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Jessica Sent on 08/13/2019

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Barbara will exceed your expectations!!

Barbara will exceed your expectations!! She is prepared to solve any problem, is ordained to marry, focused on making your day the most special, and such a joy to be around. Barbara 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 the 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 I 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!

Jordan Sent on 09/28/2021

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Well-Connected Austin Wedding Planner!

We hired Barbara's Brides as a day-of-coordinator for our August 2020 wedding, which was ultimately moved to May 2021 because of the pandemic, after our venue coordinator recommended 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.

Courtney Sent on 01/13/2020

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Barbara's Brides November Wedding Review

We hired Barbara's Brides as our coordinator. Throughout the planning process Barbara was there to consult on ideas, review contracts, create a timeline + layout and handled all vendor coordination that month. Her expertise in the field is excellent and she had great advice to give.

Gerad was our day-of coordinator and he was awesome! Trying to round up 10 women (bridal party) and keep them on a timeline is no easy task and Gerad handled it perfectly. He was so on-point the entire day. It was a whirlwind but Gerad was there to guide us through it all. Honestly, if something went wrong, to this day I have no clue because he was that good and took care of every little thing.

Initially I was worried about working with Barbara throughout the planning process and then handing it over to Gerad to execute but there was not a thing to worry about. These two are pros!

Russell Sent on 10/22/2019

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Best wedding team!

Book Barbara and Gerad now! I work in the wedding industry and I know the value of a planner but you really don’t know what they do until you experience it first hand. Barbara comes 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.

Meghan Sent on 06/19/2019

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Barbara is a Godsend

Let me start off by saying, I was that girl who did not want to hire a wedding planner, I wanted to do it allll by myself and save money. I now laugh at that girl, hard. Because I 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.

Maggie Sent on 11/03/2018

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Stress-free Dream Team!

Barbara helped us achieve the wedding of our dreams! Without her services, we would not have been able to have such a carefree experience day of, enjoying every moment. Her veteran status in the wedding industry shows, and she advised us on which 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!!

Chris Sent on 01/02/2018

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Our daughter's wedding was fantastic! Barbara and her team were a pleasure to work without throughout - from planning to the event. The weather was iffy, and we had some last minute changes that her team handled with ease. Neither the bride, groom, or our family live in Austin, so we were thankful to have a coordinator who was very familiar the venue and all of the chosen vendors. We appreciate her helping our daughter and son in law, and could not be more pleased.

Deborah Sent on 10/10/2017

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Being an older (but young at heart) bride and just a few months to plan a wedding, I quickly discovered I needed help. And quick! Barbara was recommended to me and after my first call with her, I knew she was the one for me. Barbara is a master at details and logistics, she kept the whole process running smoothly and on time. She is fun to be around and calming when I needed it. I'm so thankful for her vendor suggestions. She knows the best ones in Austin and they all love working with her! She orchestrated our beautiful ceremony and wedding at the Stephen F Austin with ease and professionalism. I highly recommend her!!

Piper Sent on 04/10/2017

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Barbara came in and saved my dream day! Where as my other planner did not take pictures, ask for details or manage my vendors... Barbara stepped in and took the reigns! Yes! Couldn't have asked for more.

Rea Sent on 05/11/2016

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Hiring Barbara's Brides as my day of coordinator was one of the BEST decisions that I made during the planning process. My mother and I were very particular about the details of this wedding. I know that no one other than Barbara could have performed 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!

Lisa Sent on 09/11/2014

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GRAND PERFECTION. If you want the perfect, storybook wedding, and who doesn't?, you should hire Barbara. From start to finish, our affair was flawless (and stayed on budget!). The credit all goes to Barbara. Her expertise in event planning is surely unparalleled. My daughter said she wished she could keep Barbara in her life after the wedding! There are not words to express our gratitude to her for orchestrating the most perfect event ever...there should be 10 Stars for this rating.

Amanda Sent on 07/17/2014

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Barbara is the BEST wedding planner for any type of wedding planning service you could possibly need. I had her for the "day of/month of" services and could not have been happier. She was so thorough, flexible and patient with any and all of my requests as well as the vendors' requests. She was poised and calm in the face of any day-of predicament but also straightforward and brutally honest when needed. I gave her pages of decoration instructions (due to our venue's arrival time constraints) for set-up in addition to the already scheduled vendor set up and she did each and every thing I asked and then some! I was absolutely blown away by how wonderful and hardworking she was for me and my family. Could not be happier with how it worked out! Barbara is THE best!

Brita Sent on 05/11/2013

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Barbara was a lifesaver for an out of state bride! She was on top of EVERYTHING on the wedding day and the months leading up to it. I would definitely recommend her to any Austin bride!

Anna Sent on 11/02/2012

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I had many decisions to make regarding our wedding on Oct. 13 but my decision to hire Barbara/Barbara's Brides was, by far, the best one. Barbara knows her stuff inside and out and guided us through this minefield like no other. She gave us her honest opinion on all of our decisions and I'm grateful we took her advice on just about all of them. It saved us a lot of headaches. I also can't emphasize enough how invaluable she was in helping us select our vendors. In a city like Austin, where there are hundreds of vendors, it's almost impossible to know if you're picking the right ones. Barbara really helped us narrow down our selections and if we ever had any trouble contacting a vendor, she was right there to help move things along. She's the best and I'd hire her again with no hesitation for any large event planning. Thanks, Barbara!

