Barbara's Brides

the customer, nail down precise needs and wants, and execute flawlessly. Barbara knows the business, knows the players, and there was nothing that wasn't handled short of an A grade. Hire them!

ole day. She also took the sweetest photo of me and my dad before we walked down the aisle. It’s the little things!

peccable taste and her assistants are also very thoughtful and well prepared. I felt like she had my back 100% of the time and I would recommend her to anyone looking to hire a wedding planner in the Austin area.

process smooth and easy! She always came to meetings with great energy, lots of ideas, and suggestions. She really helped keep us on track and organized. We appreciated her honesty especially when the things we wanted were going to be complicated. Because of her honesty, we were able to plan ahead and organize so that things would move forward with less hassle. On our wedding day, her and her team were awesome. They had great communication with each other, vendors, and some people that helped with the set up! Our wedding day was perfect thanks in part to Barbara! I highly recommend hiring her!

I wanted to elope. I was 100% certain that I did NOT want the run-of-the-mill wedding. After begrudgingly obtaining a venue and photographer, I figured that I could sit back and lay low for a while (per my Google queries.) Soon, I laid low for a bit too long, and with impending work and school deadlines, I felt I was in over my head. From the first call, I could tell that Barbara and I would work well together. Barbara has a no-nonsense, straight forward way of being able to simultaneously problem solve while calming me down. This came in handy a million times during the course of the months that we worked together. She also has a unique (and extremely helpful) talent for being able to parse through my various creative ideas and distill them down to the core pieces needed to actually execute them. If you're a Type A creative person, someone who is good at big-picture strategy but would benefit from a partner to help you execute your dreams, Barbara is 100% the right person for you. Ultimately, Barbara was able to help me execute a complex wedding including lion dancing, a pop-up costume prop shop (it was Halloween weekend!), personally handwritten notes for each guest, a guest painting station, a coordinated bridal party costume theme, a dance floor with surprise guests dressed in inflatable costumes, and more. All went off almost without a hitch. She THEN thoughtfully was able to send me some photos and videos from the wedding that are absolutely priceless - for example, she sent me a wonderful video of our exit, as she knew that no guests would have it on video since they were all participating in the exit themselves. Amazing! Barbara definitely can be direct with her suggestions, but at least in my experience, if you use her as a sounding board for your ideas, it's a formula for success. Thanks again, Barbara, for turning this bride into a wedding believer! :)

in an enjoyable experience for our guests. Barbara was the perfect person for that. I know how much stress Barbara took off my wife's shoulders in particular. The wedding was amazing, which is a credit to all the extra little things that Barbara did to make things go off without any issues.

hows! From our very first meeting, it was clear that Barbara is truly an expert. When we began the wedding planning process, We didn’t have a “vision” for what we wanted the day to look like. Barbara helped guide us through the process, shaping that vision. She gave us ideas and invaluable advice while also listening attentively to our preferences. Throughout the planning process, Barbara exhibited exceptional organizational skills. Barbara is easy to communicate with and most importantly she gets things done! She is always thinking one step ahead. Barbara is very reliable. On the day of our wedding, Barbara ensured that every aspect of our wedding day was flawlessly executed from start to finish. Barbara's reassuring presence really helped keep my stress to a minimum the day of. Because of Barbara, we were able to really enjoy our wedding day, soaking it all in and visiting with our guests knowing that every detail was taken care of. We would recommend Barbara to friends and family in a heartbeat! We feel incredibly fortunate to have had her as part of our wedding day. Thank you, Barbara, for giving us a day that we will cherish forever!

e is able to plan around many scenarios, has a deep understanding of the flow of the day to ensure it's a perfect day, and is straight forward, honest and caring - Barbara is your planner!

is unmatched, and we always felt she was understanding exactly what our vision was. From making sure we were on track every step of the way, to providing her experience anytime something came up we had a question about, to calming us down whenever we got stressed, Barbara made the months leading up to our wedding relaxing, and enjoyable as we planned the happiest day of our lives. She has unbelievable venders she works with, and every vender we got through her was the absolute right choice. Her attention to detail and way in which she kept the party flowing the day of was incredible, and the day of our wedding my wife and I didn’t feel stressed once, a feat which I credit all to how awesome Barbara was! The design of the wedding was absolutely beautiful, and worked perfect with the space! Whenever there was anything we wanted, or felt like it couldn’t happen, she made sure we made the best choice, and because of her hard work our wedding was a once in a lifetime event! We recommend her to anyone, because we know first hand how amazing any work she touches is!!

ed) and we felt guided every step of the way. When we got in touch with her about coming into town, she coordinated meetings with sites and vendors with ease and even on days when they are not accustomed to meeting with couples. After every trip to Austin to plan, we checked items off our to-do list which made us feel great. Also, we were one of those couples that asked a lot of questions when it came to vendors, contracts, and the specifics of their service. Barbara answered all our questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. We trusted Barbara every step of the way, to the point that we selected our caterer without even having tasted because of the market conditions and Barbara's confidence that they would deliver. She was right, and the food was a highlight of the wedding for our guests. Literally, our wedding was as close to perfect as it could be. We cannot recommend Barbara and her team enough.

