Everything you need for a California wedding

irontrucker13 said:I feel so bad about the Price of Papaya, but I actually heard about Volar from a friend who went to a gala a few weeks ago. She absolutely loved them and booked them on the spot! Honestly, I'm just thrilled they're available on one of my dates when I have the hall free in July. 🙂

Have you heard anything about the photography for California? I was looking at the shots from those two galas Matthew took for them, and they look incredible. Plus, he’s the only one available on that specific date!

How much is the Price of Papaya going to be for you?

Once those other photographers fell through, I started thinking about Photo California. I wondered if I should give them a shot despite everything negative I'd heard... since they belong to the same group. Then a few people advised me that Matthew is the only one who truly knows what he's doing and his work is top-tier, while the rest isn't worth it. If he's free, I'd say check out his portfolio and book him immediately. Don't risk it with anyone else in that agency...
I actually asked a friend who booked Papaja what her quote was. She said a standard photo and video package was around $1,500 or so. I suppose it really depends on what exactly you choose to include...

Kyle Young3 said:I know Patrick's place... that doesn't work for me. The party is going to be smaller, but it won't just be a standard dinner—there's going to be a live band. Most restaurants aren't down for that. And catering isn't an option either because the venue is too small for them to bother. The Hilton is way too expensive, even if the setting is beautiful. Honeybee has a small hall, but it's absolutely gorgeous. Honestly, they haven't renovated it since the hotel first opened. 😲
Bottom line, the search continues. 🙂

Anyone know what the rates are at the Atlantic Ocean hotel (in Malibu, right?) for tonight?

"Quote:"

George Taylor65 said:Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant that does catering? Right now, I'm looking at Boban, Pimpinel, or Arkada. Has anyone here actually used any of those three? I am completely torn! 🤷

Jure's Restaurant in Malibu offers catering too. Give them a shot—they seem a bit more affordable than some of the others on your list, and I know they don't cut corners on food quality or setup.

Regarding that photography studio in California, I’ve been watching you all tear them apart, so I figured I’d weigh in. My cousin actually works there—he’s finishing up his fine arts degree in San Francisco—and based on what I know of his work, I can honestly vouch for him. Not because he’s family, obviously... though I probably should be mad at him for refusing to shoot my wedding 😛 just so he could party instead of working a relative's reception. Ugh. As for Milan, he’s young and a total perfectionist; if he isn't happy with a shot, he won't stop tweaking it until it's exactly how he envisioned it. He loves the craft, and he’s good at it. So, there. Hope that helps.

lorena and Raymond Brooks7, thanks so much! I'm actually going to start doing a little tour of local restaurants over the next few days, then I'll let you know what I decide 😁 I think I'm leaning toward Boban and arkada for my inner circle. I went to a wedding a while back where Boban handled the catering, and I still remember how great the food was... plus, arkada generally serves amazing food, so I’ve got a tough choice ahead of me. Price is definitely going to be a huge factor too 😉

George Taylor65 said:Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant that does catering? Right now, I'm looking at Boban, Pimpinel, or Arkada. Has anyone here actually used any of those three? I am completely torn! 🤷

I’ve had some experience with Pimpinel, and honestly—it was great! They catered a few graduation parties for my colleagues a while back, and everything was just spot on. The food? Absolutely delicious. 🙂 Look, the price tag might be a little steep—I get it—but honestly? It’s worth every single cent.

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place to ask, but I was wondering where one might find affordable artificial petals, floating candles, car bows, and other small decor items in San Francisco (or maybe online, if anyone has some experience there). Where do you all usually pick stuff like that up?
I actually went ahead and ordered two different types of petals through a DTP studio, so now I'm just waiting to see how they look once they arrive (about $12 pieces).
Where have you guys been shopping, and does anyone know where else I can find these kinds of things?

I think I spotted those things over at the Mall of America in California...

irontrucker13 said:I feel so bad about the Price of Papaya, but I actually heard about Volar from a friend who went to a gala a few weeks ago. She absolutely loved them and booked them on the spot! Honestly, I'm just thrilled they're available on one of my dates when I have the hall free in July. 🙂

Have you heard anything about the photography for California? I was looking at the shots from those two galas Matthew took for them, and they look incredible. Plus, he’s the only one available on that specific date!

