Czech Center Museum Houston Reviews

The Czech Museum was absolutely stunning. The pictures do not do it justice. Valerie, our coordinator, was extremely knowledgeable and professional. I did not worry on my wedding day. Valerie handled all the details and ensured all things ran smoothly. We will be happy to recommend to others. Thank you for making our day so beautiful!
Barbara & Domenick Capo
August, 2010

Back in October 2009 I finally married my high school sweet heart. I waited so long for the big day and it finally came. I only had the ceremony at the museum. I always heard when you are getting married it can be stressing finding the perfect place. I looked on line and found the Czech Museum and knew it was the place. When I went to have the date book I meet Valerie Kerschen. Valerie was very good making sure I had the date booked and I was completely happy. She was very good returning my calls and answering any questions that I had. Valerie was so helpful on the rehearsal day. She was kind to my family and that means a lot to me. Now when the big day came I was stressed out before I arrived, but there was an assistant that work at the Czech Museum, Olivia Junell, and the minute I walk in she took all my stress away. Olivia made sure that I was comfortable and that I had everything that I needed. Not one time did I ever have to look for Olivia, if I made a move she was there. Olivia made sure everything was in place and that when people that were in the wedding arrived they knew where to go. That was a load off of me. My family and friends loved the ceremony and thought it was so beautiful. Thank you so much ladies Valerie and Olivia for making my day a day I will never forget.
Maggie

We went to the Czech Center after our original reception venue nearly screwed everything up just a few months before our wedding. Olivia was GREAT! I couldn't have asked for a kinder or more friendly person to help us out. Not only did she coordinate the linens, contact my vendors for me (I was 1500 miles away) and put up with my crazy guest count change, she knew exactly the type of beer we'd requested for my dad and got it for him without any hassle. There's minimal decor that needs to be provided as the Brno Gallery is beautiful just as it is.

She helped us out so much during the ceremony - from giving us updates on the caterer to telling us what do to re: the cake.

Having such a helpful person is a big asset to this place - keep her at all costs! She's fantastic!

I recently had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah reception at the Czech Center and I can't say enough how perfect everything was! Valerie Kerschen, who coordinated the event, was with me every step of the way. Her professionalism, understanding, and willingness to accommodate all our needs was astounding. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Houston and once you see it and work with Valerie, you will not want to go anywhere else. Thank you for making this event so memorable!

Patti Wolf

Having my wedding reception at the Czech Center Museum made the night very special. The building is beautiful inside and out, and it truly set the mood for a romantic evening. The cost of renting the facility is reasonable and the staff work with you every step of the way. Our Event Coordinator, Valerie Kerschen, was so wonderful to us. She emailed me periodically to make sure I had everything I needed, she coordinated all the different vendors I was using, and she went out of her way to make sure I had a projector screen for the father-daughter dance so that I could honor my father's memory during the dance through a slide show. I cannot say enough good things about this center and I highly recommend them to anyone out there searching for the perfect reception location.

Sincerely,

Mr . & Mrs. Achivida

I was so impressed at the service they provided. They went above and beyond for my family. My father has difficulty getting around and they did whatever they could to help him. The museum is beautiful and everyone invited raved about it. Thank you to everyone there for giving us such a beautiful day!

It was a beautiful wedding and reception only because of Hanna. She did everything and was so pleasant and nice. She was "God Sent".

Hannah was awesome to work with and she made a stressful time go so much easier for me. She was always able to answer any of my questions that I had and she also gave me great ideas for the reception

I had a perfect wedding and everything went very well. Jasmine, my event coordinator, asked me if I could write a review and I think, they really deserved 5 stars.
This place is just incredible and I don’t understand why so few people know about. My family was happy and pleased about the staffs kindness and flexibility. I admit, after reading that many contrasting reviews, we were doubting to go with them until we saw the place. This is a little palace, just beautiful! They were actually so kind and let us come earlier before the actual rental so that we could take some professional pictures. Their place is just perfect to have some professional pictures taken.
Our event coordinator, Jasmine, was fun and always there to help us and very flexible. We were worried to be forced to be restricted in our caterer choice, as some family members have specific food preferences, but this was not a problem. We were free to choose whatever we wanted.
One great motivation was the price. We had a perfect wedding and didn’t break the bank. All in all, it was just great. Many thanks to Jasmine!!!!

I had my wedding here in 2010 and I think its a hidden gem for Houston wedding receptions. Colleen Walsh was the coordinator in charge and she did a great job. The price is right. They are TABC licensed and their vast beer selection includes specialty Czech beers. You can comfortably fit 200 people in the upstairs ballroom with a large dance floor. The entire staff is respectfully and willing to help. They have a preferred vendor list but will let you hire others. The inside is beautiful. The upstairs contains art work and windows and the downstairs has numerous museum items that guests can peruse.