Casey Sent on 09/07/2012

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We hired Barbara Hearne of Barbara’s Bride as our ‘Day Of’ wedding planner. I am very organized and was, at first, slightly reluctant to hire any help from a coordinator. But now, I can say without a doubt, it was the best wedding planning decision I made. Barbara was so much more than just a ‘Day Of’ planner. She became my sounding board, and she was always there to help calm my nerves. Barbara is extremely knowledgeable and having her as a resource was invaluable. She has helpful insight to endless Austin wedding vendors, and her expertise was extremely useful. She constantly went above and beyond my expectations! Looking back, I can’t stress enough how important it is to hire a wedding planner. And Barbara is the best of the best! She was there to take care of all the details and keep the entire day running smoothly. She managed vendors, helped with set up and breakdown, kept the schedule on track, and much much more. I was amazed at how much she juggled on my wedding day. And she did it all flawlessly! On top of being great at what she does, Barbara is fun! She was such a pleasure to be around, and that is crucial on such and important day. Hiring Barbara allowed me to let go of control, and just relax and enjoy my wedding. Without her, my mom and I would have been a wreck! I honestly feel that our wedding would not have turned out nearly as wonderful if it weren’t for Barbara. I would highly recommend Barbara as your wedding coordinator! Thank you so much Barbara for all your hard work! I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am!

Kate Sent on 08/19/2012

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I hired Barbara Hearne about three and a half months before my wedding date, after realizing that, as a busy graduate student, I couldn’t handle all the planning on my own. Plus my fiancé and I were living a long way away from Austin in Rhode Island, and wouldn’t be able to handle much in person. We chose Barbara based on her glowing online reviews, and a stellar phone interview. Though time was tight, she got on top of every detail immediately, helping us find a reception venue, an officiant, a photographer, a caterer, a florist, and a cake! She coordinated in person with my family in Austin, and with me over email and phone to make sure everyone was in the loop and on schedule. She walked us through every step of the rehearsal, and she and her assistant Erika there in person to make sure the ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. It was an absolutely perfect day, and we couldn’t have done it without Barbara!

Sung Sent on 04/22/2012

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Starting from Barbara's amazing vendor recommendations to organizing last minute details at the reception, I could not have made a better decision working with Barbara during the wedding planning. She is always available and extremely helpful with my endless questions and had a way to make me feel better every time, especially during the week of the wedding with the threat of rain. She always had an answer and I knew that I was in good hands. The wedding day came together just what I had envisioned and it was only possible with the help from Barbara and her team and her preferred vendors. I recommend her to every bride out there!

Greg Sent on 02/25/2012

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I was thoroughly impressed with Barbara. She was indispensible to making my daughter's wedding perfect.

Christine Sent on 02/04/2012

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Barbara is truly amazing! From the second I spoke with her on the phone she put my mind at ease. Being a bride planning an out-of-state wedding I felt an extra layer of stress because I couldn't be there for everything, with Barbara as my wedding planner, I didn't feel stressed at all! I had complete confidence in her. She handled everything from arranging vendor appointments when I came to town to handling every detail on the day of my wedding. She is incredibly knowledgeable about vendors and was even able to save me some money! Barbara is so easy and fun to work with, I can truly say I had the best wedding planner ever! Barbara gave me my perfect wedding! Barbara I cannot say thank you enough. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Nancy Sent on 01/20/2012

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My daughter and I used Barbara's Brides for coordinating the rehearsal and the wedding day but, she did so much more. She truly took the reigns so I could relax and enjoy one of the most important events in my life. She was incredibly helpful and experienced. She was able to confirm with all of our vendors, create a schedule and timeline. She was available also for consulting on many of the things that come up including etiquette, timing and vendor recommendations . She was a wonderful buffer when my daughter and I differed in opinion. I would highly recommend her. Nancy Balzer

Melody Sent on 09/18/2011

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Barbara was a wedding day coordinator for my daughter's wedding. She also was an advisor throughout the planning process. Her recommendations were fantastic! The wedding was flawless and she is the reason! The peace of mind she gave me on this most important day was priceless! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening and never felt stressed! I can't say that about her sister"s wedding three years ago! Do not hesitate to make this choice if you are planning an Austin wedding! She"s a pro!

Natalie Sent on 09/18/2011

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My mother hired Barbara for the day of the wedding and it was the best money that we spent on the entire wedding. We did not have a worry in the world and everything went flawlessly. She took care of everything, made sure all vendors were where they should be, and handled any issue tht came up. IT was incredibly enjoyable knowing that she would handle everything flawlessly. I would highly recommend using her services.

Debra Sent on 08/26/2011

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We hired Barbara a year before my daughters wedding because my daughter was out of state, I was living in Houston and the wedding was in Austin we felt we needed to start planning early. At first we all were not on the same page but because of my daughter flying schedule it was difficult to meet with vendors. After discussing these issues we all got on the "same page". We soon realized we did make the correct choice and as things started to come together as they should, we realized we had the best in Barbara. Days prior to the rehearsal, wedding and reception, she handled the entire wedding party, selection of the band and directed us to the best vendors. As mother of the bride, I thought I would be so busy until the last minute but that was not the case. Barbara took over and all I had to do is relax and show up. The wedding was so beautiful and everything went so on schedule and perfect. I would strongly recommend Barbara for any wedding function. She was the best!

