Everything you need for a California wedding

Does anyone know if there's any possibility of getting catering set up on the grounds to the left of the Church? Does anyone here have a lead on a vendor who has actually pulled that off before?

Thanks 😵

Ugh, honestly... the priests over at St. Anthony's Catholic Church can be pretty intense—okay, maybe even a bit harsh—about what they allow during a wedding ceremony, so I wouldn't exactly bank on it 🤔 You could always ask them, but if they shut you down, you've got options right there. There's the Navy Club just by the church which has a restaurant and cafe, plus you've got the Old Sailor restaurant about 100 meters away, assuming they're still open.

I have some fresh intel regarding St. Anthony's Catholic Church; we swung by yesterday. The priest was incredibly pleasant, and he actually mentioned that we could even arrange catering right there on the church grounds, provided we give them a heads-up in advance. Just figured I'd drop that info here in case it helps anyone. This might be a crucial detail for us, especially since we’re looking at a Friday.

Elizabeth Ross3 said:Thanks for the input. I was also eyeing Beep Pictures, but I’ve heard through the grapevine from two acquaintances that they were stuck waiting an entire year for their shots, even though payment is supposed to be immediate after the regatta. Has anyone else actually dealt with them? Personally, I think the photos are stunning, but sitting around for a year is just unacceptable...

We ended up hiring them for our wedding. We put down a $400 deposit, paid some right after the big day, and then held onto the rest until the photos actually arrived. They told us it would take about four months. They shot a ton of our friends and family, and everyone was waiting on those pictures... maybe six months max, I guess. I really hope we aren't stuck waiting a year for ours.

Noah James23 said:We ended up hiring them for our wedding. We put down a $400 deposit, paid some right after the big day, and then held onto the rest until the photos actually arrived. They told us it would take about four months. They shot a ton of our friends and family, and everyone was waiting on those pictures... maybe six months max, I guess. I really hope we aren't stuck waiting a year for ours.

Interesting. We actually asked if we could pay a larger chunk immediately after the reception and save the balance for when the photos arrive, but they flat-out refused.🤦
I certainly hope you aren't stuck waiting that long. 👍

First off, I need to list the vendors who actually met my expectations, which were:
La Perla in San Francisco — the staff is lovely and friendly, they have great reviews, and the dresses are absolutely stunning and well-maintained.
Nautic Restaurant: Everyone was raving about how perfect the food was. The venue itself is beautiful, and the manager, Anna, was incredibly professional and accommodating.
Euphoria Group: They did an excellent job.
Anda Florist: The owner is very kind and easy to talk to, and the flowers were top-notch.
Lolita Lighting: Great.
Unlimited Crew for photo/video — we’ll see once the photos arrive, but they seem highly professional and fun, and their previous work is excellent.

Now, for a very unpleasant experience with St Flowers
After we made our initial agreement, I reached out about a month before the wedding to iron out some details regarding the boutonnieres and corsages. I sent several messages; she read every single one and simply didn't respond. After a few days, she finally called me to say she was swamped with work and told me to check back in two weeks when she took a week off. When that date rolled around, I messaged her to ask where and when we could meet up. Again, no response. She went silent for another ten days—this was just a week before the wedding. At that point, I messaged her to cancel her decorating services entirely, and she didn't even bother to reply to that. It was incredibly unprofessional and frankly rude. Furthermore, I should mention that the total price for the flowers, including a trade show discount, came to $2000. I ended up ordering the exact same thing later from Anda Florist, and it was the same setup, only $500cheaper without any discount at all. There are so many moving parts and details to manage leading up to a wedding; it is truly aggravating when you choose someone who can't even take a minute to type a quick text, causing you nothing but unnecessary stress.

Has anyone had any recent experiences working with the Eufor group?

Does anyone know of a solid church choir out in California? If you can, drop their contact info here or just shoot me a DM.

Nicole Morris said:Does anyone know of a solid church choir out in California? If you can, drop their contact info here or just shoot me a DM.

Michael is definitely the one... maybe check him out on Facebook.

Nicole Morris said:Does anyone know of a solid church choir out in California? If you can, drop their contact info here or just shoot me a DM.

The St. John Nepomucene Choir, from Trogir...👍

I'm with you, Michael's choir is top-tier (even if their booking fee is $267)...

You can't go wrong with 'The Pirate' restaurant—the crew running it is awesome, they actually step up and help when things start going sideways.

Steer clear of Maja Banić for makeup—total drama magnet... definitely not what you need on your big day. Besides, her prices are way too high for the service you get in San Francisco. I know we're all watching every cent on our wedding day, but still.