The museum part is also a nice addition to the Houston museum scene. Czech Center Museum highlights a culture that strongly influenced Houston and the surrounding areas. A Must See!!

The Czech Center Museum hosted my daughters wedding reception. Valerie did a tremendous job of organizing and attending to every detail and truly took a personal interest in making our wedding reception exceptional. The facility is beautifully maintained and provides a relaxed but elegant atmosphere for a wedding reception. The guests enjoyed the cocktail hour downstairs in Bryno Gallery before going to the Prague Hall Ballroom upstairs for the dinner and dancing. This is an ideal reception location for wedding ceremonies that are in any of the churches in the museum district. Our guests drove only 3 blocks from St. Paul's Methodist Church to the Czech Center Museum. We felt as if we had the building to ourselves (which we did) and were not having to share space or arrange our time around another event as is often the case with receptions held at hotels. The building seemed to be the perfect size for our 180-190 guests; we never felt crowded and all seemed to flow well. The Czech Center Museum was a very good choice for us.

In early October 2009, I held my wedding reception at the Czech Center Museum and Cultural Center. The facility is very elegant, well decorated, warm, and the atmosphere lovely. We hosted around 150 guests. I had the pleasure of working with both Valerie and Olivia during our event planning and they both were always very helpful and never hesitated to work directly with me during all the mind-changing times that I had, and they were always with a smile on their faces. Of course, nothing is perfect... and I expect that it wouldn't be, so I tried my best to be as flexible as the CZ Museum. With that said, I was just a little disappointed (and the only small thing) was our champaigne was late to be poured that evening, but we worked it out. Know too that the parking in inner-city Houston typically requires valet. Everything went smoothly with that, and I expected the worse :-)The things that I loved about CZ was having the place to ourselves, having a lot of flexibility in chosing our caterer, music, and vendors, and of course the relationships we made with the staff who were great to work with. Thanks CZ, Lisa Morton-Romero

They were able to provide anything I asked for with complete professionalism.

I was elated on my Wedding Day and experienced bliss during my Wedding Reception at the Czech Center Museum Houston! This unique Baroque-Styled Palace nestled across the street from the ecletic and star-studded LawnDale Arts Centre was the perfect venue for me. It is both a Museum and Wedding Reception Venue.
The Museum is centrally located in between Downtown Houston and the Medical Centre in Houston's fabulous Museum District. Close proximity to Metro rail. The Cocktail Hour in Brno was a flawless mingling time for our guests who were permitted to browse or shop at Prague International Gifts Shop. All Staff and Volunteers were accommodating to me and my significant other. The Valet Service is generally impeccable and it is nice to treat one's friends and family to Complimentary Valet Service. The Bride, herself paid the Head Valet Person from Bluebonnet Valet so that her guests could relax and enjoy a luxurious afternoon. Chuck Sims was an ardent Dee Jay and we appreciate his good work to help make our Wedding Reception flow smoothly as well as inspire people to dance on the Dance Floor. Avant Catering is Creme de la Creme--supervised by Head Chef Julia Sharasby and Jennifer Vance. All of my family and friends raved about the exquisite menu and I will refer them to everyone I know. Currently they are operating in Houston as 'Fusion Taco.' Though I barely had time to nibble grand portions at my Wedding Reception, I made time the very next afternoon to savor all of it!

MAKE-UP ARTIST: BRANDIE SEIFERT---You are the best--thank you for making me look flawless. I recommend your experise to all Brides, Bridesmaids, and anyone wanting to look "picture-perfect."

Advantage Limousine were kind to us, although they forgot to stock a bottle of Champagne in the Bridal Party's Limousine--the white one, which is the main reason I am glad I rode with my brand new husband, my Dad, and the sociable, wonderful groomsmen in the Black Limousine where we toasted happy days now and always.
Andre's Swiss Bakery gave us exactly what we ordered for our Bridal Cake and Groom's 'Le Fraisier' cake.
Colleen Walsh went above and beyond her duties as Event Coordinator at my Wedding. She is efficient, reliable, extremely competent and laid back. Colleen is the perfect Event Coordinator for clients who do not want to be badgered with every minor nuance because she is amiable on top of being diligent. She even had to work on Sunday because the Holocaust Museum held a long Board Meeting here. What a long weekend it was for her! I appreciate her so much and everyone who assisted me in my Wedding Planning process and am happy that it was my Dream Wedding come true.
The only caveat: It is IMPORTANT to understand the Museum's policies, adhere to them and enlighten your guests. Have your Caterer visit the Museum two months prior to the Big Day so that they fully understand their working space and conditions of this small, yet inviting Museum that posesses old world charm. In my case, we paid everything in FULL very much in advance in order to avoid invoicing Post-Reception. Of course as is true with many clients, if the Guest Count changes one week before the Wedding then the Event Coordinator must order extra linens, and sometimes extra tables and chairs which justifies an invoice Post-Reception. There are some events where a client pays X amount of dollars for a Limited Consumption Bar Package and their Guests consume over the amount that was Paid. In this instance I do agree that the client should pay the remaining balance.
Overall I had an excellent Wedding Reception at the Czech Center Museum Houston despite being seriously injured on-the-job one month prior which prohibited me from dancing a choreographed Rumba that my Super Spouse and I learned for our Bride & Groom Dance.

