I was tasked by my family to find a venue to host an engagement party for my daughter and her fiancé. There were a lot of moving parts for the party with people not only coming from out of state but out of the country as well. For the record, I am not at all experienced in planning a party with the size, scope and ambition as this engagement party would require. Still, my daughter gave me a list of potential venues and I crossed my fingers as I set out to find one that could cater to our unique needs.
I absolutely hit the jackpot in finding The James Event Center. From the outset their staff have been impossibly professional as they held my hand to guide me through the process. Any emails I sent were quickly and enthusiastically responded to, any questions I asked were addressed promptly and if the staff didn't have a definitive answer at the time they would look into it and come back to me as soon as they had one. I felt at home the moment they emailed me back. I felt welcomed and any concerns of mine were put to ease immediately. Their staff were infinitely helpful.
I got a very personal touch from both Angela and Toni at The James. From day one they listened to what we were looking to do for the party and came back to us both with answers as well as something my daughter loved to hear; OPTIONS! Angela and Toni came up with ideas that we didn't even know existed but once we heard them we knew they were perfect for the party. That was one of the things I really loved about The James, their input enhanced the party far beyond what we first had imagined. Anything they suggested from the food to the entertainment to even the lighting, color scheme and tents seemed to compliment what we originally had in mind.
No detail was overlooked because these ladies really know how to throw a great party.
Another thing I really like about The James was how customizable the space can become. I have been to far too many "cookie cutter" venues where there is literally no differentiation between one party to the next as they use the same menu as well as setup whether you're there for a wedding, an engagement party, a graduation party or what have you. Not so at the James as the space gave us an incredible amount of flexibility to design exactly what we wanted. If we wanted more options than what were originally given to us the ladies would go out and find us more until we were satisfied. The words "that's all we offer" was never said by the staff of the James.
I never felt like I was pressured to use people from their preferred vendors list. If we wanted to see what else was out there, Angie and Toni helped me find vendors who were specific to our event. They were invaluable to us in this capacity which was greatly appreciated.
The fact that The James is so customizable made the space much more interesting. Originally we were thinking that the party should be an elegant affair which could be easily achieved inside. However, as most of the guests are coming in from major metropolitan areas and are stuck indoors all day we decided to switch gears and have the event staged outdoors. As beautiful as the interior of the James is the view in the back is heavenly. Rolling praries as far as the eye can see with a direct view of a Texas Sunset in the evening. Once I saw that view on the tour I knew the James was perfect for us.
The price for our party was very reasonable as the staff went over each and every line item so there would be no confusion. I appreciated the level of detail the staff took in explaining it over as I know a lot of venues don't do this with customers who are then surprised when they're hit with dreaded "hidden costs" when it's time to pay the bill. Not so at the James where I was told about every amenity that came with the venue and any additional costs we were incurring.
Unfortunately our event needed to be cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control: elopement. Still, I can't recommend the James enough as the level of customer service I got from Angie and Toni just set a new standard...
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