Everything you need for a California wedding

Justin Bennett61 said:I've been there once, and honestly, I'm praying I never have to go back. That's all I've got.😢

Was it really that bad?
If you can, just tell me what went wrong. Was it everything?

rowdyskipper8 said:Is anyone actually active on this forum who’s stayed at the Hilton in downtown Chicago? 😢
I've got a decent offer from them—fixed price for food, though drinks are extra based on consumption.

They're claiming it's around $50-$23 per person, according to the hotel staff.
Does that sound realistic or is it a total joke? Seems a bit low to me...

You might have misheard them... wasn't it more like $50-$70?
What could you possibly get for $50-$23? A slice of deli meat?
I don't know, the price seems off to me.

The guy already pointed out that the price covers the drinks.

Oh my gosh, girls, I seriously need some help!!! I really wanted Papaya Studio to handle the photos and video for my wedding, but they’re already booked for our date 🙂 🙂 🙂
Everything about them was just perfect... and now I'm searching for something similar, but I can't find anything quite right in the Miami area. I looked into Matić, but his pricing is absolutely insane, and honestly, he isn't even better than Papaya—if anything, he's actually worse. I'm also not interested in those big agencies with huge teams, so FotoDalmacia is out (especially since I've heard some questionable things about them)... and so far, nothing I've found really captures that same vibe Papaya has. Please, if anyone has any suggestions or good experiences to share, let me know!!!

Also, if any of you ladies who are already married could give me some advice—is it okay to bring my own makeup? I have a few specific products that work perfectly with my skin, and I really don't want a makeup artist applying stuff that doesn't suit me. I'll pay the full rate, obviously, I just want to know if stylists are usually open to using client-provided products if I insist on it. I have a couple of people in mind, but I haven't reached out to them yet 🤷

rowdyskipper8 said:Sure, the price seems fine, but the whole beer situation is the issue
It’s not a flat rate; they charge based on how much you actually drink. From what I've heard, it ends up being about $50-$23 per person, which... 🙂 does that sound too low to you?
Anyone here actually dealt with this before?

Yeah, another restaurant told me their food is great, but I'm looking for feedback from someone who was actually at a wedding there. How's the service, the food, all that?

I have a decent offer from them, but the beer thing is stressing me out. My only fear is getting absolutely fleeced on the tab and having the final bill be $23 instead of 4 times higher than expected :S

I honestly think they'd rip you off on the drinks...

First off, you can't really verify how much was actually drunk versus what wasn't, and I guess you're just supposed to trust the waiter's word on it...

Unless you plan on paying some guy to stand there all night counting every single pour, which is just ridiculous, and I doubt they'd even agree to it...

Look, if you understand how the hospitality industry works, the profit margin has always been, and will always be, almost entirely on the drinks. What they make on the food is nothing compared to the alcohol. So when they tell you at the end that 20 cases of beer, 100 liters of wine, soda, and other stuff were consumed, who are you going to argue with? You can't exactly say, "No, we didn't drink that much."

Personally, I wouldn't take that kind of gamble... but hey, good luck.

I haven't stayed at that hotel myself, but I have friends who went to a wedding there where they had an open bar at the start of the night. They ended up losing their minds over the bill later on. 😢

I can't even begin to imagine the damage when the bar stays open all night long...

Daniel Smith8 said:I haven't stayed at that hotel myself, but I have friends who went to a wedding there where they had an open bar at the start of the night. They ended up losing their minds over the bill later on. 😢

I can't even begin to imagine the damage when the bar stays open all night long...

We did an open bar for a two-hour cocktail hour, and the cost wasn't actually that bad. It was definitely pricier than hosting something at home, but it felt way more upscale in the end, and we loved it. Then again, the final total really depends on the guest count, the time of day, and the local prices...

With my friends, this whole thing didn't even start until they were already seated at the restaurant and settled in for the heavy drinking. I assume people at the cocktail hour tend to hold back a bit before they arrive at the venue, mostly because they still have to drive over to the church and then to the restaurant later.

Joshua Hughes8 said:Oh my gosh, girls, I seriously need some help!!! I really wanted Papaya Studio to handle the photos and video for my wedding, but they’re already booked for our date 🙂 🙂 🙂
Everything about them was just perfect... and now I'm searching for something similar, but I can't find anything quite right in the Miami area. I looked into Matić, but his pricing is absolutely insane, and honestly, he isn't even better than Papaya—if anything, he's actually worse. I'm also not interested in those big agencies with huge teams, so FotoDalmacia is out (especially since I've heard some questionable things about them)... and so far, nothing I've found really captures that same vibe Papaya has. Please, if anyone has any suggestions or good experiences to share, let me know!!!

