Martindale Schoolhouse and Social Hall

nd all you get in addition to the venue itself is the owners setting up the tables and chairs for the ceremony and reception. We were also required to hire a day of coordinator, have two additional staff from our caterer available to help with set up and tear down of the tables and chairs, we had to strip all the beds in the schoolhouse, sweep and mop the reception area and take all of the trash to the dumpster. Personally, we did not feel like that was worth an additional $6k. On the positive side, the venue is very beautiful. The schoolhouse is a great space to host you and your wedding party for the weekend with plenty of room. We used the courtyard for our cocktail hour and it was a nice area for guests to mingle. The gymnasium or the reception hall, is a very unqiue space and is essentially a blank slate for you to create whatever you'd like your wedding to be like. The owners did also allow us a late check out on Sunday which was appreciated although we didn't use it because people had flights to catch. Now onto the not so great side. The check in time on Friday is 3pm so plan for that when scheduling your rehearsal/rehearsal dinner. We had asked to arrive an hour early at 2pm but unfortunately the owners were not able to accommodate that. Something that is not mentioned in their contract is that they will not have the tables and chairs set up in the reception hall until about noon on Saturday. I would have liked to know that ahead of time because when we booked this venue we had the intention of having friends/family help with set up. That wasn't really realistic as we needed everyone dressed and ready by 3:30pm for photos/to get ready for our 5pm ceremony. I had asked Wendy and Craig if it would be possible to have the tables and chairs set up earlier on Saturday and Wendy's response was "We get there as early as we can because it's a really long day for Craig and I". Unfortunately, we did not have the best weather on our wedding, it was in the low 60s and super strong winds (we got married the first weekend in April), of course that's no one's fault but I wanted to mention it as the venue did provide propane heaters for the reception area. Please note, they only have 3 heaters and the reception hall needed at least triple that to even feel them. They set them up along the walls and when we asked to move them closer to the guest tables the reponse was "We can't have them too close because of egress code" (keep in mind this is a wide open space with multiple exits). I guess the point of me writing all of this is because although we really loved the venue, we didn't feel like the owners were very accommodating to our needs/requests. I've worked in the hospitality industry and more specifically hospitality management for many years and I'm used to trying to give my clients the best possible experience. I felt like we were met with a lot of push back which was disappointing.

communication. We loved getting to chat with them! The venue was so unique, all my guests asked me "how did you find this?" and "We've never seen anything like this!" Which goes to show how gorgeous and eclectic this venue is. It was also great that we could stay there the whole weekend with our family, the house was so fun to be in, and we loved the space and decor. The venue had such a retro charm to it that it felt like it was made just for us. If you're looking for something unique and stylish in the Austin area, this is the place!

ecial. We absolutely loved the relaxed and vintage vibe of the space, and our VIP guests loved staying at the schoolhouse before and after the big celebration. It was truly a weekend we'll remember for a lifetime.

e courtyard, and the schoolhouse are all so incredible. When I arrive on wedding day, everyone is so calm and relaxed. I can not wait to go back! Wendi and Craig are always so nice and friendly too!