Bikash and I got married in India and had a reception at The Galleria at San Francisco Design Center in March. We planned the reception on our own – without a wedding planner. Since we started planning a year ahead of time, we were able to spend time on research and focus on one vendor type at a time.
The Galleria is a good venue for South Asian weddings and events. You basically rent the space (inclusive of tables and chairs) and arrange everything else on your own.
The Galleria is beautiful and flexible:
- We could bring our choice of caterer
- Holds up to 700 guests – useful for South Asians hosting large events
- Very desi friendly bar – offers packages for drinkers and non-drinkers
- No per person charges incurred outside of bar service
- Built-in uplighting – you can choose the colors you want on all the floors
Share your venue selection process
We wanted a venue that:
- Could accommodate at least 400
- Allowed outside Indian catering
- Wasn’t a hotel (just to be a little different!)
- Had a wow factor, so we wouldn’t need a lot of additional decor
We sent quote requests to about 20 venues and visited 8 in person.
Share your vendor selection process
- We followed a similar process for all of our vendors. We contacted at least 4 vendors per category (photographer, florist, caterer, etc.).
- We tried to gather as much info as possible, including pricing, by email before setting up appointments .
- We only reached out to vendors with 5 star Yelp reviews or those our friends recommended.
- We only met with vendors in person to gauge “fit” after we confirmed their pricing was within our budget.
Beverage Services Company
We had to use the Galleria’s beverage services company – Perry’s – because of an exclusive arrangement Perry’s has with the venue. We appreciated Perry’s experience with South Asian events and their associated flexibility. They know many South Asians don’t drink, so they allowed us to pay separate prices for drinkers and non-drinkers. We were able to provide our guests a premium bar, which was a priority for us.
Table and Chairs
The Galleria has tables and chairs for up to 300 guests which they setup and tear down. We rented the rest from Unica Party Rentals – that vendor did their own setup and tear down.
We rented our linens from Unica as well and our day-of coordinator’s team did the setup and tear down of those.
Fire permit
We used floating candles in our decor. Any use of fire at The Galleria requires a fire permit. As our caterer had to get a fire permit for the chafing dishes and outdoor food prep, we were able to get a combined fire permit that covered all these items.
Return gifts
Our family in India purchased traditional Oriya artwork to give away as favors. We opted to have the pieces shipped to the US. Even taking shipping costs into account, our choice to purchase favors in India was a cost-effective one. Our family helped put the gifts in decorative gift bags we found on Amazon.
General Advice
Prioritize
Know what your priorities are. We prioritized food, music, and alcohol. Décor was a lower priority for us, and we managed to do without a decorator altogether!
Determine which items you’re willing to spend the most/least on.
Booking vendors
- Get quotes from a few vendors in each category
- Book the venue 1st
- Focus on 1 vendor at a time (if you can)
Avoid time sucks
Consultations, visits and tastings are fun, but a time suck.
Gather info first. Narrow down the options. Then do consultations and visits only with vendors you’ve shortlisted.
Save yourself from inbox flooding
Set up a separate, new email address just for wedding planning.
To go boxes
Ask the baker and caterer to bring ‘to go’ boxes for leftover cake and food.
Ask the caterer and baker to set aside food for the bride and groom to enjoy at home after the event, since you probably won’t have time to enjoy the food and cake at your reception.
Bridesmaids’ saris
Not going to South Asia for shopping?
Order online (you can get identical saris online – we used sareez.com)
Get the blouses and petticoats made at a local desi store (we went to Berkeley)
Reception Seating
Work on the seating chart in advance but hold off on printing it as long as possible – there will be last minute changes, whether you like it or not!Seating chart vs. escort cards
We chose to do seating chart posters instead of escort cards, since those can be a pain to print and can easily get misplaced or lost.
If you’re doing a chart, print 2-3 copies
Get them mounted on cardboard
Rent easels to display the seating charts in different areas at your venue
Day-of coordinator
Hire a day-of coordinator, so you can relax and enjoy the event! We loved our day of coordinator – Jessica Harris of Shine Event Productions. Take time to think through the services you need and clarify each vendor’s roles and responsibilities (i.e. some vendors deliver to the venue but don’t do setup/tear down). Your coordinator can assist with filling the “gaps.”
Make packing lists
A few weeks before the event, make a list of items that you will need (i.e. clothes, jewelry). Also make a list of other items (i.e. centerpieces, return gifts, etc.) that will also be taken to the venue, and arrange to have your day of coordinator pick up those items in advance and bring them to your venue so you don’t have to worry about them on your big day.
Vendors
Venue
The Galleria at SF Design Center
Caterer
Raja Sweets
Excellent food at reasonable prices!
Day-Of Coordinator
Shine Event Productions – Jessica Harris
It was worth every penny! We were stress free and really enjoyed our reception.
Jessica was the most professional and reasonably priced of the coordinators I interviewed!
Clothes
Pia Ka Ghar – Los Altos
Ahlishan Fashion & Fabric – Berkeley
Invitations
weddingpaperdivas.com
Reasonable pricing
They show you a digital proof immediately while you’re designing online
No language barriers that often exist with Indian companies
We used photos from our wedding in India on the reception invitation
Linens, Chairs, & Tables
Unica Party Rental
Wedding Cake
A Spoonful of Sugar
We received lots of compliments on our cake. Kathleen DeManti’s cakes are both beautiful and tasty!
DJ
DJ Tanveer
DJ Tanveer did a great job of MCing while managing our music. Our guests had a great time on the dance floor!
Photographer
Magnolia Weddings
Erich Valo is a wonderful photographer! He came with us to photograph our multi-day wedding in India, and also photographed our SF reception. He’s great at capturing precious moments while being in-obtrusive. He’s kind, flexible, and very talented.
Florist
An Added Touch Flowers
Carol Antraccoli is a skilled florist who was willing to work with us to find floral and candle arrangements that were attractive while within our cost-conscious budget.
Bar Service
Perry’s
Hair & Makeup Artist
Lela Nguyen and her team did hair and make up for me, my bridesmaids, mother, and mother-in-law. They did a wonderful job and the makeup looked still look fresh and flawless at the end of the night (post-dancing)! Lela was also reasonably priced.
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