Everything you need for a California wedding

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Hey everyone...

So, I’ve found myself in a bit of a bind regarding the band selection 😢
It’s one of those classic dilemmas—too many choices and not enough certainty—especially since everyone happens to be available on our specific date

- The Millennium Musicians (they play a mix of traditional acoustic, some West Coast vibes, and general party/pop hits—since the wedding is in California). I’m a little hesitant only because I’m not entirely sure how our guests will feel about a folk-style group, though the guys are honestly lovely people!
- The Pink Panther band—four guys plus a female vocalist. Has anyone here actually heard them before?
- The Barbie band—all male, I believe there are four of them.

Thanks a million....

Megan Miller3 said:Hey everyone...

So, I’ve found myself in a bit of a bind regarding the band selection 😢
It’s one of those classic dilemmas—too many choices and not enough certainty—especially since everyone happens to be available on our specific date

- The Millennium Musicians (they play a mix of traditional acoustic, some West Coast vibes, and general party/pop hits—since the wedding is in California). I’m a little hesitant only because I’m not entirely sure how our guests will feel about a folk-style group, though the guys are honestly lovely people!
- The Pink Panther band—four guys plus a female vocalist. Has anyone here actually heard them before?
- The Barbie band—all male, I believe there are four of them.

Thanks a million....

Welcome to the thread. 🙂

Musicians... sounds great to me. I suspect the crowd would really lean into that vibe too.

Pink Panther... I've only ever heard good things. A few people I know—people with pretty demanding tastes, mind you—have hired them before. So, their reputation speaks for itself.

Barbie... never heard of them.

Megan Miller3 said:Hey everyone...

So, I’ve found myself in a bit of a bind regarding the band selection 😢
It’s one of those classic dilemmas—too many choices and not enough certainty—especially since everyone happens to be available on our specific date

- The Millennium Musicians (they play a mix of traditional acoustic, some West Coast vibes, and general party/pop hits—since the wedding is in California). I’m a little hesitant only because I’m not entirely sure how our guests will feel about a folk-style group, though the guys are honestly lovely people!
- The Pink Panther band—four guys plus a female vocalist. Has anyone here actually heard them before?
- The Barbie band—all male, I believe there are four of them.

Thanks a million....

The Pink Panther? Caught them playing at a party recently and man, they absolutely killed it. Nothing but high praise from my side! 👍👍

Thanks for the quick replies 🙂 I’m really liking how this is shaping up!
We’ve gone ahead and booked the Pink Panther 😍
Of course, I still have a few lingering questions regarding the two venues we’re looking at—we’re planning to sit on it for a couple of days before we commit to any deposits:
Sky (Split-Joker) and
that new hotel out in San Diego—the President. It hasn't officially opened its doors yet; they're aiming for an April launch. Honestly, I'm flying blind right now—no idea about the pricing or even what the ballroom actually looks like... nothing. I have a meeting scheduled with the manager next week to hammer out those specifics 🤷
Has anyone here actually worked with either of these places?
What are your thoughts...

Megan Miller3 said:Thanks for the quick replies 🙂 I’m really liking how this is shaping up!
We’ve gone ahead and booked the Pink Panther 😍
Of course, I still have a few lingering questions regarding the two venues we’re looking at—we’re planning to sit on it for a couple of days before we commit to any deposits:
Sky (Split-Joker) and
that new hotel out in San Diego—the President. It hasn't officially opened its doors yet; they're aiming for an April launch. Honestly, I'm flying blind right now—no idea about the pricing or even what the ballroom actually looks like... nothing. I have a meeting scheduled with the manager next week to hammer out those specifics 🤷
Has anyone here actually worked with either of these places?
What are your thoughts...

