Everything you need for a California wedding

Thomas Cruz9 said: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

Bravo Band is great, but they feel more suited for an upscale urban party since they play a lot of international hits, though their talent is undeniable.

Personally, my go-to recommendation for these kinds of gatherings would be First League, though they can be pretty pricey. I've been to plenty of parties where they performed, and I've never had a single complaint.

To be honest, I think the Uber Band is fantastic for a lounge or a bar setting, but for a big celebration, they lack that specific energy I'm looking for, even if they are top-tier musicians.

Maybe try reaching out to Tip-Top; they were really solid at the parties I've attended.
Trio Adria is also excellent—I actually caught them playing at a party recently.

Douglas Reyes3 said:Bravo Band is great, but they feel more suited for an upscale urban party since they play a lot of international hits, though their talent is undeniable.

Personally, my go-to recommendation for these kinds of gatherings would be First League, though they can be pretty pricey. I've been to plenty of parties where they performed, and I've never had a single complaint.

To be honest, I think the Uber Band is fantastic for a lounge or a bar setting, but for a big celebration, they lack that specific energy I'm looking for, even if they are top-tier musicians.

Maybe try reaching out to Tip-Top; they were really solid at the parties I've attended.
Trio Adria is also excellent—I actually caught them playing at a party recently.

Unfortunately, I haven't actually seen any of these groups live yet. I have heard rumors that Major League Baseball is truly elite, though I think they charge around $2,000. Personally, I gravitate toward Visa, but their pricing is a bit steep for me.
Bravo Band might be a pass for me because of the foreign repertoire, though I suppose you could negotiate with them. Still, I wouldn't push too hard; you don't want to mess with their established flow.

Thomas Cruz9 said:Unfortunately, I haven't actually seen any of these groups live yet. I have heard rumors that Major League Baseball is truly elite, though I think they charge around $2,000. Personally, I gravitate toward Visa, but their pricing is a bit steep for me.
Bravo Band might be a pass for me because of the foreign repertoire, though I suppose you could negotiate with them. Still, I wouldn't push too hard; you don't want to mess with their established flow.

All of them have videos of their performances online... though I find it hard to judge if they’re actually any good just by watching clips.
But I did hear that if you ask nicely, they might send over a full DVD of a pirate show they performed at.

Douglas Reyes3 said:All of them have videos of their performances online... though I find it hard to judge if they’re actually any good just by watching clips.
But I did hear that if you ask nicely, they might send over a full DVD of a pirate show they performed at.

That’s exactly what I was getting at. Those online videos don't really give me enough to go on, and while requesting a DVD sounds perfectly fine, I’ll probably end up being left without a single group if I have to wait to watch everything. Thanks for the heads-up.
On another note, for you and all the ladies on this forum—does anyone have recommendations for hair and makeup in San Francisco? For makeup, I’m torn between Tina Fey and Anne Hathaway; they both get rave reviews, and I really love their styles. As for a hair salon, I’m completely lost. It would be absolutely ideal if both the makeup artist and the hairstylist could just come directly to my place.
Thanks for all the help, everyone!

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 😉

Hey, could you send me the contact info for the Volare band? Thanks! 🙂

Amy Johnson said:

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?

Price depends on the package you pick. Deposit was $333.
Our package was $1,500. Per the contract, that covers everything: photography (editing, small book, montage, effects, posing, DVD, 2 photographers), a large album plus plexiglass (20 photos at 8x12, 160 photos at 5x7, 13x16 inch album size, 50 pages), HD video with 2 camera ops and a crane (color correction, wedding story, wedding highlight reel, 10 DVD sets, 1 Blu-ray, and a music video shot after the wedding). They're also putting all the raw footage and photos on a flash drive for us.

Someone mentioned Anne Hathaway on the site earlier—I bet her makeup skills are great and all—but when I messaged her on Facebook to ask about pricing and if she travels... she just ghosted me. She just told me to call an xx number in a few months. Didn't bother following up. Just felt pointless...

