Heather's list of wedding vendors

Here is a list of vendors in Pasadena, California (Los Angeles) area with my notes. The starred ones (***) are the ones we used for our wedding on August 24, 2002. All of this information was collected from Jan-Aug 2002, so some of it may be out of date.
This webpage is in progress and some of the sections may not have complete information.

Jump to: WEDDING DRESS, PHOTOGRAPHER, CAKE, MUSIC, FLORIST, BRIDESMAIDS' DRESSES, TUXEDOS, LOCATION, OFFICIANT, INVITATIONS/STATIONERY, HAIR/NAILS/BEAUTY, HOTELS, TRAVEL, COORDINATOR, CAR/LIMO, FAVORS

WEDDING DRESS

  • Wedding Gallery (***, I bought my dress here, but I'm warning others to not shop here!)
    (626) 584-9801
    146 S. Lake Ave, Pasadena, (in The Commons, by Williams Sonoma, Croc Cafe & Green St restaurant.)
    (used to be on Huntington Drive in San Marino)
    NOTES: I bought my dress, but I would advise against anyone buying a dress here. You could look here to see more dresses, but don't risk putting yourself through what I went through by buying your dress here. I didn't get my dress until the week of my wedding. The store moved while my dress was on order and the owner didn't notify me. A necklace I ordered was broken when I came to pick it up. The list of bad events goes on and on. The owner (Irene) is annoying and flighty. She's frequently just not at the store. It also frequently took her weeks to return a phone message. Very few mom and bmaid dresses. All dresses need to be ordered 4-6 months ahead of time. A friend of mine made two appointments at this place and the store was closed both times when she showed up for her scheduled appointment.

  • Mary Linn's
    (626) 585-8200
    82 S. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, (Old Pas/cross street Green)
    www.marylinn.com
    NOTES: I met with Nora. Both ladies that worked there were friendly and nice. There is also a shop in Marina Del Ray. Some mom and bmaids dresses available to order. I don't remember if they had any dresses for sale off the rack... I think all needed to be ordered (i.e. 4-6 months)

  • Yelena
    (626) 301-7838
    50 W. Lemon, Monrovia
    NOTES: I met with Trudy. Some other lady helped too. I did get upset when they wouldn't let me even look at a dress that was too small for me to try on, but I insisted and they finally let me hold it up in front of me. They did let my (crazy) mom try on a wedding dress though, so maybe they realized that we were a bit more relaxed than they're average customers. They do have mom and bmaid dresses availble to order. I think all their wed dresses need to be ordered (4-6 months).

  • David's Bridal
    (626) 305-5254
    1605 S Mountain, Monrovia (by Home Depot)
    www.davidsbridal.com
    NOTES: I'm sure everyone's heard of David's Bridal. Huge wedding chain store. They do have dresses available in the store for you to buy right then. I think you can order a new one also. They do have tons of dresses and they have dresses in many sizes. David's Bridal is not as nice as other places. They don't help you very much with trying the dresses on so don't go alone. They have tons of bmaid/mom dresses to try on and order.

  • Jessica McClintock Outlet
    (909) 982-1866
    5458 Moreno St, Montclair, (not too far from Pasadena, ~20 miles)
    NOTES: No appointment needed. They have wedding dresses and formal/bmaid dresses. Great place to at least look. Their selection varies greatly because they're an outlet. They usually have stuff from a season or two ago, but that didn't really matter to me. There is also Jessica McClintock store (not outlet) in the Glendale Galleria, but we didn't go there.

  • Mon Amie
    (714) 546-1821
    355 Bristol St, Costa Mesa (past Anaheim)
    www.monamie.com
    NOTES: This place has tons of dresses. A consultant named Kelley helped me, but they have tons of consultants. I think they had some dresses available to buy off the rack, but most were by order. They had a large selection of bmaid & mom dresses, but they were a bit pricey. Everyone in LA bridal community seems to know of this store. I have a friend who bought her wedding dress here and she told me that they charge for extras like storage of the dress until the wedding... so my friend opted to store her dress at home.

