The Contemporary Austin Reviews

I booked Laguna Gloria for my ceremony and reception. Ceremony - Amphitheater Reception - back terraces/patio with tables on long path When planning the wedding I was not sure what I was looking for, just that I wanted something outside and at a beautiful venue. When I saw Laguna Gloria I was sold! It's a beautiful venue. My contact at the venue was Shannon and she was excellent. She provided thorough communication and was very helpful answering my questions. It is an expensive venue, but I think it was worth it. I would just make sure you read your contract that Shannon provides thoroughly before signing. There are a lot of restrictions since it is a museum, and it is expensive compared to other venues, but I think it is worth it. Our guests were blown away by how beautiful it was and we got a sneak peek of our photos and they are gorgeous!

The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria wedding venue was amazingly beautiful! It was perfect for an outdoor wedding, especially in the afternoon with the incredible strung lights around the villa and the gorgeous art pieces. The Temple of Love ceremony site was breathtaking, and perfect for a small intimate wedding!

Shannon was wonderful at answering any and all questions that I asked her both promptly and kindly - she was a huge help in keeping me sane through the wedding planning process. The day-of coordinators, Blythe and Victoria, were great at coordinating with our other vendors and helping the guests with anything they needed. Even when a sudden storm came in during the reception, they did not hesitate to help with getting everything inside the Driscoll Villa (very quickly)!

All in all, including the service, the aesthetic of the venue, and the adaptability of the staff in mind, we could not have chosen a better venue to celebrate our love with family and friends!

We had my dream wedding at Laguna Gloria last weekend- it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I am so happy with how it turned out, I got so many compliments on this venue and it was perfect for our 75 person wedding outdoors. We had an intimate ceremony out at the Temple of Love, which I think is so unique compared to all of the church weddings we have been to recently. We did the long table along the path by the lake and strung lights and candles, and the venue was the perfect backdrop! I would say the beautiful gardens and venue made it so we didn't have to have as much decor and flowers as other places. I very much lucked out to have beautiful weather- the rain plan here isn't the greatest, we would have moved inside and rented a small tent, outdoors was my dream so I am glad it worked out! This isn't the venue for you if you want a package deal as you have to bring everything in yourself, but I enjoyed doing all the planning for it and making my dream come true. They aren't as difficult as some reviews say, you just have to know what you are getting into and know the vendors to use and they will all make it work without a problem! The ladies were also so nice to work with and they tried hard to make sure I got what I wanted within their limits! I recommend Laguna for a beautiful outdoor wedding!

such a beautiful place!!! And everyone loved our wedding venue and thought it was so romantic. Thank you to the amazing staff at Laguna that helped make our day special.

I got married at Laguna Gloria on Sept 30 2011 and it was absolutely beautiful. No other venue in Austin can compare to the unique building and the gorgeous view of Lake Austin from the back porch. The lighting was beautiful in the late evening. All my guests said that it was one of the most unique (the rocky steps down to the amphitheater served as our aisle) and beautiful weddings they had been to. The texas sunset was the icing on the cake during the reception. Erin the manager was very nice and enjoyed helping out at all steps along the process. She always answered my emails promptly and thoughtfully. I highly recommend Laguna Gloria for any special occasion!!

All I can say is AMOA-Laguna Gloria is ABSOLUTELY the most beautiful spot in Austin! Everyone of my guests went on and on about how gorgeous the venue was. I was so happy we chose Laguna and have to say that they were also very easy to work with. Megan always catered to my needs and was always very nice to work with. Thanks so much! ~Jennifer Hancock

We've had an incredible experience working with the rentals team at Laguna Gloria. Having a wedding at an active museum is so unique! Talk about an unforgettable cocktail hour for you and your guests. The scenery (and art!) is beautiful, and it's location near downtown Austin can't be beat.

PROS: Laguna Gloria is absolutely beautiful and I am so happy that we chose this venue for our wedding. There are a million different ways that you could configure your setup and every one would be incredibly scenic. You really don't need to do much decorating because the venue speaks for itself. The location is very convenient to downtown, everyone had such a great time and I really would love to be a guest at a wedding there! The rental rate is also pretty reasonable if you are not having a wedding in the peak season.
CONS: One con is that you have to be out of the venue by 11 and music has to be turned down by 10:30, due to noise restrictions and the fact that this is in a residential area, so if you are also having the ceremony at the site, you are going to have to start pretty early. Also, they restrict your catering choices to a list of "approved vendors," which includes almost all of the big companies in town, but if you wanted something specific, you would be in trouble. Finally, my very first meeting with the venue rental coordinatior was a bit off and I really got a very snobby and condescending vibe from her. It was a really bad first impression and I honestly thought about not going with the site because of it. I am glad that I decided to because from then on I had no customer service problems and was very happy overall.

Laguna Gloria is an absolutely stunning venue located on Lake Austin. The amphitheater would have been our dream location for our ceremony, had it not raining and hailed buckets the day of our wedding! The ceremony was held under a tent on the villa patio and was still beautiful and memorable. The staff at LG was super friendly, helpful and responsive to all of our questions. It is located in a residential area so there are noise restrictions in place and the party has to wrap up at 11 PM but couples are allowed to choose their own caterer and bring in their own alcohol. It is not a venue for those on a strict budget. At $5,000 for a summer weekend, their are cheaper spots in town, but none more beautiful - plus the money you pay for Laguna Gloria goes to a great cause.

We loved having our wedding ceremony right on the water at the beautiful amphitheater and then moving the guests straight to the party at the villa. The villa is small though, and you're really looking at an outdoor wedding, so be prepared with an inclement weather plan! The grounds are gorgeous and very well maintained; it was our first choice of venues in Austin. We highly recommend it.

Laguna Gloria is in a word GLORIOUS! Very old-world feel, gorgeous grounds, and a very special location for a wedding. It is a one-of-a-kind venue, and you definitely pay the price for it. Just be aware that at this venue, you have to bring EVERYTHING in, so your rentals bill will be at least as much as the cost of the venue, plus you have to bring in generators, lighting, etc. as the electricity and lighting goes along with a villa built 95 years ago. Despite all this, it is an incredibly romantic venue-it stole my heart the first time I saw it, and our guests absolutely loved it!

Perfect Venue. Absolutely beautiful. Very little involvement from the staff though. Your paying for the venue not their services and they don't offer much help so you definitely need a coordinator if you're booking here. Fortunately you can visit the venue any time you like which helps tremendously in the planning process. Regardless, its absolutely beautiful and unforgettable so I recommend it!

Laguna Gloria is beautiful, but only if you have a very small wedding (75 people) and the weather is absolutely perfect. They are the strictest, most difficult venue to work with. All my vendors even thought so. I would never recommend for a wedding because if anything goes wrong they aren't flexible enough to help you, and the venue only allows vendors in at an unreasonable amount of time to set up. With that said, it is extremely expensive and the tenting is a must.. You're looking at at least $10-$15,000 just for that.

Although the venue is very pretty, it includes nothing, no chairs, tables not enough indoor space for backup plan in case of rain. They took away the room upstairs that was for the bride to get dressed in. The only restroom is upstairs. And you can't even have access to the site for set up until after 3:30. Do not have your wedding there unless you have at least 40,000 budget!