Everything you need for a California wedding

wearypilot39 said:Could someone please share their experiences regarding the Nautica restaurant in Castel? Thanks!

I’ve been there several times now, and honestly, every single visit has been absolutely wonderful. I’m not quite sure which specific details you’re looking for, but I can tell you with confidence that it is easily one of the finest dining rooms around.

So, you've got a personal property tax assessment

ironsurfer15 said:Hey everyone!

I honestly don't get why there aren't specific subforums for different areas like Los Angeles-San Diego-San Francisco, because trying to find anything here is a nightmare! 😠 I've been scrolling forever trying to find some wedding venue recommendations in San Diego, but I can't find anything useful or even current. Someone recently asked about experiences at Miami Beach club and it looks like they never got a reply (by the way, I did a quick Google search and apparently the place is actually shut down right now due to some inspection issue ☕

Anyway, I'm on the hunt for a wedding spot. I'm definitely not looking for big banquet halls like Anna or Tony or whatever, but since I haven't lived in San Diego for a while, I'm pretty out of the loop on local spots. Ideally, I'd love something more intimate—maybe a family estate, a villa, or something similar that fits about 100-150 people max. I stumbled upon Black Rock Tavern while searching and it looks really cute, so if anyone has been there, please let me know what you think!!😉
Or maybe a hotel, like Penelope? It seems nice since it's right by the water... and maybe the Four Seasons too, though I have a feeling that might be a bit pricey...🤔

Thanks in advance!!🙂

I totally agree. I’m looking for some info on San Diego too, but I’m starting to get the feeling that nobody there is actually getting married. What gives?

I've got the Gastro hall booked—it’s one of those old spots over in Jazina. I also have the Zaratino band lined up, along with Trio Fiesta for music, and Nadio Photography is on the list too (if anyone has worked with them before, let me know how they did!).

I’ve actually checked off quite a bit of the other wedding stuff, too. We even found an incredible deal on the rings at a local jeweler that lets us defer the payment until after the wedding. Honestly, such a lifesaver! :)

I do everything myself... blah blah blah.

Look, I'm handling all the planning from Chicago, so I could really use some help with the little local details.

The wedding is going down in Biograd—that’s where the guy is from, though he hasn't lived there since he was a kid, so he can't exactly be our main man for planning. We decided to handle everything through the Reverend and a pre-marital course...

I'm looking for some info on renting tents and tables—does anyone know what the typical pricing looks like lately?

You can grab 33% off on SBooth if you book today or tomorrow. Honestly, it’d be a waste not to take advantage of that.

I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on which band is the absolute best to hire? Has anyone actually worked with them before, and if so, what does the pricing usually look like?

Carl Wilson19 said:I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on which band is the absolute best to hire? Has anyone actually worked with them before, and if so, what does the pricing usually look like?

Best is the best 🙂 I think it's around $2,200...

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid band? I reached out to Best, but their rates are a bit out of my budget... I’m really looking for a group that plays great local party hits—you know, those classic sing-alongs like Elton John or Billy Joel and stuff in that vein. My budget is around $2,000, so any leads would be amazing. I actually heard about a group called Visa, but I have no idea what they're like or what they charge. I'm honestly starting to lose my mind trying to track down the right band, so please help me out if you can!

https://www.mirko-bura.com/ I’d say those are sitting right around $2,000... Visa is great, don't get me wrong, but they're definitely pricier—probably won't see anything under $2,700, if not higher actually.

Here is my experience... First rule: everything you negotiate with anyone—be it the band, the photographer, or the catering crew—must be put in writing. Send them a final confirmation via message or have them send one to you. You need a paper trail. It happened to me twice where the other party "forgot" about a verbal discount they had promised me. It was incredibly awkward.

