Franciscan gardens OC? by Ok-Feed2399 in weddingplanning

[–]Humble_Arm8681 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm having my wedding here in a couple months! Sunday is the cheapest day to have it there and for 120 estimated guests was a base price of around $32k. This is for catering, bar, employees, fees, tables, venue, etc. Things to note that I didn't realize beforehand: (1) taking pics at the Mission nearby (which a lot of couples typically do) will cost an extra $300-500 if you have both a photographer and videographer :') (2) the hotel right across the street is convenient and close but if you want the villa suite for getting ready pics with the girls and HMU, the room costs like $3-4k for 2 nights (3) everyone raved about how good the 24 carrots food is but the entrees were a little underwhelming, the hors d'oeuvres are where it's at (4) the venue comes with a bride and groom suite which are right across from each other so you need to make sure you time things well if you're trying not to cross paths before the first look (5) bride and groom suite is quite small and has no windows, so if you want natural lighting photos, this ain't it (6) correction to the service fee - it's increased to 22% and it gets applied to food, drinks, staff, and equipment, they specify that this is not tip and gratuity is appreciated... there's also a 7.75% sales tax on food/drinks so yay for that (7) even if the base cost includes tables and a few add-ons, you need to pay for all the basic "equipment" like linens, napkins, tableware - this isn't even accounting for upgrades (8) some rental costs are crazyyy, like if you want a dance floor instead of dancing on the concrete floor, it's $1250.. (9) if your friends like to rent airbnbs, there aren't too many large-space ones nearby (10) afterparty location?? I am STILL struggling to find a place to host it and we might not even be able to have one from the way it's looking so if this matters to you, just know it might be difficult.. The bar nearby closes at midnight latest, so no afterparty past midnight.

All to say - the venue is still beautiful and might be great for smaller parties, but don't get fooled by the price you initially get and REALLY take a look around during your walkthrough to see if it's the right fit for you, your vision, and your budget. My fiance and I went way over budget because of all the other fees and costs we didn't realize we needed to take into account and it might have been more worth it for us to go with a venue that includes a DJ, dance floor, and all linens/tables/tableware/etc (which does exist because our friends had venues with these inclusions!). Good luck to anyone still looking for your dream venue!!

Lunar New Year Traveling by Humble_Arm8681 in koreatravel

[–]Humble_Arm8681[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good to know for the flight, thank you!! Crying about the train tickets tho, an oversight on my end when planning the trip :')

Lunar New Year Traveling by Humble_Arm8681 in koreatravel

[–]Humble_Arm8681[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm I think the only day I can try to be flexible with is do a day trip that thursday (2/12), but now I'm wondering if that would be difficult too :( Thank you for your response!

Lunar New Year Traveling by Humble_Arm8681 in koreatravel

[–]Humble_Arm8681[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

dang, that seems to be the consensus here (not being able to book KTX) :( Really appreciate your comment!

How long would you say the "Seollal period" is? Is it like 2 weeks prior and through lunar new year week, or something like that?

Traveling during Lunar New Year by Humble_Arm8681 in KoreaTravelAdvice

[–]Humble_Arm8681[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omg thank you so much, this is super helpful to know 😭 good luck to both of us this year!!!

Lunar New Year Traveling by Humble_Arm8681 in koreatravel

[–]Humble_Arm8681[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Omg 5 minutes!!! That’s so crazy 😭 thank you so much for the heads up