Etter-Harbin Alumni Center Reviews

The alumni center is a gorgeous venue with many options. We had a license signing in one room, a meal in a large room (it was cold and slightly rainy, so we went with our indoor rain plan and it turned out amazing). I think it will be a great place to renew my vows in 25 years.

We hosted our wedding ceremony & reception at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center in February and it was absolutely perfect! We hosted our ceremony in the back amphitheater and it was the perfect space for our 160 guests! The creek behind us provided stunning photos! Our cocktail hour took place in the Main Lounge and the dinner and dancing in the Ballroom! The Rosemary's Catering team worked with us to create the perfect decor & set-up for our guests! Their team was knowledgeable, friendly and an absolute pleasure to work with! It was a beautiful venue with the perfect team to make our wedding day absolutely amazing!

We worked with Rachel Sommer to coordinate our wedding reception. Rachel was prompt and professional in her emails, and she was a delight during our in-person meetings. The venue itself was excellent, as was all the staff who were onsite. We have zero regrets!

Phenomenal experience at this gorgeous venue! We used the outdoor back area for our ceremony, had cocktails on the wraparound terrace and held the reception in the Ballroom. Everything was absolutely perfect. The staff at the Alumni Center is wonderful to work with! I received so many compliments on how wonderful and gorgeous our wedding was!

The etter Harbin Alumni Venue was gorgeous and breathtaking . This was a beautiful and memorable wedding. Rosemary’s catering was delicious and portions were large. Briana gave us all amazing customer service. We were extremely pleased how she handled the entire wedding from beginning to end. We highly recommend the Etter Harbin Alumni Center alumni center. Everything was perfect thank you once again Briana for my daughter’wedding on March 23, 2019
Warm regards,
Mrs Betty Balli

The Alumni Center Main Lounge and Concourse has Texas written all over it – longhorns, leather furniture, cowhide, rustic wood, stone fireplaces – great indoor and outdoor space. In addition, it is located right at the base of the Texas Memorial Stadium where the Longhorns play! We had a Welcome Party for our son’s wedding and the ambiance is wonderful…the food even better! We served Southwest, Wild Wild West and Street Taco Buffets and guests raved! The run up to our event was complicated by COVID 19, but the Alumni Center staff never missed a beat. They were gracious, flexible and accommodating.
We wanted to give our guests a true taste of Texas and the Alumni Center didn’t disappoint…we loved it!

The Alumni Center was an awesome venue for our event. Many of our guests complimented the ballroom and thought the windows and patio made it a very unique space. I think it's a hidden gem in Austin. Working with Emily there was an absolute joy - I don't think she could have been more on the ball. Would definitely recommend this to anyone planning a wedding in central Austin!

As a die hard Longhorn fan and a Texas Ex, I chose the Alumni Center because of it's location on campus. I planned my wedding in Austin from Chicago, and I wasn't able to see the venue, possible decor, or taste any of the food before the reception itself. Everything was beyond my expectations! The food was exceptional, the room and decor were beautiful, and the service was extremely high quality. I would choose them again in a heartbeat!

This was a beautiful venue that didn’t require much in the way of decoration – having windows on three sides of the ballroom did most of that for us! The food by RK Catering was fantastic and we got lots of compliments on it. We were easily able to have the specific wines and beers we wanted, as we weren’t crazy about the house wines. The organizational side of the event went off without a hitch and Rebekah was great at making everything flow well. The one annoying thing was that our wedding was passed between four different coordinators from the time we booked the event until the big day. Having a new coordinator less than two months before the wedding stressed me out, but Rebekah was impressive at getting everything together. The RK Group, who handles all events at the Alumni Center, are very professional and have big events like this down pat.

Everyone at the alumni center was amazing to us! The food was fantastic, our planner was always on top of things and very knowledgable, and everyone who worked with us on the day of the wedding was so attentive. We could not have asked for a better day with anyone else. We are still getting compliments on the food and decor as well as the bartenders. They were all absolutely wonderful!

My guests have been raving about our reception thanks to the UT Alumni Center. We had 250 guests who fit comfortably and a beautiful outdoor patio as well. I got married in the summer in Texas so from the start an outdoor reception was out of the question. Thanks to the beautiful trees surrounding the Alumni Center and the windows that covered all the walls, my guests were able to feel like they were outside yet still enjoy the air conditioning. It was perfect. The dance floor was a little small but other than that everything was wonderful.

Fantastic food and staff, only beware of them trying to sell you more than you may want or upgrading without knowing costs included. But they had great service and were very helpful, also tried to work with my budget.

Great place to have a nice wedding

As a Texas Exes member who loves history, this was where I wanted to get married. Luckily, my husband felt the same. If you are a member, the value cannot be beat. It's gorgeous with many authentic Texas paintings and sculptures, a gorgeous fireplace, antique woodwork and furniture, iron chandeliers and sconces, and a ballroom with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the creek and the beautiful UT campus.

We chose to marry in the lounge, a place that celebrated the history of the state, and hold our reception in the ballroom. It worked perfectly, and we were stunned at the beauty on our wedding day even though we expected it! It's located in the heart of Austin, making accommodations and other events easy although parking is always difficult downtown. However, the Alumni Center offers an underground garage that was more than adequate.

All weddings there are run by the RK Group, which did make us wary at first. However, the on-site service by Rosemary's Catering was wonderful. We managed to work around many of the restrictions with the help of the RK Group rep, Allison, but we had to use Illusions Rentals for linens. However, since much of our decor was our own, she worked with us to help create the wedding of our dreams seamlessly. She helped our vendors incredibly with set up even though they were not from the RK Group, and she was present throughout the rehearsal to ensure that everything went perfectly. Allison went far beyond our expectations and was in constant touch with us throughout the planning.

Basically, if you love Austin, Texas history, or are a UT Alum, this should be your first choice. The only major drawback is that it's run by the RK Group, and they want you to use all their overpriced services. However, with attention to detail, a little stubbornness, and using their caterer and rental company for the basics, it's possible to work with them to bring in your own vendors and have the wedding you want at an affordable price