We had to switch venues last minute which was no issue with Barbara as my planner. Every person who came to my wedding has told me it was the best wedding they have ever gone to. That would have been impossible without her. I’m horrible at planning events and it was perfect!!!!! She’s fantastic to work with. Communication is great. Love love love her!

tress completely out of the equation when it came to prepping for the biggest and best day of my life. Barbara's communication and responsiveness cannot be matched, she catered to each one of questions/requests/concerns, and provided me with the WHY when she gave me an answer. Barbara's personality is so calming, positive, and straightforward, and I can say the same about Gerad. I am so thankful for you, Barbara, and I will always think of my wedding with you being a focal point in making it happen so seemlessly!

our wedding. Her connections also got us the best DJ, the best photographer, the best officiant, and the best florist out there. She listened to all of our concerns and worked to make sure that our vision for the wedding came true. She was also a great steadying force amongst the chaos that is the day of your wedding. Everything was beautifully taken care of and went off perfectly. We honestly could not have asked for more from Barbara and wholeheartedly recommend her to any and everyone!

e given planner contacts through them. I called through the list to make introductions but I knew immediately Barbara was my go to. As with any major project, communication is key. It should be clear, frequent, and respectful. Barbara checked all those boxes and more. We literally signed the contract an hour after we got off the phone. She makes it very clear what her role is in your wedding planning, and even allows you to select the level you want her to be involved. Being remote for the first few crucial months, she helped us get our major vendors identified, reviewed, and secured. She let us know some vendors we needed to vet on our own because of the personal relationship you need to foster with them (officiant, DJ). I loved that she gave us that perspective as some might view it as being left to hang. Barbara always made time for my last minute questions and was available via email or text as often as I needed her. When I didn’t understand a process or limitation she patiently walked me through or provided that “here’s how that will look from the outside perspective”. She kept our wedding simple and sweet, just how we wanted it. We had one wild idea to find a popsicle vendor (we got married in Austin in June). Not only did she explore options for us, but she evaluated which vendors would need the venues requirements. We actually started off with one option, but because Barbara continued to keep us in mind, she found a better, tastier, and more cost effective option a couple months later at an expo. When a crazy heat wave brought 100+ degree temps, she developed a contingency plan AND helped us maintain our vision without risking the health or safety of our guests or wedding party. When my sister caught my hair while trying to place my veil, she swooped in with extra Bobby pins and literally saved the day. My hair stayed the rest of the night. She checked in, made sure we were a priority, and that we were taking time to enjoy the moment with each other. She also captured some great behind the scenes photos that have become some of our favorite wedding moments. I wrap this all up by saying that Barbara is a dream. If you are a type A person who wants professionalism, creativity, honesty, and organization then book a call with Barbara. Even if you aren’t, I dare you to not be impressed and book her right on the spot.

xperienced and knows how to get the job done! She was amazing throughout the planning process and on the wedding day. She also surrounds herself with a great team. Gerad was there on our walk through, rehearsal, and wedding day and is such a calming presence (not to mention hilarious!). Gerad made sure that EVERYTHING that we did (and didn't!) think of that could possibly happen was planned and went smoothly. I'm so thankful we had Barbara's Brides to make our big day everything we wanted!

astings and helping us meet with DJs, rental companies, and other key vendors. We sadly had to postpone our wedding for one full year, and Barbara was instrumental in making it happen seamlessly while retaining all of our original vendors. She made herself available for calls, texts, and emails throughout the process and worked closely with us to make sure our vision came to light. We ran into a couple of difficult road blocks both before on on the wedding day, and Barbara handled them so perfectly that no one even knew something was amiss! The best part about having Barbara as a planner is that we felt no stress leading up to the wedding day, she kept everything ultra-organized and running smoothly so that we could just soak it all in and enjoy!

e we had a question or needed advise. She is open and honest. She will tell it like it is and with COVID we really needed to hear that. Her insights and vendor relationships are extremely helpful. The day of was seamless. Barbara took care of everything and worked with all the vendors. We had so many complements from our family and guests about the wedding officiant, florist, DJ, dinner and service. Her vendor list is a bride’s dream. It will save you so much time! All of the vendors have great experience and know the wedding industry. Our day was the best ever and Barbara made it all happen!! We highly recommend Barbara’s Brides!!