Ugh... Sky... I can already see the amazing photos being posted on social media...
Man... I've got nothing. I only ever ate at Sky once, and it was fine... but I didn't even realize you could host a party up there. Seriously, where have I been?
As for the President... that's an even bigger mystery to me...
Sorry... not much help here 😢

e to je bila i moja reakcija regarding Sky, you know...
I kept picturing the wedding party trekking through the mall, and then once we finally make it up to the restaurant, having all those people sipping coffee in the cafe right across from us staring at us like we’re aliens...
But!
I actually had a chat with Priya, who organizes weddings, and she did a little rehearsal there about four months ago. Everything went smoothly; they have a really gorgeous setup for ceremonies. You don't enter the hall through the main mall area; instead, you use a different entrance and walk across the terrace—it's by the pool, which is part of that new area where they had the ice rink or whatever last year. You can have the welcome drinks out on the terrace before heading into the restaurant. Plus, the cafe on that floor closes during the wedding, so I think it works out fine 🤷
I don't know... it seems alright to me...
And the President in San Diego has the same owner as the one in St. Louis. I've heard they can be a bit difficult to deal with, but if you stay "firm," everything should turn out okay... honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself... 😢

Megan Miller3 said:e to je bila i moja reakcija regarding Sky, you know...
I kept picturing the wedding party trekking through the mall, and then once we finally make it up to the restaurant, having all those people sipping coffee in the cafe right across from us staring at us like we’re aliens...
But!
I actually had a chat with Priya, who organizes weddings, and she did a little rehearsal there about four months ago. Everything went smoothly; they have a really gorgeous setup for ceremonies. You don't enter the hall through the main mall area; instead, you use a different entrance and walk across the terrace—it's by the pool, which is part of that new area where they had the ice rink or whatever last year. You can have the welcome drinks out on the terrace before heading into the restaurant. Plus, the cafe on that floor closes during the wedding, so I think it works out fine 🤷
I don't know... it seems alright to me...
And the President in San Diego has the same owner as the one in St. Louis. I've heard they can be a bit difficult to deal with, but if you stay "firm," everything should turn out okay... honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself... 😢

Sky sounds better to me...
I've also heard the folks at President are stubborn... but it's all about the negotiation. If you stand your ground and push back, even their toughest attitude melts away...
Just be bold!
As for the photographer, the music...
If anything else is bothering you... just ask... 👍

Megan Miller3 said:Hey everyone...

So, I’ve found myself in a bit of a bind regarding the band selection 😢
It’s one of those classic dilemmas—too many choices and not enough certainty—especially since everyone happens to be available on our specific date

- The Millennium Musicians (they play a mix of traditional acoustic, some West Coast vibes, and general party/pop hits—since the wedding is in California). I’m a little hesitant only because I’m not entirely sure how our guests will feel about a folk-style group, though the guys are honestly lovely people!
- The Pink Panther band—four guys plus a female vocalist. Has anyone here actually heard them before?
- The Barbie band—all male, I believe there are four of them.

Thanks a million....

Must be nice... my date is already overbooked.😢
Not sure about a folk group for the whole night. As for Pink Panther, I've only heard praise from other musicians; they're pros, but they aren't cheap... I heard they played with the Governor and Belan once... Then there's Barbie. I've heard of them since they were my only decent option... basically, Barbie split into Carriage and Mariner... they aren't expensive, just seasoned pros with plenty of experience. From what I hear, they can actually get a crowd moving better than the younger groups... or so I hope.🙂

Raymond Brooks7 said:Ugh... Sky... I can already see the amazing photos being posted on social media...
Man... I've got nothing. I only ever ate at Sky once, and it was fine... but I didn't even realize you could host a party up there. Seriously, where have I been?
As for the President... that's an even bigger mystery to me...
Sorry... not much help here 😢

Like being stuck in a packed shopping mall😕 whereas I heard they actually stopped serving pierogi altogether because people get too drunk... too much risk of someone stumbling over a railing from the fourth floor...🤷

nimblewolf22 said:Like being stuck in a packed shopping mall😕 whereas I heard they actually stopped serving pierogi altogether because people get too drunk... too much risk of someone stumbling over a railing from the fourth floor...🤷

To me, that sounds incredibly urban and chic... like, wearing a wedding dress right in the middle of it all.😍
But then again, taste is entirely subjective...