This was not a wedding reception, it was a Corporate Party. The space was exquisite, charming and everyone of our guests loved being there. I hadn't ever hear of the Czech Center Museum before going to our party. The staff was friendly and let us use the hall for a fun Casino Night.

I am a Member of this organization and know Valerie Kerschen well. She has been there for 3 years and does far more than Event Coordinating. The Founders say it they do so many jobs and it is a fact. All Staff with the Founders do many jobs you can't have a title as merely "Event Coordinator" because they do it all from fundraising, to grant writing, to public relations and oodles of marketing--they seem to all work happily together. This museum has always had the right stuff and know where to find the right staff. I have seen other employees come and go and never seen one (who decided to leave for whatever reason) who did not add sparkle to this unique museum.

I would like to commend the Founders and everyone on their team!

I was very excited when I met with the planners in January, Valerie Kershen was superb! But in dealing with the other two people at the musuem my wedding day seemed as though it would be turning into a nightmare! I felt nervous and afraid that the big day would be ruined by the constant going back and forth about costs, number of guests, who is your caterer? You have more people than you first said, therefore we are charging you more. No to this, no to that...and the inflexibility of the other two people you will ultimately deal with is simply nerve racking! If you could work only with Valerie, she is kind, understanding, and beyond helpful. I do not know what my daughter and I would have done without her being there to assist and guide us. She is the ultimate wedding planner for the museum, and knows her stuff. I would strongly suggest moving forward with using this venue. It is beautiful, elegant, and perfect for youi wedding, but again, be very cautious, it is the other two staff members, two people in particular that I would caution you to look elsewhere before dealing with them!

Please be careful when renting this venue. The event planners were most helpful, but the manangement is very erratic and hard to deal with. Much of the problems I experienced was at the last minute. Be sure you tie down all details in writing. Three days before the wedding, I was sent information saying that I owed more money due to the attendance, but this was not discussed or introduced during the signing of the contract. At this time, I am dealing with board members to hopefully rectify the situation. The setting is beautiful, but not worth the problems you have to deal with.

I just got married at the Czech Center! It was absolutly horrible! Other than our event planner, Mrs. Valerie, it would have been a complete loss. She tried her hardest but the CEO of the Center is unflexible and rude. I would take Valerie any day but would have dropped the rest! The day you get married should be fun and exciting. Mine was full of what is going to happen next!

I have waited a few months to write this review in order to clear my head about the terrible experience I had in planning my wedding reception at the Czech Center. First and foremost, please be careful when reading the other reviews here on this site about the Czech Center – read carefully: they all include positive comments about Hannah, a FORMER event planner at this venue. When I signed my contract to have my reception there, Hannah was the one who assisted me and was truly WONDERFUL! Completely organized, professional, and responsive. I felt I was in such capable hands and overall had such excitement about my event. Then 2 months before my reception, Hannah moved on from the Czech Center to take another job, and everything went downhill from there. In hindsight, I realize now that Hannah was the one who shielded me away from the terrible management there.

After Hannah’s departure, I was assigned a new event planner who seemed to constantly be manipulated by the unethical management. They had agreed upon prices with me for services and, miraculously, they were being raised for “economic” reasons. On one occasion – at a meeting with my caterer – the owner consistently denied agreeing to a price that I had a SIGNED contract for and attempted to change rules for my caterer. The management is greedy and will find any way to lure you into raising your overall event cost once they have you signed up to have your event there.
On the day of my event, I was told that 3 members of management made themselves plates of food from our buffet (nobody asked us if that would be ok). I was also told by many of my guests that management was walking around during our cocktail hour and practically BEGGING them to donate to the museum. How incredibly tacky! I was so embarrassed to hear this after that fact.

I would absolutely not recommend this place to host your reception unless new management takes over, bottom line. On a positive note, the museum is very nice (minus the hideous fake flowers) and represents my culture, which is why I’m proud to have had my event there.

First, this review is not about the Czech Center Museum as a place to host an event rather about the management that run the place. The building is nice enough if you're willing to pay their prices. My issue is with the way we were treated. You’re promised many things and when it comes down to the final arrangement you cannot get a straight answer.

