Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes you different from the other wedding companies out there?
A: There are a lot of great wedding professionals in Monterey County. If you read through our reviews, you will see a common theme which is that we LOVE weddings (and renewals). We have always had a passion for romance (and what's more romantic than your wedding day?) Before we started this wedding company, we assisted over 3,500 people with their honeymoon and anniversary celebrations. To date, we have coordinated over 380 creative marriage proposals. We feel very lucky to be able to be a part of someone's special celebration! With a hotel and event management background, we have truly enjoyed planning weddings since 2009.
Q: How far in advance should I book my wedding?
A: We take reservations up to 18 months in advance. It’s never too late to book your event (we can plan a small wedding with as little as one week’s notice if necessary).
Q: How many weddings have your planned?
A: As of April, 2023, we have planned and set up more than 835 weddings. Our owners, Brian and Heidi Borgia, have been a part of over 1,500 weddings since 2009 and we have a combined 50+ years of hospitality industry experience.
Q: Are you flexible with the wedding ceremony (e.g. can we completely make it our own?)
A: YES - absolutely! Our company is completely flexible to provide you with the wedding you've always dreamed about.
Q: Can we meet you when we come to town for a visit?
A: YES - you bet! Feel free to coordinate with us by email, our contact form or by phone and we can set up a time to meet. We offer a complimentary consultation about the services that we provide. If you are just feeling out the Monterey Peninsula and are looking for information from wedding venues to receptions, rehearsal dinners and other vendors, our Explorers Package is a great fit!
Q: What size wedding can you accommodate?
A: We specialize in smaller weddings with up to 50 people in attendance. In some cases, based on the date, we can accommodate up to 75.
Q: Where can I read reviews about your company?
A: We have many reviews on Wedding Wire as well as Yelp and on Google. When looking for a wedding company, we highly encourage you to check out these reviews for everyone that you are considering for your wedding day. Upon request, we can also provide recommendations from local venues that have worked with us. Our individual reviews can also be found on Wedding Wire and Yelp for our officiant (Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants) and our photographer (Heidi Borgia Photography).
Q: How flexible are your packages?
A: We are always open to mixing and matching and substituting or even eliminating an item. The only thing we cannot change is that you must use our officiant and photographer (if you have your own officiant, they can certainly perform the ceremony but the cost of our officiant will remain as he will be the “back up” as well as perform the planning of your wedding; the photographer can serve as a second “shooter” if you like). For most of our packages, many of the items we provide (other than the photographer and officiant) are provided for free or at our cost (or subsidized with the fees paid to the officiant and photographer).
Q: Can I bring in my own officiant and/or photographer?
A: The thing that makes us super unique, is that all of our packages include our officiant and photographer (both WeddingWire Couple's Choice Award Winners - making them amongst the top 5% in their category from 2012-2023). Since our officiant and photographer also assist with the overall wedding planning, they cannot be taken out of a package. However, if you would like to have your own officiant, our officiant will still be there to assist in planning and as a “backup”. If you would like to bring your own photographer, our photographer would serve as a “second shooter" and your photographer would take the lead.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are located on the Monterey Peninsula just one mile north of Monterey and the beach. As a local company using local vendors, we have the ability to make last minute changes and we are familiar with local weather and traffic patterns. As a mobile wedding company, we have offered our services as far north as Santa Cruz and as far south as Big Sur.
Q: Do you do weddings in only one or two different locations?
A: We perform our wedding services throughout Monterey County. Our wedding ceremonies have taken place in over 150 outdoor and indoor locations. We are fully insured and can perform our service in a number of locations (please see our link to “Locations” for a more in-depth look. Most locations require a permit fee which can range from about $400 - $850 on average. Please contact us for more details as we currently have over 150 outdoor wedding locations and over 45 indoor wedding locations from which to choose.
Q: What is your deposit policy?