Christine Sent on 08/23/2011

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Barbara is wonderful. She helped with our wedding at the Driskill, and she took control the day of the wedding. It was exactly what my husband and I needed to guide us through the day without having to worry about any issues. She is also an expert planner for weddings at the Driskill- they work with her alot and treat her great- which, in turn, means you are treated great also! She also helped coordinate our vendors the weeks before the wedding, which took a big load off of me for planning. Barbara has great relationships with other vendors, so she will only send you to the best. I would highly recommend Barbara for any bride who wants to enjoy her wedding and doesn't want to worry about details on the wedding weekend!

Kaitlin Sent on 08/08/2011

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I contacted Barbara last minute after a different planner cancelled on me just hours before our meeting. I needed help planning a very quick wedding and was on a tight work schedule. Barbara answered her phone at 5:30pm and agreed to meet me the next day EVENTHOUGH it was her son's birthday (and St. Patrick's Day). This same kind of dedication continued throughout the wedding planning process.

They say all things are possible with God. Dare I say that all things are possible with Barbara. She went above and beyond all expectations I had for her. Everything from huge details (rehearsal dinner) down to the tiniest (ordering extra flowers for hair, etc) were covered with ease.

Thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU Barbara for making my wedding the most perfect day ever. I am deeply thankful for all of your hard work, compassion, leadership, and for always having my back.

Audrey Sent on 08/04/2011

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Barbara coordinated my wedding in June in the Austin area. It was the most perfect day and the wedding functioned like clockwork. Barbara did an amazing job of making sure all of my vendors were there at the appropriate time, ensuring that everything was set up exactly the way we had planned, coordinating the ceremony down to the minute, and making me feel very comfortable and taken care of. Barbara is highly organized, efficient and extremely easy to work with. I was so impressed by her taste, her extensive knowledge of all-things-weddings and her vendor connections in and around Austin. Not only did she help me select the perfect vendors for my wedding, but because she already had a great working relationship with them, they all treated me like a VIP. Not only that, but Barbara is very accessible. There were several times when I called her at odd hours with a "dire" wedding question. She was always available and ready with an answer. My wedding would not have come off so well if it had not been for Barbara! She made me and my mom's life so incredibly easy. The wedding planning was smooth sailing and just plain fun with Barbara. I highly, highly recommend her!

Addie Sent on 05/27/2011

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After reading all of Barbara's reviews I am bit baffled by them because my experience with Barbara was completely different. I just recently got married in May and Barabara was our coordinator. I hired her half way through the wedding planning process because I was becoming a bit overwhelmed with all of the little details.

Barabara was a great sounding board for me and answered all of my emails very promptly. Although I came up with many of the ideas for my wedding myself, I was not surprised with this because I had purchased the lowest package from Barabara so this is what I expected. She did help me by okaying a idea or nixing it which helped narrow down a lot of things. By far though I can say the money I spent on Barabara was the best money I ever spent on the wedding, just for during the week of and the actual day of the wedding. Things went extremely smooth during that time and I know it is because of Barabara.

I will say this for all of you brides out there. If you are looking for a super sweet and cheery coordinator who is all love and kisses Barabara isn't your person. She is a no-nonsense get the job done type of person who might piss some people off in the process. She has been doing this a long time and knows what it takes to get the job done right. But bottom line she looks out for the bride and groom's interest FIRST. No one elses, which in my opinion is what I paid for. The day of the wedding she was there every step of the way, coordinating all the vendors, making a rain plan, and making sure people were not sneaking in alcohol. She remembers all the small details like making sure the bride and groom eat to bringing me the last coconut mojito before they ran out. Every single person I talked to commented on how beautiful my wedding was and how they have never been to a wedding where not one thing went wrong.

Little did they know some small things did go wrong but Barbara was quick to fix them. I was able to sit back and enjoy my wedding and not sweat all the small stuff. Barabara runs a tight ship and she doesn't mess around, but her ultimate goal is to make the bride happy and give her the dream wedding she so desires. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart she did that for Sonny and I and we are super grateful!! If you want someone who will get the job done right hire Barabara. You will not be sorry or stressed the day of. Trust me!

Anna Sent on 05/06/2011

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If you need help with any aspect of your wedding, Barbara is the coordinator for you. She was instrumental in making sure my husband and I had an amazing wedding experience.
Barbar knows and has a great relationship with so many great vendors in Austin that you can rest assured there will be no drama at your wedding. She was able to help us blend my small town East Texas Southern Baptist upbringing with my husband's Middle Eastern Muslim expectations. The funny thing is, we had the most fun wedding. Barbara did a great job of helping us incorporate things from both of our cultures in such a way that all of our guests felt welcome and had a great time.
It has been a few weeks since I got married and I still look back on that day with such a happy heart because it was one, if not the, happiest days of my life. And, the only way the wedding was such a hit was due to Barbara.
If you are considereing hiring Barbara as a coordinator, I highly recommend you contact her so that you can have a chance to work with one of the best in the business.

