Kemah Gardens

I cannot say enough how wonderful our wedding was at Kemah Gardens, Ciria was amazing during the whole process. We wanted to have an intimate wedding and she made it happen. The venue is unlike anything you can imagine, absolutely beautiful. Her time and attention to make everything perfect is something rare, she treated us like family. She was available anytime I needed and I can honestly say it was a perfect day because of all of her hard work. I recommend anyone to have a wedding here and you will have the best experience possible. Even after our event she has sent picture and contacted us to see how we were, and wish us congratulations again. There is something so special about the property, you will feel it immediately when you see it. Thank you again Ciria to you and everyone at Kemah Gardens.
Katie and Dave

I was very disappointed with the service we received for the amount of money we paid. I didn’t expect anything extra but just for the things that were included in the contract to be met.
From the beginning, my florist was treated rudely, my sister was unable to come in slightly before 5:30, the scheduled time, to bring in decorations. My guests told me that they were asked to «Go outside!» because they were «in the way». I understand we had a time slot, but it sure did not keep the owner from letting guests leave early for the lack of music, organized activity and rude behavior. Especially the damn bell she kept ringing in everyone’s face.
The lineup and procession which we talked about only a few days prior was not as I asked. The lineup she organized was incorrect and some went down the sides, some the center. The staff outside and inside were very inappropriately dressed for working a wedding. Flip flops and cut off jeans are not wedding attire.
She advised that she would help with the lineup, that she would be playing music during the reception and there was none. After the ceremony, there was no direction. I was inside, my husband was outside. Numerous pics of him taken by himself that I didn’t even know about! I had to be constantly asking for the photographer, hunt her down, and someone else was directing her, a guest of mine who is also a photographer on what pics to take. I had to ask her what photos I could think of, hardly one word came out of her. I was expecting more direction, more experience! Especially because Ciria, the owner kept reminding us that everything would need to go fast, that we only had 3 hours. The photographer had no command presence or no suggestion of what typical wedding photos are taken. Honestly, she looked like a high school kid she gave a quick buck to. I don’t have one close up of us, or our rings, our guests. Pics that we do have are not centered, heads cut off! I realize it is the style of some of them but some of these obviously not intentional. Some are blurry, with bad lighting… When I asked the owner about all of that and the photographers experience, her not getting people centered, etc she said, «I do that!», well she didn’t and this is also probably the reason nothing else was happening inside. I stated all of this to her and got NO reply at all. «I know this is your house, and your business but you really need to trust other people and hire people qualified to be able to delegate duties. When I inquired to you about hiring my own pastor, you said that you preferred your own because they helped you with moving things along and the flow of the service. I didn’t see that and that’s hard to do anyway if you don’t give people a chance to do so. Your place is beautiful but your work ethic on how you treat your clients and guests is very distasteful and inappropriate. I am very disappointed in quality of service all around.” Prior to the wedding there was no formal contract, only a hand written quote on a scratch piece of paper she picked up from the mess she had in her «organizer» so one day, she gave me a certain time to pay and from one day to the next, she produced a contract and demanded the full payment and security deposit the very next day and threatened to cancel my wedding without returning my $ 1000.00 deposit. There was no way I would be able to make different arrangements in that short of time so I had to end up borrowing the money she was demanding. I really wish I could have changed the venue. It was a mess!

I had my wedding here 5÷4÷13.
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 fiancé 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 décor, 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 Ciria is running.