A: Once we decide to hire us, we send you out a wedding agreement which needs to be signed within 7 days. A deposit of 50% needs to be remitted with the agreement and the balance is due approximately 4 weeks prior to the wedding or renewal date. If your wedding is taking place more than a year out, the payments can be split into thirds.
Q: How can I find out more about how well you did for other couples?
A: Getting people to review on multiple sites can be difficult so we have chosen WeddingWire.com as our preferred means of “spreading the word.” You can look us up under Monterey for “Weddings in Monterey” as well as “Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants” and “Heidi Borgia Photography.” If you Google our names, you will also find some great reviews directly on Google.
Q: What happens when a flower girl is not permitted to use rose petals if the location does not allow them. What else can be done?
A: Flower girls have a basket of roses that the girls distributed to the people sitting on the edge of the aisle as they walked down; flower girls blow bubbles as they walk down the aisle; flower girls walk with a mini version of the bridal bouquet or with pomander ball bouquets in the wedding colors or just carry a simple flower (e.g. a single rose or calla lilly with a pretty ribbon; carrying flowers that are given to the mothers of the bridal couple; younger flower girl(s) carrying teddy bears that are dressed as a bride and groom; she carries something that looks like a magic wand but has a floral piece on the end (e.g. magical wedding / flowers that match)
Q: Do you include a wedding license?
A: We send in your completed marriage license the next business day after the ceremony has concluded. Getting your wedding license is easy. Simply go to any county clerks office within California (you and your future spouse along with your identification) and fill out a form that is typed up for you. The whole process typically takes only about 30 minutes and you bring the marriage license to the wedding. After the ceremony has concluded, we have 1-2 witnesses of your choice sign the license and we are legally responsible to mail it back to the county clerk. In the event you need a certified copy of the license right away, we can provide you with the license to take into the county yourselves (with a waiver). We also have access to two notaries that can offer a wedding license right in the Monterey/Carmel area.
Q: Can we write our own vows?
A: Yes. Whether you have one of our beautiful love and marriage ceremonies or one that is custom written, our officiant will assist you with your vows. We encourage our couples to say their own personal statements/vows to each other as it helps to personalize your wedding.
Q: What makes you different from the other wedding companies out there?
A: There are a lot of great wedding professionals in Monterey County. If you read through our reviews, you will see a common theme which is that we LOVE weddings (and renewals). We have always had a passion for romance (and what's more romantic than your wedding day?) Before we started this wedding company, we assisted over 3,500 people with their honeymoon and anniversary celebrations. To date, we have coordinated over 380 creative marriage proposals. We feel very lucky to be able to be a part of someone's special celebration! With a hotel and event management background, we have truly enjoyed planning weddings since 2009.
Q: How far in advance should I book my wedding?
A: We take reservations up to 18 months in advance. It’s never too late to book your event (we can plan a small wedding with as little as one week’s notice if necessary).
Q: How many weddings have your planned?
A: As of April, 2023, we have planned and set up more than 835 weddings. Our owners, Brian and Heidi Borgia, have been a part of over 1,500 weddings since 2009 and we have a combined 50+ years of hospitality industry experience.
Q: Are you flexible with the wedding ceremony (e.g. can we completely make it our own?)
A: YES - absolutely! Our company is completely flexible to provide you with the wedding you've always dreamed about.
Q: Can we meet you when we come to town for a visit?
A: YES - you bet! Feel free to coordinate with us by email, our contact form or by phone and we can set up a time to meet. We offer a complimentary consultation about the services that we provide. If you are just feeling out the Monterey Peninsula and are looking for information from wedding venues to receptions, rehearsal dinners and other vendors, our Explorers Package is a great fit!
Q: What size wedding can you accommodate?
A: We specialize in smaller weddings with up to 50 people in attendance. In some cases, based on the date, we can accommodate up to 75.
Q: Where can I read reviews about your company?
