Posts by Betty Hernandez4

Bryan Turner4 said:The Rockatansky Band actually offered us lighting for $1000, which I believe comes with a discount since they're playing the set...

I sent them an inquiry, but I haven't heard back—honestly, even a quick "not interested" would have been fine, but whatever. Right now, the cheapest quote I've received is $5,700. I'm not sure if I should mention who it's from here, but if anyone knows a vendor who can beat that price, I’d really appreciate it. Lolita Wedding Lighting gave me a great deal, $1333, but after doing some digging, I heard their equipment isn't exactly top-tier, which has made me a bit skeptical. If anyone has firsthand experience with them, I could really use your input. Hvala🙂

Betty Hernandez4 said:Has anyone here actually worked with Lolita Wedding Lighting? I just received an incredible offer from them—so good that it's making me wonder what the catch is. 🙂))

Also, if anyone can recommend a lighting specialist in the California area—provided they aren't Overpriced Inc.—I would be Super Loud Co. grateful.🙂

Has anyone here actually worked with Lolita Wedding Lighting? I just received an incredible offer from them—so good that it's making me wonder what the catch is. 🙂))

Has anyone here actually hired professional lighting for their wedding? I'm looking for some recommendations—does anyone happen to know a vendor who could send over a quote by $1667? Thanks! 🙂

Hi there,
Can anyone recommend a good cake maker? I'm looking for someone other than Delta—I saw their cakes at the expo and they were absolutely STUNNING, but the prices are just a bit too steep for me... plus, to be honest, their basic designs aren't really my style. Generally speaking, I don't usually go for bakery cakes. So, if you have any leads, I’d really appreciate it. I'm also open to home bakers or independent women who do custom orders; I've noticed there are more of them lately, and their creativity is honestly incredible. A huge plus would be if they offer delivery outside of San Diego. Thanks! 🙂

Adam Sanders4 said:Goodness, I truly cannot get enough of that delicious confection; my heart is still absolutely full from such a sweet indulgence!

Where exactly is this "creme de la creme" everyone keeps raving about? I must confess, I have searched high and low, yet I have never once encountered them in my travels through the market.🤷

Does anyone happen to be familiar with the current operating hours for Ira? I recall hearing that they used to stay open until 4:00 PM, but I am feeling a bit uncertain as to whether they might have extended their schedule to include the entire day.

This first set is likely provided by Let’s DJ. To be perfectly honest, we had originally planned on hiring a live band—it never even crossed my mind to go the DJ route because I just pictured a full ensemble performing. However, once we were actually at the reception and heard the way he was spinning the tracks, everything just clicked. We realized right then and there that a band wouldn't compare to this energy; we immediately decided that a DJ was exactly what we needed.

They're open until 5 PM... honestly, it's a bit of a ridiculous schedule for anyone with a standard job—but at least they pushed it to 5. They used to close at 3, then they moved it to 4... now it's 5. If they keep shifting the goalposts like this, it might take me another 2 or 3 years just to find the time to visit Ira.🤣>

Anthony Alvarez7 said:Hey everyone, quick question—does anyone know where I can rent some tall flower stands for floral arrangements here in San Francisco? If you happen to have a contact number or a cell phone handy for a local rental shop, that would be amazing! Thanks so much...

You might try Rose over in the Unknown area—though I'm not sure what the situation is with Unknown in the suburbs, whether they just sell the equipment or offer rentals too...

Alexander Ruiz2 said:I used them once, and I wasn't happy... 😢
I saw some work by Lisjak and he seems great...
Honestly, you're better off hiring a specific individual rather than a big photography studio, because you never truly know who they’ll end up sending to your wedding... 🙄

We ended up hiring Siniša Srdanović. We met up for coffee twice, and he is just such a lovely, down-to-earth guy—honestly, he won me over as a person so much that I don't even care what the photos look like—haha, just kidding... He showed us some of his portfolio, we put down a deposit, and I'm feeling great about it. Now we just need to pick a videographer so we can finally check this off our list. 🙂

Raymond Brooks7 said:just ask him if he has any buddies who can show you their work...🤷
Unfortunately, I can't send over any photos myself since they aren't mine and I don't have them saved digitally, but I truly love his work 😁. Honestly, the best part is how much he actually listens; you can tell him exactly what you want and he genuinely respects the couple's vision... I don't think you'll regret going with him

It’s fine... you’ve helped me enough as it is. I’ll figure things out with him—but I always prefer to do a little digging before I commit to grabbing coffee. 🙂 He’s being quiet for now... but I honestly think once we grab coffee, he’ll be 100%—I've heard nothing but glowing things about his character from people who know him. 🙂 Now I just need to track down someone to handle the video... uh...🙂 Thanks again.

