Everything you need for a California wedding

Headline from Free California...
"WEDDING NIGHTMARE: 'They used weapons to force us to pay for terrible pirate food'"

Look, I don't necessarily buy everything you read in the news, but you really have to look at both sides of the story. Usually, a fight takes two people to get started, but there are always exceptions to that rule.

Quick question regarding ice cream shops in San Diego: does anyone have any suggestions or experiences to share? 🙂 Anyone?
(I'm asking for everyone except "Croquettes"—they wouldn't bother implementing FDA standards, so even if their pastries were the best, I probably wouldn't grab anything there—I guess. -.- )

Word on the street from Fable...

There isn't a single thing happening at the wedding center...

Anthony Bennett6 said:Word on the street from Fable...

There isn't a single thing happening at the wedding center...

Meanwhile, you have the other crowd who attended the gala yesterday claiming everything was absolutely perfect!!!!!!

So, where does that leave us now?😢

Kate Gonzalez said:Meanwhile, you have the other crowd who attended the gala yesterday claiming everything was absolutely perfect!!!!!!

So, where does that leave us now?😢

I’ve been there twice myself, and honestly, I don't have much to complain about either.

goldenheron34 said:Quick question regarding ice cream shops in San Diego: does anyone have any suggestions or experiences to share? 🙂 Anyone?
(I'm asking for everyone except "Croquettes"—they wouldn't bother implementing FDA standards, so even if their pastries were the best, I probably wouldn't grab anything there—I guess. -.- )

Our cake came from Alo and it was absolutely spot on 😉
People also raved about the Tiramisu and Jadera...

Alright, thanks 🙂

Kate Gonzalez said:Meanwhile, you have the other crowd who attended the gala yesterday claiming everything was absolutely perfect!!!!!!

So, where does that leave us now?😢

Man, I really wish I had snapped a photo of the appetizer platters at the start.....

The spread: 14 slices of prosciutto
8 slices of cheese
8 olives
And the French dressing was so sour it was basically inedible....

And that was just two platters for 10 people!

The food was coming out in tiny drips..... and after midnight, we were waiting 20 minutes just for drinks....

We even waited nearly an hour just to get coffee....

As for the host, he was something else—he greeted guests in a polo shirt instead of a suit, holding a cigar in his hand.....

The only bright spot? The AC was great.......

All in all, the party was a total circus......

fadedpuma21 said:Hey ladies!
So, I’m finally diving headfirst into the world of wedding planning—wish me luck. We’re looking at a guest list of roughly 110 to 130 people, likely somewhere in the San Francisco area. The goal is to find a venue within the city itself, maybe in one of the suburbs, or even out toward the outskirts. Since we have guests traveling in from New York City, I’d really love a restaurant that can also accommodate about 40 people overnight. I’ll be starting my venue tours soon, but I could really use some guidance before I head out. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue how pricing works—is $32 per person considered a steal, or is $40 pushing it? What should I actually expect to pay, and what counts as "reasonable"? Quality is my priority, but I have zero interest in throwing money down the drain. If anyone happens to know what a standard prix fixe menu costs at Friends, Diocletian, or San Antonio, please let me know! :-)
Also, what’s the deal with live music lately? Is $1,000 for a solo vocalist—someone in the vein of M. Boem—overpriced? And what would a group like Uber or The Beatles typically charge? On top of that, I need a ballpark figure for wedding videography, including photos and a physical album. We really need to nail down a rough budget first so we can figure out our next moves...
I’m not sure if we’re already behind the curve, but we’re aiming for late April or May 2010.
Thanks a million!

Regarding Dice Band, they typically perform $2500 without a female vocalist, though adding one would change the dynamic $3000 🙂 ... I know this from direct experience, as we booked them ourselves 😁 ... their deposit requirement is $333, and you receive a formal, written contract... they play exceptionally well, and we have already received glowing recommendations for them... I trust this provides some clarity 😉 best regards 😉

Anthony Bennett6 said:Word on the street from Fable...

There isn't a single thing happening at the wedding center...

Look, I gotta jump in here and weigh in on Fable. I know it might sound like I’m on their payroll or some paid spokesperson, but I’m really not.
Basically, I had my big day there about two and a half months ago. When I was scouting venues, I heard a little something about every single place, including Fable. Honestly, there wasn't one venue that didn't have someone talking trash about it. But then I realized everyone has different standards, so I pulled the trigger on Fable anyway.

From start to finish, they did exactly what we agreed on. Every single dollar we handed them was worth it. Nobody went hungry—you could complain a hundred times if you wanted, but the food was delicious and served hot (and yeah, I heard rumors that people say their food is always cold 😂). They were incredibly flexible with our nonsense, too. They even managed to whip up a Bitter dish they didn't even have on the menu, and they prepped vegetarian meals within five minutes, even though we hadn't mentioned it beforehand... just one thing after another.

I didn't care at all how the manager looked when he greeted us. That stuff was irrelevant compared to everything else. At the end of the day, as long as he gets the job done right, I don't care if he shows up buck naked.

So, ladies, my advice is this: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR. If you have realistic expectations, Fable will deliver.🙂

Anthony Bennett6 said:Man, I really wish I had snapped a photo of the appetizer platters at the start.....

