Barr Mansion & Artisan Ballroom

Barr Mansion is a beautiful venue. They do all the catering and the cakes and they use organic and local ingredients. The staff is very nice and they were quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns.

Where do I even begin? I LOVED my wedding at Barr Mansion!! All of my guests were from out of town and they were all blown away by the venue! It is unique, elegant, rustic, PERFECT. Everything was amazing, including Hannah and Rick who helped in the planning process. First, the planning process was sooo easy. Barr has catering (which is all organic -- the only USDA certified organic venue -- very Austin!) so I didn't have to worry about finding that, they handle the cakes, staff, set-up, break-down, day of coordination, etc. Seriously, it was so easy. We worked with Hannah mainly and she is AWESOME! So sweet, kind, and organized. I really didn't worry about ANYTHING -- and trust me, I am a worrier. Hannah made sure my day turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. She kept reassuring me -- "It's your wedding, you can have it however you want." Even guests at the wedding came up to me to tell me how amazing she was. Another perk -- you can provide your own alcohol. We bought TONS and you are able to return extra unopened alcohol to most places (Specs, Costco -- FYI - Costco is the cheapest AND you don't have to have a membership for the spirits section because it is actually separate from the store). The food turned out delicious (we had apple cider brined chicken breasts and beef tenderloin with bacon herb butter)! We even had a little surprise for the guests at the end of the night - Barr has a stone pizza oven so we had organic pizzas for a late night snack. The guests loved it! The cakes were also really good. Our brides cake was a traditional white with raspberry filling. Our cakes were also very pretty and well decorated. They ask you to provide a picture of what you would like them to look like -- I cheated and just picked one that I liked that was done previously at another wedding at Barr. We got married under the old pecan tree at sunset. It felt beautiful. We worked with Stems (Barr's resident florist that you do NOT have to use -- BUT SHE IS GOOD!) and we put chandeliers in the tree. Loved it. Next – the Artesian Ballroom. Really amazingly beautiful. It is really a great space. We ended up getting lighting from ILD because I really wanted an amber glow – almost like candle light. It was relatively inexpensive (in relation to the entire cost of a wedding!). If you can’t tell yet, I really loved my wedding. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Barr Mansion. Another bonus is that it is out in the middle of what feels like nowhere but it is still about 10-15 min from downtown. Very secluded and private. My biggest worry was that I did all this work and had this vision and I was going to be disappointed in the end --- totally NOT the case!!! Brides – you will not regret picking this venue for your most special day!

My husband and I booked Barr Mansions for our November 11, 2010 wedding. When the fire happened I was a little nervous about the back-up plan, but once I went to the food and cake tasting I saw how amazingly beautiful it was I knew that it was still going to be the wedding of my dreams. I was blown away at how well Barr Mansion handled the whole thing. They were absolutely wonderful in every aspect. Everyone and everything at Barr Mansion was fabulous and exceeded my expectations. Everyone was very friendly and more than willing to help out in any way they could. As a bride planning a Texas wedding from Florida it was nice to know that I could rely on anyone there the ease my stress. Rick was fantastic. He was easy to get a hold of, and if I had any questions or concerns he was right there ready with answers. On the day of the wedding he was very attentive and on schedule. He knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding and executed it perfectly. Nothing went wrong the day of and it was everything I had dreamed of. Working with Abby at STEMS was so pleasant! She knew exactly what I was looking for and with my lack of knowledge for floral created the most beautiful display of flowers. My bouquet was so gorgeous I wanted to keep it forever, and the girls bouquets were the perfect simple touch. As for the guys boutonnieres they were simple and elegant with the most beautiful flower. The centerpieces were better than I could have imagined, and all the extra touches of floral really made my wedding into everything I had dreamed of. I have gotten so many complements from our guests and I can't thank Barr Mansion enough! I would recommend Barr Mansion to any bride, my experience was just fantastic!

I highly recommend Barr Mansion. When I signed up to get married there, it just felt right. I had looked at a bunch of other places that were nice, but Barr Mansion had it all. We had a small wedding, but it still took a lot of work--thankfully, everyone at Barr Mansion took control and made it easy. I worked with Abby (now of STEMS floral) and Keegan, who were both awesome. They were very flexible and responsive, they worked within my budget, and they had a ton of great ideas. (And the food and the cake were great!) We booked Barr Mansion before the fire (and then got married in October). I was incredibly impressed with how they handled a very difficult situation. They were very forthcoming and honest about what to expect. I never had any doubts that they would make my wedding beautiful and amazing--no matter what. And they did, always with a smile. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. When they finish building the new reception area, I'm sure it will be even better than before. Thanks to everyone at Barr Mansion for making my wedding day truly special.