Also, if any of you ladies who are already married could give me some advice—is it okay to bring my own makeup? I have a few specific products that work perfectly with my skin, and I really don't want a makeup artist applying stuff that doesn't suit me. I'll pay the full rate, obviously, I just want to know if stylists are usually open to using client-provided products if I insist on it. I have a couple of people in mind, but I haven't reached out to them yet 🤷

I was in the exact same boat wanting only Papaya, but they were fully booked for our date too. It took me a while to find a replacement that actually lived up to the standard, but I eventually landed on Photo Adria. Their shots look incredible, and I've heard nothing but praise from friends who used them at their weddings. Now we just wait and see how it turns out 🙂

For which date are you looking to have the photos taken?

rowdyskipper8 said:Was it really that bad?
If you can, just tell me what went wrong. Was it everything?

honey... you're asking the wrong questions...
the food was a disaster—especially that black risotto—it was basically just a bowl of black dye... the roast arrived cold and the salad had turned from green to a depressing shade of brown... ...don't even get me started on the coffee mugs (which looked like they still had traces of lipstick from some random wedding guests on them) or the steak....
the servers were so "friendly" you practically have to beg them just to bring you a glass of water...

don't ruin the biggest day of your life... there are plenty of great restaurants out there where the prices make sense and the quality actually exists...

Joshua Hughes8 said:Oh my gosh, girls, I seriously need some help!!! I really wanted Papaya Studio to handle the photos and video for my wedding, but they’re already booked for our date 🙂 🙂 🙂
Everything about them was just perfect... and now I'm searching for something similar, but I can't find anything quite right in the Miami area. I looked into Matić, but his pricing is absolutely insane, and honestly, he isn't even better than Papaya—if anything, he's actually worse. I'm also not interested in those big agencies with huge teams, so FotoDalmacia is out (especially since I've heard some questionable things about them)... and so far, nothing I've found really captures that same vibe Papaya has. Please, if anyone has any suggestions or good experiences to share, let me know!!!

Also, if any of you ladies who are already married could give me some advice—is it okay to bring my own makeup? I have a few specific products that work perfectly with my skin, and I really don't want a makeup artist applying stuff that doesn't suit me. I'll pay the full rate, obviously, I just want to know if stylists are usually open to using client-provided products if I insist on it. I have a couple of people in mind, but I haven't reached out to them yet 🤷

There are some great photo studios in California like Juicy Studio, Siniša Srdanović, and Vedran Vidak, and their pricing is right in line with Papaya...

As for the makeup artist, you can absolutely provide your own products. In fact, most will be happy to use them.

Thanks so much for the private message and for posting this here too!!!

Vedran Vidak is playing well, which seems fine, though Siniša Srdanović isn't quite there for me—not that I’m specifically looking for that—and Juicy isn't even close. They feel completely different from Papaya Studio, nothing like what I had in mind..........

And thank you so much for the makeup tip! I'll be sure to ask my own makeup artist once they're finally selected 🤣

I’m on the hunt for a photographer and videographer around the San Francisco area—though if I’m being honest, the video side is my top priority right now. If you have any solid recommendations, please shoot me a DM 😉 with some rough price estimates so I know what I'm looking at. Also, we haven't pulled the trigger on a band yet, so if anyone has a killer suggestion...

Hannah Ortiz5 said:I’m on the hunt for a photographer and videographer around the San Francisco area—though if I’m being honest, the video side is my top priority right now. If you have any solid recommendations, please shoot me a DM 😉 with some rough price estimates so I know what I'm looking at. Also, we haven't pulled the trigger on a band yet, so if anyone has a killer suggestion...

If I were in your shoes, I might suggest Papaya for photography; their work was quite impressive, and they actually include a videographer in their packages, which I suppose is a rare find 😁. They are based out of Miami, but I imagine they would travel to San Francisco for you. You should be able to find them on Facebook under Papaya Studio or something similar
.
As far as music goes, you might want to look into the band Uber (taxibend.com); in my opinion, those guys are simply the best 😁

The twist-off crew from Miami
http://www.grupatwistoff.com/

Thanks for all the tips, everyone! I’ve sent out my inquiries, so now we’re just playing the waiting game 😉

Ugh, I seriously need some help here!!!
Does anyone actually have experience staying at the Grand Hyatt in Miami? I’ve been hearing rumors that it turns into a total sauna during the summer because of all the humidity coming off the indoor pool.
Please, if you've been there, let me know what it's really like.

Bradley Bishop24 said:The twist-off crew from Miami
http://www.grupatwistoff.com/

Caught them at a wedding recently. They were actually decent.👍

Bradley Bishop24 said:The twist-off crew from Miami
http://www.grupatwistoff.com/

I have to echo those recommendations too! They kept the energy up all night long and their musicianship was truly top-tier...🙂 Toward the end of the party, we actually asked them to play some classic foreign rock to satisfy the younger crowd, and they absolutely crushed it... they tore through sets by AC/DC, ZZ Top, and Whitesnake... just pure madness...