(Austin Hughes8's wife)

Can you guys suggest some cool spots for a photo shoot in San Francisco and the surrounding areas? We're looking for something besides Marjan or the Mestrovic Gallery—we're already planning on those since we're getting married at the Castlet

Michael Mendoza14 said:Can you guys suggest some cool spots for a photo shoot in San Francisco and the surrounding areas? We're looking for something besides Marjan or the Mestrovic Gallery—we're already planning on those since we're getting married at the Castlet

I'm not a lady, but I'll give it a shot.

Maybe try the Katalinic hills, Antonin's Benzon mill in Žrnovnica, or the Pantan Mill over in Trogir.

Greetings everyone,

Does anyone here have any firsthand experience with getting married at Saint Duje in San Francisco (haha), specifically regarding the logistics of parking? I’ve been hearing rumors that you actually need to register with both the police and the City Hall just to secure a spot over in Hrvojev... People, please help me out—I have less than two weeks left to get everything organized... hehe

Since this forum helped me out so much, I figured I’d share my own thoughts here.
The Viva Group was fantastic. They actually exceeded our expectations—they have an incredible way with people, especially the younger crowd. They were just perfect, really fun, and they kept the energy high with their song selection and how they interacted with everyone.
Katjush from Chicago—the owner is lovely and puts in so much effort. They custom-made my dress exactly how I envisioned it.
Maja Banić—honestly, a nightmare. Total drama. It was nearly impossible to coordinate with her because she constantly forgets what was agreed upon. Just ten days before the wedding, she tells me she doesn't do makeup at hair salons, then on the actual day, she couldn't even make it to us on time, so we had to scramble between hair and makeup. To top it off, the makeup artist skipped the primer and liquid foundation entirely. Luckily, I was last in line, so I insisted on full foundation coverage since she just started doing things her own way... there was plenty of other stuff too. Save yourself the headache and find someone else.
The Radisson Blu VIP deck was beautiful, but the hotel service itself is subpar across the board. The vegetarians didn't receive their meals at all, despite being ordered and paid for. As the couple, we didn't even have a reserved parking spot. The parents' table was supposed to be right next to the head table, but they ended up tucked away in a corner. Then, some guests actually ended up cutting the wedding cake themselves—which was supposed to be provided—and it wasn't even good. Generally speaking, they don't stick to the plan. The organization was pretty poor, though I suppose I should mention they did hand us an envelope they found on the floor the next day, which was nice. Still, there were far too many mistakes that became obvious the moment we stepped into the hotel.
The Čago Group handled the gathering for our group from Trogir; they were good, and the coastal part of the wedding was very happy with them.
The meetup at the Old Sailor near Poljud—the food was excellent and the location was lovely.
The Church at Poljud was stunning.
The lighting at Rebbit rock was spot on.

Hey ladies,

I need some help here. For my narrow selection of speakers, I'm looking at John Doe, Michael Jordan(Plato), and R2-D2...
Any thoughts based on what you've heard?

Beyoncé 🙂

Ashley Hall5 said:Hey ladies,

I need some help here. For my narrow selection of speakers, I'm looking at John Doe, Michael Jordan(Plato), and R2-D2...
Any thoughts based on what you've heard?

Beyoncé 🙂

R2-D2 - the food is top-tier. I probably wouldn't suggest it for a large crowd, though, since the seating layout makes visibility a bit difficult for everyone.
John Doe - it's a nice venue with a large balcony; the food is decent, though I found it a bit overpriced considering the overall service level.
As for Michael Jordan, I'm not quite sure.

Ashley Hall5 said:Hey ladies,

I need some help here. For my narrow selection of speakers, I'm looking at John Doe, Michael Jordan(Plato), and R2-D2...
Any thoughts based on what you've heard?

Beyoncé 🙂

Well, looking at those three options, R2-D2 seems like the clear winner to me—both based on what I've heard through the grapevine and from my own little bit of firsthand experience..

Does anyone know what the requirements are for getting married at St. Stephen Parish in St. Louis? Specifically, do I need to track down my own priest, and how far in advance should I be booking a date? Also, if anyone can recommend a priest who isn't overly conservative, please let me know! 🙂 I’m not originally from St. Louis, but I’ve been living here for the last three years. Our wedding is set for October 27th, and out of all the places imaginable, we really have our hearts set on St. Stephen... has anyone else here gone through this? Thank you, robot

I don't have much experience with weddings—not my thing, really—but since the St. Stephen Parish over on Manhattan Island falls under the jurisdiction of St. Francis, you should probably reach out to the monastery or the church right at the start of the Boardwalk. You can just hit up the reception desk at the first set of doors after the Word, or maybe just hang back after Mass and catch someone there...