For those So Cal Brides to Be 
Lucy’s Bridal & Photography , Temple City (Studio Pics & Gown Rental) A+
Contact: Henry Wang
626-287-1112
henry@lucy-s.com
www.lucy-s.com
*****PLEASE let Henry know that I referred you and let me know that you contacted him—this way my DH and I get free upgrades, etc. for our pictures
Despite all of the bad reviews on China Bridal & B2B about Lucy’s, DH and I decided since we had such a great experience with them from the beginning of our planning (Feb 07?) that we’d stick with them. Not once did we ever feel the staff was pushy or just wanted our money. They were all very helpful and understanding (we paid the actual day of the studio pictures!). They never once contacted us about money or our (very late) payment. It was always me who was emailing Henry with thousands of questions and they were never once annoyed (or at least they didn’t show it).
The only con is the choice of dresses. I do agree many of the evening dresses for rental were too old and out of style. Plus, they did not fit my weird body type. Therefore, I did not end up renting my qi pao or evening gown from them, even though they did offer me a good combination package (3 dresses for $350). I did rent my wedding gown from them and it was perfect for me.
We had a blast doing our studio pictures with Lucy’s Bridal. I had 5 dress changes (DH’s tuxes to match) a different hair and makeup and jewelry for each one. The makeup artist Renee also did an excellent job with hair and makeup—and she’s super nice. For you girls who don’t have a makeup artist in mind, I would keep her in mind.
Our photographer that day was A-Wei and Henry’s wife Jenny came along to assist. They made us feel very comfortable the whole time, allowing time for me to take breaks and pump: lol and also for lunch, etc. They showed us the pictures that same day and let us choose our album. We took our studio pictures on 7/17 and the thank you cards, sign in scroll, two 11×14 pictures, one 24×30 (framed) and the cds with my pictures and album layout were ready on 8/1. On the Friday before my wedding we decided we needed 20 more cards, so they printed them out for free and brought them to the hotel that morning. I believe the total cost of studio was around $1600. I am still waiting on the book but of course that takes some time. Which leads me into day of photos…
Lucy’s Bridal & Photography/ Henry Wang Photography, Temple City (Wedding Day Photography) A+
Contact: Henry Wang
626-287-1112
henry@lucy-s.com
www.henrywangphotography.com
www.MrHenryWang.com
*****PLEASE let Henry know that I referred you and let me know that you contacted him—this way my DH and I get free upgrades, etc. for our pictures
Henry did an awesome job in so many ways. Not only was he never pushy about payments—we didn’t pay until like a few days before and they were fine. They actually gave us an even better deal because we had booked both studio and wedding day. Our wedding day cost was a little bit more expensive $3000 including albums, cd, dvd, proof book, etc. Henry did a lot more than just take pictures. Pre-wedding he helped my DH and I come up w/ wedding date, location, referred us to photographers, officiant, mc, invitation, etc. He was almost like a wedding planner for us. On the day of he acted as my coordinator; keeping us on time, helping my DH pin on the flowers, reminding us what to do, etc. He even drove my BM’s with him to the ceremony because we were short one car: shock. He was very flexible w/ the schedule and made it work. On the day of he had an assistant, Kaylen who was also very good. They added a ton of fun and humor to the day for us and our guests. Seriously, he was helping my friends take pics w/ their cameras as well as taking them for us. DH and I thought he did an excellent job! We can’t wait to see our big album!!!
Flower Mart, Temple City A+
Contact: Shirley Liu
626-286-8858
www.flowermarttc.com
shirley.liu@flowermarttc.com
We were referred to Flower Mart by Henry Wang of Lucy’s Bridals. Later we realized that they’re also family friends w. my DH so it was nice to work with them!
I worked with Shirley Liu who was excellent. I had no idea what I wanted when I met her (Feb 07) so she, like Henry, helped me with location (emailed pics of other weddings and decoration and floral back and forth with me) and helped. She did a wonderful job on my wedding. She went above my expectations for the flowers. And she was super sweet the whole time! Our flowers were not that expensive, $700 total. We had:
~My bouquet (beautiful) all I did was tell her what colors and flowers and she did it. I loved the pink ribbon on it!
