Everything you need for a California wedding
in Weddings ·
The more I read through this forum, the more my anxiety spikes... 🙂 If I lean toward one option, people claim it’s a disaster... it’s honestly all becoming quite overwhelming—I’m feeling the stress. Ideally, wouldn't we just pick the absolute best across the board and have everything go smoothly? That’s why there’s such intense pressure here. Now I’m debating whether I should even share my thoughts, because if I criticize an option someone else has already chosen, they might actually have a panic attack, right? 🕺🤔
But anyway...
For instance, I was looking into Papaya. I read some excellent reviews and even chatted with them, then happened to see them working at a wedding reception once. To be honest, they didn't click with me at all. There was zero chemistry between them and the guests—it felt like they were just there to clock in and out. Plus, the photos I saw weren't exactly anything to write home about, so I decided against them. Yet, everyone seems to rave about them... I suppose it depends on what we're looking for; maybe their style just isn't my cup of tea. Just because they didn't suit me doesn't mean they won't work for someone else—a friend of mine is a professional photographer and he insisted they are top-tier... hmmmmm
The best videographers seem to be those from the local indie scene, but they were way out of our budget. :-(
Ranko Pupic can be a bit pushy; if you can manage to navigate past that, his work is solid enough.
There are also some wonderful people among the boutique studios (like Gaspar)... where the quality really shines.
As far as bands go, most are fine. Personally, DJs aren't really my thing, but names like Viva, Taxi, Best, XXS, Kocka, PVA Liga, or Jadran are safe bets—you won't go wrong there.
Regarding venues, Kocka is my pick, though I still find myself wondering if everything will turn out okay...
I’ve noticed that even if you visit the same venue week after week, the food isn't always consistent...
The Radisson asked for significantly more than what’s listed here—by the time we factored in the basic menu and drinks, it would have cost us a hundred dollars per person... so we passed. A friend of mine was there and mentioned the food was decent, but the portions were small. My fiancé, who usually doesn't complain, told me the food was actually quite poor...
I visited Park personally; the food was a bit sparse, but the quality was good...
For example, I wanted Aria because the room was lovely, but my fiancé—who rarely nitpicks—said the food wasn't great there. (And the Radisson was one of the only two places he had issues with regarding the catering.)
Then there's Sky... it looked amazing to me too, but just when I was considering it, we attended a reception there and the food was bland. Completely tasteless, nothing to write home about. So, that was off the table.
Gusar, on the other hand, comes with nothing but praise; they are perfect. Truly. However, they can only accommodate about 80 people, and that’s it. If you're planning a smaller reception, go there or try Amigos... you won't regret it.
We decided against going to the suburbs or the outskirts. From those areas, we might only consider Lesnina or Dolis... the food there was actually good.
If I had been any smarter, I might have gone there, but... well...
And Bolero... unfortunately, it fell short of expectations.
Velum has great atmosphere outside, but the food was disappointing.
As for wedding dresses... that’s a whole different story. I honestly don't know what is going on with the bridal boutiques in town...
The ones at Cher are just... ugh. Either they won't let you touch anything, or they are incredibly rude and overbearing. And I'm not just speaking from experience; at least five or six other girls have told me the same thing. They won't let you wear the dress you actually want; they insist on what *they* decide. It’s an uncomfortable experience.
La Perla—on their Facebook photos, it looks like they have a massive collection of gowns. But when you actually show up... there's hardly anything to choose from.
Lipoto, my goodness... they are okay, fairly standard. The sales staff is polite. I didn't love the dresses, but the experience was pleasant, so I have no complaints.
Mila was so exhausting that I didn't even walk in. A friend of mine had a terrible experience with them because they refused to do a simple hem adjustment, and she ended up having to change her dress the day before the wedding to someone else.
Jelena seemed fine to me... pleasant and approachable. But then I see comments online saying she's unprofessional. Who knows!
Regarding makeup, I booked Ana Grgic, and then I was immediately bombarded with comments about how she's arrogant and doesn't listen to how you want to look. She's apparently quite temperamental (that's from three different girls), even though one person was satisfied... though personally, I wasn't a huge fan of how she did my makeup either.
And there we have it... 😵🙄 what is there even left to say after all this? It seems everyone is doing a stellar job—and nobody is doing anything right at the same time... 😵 because I’ve reached that stage where just when you think you’ve finally smoothed everything over, some new doubt or sudden fear crawls back in. I can only hope it all pans out in the end. Honestly, guests rarely tell you to your face that things aren't working; they wait until you're gone to whisper about it. (A friend was bragging about how her gala was absolutely flawless—perfect, she said, with nothing but praise from everyone... despite the fact that the catering was mediocre, the menu was lackluster, and the band was frankly abysmal, leaving no one actually dancing...) It really just comes down to the observer's perspective, doesn't it? I suppose the main goal now is just to get through it without losing our minds... 🎉
But anyway...