  • The Bride Inc.
    (949) 760-1800
    230 Newport Central Drive, Suite 102, Newport Beach (past Anaheim), (behind Kinko's / Fashion Island/ Design Plaza area)
    NOTES: I met with Virginia and she was really nice. I don't think they have any mom/bmaid dresses, but I could be wrong. Dresses are ordered. I went there because they had dresses by a Canadian designer that my mom and I really liked, Romona Keveza, and I found my second favorite dress here. It was by another Canadian designer named Lea Belter.

  • Time for Elegance
    (562) 431-8461
    10660 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos (past Anaheim)
    NOTES: I met with Sophia. This is not as nice a salon as others... key difference being that they don't help you try the dresses on. I think they had some dresses you could buy off the rack. They had lots of bmaid dress samples. I have a friend who ordered her bridesmaids dresses here.

    PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Youngblood Photography, Bill Youngblood (***)
    studio (626) 281-3004
    (888) 268-7987
    fax (626) 281-3110
    San Gabriel
    email: ybloodphoto@earthlink.net
    www.youngbloodphoto.com
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. This is the photographer we used for our wedding. A friend in Arcadia also used him for her wedding. We really liked his photographic style from our first meeting with him when we looked through albums of other weddings he had done and some of his general shots hanging around his home. We would definitely recommend him, just make sure to remind him of details over and over again. He frequently got my name wrong (he kept calling me Kelly instead of Heather).
    I have written an extended review that's too long to put on this page.

  • Tom Wilmshurst
    (626) 287-2546
    San Gabriel
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. We met with him in person to see some of his work. He seemed like a fine photographer, we were just looking for a different style.

  • Glen Anthony
    (818) 990-0744
    (888) 922-9444
    Sherman Oaks, Newport Beach
    www.glenanthonyphoto.com
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. I called him once and he said he would call me back. He never did. We never met with him.

  • Leslie Barton
    (323) 934-9690
    fax (323) 934-7636
    Los Angeles
    NOTES: Recommended to us by the Athenaeum. Spoke by phone, but she was way out of our price range, so we never met with her in person.

  • Debra Young
    (310) 318-8158
    Palos Verdes
    www.debrayoungphoto.com
    NOTES: Recommended to us by the Athenaeum. Spoke by phone, but never met with her.

    CAKE

     Cakes are a matter of personal taste, so I can't tell you which you'll like best. Besides, trying lots of cake samples is a great part of planning a wedding. Here's the list:

  • Bee's Knees Bakery, Loree McIntire & Cherrie To (***)
    (626) 793-CAKE (2253) Pasadena
    www.beeskneesbakery.com
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum vendor recommendation list in 2002. Also recommended to us by our photographer, Bill Youngblood. Cake wasn't the main dessert at our wedding so they made us a "fake cake" that was 2 layers of styrofoam and a top layer of cake so we'd have some real cake to cut into. The whole thing was decorated and no one could tell it wasn't all real cake. They did a wonderful job on matching the sketch and description I gave them for the decoration. We also rented a cake stand from them. Before deciding on the "fake cake", we had an appt to see and taste their cakes. Their decorations were all gorgeous, but we didn't love the two cake flavors we sampled. We had a third, unsampled kind of cake for our "fake cake".
    Picture of our wedding cake

  • Cakery Bakery
    (818) 790-3223
    La Ca?ada
    NOTES: We had an appt to see and taste their cakes. We didn't love any of their design ideas or flavors.

  • Federico's Bakery
    (626) 795-4484
    Pasadena, Duarte, Arcadia
    www.federicosinc.com
    NOTES: We had an appt to see and taste their cakes. We liked some of their cakes, but the sample decorated cake they made for us looked horrible. It was like they didn't even try to make it look nice.

  • Patti Cakes
    (626) 794-1128
    Altadena
    www.patticakesdesserts.com
    NOTES: We had an appt to see and taste their cakes. We didn't love any of their flavors.

