is what Barbara did for me. She provided me a list of vendors that were in my price range so that I did not have to call and meeting with multiple vendors. She went over contracts with me to make sure things were in order. Because of her reputation, I was able to receive discounts with several of my vendors. She went with me to my florist meetings and was able to communicate to the florist exactly what I wanted in my wedding in just a few words. She was very good about helping me stay within my budget and she was always on my side when talking to vendors. But the best part about hiring Barbara is her work on the day of the wedding. She was just phenomenal. There were so many things that I never even thought of, despite considering myself well read on all things wedding related, that she took care of. For example, the card slot in my card box was too small for many of the guest cards - she had a beautiful backup card box ready and set up. I also forgot to print cards for the head table but she had beautiful ones printed for backup. Half way through dancing, my lipstick was wearing out - she had Chapstick and gloss with her ready to use. And at the end of the night, when we went up to our suite, I was amazed to find that everything, from decorations to my bouquet, was already neatly packed and moved into our suite. And my wedding heels, which I had kicked under the reception table hours ago, were placed next to my luggage. I was blown away. And this just barely scratching the surface of all the behind the scene work she did in organizing the vendors, setting up all my decorations, guest cards, coordinating with the photographers, and the clean up. My parents were busy with thanking guests and the grooms family was having a good time - having Barbara allowed my family and bridal party to really relax and enjoy the day without having to worry about all the details. Once Barbara arrived at the hotel the day of the wedding, my stress level literally dropped down to zero because I knew that she would take care of everything - and she did. Had it not been for her exceptional organization and planning, our ceremony and wedding would not have been the successful event it was. Thank you Barbara!!!

new city, I decided it was time to do a little research on Wedding’s in Austin. That is when I stumbled across Barbara’s website (http://barbarasbrides.com/) and my life got a lot easier! Although I had never met Barbara with Barbara's Brides, her website introduced her and all of her talent was splashed across my screen. Her website speaks for itself and just like that, I was in love! I couldn’t get off of her site, it seemed like she could make any brides vision come to life. Just from her website I could see her passion and love for weddings. So I decided to set up a phone conference, which by the way, she contacted me back almost immediately. The day of the conference I was nervous, I was already in love with this woman I didn’t know. I would consider myself a pretty picky gal. I know what I like almost immediately and from Barbara’s website I already knew that she could create the lavish but simple elegant wedding that I had in mind. I had already seen from her pictures that she could match my somewhat complicated personal taste and style. Luckily, from the moment she introduced herself, my heart melted. I was right….she was the one! Barbara asked me how I envisioned my wedding and listened to me ramble on for 30 minutes about my dream wedding; she was patient and she asked extremely good questions to be clear of my vision. We talked for almost an hour, while we were talking I would try to describe a vision and sometimes couldn’t find the right words but she could end my sentences. Needless to say I booked Barbara before even moving to Austin through our simple but detailed phone conversation and her amazing website. She was officially the new woman in my life….my wedding coordinator! She found the perfect venue to fit my vision. My wedding planning journey with Barbara was completely stress-free, her preferred vendor list is amazing and she walked me through this process step by step. She completely believes that a bride’s wedding is her special day and she goes above and beyond to make it that way. After 18 long months of planning this wedding with Barbara….On Saturday, October 18, 2014 at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX, I experienced my vision come to life. It was more than I could have imagined. Thank you so much Barbara, I am forever grateful! Barbara’s passion + confidence + experience + love for her brides = a brides dream come true! Thanks again, Marcia