For instance, I was looking into Papaya. I read some excellent reviews and even chatted with them, then happened to see them working at a wedding reception once. To be honest, they didn't click with me at all. There was zero chemistry between them and the guests—it felt like they were just there to clock in and out. Plus, the photos I saw weren't exactly anything to write home about, so I decided against them. Yet, everyone seems to rave about them... I suppose it depends on what we're looking for; maybe their style just isn't my cup of tea. Just because they didn't suit me doesn't mean they won't work for someone else—a friend of mine is a professional photographer and he insisted they are top-tier... hmmmmm
The best videographers seem to be those from the local indie scene, but they were way out of our budget. :-(
Ranko Pupic can be a bit pushy; if you can manage to navigate past that, his work is solid enough.
There are also some wonderful people among the boutique studios (like Gaspar)... where the quality really shines.
As far as bands go, most are fine. Personally, DJs aren't really my thing, but names like Viva, Taxi, Best, XXS, Kocka, PVA Liga, or Jadran are safe bets—you won't go wrong there.
Regarding venues, Kocka is my pick, though I still find myself wondering if everything will turn out okay...
I’ve noticed that even if you visit the same venue week after week, the food isn't always consistent...
The Radisson asked for significantly more than what’s listed here—by the time we factored in the basic menu and drinks, it would have cost us a hundred dollars per person... so we passed. A friend of mine was there and mentioned the food was decent, but the portions were small. My fiancé, who usually doesn't complain, told me the food was actually quite poor...
I visited Park personally; the food was a bit sparse, but the quality was good...
For example, I wanted Aria because the room was lovely, but my fiancé—who rarely nitpicks—said the food wasn't great there. (And the Radisson was one of the only two places he had issues with regarding the catering.)
Then there's Sky... it looked amazing to me too, but just when I was considering it, we attended a reception there and the food was bland. Completely tasteless, nothing to write home about. So, that was off the table.
Gusar, on the other hand, comes with nothing but praise; they are perfect. Truly. However, they can only accommodate about 80 people, and that’s it. If you're planning a smaller reception, go there or try Amigos... you won't regret it.
We decided against going to the suburbs or the outskirts. From those areas, we might only consider Lesnina or Dolis... the food there was actually good.
If I had been any smarter, I might have gone there, but... well...
And Bolero... unfortunately, it fell short of expectations.
Velum has great atmosphere outside, but the food was disappointing.
As for wedding dresses... that’s a whole different story. I honestly don't know what is going on with the bridal boutiques in town...
The ones at Cher are just... ugh. Either they won't let you touch anything, or they are incredibly rude and overbearing. And I'm not just speaking from experience; at least five or six other girls have told me the same thing. They won't let you wear the dress you actually want; they insist on what *they* decide. It’s an uncomfortable experience.
La Perla—on their Facebook photos, it looks like they have a massive collection of gowns. But when you actually show up... there's hardly anything to choose from.
Lipoto, my goodness... they are okay, fairly standard. The sales staff is polite. I didn't love the dresses, but the experience was pleasant, so I have no complaints.
Mila was so exhausting that I didn't even walk in. A friend of mine had a terrible experience with them because they refused to do a simple hem adjustment, and she ended up having to change her dress the day before the wedding to someone else.
Jelena seemed fine to me... pleasant and approachable. But then I see comments online saying she's unprofessional. Who knows!
Regarding makeup, I booked Ana Grgic, and then I was immediately bombarded with comments about how she's arrogant and doesn't listen to how you want to look. She's apparently quite temperamental (that's from three different girls), even though one person was satisfied... though personally, I wasn't a huge fan of how she did my makeup either.
And there we have it... 😵🙄 what is there even left to say after all this? It seems everyone is doing a stellar job—and nobody is doing anything right at the same time... 😵 because I’ve reached that stage where just when you think you’ve finally smoothed everything over, some new doubt or sudden fear crawls back in. I can only hope it all pans out in the end. Honestly, guests rarely tell you to your face that things aren't working; they wait until you're gone to whisper about it. (A friend was bragging about how her gala was absolutely flawless—perfect, she said, with nothing but praise from everyone... despite the fact that the catering was mediocre, the menu was lackluster, and the band was frankly abysmal, leaving no one actually dancing...) It really just comes down to the observer's perspective, doesn't it? I suppose the main goal now is just to get through it without losing our minds... 🎉