  • Pastries by Nancy
    (626) 794-9839
    Altadena
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. We had an appt to see and taste their cakes. I took my sketch of my wedding cake idea into our tasting meeting and she told me that it would look bad because it would make my cake look like a drum. She didn't want to have to do my decoration idea. We liked some of the cake flavors though.

  • Takes the Cake
    (626) 792-1109
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. They had vacation plans for our wedding day.

  • Dining with Andre, Andre & Cristina Averseng
    (626) 799-5052
    S. Pasadena
    NOTES: We met with Andre and then he made a decorated sample cake for us. The decorations were perfect, but we didn't like the cake. We gave him a recipe for a cake we like and he made another sample cake (not decorated this time) for us. It didn't taste right and we knew how it should taste because we had made that cake ourselves before. We later decided to have desserts at the wedding instead of a wedding cake as the dessert.

    OTHER BAKERIES
    Valley Hunt Club recommended bakery vendor list (2001?)
    I did not try any of these bakeries.
  • Fleur de Lys -- 818-790-1700
  • Fantasy Frosting -- 310-941-6266
  • Lori Bell -- 909-592-1850
  • Naturally David's -- 626-508-2151

    MUSIC
  • Daisy Chiang (***, jazz guitarist, solo used for ceremony & duo for cocktails)
    (626) 355-4273
    www.daisychiang.com
    email: daisy@daisychiang.com
    Sierra Madre
    NOTES: Daisy is a wonderful musician!!! We had Daisy play guitar alone for our ceremony and then Daisy and a percussionist duo playing jazz/brazilian music for the cocktails. We immediately knew we wanted Daisy to play at our wedding from the first sample piece she played for us. There is sample music on her website.

  • Music Masters, owner = John Stevenson (***, DJ used for dinner/dancing)
    (805) 494-6800 home office
    fax (805) 494-3433
    other number (818) 995-6963
    Westlake Village
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum vendor recommendation list in 2002. A little bit more expensive than other DJ's we met with, but we really liked Johnny when we met with him. We used Johnny for our wedding. Offered DJ services (had 3 DJ's besides Johnny) and live musician services (guitar, flute, etc. for ceremony). No goofy stuff at all (macarena, YMCA, chicken dance, etc.). My only complaint is that he played a song that we had asked him not too... but he only played it after a guest at our wedding lied to him and told him we said it was okay to go ahead and play the song.

  • Let the Music Play
    (818) 845-1995
    Santa Clarita
    www.letthemusicplay.com
    www.ltmp.com
    NOTES: This company was on the Athenaeum vendor recommendation list in 2002, so we met with them, and afterwards we recommended to the Ath that they take this company off their rec list. They seemed to be a great outfit for a crazy, out-of-control party complete with goofy dances (Macarena, chicken dance, YMCA, etc.), but they didn't strike us as able to classy. They'd probably be better at a birthday party than a wedding. Their website has a sample video, so view that before driving all the way out to Santa Clarita to meet with them.

  • Whipple Music, William Bing
    (626) 791-5376
    wbing@caltech.edu
    NOTES: Mr. Bing is the director of the Caltech jazz and concert bands. He was on Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. Whipple Music is his 6 pcs band, also can get string trio or quartet. We met with him and his wife in person.

  • Park Avenue West, Murray Middleman
    (626) 441-2716
    studio (626) 411-2945
    South Pasadena
    www.murraymiddleman.com
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. Also recommended to us by our wedding photographer, Bill Youngblood. We met with him in person.

  • de Bois Productions
    (310) 652-6821
    W. Hollywood
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. Bands, DJs, and ceremony music. Never met in person, only through phone/fax.

  • West Coast Music, Jim Eppolito
    (310) 278-6848
    Beverly Hills
    NOTES: Bands, ceremony music. Their reference list was a who's who list of Hollywood. I asked them if the ever work for "regular people" and they said yes. Never met in person, only through phone/fax.

  • Signature Entertainment, Sean Dennison
    (626) 335-8606
    cell (818) 519-0465 NOTES: DJ. Only spoke by phone, he was booked for our wedding date, so we never met him in person.