My husband and I were one of the "unlucky" couples to have the pavilion, but it was still our dream wedding. From the moment we found out about the ballroom burning down, to the moment we left in our limo at the end of our wedding night, the Barr Mansion staff was nothing but accommodating, professional, and just all around why any bride could ever want from a wedding venue. The food was great, the dessert were to die for, and the pavilion was decorated so well that our guests didn't even know that it was our "back-up" plan. And we did not spend nearly as much as most on our decor. I have to say, that it turned out even better than I could've imagined even from before the ballroom burned down. Our wedding coordinator was Keegan and she was awesome. She listened to what we wanted, gave us lots of great suggestions (we were sort of clueless), and there wasn't a request that she couldn't accommodate. I highly recommend the Barr Mansion, with or without the ballroom.

Our wedding was everything we could have ever dreamed of. The staff was very professional and Keegan was a pleasure to work with as our wedding planner. I would highly reccomend having any special event there.

I cannot recommend Barr Mansion enough. Abby and the rest of the Barr Mansion staff were amazing through the entire process! Barr Mansion provided all of our floral, in addition to the venue, catering and cakes. Everything was perfect and just how I imagined. The venue is truly a gem and beautiful. The food was delicious! And I can't wait to eat the rest of our cake (in the freezer for the 1 year). Abby and the staff were very thoughtful and well organized. (They are true pro's in the wedding business.) Before the wedding, everyone tells you that things will go wrong and not to expect perfection. But looking back at the wedding day, I can't remember anything going wrong. It was perfect and just how we imagined and planned. Thanks so much Abby!!

Amazing - everyone at the wedding was pleased with the attentiveness of the staff, the timeliness of drinks and food, and the air of fun professionalism. A+. I read this morning that there's been a fire on the property, so I wanted to emphasize the great staff, and the beautiful tent they set up for us. Brides planning on getting married at Barr Mansion this summer: never fear. Barr staff will make the event gorgeous with or without the original building set-up you imagined. My mother and I had a great experience before the wedding with preparation. I can't remember a time an email wasn't answered in 24 hours or a phone call wasn't returned. Everyone was very accessible and accommodating. And when we were on site to make decisions, we never felt rushed. Rick was fantastic. Particularly memorable to me was his cheerful attitude, especially in the face of a hand injury he received a couple of weeks before our wedding. He helped me (and my charming, yet full-o-questions mother) with paring down all the questions to the few real decisions we had to make. He made it all easy. The cakes were beautiful. So gorgeously decorated - both - and tasty! I can't wait for our first anniversary to have a taste again. The Lemon wedding cake with citrus icing was a dream. Going "organic" does not sacrifice any flavor, presentation, or fun. "Great work" to the chefs. We are generally impressed by everything that comes out of Barr's chapel-kitchen.

Exceptional service, beautiful flowers, overall good experience.

I love Barr Mansion!! My husband and I were married on the grounds in July 2009 and could not be happier with the entire event, from the first moment we called to inquire about the location to the moment we ran to our car as newlyweds. Barr Mansion has a staff that seems like a truly family and they know everything you need to know. We used their floral services as well and I didn't worry about a thing. The food is absolutely unbelievable - our guests continue to complement the chefs! The value is outstanding - Barr Mansion is essentially an organic one-stop-shop for your ceremony and they are always available to answer any question (of which I had many!) Barr Mansion and Artisan Ballroom is outstanding - unbelievable grounds, awesome staff, and a night you'll never forget!

Abby and her staff were fantastic! The venue is breath taking and we really appreciated the organic aspect. They were very friendly and were there to accept every call, answer every question and calm every last minute panic. It was so easy to share my vision of my day with Abby and watch it come to life! She designed the center pieces and other aspects of the floral arrangements. My bouquets were stunning and the landscaping was beautiful. I can't say enough how perfect my day was due largely in part to Abby and Barr Mansion. I would recommend Barr Mansion to anyone who would ask. You will get treated with respect and you can watch your visions unfold into physical perfection!

Beautiful! We had both our ceremony and reception there and guests could not stop raving about the location. The staff were great and I would recommend them for any event!

Barr Mansion is one of the first places we went to look at and I fell in love from the moment I got out of the car. A freind from college had gotten married there a few months before me and I could not wait to have my reception there too! It is such a classy place with beauitful dining and reception areas. The staff was great and did a nice job with helping us pick out everything. We went over budget which is tough, but I guess to be expected, but our expectations were more than met! We are so glad we have the memories to last a lifetime here!