The spread: 14 slices of prosciutto
8 slices of cheese
8 olives
And the French dressing was so sour it was basically inedible....

And that was just two platters for 10 people!

The food was coming out in tiny drips..... and after midnight, we were waiting 20 minutes just for drinks....

We even waited nearly an hour just to get coffee....

As for the host, he was something else—he greeted guests in a polo shirt instead of a suit, holding a cigar in his hand.....

The only bright spot? The AC was great.......

All in all, the party was a total circus......

🤷 That's weird... they actually brought us coffee before midnight because some of the older folks had long drives home and needed to head out early. 🤷

I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while now, and honestly, it’s been a lifesaver when it comes to picking out venues and bands. Hopefully, I can return the favor by sharing some of our progress here.😉
We still have plenty of runway—our date is November 8th—but I was genuinely shocked to see how many venues and bands are already booked up. It's wild.😲
We settled on the Bolero venue, which is currently sitting at $40 per head (assuming we don't go crazy with the menu changes and since we're locked into using their bakery for the cake). As for music, we went with Pink Panther 1800 USD.
We haven't pulled the trigger on a photographer yet, so I could really use some input from you guys.🤷
We're currently torn between: Matić, Lisjak, or Photo California.The first guy is significantly pricier than the others, whereas the quality of the second one seems pretty much on par with the first (at least, that’s my gut feeling).
As for everything else? I feel like there's no need to rush just yet... or maybe there is.

Anyway, that's the update. I hope these price points help someone else out there.
We actually checked out ExxonMobil over in Santa Monica and the Castello-sala too. The first one is okay—we aren't huge fans of the layout—but the $35 price tag is hard to argue with. The Castello-sala is lovely, and at $36, it’s actually quite reasonable.

frozentiger2 said:I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while now, and honestly, it’s been a lifesaver when it comes to picking out venues and bands. Hopefully, I can return the favor by sharing some of our progress here.😉
We still have plenty of runway—our date is November 8th—but I was genuinely shocked to see how many venues and bands are already booked up. It's wild.😲
We settled on the Bolero venue, which is currently sitting at $40 per head (assuming we don't go crazy with the menu changes and since we're locked into using their bakery for the cake). As for music, we went with Pink Panther 1800 USD.
We haven't pulled the trigger on a photographer yet, so I could really use some input from you guys.🤷
We're currently torn between: Matić, Lisjak, or Photo California.The first guy is significantly pricier than the others, whereas the quality of the second one seems pretty much on par with the first (at least, that’s my gut feeling).
As for everything else? I feel like there's no need to rush just yet... or maybe there is.

Anyway, that's the update. I hope these price points help someone else out there.
We actually checked out ExxonMobil over in Santa Monica and the Castello-sala too. The first one is okay—we aren't huge fans of the layout—but the $35 price tag is hard to argue with. The Castello-sala is lovely, and at $36, it’s actually quite reasonable.

Welcome to the club.
Lisjak and Matić have completely different approaches when it comes to photography. It’s all a matter of taste, really. Personally, my vote goes to Lisjak—after all, he’s the one who took my photos. 😍)
I’m putting Photo California at the absolute bottom of my list. Honestly, unless you can drop a specific photographer's full name and surname, don't expect anything from them.
Bolero is an incredible lounge. I was there for a gala once, and honestly, the vibe was just something else. 👍

Ivica Matić actually shot my godmother’s birthday party, and honestly, those shots are legendary!!!! It was such a steal 🙂
Maybe Siniša Serdarević?? Everyone seems to rave about him, though he was booked up when I needed one..
I ended up going with Photo California and hired Hrvoj to handle the camera... the man is an absolute legend... the photos were mind-blowing. As for the other photographers over at FD, I can't really speak to their work.....

Kate Gonzalez said:Ivica Matić actually shot my godmother’s birthday party, and honestly, those shots are legendary!!!! It was such a steal 🙂
Maybe Siniša Serdarević?? Everyone seems to rave about him, though he was booked up when I needed one..
I ended up going with Photo California and hired Hrvoj to handle the camera... the man is an absolute legend... the photos were mind-blowing. As for the other photographers over at FD, I can't really speak to their work.....

Siniša Srdanović... or even Sina mentioned above 👍👍👍 highly, highly recommend. I've looked through a few weddings he’s covered and 👍👍

My apologies, I slipped up there....🙂 Srdanović actually 🙂

Kate Gonzalez said:My apologies, I slipped up there....🙂 Srdanović actually 🙂

Look, everything is a perfect five... if people actually bothered to look for him instead of assuming he doesn't exist.😂
He's got his own Facebook page with an incredible photo gallery, so go ahead and check it out.👍

Hey there!

Has anyone ever heard of the band Hilton? I’m looking to have a mix of international hits and some classic American tunes at my party. I haven't come across this group before, and they don't seem to pop up on the forums very often. Does anyone here have any experience booking them?

I could use some advice here...

Has any woman from Miami ordered cakes or pastries from Zenith or Viacom lately?

I can't say much about Zenith, but I’ve already shared my thoughts on Viacom before 👎👎👎