  • Frank Jordan's Compact Big Band
    (626) 794-3045
    Altadena
    NOTES: This recommendation was given to us by William Bing (above). We did not call this vendor.

  • Fortune Entertainment
    (818) 843-0303
    Burbank
    www.efortune.com
    NOTES: This recommendation was given to us by a friend. We did not call this vendor.

    FLORIST
  • Leonora Moss, Lorie Westmoreland (***)
    (626) 355-1180
    26 N. Baldwin Ave, Sierra Madre
    NOTES: I was so happy with this florist! I sat down with Lorie a few times and gave her an idea of what I wanted, listing some flowers I'd like to have and some I definitely didn't want, and she did a beautiful job. She informed me which flowers were in season and which weren't and had plenty of suggestions of other flowers I might like and that would be available at the time of my wedding. Lorie did all of the designing and then her partner (and mother) Judith dropped all the flowers off and set them up on my wedding day. I have absolutely no complaints about Leonora Moss and would highly recommend them as a florist for any occassion. (A friend in Arcadia also used this florist for her wedding.)
    Picture of my bridal bouquet
    Picture of my bridesmaid's bouquet

  • Jacob Maarse
    (626) 449-0246
    Pasadena
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. We met with their wedding rep and received a general quote from them. They were higher than others for my quote, but their flowers are always beautiful. (I have received arrangements ordered from them a few times.) Also on San Marino Comm Church rec list.

  • Mary Falkingham
    (626) 303-5447
    Monrovia
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. We met with her and received an itemized quote. She met with us at our wedding location, but she does have a studio in her garage. Her prices were on the higher side for my quote. She got very upset with me on the phone when I told her that I had picked a different florist for my wedding, especially after I told her who it was. She also ended up spying my florist at the flower market and at the Athenaeum. She's a very odd woman. Also on San Marino Comm Church rec list.

  • Tea Rose Garden
    (626) 578-1144
    NOTES: On the Athenaeum recommendation list in 2002. We met with them and received an itemized quote. They seemed like a fine florist. They have a tea cafe too, and I ended up having my girls' tea outting there.

  • Donna Embree
    (626) 355-2019
    Sierra Madre
    NOTES: We met with her and received an itemized quote from her. She works out of her home instead of a shop. She struck me as a little strange and less professional than the other florists we met with.

  • MD's Florist
    (626) 445-2200
    NOTES: We met with this florist on a friend's recommendation, but they didn't have the style we were looking for. We did not get a quote from them.

    Other florists
    We did not contact any of these florists.
  • Danielle Quilici -- 626-585-8500
  • McCann Florist -- 818-887-5410
  • Happy FLowers -- 818-597-0272
  • Amy Child -- 310-475-4647
  • John Roberts -- 818-790-0733 (from Valley Hunt Club rec list)
  • Roses by Jan -- 626-301-0013 (from Valley Hunt Club rec list)
  • Mary Ann Wardle -- 818-957-6569 (from San Marino Comm Church rec list)
  • Ray Horn -- 213-644-1789 (from San Marino Comm Church rec list)
  • Amy Smith -- 626-351-0075 (from San Marino Comm Church rec list)
  • Tommy Farmer -- 626-403-9151 (from San Marino Comm Church rec list)

    BRIDESMAIDS' DRESSES
  • Aria Dress (***)
    (213) 629-3085
    (800) 658-8885
    www.ariadress.com
    email: inquiry@ariadress.com
    Los Angeles
    NOTES: I would highly recommend Aria for bridesmaids' dresses. I used them for my bridesmaids' dresses and later a friend and I bought Aria dresses as our groomsmaids' dresses (style 117 black full-length a-line skirt, style 116 white top, style 152 black/white combo shawl) for a friend's wedding. It was great to be able to get a different dress or set of separates for each of my 4 bridesmaids, but all in the same fabric. Aria dresses can also be ordered in white as a wedding dress.
    My bridesmaids' dresses
    All were silk shantung fabric in color 4 (scarlet) and the dresses/skirts were full length and a-line
    From left to right: Amanda in dress 162 (no sash), Melanie in dress 109 (plain straps, no sash), Emily in skirt 117 and top 116, Sarah in skirt 117 and top 123 (plain straps).

