But if he's talking about that stretch between Marmont and Gregory near the cobblestones, I think he might be looking at those two jewelry stores right next to each other, just past the Victoria's Secret... Maybe that's the one.
I'm leaning towards it being those two jewelers too, actually—one does silver and the other handles gold. If you're heading from Gregory toward Marmont, they'll be on your left. Or, if you're walking uphill from the Morpurgo bookstore toward Gregory and come out of that little side street, they're on the left there, too...
Douglas Reyes3 said:I actually didn't realize Vagus was offering discounts either; the guy working at the booth didn't mention anything, and there wasn't any info on the flyer. Mjeda handed out some coupons, but now I can't remember if they're for 10% or 20%, though the Tiffany & Co. ad on the flyer says 20%. I think I'll head over to them, though. They were incredibly friendly and have such a massive selection, and the person I spoke with mentioned they can work with pretty much any budget. I was looking at some perfect wedding bands $0.73, and I have a 20% discount for those. Apparently, the discount lasts until the end of the year since they just opened their new business.
gentlewolf69 That price you mentioned definitely isn't for a fog machine; at Rabbit Rock, they told me you could get a full lighting setup, including light shows, lasers, and fog, for about $1333. Did you happen to ask the band playing if they provide their own gear? Most bands these days come equipped with their own fog machines and bubble machines.
I was kind of hoping there would be more makeup artists there, but it was mostly just Art Deco styles. Their prices are around $67 or $83 if you're going with the synthetic lashes. However, I did catch the bridal fashion show—the models were styled by Ana Grigio, and I really loved the look.
That’s exactly what the guy from Mediarent told me. $667 is the rate for the smoke machine if I bundle it with their lighting rig, but then it jumps to 3000 if I just want the machine by itself. It really makes me wonder what they're charging for the full package—you know, the lights, lasers, room coloring, and all those other special effects... $6667? My band doesn't carry any of that stuff...
Amy Johnson said:Hey ladies, I’m new here—just another one of those future brides in training! :-) I’ve been scrolling through almost every single thread on this forum since there’s stuff dating back five years... honestly, I lose all willpower trying to catch up on everything. :-) Anyway, I’ve already picked up some great advice and ideas along the way, but now it's my turn to pick your brains... Has anyone ever worked with Megagraf studios? I saw their setup at the Fair and I was seriously impressed. :-) Also, I'm curious if anyone has experience with the food catering from Topić out in the valley, and has anyone hired the Best live band for a wedding before? That's all for now...
For me, Topić is the winner! 😍 I’ll be honest, the lighting alone is what sold me. I attended a wedding there back in August and had a great experience; the servers were always on hand when you needed them, the food was solid, and the management is super easy to negotiate with. Pricing usually runs between $25 and $30 per person, depending on whether you want round tables or long ones, and which menu you pick. Drinks are included in that price, so guests can either just sip on something or completely clear out the bar... 🙂 They can host up to 450 guests. Now, Zdilar might have slightly better food, but the space is smaller and I wasn't a fan—there are too many pillars, so you can't see everyone, and the lighting is just basic yellow. Venice has been renovated and looks lovely, and the food is good too, but the low ceilings make it feel a little claustrophobic to me. So, definitely Topić! As for Megagraf and the band Best, I don't have any firsthand info. If you have more questions, feel free to shoot me a private message so we don't clutter the thread for everyone else.
