Everything you need for a California wedding

Casey Martinez12 said:Greetings

We are looking to book a DJ for a wedding.

I’ve received a recommendation for DJ Dalibor Potnar (he works over at Radio California).
Has anyone here actually attended a wedding where he was the one spinning?

One of the women from this forum used him—better to just reach out to her directly. Otherwise, she said he completely trashed her party and left her with nothing but bad vibes... let me try to find the specific post and name.

Here—found it. A search engine solves everything. 👍

vividotter12 said:We ended up hiring DJ Dada. To be honest, I didn't quite click with him when we first met, but I told myself it wouldn't matter—he isn't some kid, so he'll handle the job professionally, which is the most important thing. Now, I regret not listening to my gut and looking elsewhere, but our situation was unique and we didn't have much flexibility at the time.

The guy is completely uninterested; he’s just there to clock in and do the job. He doesn't fade songs out properly, and he never says anything unless prompted. I prepared a specific playlist for him, yet he barely played half of it, and even then, only after my husband or I had to step in and remind him—and those were some very special songs to us.

It is best if you meet them personally and judge for yourself. And listen to your intuition. Good luck...

Casey Martinez12 said:Greetings

We are looking to book a DJ for a wedding.

I’ve received a recommendation for DJ Dalibor Potnar (he works over at Radio California).
Has anyone here actually attended a wedding where he was the one spinning?

I’ve been scrolling through some old threads lately and noticed everyone seems to rave about the Blackbird flower shop over in Saint Louis... does anyone know what their pricing is like or how far in advance I should get everything booked? I'm looking to sort out the venue decor, some car arrangements, and a wedding bouquet, but since I'm currently stuck in Los Angeles, I won't be able to pop into local shops to browse. Since the wedding is going to be held in Knin, I would really appreciate any advice or tips you all could share. Thanks so much in advance for the help!

I can't speak for Blackbird, but personally, I think Rose is a fantastic florist. They have a shop over in Spinut and a wholesale location just above Malla, right on the ground floor of the Paint and varnish building. You should check them out on Facebook—you can hit them up there to ask about what they have in stock.

Any recommendations for a DJ in the Šibenik area?

Ronald Allen5 said:Any recommendations for a DJ in the Šibenik area?

Marko Mikulandra (dj Mika) 098 722 166—he's experienced, has his own sound system, just reach out to him.

Hey everyone! So, I recently got engaged, and naturally, I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of googling absolutely everything under the sun. This is officially my first post on the forum 😁

I was wondering if anyone has any intel or personal experiences regarding these specific spots? I'm looking at a small summer wedding next year (around June, maybe 20-25 people), and any insight would be a huge lifesaver:

1) Grašo
2) Velum
3) Lučica
4) Mistral (Radisson)
5) Kadena
6) Barkarola
7) Re di Mare

Thanks! 🎉

Kenneth Ramos4 said:Hey everyone! So, I recently got engaged, and naturally, I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of googling absolutely everything under the sun. This is officially my first post on the forum 😁

I was wondering if anyone has any intel or personal experiences regarding these specific spots? I'm looking at a small summer wedding next year (around June, maybe 20-25 people), and any insight would be a huge lifesaver:

1) Grašo
2) Velum
3) Lučica
4) Mistral (Radisson)
5) Kadena
6) Barkarola
7) Re di Mare

Thanks! 🎉

Depends on what kind of view you're after 🙂 all of these are fine for small weddings—I might suggest adding Kalafatic to the list, assuming you want to stick strictly to San Francisco... if you look outside the city, there are plenty of little seaside spots that serve decent food.

I can only comment on where I've actually eaten lately... the food at Graso and Re di mar is below average—Graso, in particular, was a massive disappointment; they've really let themselves go. At Mistral, they use college students as servers which feels totally unprofessional—the menu is just okay, definitely overpriced in my opinion. Velum has solid food and experienced staff; haven't been to the others.

Austin Thompson96 said:Depends on what kind of view you're after 🙂 all of these are fine for small weddings—I might suggest adding Kalafatic to the list, assuming you want to stick strictly to San Francisco... if you look outside the city, there are plenty of little seaside spots that serve decent food.

