Kemah Gardens — Attraction in Kemah

Reviews

Beautiful venue, but….. If I could redo my wedding, I would stay away from this place. I got married at Kemah Gardens on October 2022. Much time has passed since then, so I’m pretty much over it, but I do feel it’s my responsibility to warn others of several things that happened before and on the wedding day and be truthful. I strongly recommend that you request their contract before you sign anything. I believe this was my mistake, I requested the contract and was told they would give it to me. They never did, and at this point. I signed the contract before meeting with Cirria which was a huge mistake. Cirria is a whole different person compared to Lisa. Had I met Cirria beforehand I do not believe I would’ve signed a contract for my wedding. After I have put my deposit I realized my error but knew I wouldn’t get any of the money refunded so my fiance and I just decided to go along with it anyway. I requested to Cirria if it would be possible for my in-laws to decorate the venue the day before the wedding. Cirria replied “well usually have an event then the night before, we would have to check if that day is reserved”. She never gave a clear no until two days before the wedding, I asked her if it was booked that Friday night she said no. I then said well then can my in-laws decorate that Friday night? She began to state no, and gave a completely different reason than what was told to me before. We were allowed on the venue grounds at 12:00pm. This gave very little time for my in-laws to decorate, which caused my mother-in-law to be late to my own wedding. The contract states that only family and those standing in the wedding were allowed inside. My fiancé/now husband was feeling very stressed that day and wanted to see his sister, whom is very close to, to give him a pep talk. Cirria and Lisa did not allow her inside saying it was only family, my sister-in-law stated she was related directly to the groom. They still did not allow her inside, and my husband was very upset when he found out later what occurred. Yet somehow one of our aunt’s ended up inside the house with no questions asked Cirria acknowledged her by laughing and saying how much she reminded her of her own sister. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law was not allowed in the house so she decided to sit in the front row chairs for the ceremony. Lisa then comes up to her and says that she has to sit in the back. Mind you in many meetings I told Cirria and Lisa what the names were of each person sitting in the front rows. My sister-in-law told them she was the family of the groom and was going to be presenting the Bible during the ceremony. It was as if Lisa did not hear a single word and kept telling her and her husband to sit a few rows back. Our guests saw this interaction and started laughing at my sister-in-law saying “oh you are not family ha ha ha”, they were laughing at how ridiculous this was. I had several of my guests complain about their treatment and how they saw Lisa/Cirria treat their “staff” (teenagers who had volunteered). One of my guests said he had a gift ripped away from his hands with no comment, the person that did so was Cirria. When planning the wedding I was assured that Cirria and Lisa would make sure my photographer would be fed around the time my husband and I would be eating. As I was eating my food, I asked if the photographer had been fed and they were not. My husband had to get up and make sure that this was being handled. At the end around 10 PM, A guest asked if they could have a second serving since everyone had been served and they said no that everything had been finished…. The venue kept all the food. I had paid a different vendor to bring “aguas frescas”, logically I would be taking the remaining, but a guest told me that they saw Lisa filling up a pitcher full of the agua frescas and taking it to the back…. I could continue stating more occurrences and details but at this point, it would be a novel. (There’s a character limit, so my last statement is in the...

