The Grand Texana Reviews

I recently attended a family reunion at The Grand Texana. The historic buildings were so wonderfully decorated and interesting. I loved the furnishings and the stories behind the place. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. The food was great and the chapel was so cute. I would definitely recommend having your family get together and weddings here.

I fell in love with the chapel but everything is beautiful. It was perfect for the small wedding we imagined and they made it happen. The inclusive package was nice and saved some stress!

The Grand Texana was the perfect setting for my daughter's wedding. Anne and the entire staff were great to work with and all went as planned. The Grand Texana is highly recommended!

My husband and I are active duty military stationed in Germany, and our family knew planning our wedding from across the world would be quite the undertaking, let alone one in 3 months’ notice! Catering, DJ, bakery goods, day-of coordinator, vendor recommendations and STUNNING decorations were all included! We were emailed thorough written guides of all necessary planning steps, which was perfect for me! The historic barn, chapel, and bride/groom cottages were all beautiful facilities, and they made my wedding day feel that much more romantic. Anne and Denise were both lovely to work with, thorough to ensure no details we missed on our big day, and happy to assist with questions and last-minute needs. If you are in need of beautiful, rustic, low-stress wedding venue, this is the place!

After Anne and Stormye helped us reschedule our original wedding date due to COVID, we finally had our wedding in the summer once restrictions started lifting. Anne and Stormye did their best to help us ensure that the ceremony and reception were socially distanced and that our guests would feel safe and still have a good time. Everyone on their staff made our day run so smoothly and the all inclusive package was had gorgeous decorations. The DJ was great, the food was so good we saw guests going for seconds and even thrids, and the dessert bar was so heavenly my fiance and I snatched a cake ball from it before we had even gotten our dinner plates! (we still dream about those cake balls) Stormye made our day run so smoothly and calmly- and even body blocked a late guest from trying to walk down the aisle as the wedding processional was going! What a life saver! Could not have asked for a smoother wedding than that, especially while dealing with a pandemic! Thank you all!

Anne and Stormye helped my fiance and I reschedule our original wedding date due to COVID and made the process very easy on us. They also helped us ensure that our guests would feel safe and socially distanced at the ceremony and reception and still have a good time. We went with the all inclusive package which made planning very easy for my wife. The DJ was very easy to work with and the food options were perfect. The dessert bar and cake option was so unique and our guests loved it. Stormye kept my wife calm and made our day run so smoothly. Could not have asked for a smoother wedding than that, especially while dealing with a pandemic! Thank you all!

Beautiful venue! Anne and Stormye are fantastic people and they made it easy to plan and kept us relaxed and on schedule on the wedding day. Food was good. Don’t hesitate to book the Grand Texana!

I can't even begin to put into words how amazing our wedding way. From the first email to the last Ann and Stormye were amazing. They were always in contact with me, going over details and making sure that we had everything we needed. My husband and I wanted a stress-free wedding so we choose the all inclusive package that handles everything; food, cake, dj, security, and bartenders. Our guest where not only in awe of how beautiful the venue is they were also blown away with how delicious the dinner and cake were. My dream wedding that I imaged turned into a true fairytale wedding. If you are looking for a venue to treat you like family, this is it. Thank you again to Ann and Stormye for a fantastic wedding.

The Grand Texana was perfect! As MOG, my only involvement was oohhh and ahhing over the wonderful choices my future daughter-in-law and her mother were making. From what I understand, the wedding coordinators worked well with their family, including being accommodating with meetings and planning with my d-in-law being out of the country.

The grounds are beautiful, the venues are gorgeous. I love the history of the venues and it added so much charm to our event. The groom's carriage house is understated yet elegant, and the bridal cottage is breathtaking, spacious and decorated so lovely.

There were several drawbacks that didn't affect our event much, but there are rules in place based on what the venue has endured due to other wedding parties taking advantage of The Grand Texana. Just be aware of them, and note that the venue has had to implement those because others act inappropriately. If you're unsure...really read what they are expecting of you as these are followed quite closely, including time frames.

