AvantGarden

eels cozy and inviting. It had the exact vibe we were going for… nothing stuffy, just a gorgeous space to celebrate with the people we love dearly. Mariana was amazing and made the whole planning process super easy and she was there the day of to help out. We skipped a lot of the usual formalities, and everything still flowed perfectly. We did our dances right at the beginning and kept the cake cutting private, which meant the rest of the night was wide open for dancing and actually enjoying the party. It was a little warm at first (which we had anticipated- welcome to May in Houston), but once the sun went down it felt great, and guests were able to pop inside to cool off if they needed. The food truck was a huge hit and matched the chill, fun vibe of the night. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how much fun they had. It felt exactly like us, close, beautiful, and full of good energy. We literally danced all night. The only downside is the parking. We were advised to offer valet and I’m so glad we did, it took all the stress off our guests, and the valet team did a great job. We gave everyone a heads-up beforehand, so it ended up being no big deal. Overall, it was an amazing night. I can't stop raving about the garden either. I'm obsessed! Truly the perfect spot for our reception, and we’d absolutely host another event here again.

nd she really took the time to take our vision and make it a reality. The whole staff at the venue was incredibly kind, helped us stay on schedule, and took care of us from start to finish. It was a dream. Thank you, Avant Garden!

ught a piñata and the venue handled putting that up for us. Mariana was helpful and capable from start to finish. She was a steady presence throughout the planning stages and worked well with us. We’re type B planners and really appreciated all her work. I could not recommend this venue more. Our guests, largely trans and queer people of color aside from family, were welcomed and comfortable. It was the best day in the best hands.

e. Avant Garden took such good care of us. Would 100% book this venue again!

nders were fantastic and ensured our guests enjoyed a continuous flow of cocktails. Everyone raved about the taco truck and the drinks. The cigar bar was also a huge hit, creating a great vibe for our older guests. All the vendors were excellent, and we especially appreciate the event coordination, Mariana ensured every detail was perfectly managed, from the food to the cake, DJ, florist, and photographer. We will be sharing photos soon. Thank you again to AvantGarden for making our special day so perfect. Nathaniel and Annika

ect, I would trust them to host any event I may have in the future! 100% will be returning!!

all inclusive - which included the venue, chairs/tables, decor, flowers, cake, a high bar tab, the taco truck, and pizza. The venue has such a unique, beautiful, vintage charm that made for wonderful pictures and a cute, more intimate wedding, despite it being able to fit a large number of people. Though it was a bit hot, the bridal suite, the third floor of the venue, was private and beautifully decorated in the same antique style. It made for incredible photos of the bride and bridal party. As for food- the taco truck was so delicious. Everyone in my family (all of which have different diets including vegan, vegetiarian, gluten-free, and more) were all able to eat without a problem - it was a huge relief. The oven pizza later in the night was also fantastic, especially paired with the drinks. TFurthermore, the staff were all of top of everything, moving and transforming the space from the ceremony to the reception. Service was incredible. They made sure the areas were always clean and tidy. Lastly, Mariana, the owner is a godsend. Detail oriented and organized, she planned the entire event, so I (thankfully) did not experience the stress and drama of wedding planning. The only thing I had to bring was myself, my wedding party, and a few more pictures for the welcome table. Literally, she planned the whole thing, and I could not be more grateful. She also stayed through the entire event and directed everything, making sure everything went to plan. She is absolutely wonderful and really good at what she does. She truly made my wedding unforgettable. After the wedding, so many of my guests comented on the beauty of the venue and how good the food was. They all said, it was well-chosen, and I agree.

ing on so I could understand what was going on but I was also very hands off during the whole process as a bride. If you want a fairly affordable wedding where you don’t have to stress about planning, this is the place for you. Her packages allow you to customize how much service you want her to provide or you could have her do it all and not have to lift a finger. The venue itself speaks volumes of how naturally beautiful it is every guest complimented how unique and fun it was.

a vision and she works with you. Every single detail was perfect. I gave her my vision and she worked with it. Also weddings are expensive, and she worked with our budget and worked with us. Especially when we got into a financial bind. She still worked with us. Very sweet, professional and overall top notch. You will not be disappointed and you will end your night happy, pleased, and will not stop talking about your event for the rest of your life. Also choose the open bar in the package, the bar was lit!!

property for the entire ceremony and reception. We loved how there was a variety of spaces to enjoy all the different aspects of the night. We wanted our reception to be firet and foremost "fun" and AvantGarden delivered with the upstairs dance area.

