Schwartz & Woodward

Recommends

tdc09

Joined 4 years ago

They were the best decision I made for our wedding. Choosing JoAnn and John to be a part of my 6/6/09 wedding was the best decision we made during the entire planning process.

First, she was our biggest advocate during the entire process. She is armored with connections to the best vendors in the wedding industry. These photographers, videographers, pastry chefs, venue catering managers, and wedding dress consultants know and respect JoAnn. However, she is also very willing to meet new colleagues in the industry. Like every other bride, I wanted to make my wedding unique. So she sought vendors she had not worked with previously to make that happen for me. Each time that I met with prospective vendors who knew that JoAnn was on board, I was given much more attention and special treatment. For example, on our wedding day, the videographer arrived an hour earlier than planned as a favor to JoAnn. Also, if we were not comfortable or happy with terms of a particular contract, she would be able to advocate for the terms that I desired. For instance, she scoured our banquet event order and caught many items that needed to be changed. I would have otherwise just glossed over these details.

John and JoAnn are extremely organized. Vendors actually enjoy participating in weddings when JoAnn and even jump at the chance to do so. When Schwartz and Woodward are involved, they know that she is a perfectionist and would orchestrate the entire event smoothly. One month before the wedding, she contacted every single one of my vendors to ensure they knew exactly what time to arrive. By this point, she had completed a master schedule of the entire day. I can't fathom how much of a headache this would have been to organize myself. She is also very prompt when responding to emails and returning calls. She keeps paper records of every communication in your personal file, which she brings to every meeting. Consequently, she knows everything that has ever been communicated between her and her brides and vendors.

I did not realize the most important quality that made JoAnn most valuable to me until 1 hour before I walked down the aisle. Since my own loving mother was just as nervous as I to see her only daughter, and only child getting married, JoAnn served as the calming mother figure that I needed to ease my anxiety. She was already aware and prepared because she knew of all the other major changes that were occurring in my life around the same time as my wedding, and knew that the anxiety was buidling up. Sure enough, on my wedding day, it all came to a head in what was quite a significant anxiety attack. She was able to talk me through the ordeal. She knew the right things to say, and treated me like her own daughter. I don't know how I would have made it down the aisle without her encouragement and calming words.

The reception was fabulous and perfect. Everything occurred on schedule without a hitch, and even if it wasn't going perfectly, I wouldn't have any idea. My new husband and I were busy having the time of our lives. The most amazing moment was when JoAnn sneaked my husband and I into the hotel banquet room before our guests entered to see the fruits of our 16 month planning. The beautiful centerpieces, the soft amber lighting, the gold beaded cake, the shimmery orange and gold of the linens...it all took our breath away. It was everything we could have wanted in our wedding and so much more.

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053009

Joined 4 years ago

May Wedding. Fabulous reception...wonderful vendors..Joann is honest and to the point...easily accessible...punctual on returning emails and phone calls. We had a wonderful experience and wish we could do the whole day again!!

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chinnielover

Joined 4 years ago

A great choice!!!. I was married in april of 09 and was one of those brides who was COMPLETELY LOST and had no idea what I was doing, I had thought about hiring a planner in feb 08 when I got engaged but I passed and Feb. 09 came around and I was about to call the whole thing off because I couldnt sleep or function and like I said I was completely lost! I called around looking for a good wedding planner and was blown off several times by other ppl but not JoAnn! I called her and we talked for over an hour explaining everything back and forth. She already had a wedding booked for my day and so her FABULOUS team took care of special day but JoAnn was there every step of the way and introduced me to phenominal vendors( ones with great work that you can count on and of corse everyone knew her, and loved working with her!) She also went to meetings with vendors with me and helped me with the confusing family side of things! She is very personal and JoAnn's husband John is fantastic as well, he helped my husband get his side of things handled! Whether JoAnn is there for you or her great team your wedding will be a dream come true! I would recommend her for any function not only weddings! THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE AT SCHWARTZ AND WOODWARD!!!

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MHarrison

Joined 4 years ago

Organized, Thoughtful & Creative Wedding Planning. JoAnn and John were a pleasure to work with. I am so very thankful that they were a part of my wedding planning and my special day-April 4th, 2009.

JoAnn was very thoughtful and resourceful throughout the wedding planning process and the day of. She helped to make cake tasting, determining a florist, selecting little personal touches and overall wedding planning enjoyable. Choosing vendors was not a stressful experience, as JoAnn was aware of which vendors are reliable and produce quality products/results. She cut down the time I would have otherwise spent setting up appointments and taking time off of work. She has a working relationship with every vendor we met with and this made me confident that things would run smoothly, as they did :) The company has an organized system (yay, for spreadsheets) for keeping an updated account of where you are in the planning process... which ensures you'll not forget something that is important to you or your family. JoAnn was helpful in keeping these items in order of priority, which is absolutley essential in ensuring there are no added stressors as the wedding date approaches.