Paul King5 said:Price depends on the package you pick. Deposit was $333.
Our package was $1,500. Per the contract, that covers everything: photography (editing, small book, montage, effects, posing, DVD, 2 photographers), a large album plus plexiglass (20 photos at 8x12, 160 photos at 5x7, 13x16 inch album size, 50 pages), HD video with 2 camera ops and a crane (color correction, wedding story, wedding highlight reel, 10 DVD sets, 1 Blu-ray, and a music video shot after the wedding). They're also putting all the raw footage and photos on a flash drive for us.

Someone mentioned Anne Hathaway on the site earlier—I bet her makeup skills are great and all—but when I messaged her on Facebook to ask about pricing and if she travels... she just ghosted me. She just told me to call an xx number in a few months. Didn't bother following up. Just felt pointless...

Regarding Anne Hathaway, she probably just wanted to explain things over the phone. From what a friend of mine mentioned, she prefers working out of her own studio rather than traveling to clients' homes for reasons she considers valid.
As for Tina Fey? I'm not entirely sure if she does mobile services or stays in the studio, but I've been scrolling through her work on Facebook, and I have to say, I really love her style.

Paul King5 said:Price depends on the package you pick. Deposit was $333.
Our package was $1,500. Per the contract, that covers everything: photography (editing, small book, montage, effects, posing, DVD, 2 photographers), a large album plus plexiglass (20 photos at 8x12, 160 photos at 5x7, 13x16 inch album size, 50 pages), HD video with 2 camera ops and a crane (color correction, wedding story, wedding highlight reel, 10 DVD sets, 1 Blu-ray, and a music video shot after the wedding). They're also putting all the raw footage and photos on a flash drive for us.

Someone mentioned Anne Hathaway on the site earlier—I bet her makeup skills are great and all—but when I messaged her on Facebook to ask about pricing and if she travels... she just ghosted me. She just told me to call an xx number in a few months. Didn't bother following up. Just felt pointless...

I actually messaged her on Facebook too, and she gave me the same response—just telling me to call her cell phone... which is fine by me, since I don't mind handling those kinds of arrangements over the phone...
But telling you to check back in a few months is genuinely strange to me. It doesn't make sense; if you want a service, you usually want to book it as soon as possible to ensure you have a spot.🤷

I've also heard that she doesn't travel to clients, which actually makes a lot of sense. If she works from her own studio, she can handle way more people in a single Saturday than if she were driving around to different suburbs, then to another town, then over to San Francisco. All that driving just eats up precious time.

In my experience, hiring a makeup artist who works out of their own studio is much better than hiring someone who comes to your house.

I get where everyone's coming from, I’m not personally offended or anything. It's just that when I reached out to makeup artists one by one, everyone else gave me straight answers, but with Anne Hathaway, it felt like she was just blowing me off... there are plenty of other 😁
. From what I've heard, her prices are absolutely insane too, which pretty much killed my interest in following up.
As for reaching out again in a few months, I'm not sure... I checked in about a year before the wedding just to get an idea, purely for info. Who knows if she was planning on hiking up her rates this year or what.

The price she’s asking is $83...honestly, everyone I’ve reached out to or asked about is charging somewhere in the $250-$300 range. Even some girls who just finished their makeup artistry certification and primarily use products from Target are at those same price points.
Who did you end up going with?

$83 is fine, but I heard they charge up to $133 depending on which lash extensions you pick. Honestly, that sounds like total nonsense, just old wives' tales...
Haven't picked anyone yet, everything about this 😁 has me totally overwhelmed... but I really need to make a call soon

Based on what people are saying, I've put Anna in the same bucket as Maya Angelou, who actually had the nerve to ask me for $150. That’s just a bit much, even if it is my big day.

She told me it would be $83 plus lashes, though I could always just pick up my own falsies for $27 and $67.
I’ve actually heard horror stories from some girls who booked makeup artists—not Anne Hathaway—where they were quoted $83, but when the bill actually arrived, it jumped to $150. It’s like, okay, $250 is standard if you're using drugstore brands like Max Factor, but then suddenly they claim they used Chanel or something fancy to justify the hike.