, you name it. Mariana was incredible. Even though we didn’t have a ton of time to meet with her, she totally got what we were going for and made it all come together perfectly. The flowers and decor were gorgeous, and we even brought some personal touches to make it feel more like our day. Having everything included made the whole planning process so much easier, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better place to celebrate!

are comfortable with LGBT weddings, Mariana swiftly replied, “At AvantGarden, love is love.” We went to tour the venue because it was beautiful online and we could not have been more pleasantly surprised by the fact that they do all inclusive weddings! The florals, cake, food, and DJ were all excellent. Pizza, cocktail hour charcuterie and the taco truck were all big hits with our guests. We’re very thankful to Mariana and her team!

stions and calm any concerns we had. Most everything is in house. Her daughter created the most beautiful bouquet that I dried and still have! The outdoor patio was decorated based on our suggestions and felt magical! The taco truck that works with the venue was so delicious! We were able to have both our preferred flavors for our cake. Everything was timed out perfectly and we didn't have to worry about a thing during the ceremony. The DJ worked through a playlist we created and everyone had a blast when we moved upstairs. Been a busy year and finally getting to this review. Thank you again Avant Garden for our beautiful wedding!

transforms the venue into the prettiest and coolest wedding venue. She was always available to answer questions and was super helpful. For example, we decided kind of last minute that we wanted a jazz quartet to play our cocktail hour and with one email to Mariana with all of her connections, she had a fabulous group booked for us. All of our guests loved AvantGarden. From our friends who enjoyed the taco truck and the DJ upstairs, to our parents and older family members that were very appreciative of a quieter more relaxed place to talk and catch up downstairs. I truly do not think there is any other comparable venue in Houston. I think you would be hard pressed to find another venue this unique, fun, and beautiful for the price. Plus, AvantGarden comes with the best planner and day of coordinator around! Seriously, just book it! You will not regret it!

edibly professional, knowledgeable, and attentive to every detail. Mariana brought our wedding vision to life, and on the day of the wedding she ensured everything ran smoothly. The venue itself is gorgeous, you truly won't find anything like it in all of Houston. The taco truck & cake was absolutely DELICIOUS and a huge hit with our guests. Our friends and family are telling us it's the best wedding they've ever attended! Thank you so much to Mariana and the AvantGarden team for making our special day so memorable.

easy and made our vision come to life 100% of the way. Our friends and family are still talking about how great the service was and how hard working the entire team was. I would get married here again and again. I recommend this venue not only because it’s a historical house in Montrose, but it has character, it’s unconventional, it makes a wedding so much more magical and there is no other place like it. Unique at its finest.

with a lot of side dishes was great! Our guests loved the idea! The staff was extremely helpful with the entire setup and clean up. They took care of every detail, coordinating and decorations. Marianna and Bella were very easy to work with and made the whole process stress free for me and my wife. They really did an amazing job and answered all our questions and were very responsive from the beginning of pur wedding planning. Also the dj, cake, desserts were all very good. We are so glad to have chosen AvantGarden for our wedding! Zack and Alice

truck was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. Everything went smoothly day of, we would gladly recommend her and Avant Garden!

uch, Mariana for making our special day truly special!

nd I both had no doubt it was the place we wanted to hold our wedding. The venue itself has such a funky and cool vibe, truly a gem in the heart of Montrose. Mariana is an absolute pro. She worked with us to create a wedding package that was right for us. We never had any doubts that she had everything under control from the planning and logistics aspect. She also has such a calming vibe that really helped put our minds at ease leading up to the wedding. Everything went so smoothly on the day of the wedding: The tacos and cake were fantastic, the staff was so kind and accommodating, and the DJ really took our song recommendations and created an amazing and unique playlist. We heard from so many guests that it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to. Thank you again to everyone who helped make our wedding so special.

ade sure that I enjoyed my day. If anything went wrong, I surely didn't notice or know about it. When we ran behind schedule, Mariana was able to pivot quickly and seemlessly. My guests have been raving about the uniqueness of the venue and the use of space. They also loved the taco truck and thought it was a nice touch. AvantGarden is the perfect venue if you're looking for a garden wedding aesthetic in a space that has charm, character, and quirkiness.