Dianne Sent on 04/22/2011

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My daughter's wedding was last week-end. I was so lucky that I chose Barbara Hearne with Barbara's Brides. When I hired Barbara, I had already gotten all of the vendors for the wedding but realized that I needed someone to help with the last details and the wedding day. My biggest challenge was the venue and the difficult to work with proprietor. I was not a match for her and did not want to be, but Barbara knew how to work with this difficult person and her staff in a very dignified but assertive way. She wanted my daughter's wedding to be exactly what we wanted and she told me, in advance, that she would make it happen. She did just that! I knew that I could trust what she said the moment I met her and Barbara was the best investment that I made toward making my daughter's wedding day perfect. She was always a step ahead. I never had to go and find her and if I needed something, it was already done. She worked well with the caterer, photographer, the band and florist. We all loved working with Barbara and I would highly recommend her to anyone, She is a fabulous wedding event coordinator and a Fantastic person.
Dianne

Jane Sent on 03/10/2011

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From the moment that you meet Barbara, you know she is a professional that understands her job. She listened attentively to our vision and ideas and helped make it happen. We could not have been more pleased. It was a joyous, happy occasion that we could all enjoy because Barbara was there taking care of the details. What a blessing it was to have Barbara as the wedding coordinator for our daughter’s wedding.

Mckinsey Sent on 03/03/2011

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I got married in February at Lakeway Resort in Austin and Barbara was my fantastic wedding coordinator! I live 3.5 hours from Austin so it was extremely important that I find someone that I could trust to help plan my wedding. From the moment I met Barbara I knew I could trust that she would make my wedding gorgeous! Thanks to Barbara my wedding was absolutely stunning! She brought my vision to life and made sure every little detail was perfect. She made the entire weekend (and planning process) completely stress-free. I was able to relax and actually ENJOY the day (which is how it should be for every bride)! I cannot say enough great things about Barabara. I highly reccomend her!!!!

Diana Sent on 02/23/2011

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We found the perfect wedding coordinator. She can handle anything thrown her way. My daughters wedding was everything she wanted and more. Can't thank her enough. You cannot go wrong using Barbara to help in your wedding planning and executing those plans to run smoothly.

Mary Sent on 02/19/2011

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Barbara is amazing!

She made my wedding perfect. My groom and I had alot of crazy ideas from kilts to BBQ and she made it work amazingly. The night was beautiful and without any problems or difficulties (or if there was she never let me find out). She is very experienced and has the wisdom of hundreds of weddings to make yours unique and special. She was able to make a my dream wedding occur despite me living in Ohio and the groom living in Kansas and both of us in the military working long days. She also saved us thousands of dollars by knowing the right vendors that met our needs. I would recomend Barbara to any bride looking for a piece of mind and an angel to look over her wedding.

Elise Sent on 02/12/2011

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Barbara was a fantastic coordinator! She is well connected in the industry in Austin, which made finding vendors and a venue extremely easy. It also helped me get a few discounts. She kept my budget in mind and helped me get the best bang for my buck. She is extremely organized and helped my wedding day run smoothly so that I wasn't stressed about anything. My wedding was beautiful and I have had gotten so many compliments not only on the flowers, venue and food, but also on how smoothly everything went and how comfortable everyone felt. I had a blast and I have Barbara to thank. I highly recommend her!

Suzanne Sent on 12/02/2010

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It's one thing to keep the bride happy during this hectic time, but with almost every wedding, there's also a Mother of the Bride in the background who's sweating all of the details, watching the money flow, and making sure everyone and everything is covered. With my daughter's recent wedding, we hired Barbara's Bride's to help with the last 4 weeks of work before wedding weekend. My daughter and I had had great fun in making decisions, hiring vendors, putting together almost everything that was needed, and planning all the pretty things to make the day special. But now it was time to have help to implement all of that work. Kristi Treadwell served our coordinator and did a magnificent job to make the rehearsal and wedding day come off just as we had wanted. She and Barbara made sure we covered all of the details of planning during the last few weeks and allowed me the luxury on wedding day to attend to my guests and, most especially, to myself and my daughter. I was able to enjoy the wedding ceremony and reception & dinner knowing that I had someone who was putting the same level of care and consideration into every decision that I would. I can't say enough good things about their hard work and dedication. And Barbara and Kristi are able to make it all come together beautifully. . . with lovely smiles on their faces.

Kristi Sent on 11/03/2010

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I can’t say enough about Barbara Hearne. I was initially concerned that we didn’t hire her as a full time consultant due to our schedules, but we made it work with our budget and did what needed to be done without a full time consultant. Barbara was always available for Q&A via phone and email, even for those tough family “what do I say/do with X” questions. The week of the wedding I was thrilled when she took over the many vendors, me, etc. Barbara stepped up in numerous, numerous ways but I am most thankful in the way she handled our four year old son. She made sure he had food and was taken care of when my friends and family were busy enjoying themselves. Barbara’s second (could have been first) success for us was the way she organized our vendors (florist, photographer, baker, etc.) I never had to worry about a thing!!! And, she handled my family when I couldn’t or simply didn’t want to!!! I was able to turn to Barbara and she just took control. Thank you Barbara! You made my day mine!

Jenni Sent on 10/27/2010

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I was so lucky to have met Barbara a few years ago.