Raymond Brooks7 said:I needed him for a shoot... but he wasn't available, so lisjak stepped in instead. But listen:
He shot my son's godmother's wedding—the photos were phenomenal
He shot an acquaintance of mine—photos were phenomenal
He’s shooting another friend soon—I have zero doubts about the result...☕

I don't have his shots in digital format, but everything I've seen that he's done is top-tier... not to mention, he's a genuinely great guy to be around ☕
If I were getting married again... hmm, I'd probably go with lisjak again 😁 though I'd bring the son along too 😍

Thank youuuuuuu 🙂!! You truly made my day with that comment... I mean it, REALLY 🙂) Also, if anyone else on the forum has some photos they could share, I would be so grateful 🙂 hvala Raymond Brooks7 🙂

I got an offer.. thank you! 🙂))
Things have gotten a little complicated regarding the date, so I’m back on the hunt for a photographer... does anyone here have experience working with Siniša Srdanović? His photos on Facebook are absolutely insane and his quote works for my budget—I just really want to see a full wedding gallery he's shot. If anyone on this forum has been photographed by Siniša, I would be BEYOND grateful if you could reach out to me....

Has anyone received an offer from Smith yet? It’s urgent!!!🙂

Noah Wright4 said:Congrats! 😁

He’s a friend of mine and an incredible photographer!

Thanks, truly... I’m really happy with everything I've seen from his work so far—plus, the crew is just so easygoing and relaxed.🙂 Can't wait... even if there is still quite a bit of waiting left to do.

I have finally locked in my photographer... Studio Papaya... the search is officially over. Honestly, it wasn't easy—finding him was probably harder than finding my husband! Onward and upward...🙂 Thanks to everyone for the helpful tips..
Now I am pivoting to lighting, decor, and floor plans. Can anyone offer some recommendations? Hallelujah

Does anyone happen to have a quote for Papaja handy, or perhaps know someone here on the forum who does? Thanks so much! 🙂🙂

Olivia Lee5 said:It looks like both of those caterers are out of luck—one is already booked up on my date, and the other is asking for $1167 just to travel out to Castel. I actually stumbled upon an option here in St that works perfectly with what I had in mind: I provide the food myself, and they handle all the setup and provide their own dishes. I just need to double-check the pricing, and then I think I can finally take this whole headache off my plate.

That’s a shame... I really hope the one you choose works out for you. Just stay organized and I'm sure everything will be perfect. Good luck! :😍

Olivia Lee5 said:I’m currently looking into catering options for a group of 100 guests, though I expect the headcount to climb to about 160 once the groom's side arrives at my place. Right now, I’ve only looked at a quote from Baletni, $2167, which doesn't even include drinks or dessert. Honestly, that feels like way too much for what I actually want. I think I just need some nice cheeses, prosciutto, a variety of canapés, and maybe some finger foods... plus the usual desserts and drinks, of course. Does anyone happen to know a caterer who could come to my house to set everything up and bring their own supplies? I'd really prefer someone who provides their own tableware—plates and glasses for 160 people—since it doesn't make much sense for me to go out and buy 100 extra glasses right now, only to be left with a mountain of them later.

