Everything you need for a California wedding

Two summers ago, my boyfriend and I visited Maui. We fell so hard for the island that we’re thinking about getting married this June at that little chapel on the peninsula near the Oahu Marriott. I’ve been scouring the forums, but I can't find a single mention of anyone else having a wedding there. I can't believe we're the first ones to think of such a stunning spot... I'm wondering if anyone knows someone who might have experience with local clergy on Maui? Perhaps the priests don't take kindly to weddings for youngsters like us...

Does anyone know a band for the pre-party gig before the pirate meetup? Looking for something like guitar and accordion so they can really belt out some tunes

Anyone else grab some pie at the Rose Bowl restaurant lately? I could really use some firsthand thoughts on how it was...

In case anyone cares, it looks like the IRS opened a shop in Las Vegas... or maybe it’s just some other IRS? I went by a flower shop there a while back, but when I showed up, the florist was gone. 😢 Alice, it says IRS on the entrance. I didn't stick around to check their inventory or prices, but it had the vibe of a flower shop—though they had all sorts of decorative ribbons and papers and whatnot scattered about.

Hey everyone!

It looks like there’s a lot of great info floating around here.
We’re hosting a party in San Francisco for about 100 people. We've narrowed our restaurant options down to:
The Avengers
Vela
Benedict-South
South

I'd love to hear your recommendations or any experiences you've had with them! It seems like everyone raves about The Avengers, but I can't find much info on Vela, Benedict, or South...

Linda Harris5 said:Hey everyone!

It looks like there’s a lot of great info floating around here.
We’re hosting a party in San Francisco for about 100 people. We've narrowed our restaurant options down to:
The Avengers
Vela
Benedict-South
South

I'd love to hear your recommendations or any experiences you've had with them! It seems like everyone raves about The Avengers, but I can't find much info on Vela, Benedict, or South...

You should also check out the Marriott in Malibu; during the summer they have an outdoor area by the pool, and it's just a few meters from the ocean, which is quite interesting...🙂

Has anyone here actually worked with Instagram from Castle Rock? I was just at the Lion expo... and honestly, what I saw looked incredible—maybe even better than expected. But here's the thing—when companies show off albums at these trade shows, they obviously only pick the absolute best shots. I really want to know how they handle an entire wedding reception. Has anyone actually hired them for a big event? I didn't realize choosing a photographer would be *this* difficult!

Betty Hernandez4 said:Has anyone here actually worked with Instagram from Castle Rock? I was just at the Lion expo... and honestly, what I saw looked incredible—maybe even better than expected. But here's the thing—when companies show off albums at these trade shows, they obviously only pick the absolute best shots. I really want to know how they handle an entire wedding reception. Has anyone actually hired them for a big event? I didn't realize choosing a photographer would be *this* difficult!

Both of my sisters used Instagram photographers from Castle Rock and the photos turned out great, though the specific photographer who shot them has since left the company. You might want to double-check exactly who you're booking, as they have a large roster.

Betty Hernandez4 said:Has anyone here actually worked with Instagram from Castle Rock? I was just at the Lion expo... and honestly, what I saw looked incredible—maybe even better than expected. But here's the thing—when companies show off albums at these trade shows, they obviously only pick the absolute best shots. I really want to know how they handle an entire wedding reception. Has anyone actually hired them for a big event? I didn't realize choosing a photographer would be *this* difficult!

They shot my best man's wedding—everything turned out fine.

That’s great, thank you. My only real headache right now—and quite a few people have actually warned me about this—is 😛trying to figure out who is going to take the photos. It’s driving me crazy. One photographer in the studio is absolutely brilliant, while another is... well, let's just say not so much. It's a total toss-up. Honestly, I might just hand out some disposable cameras to everyone and let them snap whatever they want—I truly can't make up my mind. 🙂

A few more questions... does anyone have experience with Photo California? The shots on Facebook look amazing, but I remember reading some old forum threads suggesting I should be careful about which studio handles my session... apparently there are a few different ones out there.

Betty Hernandez4 said:A few more questions... does anyone have experience with Photo California? The shots on Facebook look amazing, but I remember reading some old forum threads suggesting I should be careful about which studio handles my session... apparently there are a few different ones out there.

Check your DMs
That’s exactly the deal with Photo California—you really have to be careful about which specific photographer they end up sending to the big day, especially if you're looking at their Instagram.

Ladies, I could use a little bit of collective wisdom here. My wedding is coming up this December, and since he’s originally from the Midwest and I have such a soft spot for that whole region, I’ve been dreaming about booking the Slavonia Band. I’d love to hear your thoughts if anyone happens to be familiar with them. We actually caught one of their sets down in California once and they were absolutely incredible, truly top-tier performers, but at the end of the day, we're West Coast people through and through—and let's face it, a party is a party, regardless of the genre. I'd appreciate any insight you might have... thanks!