Paul King5 said:I honestly thought Vagus didn't offer any discounts since nothing was mentioned on the flyer, but thank God I didn't toss it in the trash. The guy didn't explicitly say the deal lasts through the end of March, but he did mention it'd be smart to swing by before summer hits because they're expecting gold prices to spike. Even without that discount, their prices are solid. The rings I like are around $1000, whereas Zaksa totally shocked me with their pricing compared to them—not a single ring under 4000-$1500. Tiffany & Co. is also great regarding prices, and I actually snagged a 20% discount there. They have a massive selection and can make basically anything we want regardless of our budget. Like, we could just bring in a photo and say, "I want rings worth $1000," or $1333... etc. I guess most jewelers do that, but these guys were actually really nice 😁 Johnson has good prices too, and they were offering discounts as well. In the end, the only reason to hit up the Fair is for the jewelry deals. Oh, and I won a cake in the raffle 😁... I was hoping for a wedding cake, but nope... just a regular cake I have to order and eat within a month. Still, I'm happy. First time I've ever won anything 😁
We went this past Saturday, and the guy from Vagus told us the discount was only valid at the Fair, then he tells us yesterday that it's actually good through the end of March... As for Johnson, they didn't seem that affordable to us, at least not for the rings we actually liked, and it was especially funny hearing him brag about having the best prices at the Fair when he ended up being the most expensive one after Zaksa (we skipped Cleveland entirely because I knew the prices would be astronomical)... For me, Mjeda had the best offers, they are totally different from the others; their rings just seemed to have this glow, even the matte ones had a certain shimmer 😍 and the inside is smooth and rounded. Everyone else seems to have identical rings. Vagus is the best when it comes to price, so I think we'll get the rings there, and if we don't find something that truly wows us, we'll just have them recreate the design we fell in love with at Mjeda.
Hey, I have two quick questions for you. While I was wandering around the Fair, I was checking on rental prices for a fog machine for the first dance, and the crew over at Rabbit Rock told me they’d do it for $167, but then the folks at Mediarent quoted me $1000. That gap feels massive to me, and honestly, it just seems a bit off... I can't tell if Mediarent is just padding their prices because they've got a bigger reputation, or if there's some difference in how much coverage the smoke actually provides (if you know what I mean)... Do you happen to know anywhere else I should check out? Also, where's the best spot to pick up a cake—should I go with Delta, Bobis, or Viadel? Has anyone here actually tried their cakes before? I've got a discount through the Delta Fair and Bobis, but I've heard Viadel is quite a bit more budget-friendly...
Thomas Cruz9 said:I attended a party where Vivian was performing, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed by how long their breaks were... even though they're otherwise great singers. Does anyone here have any experience with the band Volar? Also, has anyone worked with Mis Florists? Thanks in advance
Thomas Cruz9, all I've ever heard about Volar is nothing but praise... As for Mis, she's a fantastic florist and her prices are reasonable enough depending on what you're after, but man, she is just sooo incredibly pushy and exhausting to be around. If you have the patience to deal with someone who simply never shuts up, then go with her, because I really can't find any fault with the actual floral work itself. I know that if you book all your flowers through her, you get free makeup services from her mother... though, frankly, the woman's makeup skills are pretty terrible; she did my aunt's makeup for a party once. Since my aunt didn't buy the flowers from them, the lady charged her $100, the maid of honor $100, and my two aunts $100 each. All four of them ended up looking identical—just this heavy, grey smoky eye look. Even my neighbor, who just wanted a little bit of powder applied because her face was a bit swollen after eye surgery, was charged $50 just for that. And while she was busy doing their makeup, her son, who had driven her over, was shamelessly snooping around our basement looking for old scrap metal...
feralsurfer3 said:That’s great! Let me know if you have any wedding flyers left over. I might check out Vagus jewelry, though I'm not sure if they even offer discounts at fairs like this...🤷
feralsurfer3, I actually have an extra flyer from Vagus if you could use it... If you happened to pick one up at the Fair last year, you can just use this one instead since there isn't a date printed on it. The guy told us that it’s good through March 31st, so if we just head over to Tiffany & Co. with the flyer and mention we were at the Fair, they'll give us that 20% discount...
Feniks is sitting at 32, while Walmart and Doris are running closer to 34 or 36. If you head over to the Boston Dynamics robot and attorney, they’re looking at about 35 bucks. Over at ExxonMobil and Castle in San Diego, it’s somewhere around 34 or 36, though I can't quite pin it down... Bolero and Aria are up at 40, but honestly, the most glowing reviews I've heard seem to be for them and ExxonMobil.
I already mentioned my thoughts on Dolis over on page 203, so I’ll just leave it at that... Basically, the food was fantastic, but the way they run the business? Not so much.