How much is the Price of Papaya going to be for you?

I ended up booking National Geographic, and that was strictly because of Matthew—I really fell in love with his portfolio, so I reserved him specifically. If I hadn't been able to secure Matthew, I probably would have gone with Sinisa with... Matthews was a bit too expensive for my budget, and Papaya's style just doesn't quite suit my vision.
The combo of video, photography, and a large album is going to run me about $2,200, since I opted for the basic video package ($600) and put most of the budget toward the photos, which are far more important to me than the video... I have to admit, even so, this feels like a significant amount of money to spend on a single photographer, but I suppose if we want high-quality shots that we won't regret, it's worth it. If the photos aren't great, then they've really missed the mark.😁

frozencobra46 said:I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place to ask, but I was wondering where one might find affordable artificial petals, floating candles, car bows, and other small decor items in San Francisco (or maybe online, if anyone has some experience there). Where do you all usually pick stuff like that up?
I actually went ahead and ordered two different types of petals through a DTP studio, so now I'm just waiting to see how they look once they arrive (about $12 pieces).
Where have you guys been shopping, and does anyone know where else I can find these kinds of things?

Target, Nirs...you can find stuff there. I actually found some artificial petals at a HomeGoods that were exactly what I needed, but I haven't seen them since...🤣

irontrucker13 said:Majo...
Did you get my message in your inbox?

I haven't seen anything yet....

Listen up, especially if you're young and this hits home—but honestly, everyone needs to hear this:
Fabula is CLOSING DOWN!!

George Taylor65 said:Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant that does catering? Right now, I'm looking at Boban, Pimpinel, or Arkada. Has anyone here actually used any of those three? I am completely torn! 🤷

1. Arcade
2. Boban
3. Pimpinel

Paul Myers78 said:1. Arcade
2. Boban
3. Pimpinel

In the end, I decided to go with Boban. They actually did the catering for a party I attended recently, and honestly, I was blown away—the food was delicious and just beautifully presented. So, I'm feeling pretty happy now that I've managed to cross at least one thing off my list! 👍

Benjamin Hill10 said:Anyone know what the rates are at the Atlantic Ocean hotel (in Malibu, right?) for tonight?

I haven't called them personally... but digging through some forums, it looks like they're charging about $65—and that doesn't even include drinks! So I passed immediately. The place looks great, honestly. But I've heard nothing but bad things about their food quality. Who knows? I've never actually stayed there, so it feels stupid to claim I know for sure without any firsthand experience.

Paul Myers78 said:Listen up, especially if you're young and this hits home—but honestly, everyone needs to hear this:
Fabula is CLOSING DOWN!!

Yeah, we found out the hard way! They canceled our wedding! 🙂 We struggled just to find a place... then once we finally tracked them down... nothing. 😢

Kyle Young3 said:Yeah, we found out the hard way! They canceled our wedding! 🙂 We struggled just to find a place... then once we finally tracked them down... nothing. 😢

Did they at least refund your full deposit?

Jack Murphy7 said:Did they at least refund your full deposit?

Luckily we didn't even put down a deposit because I insisted on waiting until after the holidays... and when I finally called to settle things, I certainly got an earful. Oh well, luckily we figured it out just in time.😁

Kyle Young3 said:Luckily we didn't even put down a deposit because I insisted on waiting until after the holidays... and when I finally called to settle things, I certainly got an earful. Oh well, luckily we figured it out just in time.😁

Great, just great. Anything could have happened... This is actually the first time I’ve heard about them closing down a hall—usually, they’re popping up like weeds everywhere...

I suppose I should have expected this kind of reaction from someone like hollowbear7, given how predictable everything seems to be becoming lately... It’s almost exhausting to watch the same patterns repeat themselves day after day without anyone actually pausing to consider the implications... hollowbear7 says:
I suppose we should get started... 😍 I didn't actually get a chance to see him paint the pear, though I did spend some time looking through his portfolio... and honestly, the work is quite impressive... 😍 He was taking pictures of my girlfriend... 😍 The photos look just a little too perfect for my liking... 😍 I’d highly recommend it...

Thanks... in the meantime, I took a little stroll over to Austin and managed to lock in a photographer, because honestly, having the wedding up in the mountains just makes more sense, plus you end up spending way less money... I managed to get everything bundled together for about $750...