When I got engaged we knew that we wanted a fun, beautiful and happy wedding. However, we were not quite sure how to pull that off. We weren't really into details, I had no idea what flowers I wanted or colors I envisioned at our event but Barbara totally got us. She took our idea of pretty and fun and ran with it! She introduced us to amazing vendors and showed us gorgeous venues and created the most spectacular wedding I have ever seen.

Planning a wedding can be very stressful, but I felt no stress knowing that Barbara was my planner. The entire year we spent planning the wedding was so fun, I never felt overwhelmed or tense throughout that year. I felt like a happy bubbly bride, which is how you should feel when you are about to get married! I loved that Barbara has a great sense of humor which made for fun times every time we got together.

Most importantly on the day of our wedding, we enjoyed every single moment. I woke up that morning and soaked in every second of the day, and I got to do that because Barbara had everything under control. I was never worried about vendors showing up or tables being set. I just had fun got my hair done and got married! It was the best day! I am lucky to be married to a wonderful man AND I am lucky that Barbara planned and executed a FANTASTIC wedding!

I still get compliments (a year later) about how wonderful our wedding was.

Bottom line, if you want a beautiful, stress free, super fun wedding, Barbara is the girl for you!!

Stacey Sent on 10/23/2010

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What can I say about a wedding planner that is so sincere and genuine that she keeps in touch with her brides five years later! WW wasn't around then (that I knew of anyway) but better late than never, right?

I was working in the event industry when I became engaged and knew all of the event planners in the area. Barbara was my first choice. She was always available for questions, calmed me down when I had some weird panicky episode and took care of EVERYTHING on the wedding day. She even made sure I was fresh looking for photos with lip gloss. The day was perfect and I have her to thank.

Elisa Sent on 07/08/2010

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I just want to express how happy I am my husband Chad found Barbara! When he started researching day-of wedding coordinators I tried to convince him that I would be okay without help because I didn’t want him to spend the money. But with work and finals coming up at school, he saw how stressful it was becoming for me to plan the final details. It was beginning to feel like a chore, instead of a fun and special experience.

When my mother-in-law and I first met Barbara, we immediately knew that everything was going to run smoothly and that our lives were about to get easier. Barbara was so confident and organized! I am the type of person that cannot make decisions on my own, and she was always willing to give me suggestions when needed. Barbara helped us pull together the final details and look of the wedding. When I had a question she always answered the phone, and if I emailed, she always replied immediately no matter what time it was. Sometimes we wondered if Barbara even slept!

The day of the wedding, I had so much anxiety. But when Barbara got there, suddenly I was calm and at ease. Just knowing that she were there was comforting enough to allow me to enjoy my wedding day. I knew everything was going to be perfect! One thing that sticks in my mind is during the reception when Barbara came to my feet’s rescue and told me to put my flip flops on. I said not yet because I wanted to be able to have my gorgeous heels on for the garter toss pictures. She looked at me and told me to trust her, and I did. Next thing you know I was the happiest bride ever and dancing the night away! She even remembered to put my heels back on for the bouquet and garter toss! Such a tiny detail, but it meant so much to me. She was like my angel!

I’ve been in other people’s weddings, and Barbara truly is the best coordinator out there. I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job than she did. She helped us have our dream wedding, and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts!

Elisa and Chad

Barbara Sent on 05/14/2010

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Barbara Hearne of Barbara's Brides is truly a dream to work with in planning a wedding. This is the second wedding she has coordinated for our family. Both weddings, entirely different venues, were marvelously and beautifully done and so much fun. Barbara's goal is to make this the Best Day that any bride and groom can imagine; and to orchestrate and navigate all those "details, plans, questions, concerns, complications, arrangements" to a happy, successful wedding day harbor for the bride's parents as well. What a treasure she is! Barbara genuinely cares about her brides and their parents; is creative, is a wonderful source for unique ideas, and works with great vendors. Every venue representative and vendor that has been associated with our two family weddings has express to us that it is a pleasure to work with Barbara Hearne. That is a formula for a successful wedding event---your wedding coordinator and your wedding vendors all pleasantly and cooperatively working to make your special day wonderful.

Marjan Sent on 03/12/2010

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There is no way our wedding would have been the same without Barbara and her amazing team members Kristi and Erika. We knew we wanted someone to help out with the day of planning but also someone to guide us throughout the entire process, helping us to find vendors and make the wedding unique to us. Barbara is great at seeing your vision and using her invaluable experience to make it come to life. If there is something you are excited about but can’t seem to make work, Barbara is there to help you find alternatives that will be just as special. And she responded promptly every time to my many, many emails. Thanks to Barbara and her team my husband and I had nothing to worry about on the big day. For instance, our wedding venue had a large porch where we planned to have the bar and a few cocktail tables. However it ended up being way too cold so Barbara’s team quickly rearranged the layout to bring the bar inside. I didn’t even have to worry about it, they handled it like they handled everything else - efficiently and professionally. When my bustle broke they were there immediately with safety pins to fix it. In fact, when it got stepped on AGAIN (apparently a common wedding mis-hap, watch out ladies!) they pointed it out to me and fixed it before I even knew it. I really had no idea a wedding could be as fun and stress-free as ours was, and that’s all thanks to Barbara and her team! I would recommend her to anyone planning a wedding!