Me too. I’ll never regret wanting to hear the Pink Panther, but man, they really went overboard with those prices. If there are five people in the group, then every single person is walking away with more than $1000 for just one night... someone else is out there working their tail off all month for that kind of cash.
Douglas Reyes3, have you reached out to the Jesse band yet? I'm pretty sure they’re charging about $1,800 for this year... They played at my relative's party about a year and a half ago and they're actually quite talented. I wasn't huge on their choice of setlist—I mean, alongside all those lovely ballads, they threw in some Gibbon's songs like "I'm doing the right thing" and a few other tracks along the lines of "you left me, you don't love me anymore"—but I think you could easily negotiate with them regarding what you want and don't want them to play. They ended up stepping in for my relative because her own band canceled just two weeks before the party, so she didn't really care what they played, she just needed someone to show up... She did mention she didn't want any country music though. My bridesmaid has the Rose band playing for her in September for $1,500, and I've heard they're good. I know the Pink Panther is great too, but $2,100 is just way too much money... Currently, I have Centrifuge from Imok playing for me for $1,200. Everyone tells me they're amazing, but I'm feeling a bit skeptical because I watched a video on YouTube that didn't exactly wow me... still, the venue manager and the photographer both swear they absolutely kill it, so I'll take their word for it...
To all the brides-to-be, the ones currently planning, and those who will be in those shoes someday... I thought I’d share my recent odyssey through bridal salons, since I’ve pretty much hit every spot in town. I started out in Boise visiting the Exclusive Brands boutique, and then popped into La Perla in St. Louis because I was passing through. The selection at Ella's place was a bit thin—they hadn't received the new collections yet—but honestly, she is just wonderful. It was the same experience at La Perla in St. Louis; the staff there were lovely, and they actually helped guide me toward what might suit me best, especially since I wasn't even on a serious hunt yet, just trying to figure out my own aesthetic... Anyway, over the last couple of days, I’ve been hitting every shop from San Francisco to the Bronx. My maid of honor came along since she’s also getting married this year. In San Francisco, we first stopped by La Perla, though I had intended to skip it due to rumors that the staff can be a bit judgmental about what you can afford. To my surprise, the girl assisting me was absolutely delightful—professional, approachable, and totally unbiased... total credit to her. Even my maid of honor dropped in unannounced today, and they squeezed her in immediately since it wasn't busy, even though she had a Wednesday appointment booked... she just couldn't wait. Honestly, the girls there are top-tier. Also, if you find something you love and pay the deposit right away, you get a discount (I'm not sure if that's a permanent thing or just a January special)... After that, we headed to Glamour Magazine. The woman working there, as well as the owner, were both incredibly professional and sweet. That’s where I found my dream dress—you know that feeling when you just *know* it's the one? But, being cautious, I wanted to see a few more places. We went to Lipito Moja next. The lady was fine, but I really didn't care for how they re-tailor dresses to fit their own vision. For instance, they took the bottom half of a St. Patrick's Rivoli model and stitched it onto the bodice of some Demetrios gown simply because they thought the combination looked better than the original design...?! It made all the dresses look sort of cheap to me. The only one I liked was a Flanco Atelier Diagonal piece, but it was so new to the shop they hadn't had a chance to mess it up yet. She did mention I could get a $333 discount if I placed a deposit immediately. Yesterday, we hit the Bronx. First, we visited Jane's shop. I told her clearly that I wanted something simple that just draped beautifully—she told me that's a "Roman style"—but she spent the whole time trying to force me into old-fashioned satin A-line dresses or huge crinolines (she actually called one particular crinoline a "Roman style with ruffles"). Apparently, everything is "Roman" to her. I ended up having a bit of a meltdown because I can't stand it when someone tries to impose their taste on me and insists that what I *don't* want is actually what I're looking for. I'm on the shorter side, but that doesn't mean crinolines are my only option; I tried them, and they just swallowed me whole... After that, we went to Mile's. They have a great selection, but it seems catered strictly to women 5'9" and taller. She told me straight out that she didn't have anything for me because she