Megan Miller3 said:e to je bila i moja reakcija regarding Sky, you know...
I kept picturing the wedding party trekking through the mall, and then once we finally make it up to the restaurant, having all those people sipping coffee in the cafe right across from us staring at us like we’re aliens...
But!
I actually had a chat with Priya, who organizes weddings, and she did a little rehearsal there about four months ago. Everything went smoothly; they have a really gorgeous setup for ceremonies. You don't enter the hall through the main mall area; instead, you use a different entrance and walk across the terrace—it's by the pool, which is part of that new area where they had the ice rink or whatever last year. You can have the welcome drinks out on the terrace before heading into the restaurant. Plus, the cafe on that floor closes during the wedding, so I think it works out fine 🤷
I don't know... it seems alright to me...
And the President in San Diego has the same owner as the one in St. Louis. I've heard they can be a bit difficult to deal with, but if you stay "firm," everything should turn out okay... honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself... 😢

I didn't realize that... what a shame. That terrace upstairs would really be perfect to use.👍

I suppose I should probably get around to addressing this eventually, though my penchant for procrastination might suggest otherwise. It’s one of those things that sits in the back of my mind like a persistent, mildly annoying itch you can't quite reach. Still, here we are. Let's see if we can make sense of this without descending into total chaos. kaže:
So, there I was, stuck in the middle of a packed shopping mall. You know those places? Where the air feels heavy, the music is just a little too loud, and you feel like you’re navigating an obstacle course instead of trying to buy a pair of socks. It was absolute chaos.😕 I even heard through the grapevine that they’ve stopped serving those mashed potato sides altogether. Apparently, it’s because the crowd tends to get a little too rowdy after a few drinks, and management decided the liability risk was just too high—they didn't want anyone stumbling over the railing from the fourth floor.🤷

Good grief... yeah... 😲
I had the exact same thought when we first started scouting restaurants. We crossed Sky off the list immediately because of that circular layout. Honestly, I could already picture my drunk relatives and that rowdy crowd of ours just flying around the room—it would have been a total disaster. But then I heard the full story, the one I detailed above, went to have a serious chat with the guy, and now everything seems fine. I’m just waiting on Prija to dig up some photos from that party she hosted up north. We'll see how things shake out next week.
It’s honestly such a headache. It’s especially stressful because my better half is out at sea right now, and we didn't get any word on when he'd actually be back home until the very last minute. And let's be real—you just can't have a wedding without the groom present, can you?

All that's left is to sign off on the photos. As for the video, his buddy is taking the reins—he’s actually a director, so we’re in good hands. We aren't exactly looking for some long-winded, old-school DVD production here; we want something punchier, a bit more "human," if you know what I mean.

We’re looking into bringing a sewing machine out to a field site somewhere—it really depends on where we end up, though it’ll likely be either near Sky or over in San Diego. Now, if we're lucky, we won't get rained out. 🙏

Regarding the music selection—it seems to me that hiring a full band is a much safer bet than going with a Musician, at least for a crowd in California. Don't get me wrong, I think Musicians can be great, but I simply have no idea how people would react to that vibe.
I attended a gala once where they had a Musician performing—though, to be fair, that was held in Washington, D.C. They played quite well, certainly, but that specific sense of high-energy excitement just wasn't there. Perhaps that was down to the guests themselves, but one cannot deny that the music plays a massive role in the atmosphere.

As for the Pink Panther, I haven't had any personal experience with them, but I have only ever heard positive reviews.
In any case, I believe you made the right call. 👍

Eric Allen4 said:Regarding the music selection—it seems to me that hiring a full band is a much safer bet than going with a Musician, at least for a crowd in California. Don't get me wrong, I think Musicians can be great, but I simply have no idea how people would react to that vibe.
I attended a gala once where they had a Musician performing—though, to be fair, that was held in Washington, D.C. They played quite well, certainly, but that specific sense of high-energy excitement just wasn't there. Perhaps that was down to the guests themselves, but one cannot deny that the music plays a massive role in the atmosphere.

As for the Pink Panther, I haven't had any personal experience with them, but I have only ever heard positive reviews.
In any case, I believe you made the right call. 👍

We actually hired both a band and a folk ensemble, and honestly, it turned out to be the perfect combination. 👍
The folk musicians were there during the more intimate moments—when we were moving around or visiting his place—and later, when everyone moved to the main hall, both groups performed. The folk musicians would move from table to table while the band took their breaks. We received nothing but enthusiastic reactions from the guests.
It is a bit more expensive, I suppose, but I would recommend it if you want a true show. 😍

Jerry Sanchez53 said:We actually hired both a band and a folk ensemble, and honestly, it turned out to be the perfect combination. 👍
The folk musicians were there during the more intimate moments—when we were moving around or visiting his place—and later, when everyone moved to the main hall, both groups performed. The folk musicians would move from table to table while the band took their breaks. We received nothing but enthusiastic reactions from the guests.
It is a bit more expensive, I suppose, but I would recommend it if you want a true show. 😍

If you don't mind me asking, how much does it usually cost to have Musicians come to a venue just to fill the gaps between band sets? I’m currently weighing my options—maybe just an accordionist and a guitarist, or something along those lines.

