Everything you need for a California wedding

If there's actually some space available, I suppose you should first ask how much it would cost you... then head over to the caterer, hammer out a menu and a price, and decide if the math even works in your favor. Regarding San Diego, from what I understand, anyone who owns a venue could probably pull something together since they handle their own food service. However, if the hall doesn't come equipped with tables and chairs, it probably isn't worth the hassle at all. Logic suggests that the more people you have to hire individually, the higher the costs will climb. Everyone is responsible for their own share of the desserts, of course. But please, look into it and let me know what you find

feraljackal21 said:N/A

Look, there’s plenty of space available for rent—think community centers, banquet halls, or even just a room at a mid-sized hotel for an evening. It shouldn't be outrageously expensive if you play it right. My main priorities are decent restrooms, enough power outlets, and ideally, having tables and chairs already on-site. I’m picturing something like a press conference room or a small multipurpose room at a local sports complex or boutique hotel. We could spruce the place up a bit, bring in my own sound system, and then just hire a professional catering crew to handle the food and service...
Does that sound like a viable plan to you guys? We're looking at a group of about 50 people...

Honestly, it’d be way smarter to just book a restaurant and let them handle everything, then maybe buy your own booze if you want to save a bit. Any other setup usually ends up requiring extra hands to manage it all, and by the time you're done, you might have spent more anyway. Just hit up a local wedding directory or search for banquet halls and restaurants online and start calling around.
Though, I’m not even sure if San Diego has many venues you can just grab and run with like that. 🤷
If you need anything else, just ask—I might be able to help out. 😉

Bradley Jones9 said:If there's actually some space available, I suppose you should first ask how much it would cost you... then head over to the caterer, hammer out a menu and a price, and decide if the math even works in your favor. Regarding San Diego, from what I understand, anyone who owns a venue could probably pull something together since they handle their own food service. However, if the hall doesn't come equipped with tables and chairs, it probably isn't worth the hassle at all. Logic suggests that the more people you have to hire individually, the higher the costs will climb. Everyone is responsible for their own share of the desserts, of course. But please, look into it and let me know what you find

Olivia Adams71 said:Honestly, it’d be way smarter to just book a restaurant and let them handle everything, then maybe buy your own booze if you want to save a bit. Any other setup usually ends up requiring extra hands to manage it all, and by the time you're done, you might have spent more anyway. Just hit up a local wedding directory or search for banquet halls and restaurants online and start calling around.
Though, I’m not even sure if San Diego has many venues you can just grab and run with like that. 🤷
If you need anything else, just ask—I might be able to help out. 😉

Thanks everyone. It seems like a restaurant is pretty much the only viable option in San Diego... though there is one specific place... 😉 I'll look into it further, and if I hear anything useful, I'll post an update.

Please send over any recommendations for catering services with full staffing in San Diego if you know any—or better yet, if you have personal experience with them.

Has anyone actually pulled off a wedding at a venue like the Ritz-Carlton in Malibu lately? I'd love to hear if the experience was actually worth the headache.

When is the wedding scheduled? Personally, I'm not particularly fond of the interior, though the outdoor space seems excellent.

By the end of April

I’m also looking into that venue because I’m planning a smaller wedding for this summer. Does anyone have the scoop on the food situation there? Is it included in the package, or would I need to bring in an outside caterer?

I did some digging, and it turns out they handle all the catering themselves for weddings—no need to bring in an outside vendor. From what I gathered, they offer a standard wedding menu, though there's apparently room to negotiate if you have specific tastes in mind.

Oh, thanks so much! I'm still weighing my options regarding the menu, and I'm actually considering hiring a catering service too. I plan on checking out some local restaurants for ideas—does anyone here have any experience with restaurants in San Diego?

N/A

Bradley Jones9 said:If you mean that blue ballroom right off the highway—the one with both a ground floor and an upper level—I've heard rumors that the music tends to bleed between floors. Apparently, people also mention it can get quite chilly or drafty in there...

Yeah, that’s definitely the place. I really hope those rumors aren't true, though, because we already put down a deposit.

Jack Murphy7 said:I was at one of those parties once... they had Kocka playing—honestly, they were way below Top Notch—but I didn't even notice the music blending together like that

Hopefully, I won't run into any of that musical mashing during my set either. How was the food, and what did you think of the venue overall?

Even though there’s still a full year to go, once I realized people were booking things over a year in advance—like the specific photographer I wanted for the shoot, who’s already booked up—I decided to start locking everything down early.
So, I've already secured the venue, the catering crew, Mario Paparelo’s photography studio, all the lighting effects, the florist, and even the live band for the house.

But honestly, how does nobody have any info on Amadeus yet?

My trip wrap-up:

The pirate bar: absolute peak, highly recommend it to everyone!!
The cathedral: St. Patrick's - a solid 5/5!
The band: Rhythms of the City - definitely check them out!!
The photographer: N/A - a total crook and a complete fraud. He’s just selling smoke and mirrors, and he's nowhere near worth the money he charged us—not to mention what he essentially swindled from us. To make matters worse, he sent some incredibly offensive emails when we tried to express how unhappy we were with his work. I'll make sure to trash him everywhere I can.

frozencobra46 said:Hopefully, I won't run into any of that musical mashing during my set either. How was the food, and what did you think of the venue overall?

