The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge

ded us throughout the whole process from the very beginning since the day we booked the venue. She made sure our vendors had time lines, knew where to go, and where to set everything up. She made sure that all of the extras that I brought for the ceremony and reception where exactly where they needed to be. She really put our minds at ease through the planning process and the day of the wedding. As a gay couple, we also had our concerns regarding finding the right person to fit our specific needs, but Catherine definitely was the right fit. Although many things were still gender specific (such as the bridal suite and grooms room) she made us feel very welcome and accommodated everything to fit our wedding.

stressing out, but Catherine came in and put all my worries away. The reception was perfect...even though I dropped my glass during the toasts ha. This venue was the most perfect spot ever for my wedding! I would recommend The Vineyards every time!

in advance. On the day of the wedding Catherine and her assistant took care of everything, the big and small details. We could've never pulled off such a wonderful wedding without them.

answer. I loved the beautiful scenery; we fell in love with the venue as soon as we saw it. Our wedding went off without a hitch.

romantic pond and water feature. There is also a nice indoor space with a big great room, a huge kitchen, beautiful bride's room, and nice big stone patio ideal for dining and dancing under the stars. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather for the wedding, and Kristy helped everything run smoothly. Our daughter's dream was to be married outdoors, and the oak trees made an amazing backdrop for her ceremony. We were very happy with how the reception went, and all of our guests could not stop talking about the beautiful venue. Thank you Chappel Lodge for our daughter's perfect day!

for a wedding with a lot of out-of-town guests. There was a good rain plan for our wedding (which we ended up needing), and the inside space is just as beautiful as the outside space. The onsite staff was very helpful and the venue coordinator Catherine was amazing to work with and very organized. Overall I am extremely satisfied with my choice of this venue!

he bill quite as perfectly as VCL. It's a gorgeous, tucked away piece of property that is very well-maintained and manicured. It served as the perfect backdrop to our May 2015 wedding.

lpful and prompt in returning our many phone calls. All of her recommendations were spot-on and very valuable. The other fantastic thing about this venue is that you have the option of using your own catering, bartenders, and alcohol. And lastly, the Month of Coordination fee is the cheapest I have seen for such a wonderful service. Can't say enough great things about this venue!

lf out and before the amazing Catherine Haffner joined the team. I was planning my Austin wedding from Houston, which was tricky but Catherine was so wonderful. I was always able to get in touch with her, she made fantastic recommendations, guided us through the process and was always calm, organized and on top of everything. We loved her! Unfortunately a cold front came through bringing rain and 50 degree temps, which to my disappointment made us go with plan B, but the day went beautifully and Catherine was so helpful and helped us stick to a timeline and organized all of my vendors flawlessly. The venue worked wonderfully and the wedding parties and our families loved being able to stay on site. The decor, grounds and layout worked so well. I would not change a thing (other than the weather) about my wedding day and I am so happy I found this venue and Catherine.

old both the ceremony and the reception, so that people could travel to just one location and the flow of the wedding would not be interrupted. The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge gave me all of these things, plus more. The grounds are gorgeous, the reception patio is rustic yet classy, and the best part: you feel like you're in Hill Country without driving out to Hill Country. (You're in South Austin close to a major street, but there is light and trees EVERYWHERE and it feels like you are in Dripping Springs!) I will admit, I was nervous at first about the entire wedding taking place outside since you never know what Texas weather will do, but our overcast wedding felt amazing and looked gorgeous in pictures! On top of that, the staff is wonderful. Kristy and Catherine got to witness a bridal meltdown (courtesy of me and my stress) when I signed my contract, and were beyond supportive, counseling me and handing me tissues the whole time. And Catherine.. HIRE HER. Her day-of-coordinating is worth every penny (and it's at a great price anyways) and she knows exactly what she's doing. In our planning meetings (first one held a month before the wedding, second one a week or so before) she asked me questions and made me think of details I would have completely forgotten otherwise. I had almost no worries the day of, thanks to her, as she kept everyone in check and everything running smoothly. So my advice: go take a tour of the venue. The pictures online don't even do it justice; I promise you will fall in love. I am so glad to have such a beautiful background for the memories of the day I got to marry my best friend, and will always hold The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge very near and dear to my heart!

ew I had to get married there. What also sold me was the beautiful lodging that is available! My bridesmaids and I stayed there on Friday and Saturday night, and the groomsmen rented the cabin! It was so nice to have all of our wedding party so close and not have to worry about traveling before or after the wedding. And that bridal suite is amazing! I booked the venue almost a year before the wedding and spoke with Kristy numerous times throughout the year, always with a prompt response. But what really stood out to me was the help Chappel Lodge gave me in the last days before the wedding : I rented a tent from WHIM that was installed the Thursday before my Saturday wedding, however Kristy from the venue knew it would not meet my expectations - the barrels holding the tent were awful, the lighting was poor, and it overall looked cheap. Kristy stepped up and called my day of coordinator to make her aware, but more importantly she called WHIM and said they needed to come out and fix it. She had the highest expectations and even called other rental companies to come out to beautiful the space! I felt so grateful for her and knew that was truly above and beyond her duties! So thank you, Kristy! Finally, Catherine was the person on duty the night of my wedding and she was so helpful! I saw her running around making sure everything was perfect and even checking on me to ask if I needed anything. She even helped serve the cake! I did not have a single worry the night of my wedding and I have the Chappel Lodge staff to thank for that. (I should also note the cleaning and set up crew were so sweet to me and even congratulated me throughout the day while getting ready!) I highly recommend Chappel Lodge for a wedding - I can testify that my guests have said my wedding was one of the most beautiful they had ever been to and I know that's mostly because of the great October weather and the gorgeous venue :)