If you’re interested in renting the CCM you will have to select a caterer from their list of approved vendors and purchase drinks thru the museum. No beverages alcohol or otherwise can be bought into the facility. We were told we could have whatever beverages we chose. A selection of 5 beers was provided to the museum staff of which we assumed would handle the ordering for our guest of approx. 175 people. A few days before our event we were informed that our beer choices would not be available at the agreed to price & we would have to utilize the beverages on site; $4 domestics & $5 imports. On the day of the event approx. 45 minutes after event start the museum ran out of 2 of our initial choices, Bud Light & Miller Lite. One of our guests informed me that he was served 3 year old Coors Lite & the regular Bud now being served was 3 months past its born-on date. To compound the matter the museum is also serving $6 Czech beer. BTW, we had an open bar for our guest because we did not think it was right to have a cash bar since many had traveled great distances. We were told a cash bar was customary. When I approached management, Mrs. Effie Rosene, about my dissatisfaction with the way the bar had been handled she made excuses for the museum stating that “Our greatest problem for you apparently was that we did not ask you for your actual cases you wanted of your favorite beer.” It’s apparent that the museum sold us the contents of their cooler aged old beer & all. I tried to work a compromise with Mrs. Effie to no avail. After our initial discussion I tried contacting her again by phone & email & never received a reply.

My daughter's wedding was in April. I feel that I should do two separate ratings; one for the event planners and one for the facility and management. In September, when I booked the Czech Center, Olivia was our event planner. I loved her and worked well with her. During that time, Olivia turned in her resignation and I began to work with Valerie. Valerie is very gifted and worked well with us on plans. The closer we got to the event, the nightmare started building. The person who is over the Czech Center became more involved. Four days before the wedding, I was sent an e-mail with additional pricing, due to having more people at the reception than anticipated. I had never seen this pricing table, nor was this in the contract. Three days before the wedding, the management denied the caterer the ability to set up the reception hall as initially agreed upon, which caused bottle necking and extra time for our guests. Our caterer is very well known and does large events in Houston and the surrounding areas, but was treated as if she were a child. Our florist was told the day before the wedding that we could not have an altar or unity candles for the service. Of course, not stated in contract. The rehearsal dinner was scheduled at 6:00 the night before, but three months after scheduling, we were told by management that there had been a mistake and the rehearsal couldn't be held at the agreed time because another wedding had been scheduled. Management tried to blame the situation on an employee that no longer worked for her, but I know that it was scheduled properly. On the day of the wedding, we were promised the use of a room for the bride and party to dress in and a conference room for the groom and party. The groom's party was denied the room as promised and had to get ready in the restroom. The girls were told they could not bring make-up in the room they were going to change in. The manager was in the middle of the catering staff causing problems with them while they were trying to work. She followed the florist around as if she didn't trust him. On many occasions, the manager was rude, condescending and very unprofessional with our guests and family members. She changed rules at a whim and unfortunatley at the last minute. The event planners are very gifted at the Czech Center. The facility, although not entirely set up for weddings, is beautiful. If you could have your wedding without dealing with the management, you would be pleased. Unfortunatley, she is the boss and and the event planners work for her. My advice would be to think about this choice carefully before you make it. Be very explicit in every detail that will happen, put it in writing and have them sign it. If you get a rehearsal time, make sure it is put into the contract. I would urge anyone to draw schematics of the ceremony and reception set ups for the rooms and have them initial it and include it in the contract. If I had it to do over again, I would gladly go for less glitz and more common sense on such an important day.

First of all our rating is on the facility and management, not Valerie (she would get a 5 out of 5). We got married earlier in the year and we thought everything was going well. Wow, we were wrong. It would have been a total nightmare if it wasn't for our awesome wedding planner, Valerie. If you look back and read reviews that people sent in about the management and think well this isn't going to happen to me, you are wrong. The management was completely rude, unprofessional, and overbearing. The board of directors at the Czech Center must have spun a wheel to pick the managers of this facility. I hope to God they finally wake up and realize they need to make some changes in the staff. They have great and wonderful people like Valerie that they treat horribly! She is extrememly professional and works so hard to make sure everything is perfect then the Rosene's get involved and it seems they work so hard to make it the worst day of your life. If you are seriously thinking about using this facility for your wedding I would caution you, just like all the other reviews. The first question when you walk in to consider this place should be, are the Rosene's still managing? And if the answer is "yes" politely say "thank you" turn around and walk out. You may think this is a harsh thing to say, but I feel that if I were to say what I really thought, wedding wire would delete my review. So to sum it up, the place is Gorgeous, you can't find a better coordinator than Valerie Kerschen, but management is by far the only thing holding this facility back. If that changes and Valerie is still there I would recommend it, but not until then.