Malibu, CA, USA < change city >

Band:

Island Inspirations

"They were very affordable and professional. The dancers performed during our wedding reception and were absolutely amazing! They were much better than we were expecting & did many different dances from different islands. Lots of variety. They were all very friendly & gave a great performance...we highly recommend them!!"

Ceremony & Reception:

Malibu West Beach Club

"This venue was perfect...GREAT price, we were able to use our own caterer, bring our own alcohol (no corking fees, etc!!), and it was right on the beach. Everything seemed too good to be true. All was fine until about 3 days before the wedding. The facility's spokeswoman had told us early on that we could use their recommended decorator for an additional fee. They would provide the hanging lantern lights that were hanging on the ceiling when we first looked at the venue. We told her that we would not need the service since we have our own vendor who will be providing all lighting, including lantern lights. She said that would be fine. THREE days before the wedding the facility's recommended decorator called me (the bride) to ask again if we would like to use her lights. I told her that our vendor would be using her own. The decorator (from CFS Design) then told me that the facility does not allow outside lights to be put up & that we can use her lighting for an additional fee. My fiance & I had already paid for the lighting with our vendor; we were already over budget & could not afford to pay CFS to use their services. I felt like they were pretty much forcing us to use their services, especially because they said it is hard to take the lighting that was already up down. In the end, my vendor ended up paying them $250 to keep the lanterns & lighting up. Very upsetting. Also, on the day of our wedding rehearsal, the lady who was there to oversee the facility said that we were an hour late when we were not. They ended up charging us 3 additional hours (@ $50/hr). We had paid $200 for set-up & break down of the chairs for the wedding day. We had asked the spokeswoman if that included setting the chairs up on the deck, then bringing them inside & setting them up at the tables. The woman said that it was included in the $200. On the day of the rehearsal, our wedding coordinator asked the lady (who was overseeing the event) how the chairs would be set up, etc. The lady was very rude & began arguing with my husband & the coordinator. She said that the setting up of the chairs at the tables was not included in the price. After taking up most of our rehearsal time (that we were paying for by the hour), the lady finally called the spokeswoman & cleared up the misunderstanding. All in all, it was a beautiful wedding & an amazing location. The parking is not so good, with most of our guests having to park across PCH."

Hotel:

Casa Malibu Inn On the Beach

Hotel:

Good Nite Inn

Hotel:

Hilton Garden Inn Calabasas

Hotel:

Homewood Suites by Hilton Agoura Hills

Hotel:

Malibu Beach Inn

Hotel:

Malibu Country Inn

Hotel:

Malibu Motel

"Cute but very noisy"

Restaurants & Bars:

Duke's Malibu

"Try Duke's is you want some island-inspired good food or if you want to grab a couple drinks at the bar...I love it =]"

Restaurants & Bars:

Moonshadows Malibu

Restaurants & Bars:

Nobu Malibu

"$20-$80 Japanese, Sushi Outdoor seating, scenic view 310-317-9140"

Restaurants & Bars:

Paradise Cove Beach Cafe

"If you have time, stop by the Beach Cafe in Paradise Cove. It's right on the beach and the outdoor patio dining area is on the sand =] Don't worry about birds and bugs either...they have contraptions that keep them away =] Try the coconut-macadamia pancakes mmmm..."

Restaurants & Bars:

The Sunset Restaurant & Beach Bar

"$30-$80 > American, Californian, Continental, French, Seafood > Scenic view 310-589-1007"

Beach:

El Matador State Beach

Beach:

Leo Carillo State Beach

Beach:

Point Dume State Beach

Beach:

Zuma Beach

"This beach is huge and sooo relaxing. It's one of my favorite beaches to lounge around on...and best of all you can usually find parking right on PCH and it's free =]"

Attractions:

Adamson House Museum

"Historic home of Merritt Huntley Adamson. Set along the Malibu coast line & is a museum that explores the history of Malibu. 310-456-8432"

Attractions:

Getty Villa

"$free, but advanced tickets are needed Museum dedicated to the art of the ancient Greeks, Romans and other civilizations 310-440-7300"

Attractions:

Rosenthal - The Malibu Vineyard Tasting Room

"Winery 310-456-1392"

Attractions:

Santa Monica Pier

"Stop by the pier on the way back home! You can have a delicious meal at Bubba Gump's, check out the aquarium, play some arcade games, and take trapeze lessons...which is so much fun =)"