my parents. At that time, for the first time, they told me that I was not going to be able to bring my own alcohol and I would have to go through them. The cheapest price for alcohol was $26/person (for beer and wine). I am expecting about 175 guests, so this added at least $4,500 to our budget. When I told them that they explicitly told me that we could bring our own alcohol on our first viewing, they told me that they did tell me of this new policy and would not admit to misinforming me. They would not negotiate on the policy or the price of the alcohol packages. This new alcohol policy, stating on January 1, 2015, will be on top of the 15% required gratuity, the required police officer fees, required day of insurance, and required day of coordinator. While the venue is absolutely stunning, this new alcohol policy will make this venue out of the price point of many brides. $6,000 for venue $900 mandatory gratuity $750 for day of coordinator (Catherine of VLC), you may get your own. ------------------------------ $7,650 for venue fees only I was very much okay with spending this money, even though it was more than comparable venues. However, the alcohol policy now adds thousands of dollars. In my case, $4,500 of extra costs that I was not told about. My main complaint is that they misinformed me about the policy, would not admit that they did so, and then would not work with me to correct this mistake. However, I did get my deposit back. I post this only to warn people of the new policy change so they are not heartbroken when their dream venue falls through due to policies (and additional budget considerations) they were not informed of beforehand.

ee the ceremony spot shaded in a canopy of oaks with Carolina on My Mind playing in the background. There were roses and flowers and a pretty vineyard surrounding the stone lodge. Not quite an English garden but it was perfect. Pros: 1. Everyone loved our June wedding. It was beautiful with plenty of room for getting ready ahead of time with a full bridal and grooms suites. 2. Vendors could arrive ahead of us to set up. 3. Best thing we did at our wedding: We stayed with the whole bridal party in the nearby cabin onsite the night before the wedding and the price is a steal. We had friends in from all over the country and even from England so we wanted to spend as much time with them and not traveling from place to place. We were able to spend all evening after the rehearsal dinner and all morning before we could get on site to set up relaxing with our friends. Absolutely priceless. 3. There is a lot of indoor space so in case of inclement weather (rain or heat) you have a plan B or at least some A/C seating for older family members, pregnant friends, etc. 4. Kristy the on site coordinator gave me her cell the day before and day of the wedding so I could contact her with anything I needed. This was immensely helpful! 5. The field behind the ceremony spot is often filled with flowers in the spring but is certainly gone by May. It rained hard the two weeks prior to the wedding day and was full of flowers! We took so many pictures there Cons: 1. The contract is far too long and detailed. It is quite a hassle, which was made more difficult by the 2. Difficulty in reaching the staff at V@CL. They were all very kind and understanding if things weren't in perfectly on time but often that was due to trouble in getting ahold of staff by phone or e-mail. If you live in town and can go in person to talk that is your best bet in getting ahold of them. 3. Much of the furniture on site is there by rental only. Ask about which pieces are included. We didn't realize until the week of the wedding that a lot of our indoor seating for guests (a few chairs, a sofa here and there) who may want to come in for some A/C was not included in the price. As far as I can tell, everyone was comfortable without those things so all was well. 4. Prices change throughout the year for certain items/services so get your agreements down in writing. The staff always honored our original agreements but it was just always stressful for me when those conversations came up.

l suite. There are many options for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. You get to make of it what you want. They have recently added another administration lady which should help with the slower response time on emails and phone calls. But they are very sweet people and are extremely flexible for what you want to do. Would 100% do it again here! :)

re, and the building is something right out of a resort brochure! Our best advice is to have a separate coordinator to deal with the venue alone. They are greatly understaffed, Kristy is the only one running things over there and I think her performance over the course of the entire experience could've been much better had she had at least one person helping her. Don't even try calling this place, it's hopeless. The only way to get in contact is via email. And understand that the staff is mostly absent the day of the wedding, meaning don't expect much help, if any, from them. That goes the same for your vendors, many of ours complained of not being able to get answers from Kristy. Also, many of our guests complained of feeling persona non grata the day of the wedding. That the staff was actually a little rude to them when asking where to park and such things. All in all, the wedding was great and mostly compliments from guests, almost all remarked on how beautiful the venue was. Just wish the staff was a little more hospitable throughout the entire planning stage and the wedding itself.

Avocado, Verbena Floral and Premiere rental (for linens) behind their backs and everything was soo wonderful! The venue is gorgeous,a great rate and Jerry adn Kristy do everythin they can do ensure a perfect day! I couldnt have asked for a better place and wedding!