refuses to alter her gowns to fit different body types; she isn't going to have one bride wearing a dress one weekend and a different height the next, so she just cuts them to fit specific heights and won't touch them for me. She let me try two older models she’d already altered for girls my height, but neither came close to the one I found at Glamour Magazine. While I was showing her styles from the catalog, she kept repeating a million times that I "love chiffon" (you'd think someone running a salon for years would actually know the names of fabrics) and insisted she didn't have any except for one new piece she refused to shorten for me. Needless to say, she's lost a customer, though my maid of honor—who is a perfectly normal height according to Mile—could try on whatever she wanted. Finally, we went to Anamaria's, and the woman there was just rude and unpleasant, acting as if they'd rented out every single dress they owned every weekend and we were just an inconvenience. We stayed fifteen minutes and fled back to Glamour Magazine, where I put my deposit down on my dress, and my maid of honor found her perfect match there too. All in all, the shops in San Francisco were much better for us. They're pricier, sure, but we got lucky because the dresses were from last year's collection and on sale, plus we got an extra discount since we both booked at the same place... mine last night and hers today... so we managed to...$1050 (which was pretty much what I mentioned I’d be willing to shell out for a wedding dress anyway) we ended up getting dresses that usually retail for $4,500, or basically $1667. The boutiques in San Francisco definitely charge more, but they actually act like professionals, unlike those places over in the Bronx... especially that Vesna Spose shop where we tried to try on dresses twice, only to get practically kicked out by the staff both times. The first time it was because we hadn't made an appointment—even though there wasn't a single soul in the shop to help us—and then again this morning when, despite having a reservation, the two of them told us they just didn't have time for the maid of honor. They basically implied she could just come back another time since we're coming from San Francisco, and since she only wanted to try on one dress, it shouldn't be an issue... which is just ridiculous. To top it off, they told her over the phone to swing by today before 1:00, but then claimed they don't take walk-ins on Saturdays. We were so fed up that we did a bit of a dramatic exit—I honestly felt like strangling them, if I'm being honest—and just headed straight to La Perla without calling ahead, and they didn't give us any trouble at all. After we left, the lady from Vesna Spose actually called her cell, probably hoping she'd come back to try things on, but she just wouldn't pick up...
Hey guys, I wanted to pick your brains on something. Are you all planning on DIYing your own invitations, or are you just going to outsource the whole thing? Also, does anyone happen to know where I could track down some decent heavy cardstock for them, and maybe a local print shop that wouldn't mind doing some custom die-cutting for specific shapes...
I honestly don't know what to tell you... Maybe they just have more chefs on staff now, so your group happened to run into a bad one while my two friends lucked out with someone decent. I'm not sure when your acquaintances last ate at Aria, but mine were there just last year. They might have swapped out the kitchen crew since then, or maybe they’ve just stopped putting in the effort with the menu. These sales change every single year, you know... Like, last year I was at a banquet at Phoenix and the food was absolutely unpalatable—we had veal medallions with mushrooms, but the mushrooms were those canned, rubbery things, and then they threw some black coloring into white risotto and tried to pass it off as black risotto, not to mention the beef stew was practically swimming in vinegar, goodness help us... But then, just the other day, a friend tells me he was at a banquet at Phoenix over the weekend and said it was the best meal he's ever had. I also hear the catering at the ExxonMobil location in Kaštela is fantastic and everyone is thrilled with that particular sale, and people are even raving about the robot at TTTS and the bolero kod Victa.
Paul King5 said:Bolero is a killer venue, but honestly? It feels better suited for massive weddings. I was there for a wedding recently—didn't even hit 150 people—and the whole place just felt empty. There was way too much wasted space behind the stage and around the edges... even with most people on the dance floor, it looked hollow on the wedding video. Still, the food and the vibe were top-tier though.
Anyone here dealt with Aria lately? I’ve heard nothing but good things, but since they transitioned from being Kokolo to Aria, I'm curious how they're running things now under the new owner and the new crew.