~2BM bouquets that were smaller versions of mine
~Groom flower- very nice looking; matched my bouquet
~2GM flowers- went well w/ the grooms
~4 parent flowers (my parent’s didn’t attend so they went to a-bei and an uncle, I think)
~2 big arrangements for the ceremony (that they came and transferred to the reception)
~Decorated the cake and cake table (I took my stuff to her a few days before)
~Decorated and set up the sign in table
~9 Centerpieces and head table flowers
~rose petals for the ceremony to walk down the aisle
~rose petals for my sign in table at the ceremony
I must have changed my mind a million times and my DH’s family kept adding and subtracting guests and Shirley was totally flexible and helpful. She also never pressured us about payment—seriously, she held my date w/ out any deposit for over a year. Bless her heart! I highly recommend her.
Oh, also the centerpieces must have been really good looking because someone who was NOT in my wedding came in and stole them from a couple tables before I made my grand entrance, so we couldn’t even play the centerpiece game. And at the end of the night I only had 6/30 left to take home!
Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena A+
Contact: Gabriella Karsch
626-449-2742 ext 33
G.Karsch@pacificasiamuseum.org
Gaby was wonderful to work with. She was always very helpful. She never bothered us about payment, either. We were an hour late to rehearsal and she waited for us and did not rush us. Pre-wedding she worked w/ the chair rentals, the florist, etc. to help it look nice. We were missing a sand ceremony table and she let us borrow it, along w/ linens that matched our color scheme. She also let us borrow a 6’ table and 3 umbrellas, which saved us a ton in rentals On the day of she helped coordinate, told everyone what their job was, when to start things, fixed my dress when I came around the corners, etc. If she wasn’t there I don’t think it would have went as smoothly as it did. She really enjoys what she does and is very knowledgeable about Chinese culture and customs.
The museum itself is beautiful. The courtyard was very clean. Our wedding fit 60 chairs, a string quartet and a 6’ table for candies, programs, buckets of water, etc. very comfortably. The good thing is that there is lots of foliage so you do not need to spend a lot on decorating. All of the guests loved the koi fish, which happened to match our colors. We got tons of compliments on how it looked. The blue room where the bride gets ready is great for pictures and the stairs where the bride walks down and makes her entrance is spectacular. The only downside is that the courtyard, although much cooler that just outside, does get really hot in the summer. I was sweating during my ceremony!
To rent the museum for 3 hours is $1300. They have a few options and I believe if you want to rent the museum to have your guests walk around it is an additional $500. They provide free parking for your wedding too!
New Capital Seafood Restaurant, San Gabriel (Focus Plaza) B+
Contact: Calvin Woo, Thomas Chan
626-288-1899
When we originally booked the restaurant we walked away happy. Calvin was able to accommodate us, they only needed a $500 deposit, they waived many fees for us (cake cutting, corkage, chair covers, balloons (my photographer had them take them away bc they didn’t match our colors and he said they’d ruin his pics , cider, cake cutting knive, serving knife, toasting glasses for the bride and groom cider toast, tea and toasting glasses for family and bridal party table to table toasts, dance floor, stage, red dragon and phoenix backdrop w/ our last names in Chinese, 2 sodas per table, glasses (some placed charged), cake table, 6’ table for dj, floor length table cloths, 2 sign in tables and easel for our picture). We had this all in writing and were happy.
Our table number changed from 7-10 so we went back a few days before the wedding and talked to Thomas. He said that Calvin hadn’t actually booked all that stuff (stage, backdrop, etc.) but fortunately he was able to give us a bigger part of the restaurant that was a lot better than what we had. It also had a way better changing room that what they were originally going to give us. Plus, Thomas said we could have 3% off if we paid in cash, rather than credit card. It’s a good thing we had that increase and went back in. Also, it’s not as private as a private room (we had a few people come look at our first dance and look in here and there) they did set it up so that nobody could really walk through. They let us provide our own beer and wine and bring it in for chilling the day before.
The downfall was that they forgot to put the red tablecloths on the 2 head tables, and at the end of the night Thomas said that he never told us we could have 3% off if we used cash instead of credit card (he did tell us this when we went in to make adjustments). I am not sure where there was a misunderstanding, but it seemed pretty shady. Also the manager came and told my MC that we had to be quieter due to other customers complaining. We didn’t listen to him though and they never asked again.