ng relatives that were not supportive of our wedding. She is wonderful about using diverse and inclusive wedding vendors. She is 100% LGBTQ supportive and a wonderful ally.

h offering great advice when asked. I would highly recommend her services as she does just the right amount of hand holding. During the ceremony and reception she addressed many things without me, the bride ever having an idea there was any issue. I know there are a lot of choices for planners but I promise you will not be disappointed with Barbara and her team. We truly had a magical December wedding at the Driskill and Barbara was very key in pulling it all off! I can’t thank her enough!

my wedding dress to her house. We are from out of town so really needed a wedding planner to help us as we had never been to that part of Texas. Unfortunately, she treated this like a part-time job. We wanted her "Tier 2" package which included helping with Vendors, but it turns out that only meant sending us her vendor list and constantly checking in to see if we had chosen anyone. I was trying to stay on a budget and when I asked if she had any photographers under $4k, she said she would look into it and I received no further communications regarding photographers. It felt like I suddenly had a second job and I had to report what I had done back to her. She realized I had done all the vendor work and agreed to just be a "day of" planner. Which is NOT what I wanted, but I had already done all the work. I will say, her vendor recommendations were on point... the DJ was AWESOME, the Photographers were AMAZING, the cake was DELICIOUS, and my hair/makeup could not have been better! It seemed like she didn't really want to be there though. She showed up on the wedding day only two hours prior to the wedding starting, unenthusiastic, and our guests pointed it out as well. Our DJ was pumped and so excited for us, the hair/make up woman was excited to be there... but Barbara could have cared less. I know she's probably done a couple hundred weddings, but ... hey... fake it... its your job. Two months before our wedding (and of course after the venue and everything were already paid for in full), I called up Barbara to talk about communication issues I was having with the Venue. She then took it upon herself to say that she didn't think we should have chosen that venue due to that venue often having poor communication and pointed out that "the food there is horrible" (now, I didn't ask her opinion on the food-- that was just thrown into the conversation). She covers up these remarks with "I'm just being honest". That is not something you say to a bride two months before her wedding! Also, how "good" or "bad" food is, is subjective... so, again... FAKE IT. Fast forward to our wedding... the food was actually incredible! Some of the best food I've had, let alone at a wedding-- our guests are still raving about it. AND I heard Barbara pass by the waitress and compliment her on how "great" the salad was. Maybe they recently upgraded their menu or got a new cook. Either way her comments were not appreciated. Did our wedding turn out to be the happiest day of our lives? YES... it was fantastic! I did a lot of the leg work and my on-site venue coordinator really came through in the end. Would I hire Barbara again? Nope, I can't say that I would. I'd be better off doing everything myself and saving a couple thousand bucks

about from working with them. She is so professional and responsible in her own logistics and contracts as well as being detailed oriented as she looked at the vendors contracts and documents. From the moment we hired her she had tons of resources for us to access that have been fully vetted and well thought through. This made picking vendors a lot less overwhelming. She worked with me on price point and personality for the vendors. The vendors on her list that we used were all very good quality. Throughout our wedding planning process she took time to talk with us about our vision without the details becoming overwhelming. She was willing to work with us via email and phone around our work schedules and us living in a different time zone. We were a couple who postponed our wedding due to COVID and she helped us navigate these changes via the logistics of a postponement and coordinating with the vendors for us. The weeks leading up to the wedding she helped us keep everything running smoothly. I could not have imagined the day of our wedding without her. She made a master list with all the details and sent it out to the vendors, she coordinated set up and take down for the event. She made sure we had access to the personal items we needed during the reception while keeping our personal items we didn’t need safe in our room. No detail went unattended to. All events and interactions were handled with kindness and a calm attitude at all times. However this did not lead to neglect of precision or directness when needed. I could not have dreamed up a better wedding planner for the most wonderful day of our lives. Please do yourself a favor and hire Barbaras Brides. I cannot assure you more, you will thank her and yourself 1000% for doing this. Barbara, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.

y wife and I are a lesbian couple and Barbara was determined to make sure we received the same treatment as any other couple! Thank you so much Barbara for everything you do! We love you!!! - Mikayla and Ali Hunter- Krause

ed us map out our timeline, checked in with us regularly, and ensured that our vision became a reality. Through the entire process, Barbara was resourceful and ultra-responsive, even to our late-night emails! As out of towners, we so appreciated Barbara’s local insights and depth of experience planning weddings at the Driskill. For example, she provided us with a list of preferred vendors, who are among the best in the industry and also were experts at working at the Driskill. She also attended our tasting and rehearsal which helped us develop a great relationship with her even before the wedding. Barbara’s Wedding Advisor planning package truly surpassed our expectations, as she went above and beyond to help us select our décor, flowers, and cake, arrange tables and displays, and handle all day-of coordination with our vendors. Oh, and she also expertly bustled my wedding dress! Overall, we can’t thank Barbara enough and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding planner! –C&P