Barr Mansion is, hands down, the best wedding and reception venue in Austin, and fully deserves a few more than the 5 stars I'm giving it. As a chef and meeting planner, the one thing I knew I did not want for my own wedding was to manage a million different vendors on the day of. Barr Mansion handles the food (from the appetizers to the cakes), the tables, linens, glassware, utensils, chairs, servers -- even the floral arrangements if you choose to use them. We weren't nickeled and dimed -- we got a quote at the outset, which included various discounts that they suggested -- and our final price at the end was actually less than what we'd expected. For me, the best part of having our wedding at Barr Mansion was the unbelievable professionalism and flexibility of the staff. If I had a question (or 20), they were right on it. Could we do this? Sure! Also, holding our ceremony at the Barr actually allowed us the services of a day-of wedding coordinator, and Abby was wonderful. She made us sit down and enjoy the food we'd worked so hard to pick, and even packed us a couple of box dinners for the next night, which came in handy as we were frantically getting ready to leave for our honeymoon. Speaking of which, all of their food, from the salads to the cake frosting, is made with organic ingredients, and we're still hearing about how great it was. To repeat: I'm a chef. I'm picky. And I was delighted with every bite. Barr Mansion doesn't have a liquor license so you can bring your own booze and have them serve, which really cuts down your costs. I gave them a photo of a cake I loved and it was duplicated perfectly. It was the one moment during the entire evening where I actually got teary-eyed. :-) Our guests are still talking about how beautiful the setting was, and I know they're not just paying us lip service. While we were eating dinner that night, we watched guest after guest looking around and mouthing "WOW!" while shaking their heads in amazement. This place will not disappoint. We are delighted to recommend it to any couple in the Austin area looking for a truly unique, comfortable, elegant, and romantic wedding. By the way, one of the questions here is "how long did it take you to book this venue?" It actually took us one hour. We visited just one place (this one), and handed over our deposit -- and we weren't even engaged yet! Over a year later, we were just as thrilled with our decision.

My husband and I can't say enough positive things about Barr Mansion. We would not change one thing about our November 2008 wedding in large part due to the hard work and dedication of the Barr Mansion staff. Their professionalism, attention to detail and clear mission to serve their client, in this case an out-of-town bride and groom, was absolutely flawless. These folks went through every single wedding related detail with us remotely, graciously tackling several iterations of cakes, bouquet/floral arrangement ideas and even a last minute change in ceremony details through email no less. Barr staff understood that we couldn't make the trip to Austin to discuss these critical details and took it upon themselves to make this work for us rather than making us work for them. The venue is dreamy; it's the perfect place for an elegant but unpretentious and intimate wedding. Our guests raved about our food, cakes and floral arrangements and were so thankful that Barr staff went out of their way to accommodate all of us. Countless wedding guests commented that our wedding was the most beautiful theyÂ’d ever been to. We couldnÂ’t have done this on our ownÂ…it was made possible by Barr Mansion. We toured numerous Austin wedding venues and none captured the essence of Austin, its kind and laid back people and natural beauty the way Barr Mansion does. We give them infinite stars.

During the planning sessions they were always available, helpful, very clear about all expenditures and details. They were even helpful in making suggestions to help me reign in expenses to fit my budget. Everything that they managed was incredibly well run, professional, beautiful, and effortless for me and my family and wedding party. The classy details like flowers along the bar, the arrangements on the tables, and the layout of the rock garden made me feel so beautiful and elegant on the day of. Rick (the free wedding coordinator provided by Barr) always respected mine and my husband's space and the importance of these moments for us while managing the timing of events at the wedding and rehearsal. This service, which I probably wouldn't have paid for if it weren't free, was really priceless as it granted me my sanity leading up to and during the wedding. I also have to mention that the tasting was amazing! The food at the tasting (and our wedding) was delicious, obviously made from fresh, organic ingredients. We actually got several ideas, not only for the meal selections, but also for decorating and organizing the wedding rehearsal at Barr from the way this event was organized somewhat like a mini-rehearsal. It also made me feel great to be able to serve such delicious, organic food, a lot of it grown right here in Texas, to all my friends and family from out of state. The origins of my food and the impact of my wedding on the environment were important considerations for me when selecting Barr and it means a lot to me that they care so much about these issues as well.

Lovely, Timeless & Green. The Barr Mansion prides itself on being the only USDA certified organic wedding venue in Texas. It was so important to us that we were able to have such an elegant affair while remaining "green". From the hor'dourves to the sit down dinner, even the flowers were locally grown and organic. We received so many compliments on how fresh everything tasted, and we knew we had picked the perfect venue. Thank you so much Barr Mansion!! Our wedding was incredibly romantic and beautiful, everything we dreamed about and then some!!

I really liked this place...it was really pretty. But there are lots of restrictions- they are the ones making your meal (only organic food...can get pretty pricey) and they have lots of other rules (can only use certain kind of organic candles). They were also in the middle of doing repairs/updates/renovations when I went and visited...so it looked kind of cruddy in places (fence was rotting, not painted, etc.) Hopefully they've got that all fixed up now though.

Abby and the entire staff at the Barr Mansion were so easy to work with. They made the process enjoyable. The wedding ceremony and reception were beautiful. The food and the cake were delicious. Our guests kept commenting on how "magical" the venue was! We would highly recommend the Barr Mansion to anyone wanting a unique venue, great service and delicious organic food and cakes! We LOVE the Barr Mansion!! Anne & Edgar Dapremont Austin, TX

The Barr Mansion was fabulous from beginning to end! Abby was always super responsive, and totally worked with our budget. She also did our flowers & centerpieces, which turned out beautiful! The food & cake was a hit with all of our guests, and the venue is breathtaking. I highly recommend the Barr Mansion for any Austin event... WOW!