The menus there range from $388-1698/ table of 10. DH and I didn’t get a chance to eat, so all I can go on the food was what I heard from family and friends. I had a couple bites of the duck which was good and all of the guest loved it. I heard the pig was a hit too. I also managed to get a few bites of the red bean soup, which was good as well. My DH said that everything he ate was pretty good. He said if they gave us one more waiter to help bring the beer and wine, it would have been even better. (when the waiters were serving food nobody was available for drinks).
GeGe Qi Pao, Temple City A+
Contact: Helen Zhou
626-688-6449
I could not fit into any qi paos that were at the wedding studios, in China town, or at Fionas or Dream2000. Helen helped custom make me a qi pao for my body type and it looked AMAZING. I got SOOOOOO many compliments on my qi pao that night. She was super nice every time we had to come in and try it on. She was such a sweetheart about waiting—she had to wait until I had my baby and lost some weight before making it and she totally rushed it for me free of charge. Afterwards she made 2-3 separate alterations until it fit perfectly. She’s a perfectionist in her work. My qi pao was $220. The only con was that you have to pay in cash and upfront for the material cost first, which was only $80. However, it turned out well and I was confident wearing it. I wish that I had had her make my actual wedding gown because she also does that, but by the time I found out it would have been too late.
Hair and Makeup Artist- Amy Tevis A+
Contact: Amy Tevis
562.221.8956
amytevis@yahoo.com
Amy was a lifesaver. She went above and beyond my expectations. I did my trial w/ her in April because my original hair and makeup artist double-booked me and it was a huge mess. Amy was always very prompt with my emails and calls and is way more organized than the artist I was originally going to use. Amy came to my house to do the trial because she didn’t want me to have to pack up Charlie and Ethan and come all the way to Long Beach or Temple City (She works in a studio on Las Tunas as well). When my DH told me he didn’t like one of the styles she did, she said we could do another trial (later since I was losing so much hair due to hormonal changes after having Ethan I just sent her pics of what I wanted—and she delivered them on my wedding day!). Her trial was not that expensive—I don’t remember how much and I put down a $200 deposit. She stayed w/ me at the wedding all day from 8am (she had an assistant with her to do my 2BMs from 8-11am) to 10:30pm. I booked her for whole day service and she did not charge me for travel, etc. Her whole day for me was $625—this includes as many hair styles and makeup changes, false lashes, veils, hair accessories, tiara, touchups, etc. She did all my touchups, hair & makeup changes (4 in total), touched up my BMs and my DH . She also helped me get into my dress. My hair does not hold curl and I needed someone there all day. I honestly can’t think of a better person to have had with me
Friar Tux, Arcadia C
626-445-0540
Contact: Raul
The sales guy Raul was pretty nice and helpful to my DH. My DH did not need shoes, so he let him substitute the shoes for another vest and bowtie (red). He also helped him find a style that worked for him, because both my DH and I did not know anything. Overall the service from that location was great, but the stuff sent from their corporate location (wherever that is) was not that good.
Personally, I thought my DH looked good. However, he said that the shirt was too crunchy (that’s what my DH said) or too starchy. The collar was kinked because too much starch was used.
Another downfall is that after the initial measuring they only let you pick up the day before!!! Which if it had not fit we would have been totally screwed.
His tux (suit coat, shirt, pants, black vest, red vest, black bowtie, red bowtie) was $140.
Cathy’s Bakery, San Gabriel (Las Tunas Blvd) A
Contact: Mary
626-451-0101
The first time we came in over a year before my wedding they told us it was too early and we had to come back. We came back 3 weeks before and ordered it which was easy. I took a picture of a cake I liked (I think it was uclachristina’s cake and she referred me to cathy’s) and the lady had us choose the size and the flavors. We chose vanilla w/ strawberry, vanilla w/ mango and coffee. They worked w/ flower mart to coordinate the flowers & cake topper on top and it looked great. I didn’t get any cake at the reception other than when the bride and groom serve each other and that one was really good. However, I was a little disappointed with the top layer we took home (coffee) as it was just okay and kind of dry. I heard from my guests their cake was good and light, so I guess just don’t choose coffee flavor. The cake was 3 layers and the bottom 2 fed all 90 guests. It was $210 including delivery and set up with a $40 deposit that is refundable when you return the cake stand.