I would say it would be beneficial to the venue to provide outdoor seating for those who are infirmed (or tired of dancing!) during the hors d'oeuvres hour and during the dancing, rather than having guests bring chairs in from the reception.

Also, if the weather is to be cold, and you're having dancing, bring blankets for your guests. Our evening turned quite brisk and ended up raining, and despite the heaters our bride's family brought it, it was still very cold for those who were not dancing. As well, if rain is predicted, bring umbrellas. You can go from the chapel to the reception and dancing area without getting wet, but if you need to use the restrooms, that pathway is uncovered.

The Grand Texana is a historic rustic barn wedding venue with its white chapel and reception that is intimate & romantic. The venue lays in beautiful green pastures filled with flowers and few curious cow friends. It was perfect for us! Like any wedding, there were some small errors the DJ that was provided messed up. However, despite the small minor hiccups from vendors this venue is timeless and unique and will bring warmth to our wedding. We are still receiving compliments on how beautiful the venue was and how it truly made everyone feel like a family.

This venue is very pretty. We had a short, 5 hour event (Sunday Brunch Wedding). We were very rushed upon arriving to the venue, had no time to even say hello to our bridal party, and felt that the venue just wanted to get things over with. We gave the venue our arrival times, which they said were totally fine, but as soon as people began arriving, we were hurried to get things done. We were not allowed to arrive earlier than 10AM, with a ceremony beginning at 11AM. This would have been fine, but there was no reason to rush my Groom and his Groomsmen into the chapel at 10:30. He didn't even have time to give his groomsmen their gifts and say thank you. If this was going to be so rushed, we should have been advised of this and/or allowed to arrive a bit earlier.

I do see that this brunch wedding is no longer an option offered on their website packages, so maybe we were the last couple to be able to have the inclusive brunch wedding and they were ready to get things over with.

I was asked, while the reception was still going on, if they could start clearing out decor. There is a paid hour cleanup at the end of the reception - this shouldn’t have even been a question.

All in all, we felt we couldn't even enjoy our day because of how rushed we were.

EDIT: The response from the venue is comical at best. We chose our start time, asked the venue if it was okay, had invitations printed, and then were told the earliest we could arrive was 10AM. At NO point was it appropriate to rush my groom into the chapel at 10:30AM, usher me into the chapel while my groom was standing in plain view of me before the ceremony, or ask if clean up could begin before the reception was over. This venue is deceptive at best and, judging by the responses to the other bad reviews, are passive aggressive in their comments. Spend a little extra and go somewhere else, brides. It’s not worth it here.

My husband and I decided to tour The Grand Texana in March 2020 right as COVID began to shut things down. We liked the idea of an all-inclusive wedding and with little to no time to look for other venues to tour, we decided we’d go with it.

PROS:
• The grounds are pretty. The tables, chairs, lights, etc. looked good for the ceremony/reception. The women’s bathroom is cute.
• Denise, our day of coordinator, was helpful during the weeks leading up to the wedding, as well as the wedding day. Responsive.
• Food was delicious. We chose BBQ and received many compliments.
• The baker was easy to work with and the cake was pretty.

