Everything you need for a California wedding

feralsurfer3 said:Come on ladies, let’s hear it! How was the wedding fair? I totally missed out and couldn't make it...

I went both days, but honestly, there wasn't anything particularly special about it. I did manage to snag a few discount coupons from Tiffany & Co. for rings; they're valid until the end of the year, though some last for about five months.

I ended up coming home with a whole bag full of flyers. 🙂

To be perfectly honest, I was expecting much more from the whole experience. I asked several vendors very specific questions hoping for even a rough quote, but the responses were always just "it depends on this" or "well, you could do this or that..." It felt a bit vague. The only exception was at the booths where actual employees were working—they actually knew their stuff and what they were offering.

The one silver lining for me was seeing the makeup artist I'm planning to hire in action; she was doing the makeup for the bridal gown runway show.

Thomas Cruz9 said:I attended a party where Vivian was performing, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed by how long their breaks were... even though they're otherwise great singers.
Does anyone here have any experience with the band Volar?
Also, has anyone worked with Mis Florists?
Thanks in advance

We had Volar play for us... they are a solid 10/10 crew.
They don't take long breaks at all. They just keep playing until you tell them to stop! They put on a total Stimung level show... I've been to several parties where they played. They are the only band I dance to from the very first song until the very last. 👍

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David King72 said:Honestly, it was nothing special.

Most of the exhibitors were exactly the same ones we saw last year.

I really wasn't a fan of how pushy some of them were—I mean, they were practically badgering couples into signing up for their services right then and there...
Wouldn't it have been much more effective if they had actually showcased their work instead of just trying to sell it?
Some people didn't even seem to know what they were supposed to be displaying at their own booth.
For instance, I asked a woman from Bobis if it was possible to do a multi-tiered wedding cake where every single layer has a completely different flavor and sponge type, and she looks me dead in the eye and says, "No, it all goes on crunchy praline, you get praline inside and marzipan on the outside, plus whatever decorations you want." I couldn't help but laugh and just walk away—I mean, obviously, you can totally do that, but her lack of knowledge was just too much.

I tried a cake from Creme de la Creme at one of the receptions, and honestly, it was the best cake I've ever had in my life. The couple had ordered a combination of chocolate, vanilla, then chocolate again, and then vanilla...😍

Douglas Reyes3 said:I went both days, but honestly, there wasn't anything particularly special about it. I did manage to snag a few discount coupons from Tiffany & Co. for rings; they're valid until the end of the year, though some last for about five months.

I ended up coming home with a whole bag full of flyers. 🙂

To be perfectly honest, I was expecting much more from the whole experience. I asked several vendors very specific questions hoping for even a rough quote, but the responses were always just "it depends on this" or "well, you could do this or that..." It felt a bit vague. The only exception was at the booths where actual employees were working—they actually knew their stuff and what they were offering.

The one silver lining for me was seeing the makeup artist I'm planning to hire in action; she was doing the makeup for the bridal gown runway show.

That’s great! Let me know if you have any wedding flyers left over. I might check out Vagus jewelry, though I'm not sure if they even offer discounts at fairs like this...🤷

feralsurfer3 Asks:
That sounds great—let me know if you end up with any leftover flyers for the religious items, because I might actually swing by Tiffany & Co. to take a look. Though, honestly, who knows if they even bother offering discounts at these kinds of Fairs?🤷

If you happen to mention Vagus, they’ll probably throw a discount your way.

feralsurfer3 said:That’s great! Let me know if you have any wedding flyers left over. I might check out Vagus jewelry, though I'm not sure if they even offer discounts at fairs like this...🤷

feralsurfer3, I actually have an extra flyer from Vagus if you could use it... If you happened to pick one up at the Fair last year, you can just use this one instead since there isn't a date printed on it. The guy told us that it’s good through March 31st, so if we just head over to Tiffany & Co. with the flyer and mention we were at the Fair, they'll give us that 20% discount...

