The Heights Villa — Attraction in Houston

Shoutout to the team here: The owners Cathy & Brendan & the planners Kelli & Jamie, their third party recommendation for day of coordinator Elan with Hayden Pierre Events & wedding planning & the staff who serviced our event; They really go the extra mile to stay on top of the planning and organizing. There were even times when I would call or email so often I felt like I was a bother but they were always so kind & transparent about everything. I also never had any issues in contacting anyone so huge props and 10 stars for communication! It’s a big weight off to work with seasoned veteran professionals in this industry! We picked the heights villa’s “Grand Ballroom” (they have 2 options but we preferred the larger) because unlike most other venues that offer “all-inclusive” packages, their packages really do include it all! Tables, chairs, linens, up lighting, centerpieces, photobooth, & lots of upgrade decor & floral options! There is also a large cocktail/gathering hall with lounges and 3 bars which was a plus as we were sure the bars would flood once our ceremony was over and wanted to alleviate long lines for our guests. They also offer a bar buyout option which is truly what solidified our selection. We anticipated about 250 guests prior to the corona-virus scare & we still had 200 show up to our event on 3-14-2020. No other venue offered full open bar packages we could find that would properly accommodate this many people for under 6,000 dollars so this was huge when we finally found the bar buyout here. We paid a very small fee to provide all of our own alcohol (liquor, beer, wine, & white claw) & they provide glassware, straws, Ice, & mixers. This saved us so much money!!! The only complaints we have is the room flip taking just a bit longer than expected so we had to shave off our dollar dance off the timeline so when the reception was over we weren’t ready for it to end lol & while the hand passed hors d'oeuvres were fantastic, we found ourselves really disappointed in our dinner food from the preferred Caterer Ral’s Fine Catering. We met personally with Ral to sample & taste menu offerings & another time at an open house the heights villa hosted & felt confident in selecting them as our caterer but day of, our carving block beef was so so dry & topped with gravy instead of the creamy horseradish we selected, the salads served at room temp, & the yummy passion tea we selected wasn’t served either. I know people don’t remember weddings for the food & as a former industry veteran myself I understand flukes can happen so I’ll just chalk it up as such but it did hurt a little to pay $7,000 for 230 plates we felt were underwhelming. On the plus side, the amount we paid in catering did include staff that offered beverage/coffee and bussing service as well as silverware and linens which I have seen as a separate expense so despite the food being eh we appreciate the service the catering package included overall and again, the appetizers were delicious AND the staff made sure to swing by the wedding party taking photos so we could indulge as well which was also very appreciated! As far as the room reset— I’d say it took about an hour and a half total reset time as opposed to 45-1 hr but our ceremony ran longer than expected & started about 10 minutes late as well so there are so many factors that can occur that don’t fall entirely at fault of the venue. Ceremony was in the grand ballroom & during cocktail hour the ceremony room was flipped for reception. The plus side of the room reset/cocktail Time is that there is so much space for guests to filter out and enjoy themselves! 3 different beautiful outdoor spaces with lots of photo ops, 3 different bars & lounges/lounge space. We even kinda forgot about our 2 hours of photobooth & they let us have a few extra minutes to enjoy and get some shots with our friends & family! The few timing issues were so minute that we hardly even noticed & everyone who attended has praised us for throwing such a well executed and beautiful wedding so we are happy & still...

As a bride in search of the best place to hold a wedding ceremony/reception, there are a whole host of things that can factor into the decision. Let me start off this review by saying there were 2 big things that truly won me over with this venue that I want to focus on:

1. On our very first visit to The Heights Villa (THV), Brendan (one of the owners) said "We do things differently at The Heights Villa. You might love it. You might hate it, but what you see is what you get." After hearing that, I was well on my way to being sold on this place. A genuine, no-nonsense approach from very real, down-to-earth people is exactly what we got in our experience working with Cathy, Brendan, and Kelli at THV.

From day one, everything was clearly laid out in black & white. They said no hidden fees - and they meant it. If something was going to cost extra, we knew about it ahead of time and had full authority and understanding over what would ultimately happen - end of story. They helped us save money where we could in our budget while still giving us premium service & attention to detail.

The kind of conversations I had with each THV representative left me feeling seen, heard, and acknowledged as a bride (regardless of how stressed out I probably seemed to them).

When they heard about my house fire in the final 2 months leading up to our wedding, they called me out of the blue to offer to help us out with things that were outside of their scope of work as a venue (printing our seating chart, offering additional set-up equipment, etc.).

2. THV is well-connected with a whole slew of top-notch vendors. When they say someone does a great job for them, they mean it. Good people attract more good people, and I am so thankful for them sharing their list of preferred vendors with us. Having this network of vetted wedding professionals at our fingertips took a HUGE weight off of my shoulders as the primary planner. Not only were we saving time and money, but we were also saving the added stress of communication errors that often arise when a new team of people comes together to execute a project. Y'all - I had ZERO hiccups from ANY of them (at least none that actually got back to the bride's ears). No mistakes. No issues. No nothing. Just great service, people doing what they said they would, and enjoying my last day as a single gal.

Our THV-recommended vendors include: Tony Houston (photographer), DJ Scottish Roy (DJ), Sweet Nation (cake), Lasagna House III - Spring location (catering)

Thank you SO much THV! Jonathan and I loved working with y'all and will continue to recommend y'all to anyone and everyone who needs a beautiful venue for their wedding...

Do not book with the heights villa! I cancelled My event there and went with another venue due to differences/regulations and they kept my entire $12,640 that I paid them. My event date hasn’t even happened which was June the 26th and they Didn’t reimburse any money back. I don’t think it’s fair because they should have at least reimbursed the money that they do not have to pay out due to my event not happening. Think about what kind of place this is if they will keep someone’s hard earned money when all they ended up providing was a tour, a one hour consultation and meeting me at Starbucks to collect my check. They Will say that I rescheduled too many times and that’s another reason why they aren’t a good venue. 1 I got the venue for my daughters 15 and her grade was having their class trip on the original date so I called to find a new date, they said it would be $1,000 for rescheduling and I payed it. My original date was in April so it would have not Happened regardless due to covid. The second date was 5/25 again due to covid that date did not happen so they sent me a selection of new dates that I could choose from. At the time I chose the latest date they had available which was in September and when the time got closer I did not feel comfortable because kids were not going to school in person. (How could I ask parents to bring their kid to a party if they couldn’t even go to school in person). I asked for a new date In 2021 and they told me the fee would be $1500 and I paid them again. In the end I completely switched venue because they are too hard to work with, are rude and have no sort of sympathy even though we were in a pandemic. All I wanted was for my daughter to have the best 15 and I didn’t feel like that was possible there at the Heights Villa so I went to another venue and got the exact same date and time but with a much better experience. Obviously they should know that they are doing something wrong if I felt the need to start All over at a new venue instead of having it there where I had paid in full. They have terrible business practices and the owner is a lawyer so the contract is very biased. ( I went for a tour and gave them my Deposit and then they emailed me the contract which I signed and sent back.) I just don’t think any of this was fair and that no one should be able To keep another persons money if the agreement was the fee in exchange for a date at the venue and that isn’t going to happen. I sent my cancellation form over two months before my Date that hasn’t even happened yet. I could go on about how they made me feel but owner threatened to sue me. Please be aware and learn...