  • Siri
    (415) 431-8787
    (415) 431-8873
    www.siriinc.com
    San Francisco
    NOTES: I ended up not going with Siri dresses because they were above my target price range for bmaids dresses and because the style I liked was a light yellow which wouldn't have looked good on all of my bmaids. They sell bridesmaids' dresses, wedding dresses, and genereal special occassion dresses. (The styles I liked are #9634 Tie Back Top in Lemon Silk Georgette and #5223 A-line Skirt in Lemon "Diamond Point Check" Silk Taffeta.)

    Other bridesmaid dress sources (stores/brands/sites):
    After Six, Alex Hanson Bridal, Alex Evenings, Alfred Angelo, Alyce Designs, Amsale, Amy Lee Bridal, Aria Dress, Bari Jay, Belsoie/B2/Jasmine, Betsty & Adam, Bill Levkoff/New Image/Champagne Formals, Bridal Lane/Tutto Bene, David's Bridal, Daymor, Dessy, Dillard's, Eden Maids, Forever Bridals, Group USA, Impression Bridal, Jessica McClintock, JCPenney, Jim Hjelm/Occasions, Jordan/Joanie G/Bill Pesce, Knot, Aimee Monet, Lazaro, Lestella/Maria J Couture Loralie, Macy's, Mary's Bridal, Melissa Sweet/Currie-Bonner, Mon Cheri Bridals, Mori Lee, Neiman Marcus, Nicole Miller, Nordstrom, Panoply, Premiere Maids/Precious Formals, SaeYoung Vu Couture, Saks Fifth Avenue, Siri, Sunny Choi, Thread, Watters & Watters/WToo, Wedding Channel, Vera Wang, Yahoo! Directory

    TUXEDOS
  • Men's Wearhouse (***)
    Santa Anita Fashion Park mall - 626-446-8834
    www.menswearhouse.com
    NOTES: We chose Men's Wearhouse because they had a tux, shoes, etc. that we liked. Also, it is a national chain, so our fathers, groomsmen, and ushers could all go into their local store and get measured. Most of the guys picked up their tuxes at the Arcadia branch once they got into town for the wedding, but at least one picked up his tux at his home store.
    (Our choices TUX = single breasted, notch lapel, one-button coat style # 1831 / Jones New York; SHIRT = ivory, pintuck wing collar, 1/8" pleat, style # 5741; SHOE = Mozart, square toe style # 4846; BOWTIE = style 8844, match vest; VEST = Vogue style 8839, groom = cream, others = black, ushers = balck cumberbund; black w/ silver jewelry)

    Other tux shops where we looked at tuxes
  • Gingiss -- www.gingiss.com -- Santa Anita Fashion Park mall
  • Friar Tux -- www.friartux.com -- Arcadia 626-445-0540
  • Gary's Tux -- www.garystuxshops.com -- Pasadena 626-351-3490

    LOCATION
  • The Athenaeum (***), California Institute of Technology, 551 S. Hill Ave, Pasadena, 626-395-8200, The Athenaeum website, Caltech's website
    We both graduated from Caltech, so this location was perfect for us. We had our wedding ceremony and reception here. You have to be an Ath member or be sponsored by an Ath member to be able to use the Athenaeum.
  • Descanso Gardens, La Ca?ada, Descanso's website
  • La Ca?ada Flintridge Country Club, La Ca?ada Flintridge
  • Catalina Room, Rancho Palos Verdes, Catalina Room's website
  • Verandas, Manhattan Beach, Verandas' website
  • Almansor Court, Alhambra, Almansor Court's website

    OFFICIANT

     We found a California law that says that you can have anyone you know (I think they have to be over 18) sworn in as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriage and then they can legally marry you for your wedding day, so we asked a friend of the family be our DCofCM.