Thomas Cruz9 said:I attended a party where Vivian was performing, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed by how long their breaks were... even though they're otherwise great singers.
Does anyone here have any experience with the band Volar?
Also, has anyone worked with Mis Florists?
Thanks in advance

Thomas Cruz9, all I've ever heard about Volar is nothing but praise... As for Mis, she's a fantastic florist and her prices are reasonable enough depending on what you're after, but man, she is just sooo incredibly pushy and exhausting to be around. If you have the patience to deal with someone who simply never shuts up, then go with her, because I really can't find any fault with the actual floral work itself. I know that if you book all your flowers through her, you get free makeup services from her mother... though, frankly, the woman's makeup skills are pretty terrible; she did my aunt's makeup for a party once. Since my aunt didn't buy the flowers from them, the lady charged her $100, the maid of honor $100, and my two aunts $100 each. All four of them ended up looking identical—just this heavy, grey smoky eye look. Even my neighbor, who just wanted a little bit of powder applied because her face was a bit swollen after eye surgery, was charged $50 just for that. And while she was busy doing their makeup, her son, who had driven her over, was shamelessly snooping around our basement looking for old scrap metal...

I honestly thought Vagus didn't offer any discounts since nothing was mentioned on the flyer, but thank God I didn't toss it in the trash. The guy didn't explicitly say the deal lasts through the end of March, but he did mention it'd be smart to swing by before summer hits because they're expecting gold prices to spike.
Even without that discount, their prices are solid. The rings I like are around $1000, whereas Zaksa totally shocked me with their pricing compared to them—not a single ring under 4000-$1500.
Tiffany & Co. is also great regarding prices, and I actually snagged a 20% discount there. They have a massive selection and can make basically anything we want regardless of our budget. Like, we could just bring in a photo and say, "I want rings worth $1000," or $1333... etc. I guess most jewelers do that, but these guys were actually really nice 😁
Johnson has good prices too, and they were offering discounts as well.
In the end, the only reason to hit up the Fair is for the jewelry deals.
Oh, and I won a cake in the raffle 😁... I was hoping for a wedding cake, but nope... just a regular cake I have to order and eat within a month. Still, I'm happy. First time I've ever won anything 😁

Hey, I have two quick questions for you. While I was wandering around the Fair, I was checking on rental prices for a fog machine for the first dance, and the crew over at Rabbit Rock told me they’d do it for $167, but then the folks at Mediarent quoted me $1000. That gap feels massive to me, and honestly, it just seems a bit off... I can't tell if Mediarent is just padding their prices because they've got a bigger reputation, or if there's some difference in how much coverage the smoke actually provides (if you know what I mean)... Do you happen to know anywhere else I should check out? Also, where's the best spot to pick up a cake—should I go with Delta, Bobis, or Viadel? Has anyone here actually tried their cakes before? I've got a discount through the Delta Fair and Bobis, but I've heard Viadel is quite a bit more budget-friendly...

Paul King5 said:I honestly thought Vagus didn't offer any discounts since nothing was mentioned on the flyer, but thank God I didn't toss it in the trash. The guy didn't explicitly say the deal lasts through the end of March, but he did mention it'd be smart to swing by before summer hits because they're expecting gold prices to spike.
Even without that discount, their prices are solid. The rings I like are around $1000, whereas Zaksa totally shocked me with their pricing compared to them—not a single ring under 4000-$1500.
Tiffany & Co. is also great regarding prices, and I actually snagged a 20% discount there. They have a massive selection and can make basically anything we want regardless of our budget. Like, we could just bring in a photo and say, "I want rings worth $1000," or $1333... etc. I guess most jewelers do that, but these guys were actually really nice 😁
Johnson has good prices too, and they were offering discounts as well.
In the end, the only reason to hit up the Fair is for the jewelry deals.
Oh, and I won a cake in the raffle 😁... I was hoping for a wedding cake, but nope... just a regular cake I have to order and eat within a month. Still, I'm happy. First time I've ever won anything 😁

We went this past Saturday, and the guy from Vagus told us the discount was only valid at the Fair, then he tells us yesterday that it's actually good through the end of March... As for Johnson, they didn't seem that affordable to us, at least not for the rings we actually liked, and it was especially funny hearing him brag about having the best prices at the Fair when he ended up being the most expensive one after Zaksa (we skipped Cleveland entirely because I knew the prices would be astronomical)... For me, Mjeda had the best offers, they are totally different from the others; their rings just seemed to have this glow, even the matte ones had a certain shimmer 😍 and the inside is smooth and rounded. Everyone else seems to have identical rings. Vagus is the best when it comes to price, so I think we'll get the rings there, and if we don't find something that truly wows us, we'll just have them recreate the design we fell in love with at Mjeda.