ed her. Barbara is well-established in the Austin wedding community. I had no doubt that she and her team could pull off anything with their experience and connections. Because of this, I was relieved that I didn’t have to worry about missing details or checking things off my list because I knew Barbara would make sure things were addressed. Barbara provided a preferred list of vendors early in the process, which was super helpful in reviewing and deciding on our many options, though many of our vendors were not on her list. She preemptively checked on us during the pandemic, moved our date with no issues, shared a wedding checklist, shared a wedding timeline with me and the vendors in advance of the big day, and after the wedding, she ensured I received a reimbursement for services not rendered by one of the vendors. She was especially kind when she gave us a lovely Driskill cookbook, which we decided to use as our wedding guestbook. Barbara's associate Gerad ran the day-of coordination and did a fabulous job. There were a few small details that I would have changed, but in the grand scheme they didn't matter, and certainly without Barbara and Gerad, our wedding wouldn’t have turned out so great. I am very grateful to have found such a professional and established team that pulled together all the major details while allowing me to enjoy and soak in the day.

y of. We were impressed by Barbara's relationships with the vendors. More importantly, the day of I knew every detail was taken care of and all I had to do was enjoy the day! Gerad paid extraordinary attention to our guests and making sure everything was perfect!

l just the way we had it planned originally. She made everything so much less stressful during a stressful time. A month later and people are still talking about how much fun they had. We used Austin as a destination wedding and didn’t know the area. Barbara has worked with so many vendors over the years that she knows exactly who to go to for whatever type of wedding you want to have. Her attention to detail is unmatched as well. If you are looking to get married in Austin, I would 100% recommend Barbara’s Brides.

we could enjoy the moment. She helped me pick out rentals such as table covers and chargers to elevate the venue's items without blowing our budget. She was also available to answer random questions when I called her such as what shoes the groomsmen should wear. We loved working with Barbara. Highly recommend.

s with several amazing vendors and has a great eye for wedding design. Our wedding day was beautiful and went flawlessly with her in charge. She is super thoughtful and even made sure that my new husband and I had a couple of quiet moments to enjoy just the two of us during cocktail hour. This is one of my most cherished moments from our wedding day. I could go on and on with great things to say about Barbara and recommend her without reservation.

nderful to have someone so experienced, knowledgeable, and connected, and yet always attentive to our needs, on our side. My husband and I don't live in Texas ourselves, so we worked with Barbara remotely for much of the preparation--we can confirm that she is excellent at that! One thing we especially appreciated that made us entirely comfortable with Barbara was that she was upfront about everything, so we felt empowered to trust her and to speak up about our needs. We would absolutely recommend Barbara's Brides for anyone looking for an expert wedding planner to give you the best special day you could possibly have.

s we were in town and was always mindful of our budget. She was also always easy to get ahold of and communicated very well with us from start to finish. Ultimately our big wedding wasn't able to happen due to COVID, but I have no doubts that she would have had the day running smoothly.

eption only Day Of services. We had someone to cover the wedding at the church and it was unbelievably comforting to know Gerad and their team had everything covered for the reception. Barbara did a great job coordinating with our vendors and taking that burden off me in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Gerad was attentive, present, hard-working, and kind as he coordinated the evening. It was such a relief to have all the burden off my shoulders. Highly recommend!

er spirit and energy just jived with me. I think we called and booked the venue and Barbara within 48 hours... it was a dream. The wedding planning process was amazing. I became sick during our engagement, and Barbara was the MOST accommodating. She ensured that throughout the planning and the day of, that I had ample time to put my feet up and have a few moments to rest. To say she went above and beyond is not even enough. She even had essential oils for the day to reduce stress... she is amazing. Her wealth of experience, eye for design are unmatched. My wedding idea was a gatsby-esq fairytale, and she brought it all together to our delight. She was attentive at the wedding, ensuring we were having the time of our lives.... and we did!! We love you Barbara!!

zanine, and she helped to orchestrate a flawless room flip during 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!

ease and it's only because these two were with me every step of 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!

ed set realistic expectations of what we needed to think about and 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.

event which was large, about 120 guests. Barbara and her staff were 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.

s with years of experience and knows this industry like the back 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.

ntegral to pulling off one of the best days of our lives. Even in 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.

hundreds of people, she made me a priority and we had a very genuine 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!

iskill wedding and the incomparable Gerad was there to execute everything 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.

a averted a huge problem on our wedding day - our exit carriage 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!

had no idea how much I needed Barbara, and am SO THANKFUL we had 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.