She has a solution to any problem no matter how large or small. Right from the very beginning I knew Barbara was great because her responsiveness was so prompt. She was on vacation when I submitted a contact form on her website and she replied anyway! Being an out of state bride, I only got to make it to Texas three times before the wedding, Barbara squeezed in as many appointments as she could so we could meet with vendors, photographers, etc. She has a list of very professional vendors that do not disappoint. I was extremely satisfied with everyone that was on her preferred list that we hired. Her organization and attention to detail made my wedding such a success. Every advice she gives is for a good reason. She really knows her field, she has so much respect from those in her industry and she is the best because she puts 200% into everything she does. You would think your wedding is the only one she is planning because she never forgets to return a call or an email. She has an answer to every one of your questions. If she does't she will personally investigate and find out. She stayed at the hotel where we placed a courtesy block for my wedding guests to see how the service was. She arranged for three photographers to meet me at one location so I wouldn't have to be running around. She dealt with all of my last minute requests and changes I would throw her way. The weekend of the wedding an incident occurred where the airports in the Midwest were shut down. My makeup artist, two bridesmaids and a few other guests were due to arrive. They weren't able to make it in. In a matter of 90 mins Barbara found me a makeup artist. I was very particular about my makeup which is why I decided to fly mine in for the wedding. I am extremely satisfied with the results of the makeup artist Barbara found for me. She knew exactly what to say to me about the missing bridesmaids and guests and kept me calm. On the day of the wedding it rained. Barbara personally helped carry the train on my dress so it would not get muddy and wet. She is such a hard worker she was non-stop all day long. She helps out with and does things that are not described on her list of services. She truly is Amazing! I will recommend her to anyone any day. She is perfect and will do everything in her control to make your wedding perfect no matter what happens!

s - to any and all other details large and small- Barbara found a way to make it happen! From her close professional relationships with a wide variety of renowned vendors, to her overall expertise in all wedding aspects imaginable, Barbara's talent is unmatched by any other wedding expert we have ever seen to date. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there was a budget involved with this over-the-top, grand wedding that we ultimately created- so making this event actually materialize to it's ultimate perfection within the master budget can only be attributed to Barbara's impressive ability to seamlessly connect all of our dreams into one flawless reality. Barbara is single-handedly responsible for making every one of our dreams come true for this wedding!!! After much research, the decision to bring Barbara on board to oversee this entire wedding planning process was the best decision that ever happened to our wedding- and let's be honest, our family and friends, throughout the entire year. She saved me, in more ways than can be listed right here, and made my entire day-and well- life!! I cannot say enough about Barbara- her obvious talent, her proven expertise, her overall contribution to our dream wedding was beyond belief, making this (presumably stressful and chaotic time for most) the absolute BEST EXPERIENCE of my entire life!!! (I just don't know many other brides who can say that!) This was truly a fairly-tale wedding from start to finish!!!! All of which happened solely to the testament of Barbara!!! I am SO thankful to have had Barbara as such an integral part of my wedding and would absolutely recommend Barbara's Brides for any wedding- across the board. BARBARA IS TRULY THE BEST OF THE BEST.

some curveballs her way the day of and during the wedding and she hit 'em out of the park. Well worth the investment and I'm a little shocked she doesn't charge more, she's certainly worth it. I recommend Barbara w/out reservation. I don't often give out my information, but for I'll make an exception. You may contact me at Ward@WardDavisonLaw.com if you'd like some more information on Barbara. Congratulations, Ward

ar our wedding that left many a details completely undone and forgotten. Without Barbara there to remind the venue/enforce what we had decided upon our day most certainly would not have been the dream I had envisioned. As someone who is high ownership and highly organized, I thought I would be able to handle all the details and dynamics leading up to our big day and the day of. I couldn't have been more wrong. I would have been lost without Barbara! Trust me when I say your time as a bride should be focused on the important things - relishing in this sweet time, spending quality time with friends and family that you don't get to see much and having FUN! Barbara and her staff allowed me to do just that. Additionally, her role as liaison/chief operations officer served us well as we have very opinionated/dramatic families :) She was able to respond and resolve things among our families leading up to, day of, and even after our wedding with the utmost of tact and professionalism. God bless her for that. Barbara's genuine desire to please manifests in her strong work ethic and ultimately her successful final product - beautiful weddings and happy brides. I am a product of that and can testify to her relentless efforts, amazing talents and overall caliber of woman. Barbara is a woman of her word with loyalty and integrity and I knew that she would have gone to the ends of the earth to make sure I was happy.

ept us on schedule. Her experience and strong personal relationships with wedding vendors in Austin made the planning process much less stressful than if we were making those decisions alone. We were confident we were making the right choices when picking vendors because Barbara had already worked with or vetted all of them ahead of time. I was most thankful for her coordination on wedding day. Your big day is one giant whirlwind, but Barbara had everyone prepared and in place right on schedule to assure we had the wedding day we had spent so much time planning. She corralled the vendors, wedding guests, wedding party, and importantly myself & my groom effortlessly. Thank you Barbara for making our big day flawless!

meone to the minutia of a wedding! She handled all wedding-day predicaments with grace and without my knowledge; and, as a bride, I can't explain how priceless that is! She went above and beyond her call of duty; I gave her pages of pre-wedding decoration requests and she obliged every, single one perfectly! I was floored with how it all turned out. She is excellent and worth every single penny and then some!