CONS:
• During the initial tour, my husband and I were not informed of the “no liquor during reception” rule. Stormye, Anne’s granddaughter who used to work at the venue, mentioned “no shots” for the guys while getting ready. It wasn’t until the contract was sent over that we received that information. We told Stormye that we were leaning toward backing out. They agreed to allow us liquor until an hour before send off.
• We asked about doing an ice cream truck at the end of the night. Anne said no. She said she preferred to work with vendors she knew and didn’t know about hooking it up for electricity.
• No rehearsal the night before. Anne said it had to be done the morning of the wedding and that brides and families “love” this aspect. If you agree to a morning rehearsal, you’re not allowed on the grounds until 11:30 AM; therefore, having a rehearsal is nearly impossible while also getting hair and makeup done. Not to mention, the bride couldn’t be part of the rehearsal. Yes, Anne allows you to pay a $300 fee to get onto the grounds an hour early to do the rehearsal at 10:30.
• To piggy back on my previous point, our hair/makeup team, which we found on Anne’s preferred vendor list, said we would need to start no later than 9:30 to ensure we were done in time for pictures with our photographer at 2:30. We offered to pay Anne $300/hr for TWO extra hours so that we could get onto the grounds at 9:30 and use the bridal cottage to get ready. However, Anne said no because the staff “needed to clean” in the morning, even though they did not have an event the evening before. Anne also explained that many bridal parties get ready offsite, which leads me to believe that the time frame hasn’t worked for others either. So instead of using the bridal cottage, I had nine bridesmaids, two moms, and two flower girls getting ready at my house the morning of the wedding. Unnecessary added stress.
• The water did not work in the bridal cottage restroom. While the staff “cleaned” that morning, I am surprised no one became aware that there wasn’t running water. When we notified a staff member, she suggested that it was probably due to pipes freezing during the ice storm — the ice storm that took place in February. Our wedding was in June.
• I expressed concern with a five-hour event to Anne. She kept insisting that couples get tired and want to leave/end their wedding early. She also stated couples rent spaces after the wedding if they want more time. She finally agreed to a six-hour event after I explained how disappointed our families were with her lack of willingness to work with us. When my mom reached out to confirm start and end time of the event for shuttle purposes, Anne responded that events were five hours. Due to prior miscommunication, I had saved and printed emails to bring to the 30-day meeting to show that it had been agreed upon. She said she “forgot”.

