Reviews & Ratings for Schwartz & Woodward

09/30/11

Don't hesitate!

by NCJanssen

The world of weddings can get pretty confusing and overwhelming, and I am so grateful we had Joann and John to help us plan our beautiful wedding. I was out of town a lot, and my mind was put at ease--any questions or concerns, and Joann was right there with answers and solutions. She worked with our vision and budget and in the end, our wedding was perfect!

12/03/10

The Best Day...Care of JoAnn and her Team

by K S Harkey

Joann and her team of professionals truly made my daughters wedding a huge success. The attention to detail and quality was incredible. You know that it is often the simple things that can make a huge impression and difference. As the mother of the bride, there was not one moment where I was uncertain, stressed or worried that anything would not happen the way my daughter had dreamed. Simple acts of kindness, like grabbing my comfy shoes when I kicked off my heels or seamlessly handling the misstep when Grandmother missed her ride to the church from the hotel, made us feel like royalty.

At at a time when you are so emotionally involved in the planning process, the sage advice, professional wisdom and overall support from this team was incredible. JoAnn's vast experience and network of vendors helped us cut through the chaos. Her overall good taste absolutely helped make this a beautiful wedding.

If I were to convey one thing: JoAnn and her team are not only the top wedding planning team in the area, but are warm caring individuals and they convey this throughout the process to their brides. Hats off to excellence!!

08/14/10

Highly recommended

by megpotter

Schwartz & Woodward are the best wedding planners in Houston, hands down. Their attention to detail and taste is amazing. My biggest concern when planning my wedding was my budget. If I had done the planning myself, I wouldn't have known if I was getting the most for my money. Because of JoAnn's experience, reputation and contacts, not only was I reassured that I was getting the best possible within my budget, but I was treated like royalty. I had to ask more than once if we were going over budget because I was so surprised at the quality. JoAnn always said - We will make it fit in the budget. Planning a wedding with JoAnn was easy and relatively stress free.

Our wedding was perfect down to the last detail thanks to JoAnn and John. We had time to relax, have fun and spend time with our friends and family without having to watch the clock or look after vendors.

JoAnn and John took the time and effort to make sure we will have nothing but the best memories of our wedding.

I would highly recommend Schwartz & Woodward for any event on any budget.

01/07/10

warning for those without limitless income

by leexjd

I considering many wedding coordinators, including Schwartz and Woodward. They were by far the most expensive, at least double the cost of even the trendiest planners I spoke to. I couldn't believe it! I'm sure they do a great job, but there are many other coordinators who come with glowing reviews who don't charge anywhere near as much. Just be wary and shop around!

• Pros: friendly and caring
• Cons: ouch, price!

07/29/09

The Best Decision about our Wedding was to Hire JoAnn!

by Mariella

My husband and I made the decision to have a destination wedding. We wanted to make it a wonderful memory for us, family and our great friends who live all over the world. To make things more challenging, both my husband and I are incredibly detailed and pretty much a "perfectionist couple." A challenge for anyone who would agree to help us. A friend of ours talked to us about JoAnn. We went to meet her on a morning, about a month and a half before our wedding date. By that afternoon we had hired JoAnn. She was incredible. Detailed, organized, VERY caring and hard working. She worked non-stop from that day forward and even helped me out with post-wedding follow up's for several weeks after the wedding. We got married at the Ritz Carlton in the Cayman Islands. An absolute dream of a wedding. We had over 100 adults and over 30 children for our four-day wedding; the vast majority of our guests traveled from out of the US. JoAnn knew how difficult it would be to manage our guests schedules. We wanted to provide courtesy transport for many of them as well as to make their stay in the Caymans truly wonderful. That took an incredible amount of planning and organizing on JoAnn's part. She did it all. I was so overwhelmed to see how many of our guests actually made it to the wedding. Our wedding was in December (Dec 9th), which is often a travel/vacation month for many of the countries where our closest friends live. The wedding consisted of a family dinner (we opted to have that instead of the typical rehearsal dinner); a welcome dinner (again something we wanted to do to welcome our guests from all over the world); a catamaran ride and swimming with sting ray afternoon; and the wedding and reception. Being the Caymans, the vast majority of the things needed for the wedding were flown in. She managed that entire process and everything arrived on time; not even a custom glitch! Another element of difficulty was that our wedding and reception were on a sunday. Caymans is a very devoted catholic island and loud music isn't normally allowed on sunday's. Well ... JoAnn worked with the Ritz to get a special permit from the authorities in the Caymans to have that restriction waived. Being that I am Latin and many of our guests traveled from Latin America (we LOVE to dance), we were very pleased to see this.

JoAnn paid attention to the smallest of details - everything, absolutely everything was gorgeous. My husband and I are such "hyper" folks that I never thought JoAnn would be able to keep up with us - - indeed she did and she had us checking our blackberries for pictures of this or that within minutes of being hired. She helped me with everything, absolutely everything, from my dress, hair, makeup to the dresses of our children and the bouquets of my daugther and step daughters; she put together all of the events, the reception; she helped with the ceremony and ideas about the best way for the children to be a central part of it (my two children walked me down the isle, while my husband's two children walked him down the isle - - the cutest thing ever!); invitations, photography, video, music, flowers, special gifts for our guests, etc. Our wedding was featured in a local magazine and showcased as a beautiful destination wedding; the Ritz also featured it as part of their marketing program. And ... my bouquet was also featured in a wedding magazine - I had the most amazingly elegant bouquet. It was exactly what I wanted.

She is the best! We truly felt connected to her and this is a result of her physical and emotional dedication to our wedding.

• Pros: Incredibly organized; creative; great vendors; hard worker
• Cons: none

07/26/09

The wedding of our dreams

by jenhunker

JoAnn and John managed to organize our entire wedding stress free. I knew the basics of what I wanted and JoAnn transformed them into beautiful details making our wedding gorgeous and flawless. It was the best night of our lives and we would not have changed anything about it. Because of JoAnn and John, everything ran smoothly and the reception was a blast. Thank you JoAnn and John for the efforts you took to make our wedding perfect.

• Pros: Accessibility, prompt, best vendors
• Cons: None

07/24/09

Organized, efficient, excellent coordinators

by ricemom

JoAnn and John did an excellent job coordinating our daughter's wedding a few weeks ago. The vendors they recommended were fantastic, from the cake that was the best I have ever tasted, to the photographer who took in excess of 1000 beautiful photos, to the florist whose creations were spectacular, to the seamstress who made my wedding gown become my daughter's dream. It all came together wonderfully. Planning a wedding long distance would have been a nightmare without their help. They kept in constant communication the entire planning process via email or phone. Any concerns were addressed within hours. John was thoughtful and caring and JoAnn was efficient and understanding. They both had our cars loaded and valuables stowed at the end of the reception so we had nothing to worry about but to kiss the couple goodbye and relax. I definitely recommend them to anyone planning a wedding.

• Pros: Organized, Kept in constant communication, Great vendors

07/23/09

They were the best decision I made for our wedding

by tdc09

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.

07/22/09

May Wedding

by 053009

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!!

07/22/09

A great choice!!!

by chinnielover

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!!!

• Pros: SUPER PRODUCTIVE, CARING AND A DOWN RIGHT LIFE SAVER!!!
• Cons: That I didnt hire them sooner!