Secondary to that, vendor contacts, recommendations, and design assistance also provide a great deal of value. My wife and I were married in March 2014. Prior to selecting Barbara, we had identified our major vendors already (venue/catering, cake, photographer, DJ). We used Barbara's list of selected vendors to identify stationary, a florist, and makeup/hair stylists. We had no issues with those vendors; they performed admirably. Many of the vendors we selected ourselves already knew Barbara and commented on how well regarded she is. During our initial meeting, she took copious notes on what we had accomplished up to that point. During the lead up to the wedding, I had also devised a post-ceremony surprise for my wife that required Barbara's help to coordinate and to maintain the surprise for her. Honestly, I couldn't have pulled this off without her help. (However, one small knock is that it almost didn't happen because of an over-reliance on email, without a phone follow-up, between the parties involved. Fortunately, all was well in the end.) Going into the event, we had a budget and design thoughts in mind and presented them to Barbara at our initial meetings. While I never considered the budget a firm limit (especially when surprises are being coordinated in the background), I do think it was generally respected during design meetings. A few times, my wife and I had to scale back some design elements, and those decisions were respected and accommodated well. (Not surprisingly, unless you have everything settled for your design beforehand, a designer has lots of ideas about what you'll "need" for your wedding (e.g. chair covers, fancy layout for escort cards, etc.), and those elements get discussed or tossed in by default. This was true here, but as I mentioned, we didn't encounter resistance from her or her vendors when we backed those items out.) During the wedding day itself, neither my bride nor myself were aware of any issues arising. In fact, guests commented on how flawless the day seemed to go, which is an oddity these days given how complicated weddings seem to be. While we had an impressive set of vendors that might have functioned well enough with the venue, I believe having Barbara there improved our odds and was an invaluable asset, contributing to the smoothness of the day. There was one potential weather-related hiccup with the planned surprise that Barbara was able to handle without any involvement from me and to my satisfaction. We felt very well taken care of as we were ushered from one point to another in the maelstrom that surrounds every couple on their wedding day. All told, we had a spectacular event, and it would not have been the same without her assistance. I chose 4 stars on service because we felt she had an assumption that we'd let her know if we needed her for something. While we were pretty self-sufficient in many ways, some proactive queries on how things were going and if she could help us with anything would have been well received. In all fairness, when we did reach out to her, she was available and able to help with questions. If top quality and value are measured by flawlessness during the event, then 5 stars is easy.

espected in the wedding world and you truly feel like she's got your back no matter what. She gave me so much peace of mind and the ability to enjoy our wedding. She truly goes the extra mile for you. Her experience is so evident when working with her that you trust every piece of advice she offers. Two days before our wedding, all heck broke loose over a last minute weather change requiring a tent. Barbara put out a million fires for me and was proactive on keeping me calm and getting everything squared away. She was incredible through the whole process. To top it off, when the weather on my wedding day turned unusually frigid, she stood with me and wrapped me in her coat to keep me warm between photos. Seriously so kind and thoughtful. And her demeanor is so calming and positive. You never feel like you're bothering her with questions or concerns. She really an incredible person, not just coordinator. So don't look a second more for anyone else, Barbara is a MUST. Casey

edding on my own until 5 months out from my wedding date I realized I had nothing done. I reached out to Barbara and made me feel so at ease (even though realistically we only had a couple months to finalize everything). Barbara quickly got to know my personality and my vision. She learned what was important to me and knew those were the things I needed to focus on. She guided me to make decisions in a timely manor and was 100% on top of every detail that needed to be addressed. She knew the best vendors and every possible detail a bride could miss! Wedding day went off without an issue. All the little details she told me to trust her on were spot on. She nailed everything and made sure I was having an incredible time as well! Best investment ever and I could not be more grateful for her help. True professional and undoubtedly and expert.

