We had their string trio at our ceremony, and I was extremely happy with the way they played so beautifully, with their professionalism, formal attire, and affordable pricing! I also loved that they sent me a demo CD right after I called to inquire. I chose a musical version of "Unchained Melody" that they had included in that demo CD to walk down the aisle to. When I first heard it, it was so beautiful I was practically in tears. I knew that was the song for me. The music aspect was so important to me on the day of my wedding, and the vision I had of my wedding ceremony was realized so perfectly thanks to El Real Chamber Players.

My friend had recommended Janet to me, and after I saw all the excellent reviews on her, I knew I had to pay her a visit! Before I even begin to talk about her excellent work, I have to mention that she is the sweetest person in the world, really listens to what you want, is so flexible, and is the most reasonably priced. Janet has had many years of experience, and it definitely shows. I had purchased my wedding gown two sizes too big because I got it such a good deal for it, and I was a little worried it wouldn't be easy to take so much in. Well, Janet put me at ease right away and said it was no problem. The next time I saw her, the dress fit me perfectly, like a glove. I ended up gaining a few pounds after that, and Janet was so accommodating in taking it out a little the week before the wedding. I could not recommend a wedding vendor more, especially when it comes such an important element of your wedding, looking and feeling great!

Susie did my hair and my sister's hair and makeup for her wedding. She is really good at what she does. I was very happy with the way my hair turned out. I told her what I wanted, and she whipped it up in no time. My sister's makeup turned out very nice. Susie does a more natural style than others, which is exactly what my sister wanted. She looked just like herself, just a prettier version. Susie arrived early and stayed until she made sure everything was to our satisfaction, and the whole time she was friendly and had encouraging words.

I would have bought my dress here If I hadn't found a dress at another store that was super discounted. Great prices, great dress selections. This was the first bridal store I went to, and I was very happy with my visit. I just walked in without an appointment, and they accommodated me and treated me very well. The sales girl was so bubbly and helpful even though she knew I was only looking and had no intentions of buying anything that day. I definitely recommend it. Oh, and they allow you to take pictures, unlike other places.

I did not purchase my dress here because I ended up getting an awesome deal at another place that was going out of business, but I had a great experience dealing with Mariposa's sales staff and looking through their beautiful selection of dresses. All of their dresses are so pretty and in the affordable price range. I made an appointment and thus had one sales girl giving her full attention to me, and she was so friendly and never pushy and let me take pictures.

This venue is BREATHTAKING! Once you step foot in it, you no longer think you're in Riverside but in Europe. The architecture, the chapel, the restaurants... everything is so impressive. My fiance and I had never been here before, but once we saw it for the first time during their bridal open house, we fell in love with it and booked it on the spot, 1 1/2 years before our wedding date. It's smart to book early because this place is known for weddings, and we were told prime dates get taken up quickly. I believe it. There were about 5 other couples meeting with coordinators at the same time we did. They have a whole staff of wedding coordinators, and you are assigned one for your wedding day as part of their package. They are well organized and really cater to the bride and groom, always available to answer any questions we have. The best part is that it is not as expensive as you think it should be. The package even includes the hotel room, and there are cheaper options of doing it on a Saturday morning or mid-day. I am really looking forward to getting married in this beautiful venue, and I know I'll have even better things to say after the wedding!

UPDATE: In the months leading up to the wedding, I was disappointed with the lack of communication. I believe this was due to my original coordinator leaving her employment there. Just make sure to not wait around for them to contact you; instead email them as soon as you have questions. Besides that, the actual wedding day was perfect! All of the staff were helpful and organized. All the guests told us what a beautiful wedding it was.

Another thing, I think the venue is more expensive for new brides because you now have to use the vendors from the preferred list. If you choose to go with a vendor outside the list, there is a $250 fee (but some of the vendors cover this fee for you, at least my DJ does).

I had seen some mention of "perks" by former Mission Inn brides (free massages at the spa, etc.), but there were no perks for us.

A slight problem I had the day of the wedding is they don't let you into the bridal/groom suites until 2 hours before the ceremony. They do give you a free room with your package, but check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and they don't guarantee early check-in. So since I don't live close by, my only choice was to book a room for the night before so that my hair stylist/makeup artist could start getting us ready at 11:00 a.m.

All in all, like I said, the day went off without a hitch. It was truly a dream wedding, and the pictures turned out amazing!

Jared's is a great place to go for jewelery shopping, especially if you see Joe at the Chino Hills one. My fiance bought my engagement ring, our wedding bands, and diamond earrings there. Every time we'd go in, straight to Joe we'd go. He is such a nice, polite, and calm person who has taken care of us so well. We had issues with one of the guys who makes the custom jewelry (he pretty much sucks at it) and Joe was super accommodating and understanding, and he never made us feel like we were pestering him too much. I can't remember the manager's name, but she was also very flexible and great to deal with. Very satisfied with this store.

As the maid of honor for my sister's wedding, I can say that their prices are very affordable, and it's nice that they're a one-stop shop for rentals (tables, chairs, linens, dance floor, etc.), food, lighting, wedding coordinator... I could go on with the things they offer. Donaji and her team are sooo accommodating and flexible. Norine was the day-of coordinator, and she was so on top of things the whole time! The food was pretty good and varied in choices, the chocolate fountain display was beautiful.

Since my fiance and I are getting married at the Mission Inn, we went with Cean One because they're a preferred vendor and have photographed there for many years. We chose Desiree Henry to be our photographer because her pictures looked fantastic on the website and she's been working for Cean for around 12 years. We were very happy with the way our engagement pictures turned out, and we can't wait to see the awesome wedding pictures she's going to take.

Update: A few months before our wedding date, we found out that Desiree Henry is no longer working at Cean One, so we decided to go with another company. Cean was very accommodating in returning our deposit.

I'm so happy I discovered this website! Best prices I found for pocket folds. They were having a sale on a few of the nice metallic colors, which are usually more expensive. They include guidelines of measurements if you want to cut your invitations yourself, or they offer cutting services. You can order whatever number of items you need (I ordered 90 pocket folds and envelopes, plus 125 sheets of pearl paper to cut for invitations/directions/RSVP). Everything arrived in the mail neatly packaged. I was so happy to see the quality was great. I had already ordered a sample to make sure the color was right, and they only charge about $4 for that. It's so exciting discovering ways to save money but not losing the elegance you want!