Frank Wells5 said:Ladies, I could use a little bit of collective wisdom here. My wedding is coming up this December, and since he’s originally from the Midwest and I have such a soft spot for that whole region, I’ve been dreaming about booking the Slavonia Band. I’d love to hear your thoughts if anyone happens to be familiar with them. We actually caught one of their sets down in California once and they were absolutely incredible, truly top-tier performers, but at the end of the day, we're West Coast people through and through—and let's face it, a party is a party, regardless of the genre. I'd appreciate any insight you might have... thanks!

I was at a wedding in San Francisco where they played—a bit of a Midwestern-meets-West Coast vibe—and they were there... honestly, don't overthink it. They're top-tier. They play all sorts of artists at our beautiful our celebrations

And who should I even reach out to? Who’s actually reliable at Getty Images versus Shutterstock... I've noticed quite a few of you have had some pretty unpleasant experiences—so, I'm definitely signing a contract first!!!!!!!!!🙂

Regarding California... I recently saw some photos from an old friend's shoot, and honestly, I was speechless at how TERRIBLE they were! There is no way I’d ever pay for that. You don't need to be some high-end pro to see it's garbage. On top of that, she waited nearly six months just to get them back. Who is even shooting out there? It's awful. And considering how much people shell out for these photographers for a single day's work, shouldn't everything be top-tier and delivered on time?

Jack Murphy7 said:I was at a wedding in San Francisco where they played—a bit of a Midwestern-meets-West Coast vibe—and they were there... honestly, don't overthink it. They're top-tier. They play all sorts of artists at our beautiful our celebrations

Look, Chunky, if we’re talking about a true West Coast style bash, those high-end bands are definitely going to run a premium price tag. And while I’m personally a huge fan of their sound, I wouldn't want to risk a situation where guests are sitting around staring blankfully because they don't recognize the tunes, or worse, feeling totally out of sync because the rhythm is too niche for anyone to actually dance to. We’re talking about that mainstream, high-energy vibe—the kind of stuff a group like Maroon 5 or similar pop-rock outfits would deliver. Do you really think a band like that can pivot and nail that specific energy without me making a massive mistake by booking them?

I have one more question for the group: should I go with Photo California or Studio Megagraf? If anyone has actually used their services, please weigh in and let me know what your experience was like...

Kyle Young3 said:Regarding California... I recently saw some photos from an old friend's shoot, and honestly, I was speechless at how TERRIBLE they were! There is no way I’d ever pay for that. You don't need to be some high-end pro to see it's garbage. On top of that, she waited nearly six months just to get them back. Who is even shooting out there? It's awful. And considering how much people shell out for these photographers for a single day's work, shouldn't everything be top-tier and delivered on time?

Thanks. This is already the second comment like this that has come my way, so California is officially off the table. Now I just need to gather some impressions regarding Rank Pupić (Smiliti studio), and if anyone could point me toward a specific photographer to look for at Mark Photography... I was really struck by his photos at the expo, but I'm truly lost now. Everyone just showcases their absolute best shots—they all look amazing—but I have no clue what it’s actually like when you receive the full package.🙂

Hey everyone, I was wondering if you all tend to order catering for home events, or if you prefer to whip up the food yourselves? If you do decide to go the DIY route, what are you thinking of making? I’m currently sitting here crunching the numbers and doing some math. It looks like Baletni would charge $20 per person, while Gusar is around 85-$40 per person, and I still need to check in with Pimpinelon... honestly, it’s quite a significant amount of money, which feels a bit steep if you ask me. But then again, if I were to handle everything myself, I wouldn't really know what to offer besides maybe some cheese, charcuterie, and desserts... if I tried to make fancy canapés, I’d just end up dealing with the headache of slicing bread and handling all the decorations... 🤷

Regarding photographers—I've actually made my decision and gone with California Photography because their work is significantly better than Mark Photography. In my opinion, Mark Photography is a total disaster; the only photographer who truly does a fantastic job is Boris. Zvoniti isn't bad, but they aren't anything special either. California Photography has a large team, and of course, not everyone there is performing at a top-tier level, but I specifically requested either Miro or Matthew, as they produce absolutely stunning shots, and I managed to secure one of them. I'm not particularly worried about the videography side of things, so we just opted for their most budget-friendly video package, paired with the second most expensive photo package plus a large album. All in all, it's going to cost us about $2,000. California Photography is definitely one of the pricier studios in ST, but when it comes to photography, I didn't want to make any compromises, so I chose them.