Hey ladies, I’m new here—just another one of those future brides in training! :-)
I’ve been scrolling through almost every single thread on this forum since there’s stuff dating back five years... honestly, I lose all willpower trying to catch up on everything.
:-) Anyway, I’ve already picked up some great advice and ideas along the way, but now it's my turn to pick your brains...
Has anyone ever worked with Megagraf studios? I saw their setup at the Fair and I was seriously impressed. :-)
Also, I'm curious if anyone has experience with the food catering from Topić out in the valley, and has anyone hired the Best live band for a wedding before?
That's all for now...

Amy Johnson said:Hey ladies, I’m new here—just another one of those future brides in training! :-)
I’ve been scrolling through almost every single thread on this forum since there’s stuff dating back five years... honestly, I lose all willpower trying to catch up on everything.
:-) Anyway, I’ve already picked up some great advice and ideas along the way, but now it's my turn to pick your brains...
Has anyone ever worked with Megagraf studios? I saw their setup at the Fair and I was seriously impressed. :-)
Also, I'm curious if anyone has experience with the food catering from Topić out in the valley, and has anyone hired the Best live band for a wedding before?
That's all for now...

For me, Topić is the winner! 😍 I’ll be honest, the lighting alone is what sold me. I attended a wedding there back in August and had a great experience; the servers were always on hand when you needed them, the food was solid, and the management is super easy to negotiate with. Pricing usually runs between $25 and $30 per person, depending on whether you want round tables or long ones, and which menu you pick. Drinks are included in that price, so guests can either just sip on something or completely clear out the bar... 🙂 They can host up to 450 guests. Now, Zdilar might have slightly better food, but the space is smaller and I wasn't a fan—there are too many pillars, so you can't see everyone, and the lighting is just basic yellow. Venice has been renovated and looks lovely, and the food is good too, but the low ceilings make it feel a little claustrophobic to me. So, definitely Topić! As for Megagraf and the band Best, I don't have any firsthand info. If you have more questions, feel free to shoot me a private message so we don't clutter the thread for everyone else.

I actually didn't realize Vagus was offering discounts either; the guy working at the booth didn't mention anything, and there wasn't any info on the flyer. Mjeda handed out some coupons, but now I can't remember if they're for 10% or 20%, though the Tiffany & Co. ad on the flyer says 20%.
I think I'll head over to them, though. They were incredibly friendly and have such a massive selection, and the person I spoke with mentioned they can work with pretty much any budget. I was looking at some perfect wedding bands $0.73, and I have a 20% discount for those.
Apparently, the discount lasts until the end of the year since they just opened their new business.

gentlewolf69 That price you mentioned definitely isn't for a fog machine; at Rabbit Rock, they told me you could get a full lighting setup, including light shows, lasers, and fog, for about $1333.
Did you happen to ask the band playing if they provide their own gear? Most bands these days come equipped with their own fog machines and bubble machines.

I was kind of hoping there would be more makeup artists there, but it was mostly just Art Deco styles. Their prices are around $67 or $83 if you're going with the synthetic lashes.
However, I did catch the bridal fashion show—the models were styled by Ana Grigio, and I really loved the look.

Douglas Reyes3 said:I actually didn't realize Vagus was offering discounts either; the guy working at the booth didn't mention anything, and there wasn't any info on the flyer. Mjeda handed out some coupons, but now I can't remember if they're for 10% or 20%, though the Tiffany & Co. ad on the flyer says 20%.
I think I'll head over to them, though. They were incredibly friendly and have such a massive selection, and the person I spoke with mentioned they can work with pretty much any budget. I was looking at some perfect wedding bands $0.73, and I have a 20% discount for those.
Apparently, the discount lasts until the end of the year since they just opened their new business.

gentlewolf69 That price you mentioned definitely isn't for a fog machine; at Rabbit Rock, they told me you could get a full lighting setup, including light shows, lasers, and fog, for about $1333.
Did you happen to ask the band playing if they provide their own gear? Most bands these days come equipped with their own fog machines and bubble machines.