The impression... look, I work in the music industry myself, so I care way more about the sound than the catering—but I’m sure if anything had gone wrong, I would've noticed. So, everything was fine, I guess...

Jack Murphy7 said:The impression... look, I work in the music industry myself, so I care way more about the sound than the catering—but I’m sure if anything had gone wrong, I would've noticed. So, everything was fine, I guess...

Thanks, I appreciate that. You make a fair point—given your background in music, you probably would have noticed immediately if the levels were off or something was out of place.

wanderingbadger17 said:My trip wrap-up:

The pirate bar: absolute peak, highly recommend it to everyone!!
The cathedral: St. Patrick's - a solid 5/5!
The band: Rhythms of the City - definitely check them out!!
The photographer: N/A - a total crook and a complete fraud. He’s just selling smoke and mirrors, and he's nowhere near worth the money he charged us—not to mention what he essentially swindled from us. To make matters worse, he sent some incredibly offensive emails when we tried to express how unhappy we were with his work. I'll make sure to trash him everywhere I can.

First time I've seen anyone complain about him (even if I don't personally care for his style), everyone usually raves about him. What exactly went wrong? Too many "cartoons"? (as my ex-flirts would say on a forum) 😁

Charles Gomez4 said:First time I've seen anyone complain about him (even if I don't personally care for his style), everyone usually raves about him. What exactly went wrong? Too many "cartoons"? (as my ex-flirts would say on a forum) 😁

Maybe we’re just the first ones brave enough to say it out loud...

Regarding $3.75, he spends three days overthinking things while selling us pure smoke and mirrors. His whole persona is built on being "the best," but in our experience, that's definitely not the case. For that kind of money, just getting photos isn't enough—you expect so much more...

We paid for two albums, yet the photos were basically repeats between the two...
The selection was poor... honestly, many of the unedited shots looked better...
Even though we opted for the most expensive package, the photos lacked detailed editing...
When we asked to swap some photos, we got hit with two insulting, low-class emails. We stayed polite, though, like idiots...
In the end, we had to "negotiate" our way into getting 10 photos that he would finally edit properly so we could take them to Walgreens—which, by the way, we ended up paying for out of our own pockets...
Basically, after $3.75, he completely ripped us off for $33...
Not to mention, I had to call him multiple times just to get the files sent over for printing. Every time I called, he wouldn't pick up; he'd just send a quick email a few hours later. That's just the kind of guy he is and how he runs his business...

Thomas Martinez said:I sent him an email—he just gave me this short reply saying he's busy. I actually asked him about the summer of 2012, too. I've heard whispers from a few sources that his studio was shut down, though I'm honestly not sure if there's any truth to that.

Regarding 2012. Ivica Matić charges 2,000 euros for his work... 🙂
but honestly, it isn't even worth 1,000... you'll learn that the hard way...

If you want him to be your exclusive photographer, fine. But if you go through MWP—which acts as his studio—it’ll be a bit cheaper, though not by much, and he won't be the one shooting you...

It's the same racket as when you hire a big agency like Getty Images and they just send some random intern from the warehouse to do the job...

Now, he signs some kind of contract where he promises to deliver the photos... that contract is basically worthless. It lists his fee, but it's never the full amount; he once handed us a paper saying 700 euros at a wedding reception, and we didn't even bother reading it before signing...

We've read conflicting things—some people love him, others hate him, whatever. But you have to make a choice, and we wanted high-quality work because you only get married once. I just want to share our experience with you all...

He totally failed us. This past summer, he was busy photographing some prince from the Middle East at some fancy estate in Spain or something... just selling smoke...
And then, a few days later, we found out he screwed over another couple. He took their deposit for a weekend shoot, but then ditched them because he got offered that lucrative gig with the prince. We found out from a guy in the band who plays at weddings... the couple called him for help because Matić bailed on them at the last second. As if he was going to find them a decent replacement after taking their money upfront...

My experience and my advice? Give this guy a wide berth... 😠

Does anyone have the scoop on the President Hotel in Philadelphia? What are we looking at for prices?

Bradley Jones9 said:We are hosting a reception at the Atrium... expecting about 200 guests... I find the venue itself to be top-tier, and the coordinator is nothing short of exceptional. My confidence in choosing the Atrium came from recommendations by several bands who have performed there—including my own taxi band, which offered nothing but praise—and that was the deciding factor for us. 🙂 When we dropped off the deposit, the room was already set up for an event and looked absolutely stunning. I’ve heard the catering is excellent, and the manager even went so far as to invite us to come by and sample the wine and prosciutto if we wished, though he was so persuasive that we didn't feel the need to try anything. So, I offer my warm recommendation for the Atrium... the reception is scheduled for February, and I will provide further updates on our satisfaction after that. 😉

One more thing... before making our final decision, we visited the Radisson, the former San Francisco Grand Hotel, and it didn't exactly blow me away. The ceilings are somewhat low, though they do have a lovely terrace. As for Le Meridien, it's rather mediocre in my opinion; the hall feels like a standard banquet room, the atmosphere is quite cold, and the decor consists of plain white tablecloths that are too short and yellow chair covers...

Have you looked into the President Hotel over in the suburbs?