ple fell in love in candlelit corners and longtime couples reconnected under the moon, and we danced until we could dance no more. This is exactly how it is at a wedding at Avant Garden. The enchanting old house has a dark sparkly New Orleans meets Houston Montrose feeling. The paper lanterns and garden and flowers felt like a fairyland (and all the photographs reflect that) . Our guests loved the food! That taco truck is outstanding. Everybody was delighted. The cheese board and sweets table was also delicious and beautiful, and the cake (Tres Leches style from a famous East End Houston bakery) was a big hit. Mariana has a fantastic staff and they have got weddings down to a T. They seamlessly guided the events of the evening. I didn’t have to worry about a thing. The valet parking was great, and the DJ was so friendly and had a great sense of how to keep the party going. As for the bartender- even the New Orleans guests were impressed and that’s saying something. (If you know, you know.) I especially loved the little after-party upstairs. I honestly can’t think of any other venue that would let you party until 2 AM. Avant Garden has a long history here in Montrose, and it brought back the days of dancing at the venue back when it was Helios and before that, Mausoleum. Throughout all of this, Mariana was a quiet but constant presence. We had our ceremony elsewhere (Avant Garden was the reception venue) and she even came to this other location to help. A few things that may be helpful to potential brides: As mentioned, we had the ceremony elsewhere although most people have it at Avant Garden. I wish I had hired a day-of planner because so many things came up (rental car! pay the mariachis! Etc). If you choose to have a ceremony elsewhere I would hire a day-of planner. If you have the whole thing at Avant Garden you will be fine without one. I might have hired a florist for my bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets and the boutonnieres for the guys because the Avant Garden flowers are not as polished as a professional florist. That is not to say the flowers were not beautiful, it is just a little personal thing of mine. If you like a more bohemian look you will be delighted with Avant Garden bouquets. I wish I had gotten some pictures posing on the Avant Garden balcony. It’s such a gorgeous shot, but I was too busy dancing! I wish the Houston weather had been a little cooler. If you want a wedding in the cooler months, be sure to reserve 6 months or more in advance. That said, there were fans and it was not too bad. The upstairs after party was air conditioned. Some reviews mention that Mariana did not show up for a planned initial meeting. This happened to us, but everything turned out okay. If it happens to you just eat at the taco truck and reschedule. She will come through. Mariana has been active in the Montrose arts community for many years. She has preserved a physical historic space and also a cultural one. Apart from my wedding, I am grateful for her contributions to Montrose. Thank you so much Mariana! Our family and friends all told us how unique and beautiful the wedding was, and what a wonderful time they had.

perience coordinating weddings and knew how to handle every little thing that came up. In the planning stages, she instantly understood the aesthetic we were going for, and it was executed perfectly. We were blown away by the flowers, taco truck, cake, and the wonderful staff. Mariana and her staff set up all the decorations and dance floor props we brought, and helped gather all our things at the end of the night. They also had fun with us - the DJ danced all night long and the bartenders wore our LED flower crowns, which made us so happy! It felt like everyone wanted to celebrate with us. Our guests had a blast and we received lots of comments about how fun the wedding was. They raved about how delicious the tacos were. The venue is unique, charming, and so beautiful - especially under the lights at dinner. The atmosphere is magical and dream-like, and the venue photographs beautifully as well. We have zero reservations when it comes to recommending AvantGarden!

of the rest! She planned it, coordinated it the day of, decorated, had a whole crew for setup/shutdown, and ALL within a very reasonable price point. Service was amazing, the crew were quick background players, she was so sweet and patient with me, and I have already recommended this place to other people. 10/10.

ils, but I couldn't be happier with the results. Avant Garden is such a cool space and very unique! Our event was fun and high quality without being stuffy or overly formal. I also feel like you get SO MUCH bang for your buck with this venue. You'd be hard pressed to find another all inclusive venue at this price point in any major city - plus she does discounts for Sundays and holiday weekends. We did the all inclusive package which came with flowers, DJ, food, cake, bar, decor, and day of coordination. 100% worth it, and if considering Avant Garden I can't recommend enough to go with this package. Let's break all of these components down a bit… • Food - The taco truck is truly top notch - every guest was raving about the food. There are great options for vegetarians and gluten intolerant guests as well. They also do an option for late night pizza - we opted out because we were on a budget but I'm sure it's amazing. • Bar - Since Avant Garden is an actual bar people could get anything from a complicated/gourmet cocktail to a basic mixer. Legitimate cocktails! And we had the bar open before the ceremony which is extra fun. • Flowers - Absolutely gorgeous! All I did was send Mariana a Pinterest board and she made it come to life. • DJ - The DJ was fine, but not amazing. He was a professional and followed our instructions for the processional and recessional, but didn't really follow our guidelines on the 'party' music. Nonetheless, we had a super fun dance party and it was a good time. • Décor - Mariana has amazing stuff in her inventory and the space looked beautiful. The only thing you will have to provide are signs and photos. Here is a list of everything we brought - welcome sign, seating chart, table numbers, ceremony 'reserved row' signs, framed photos of couple, 'guest book' sign, 'gifts & cards' sign • Cake - Mariana works with a local bakery and the cake was gorgeous! We did a two tier, the top chocolate and base tres leches with floral decorations. • Day of Coordination - Not much to say here other than that Mariana is a true professional and kept us in mind all evening. She even blew air conditioning on our sweet heart table during dinner so we wouldn't get too sweaty! Five stars across the board - You cannot go wrong getting married at Avant Garden!!