I knew when planning my wedding that a priority for me would be to find a place that included multiple aspects of the event in one. I was busy beginning a new job and my fiance traveled weeks at a time for work, so I wanted to make the planning process as easy as possible. My mother-in-law happened to see Kemah Gardens advertised in a local magazine, but didn't know much about it. We decided to drive by one Sunday afternoon just to see where it was located. On the way there, I began reading reviews about the property and Ciria, the owner. The reviews could not have been better, and I was anxious to see the place. We didn't have an appointment, but thought we would just drive by to check it out, and then try to schedule a time to see it later in the week. As soon as we arrived, Ciria greeted us and invited us to look around. The grounds are beautiful - it is a B&B property on several acres, with deck/arch for ceremonies overlooking a pond. There is a large covered pavillion for reception areas, and everything is nicely kept and landscaped. After looking around, we asked for some information on what services she offered. Ciria can pretty much tailor your package to what you are looking for. We found that the All Inclusive package worked great for us. It included ceremony chairs, arch decor, use of the house for both bridal party and groomsmen to get ready, reception tables/chairs/basic linens, caterer from her list, wedding cake allowance, bartenders, security, clean-up crew, valet, use of champagne glasses/cake cutter, DJ, use of the property for bridal portraits, some day-of coordinating services and probably even more things I've forgotten. This could not have been more perfect for what I was looking for! Everything was in one place. Ciria is very experienced with weddings, and her professionalism is incredible. She has handled all sorts of weather crises, sick bridesmaids, you name it. I felt confident that Ciria would be able to handle anything! We kept in touch many times throughout our engagement, by meeting in person for the payment schedule, to phone calls and emails. By the time our event came around, Ciria was almost like a member of the family. On the day before my wedding, my dad and aunt went by the propery unannounced to see where it was (I had no idea they were doing this - she actually had a wedding going on that day, and I would have told them not to bother her!). Ciria took the time to show them around and explain how she got into the business. I was shocked! She is never too busy for her clients and she will give you all of the attention you need. The wedding was beautiful - timed perfectly with the sunset thanks to Ciria's planning. Everything looked perfect - her staff helped set-up some of the major pieces and my family was able to come early to fill in the rest. She helped keep us on task and I had so many people tell me what a beautiful wedding it was thanks to her help! I stoppped by a few weeks after we returned from our honeymoon to show her pictures and talk about the wedding. She still gave me the same attention as if I was a bride just beginning to plan. You will not be disappointed with Kemah Gardens and Ciria. No matter the size of the event or your budget, Ciria will be able to help you design the wedding of your dreams. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone!

One last thing - her staff is top notch. She uses many different vendors to help with the cake, DJ services, bartending, valet and set-up/clean-up staff. My sister told me after the wedding that some of the money from our dollar dance had fallen out of the basket as she was packing it up. A high school student that was helping to clean up noticed a $100 bill had fallen on the floor and handed it to my sister. We were shocked at his honesty and integrity. It just showed what a great business...

Sorry about the long review, but I have soo much to say about this place!

From day 1, Ciria (the coordinator) was such a pleasure to work with, and I (the bride) loved her energy and jovial nature. The venue is absolutely beautiful, as you can see from the photos. It's also very peaceful and includes a nice bridal suite and groomsmen quarters for everyone to get ready. If you're looking for a cozy, all-inclusive, rustic wedding venue, I highly recommend Kemah Gardens.

But back to Ciria. She was very flexible with the extra items she allowed us (bride and groom) to bring, unlike another venue we were considering. She let us bring an ice cream truck, mega Jenga, and even a pedicab! During the planning process, she was very responsive and helpful, which really set me at ease. And even though I probably asked her more questions than any other bride she’s worked with, she always replied without complaint, unlike that same “other venue.” I always felt like I could count on her.

Although there were a couple hiccups the day before and of the wedding involving two important guests who were unable to sit where I wanted them to sit at the ceremony and reception (which was mostly my fault), I thought the day was still wonderful, overall, and I think my guests enjoyed themselves. I heard many of them comment on how beautiful the venue was, etc.

One thing I was surprised and happy to discover was the number of helpers present on the wedding day. It was great, and they were all very nice and helpful, especially after the reception. I forgot to designate my own helpers for all the stuff we had to transport back to the house, so I was kinda scrambling when the night was over, but several of her staff members, including the DJ and his wife, were kind enough to help me take things to my car

The DJ, Dean, was also great at the deejaying. He’s not only a DJ; he’s a true emcee, and he knew what to play to get the crowd on their feet! I appreciated his flexibility with all the changes that occurred as well. The period between the ceremony and reception was a bit chaotic and took longer than expected, so I changed my mind a few times about some key details involving the reception, but he was very accommodating, which I appreciated. I also thought he did a great job with the song transitions, the shoe game, etc.

Cakes by Jula was my cake vendor, and she (Jula) was also wonderful to work with. I got many compliments on the look of the cake (silhouette love story) and the flavor (spice). The cake looked and tasted better than I expected.

We had Red River BBQ cater our food, which was delicious. I heard some people had more than one plate, so I guess that meant they agreed!

The wedding venue contract is a little long and overwhelming, but just know that the information in it protects the venue AND you, so make sure you read it a few times to cover your bases and make sure you abide by the policies.

So with all things considered, I would, once again, highly recommend Kemah Gardens for a wedding. It was a beautiful, wonderful day, and Ciria and her staff were such a delight...