Janet is amazing! She altered my best friend's dress when I was the MOH and also did my dress a few weeks ago! Her quality is awesome (she won't let you walk away unless she is fully satisfied with the alterations!) and her prices can't be beat. Definitely go to Janet!

Growing up, I always used to get cakes from Van's bakery for my bday cakes and other special occasions. I was determined to get a more Americanized cake with fondant for my wedding cake. However, after checking out other cakes that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars, we ended up going back to Van's bakery. However, instead of choosing the mocha or other flavored cake- we chose their regular yellow cake with strawberry filling and it was light, fluffy and our guests enjoyed it b/c it wasn't too sweet. It was $200 for a 3 tiered cake. I would suggest buying your own flowers to add to it and we had one of our friends pick it up so we didn't have to deal with the delivery fee. The only thing I would recommend is to remember to take back the cake plates and legs so you don't lose the $50 deposit! Good luck!

Having a photobooth was the ONE thing I was adamant about having on my wedding day. I researched the various photobooth services in the area and Cheesy was definitely the most economical and provided the most services. Since I was the first bride to book for the day in June, they also brought in their projector and screen for me to use which was great for the slideshow we had. They also bring in their own arts n crafts materials for your guests to make the pages for you so you don't have to worry about buying/bringing in your materials. One of the best parts was that they allow you to customize a banner or they will help you make a banner if you scan/email them your wedding invitation/colors/themes. They were very quick about responding to all my emails and in a couple of days, I should be getting a CD of all the photos from the night and also a scrapbook (they put together all the pages for you!). HIGHLY RECOMMEND! All the guests had such an amazing time and kept complimenting the photobooth saying it was the BEST part of the wedding.

Update: Just got the CD and book back from them-- AWESOME!! They put all the pages into a sleeve protectors and put it all in this cute album in GREEN (my color) and also in the CD, you get the pictures in grids (like the way they print out) or also as individual pics! Just awesome! p.s. Buy some props for your photobooth- it helps people get crazy and creative with their pics.

La Palapa was a great venue for our ceremony and reception. We had our ceremony on the beach (a few steps away from their restaurant) on the sand and our out of town guests were blown away. It was a beautiful June day and we hired Andes Trance (a Peruvian pan flute group) to play the ceremony music. Andes Trance had played at La Palapa before so they were familiar with the area and with Elizabeth, Bear and Katherine.

The wedding was on a Friday night and so they were very flexible with letting us bring all our items on Thursday afternoon during the rehearsal and we also had the rehearsal luncheon at their restaurant. Their prices are also quite reasonable for being so close to the water and for a venue in So Cal! Good luck!

Gavin and Judy are the best! Gavin was there to shoot my engagement party/tea ceremony as part of the engagement freebie in his pkg. It was great to meet Gavin then and have him meet the bridal party and our families. Gavin and Judy came to the rehearsal lunch to check out the venue the day before so that they could get some idea of shots. On the day of the wedding, they were with me for 12 hours (from 11am to 11pm) and it was great to have them with me. All my guests commented on the beauty and artistry of the pictures (they did a preview slideshow that played on their laptop after dinner) and wanted to hire them! I'm very happy with my choice with Gavin and Judy! Very professional and fun team!

Stephanie was my DOC on June 12, 2009 and she did a superb job. I found her through weddingbee where she was offering free DOC services in order to build her portfolio. We met twice before the rehearsal lunch in order to go over the schedule and for her to become acquainted with the venue and layout. She coordinated the rehearsal and the lineup and here are a few of the things she did for me.
-I asked for some recommendations for manicure/pedicure shops close to the hotel/venue. She researched the nail salons for me and sent me a spreadsheet with various shops, prices, contact numbers, etc.
-She created an alternative map for my local guests so that they would have alternative routes
-She called/emailed all the vendors the week of the wedding in order to confirm arrival time, set up time, etc. All my vendors enjoyed working with Stephanie.
-She created a detailed day of schedule wiht list of contact names/numbers, etc
-Numerous emails/phone calls from the time we signed the contract until the day of the wedding.
-Day of the wedding: Stephanie was there at 1pm (ceremony started at 5:30pm) setting up the tables, my centerpieces and also my ceremony decor. She coordinated with the vendors (gave checks to vendors) and made sure they were fed during the appropriate time. She straightened my train before I walked down the aisle and reminded me to breathe and hold my bouquet lower! :)

Overall, it was great to have Stephanie as a DOC. It was nice to have someone there to coordinate the day so that I didn't have to stress about anything and felt as though I could depend on her to follow through. If you are looking for a DOC, I would highly recommend Stephanie of A Joyeux Day Wedding and Events.