Lynn Sent on 07/30/2009

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It was wonderful to have someone with me throughout the wedding process that knew so much about Austin wedding vendors. Using someone with so much experience meant that we could trust every decision that she helped us make and that she knew what she was talking about when she made recommendations. Additionallly, having someone to manage the day, the set up, all the vendors, and all my people was something you really can't put a price on on your wedding day. I didn't have to deal with any questions! She took care of everything. We even had an issue with the Limo (no air-conditioning in July), and she had them refund us before we even got back from the honeymoon. Barbara was an all around invaluable part of our wedding.

Carol Sent on 06/12/2009

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Keep up the good work! You are the perfect mix of professionalism and fun. I admire your attention to detail, your organization, and your calmness under pressure. All of the vendors you recommended were just as wonderful as you are. Your style and personality helped make this the wedding of my daughter's dreams! Thank you!

Karen Sent on 05/25/2009

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I truly could not have created such a beautiful wedding for my daughter Marjorie and her fiance, Tracy, without the many services, ongoing guidance, and experience that Barbara Hearne provided. Her guidance in selecting the venue and the primary vendors could not have resulted in more perfect choices. Each made their contributions to the wedding without any hassles or problems, and in a very professional manner.

Barbara's suggestions also made it possible to stay within the budget we had agreed on at the very beginning. Throughout the year, she was able to answer all of our many questions in a timely way, to quietly moderate any differences between my daughter Marjorie and me, and to gently keep us on schedule with the many tasks that needed to be addressed and accomplished.

Finally, Barbara was there for us on the wedding day, from start to finish. She made certain that everyone was where they were supposed to be at the appointed times, and that the various wedding events happened in a timely manner. She supervised the efforts of the vendors (florist, DJ, photographer, and reception coordinator) to assure that everything was performed to perfection. Everything was truly perfect, and more beautiful that I could even have imagined, thanks to Barbara's efforts. Consequently, as the Mother of the Bride, I was able to relax and enjoy the wedding day preparations, the ceremony and the reception because I knew everything was in very capable hands. Barbara is indeed, the very best Wedding Planner!!

Stacey Sent on 05/16/2009

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Barbara was exactly what we needed! We were looking for someone to be there the day of, and someone to guide us in the right direction for selecting our other vendors. Without Barbara I would have never found some of the amazing vendors that helped make our day memorable.

Barbara was my LIFESAVER! Once I was engaged I recieved a new position with my job where I was traveling for 4 months straight (not an easy thing to do while planning a wedding). If it weren't for Barbara my day would have not been the same.
She was always available for me and responded quickly to all my emails and phone calls. She went above and beyond helping me with whatever I needed as her.

Her services surpased her reputation. I've had friends whose vendors almost ruined their wedding, and we were so nervous to let that happen to us. Barbara guided us in the right direction to reputable vendors WITHIN our price range. We were never sent somewhere we couldn't afford or somewhere we weren't treated with the greatest deal of respect. And all the vendors respected Barbara as well (which speaks for her work).

During wedding day she kept us calm and on time. She kept our wedding party in check and pictures rolling on time without being pushy or bossy. And she understood how important our day was to us. Best of all, her lifesaving kit really truely saved our wedding. We forgot progressional music, the ring pillow, double sided tape, etc. and she had it all.

MOST IMPORTANTLY... She allowed us to have our wedding day without worry. We were able to enjoy the day and know everything was taken care of. I never worried about what time vendors were coming, who was taking the presents, was the band set up in time, nothing. She took care of it ALL. There is no amount of money worth your memories of this day and the last thing you want it to be wasting it worrying about something.

If you need a wedding planner this is the one you want!

Robin Sent on 04/30/2009

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The quality of Barbara's services are exceptional. She knows her stuff and is on top of her game. She fulfilled our expectations and ensured she followed through on all she said she would. She is very personable, professional, and is quite responsive for any questions via email or phone call.

She knows the Austin locations and vendors well and has cultivated a good relation with many of the local vendors to be able to offer you great recommendations for all aspects of your wedding and preparations. We were also impressed when we had a few last minute requests for potential add ons for our event, that she was readily able to locate vendors with availability to assist us if we wanted to pursue those options.

Barbara is very flexible and extremely helpful and will ensure she helps ease any fears or concerns you have. A the last minute she readily stood in place for the officiant at the rehearsal and help guide everyone through the program, since our officient was unable to make the event that evening.

The value for our dollar was priceless! How can you put a true price tag on the satisfaction and ease in which Barbara ensured things flowed smoothly, without issue and took care of all the background details to allow the bride and groom and their families to fully enjoy themselves and not have to worry about coordinating when to cut the cake, or open the buffet, etc.? Those details were arranged ahead of time, and she coordinated with all onsite vendors to give us the best present of all...the ability to fully enjoy the fruits of all of our planning and preparation and not have to worry about the details.

It all looked effortless, but we know it was due to very efficient and effective planning from Austin's best bridal consultant. We would not recommend anyone other than Barbara. She is the best in Austin and we will always appreciate her efforts in helping us have a perfect wedding day!

Brooke Sent on 04/22/2009

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I would first of all recommend that all brides have a coordinator, at least the day of their wedding. If anyone is at all looking for someone to help them plan their wedding or coordinate all the details the week of, look no further than Barbara's Brides. Barbara was absolutely fantastic. 5-star across the board. She was my right-hand woman and I wouldn't have had the most amazing day of my life go off the way it did without Barbara by my side. If I had to change one thing, it would be having her help me more in the months leading to the wedding instead of just the day of. Everyone tells you how much goes into planning a wedding, but you just don't get it until it hits you in the middle of planning.

