If you’re an Austin bride or groom looking for a wedding venue that has a mix of both modern touches and hill country charm, you need to check out The Grove on Brushy Creek. This gorgeous event space is nestled about 20 miles north of downtown Austin, in Round Rock, TX. Today, for my Vendor Spotlight series, I’d love for you to meet Kathy, owner of The Grove! Today, she’s explaining what makes her venue unique, how The Grove came to be, and a little behind the scenes of what you can expect when working with Kathy 🙂

• What do you love most about working in the Austin area?
  I came to Austin in 1974, so Austin is truly a part of who I am. I moved away from Texas for about 10 years, but couldn’t resist the call to come back home. Though Round Rock is considered a suburb and a little more conservative than Austin, we embrace the active, easy going, outdoor loving, live music playing lifestyle of our larger neighbor. I consider the Austin area an oasis of zen in the big personality of Texas not to mention a great place for entrepreneurs (Buy Local Y’all).
• How did The Grove come to be?
  In 2014 my husband and I purchased the property The Grove occupies in downtown Round Rock. It was overgrown and had a burned down house as it’s selling features, though we knew the beauty that was hidden under the layers of neglect. We considered many business options when developing the property, but settled on a special event center due to it’s hill country beauty and need by a fast growing business and residential community. It took a complete year of weekends spent removing bamboo to release our hill country beauty and finally see the creek front. The building, deck, terraces and patio were designed completely by my husband and I including the renovation of the shop on the deck that is original to the property and houses our groom’s lounge. The wood pieces throughout the venue are handcrafted by a talented, local craftsman from wood reclaimed from the original home. Once we uncovered the beauty of the clear creek waters and century old Live Oaks and added a modern touch with the mid-century, SOCO inspired building the property truly came into it’s own. We wanted to create an indoor space that complimented the outdoor surroundings while providing a truly functional atmosphere to produce quality events.The Grove is a touch of modern on the water with a hill country view. We couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

• What is one tip you would give a couple who is looking for their perfect wedding venue?
  The constant for any wedding is the emotion tied to it and I think that should continue through the selection for each category of professional to produce the big day. If you don’t fall in love with the venue (or any other category of service) like you fell in love with your partner, then it will never live up to your dreams. I urge my couples to make a pros and cons list as it relates to their guest count, budget and design, and then take into account the feeling they received while touring from both the property and the staff. It’s like a first date, you will know pretty quickly if it’s going to work. Also, don’t date too many venues at once, be picky and only “go out” or tour the few that actually make the cut. Your time is precious, don’t waste it on something that will never fit the basic criteria.

• What makes The Grove unique?
  As I mentioned, The Grove is a unique mix of hill country and modern both in style and location. We have easy access to major highways, the airport and hotels of varying price points as well as a rockin’ downtown with live music and one of a kind restaurants and bars. The venue itself capitalizes on our century old live oaks and wide, clear waters of Brushy Creek for an outdoor hill country experience and joins it to a mid-century modern building with exposed beams and clean lines for the indoor experience. The deck hosts weddings year ’round due to it’s shade and constant breeze. The venue can easily move from elegant to simple while maintaining it’s comfort and unique style. Truly the best of both worlds. Can you tell I’m a proud mama!

• What are some of your favorite wedding trends right now?
  My favorite decor trends are: focused floral installations in lieu of large arrangements and lovely lighting (think ivy walls and chandeliers) and flowing outdoor floral arbors. My absolute favorite trends, however, revolve around the couple. I love a first look, watching them always takes my breathe away!! New love is like nothing else. I also encourage private dinners while their guests are served. Taking 30 minutes to sit in our breeze block courtyard at sunset enjoying a plated dinner and favorite beverage discussing your day is priceless not to mention a great photo opportunity. Remember, if you aren’t intentional about spending quality time together it won’t happen and that begins on your wedding day. Cheers to private dinner!!
• Describe to us briefly some of the wedding packages you offer to brides and grooms?
  The Grove has three levels of packages though the combinations are endless. The point of the package is to first, include a planner and second to give couples an idea of budgets for events at The Grove. Most couples will eliminate the planner first to save money, the fact is a planner is the best money you will spend and should be considered a must. A planner is your personal assisant leading up to and including the big day, they do all of the behind the scenes work so everyone (especially family and the wedding party) has memories of the celebration not problem solving. I understand that budget is a very important part of planning and should be honored. A venue is typically one of the larger priced items and first to book so it looks like we are taking away from the fun things like a great band, photos or yummy eats and drinks. I want to show couples they can still have an amazing photographer (ahhem, have you seen this one’s gallery ?!?) with good food and a fantastic dance party while keeping the check writer happy. Each package centers around a Saturday ceremony and reception for 150. The benefit from the package comes from a discounted venue rate and negotiated rates for most of the services not to mention a group of Friend-ors (that’s a friend and a vendor) who work together regularly on site which equates to a seamless, amazing event. The venue rate is discounted because I can count on the Friend-ors to do their best for our clients and our venue. I secure at least three options for every category from planner to DJ to make sure the professionals not only fit the budget, but will also fit the desires and personality of the couple. Win Win!!

• What should brides know about Kathy and her team? 
  My team is small as I do rely heavily on the professional creatives that live and work mostly in Round Rock. I’m your tour guide, contract manager, bookkeeper and at time have been known to mow the lawn and mop a floor. My background is in technical writing and industrial graphic art though I worked through college in catering and hotel management along with a brief stint in Washington D.C. coordinating public hearings for a federal congressional committee (it focused on woman owned businesses, I had no idea that I would ever fit that category). I have two girls one in elementary and the other a new teenager, a Golden Retriever who is going on 15 but still loves to swim in the creek when he joins me at the venue, and a husband who turned me loose on an adventure I never knew I would take. I love a good love story and a beautiful but tasty wedding cake. Maggie is my site manager AND a professional planner who happens to have a TABC bartending license and moonlights with one of our fav caterers, Catering with a Twist. Maggie honestly intimately knows all the ins and outs of each part of an event. She is small but mighty, never afraid to jump in when needed and a delight to work with. Maggie and I tag team events with me kicking things off and Maggie closing and possibly doing double duty as your planner, how cool is that! Maggie is a mom of two littles, purveyor of outdoor spaces (she knows every park from North Austin to Round Rock) and digs a kitchy couple. Quinton is our go-to security professional; when alcohol is served he is your guy. I trust Quinton to be another line of liability management which is super important for both me AND the client. His goal is to stay in the background, but always vigilant. He’s been known to jump in and help carrying things or push a mop now and then. He’s an amazing dad, has a great sense of humor and since working at the Grove has grown to like Indian food. I’m always on the search for folks to add to the family, especially site managers as we grow our business and launch others out on their own entrepreneurial adventure.

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