Honestly, it's such a low blow when someone does that. Instead of being upfront about which products they use and what the total cost will be right from the start, they wait until the end to hit you with the bill...

Look, I already said what I said. Maya B. was asking me for $150 right out of the gate, which is just... gross...

At the end of the day, if you want to look absolutely stunning, you’ll need to budget for $333...makeup, hair, a pedicure, a manicure, and waxing 🙂

When it comes to formal hairstyles, I’d really recommend checking out Salon Hair Code—it’s located right where the old Bobis factory used to be.
I’ve been there a couple of times, and honestly, it’s incredible what a stylist can pull off with short hair. My own hair reaches down to my chin, and I know people would constantly ask me how long it actually is if they could see what she managed to do with hers 🙂

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...

Everything usually comes as a complete package $2500if I recall correctly

William Chavez10 said:Everything usually comes as a complete package $2500if I recall correctly

I specifically reached out to Rabbit Rock for a quote because I’ve seen their lighting setups in action at a few parties before, and honestly, they are just top-tier.

$1333 So, what exactly does their all-inclusive package entail?

Aaron Brown7 said:So, does anyone actually have a clue what’s going on with Sky?😢

It looks like they’re charging about $40 per person, and I think you can fit up to maybe 150 people in there. Honestly, since weddings are being held at that venue, I'd say it might be worth just heading down there in person to get the full scoop. I have a feeling the deposit is going to be somewhere around $200 or $300, so if you're serious about it, you should probably get that sorted out sooner rather than later.
She also ended up booking a DJ to go along with everything else.
So, yeah... that’s pretty much everything I know about Sky.

gentlewolf69 said: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...

I'm actually looking to rent a fog machine too, and I think I'll go through "balloon for the coast"... they seem way more affordable than the balloon festival or Simba Balloon.
To be honest, renting from Simba is $133 while at balloon for the coast it's only $67, which is basically half the price. It’s a total blowout everywhere $100 and with them being $83, even with those other guys' fair discounts, it just doesn't make sense to go anywhere else. They're located over by Kman.
As for the dessert situation, Viadel is great for cookies and dry pastries, but I've heard their actual cakes aren't quite as amazing.
At the fair, there was Absum LLC from Columbus, and I ended up deciding on them because their wedding cake is only $3.25 per person. So for about 150 guests, the cake would be $500, plus I still get a 10% fair discount. They have their own Facebook page, and from what I saw, they've supplied a ton of our local venues. Their cakes range from $50 to $83, and the standard one for 20 people is $50.
They're at Konzum every Friday, so you can head there to finalize everything with them. Honestly, the flavor is pretty much legendary. Their cookies are $22/kg... again, much cheaper than places like Bobis or Delta.

William Chavez10 said:It looks like they’re charging about $40 per person, and I think you can fit up to maybe 150 people in there. Honestly, since weddings are being held at that venue, I'd say it might be worth just heading down there in person to get the full scoop. I have a feeling the deposit is going to be somewhere around $200 or $300, so if you're serious about it, you should probably get that sorted out sooner rather than later.
She also ended up booking a DJ to go along with everything else.
So, yeah... that’s pretty much everything I know about Sky.

Thanks for the info... though when you're in a "ready to tie the knot" mood, you tend to hear things differently. In the meantime, I actually called them and was told they could host up to 300 people... and the deposit is $500. They did say the food is amazing, though. Now I'm just sitting here feeling completely confused.🙄

Aaron Brown7 said:Thanks for the info... though when you're in a "ready to tie the knot" mood, you tend to hear things differently. In the meantime, I actually called them and was told they could host up to 300 people... and the deposit is $500. They did say the food is amazing, though. Now I'm just sitting here feeling completely confused.🙄

She’s getting married in August, so I guess that’s their big New Year's resolution regarding the budget and the venue size... maybe they tell everyone they're capping it at 300 guests, but then quietly rent out an extra section of the lounge or something.🙂