Nadio Photography - we haven't received the photos yet, but working with them was excellent. They stayed the entire evening, handled everything I asked for, and were patient and cheerful.
Photobooth Split - top-tier work, kudos to the girls.
Euphoria Band (with Peter Dragojevic) - excellent. They played exactly what we agreed upon and nothing else. They stayed until the end and stuck to our plan despite the venue's scheduling attempts (they didn't wrap up just because the venue told them to; they finished when they saw it was actually time—I agree with their judgment. At the entrance, people were rushing us to sit down, but the band played the two songs we specifically requested). Highly recommend! Great vocals, great playing, great atmosphere.
Petric (accordionist) - we call him to every single celebration (my engagement, my sister’s wedding, graduations, baby showers...). He hasn't disappointed us once. Recommended!
Tony Zekic (catering) - he did everything according to the agreement, but when the bill arrived, he conveniently forgot about the discounted price we discussed. Both my husband's side and my side hired him; they charged his group full price, while we only got our discount after reminding him that he had lowered the rate because we were booking him for both families. After such stellar service elsewhere, this was disappointing.
Palace Salon - a difficult manager who is not flexible in the slightest. We heard a mountain of negative feedback from all sides. Even we had an agreement for a poolside reception, but a week before the wedding, the manager started making excuses about technical issues and lighting to claim it couldn't happen. When negotiating, everything is possible; when it comes time to deliver, suddenly nothing is. We booked the hall while it was still under construction, so we secured a price of $39 per person, though I hear prices have skyrocketed since then. During planning, they showed us a 3D rendering of a fully finished landscape and promised the poolside reception... reality was a different story. Despite the manager, the food was good, the servers were excellent, and the head waitress did a phenomenal job being available for everything we needed all night.
Lantern - I recommend the girls. They were easy to deal with, went above and beyond what we agreed on, and the price was fair (not a steal, but certainly not expensive compared to other quotes).
Church Choir - the choir from St. Peter Parish in Neslanovac - they did a perfect job. They sang exactly what we requested right on schedule, and they even managed to resolve a small issue with my priest that I hadn't been able to fix myself—so hats off to them. They brought their own sound system since my church doesn't have one, which really enhanced the ceremony.
We also had stand-up comedy at the reception in the hall, but that didn't go well. That was the only thing on the wedding day that wasn't quite right. All the services mentioned above met (and some exceeded) my expectations, and despite a few flaws, I am ultimately grateful to everyone because the day was perfect. I didn't have to worry or stress about a single thing.

Anyone stayed at the Neva hotel in Podstrana before?
Food, vibes, service, price... what's the verdict?

Does anyone know a good vocal group in San Francisco that could perform maybe two or three songs during a church ceremony?

Also, does anyone happen to know if there's a church in San Francisco that would allow a band to sing non-religious songs?

Hi everyone! I am getting married on December 15th, 2018, and we are expecting somewhere between 160 and 180 guests.

Here is what we have booked so far:

Skyline Rooftop—it’s $38 per person for a classic menu. They don't serve hard liquor, so we have the option to bring our own, and the deposit is $500. The manager seems quite lovely, though I do find myself hoping we haven't made a mistake; I've heard reviews ranging from absolutely flawless to complete disasters, but curiously, nobody ever mentions it being just "okay"—it's either a total hit or a total flop!
TAXI Band—they are such a fantastic group. I actually listened to them years ago and thought they were wonderful, but my fiancé is incredibly particular and insisted that they be the only choice.
Photographer—a dear family friend.
Flower Lantern Decor—these ladies are simply wonderful; they are so flexible and creative, truly deserving of all praise.
Wedding Rings—Johnson Jewelry over on Canadian Street.

I am now looking for some recommendations regarding makeup artists, hairstylists, dessert caterers, lighting, wedding dresses, and suits.

There are a few things we definitely want to skip, such as traditional catering at the ceremony (we aren't doing the whole thing where guests gather directly at the church; people can choose whether they want to attend the service or not), and we aren't planning on doing thank-you favors either.
We are estimating our total expenses to be around $15,000. While nothing feels overly extravagant and we aren't looking for any unnecessary frills, I must admit my head is spinning a little bit when I look at such a large figure. I believe this total includes everything—dinner, music, photographer, dress, suit, venue decor, church flowers, rings, cake, desserts, the bachelorette and bachelor parties, all the bride's personal costs (mani-pedi, makeup, hair), and even those miscellaneous expenses for guests visiting us at home before and after the big day. Looking at the list as a whole, I actually feel like I might have underestimated the final amount; it could very well end up being higher.

As I've been researching, I've managed to compile some notes (which I’m more than happy to share if anyone finds them helpful!):

Aria Restaurant—$42 for a Saturday
$40 for a Friday
Save $2 if we bring our own wine
Dugopolje Venue—$37 for a Saturday
$36 for a Friday
Palace Hotel Ballroom—$45
Bloom Wedding Hall (Mejaš area)—$37

Aura Band—$5333 + travel expenses—deposit $667
Kocka Band—$2,000—deposit $200
Vox Box—$1,800—deposit $200
Pink Panther Band from San Francisco (Romeo Komić)—$1,800
Pink Panther Band—$2,000

And that is everything! ;-)

Susan Morales39 said:Hi everyone! I am getting married on December 15th, 2018, and we are expecting somewhere between 160 and 180 guests.