I was kind of hoping there would be more makeup artists there, but it was mostly just Art Deco styles. Their prices are around $67 or $83 if you're going with the synthetic lashes.
However, I did catch the bridal fashion show—the models were styled by Ana Grigio, and I really loved the look.

Ana Grgić does incredible makeup; she's available on Faceual, so you better book her while you still can!

Douglas Reyes3 said:I actually didn't realize Vagus was offering discounts either; the guy working at the booth didn't mention anything, and there wasn't any info on the flyer. Mjeda handed out some coupons, but now I can't remember if they're for 10% or 20%, though the Tiffany & Co. ad on the flyer says 20%.
I think I'll head over to them, though. They were incredibly friendly and have such a massive selection, and the person I spoke with mentioned they can work with pretty much any budget. I was looking at some perfect wedding bands $0.73, and I have a 20% discount for those.
Apparently, the discount lasts until the end of the year since they just opened their new business.

gentlewolf69 That price you mentioned definitely isn't for a fog machine; at Rabbit Rock, they told me you could get a full lighting setup, including light shows, lasers, and fog, for about $1333.
Did you happen to ask the band playing if they provide their own gear? Most bands these days come equipped with their own fog machines and bubble machines.

I was kind of hoping there would be more makeup artists there, but it was mostly just Art Deco styles. Their prices are around $67 or $83 if you're going with the synthetic lashes.
However, I did catch the bridal fashion show—the models were styled by Ana Grigio, and I really loved the look.

That’s exactly what the guy from Mediarent told me. $667 is the rate for the smoke machine if I bundle it with their lighting rig, but then it jumps to 3000 if I just want the machine by itself. It really makes me wonder what they're charging for the full package—you know, the lights, lasers, room coloring, and all those other special effects... $6667? My band doesn't carry any of that stuff...

gentlewolf69 said:That’s exactly what the guy from Mediarent told me. $667 is the rate for the smoke machine if I bundle it with their lighting rig, but then it jumps to 3000 if I just want the machine by itself. It really makes me wonder what they're charging for the full package—you know, the lights, lasers, room coloring, and all those other special effects... $6667? My band doesn't carry any of that stuff...

I mean, if you were actually going out to buy it retail, it wouldn't hit you quite that hard 🙂

You should probably give Rabbit Rock a call and see if you can strike a deal; sometimes they can put together a pretty decent package for a bit less than the sticker price.

I went ahead and did the same thing. Honestly, Marine Corps recruitment has some pretty solid options too.

gentlewolf69 said:I went ahead and did the same thing. Honestly, Marine Corps recruitment has some pretty solid options too.

Did you settle on professional lighting? If you don't mind me asking, what kind of price range are we looking at?🙂

Back again... yeah, it’s me. Apparently, we still haven't cracked the code on this one either. However, I was wondering if anyone here actually knows anything about the Sky restaurant over in downtown Chicago? I’m looking for the lowdown on prices and how much space they actually have—like, what's the capacity look like? I’ve been scouring the internet, but I can't find a single thing that isn't just vague marketing fluff. Thanks...🙂

Aaron Brown7 said:Back again... yeah, it’s me. Apparently, we still haven't cracked the code on this one either. However, I was wondering if anyone here actually knows anything about the Sky restaurant over in downtown Chicago? I’m looking for the lowdown on prices and how much space they actually have—like, what's the capacity look like? I’ve been scouring the internet, but I can't find a single thing that isn't just vague marketing fluff. Thanks...🙂

Your best bet is just to call them at 555-0199 and ask exactly how many guests they can accommodate.

But what exactly are you looking for here?
Since your big day is right around the corner, shouldn't you already know?