Barbara is the best!!!!!

Melissa Sent on 03/16/2009

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A year before we even started wedding planning, we interviewed a few wedding coordinators in town. When I met Barbara, my (now) husband and I knew immediately that she was the best person for job. She absolutely blew the other girls away and immediately made us feel at ease with this daunting process.

Throughout the year, Barbara was very responsive to our emails, gave incredible advice, and kept our best interest at hand. She led us in the right direction the entire way. And she defiintely proved that her services were worth every penny on our wedding night. Our wedding went off without a hitch. If anything went wrong, we didn't notice. Everything flowed perfectly. Barbara is extremely good at what she does.

To any brides that are considering hiring a wedding planner, do yourself a huge favor and hire Barbara. She has years and years of experience doing wedding planning and you will not be disappointed. You want your day to be memorable, and non-stressful and you'll get extreme satisfaction with her professionalism and excellent work.

I do not recommend hiring someone who is only in event planning and does weddings on the side. My sister in CA hired an event planner and he turned out to be terrible with coordinating her wedding. Vendor timing was off, things were forgotten, the planner was not on her side, etc. I have a list of things that went wrong. My sister mentions that she wishes she could have had Barbara on her team.

Barbara is fantastic and was our best vendor that we had on board. We truly can't thank her enough.

Samantha Sent on 02/21/2009

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Barbara truly did make our wedding day everything we had dreamed it could be and more. Barbara and her team made the wedding day run smoothly, we didn't have to worry about anything and could just enjoy our special day with our family and friends. Barbara was able to help us choose the right vendors for us at the right price, it was wonderful knowing Barbara had worked with all these vendors many times and that they would be dependable. Barbara was very flexible with us as we were planning the wedding from out of town and was always open and available. We can never thank Barbara enough for helping make our dreams of the perfect wedding a reality!

Tracy Sent on 02/20/2009

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Barbara is fantastic! She did my sister's wedding two years before mine, and luckily I was able to have her help for my wedding. I was planning a wedding in Austin from NYC, so Barbara was crucial in helping me pull together all the details from afar. She is incredibly good about responding back with any and all questions I had, and she is so super efficient. On the day of the wedding, both my groom and I were so pleasantly surprised at how effortless the day went--we never worried about a thing. Perfect example--when Barbara scooted us away from the reception for a minute to take some more pictures with our photographer, she even was prepared with lip gloss touch-ups for me! She thinks of everything!

Kelly Sent on 02/16/2009

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I hired Barbara for her "day of coordinator" package. This was hands down the best money I spent on my wedding! Barbara was amazing--from start to finish. Her advice on vendors was awesome--I was pleased with every single one I hired. And on the day before and the day of the wedding, she kept everything running so smoothly. Her professionalism is exceptional and I would recommend her to anyone!!

Heather Sent on 03/22/2020

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Attentive, focused, and kind

I loved working with Barbara and Gerad for my wedding. I chose them because of the services they offered, professionalism in our initial conversations, and because they offered reception only Day Of services. I really appreciated they understood brides need a varying amount 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!

Kristin Sent on 11/22/2010

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Barbara was our wedding planner and she did an excellent job. She recommended vendors to us and we were absolutely thrilled with all of them. I was overwhelmed with the thought of finding vendors but Barbara recommended a few in each area that I needed. It was such a relief to not have to pour over the hundreds of listings on the websites. The vendors that I ended up choosing from her recommendations were all completely professional and did an excellent job. The week of the wedding we had a slight issue come up and all it took was one phone call to Barbara and it was all sorted out. I knew then she was worth every penny we had paid. My friends and family commented that last week how calm I seemed and I really was. It was just nice to know there was someone who would be handling everything. On the day of the wedding things went perfectly. I have no idea if vendors were late or if there were any last minute issues all I know is when my guests and I arrived everything was perfect. Barbara and her team did an excellent job of pulling everything I wanted together. Thank you so much Barbara for making my day stress-free so that I was truly able to enjoy it.

Hillary Sent on 02/10/2009

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Babara Hearne with Barbara's Brides was so wonderful to work with. She is a true wedding planning professional with tons of experience. I was not really sure of what I wanted in terms of my wedding day, but Barbara helped me develop a vision and then helped to make that vision become a reality. All of my vendors were recommended to me by Barbara and they were all tremendous. The flowers were gorgeous, the food was delicious, the cake looked and tasted AMAZING, and the DJ was great. I compared Barbara's rates with other planners in town, and realized that Barbara's are unbeatable. I would strongly encourage all brides to hire a wedding planner and I would encourage them even more to hire Barbara - she's the best!

Kate Sent on 01/06/2020

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Terrible experience and very confused

Hiring Barbara was the biggest mistake of our wedding. It is hard to describe the sharp contrast between the amazing reviews we found on the Wedding Wire versus the service we ultimately received.

We chose Barbara because we needed reliable, day-of support and she had countless, five star reviews along with many years of experience. She was more expensive than many other coordinators and was out of our budget, but we were willing to spend extra money due to her successful record.