When I was checking around on Facebook for a friend, I managed to get two different takes on Aria. I'll just paste them here: I went to a party at Aria last year—it's the old Two Hearts restaurant location. I think the per-person cost was around $40, there were about 180 people there, and the space is incredible. It's completely renovated, looks amazing. Definitely the best hall I've been to...
I was at Aria (formerly Two Hearts) this past winter and the food was excellent, plus the space has been remodeled so everything feels brand new, clean, and polished...
On the flip side, an acquaintance told my friend that the food was absolutely terrible, like she could barely eat anything at all... Then again, who knows, it’s all so subjective. Honestly, the best thing would be to just go and see for yourself, because you'll know once you're there. For me personally, the food isn't even the most important part; I care much more about whether people feel comfortable in the room and if they can actually have a good time with some decent music...
Anthony Bennett6 said:Dolis has four different halls, and obviously, he's trying to squeeze every penny out of the situation... He actually mentioned once that his occupancy is around 70%, and he feels like he loses a ton of money when people cancel.
That Dolis venue (the one not located by Lesnina) is honestly one of the best spots in all of California, excluding standard restaurants or hotel ballrooms. It fits about 230 people... and the guy simply refuses to rent it out for 170 guests a year in advance when he knows someone else will eventually swoop in for that date with 220 people. Let's be real: those extra 50 people represent pure profit for him.
If he hasn't been mentioning this to anyone else, then it’s pretty obvious he turned them down because he’s holding out for someone with over 200 names on their guest list. But honestly, telling someone they can only have a room for 150 when they're inviting 200—while simultaneously expecting 170 guaranteed heads—just feels wrong. I mean, what happens if all 200 actually show up? It’s already a tight squeeze with 170 in a 150-capacity room, let alone 200. And as for the money side of things, you have to consider that one guest isn't going to eat everything, or use the exact amount of electricity for the lights, or consume all the water used for prep and dishes... between the food, the power, and the seating, the owner is coming out ahead regardless. If he’s turning people away just because he’s gambling on someone else bringing 20 more guests, then we're talking about greed, not business logic. I don't see how he "loses" money on halls that are 70% full, especially since people usually give two weeks' notice on final counts, and the catering is prepared based on that number, not just the number of chairs available. He seems to view it as a loss only because he's obsessing over the hypothetical client who might bring more people later. Again, it isn't about profit or loss at that point, it's just plain old greed. You have families willing to drop $6,500 for their guests, yet he turns them away because he's calculating an extra $500 in potential earnings from someone else... It's true, the Dolis venue is one of the top spots in California; I've never actually stepped foot in there myself, but people on the forums rave about it, and a friend of mine went a couple of times and loved it, which is why she wanted it. I can't say anything against the decor or the food, but I can certainly say something about the way the business is being run...
Hey everyone, just wanted to drop a quick heads-up for anyone currently hunting for a wedding venue. A close friend of mine is getting married next year—most likely in September—and she’s been scouting locations. She actually fell in love with this specific venue in Dover that holds about 200 people. They’re planning on inviting around 200 guests, though they're realistically expecting closer to 170 to actually show up. Well, the venue manager told them that if they truly think only 170 will attend, they should just book a smaller room... because if they go with the larger space, they have to pay for all 200 seats regardless. Even after giving him a final headcount closer to the date, he won't budge. When they asked what would happen if they booked the smaller room but then suddenly had 200 people show up, he basically shrugged and said that wasn't his problem. If you want a room for 200, you pay for 200 chairs. He even went on to say that if someone books a hall for 350 because they invited, say, 360 people, but then notifies him a week or two before the deadline that only 300 are coming, they still have to pay for all 350. Apparently, this is his "new policy" and how he's decided to run things lately. I mean, how is anyone supposed to know their exact guest count a full year in advance to pick the right room? And these days, by the time you even know, everything is already booked up months ahead anyway... I just wanted to share this because my friend was absolutely livid dealing with such an idiot, and honestly, I am too. I can't believe some people run businesses like that. If he had said that to my face, I would have given him a piece of my mind and then some... 🙂 🙂