Everything you need for a California wedding

Jack Miller4 Check out this shot of my shop in Charleston... Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this place, highly recommend! http://www.public.fotki.com/Mazuljkica/

Jack Miller4 said:I would personally prefer something located in or near San Diego, especially since my guests will be traveling by bus from there; I really wouldn't want them stuck on a long shuttle ride after the ceremony. We’ll likely hold the wedding at either Our Lady of Health or Holy Cross.
I caught the news about what happened to Little. I am truly relieved to hear that everything turned out alright in the end.

To be honest, I have spent so much time scrolling through this subforum that I feel like I’ve lost my sense of perspective—it's getting hard to see the forest for the trees. 🤣

Look toward Miami and that stretch near Charleston instead...

So, you've got Bolero, Fable, and Kokolo
Plus Ino, Mammoth, Castello, and Bellevue over at Holy Cross...

Ladies, feel free to chime in if I missed anything.

Hey, does anyone know which company in Miami handles fireworks, foam cannons, room painting, and stuff like that? Also, where can I pick up some flares in Miami?

Andrew Wilson9 said:Hey, does anyone know which company in Miami handles fireworks, foam cannons, room painting, and stuff like that? Also, where can I pick up some flares in Miami?

I believe I came across this information somewhere on this forum a while back:
1. fireworks and pyrotechnics www.raytheon.com
2. soap suds, smoke, and light shows www.experiential.com

Anonymous said:I guess I'll end up being right... I just called the parish office and they basically brushed me off because they don't even have the liturgical calendar set for next year yet. 🤷
Now I'm stuck. We were planning on reserving the hall because we didn't think we could pull this off on our own, but now I have no clue... should I go ahead and book this hall or look for somewhere else?!
I'm terrified that by the time November rolls around and I call to secure the date at the church, they'll tell me they're fully booked (the priest even hinted at it—he said since there's no calendar yet, he can't guarantee anything for that day)...

Man, I am so stressed and confused right now. I have absolutely no idea what to do next. 🙄

Don't let it get to you! Just stay persistent. Tell him you've already booked the reception hall and that you absolutely need that specific date... Honestly, the office gave me the exact same runaround. They told me they couldn't officially register me because the liturgical calendar for next year wasn't out yet (this was back in September for an event in the following September). But after I kept pushing, they scribbled my info on a scrap of paper and pinned it to the last day of the current year on the old calendar... Once the new book arrived in November, he called me back and got me officially on the books.
Besides, if you're getting married in February, that's less than a year away anyway! 😠
When I went in during January to give my confirmation, he just looked me dead in the eye and told me there were three other weddings lined up right after mine on that same day! 😳 If I had waited half a year like he suggested, I would've ended up having to walk down the aisle at 9 PM in total darkness! 😲

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kontra says: In the end, you're probably going to be right... I just called the parish office and they basically brushed me off because they don't even have the calendar set for next year yet. 🤷 Now I'm totally lost. We were thinking about booking the hall because we figured we could handle everything ourselves, but now I'm second-guessing everything... should I go ahead and book this hall or look for somewhere else?! I'm honestly terrified that when I call back at the end of November to lock in a date at the church, they'll tell me they're fully booked and I'll miss out. (And the priest actually mentioned it too—he said since the calendar isn't finalized, he has no clue what the schedule looks like for that day or if it's even available!)... Ugh, I'm feeling so overwhelmed and confused right now, I really don't know what my next move should be. 🙄

Don't sweat the part you highlighted. If it were a major holiday, a feast day, or some big religious observance, they would have warned you immediately, because those dates have to be logged in the liturgical calendar/official registry. That’s where they track all the Masses, baptisms, and everything else happening.
The only thing is, if that priest can't accommodate you, he'll probably just suggest that you bring your own priest instead!🤷

So, what I'm hearing is I just show up there and ask him to get me on the books? 😍
Honestly, it’s been totally seamless for us. I'll bring him the liturgical calendar for next year—Ash Wednesday falls on February 17th—and we can easily arrange for a priest to come out to us. My future godmother's uncle actually performed the baptisms for both my brother and sister at a different parish he wasn't even assigned to. 🤷

Anonymous said:So, what I'm hearing is I just show up there and ask him to get me on the books? 😍
Honestly, it’s been totally seamless for us. I'll bring him the liturgical calendar for next year—Ash Wednesday falls on February 17th—and we can easily arrange for a priest to come out to us. My future godmother's uncle actually performed the baptisms for both my brother and sister at a different parish he wasn't even assigned to. 🤷

Exactly! Just tell him you're insisting. Point out that you didn't show up a year and a half early, but rather 9 or 10 months ahead of time... explain that you and your fiancé really want that specific date, and that's that. Let him take a piece of paper, write down the date and time, and tuck it into the back of his old liturgical planner. Don't let anyone confuse or intimidate you, especially not the priest! It's not like he's going to get flustered because he doesn't know how to organize a wedding reception! 😳 For me, my priest kept asking why I was in such a rush, if I was being too impatient or too persistent, and he'd just laugh... but hey, he did eventually write it down, and sure enough, time proved that I was right all along! Tell him straight up that you have the hall booked and you need the church on that specific day, otherwise, there won't be a wedding! In my case, I was dealing with St. Francis Parish over in Manhattan...