We were shocked at just how many things went wrong during our wedding as a direct result of trusting in Barbara’s Brides.

- Months after signing the contract, Barbara tried to substitute her services with an assistant coordinator because she wanted to coordinate a family friend’s wedding instead. Despite offering this substitution at a discount, we were confused at the offer’s overall lack of professionalism, and she eventually backtracked on the idea.

- On the day of our wedding, we never received an assistant coordinator, as promised from our initial conversations and later emails. It is unclear if they were reassigned to the other wedding. No reason was ever provided. 
- Partly as a result of the missing assistant, Barbara was consistently stressed and overburdened. She began the afternoon being rude to our family and making confused choices, such as pinning a parent’s corsage on a passing family member who simply ‘looked like the groom’s father’.

- Family and friends were consistently confused about where to go and what came next. Following our first look, we (the bride and groom) had to consistently locate bridal party and family members to begin taking portraits.

- Barbara began making spontaneous choices to simplify her workload. This included moving the location of our ketubah ceremony (a traditional, typically intimate step in Jewish weddings) from the arranged bridal suite to the reception hall, where she was arranging tables. This choice had a number of related problems, with the venue staff still at work setting up the space. The DJ (one of her preferred vendors) then began testing his mic equipment over the entire ceremony. When it was over, guests began arriving without any direction.  
- Barbara was then in a rush to replace our marriage contract in its frame, ripping the contract’s topmost layer in the process. This being an object of extreme cultural and marital significance, breaking it this way was incredibly painful and shocking. A replacement would cost hundreds of dollars, which Barbara said she would pay for.

- With fifteen minutes to go until the wedding ceremony, lost guests then began wandering from the ceremony space into the reception hall and saw a very confused bride and groom. Our family had to begin directing traffic (and creating a wall around the bride) at the last minute, as Barbara focused on table arrangements.

- It became apparent that Barbara had not carefully reviewed our agreed schedule of events or notes. The bride and groom never received cocktail hour appetizers during our fifteen minutes alone, after the ceremony. Later that evening, she announced a dessert-cutting (something we explicitly said we weren’t looking for at our wedding).

- Following the ceremony, as Barbara’s responsibilities grew more limited, she spent most of the time on her phone. Among other tasks, we know that she was looking for ways to repair the ketubah for less money than she’d promised for a replacement. She continued to mention what she’d found, proposing alternate options throughout the evening despite the bride and groom clearly trying to move past the event. 
- During the reception’s final hours, when no major tasks were remaining, final details were left by the wayside. The bride had to directly request that Barbara dim the lights for dancing. Our family had to gather the majority of remaining belongings to ensure that nothing was left behind at the venue. Even the leftover desserts— which, at one point, we were told could be placed in available to-go bags, for guests on the bus— were placed in boxes across various vehicles. Only the bride and groom were given a surprise to-go bag, which we assumed held desserts, and learned the next morning was actually filled with spoiled steak and potatoes.

- The bride and groom never heard directly from Barbara again. There was some brief back-and-forth over email with the couple’s parents to arrange compensation for the ketubah replacement, which was ultimately provided at a steep discount from the designer (per our own family’s direct communication with the designer).

- We received no refund or apology.

- We received no explanation for the missing assistant.

For the sake of transparency, there were a few things Barbara did effectively, from working with our florist to coordinating with our bus driver. As for any reasoning behind the rest of her behavior, we were made aware that a family member of hers was injured a few days earlier. When she told us, she didn’t express major concern, although this would be the best explanation for a number of missteps. That said, if this was the cause of her distraction, it’s even more confusing that she arrived without an assistant or outright substitute. This argument is also corrupted somewhat by her expressed interest in coordinating somebody else’s wedding that night, and the potential that this also affected her behavior.

In the end, there was no suitable explanation for what happened and how things were handled, particularly with so many years of experience.

Months later, we still feel that our wedding would have been better off without Barbara’s coordination at all. On top of this, far far too many tasks needed to be handled independently by the bride, groom, and families.

We do not recommend that you choose Barbara for your wedding.

Jamie Sent on 10/26/2010

Quality of service
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Flexibility
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My husband and I hired Barbara Hearne of Barbara’s Brides as our wedding planner after interviewing several other coordinators. She reassured us that even as our “month of coordinator” she would be able to save us more money than we would spend hiring her. She told us stories of other budget brides with whom she worked and ways that she helped them achieve their dream wedding. She never seemed overly friendly, but at the time she seemed experienced and dedicated to doing a good job.

Post-wedding I can tell you that hiring her was the biggest mistake that we made. She never saved us a single penny, degraded us for our budget (which she supported upfront), refused to be flexible, was unable to tackle situations creatively, and delivered the promises in her contract poorly, if at all. Trying to be fair, we contacted her with our complaints after we returned from our honeymoon. Rather than answering in a professional manner, Barbara was belligerent, refused to take responsibility for anything, and then took it upon herself to list everything from our wedding that she didn’t like, most of which had nothing to do with her executing her job as a planner.

I can honestly tell you that her lack of professionalism and inability to plan an event ruined our reception. I could go on and on about the ways in which she failed to deliver, but my advice for anyone planning an event is to stay far away from Barbara’s Brides. We have since reported her to the Better Business Bureau. I only hope that future couples can enter into a contract and receive the quality service that they deserve.

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