$2167,that sounds like a lot... a friend of mine paid for $0.00, two full caterings—meaning she had one full setup and then more for the groom's side. My advice? Just take one of those two options I mentioned earlier; either one will work, and you'll save money—believe me, they're great! Plus, it includes the tent, the dishes, and the service staff. You could technically ask them to handle the food shopping too, but it's better if you do it yourself—you won't actually need nearly as much as they claim... there's always way too much left over 🙂

frozencobra46 said:I was actually leaning towards hiring Baletni because I’ve heard great things. You don't order based on a strict headcount; instead, they use their experience to tell you exactly how much you'll need. The food at Baletni is excellent, and they mix up different delicacies so there's plenty of variety for the guests. Plus, the catering setup is seamless since they bring and take back all the dishes and equipment; you just provide the drinks, so there isn't any headache later on. On top of that, Baletni offers a free tent rental, which is a huge plus since I understand those usually charge by the square foot. Once I factored in the cost of buying the food, the total was pretty much the same, so when I compared it to the sisters' mashed potato prices, I decided this was the better route.
Betty Hernandez4, which catering company did you go with?

Does the catering include drinks, or just the food? The catering I'm looking at is from Ploča. You can check out Mustapić Catering and Anđeo Catering on Facebook... and honestly, it doesn't cost nearly as much as you'd think. I'm not sure how you guys handle the beverages, but here, we just buy everything ourselves and return whatever isn't opened—then we only pay for what was actually consumed (you obviously have to return unopened packages, not half a bottle of Jagermeister, hahahaha🤣). You know what, I don't even stress that much over the amount of food. Based on what my friends have told me, people barely eat anything during the reception before the main course; that whole phase passes so quickly. With 100 guests, you won't have even half of them eating much, so there's really no point in overdoing it with the food... though, of course, it still needs to be "high quality"!

Olivia Lee5 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering if you all tend to order catering for home events, or if you prefer to whip up the food yourselves? If you do decide to go the DIY route, what are you thinking of making? I’m currently sitting here crunching the numbers and doing some math. It looks like Baletni would charge $20 per person, while Gusar is around 85-$40 per person, and I still need to check in with Pimpinelon... honestly, it’s quite a significant amount of money, which feels a bit steep if you ask me. But then again, if I were to handle everything myself, I wouldn't really know what to offer besides maybe some cheese, charcuterie, and desserts... if I tried to make fancy canapés, I’d just end up dealing with the headache of slicing bread and handling all the decorations... 🤷

Regarding photographers—I've actually made my decision and gone with California Photography because their work is significantly better than Mark Photography. In my opinion, Mark Photography is a total disaster; the only photographer who truly does a fantastic job is Boris. Zvoniti isn't bad, but they aren't anything special either. California Photography has a large team, and of course, not everyone there is performing at a top-tier level, but I specifically requested either Miro or Matthew, as they produce absolutely stunning shots, and I managed to secure one of them. I'm not particularly worried about the videography side of things, so we just opted for their most budget-friendly video package, paired with the second most expensive photo package plus a large album. All in all, it's going to cost us about $2,000. California Photography is definitely one of the pricier studios in ST, but when it comes to photography, I didn't want to make any compromises, so I chose them.

Hold on, I don't quite follow those catering prices...$20 per person? Does that mean if you have a party of 200 people, the catering costs you 12$0.00... I guess I don't understand—do they calculate based on a smaller headcount? The caterer I hired works like this:
Their service—which includes the tent, tables, dishes, waitstaff, food setup, and all those little extra details—comes to $533.
Then you buy the food yourself and they arrange everything and prep it all; they tell you how much to buy, but their estimates are ALWAYS excessive. Three of my friends got married using this method, and they ended up with so much leftover food they were handing it out to everyone they knew.🙂

Kyle Young3 said:Regarding California... I recently saw some photos from an old friend's shoot, and honestly, I was speechless at how TERRIBLE they were! There is no way I’d ever pay for that. You don't need to be some high-end pro to see it's garbage. On top of that, she waited nearly six months just to get them back. Who is even shooting out there? It's awful. And considering how much people shell out for these photographers for a single day's work, shouldn't everything be top-tier and delivered on time?

Thanks. This is already the second comment like this that has come my way, so California is officially off the table. Now I just need to gather some impressions regarding Rank Pupić (Smiliti studio), and if anyone could point me toward a specific photographer to look for at Mark Photography... I was really struck by his photos at the expo, but I'm truly lost now. Everyone just showcases their absolute best shots—they all look amazing—but I have no clue what it’s actually like when you receive the full package.🙂