l. The food truck and pizza was delicious. In the planning stages, Mariana was great at answering our questions and helping us figure out what would work best for our wedding day. Our families also mentioned how much they appreciated Mariana's knowledge and calm personality on the day of. We highly recommend AvantGarden! During and after the wedding, our guests told us how much they love the space. Having such specialized bartenders on site also made it easy for us and our guests to get whichever drink we wanted. Overall, we had a great experience and are excited to go back and visit.

e music, the food was tasty (we went with taco truck), and the drinks were good. The venue is spacious, and they transform this place into something very special for weddings. Our flower arrangements – especially my flower crown and bouquet - were stunning and exactly what I wanted. Our vegan dessert, cakes, especially our gluten free cake were delicious. As a coordinator, Mariana worked hard to create our vision, incorporated our feedback and collaborated with us on some creative things we wanted to do differently. Our night was magical, and everyone had a great time. P.S. Mariana is very good at what she does. Trust Mariana.

ing day we could have imagined. The venue fit perfectly with the mystic fairy tale wedding I envisioned and is an all-purpose facility. We were able to host our ceremony there, use the covered patio for a sit-down dinner hosted by the taco truck housed in the parking lot, and use the 2nd floor area for a dance party after the reception. The decor provided was stunning, and the building played a part in making sure our theme was executed to a tee. Mariana has a full staff that works for her, and they effortlessly set up every detail of our wedding. Bar service was available, as well as full waitstaff. The food was amazing, and the self- serve taco truck was a hit amongst our guests. They designed my bouquet which I thought was beautiful, and had the venue decorated to my liking. Every concern I had was quickly addressed. My now husband and I will be forever grateful to Mariana and the Avant Garden family for everything. If you are looking for an eclectic hidden gem in plain sight with old school vintage charm. Our only complaint is that we wished we could do it again every weekend and have Mariana continuously re-create our wedding day. We HIGHLY recommend.

olute coldest day of the polar vortex around Christmas, and Mariana and her staff were able to move the entire wedding inside and still make it look absolutely magical. They did not miss a beat and kept the whole event going seamlessly, keeping our stress levels low and making sure everybody had a great time. Their timing for everything was on point and all of our guests told us how beautiful everything turned out! I am absolutely recommending AvantGarden to any and everybody in Texas!

fun and beauty of our special day. I was drawn to this venue because I spent many years living in the heart of New Orleans, embracing the richness of courtyard gardens and classic architecture. That made AvantGarden such an easy pic. I also loved that we could provide our guests from all over the United States a chance to experience a touch of the classic and authentic feel of this diverse and cultured city. I must also add that our day was very cold and rainy. This did not disrupt our experience in the least. Mariana and her team did an exceptional job reassuring me throughout the day leading up to our ceremony that all would be marvelous despite the terrible weather. The patio where the ceremony and dinner took place was covered and heated well. Lastly, the food truck was awesome! Efficient and incredibly tasty.

mazing wedding it was! I would 100% recommend AvantGarden for your big day.

the coordination were truly the least of our worry. would highly recommend.

s that it is tailored to your desires and that the event goes off without a hitch - well, except for the expected one :) From our first meeting she was engaged with our process and eager to make our special day truly outstanding! In particular, I appreciated how her wedding packages cover all the various vendors you'd otherwise need to arrange ala carte (e.g. bar staff, DJ, catering) and each vendor was of the highest quality. We did need to find our own Hair & Makeup and Photographers but even there Mariana had a list of vendors who had worked at AvantGarden which was a big help! The day before, Mariana was there for our rehearsal, ready to help. We were perhaps not as prepared as the average couple yet Mariana was there to help us structure the ceremony - and added some flourishes that could only be done at a venue like AvantGarden! The day of, Mariana and her staff worked tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly. When we would get distracted by friends and family, Mariana was ready to usher the party onto the next phase so that we were able to have all the celebration we could ask for without incurring overage charges from the vendors! All in all, an excellent experience and Mariana herself ensures that an event at AvantGarden will get you a great bang for your buck - not to mention a wonderful event.