I think I’m going to drag my boy to Mass tomorrow night; hopefully, I can catch Dad for a quick chat right after the service. 😠

Karen Cruz2 said:I’m having a bit of a nightmare trying to book a photographer... everyone I’ve looked at is already booked up. The only ones left on my list are Photo California, Mladen Studios, and Marko Photography...
I’ve already heard things about the California group, but I know nothing about those other two. Has anyone here actually worked with them? Any intel would be great! thanks

Marko Photography handled my shoot, and honestly, I wouldn't recommend them 🤣. A friend used Photo California, and she’d tell you to stay far away too 🤷... What about Ivica Matić?🤷

Hey there, ladies! I actually tied the knot back on August 30th of last year, but believe me—I am still lurking here and reading all your posts religiously!!!
Honestly, I’d do the whole thing all over again in a heartbeat!!!
I see you all are having quite the debate regarding photographers! Has anyone here ever worked with Mirjana? She was my lead, along with another photographer and a videographer!
And let me tell you—I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!!!
She is absolutely wonderful to work with, and the shots? Simply stunning. Everyone who has seen them has been raving about them!!!
But now... wait for it...

Andrew Wilson9 said:Hey, does anyone know which company in Miami handles fireworks, foam cannons, room painting, and stuff like that? Also, where can I pick up some flares in Miami?

You can grab some flares at that little shop near the Safeway, I think it's called Mirnovec or something like that...

Alexander Ruiz2 said:Marko Photography handled my shoot, and honestly, I wouldn't recommend them 🤣. A friend used Photo California, and she’d tell you to stay far away too 🤷... What about Ivica Matić?🤷

We actually put a deposit down yesterday at Photo Color over on Broadway. The shots look decent, even though I know everyone just picks the absolute best highlights for their albums...
I wrote off Marko Photography pretty quickly. As for Photo California, I've heard you book one crew only to have a totally different group show up on the day—and they aren't exactly cheap, either...
Matić and Lisjak were booked up, but whatever, it worked out fine. We'll see how the photos actually turn out.☕

Karen Cruz2 said:We actually put a deposit down yesterday at Photo Color over on Broadway. The shots look decent, even though I know everyone just picks the absolute best highlights for their albums...
I wrote off Marko Photography pretty quickly. As for Photo California, I've heard you book one crew only to have a totally different group show up on the day—and they aren't exactly cheap, either...
Matić and Lisjak were booked up, but whatever, it worked out fine. We'll see how the photos actually turn out.☕

pingulinka used them once... ask her if she'll share her password... then just look at her photos. Don't sweat it, everything will turn out fine.😍

Andrew Wilson9 said:Hey, does anyone know which company in Miami handles fireworks, foam cannons, room painting, and stuff like that? Also, where can I pick up some flares in Miami?

Check out the shop right across from the Target entrance—they’ve got everything. Flares, fireworks, balloons, smoke machines, confetti... you name it.

Raymond Brooks7 said:pingulinka used them once... ask her if she'll share her password... then just look at her photos. Don't sweat it, everything will turn out fine.😍

Hmm... I guess I'm lucky I don't stress about this stuff too much. If it works out, it works out. 😂

So, I'm currently on the hunt for a really solid florist—or honestly, even someone who does private gigs—around the Charleston, Miami, or San Diego areas... I'm sure one of you former or current wedding planners has a killer recommendation or two somewhere! 🤷
What kind of price range are we looking at lately? And do they usually handle the full venue decor too? I just really don't want to mess this up and end up in a total disaster zone on the big day... 🤣
John Doe, thanks so much in advance for any leads you can throw my way! 🙂

My go-to is definitely the John Doe flower shop over in Malibu... you really can't go wrong there. The woman running the place is incredible at what she does.

Michael Davis21 said:So, I'm currently on the hunt for a really solid florist—or honestly, even someone who does private gigs—around the Charleston, Miami, or San Diego areas... I'm sure one of you former or current wedding planners has a killer recommendation or two somewhere! 🤷
What kind of price range are we looking at lately? And do they usually handle the full venue decor too? I just really don't want to mess this up and end up in a total disaster zone on the big day... 🤣
John Doe, thanks so much in advance for any leads you can throw my way! 🙂

I'm totally backing Raymond Brooks7's suggestion here!
🙂In the San Diego area, I highly recommend the Trader Joe's near Malibu—oh, and there's also a shop called "Cvitak" in the suburbs, plus a place downtown called "Ispod Skala" (that's the one I used for my wedding!)
😉

Raymond Brooks7 said:My go-to is definitely the John Doe flower shop over in Malibu... you really can't go wrong there. The woman running the place is incredible at what she does.

I'm with you on that! I'm going to use her too. She's great... she always comes through for me, no matter what I need.👍