    LA County Registrar/Recorders office

    LA County Citizens Guide to County Services

    Portion of Citizens Guide on Marriage Ceremonies:

    Athenaeum recommendation list 2002 - Wedding Ministers
  • Thomas H. Hubbard -- 626-797-5912
  • Brian and Linda Trott -- 714-970-8839
  • Robert Ringler -- 818-905-8980

    INVITATIONS/STATIONERY

     I made my own. They looked pretty and they were exactly what I wanted, but it took a lot of time to shop for the supplies and to make them. I wouldn't suggest this route to anyone. With the billions of types of wedding invites out there, save yourself the time and buy invitations and stationery.

    I would recommend shopping/looking at:

    Kelly Paper
    369 S. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena
    Kelly Paper's website
    (They have pre-made invitations, place cards, etc. and supplies like paper, envelopes, and labels.)

    The Art Store
    44 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena (Old Pas)
    Art Store website
    The Art Store has since been bought by Dick Blick. They're website is www.dickblick.com
    (They have paper, some envelopes, neat pens, etc.)

    Mimio
    38 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena (Old Pas)

    Vroman's
    695 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena
    Vroman's website

    Papyrus
    (in the Santa Anita Fashion Park mall)
    Papyrus website

    PaperStyle.com

    Crane

    HAIR/NAILS/BEAUTY

    HAIR

  • Joanne Nelson (***) at Vogue Salon & Spa, 111 W. Colorado Blvd, Monrovia, 626-599-9070, 626-599-2211
  • Michelle Murrill at Black-N-Blonde Salon, 518 S. First Ave, Arcadia, 626-294-0702

    NAILS

  • Cindy's Nails (***) -- 626-599-1826, 253 E Foothill, Arcadia

    BEAUTY

  • Elsa M. Molina, manicurist & make-up artist, office 626-794-2675, cell 626-484-0457
  • Rita Green, makeup artist, 818-405-9451, pager 818-542-7904
  • Design Visage Inc, 800-603-1383, DesignVisage.com

    HOTELS
  • Saga Motel (***, used before wedding and for guest rooms), 1633 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, 800-793-7242, 626-795-0431
  • Hilton Garden Inn (***, used for guest rooms), 199 N. Second Ave, Arcadia, hotel direct line 626-574-6900
  • Courtyard by Marriott in Old Town Pasadena (***, used after wedding and for guest rooms), 180 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, Marriott Central Reservations 800-321-2211, hotel direct line 626-403-7600, Marriott website
  • The Athenaeum (on the California Institute of Technology campus) (***, wedding location and guest rooms), 551 South Hill Avenue, Pasadena, 626-395-8200, Athenaeum website
  • The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave, Pasadena, 800-241-3333, 626-568-0715, Ritz website
  • Hilton Hotel, 150 S. Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, 800-445-8667, direct 626-577-1000 Hilton website

    TRAVEL
  • Sue Lamb (***) at Getaways Travel, 800-624-9011, Pasadena
  • Tahiti Legends (***, Sue booked our vacation through them), Tahiti Legend's website

    COORDINATOR

     We did not use a coordinator.

    Athenaeum recommendation list 2002 - Wedding Coordinators
  • Taryn Emerson -- 626-403-3355
  • Leah King -- 626-447-1400

    CAR/LIMO

     We did not rent a car or limo.

  • Dreamscape Limo -- 626-445-5075
  • Black & White Car & Limo -- 800-924-1624
  • Wedding Carriages -- 626-447-6693
  • Goodtime Trolley -- 310-803-1958

    FAVORS

    Wine Glasses

    We gave out wine glasses as our wedding favors. They were imprinted with a frosted ink so they looked engraved. We customized the artwork so they had our initials in a circle on one side and our names and wedding date on the other side. We were very pleased with the way the glasses turned out.

    We ordered the wine glasses from CustomGlassware.com

    The glasses were Style #388 (10.5 oz panel stem goblet) with Satin Frost color imprint.

    Wine Glass Style #388 image (Note: we didn't have the gold rim)

    Our artwork image

    Heather Suchter, heather@suchter.com
    last updated Sept 2005