Jerry Sanchez53 said:We actually hired both a band and a folk ensemble, and honestly, it turned out to be the perfect combination. 👍
The folk musicians were there during the more intimate moments—when we were moving around or visiting his place—and later, when everyone moved to the main hall, both groups performed. The folk musicians would move from table to table while the band took their breaks. We received nothing but enthusiastic reactions from the guests.
It is a bit more expensive, I suppose, but I would recommend it if you want a true show. 😍

Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing, but my musicians are looking at $1,800 and the band is around $2,000, so that's getting a little steep for me... plus, they won't be traveling all this way just for me (even though my parents are absolutely heartbroken about it).😢
I suspect the musicians might be cheaper if it were just a small gathering at my place or his, but since they’re coming all the way to San Diego from Washington, D.C., it doesn't really make sense to hire them for just an hour or two.🤷
So, for the ceremony and the quick reception at location X, I think I'll just book a small acoustic group for about an hour or ninety minutes. That seems like the most sensible move for now.🙂

Eric Allen4 said:If you don't mind me asking, how much does it usually cost to have Musicians come to a venue just to fill the gaps between band sets? I’m currently weighing my options—maybe just an accordionist and a guitarist, or something along those lines.

So, you're planning the whole thing in San Diego, right? I actually heard about a killer duo—a guy on guitar paired with an accordion player. Apparently, the accordionist is this legend they call Hans. People say he's absolutely fantastic. I know they usually show up around $667 for the service before the wedding, so you’re looking at a window from roughly 3:00 PM until about 7:00 PM... honestly, your best bet is to just give 😍
a call. If I can figure out how to work this private messaging system, I'll send over his number so you can chat with him directly.🎉

I'm currently in San Diego, over at Kokomo. Great—thanks for the heads-up. I'll give them a call and see where things stand...

Megan Miller3 said:

I suppose I should probably get around to addressing this eventually, though my penchant for procrastination might suggest otherwise. It’s one of those things that sits in the back of my mind like a persistent, mildly annoying itch you can't quite reach. Still, here we are. Let's see if we can make sense of this without descending into total chaos. kaže:
So, there I was, stuck in the middle of a packed shopping mall. You know those places? Where the air feels heavy, the music is just a little too loud, and you feel like you’re navigating an obstacle course instead of trying to buy a pair of socks. It was absolute chaos.😕 I even heard through the grapevine that they’ve stopped serving those mashed potato sides altogether. Apparently, it’s because the crowd tends to get a little too rowdy after a few drinks, and management decided the liability risk was just too high—they didn't want anyone stumbling over the railing from the fourth floor.🤷

Good grief... yeah... 😲
I had the exact same thought when we first started scouting restaurants. We crossed Sky off the list immediately because of that circular layout. Honestly, I could already picture my drunk relatives and that rowdy crowd of ours just flying around the room—it would have been a total disaster. But then I heard the full story, the one I detailed above, went to have a serious chat with the guy, and now everything seems fine. I’m just waiting on Prija to dig up some photos from that party she hosted up north. We'll see how things shake out next week.
It’s honestly such a headache. It’s especially stressful because my better half is out at sea right now, and we didn't get any word on when he'd actually be back home until the very last minute. And let's be real—you just can't have a wedding without the groom present, can you?

All that's left is to sign off on the photos. As for the video, his buddy is taking the reins—he’s actually a director, so we’re in good hands. We aren't exactly looking for some long-winded, old-school DVD production here; we want something punchier, a bit more "human," if you know what I mean.

We’re looking into bringing a sewing machine out to a field site somewhere—it really depends on where we end up, though it’ll likely be either near Sky or over in San Diego. Now, if we're lucky, we won't get rained out. 🙏

What's he charging you for Sky? And can they open up a section so you can spend the whole night hanging out on the pool terrace or something?