Arcadia Party Rental, Arcadia A
Contact: Tom
626-445-7166
We were referred to Arcadia Party Rental by Gabriella at Pacific Asia Museum. They were very easy to work with, on time, and did their job as agreed.
Paper Wonders, Temple City C
Contact: Audrey Lu
626-286-6628
paper_wonder@yahoo.com
Our invitations were pretty and I got several compliments on them; however, I think we actually received more comments about the typos than anything else . I had proof read them, asked to make changes to the Chinese (they wrote my DH’s name wrong) and everything looked great. However, when we received our invites numerous things were spelled wrong (in English) and the RSVP date was by July 9, 2007 on half of the invites (2008 on the other). There were also a couple invites that were glued in wrong that we could not use. I think that the invites were overpriced as well, $500 for 100 invites, envelopes & RSVP postcards. They offered us numerous other items like favors or table cards but they were too much so we didn’t get anything else with them.
The plus is that Audrey is very nice and easy to work with. And the turn around time is fairly quick (maybe a week—we just waited until the last minute to order) and the work they do looks great (minus the typos). I suggest if you go with them that you order the invites way in advance in case they do print them wrong and have to change them.
Twogether Events Weddings by Sherrien, Rowland Heights A+
Contact: Sherrien Shui
sp@sherrien.com
626-786-3666
Sherrien was both our officiant and our MC for our wedding. Her DJ, Roger (very good DJ and very professional), was also part of our deal. I started talking to Sherrien back in Feb 07 and she helped me so much with my planning. We had originally booked her in July 07 to be our DOC, officiant, and MC (with DJ included) for $4150. However, after having Ethan we needed to save some $ and she suggested us having a friend coordinate and she would do the rest. So for $1850 we had her as our bilingual officiant, our MC and had a DJ with her. Now, I know that sounds expensive compared to the other DJs but Sherrien was worth every single penny! She is GOOD! I believe she’s done over 450 weddings and it definitely shows. She made sure that every single guest was having fun and understood what was going on—translating back and forth from Mandarin to English and vice versa. She coordinated the whole reception, made sure the restaurant brought my champagne glasses, cake knife and cider (which they forgot), she handled talking to the manager when he was complaining it was too loud, she handled when I got changed, etc. She was super entertaining and was able to adjust the timeline and make it look flawless. (like late guest arrivals, missing wedding party, bride taking too long to change, etc). In addition, she provided me with sooooooooooooooooo much help pre-wedding in terms of emailing me (we had over 300 emails) ideas, preferred vendors, etc. We spent many nights on MSN discussing my wedding plans. She planned out the whole reception timeline for me. During the ceremony she was helpful beforehand making sure we knew the script in mandarin, where to stand, etc. She helped orchestrate the wedding that day, take care of my Ethan during pictures, etc. She coordinated with my other vendors on the wedding day on when to be to the restaurant, etc. She also gave advice on what to do and not to do during the reception to make it fun. She even had fun herself—dancing with DH’s uncles. She was a hit! Everyone loved her. My DH did originally not want to book her due to her price (her only negative) but he LOVED her in the end. She is really good at making the bride and groom happy and captures the crowd. Her games are fun and she is really good at adjusting them (tables that won’t participate, changing the game a bit when my centerpieces were stolen, etc.) We were actually sad when the reception was over!
Tesoro Strings- String Quartet A-Because they are minors and my former students, I will not post their information publicly. If you want a good, inexpensive quartet, these are your kids. They won so many competitions for our school and it was really a pleasure to have them. They were a little nervous playing for their teachers wedding, but they did a great job. They practiced for weeks, were on time, let us attend practices, let us choose music, etc. I paid them each $25 in a hong bao and gave the mom some $ for gas. Overall DH and I were very pleased with them
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….much better than the 1oz my mom gave him all day 
) and I found that!!!!