ew BB was the gal for me too! When we got engaged, we knew we wanted to have a longer engagement. I was eager to get started planning, so I contacted BB within a week. She understood we wanted to wait, but wanted to get a few things firmed up. I told her my vision for the wedding and within a few days, she called and said she knew of the perfect venue. We visited 1 venue and as soon as we arrived, I knew she had nailed it. We used Villa Del Lago and I cannot speak highly enough of this fabulous venue. We could have gone without any flowers, lighting, etc. and the venue alone would have still awed our guests. After we had our venue and date set, BB wanted to get the caterer reserved. She knows that I eat mainly paleo and talked with several companies to explain that we wanted a paleo type menu without our guests knowing. Again, BB nailed it! We went to 1 tasting at Royal Fig and all I can say is yum! Within the next few weeks we had most linens ordered. Then we had our floral meeting. I left the meeting and started second guessing my color choice. I started to get really stressed out, so my husband said, “Call BB and talk it over.” When I got her on the phone, she could tell I seriously doubted my color scheme. She plainly said, “Chrissy, this is your wedding. You deserve to have everything you want. I am so happy you told me! We will simply cancel all the linens and reorder…no big deal!” I was shocked! She took care of everything and left me feeling extremely relieved and thankful we hired such an incredible person. BB got us back into Bouquets with my new color scheme and we I left happy. Over 1 ½ years, I felt almost zero stress until 2 weeks before the wedding. I took my dress in to get altered. The alterations lady lost the entire middle of my dress. I called BB and through my sobs, she dropped everything she was doing to help! She started calling around to find me help. She found a lady who was able to help. I took my dress in and when I arrived, she was completely briefed by BB. She had me put the dress on and assured me she was able to fix the majority of the damage. BB texted several times throughout those few days, just to make sure I was okay! Well the dress was worse off than I realized, so the dress still had its issues. The day of the wedding, the zipper ripped off. Again, BB to the rescue! She assured me one way or another she was going to get me into that dress. She whipped out her handy sewing kit and sewed me into that dress! Then, the cursed dress struck again, the bustle ripped off. BB again, said no big deal and she sewed the dress together so I had a perfect bustle. Besides the curse dress, the wedding day was completely flawless; above and beyond all my dreams. BB took care of absolutely everything which left us to enjoy the wedding! How many brides can say that they were able to sit back and have fun at their wedding! I never had to worry about timing, because BB was always there keeping everything running smoothly. I have no idea if anything went wrong, because BB had a smile on her face the entire night and kept reassuring us that we were on time, everything was perfect and to have fun. The best decision of my wedding was to hire Barbara was my wedding planner.

engagement, I was mentally and physically not present in Texas to help plan my own wedding. Barbara thoughtfully segmented tasks for me into manageable sizes, and never pressured me to accomplish more than I could at any one time. Barbara let me make my own decisions, but always stepped up with a fantastic perspective during moments of indecision. She set achievable deadlines for me to hit in order to move along the process. My tasks were made easier by my reliance on her AMAZING list of preferred vendors. But there is more to Barbara than her ability to schedule and plan. Barbara has a wealth of insight and industry experience that was exceedingly helpful. For example, when estimating attendance, Barbara informed us that when it comes to weddings in Austin, expect attendance rates closer to 90%. We could not fathom this being true, and didn't give sufficient credence to this advice. Naturally, we were totally wrong and Barbara was spot on. We had anticipated something like 130 guests and ended up with 164 RSVPs. On my wedding day, Barbara made another save as a result of her wealth of experience. Two of my guests had religious meal restrictions, and Barbara spotted a component of the appetizer that she didn't think would meet their restrictions (which I had missed). She was absolutely correct, and she notified the chef to make substitutions just hours before the event. In fact, it was the wedding day that truly made me appreciate everything that Barbara had already done, as well as the comfort and guidance that she was still providing on that important day. Do yourself a favor and hire Barbara; it's the best decision that you could possibly make during this process.