I highly recommend this company, their services took away the majority of the stresses with planning and added much to making my wedding day a truely wonderful experience.

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papowers

Joined 4 years ago

The most wonderful wedding consultants!!!!. This is a review that should have been written a year

ago - but here goes. JoAnn and John made our wedding. Without them I'm convinced we would not

have enjoyed the wedding we did. We knew from the

original meeting with JoAnn she was going to be for

us. She was confident, professional and wonderfully

pleasant. JoAnn's experience provided us with

a selection of reliable merchants to work with from

flowers, cakes, catering, faciites, linens, music, photography, hotels - the list is endless....if you had

a need - she took care of it. She even did it with a

wonderful smile. It is apparent to this family JoAnn

and John enjoy very much what they do. There is the

added benefit of JoAnn being a really great counselor.

Lets face it....a wedding, albeit a wondferful time in

your life is also a very stressful time. I sincerely

appreciated the time she visited with me to soothe my

hurt feelings. The vote in this family is JoAnn and

John are "The whole ball of wax" We watch the

dvd of the wedding often. It was a great time and

thank you so much JoAnn and John for making our

wedding one we just can't .stop talking about amongst

our family. Point of interest: We are still getting

compliments.

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Beth50

Joined 4 years ago

Forever In Our Hearts!. Jo Ann and her husband will FOREVER hold a special place in my heart. Our daughter's wedding was wonderful and my heartfelt dream was that our daughter (and her Dad and me) truly would enjoy her day without the stress of wedding details...and WE did, thanks to Schwartz and Woodward! I so appreciated Jo Ann's vendor reccommendations..They exceeded our expectations!Wonderful & professional!

Doesn't Recommend

cgholycow

Joined 4 years ago

She was the biggest source of stress. She was the single source of stress for my wedding. She was reluctant to use vendors that were not on her list and was very rude and bossy to them. My florist did not like working with her (for good reason). On the day of the rehearsal she rushed us through as though she had somewhere else she had to be. She argued with the officiant over how the bridal party would walk down the aisle without even consulting me for my opinion. We would have been much better off without her.

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SReddy0531

Joined 5 years ago

We were so lucky to have worked with them!. Jo Ann, John and their team of experts are just what you need to throw an organized and elegant wedding. With only 4 months to plan a thousand person wedding with three days worth of celebrations, the wedding went without a hitch and this was do to the teamwork between us and the Schwartz & Woodward team. They were instrumental every step of the way and helped plan our dream wedding. They referred us to the best vendors Houston has to offer without hurting our budget. Jo Ann and John made sure to cater to our needs, our parents needs, and most importantly our guests needs. We had interviewed other wedding planners, and Jo Ann and John were the most organized. Our guests cannot stop raving on how organized, beautiful and personal our wedding was -- which is a tall order when we had a thousand guests at our wedding celebration and reception. Our wedding was exactly what we wanted! We are so glad that we chose to work with Schwartz & Woodward. Our wedding will be featured in Platinum Weddings in March of 2009 and in the Weddings in Houston magazine in January. Thank you Jo Ann and John!

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myrthamk

Joined 5 years ago

I loved my wedding!!. Words cannot express how greatful I am to JoAnn and John Woodward. I had the wedding of my dreams and best of all I was able to remember it. You cannot ask for a more professional and warm couple to help you wilh all the wedding details and spare you from all the things that could have gone wrong. All I did was show up and marry the love of my life. Thanks JoAnn and John!

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jane1952

Joined 5 years ago

Wedding Planning Perfection!. Wow! What a Wedding! Our Daughter was marreid in Houston last month. We decided to have the wedding in Houston where our Daughter resides. Planning from long distance really worried me and my daughter, who was new to the area. We needed a Wedding Planner and chose Schwartz & Woodward.

I can tell you, was that the right choice!

From the beginning stages of planning to the exit of the final guest at the reception, Jo Ann was with us all of the way. She gently steered us to local venors, decorators, florists, dress shops, etc. and managed to make every meeting to insure we would be taken care of. Her advice was priceless. She saved us time, money and aggravation.

Jo Ann and John crafted the entire weekend into a truly memorable event. We are still hearing from guests that say it was the most beautiful, fun, elegant event they have ever attended. We agree. It was!

On the evening of the ceremony and reception, Jo Ann, John and their assistant were there long before we arrived and stayed till the last guest departed. If there was a hitch we never knew about it.

Our thanks to Jo Ann and John for a weekend and wedding full of wonderful memories.