Everything you need for a California wedding

David King72 said: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?

We're talking about December here... it's the standard seasonal rush... nothing out of the ordinary.🙂

Aaron Brown7 said:We're talking about December here... it's the standard seasonal rush... nothing out of the ordinary.🙂

So, does anyone actually have any specific requests, or are we all just sitting here waiting for someone else to make a move?
Does it absolutely have to be at a place like Chuck E. Cheese? How many people are we talking about here? And honestly, what kind of budget am I looking at?

David King72 said:So, does anyone actually have any specific requests, or are we all just sitting here waiting for someone else to make a move?
Does it absolutely have to be at a place like Chuck E. Cheese? How many people are we talking about here? And honestly, what kind of budget am I looking at?

Downtown... maybe up to 250 people... and let's cap it at around $45 per head.

Aaron Brown7 said:Downtown... maybe up to 250 people... and let's cap it at around $45 per head.

Bolero can handle up to 350 people—give them a call at 212-475-1676 or 917-152-7109.

http://www.vjencanjesastilom.com/San_Francisco_weddings/

You'll find most of the list right here.
If you have any other questions, just ask; plenty of us here have dealt with catering for large events, so we're happy to help you out.

David King72 said:Bolero can handle up to 350 people—give them a call at 212-475-1676 or 917-152-7109.

http://www.vjencanjesastilom.com/San_Francisco_weddings/

You'll find most of the list right here.
If you have any other questions, just ask; plenty of us here have dealt with catering for large events, so we're happy to help you out.

Well, thanks a ton... we looked into Bolero and a few others, but we heard Sky Restaurant might actually be pretty decent. I don't personally know anyone who’s eaten there, though, so if anyone has some firsthand experience with the place, let me know... it would be great to know if it's worth it.

Aaron Brown7 said:Well, thanks a ton... we looked into Bolero and a few others, but we heard Sky Restaurant might actually be pretty decent. I don't personally know anyone who’s eaten there, though, so if anyone has some firsthand experience with the place, let me know... it would be great to know if it's worth it.

I haven't been myself, but hopefully someone will chime in if they have.

Are you looking for music or anything else?

David King72 said:I haven't been myself, but hopefully someone will chime in if they have.

Are you looking for music or anything else?

Not really, we don't need any of that just yet... honestly, right now our biggest priority is just getting the venue sorted out.

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 😁

I had budgeted about $3,000 for this ☕. I ran into an acquaintance the other day who got married a few months ago, and he and his wife picked out the simplest yellow gold bands. He told me they cost them both together only $533 😲. That really shocked me—in a good way, obviously! When I asked where they went, he said they bought them in San Francisco, though he couldn't quite explain it. He was a little vague, just saying it was somewhere between Marmont and Gregory. Does that sound like where Vagus is located? 🤷

Hey, does anyone happen to have a contact number for that Duo—father and son—from the San Francisco area? I went to a wedding where they played and honestly, they were fantastic... just really hit the spot. But I haven't looked into their rates yet, and I'm curious if anyone here has actually hired them before or has any thoughts on their vibe.

feralsurfer3 said:I had budgeted about $3,000 for this ☕. I ran into an acquaintance the other day who got married a few months ago, and he and his wife picked out the simplest yellow gold bands. He told me they cost them both together only $533 😲. That really shocked me—in a good way, obviously! When I asked where they went, he said they bought them in San Francisco, though he couldn't quite explain it. He was a little vague, just saying it was somewhere between Marmont and Gregory. Does that sound like where Vagus is located? 🤷

No, Vagus isn't there.

But if he's talking about that stretch between Marmont and Gregory near the cobblestones, I think he might be looking at those two jewelry stores right next to each other, just past the Victoria's Secret...
Maybe that's the one.

feralsurfer3, you're better off just walking around the old downtown area. There's a jeweler on basically every corner. Vagus is over at 4 Marulić Street, but honestly, the streets here all look the same... I wouldn't be able to find it on my first try either.

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...

We actually signed them. I can let you know how they turn out in October...😁

So, does anyone actually have a clue what’s going on with Sky?😢

Gerald Wright3 said:No, Vagus isn't there.

But if he's talking about that stretch between Marmont and Gregory near the cobblestones, I think he might be looking at those two jewelry stores right next to each other, just past the Victoria's Secret...
Maybe that's the one.

I'm leaning towards it being those two jewelers too, actually—one does silver and the other handles gold. If you're heading from Gregory toward Marmont, they'll be on your left. Or, if you're walking uphill from the Morpurgo bookstore toward Gregory and come out of that little side street, they're on the left there, too...