I can only comment on where I've actually eaten lately... the food at Graso and Re di mar is below average—Graso, in particular, was a massive disappointment; they've really let themselves go. At Mistral, they use college students as servers which feels totally unprofessional—the menu is just okay, definitely overpriced in my opinion. Velum has solid food and experienced staff; haven't been to the others.

Thanks for the heads-up! 🎉So far, we've narrowed it down to four options: Velum, Kadena, Re di mar, and Pirate. They all run about $280-$117 per person, and none of them are privatized, which is a huge win. 👍If anyone here has actually eaten at one of these places, I am all ears. 😁

It’s down to either the Best group or Twist Off. Both are still available for our date, so we're stuck choosing between them. That girl from Twist Off has an incredible voice... I think I might have caught one of their sets at a backyard BBQ once, but the memory is a bit fuzzy. On the other hand, Best costs a little more, but they bring an accordion to the mix. Plus, I've had a few people tell me they are absolutely top-tier when playing parties.

I just can't make up my mind.

Does anyone here happen to know the rental rates for apartments from the Platinum by Demetrios collection at Vesna Spose?

electricranger12 said:It’s down to either the Best group or Twist Off. Both are still available for our date, so we're stuck choosing between them. That girl from Twist Off has an incredible voice... I think I might have caught one of their sets at a backyard BBQ once, but the memory is a bit fuzzy. On the other hand, Best costs a little more, but they bring an accordion to the mix. Plus, I've had a few people tell me they are absolutely top-tier when playing parties.

I just can't make up my mind.

I'd go with Best. 👍

Hey there,

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience working with photographers in San Francisco?
I reached out to Beep because I absolutely love their style, but man, they are seriously overpriced (it's almost $5667 just for the shoot and video).
Has anyone used Apple Studio before? They seem to have some pretty decent packages and you can customize everything with the add-ons you want.
I'm also curious about:
Smile studio?
Noir weddings?
Ante Gaspar?
I'm honestly starting to go a little crazy here—I can't make up my mind on who to pick! If I don't decide soon, I might end up without a photographer at all

Gašpar is fantastic, but they’re booked up solid months in advance—so you better check if they even have an opening before you get your hopes up.
Smile isn't bad by any means, but a friend of mine ended up with her wedding anniversary shoot 🤣 delayed for various reasons, and honestly, the lack of professionalism was painful to watch.
For my own wedding, I had Duje Bonačić and a colleague handle the photos—we decided against doing a full video. The photo albums were stunning, and the shots were so detailed that we didn't miss having a videographer at all. My brother and cousin captured all the big moments—the little gatherings, walking out of the church, the first dance, cutting the cake... and from that, we put together a decent 20-minute highlight reel.
I also looked into Jukica Studio, but the guy came off a bit arrogant—very "this is how it's done" and "everyone else does it this way"—even after I laid out exactly what I wanted and what I definitely didn't want. I'm not interested in being lectured on industry standards; I just want someone who can actually deliver what I've asked for. 🙂

I reached out to a few others too, but they weren't available, so I didn't bother digging into the details... I don't really remember...

Gary Reed9 said:Gašpar is fantastic, but they’re booked up solid months in advance—so you better check if they even have an opening before you get your hopes up.
Smile isn't bad by any means, but a friend of mine ended up with her wedding anniversary shoot 🤣 delayed for various reasons, and honestly, the lack of professionalism was painful to watch.
For my own wedding, I had Duje Bonačić and a colleague handle the photos—we decided against doing a full video. The photo albums were stunning, and the shots were so detailed that we didn't miss having a videographer at all. My brother and cousin captured all the big moments—the little gatherings, walking out of the church, the first dance, cutting the cake... and from that, we put together a decent 20-minute highlight reel.
I also looked into Jukica Studio, but the guy came off a bit arrogant—very "this is how it's done" and "everyone else does it this way"—even after I laid out exactly what I wanted and what I definitely didn't want. I'm not interested in being lectured on industry standards; I just want someone who can actually deliver what I've asked for. 🙂

I reached out to a few others too, but they weren't available, so I didn't bother digging into the details... I don't really remember...