Here is what we have booked so far:

Skyline Rooftop—it’s $38 per person for a classic menu. They don't serve hard liquor, so we have the option to bring our own, and the deposit is $500. The manager seems quite lovely, though I do find myself hoping we haven't made a mistake; I've heard reviews ranging from absolutely flawless to complete disasters, but curiously, nobody ever mentions it being just "okay"—it's either a total hit or a total flop!
TAXI Band—they are such a fantastic group. I actually listened to them years ago and thought they were wonderful, but my fiancé is incredibly particular and insisted that they be the only choice.
Photographer—a dear family friend.
Flower Lantern Decor—these ladies are simply wonderful; they are so flexible and creative, truly deserving of all praise.
Wedding Rings—Johnson Jewelry over on Canadian Street.

I am now looking for some recommendations regarding makeup artists, hairstylists, dessert caterers, lighting, wedding dresses, and suits.

There are a few things we definitely want to skip, such as traditional catering at the ceremony (we aren't doing the whole thing where guests gather directly at the church; people can choose whether they want to attend the service or not), and we aren't planning on doing thank-you favors either.
We are estimating our total expenses to be around $15,000. While nothing feels overly extravagant and we aren't looking for any unnecessary frills, I must admit my head is spinning a little bit when I look at such a large figure. I believe this total includes everything—dinner, music, photographer, dress, suit, venue decor, church flowers, rings, cake, desserts, the bachelorette and bachelor parties, all the bride's personal costs (mani-pedi, makeup, hair), and even those miscellaneous expenses for guests visiting us at home before and after the big day. Looking at the list as a whole, I actually feel like I might have underestimated the final amount; it could very well end up being higher.

As I've been researching, I've managed to compile some notes (which I’m more than happy to share if anyone finds them helpful!):

Aria Restaurant—$42 for a Saturday
$40 for a Friday
Save $2 if we bring our own wine
Dugopolje Venue—$37 for a Saturday
$36 for a Friday
Palace Hotel Ballroom—$45
Bloom Wedding Hall (Mejaš area)—$37

Aura Band—$5333 + travel expenses—deposit $667
Kocka Band—$2,000—deposit $200
Vox Box—$1,800—deposit $200
Pink Panther Band from San Francisco (Romeo Komić)—$1,800
Pink Panther Band—$2,000

And that is everything! ;-)

Here are some lighting recommendations for you:

Zoran Flies (Samper Wedding Services) 091 506 2028
Zvone Licitar (Licitar Bell Lighting) 092 200 0820
Ivo Orlandini (Media Rent) 091 202 3360
Lolita 098 265 320
Rabbit Rock 098 706 631

Just see who gives you the best value for your money—you can find everyone on Facebook or their websites.👍

Hello,
I am looking for some feedback regarding the wedding venues in the Kastel area (specifically thinking about the options between Castello, ExxonMobil, and Mr. & Mrs.). If you have attended an event at any of these locations, please let me know your thoughts on the food quality, the level of service, and the overall pricing.

analogowl5 said:Hello,
I am looking for some feedback regarding the wedding venues in the Kastel area (specifically thinking about the options between Castello, ExxonMobil, and Mr. & Mrs.). If you have attended an event at any of these locations, please let me know your thoughts on the food quality, the level of service, and the overall pricing.

They’re all essentially cut from the same cloth.....

analogowl5 said:Hello,
I am looking for some feedback regarding the wedding venues in the Kastel area (specifically thinking about the options between Castello, ExxonMobil, and Mr. & Mrs.). If you have attended an event at any of these locations, please let me know your thoughts on the food quality, the level of service, and the overall pricing.

They're all pretty similar, but I guess Nautical is better than the rest. If you haven't been, you should probably check it out.

If you're looking for a spot in San Diego, you seriously need to check out that new hall at the Hotel Chicago over in Duilovo. I hit up a party there the Saturday before last and man, I was blown away. It was awesome. Seriously, the food and the service are top-tier... they've got those classic round tables, fits about 300 people easily, and there's this huge outdoor terrace they probably use once summer hits. 👍

There are some photos on the link at the bottom of the page. If anyone's scouting locations, you definitely gotta go see it for yourself...

It’s the honest truth: Nautical is easily three steps ahead of any other venue in Castle Rock. If you ask me, it’s comfortably in my top three venues, period. Between the atmosphere, the food, and the service, everything about it is just top-tier...
@goldenmarlin11 .. it honestly warms my heart to hear someone say that about Duilovo. I’ve always maintained that it’s probably the most underrated hall out there. I even recall getting a bit of heat once just for promoting it (lol), but seriously, the quality there has always been stellar. Anyone booking either Nautical or Duilovo definitely knows what they're doing and isn't making a mistake.

I decided against Nautica because the price was just too high, so unfortunately, it’s out of the question for me.