JTLA's reviews

This is an absolutely stunning venue. The best of the 3 areas that they offer is the smallest one -- The Oaks. Our wedding was here and we were amazed at how beautiful it was on the day of the wedding. Unlike other brides, I had no problem with the staff in the wedding department. Although you do deal with multiple people, they keep very good records and I was always able to confirm details that I had set previously with other members of the coordinating staff. They got all of my placecards and table details out according to my instructions and the ceremony itself started on time. The only small problems I had were that the salad was served before the champagne was poured (which delayed the grand entrance a bit) and that although I asked them to cut all three layers of my cake (because they were all different), they only cut the bottom two, probably because there was enough cake in those layers to go around. So, my only advice is to be particularly clear about your preferred timeline and special instructions. I had a friend on-site during the set up of the reception to double check that everything was set up as planned and that all vendors were accomodated, which I would also recommend.
Although they don't do tastings of the food, which originally worried me, the entrees were delicious. My guests raved. The passed hors d'euvres were average, but good, and they allowed me to supplement their very light selection of beer with a darker choice, no additional charge. They serve Saddlerock wine, which is local to Malibu and adds a nice touch.
The location is just stunning, and I was glad to have chosen someplace that really knows how to put on a wedding -- it eased alot of the stress going into the wedding the few weeks before. I have no doubt that we made the right choice!

Joeleen was absolutely amazing to work with and our cake was absolutely stunning. We had 3 layers, each its own flavor (the chocolate-mint layer was DELICIOUS, and the carrot cake is some of the best I've ever had), with buttercream icing. She is such a warm and inviting person with great communication skills and people skills. We gave her a basic idea of the cake we wanted at first, she let us look at some pictures, and I ended up drawing a picture of the design for the cake that I hoped for. She was so inviting to the process and never once tried to push something that I did not want.
And, her prices are incredibly reasonable on top of all of that. Our guests couldn't stop raving about how great the cake tasted.
I'd recommend A Sweet Design hands down to anyone in the LA area looking for a cake baker.

I can't say enough to compliment Michelle. Her talent is just amazing, and at her prices, she is a deal!!! From the first meeting (which was a completely un-rushed 2 hours long!) to the day of the wedding, I never had any doubt that Michelle had both listened to me, and completely understood the look I was going for. And on top of that, she brought her own great ideas. She introduced me to flowers I never would have picked otherwise, and she also made sure to include flowers that I had asked for. She created a sample centerpiece for me 6 weeks prior, took the feedback I gave, and the actual flowers represented that conversation
The venue turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined, and the bouquets were perfect. She even added a few final touches that we hadn't discussed. Guests were practically fighting to take centerpieces home with them!
All in all, the flowers just made the day that much more breathtaking and memorable for me.