• I also reached out to Anne about whether ice was provided. Again, she replied via email that it was, but told us it was not provided at our 30-day meeting. Luckily, I also brought that email to show where she had responded to us previously. She stated that she had said yes because ice was provided for water during dinner, but not for drinks. After seeing my printed email, she provided ice.
• We were also informed at the 30-day meeting that we needed to pick a family member or guest to cut our wedding cake because it was not a service provided by the staff. If you have ever planned an event, you know that is unusual. There is normally a cake cutting fee. However, Anne said that was not an option. The baker thought it was unusual, as well.
• We received an email an evening or two prior to the wedding to explain that there should be minimal drinking while getting ready on the grounds. Very odd thing for an owner to say to a bridal party when our family paid to rent the grounds for the day. This was restated again by Anne to the groomsmen in the morning, saying “emphasis on the word minimal.” My husband was extremely embarrassed. You want your wedding party to feel comfortable as they spend their day celebrating you, not feel like they’re being babysat. Most of the emails regarding the wedding day were a reminder of the many “don’t dos”. The emails also asked us to make our guests aware of the don’t dos… Who is going to reach out to their guests prior to the wedding to tell them all of the things that aren’t allowed? Who would even want to go at that point?!
• Fast forward to the ceremony. There was a gentleman who drove the golf cart. He took the bridal party to the chapel and came back to get my dad and me. I kept asking him if it was time to take us, as we were sitting there for quite a while after everyone was already dropped off. He kept saying no and that staff would radio him. He then got a call which got him flustered. I later found out it was because the parents and bridal party had all already walked down the aisle and they were waiting for just us. We watched our wedding video, and everyone was turned around watching the door for one minute and twenty-eight seconds. Shout out to Third Floor Strings because they looped my entrance song about 3-4 times. Ridiculous.
• I will preface this next point with there was a $1,000 retainer Anne collected in case there was damage to the property. It was also in the contract that more would be collected if needed. With that said, there was a sign stating, “No drinks in the chapel.” However, Denise asked my husband and me what we would like to drink and brought it to us. A few of us witnessed Anne snap at Denise because she put our beers down on her pew, even though they were in a koozie. Anne sat in and/or around the chapel the ENTIRE cocktail hour to dictate what happened in there because her floor isn’t sealed, and she didn’t want anyone to spill. Again, we were babysat. It is a venue. Seal your floor so your guests can enjoy one drink while they wait to take family pictures. Anne asked multiple family members to leave with their drink, but most importantly, she asked our uncle, who has Parkinson’s, to stand outside of the chapel with his soft drink. Anne is the owner. She is not the day of coordinator. She should not have been walking around enforcing rules of the contract with our guests. That is why you collect the retainer. It is embarrassing how many family members and guests left knowing Anne’s name.
• We had a main table for the bridal party, as well as 11 other tables. Despite our seating chart, staff put eight plates at every table. Well, there weren’t eight guests sitting at every table. Therefore, guests decided to move around to other tables for dinner which left one table completely empty and one table with only two guests. I even had a guest say to me, “I’m glad I wasn’t assigned to sit there,” pointing to the empty table. My mother and father in law felt badly for the two guests, whom they had never met before, and decided to eat dinner with them, which meant they didn’t get to sit with their own family.
• We also dealt with undesirable weather the evening of the wedding, as there was a tornado warning in Southern Waller County, thirty miles from The Grand Texana. “The National Weather Service send out wireless alerts when a tornado, flash flooding, evacuation order or other immediate emergency is happening. They're distributed to all phones within a certain radius of the emergency, so you'll receive them for whatever local area you're in.” Our phones did not receive a warning because we were not within the radius. No, a tornado warning in a surrounding area is not her fault and yes, we understand it would call for certain measures to be taken. My complaint is the way it was unprofessionally handled. We started dancing at 8:30 PM and we had the venue until 10:30, as we paid the $300 fee to Anne and $150 to the DJ for the extra hour. We were outside for 15-20 minutes when Denise brought her phone up to me on the dance floor IN FRONT of my guests to show me the radar. She asked what I wanted to do. There had been little to no rain, and I told her I would move the party inside if we absolutely needed to. Not long after, she brought her phone up to me again and I was annoyed because I thought that she could’ve discussed that with one of our four parents at the wedding. Next thing I know, Anne and Denise walked up to Clay and me, again while we were on the dance floor in front of our guests. I will never forget Anne saying, “We’re shutting it down.” That is the first thing she said when she came up to us. I was shocked, but because of my interactions with her throughout the planning process, I wasn’t surprised. She could tell we were upset and asked us to go inside the barn where dinner had been. It was 9:10 PM. She told Clay and me that she “couldn’t hear” what we were saying, even though we were 2-3 feet from her, and she made the DJ turn the music off. Our guests sat outside on the patio for fifteen minutes in silence. She didn’t have the DJ make an announcement. She just turned the music off completely. She told us that everyone needed to leave. We told her that everyone had been drinking and our guests expected to have another hour and twenty minutes before leaving in case they needed to sober up. She didn’t care. She would rather have put our guests at risk on the road instead of giving us the time we paid for. The music turned back on for about twenty more minutes and then we were told all guests needed to come into the barn and be gone by 10 PM. After that interaction, we never saw Anne or Denise. Denise didn’t setup our send off so we didn’t have one. Neither were around to assist us when cleaning up the grounds. They just left. Of course, Anne complained about a bottle not being disposed of correctly. However, my family and I were left to ask the security guard if it looked the way Anne would like it.

Anne never apologized for how she handled anything. Instead, she emailed us explaining how our guests and families were in the wrong for the evening.


Out of 109 guests, I had 50 from out of town/state – Maryland, Florida, West Virginia, North Carolina. I never get to see those family members and friends. Instead of enjoying my time with them, I dealt with Anne. Anne has an idea of what your wedding should be and does not want you to deviate from it. She had to have her hand in every detail every step of the way. She is passive aggressive and there is no doubt in my mind that she will comment on how our “day was beautiful” but then pretend that there are discrepancies in my review.

I cannot stress enough how disappointed I am in myself for not looking at other venues. I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. We live in Texas. Tour one of the other millions of barns in the state.