We basically bribed them all... I can tell you by October just how bad they 😁

So what did you guys actually end up grabbing and what was the damage? Like, how much did you have to put down for the deposits?

Douglas Reyes3 said:Did you settle on professional lighting? If you don't mind me asking, what kind of price range are we looking at?🙂

I actually didn't go with professional lighting, since my venue already has those multi-colored lights built right in, which does the trick perfectly fine... I just went ahead and arranged for a fog machine rental and a bubble machine instead.

Thanks so much for the detailed guide 😁
Regarding the lighting, you might want to check if the band offers those services themselves. For example, the band we booked (Imagine Dragons) actually brings their own lights, smoke machines, and even a video wall 🤷
Also, if anyone’s interested, I’m heading out to a bakery in San Diego this Sunday to check out a local shop for some gourmet cookies and cakes. I'll let you know how it goes if you want... everything looks delicious in the photos and the prices seem pretty reasonable 😍

Sophia Phillips3 said:I’m really not feeling a duo for this. Honestly, a full-on 4 or 5-piece band just feels more natural to me, you know? Miro Boem is already booked up on that date, and I've never been a huge fan of Barbara or that Uber cover band—saw them at a party once and they just weren't my vibe. I did end up chatting with the Volare band, so I’m planning to catch them live to see if they hit the mark. Has anyone here actually seen them perform before? Any intel?

I'm actually wondering the same thing—does anyone have firsthand experience with the Volley band? Also, does anyone know if The Beach Boys are any good?
I would be incredibly grateful for any insight.

feralsurfer3 said:Thanks so much for the detailed guide 😁
Regarding the lighting, you might want to check if the band offers those services themselves. For example, the band we booked (Imagine Dragons) actually brings their own lights, smoke machines, and even a video wall 🤷
Also, if anyone’s interested, I’m heading out to a bakery in San Diego this Sunday to check out a local shop for some gourmet cookies and cakes. I'll let you know how it goes if you want... everything looks delicious in the photos and the prices seem pretty reasonable 😍

I feel like a lot of people tend to conflate professional lighting rigs with the basic light show a band just hauls along with them. It’s a distinction that often gets overlooked, but there's actually a pretty significant difference between the two.
The stage lighting is actually built right into the rig and stays fixed in place; its sole purpose is to illuminate the performance area. Basically, the crew just mounts those spotlights, positions them wherever they feel works best for the setup, and calls it a day.

It’s a different story when you have professional lighting rigged across the entire venue... you know, those moving heads or whatever they call them. 🤷It’s all lasers and high-tech gear... you set the whole thing up, and then you just sit there with a laptop and control everything from the screen.

I’m still mulling over the lighting situation, but honestly, I think I'll wait until the very last minute to make a final call. I really need to see where we stand with the budget first before committing to anything.

Thomas Cruz9 said:I'm actually wondering the same thing—does anyone have firsthand experience with the Volley band? Also, does anyone know if The Beach Boys are any good?
I would be incredibly grateful for any insight.

They played our wedding and absolutely killed it. It really comes down to what you're looking for—their setlist isn't centered on English tracks, which matters to some people (like an Uber band, for instance—they're great, just wasn't our vibe). But the atmosphere they create? Top-tier. Of course, that depends on the crowd, but they did their part perfectly. I think they even picked up two or three gigs right then and there from relatives and friends who were already thinking about weddings. Even a year later, whenever our wedding comes up, everyone raves about how they haven't heard music that good or seen a dance floor that packed in ages. They play exactly what you agree on. They've added a female vocalist too—heard she's great, though I haven't heard her myself so I can't say for sure. That's just my take 😉

crimsonsailor2 said:They played our wedding and absolutely killed it. It really comes down to what you're looking for—their setlist isn't centered on English tracks, which matters to some people (like an Uber band, for instance—they're great, just wasn't our vibe). But the atmosphere they create? Top-tier. Of course, that depends on the crowd, but they did their part perfectly. I think they even picked up two or three gigs right then and there from relatives and friends who were already thinking about weddings. Even a year later, whenever our wedding comes up, everyone raves about how they haven't heard music that good or seen a dance floor that packed in ages. They play exactly what you agree on. They've added a female vocalist too—heard she's great, though I haven't heard her myself so I can't say for sure. That's just my take 😉

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I reached out to see if they were free for my date, but unfortunately, they're already booked 😢
As for the music, I don't want foreign tracks at the reception. I want those classic, fun, local favorites—just nothing by Thompson, obviously
Any other suggestions? I've heard Bravo Band is decent? Also, I'm not feeling Flash Band or the Uber band at all