I spoke with him today and he's free on our date. At least for now! 🙂 I've seen people on various forums saying he's incredible, but then I've heard some friends say the photos look a bit overdone or whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️
To be honest, I wasn't losing any sleep over picking a photographer until I actually started looking. Now my head is just a total mess from all this thinking haha
What about Vedran Vidak? Have you guys heard anything about him?

I finally caught up with him today, and he’s wide open for our date. At least for now! 🙂 I’ve been scrolling through some wedding forums and seen nothing but rave reviews, though then a few friends chimed in saying his editing style can be a bit much and overdone 🤷🏻‍♀️
Honestly, I wasn't even losing sleep over picking a photographer until I actually started looking, and now my brain is just total mush from all this decision-making haha
By the way, what’s the word on Vedran Vidak? Anyone heard anything about him?

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It's true, Joseph loves playing around in Adobe Photoshop. I can't stand it either—I've always insisted that my photos look as natural and realistic as possible. Out of over 700 shots, maybe 20 are black and white; everything else is just exactly how it was captured. Maybe the lighting or color got a tiny tweak here and there, but they’re real.
You could tell Joseph the same thing—that you want things to look natural and don't need all the heavy Adobe Photoshop stuff, fake clouds, sea effects, wings, or whatever other nonsense people try to pull...

As for Victor, I'm not sure. California is good and fast too, but I suspect they're also in that higher price bracket.

Gary Reed9 said:It's true, Joseph loves playing around in Adobe Photoshop. I can't stand it either—I've always insisted that my photos look as natural and realistic as possible. Out of over 700 shots, maybe 20 are black and white; everything else is just exactly how it was captured. Maybe the lighting or color got a tiny tweak here and there, but they’re real.
You could tell Joseph the same thing—that you want things to look natural and don't need all the heavy Adobe Photoshop stuff, fake clouds, sea effects, wings, or whatever other nonsense people try to pull...

As for Victor, I'm not sure. California is good and fast too, but I suspect they're also in that higher price bracket.

Joseph actually gave me the most affordable quote out of everyone I reached out to. I mean, obviously we want the photos to be amazing and we don't need to go with the absolute cheapest option, but honestly, paying 17-$6000 for photos feels insane.
I'd much rather put a little extra toward the brava band, and as far as photos go, I'll aim for a happy medium... though they are definitely good.
I heard the same about Cerin being solid; a coworker of mine uses them and her photos are gorgeous. But she mentioned the video was a total nightmare. So now I'm stuck trying to figure it all out!

electricranger12 said:It’s down to either the Best group or Twist Off. Both are still available for our date, so we're stuck choosing between them. That girl from Twist Off has an incredible voice... I think I might have caught one of their sets at a backyard BBQ once, but the memory is a bit fuzzy. On the other hand, Best costs a little more, but they bring an accordion to the mix. Plus, I've had a few people tell me they are absolutely top-tier when playing parties.

I just can't make up my mind.

Actually, Best would be better... Twistoff fell apart—they're basically two different bands now, nothing like the original Twistofovacs. I saw Best at a party where they used an accordion; they were great, but since they dropped that one song, I assume their price tag is pretty steep.

electricranger12 said:It’s down to either the Best group or Twist Off. Both are still available for our date, so we're stuck choosing between them. That girl from Twist Off has an incredible voice... I think I might have caught one of their sets at a backyard BBQ once, but the memory is a bit fuzzy. On the other hand, Best costs a little more, but they bring an accordion to the mix. Plus, I've had a few people tell me they are absolutely top-tier when playing parties.

I just can't make up my mind.

Twistoff is a much better band overall—vocals, musicianship, and general sound👍
The vocalist for Best is mediocre, to put it mildly, and their female singer isn't anything special either. Having an accordion is really only for those who lean toward that country-style folk music, so it really just comes down to personal taste. Honestly, you have YouTube to start your research, but you could always just catch one of their live gigs and decide for yourself how they actually sound on stage...