Our FAVORITE site was Providence Hills (www.sawhost.com/providence), located in Helotes off of Scenic Loop Rd. The drive to the location is beatiful through the hill country and is quite scenic. You enter through the gate and guests would park along the hillside driving up towards the house, and would be picked up by the valet parking staff and shuttled to the circle drive facing the outdoor wedding location. The photo you see above is the bridal exit to the wedding location. I would walk through this arch (you would all gasp at my beauty, of course) and I walk down the rock patio, down two sets of stairs, down my aisle between the folding chairs and to the twinkling archway along the rock wall you see in the distance (can you picture it?). You can get a better idea of the archway in photo #13. It wasn't the sunniest of days and it was early in the morning so the arch tends to blend in with the surrounding foliage, but check out the website for a better idea. Typically I am not impressed with reception sites since they are just an indoor room, but I would not even mind if it rained on my wedding day here, as the interior of the house is so beautiful and the stained glass window would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding ceremony if necessary. The house was originally built in the 1930s by a Texas oil man and held for 7 years, then sold to become a convent, which it was until only a few years ago. It's very cool because in the dining room you can open the closet door and see how it used to be a confessional! We would have access to the whole bottom floor of the house, which includes a lovely living/sitting room which would be filled with tables for the reception (photo #1), the entry way (photo #2), another area to be filled with tables, and the cake (photo #3), a room set off of the previous room where we would set up the serving tables (photo #4), another room set off of the sitting room to be filled with tables for the reception (photo #7), and a kitchen (photo #8). There is also an upstairs bridal dressing room and an outdoor 750 sq. ft. cabin for the groom and groomsmen to get ready in. We would have the dance floor be on the rock patio (photo #9) with more tables set up on the grassy area below it (photo #11). Everything about the site is absolutely what we are looking for - the perfect combination of elegance and laid-back. The only potential downfall could be the catering situation. They only allow us to use one caterer, so we need to meet with the caterer to sample the menu and discuss options for alcohol (can we bring our own or must the caterer provide?). We are required to have a TABC bartender and security during the reception. I hope to make an appointment next Saturday evening while Dana is in town if they do not have a wedding planned, so that I can see the place at dusk and meet the caterer all at once. More photos to come after that meeting, but this site is definitely at the top of our list. Susie, the daughter of the owner, was extremely helpful, even offering items from her own daughter's wedding such as lanterns, linens, & vases for ours.