A: We have many reviews on Wedding Wire as well as Yelp and on Google. When looking for a wedding company, we highly encourage you to check out these reviews for everyone that you are considering for your wedding day. Upon request, we can also provide recommendations from local venues that have worked with us. Our individual reviews can also be found on Wedding Wire and Yelp for our officiant (Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants) and our photographer (Heidi Borgia Photography).
Q: How flexible are your packages?
A: We are always open to mixing and matching and substituting or even eliminating an item. The only thing we cannot change is that you must use our officiant and photographer (if you have your own officiant, they can certainly perform the ceremony but the cost of our officiant will remain as he will be the “back up” as well as perform the planning of your wedding; the photographer can serve as a second “shooter” if you like). For most of our packages, many of the items we provide (other than the photographer and officiant) are provided for free or at our cost (or subsidized with the fees paid to the officiant and photographer).
Q: Can I bring in my own officiant and/or photographer?
A: The thing that makes us super unique, is that all of our packages include our officiant and photographer (both WeddingWire Couple's Choice Award Winners - making them amongst the top 5% in their category from 2012-2023). Since our officiant and photographer also assist with the overall wedding planning, they cannot be taken out of a package. However, if you would like to have your own officiant, our officiant will still be there to assist in planning and as a “backup”. If you would like to bring your own photographer, our photographer would serve as a “second shooter" and your photographer would take the lead.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are located on the Monterey Peninsula just one mile north of Monterey and the beach. As a local company using local vendors, we have the ability to make last minute changes and we are familiar with local weather and traffic patterns. As a mobile wedding company, we have offered our services as far north as Santa Cruz and as far south as Big Sur.
Q: Do you do weddings in only one or two different locations?
A: We perform our wedding services throughout Monterey County. Our wedding ceremonies have taken place in over 150 outdoor and indoor locations. We are fully insured and can perform our service in a number of locations (please see our link to “Locations” for a more in-depth look. Most locations require a permit fee which can range from about $400 - $850 on average. Please contact us for more details as we currently have over 150 outdoor wedding locations and over 45 indoor wedding locations from which to choose.
Q: What is your deposit policy?
A: Once we decide to hire us, we send you out a wedding agreement which needs to be signed within 7 days. A deposit of 50% needs to be remitted with the agreement and the balance is due approximately 4 weeks prior to the wedding or renewal date. If your wedding is taking place more than a year out, the payments can be split into thirds.
Q: How can I find out more about how well you did for other couples?
A: Getting people to review on multiple sites can be difficult so we have chosen WeddingWire.com as our preferred means of “spreading the word.” You can look us up under Monterey for “Weddings in Monterey” as well as “Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants” and “Heidi Borgia Photography.” If you Google our names, you will also find some great reviews directly on Google.
Q: What happens when a flower girl is not permitted to use rose petals if the location does not allow them. What else can be done?
A: Flower girls have a basket of roses that the girls distributed to the people sitting on the edge of the aisle as they walked down; flower girls blow bubbles as they walk down the aisle; flower girls walk with a mini version of the bridal bouquet or with pomander ball bouquets in the wedding colors or just carry a simple flower (e.g. a single rose or calla lilly with a pretty ribbon; carrying flowers that are given to the mothers of the bridal couple; younger flower girl(s) carrying teddy bears that are dressed as a bride and groom; she carries something that looks like a magic wand but has a floral piece on the end (e.g. magical wedding / flowers that match)
Q: Do you include a wedding license?
A: We send in your completed marriage license the next business day after the ceremony has concluded. Getting your wedding license is easy. Simply go to any county clerks office within California (you and your future spouse along with your identification) and fill out a form that is typed up for you. The whole process typically takes only about 30 minutes and you bring the marriage license to the wedding. After the ceremony has concluded, we have 1-2 witnesses of your choice sign the license and we are legally responsible to mail it back to the county clerk. In the event you need a certified copy of the license right away, we can provide you with the license to take into the county yourselves (with a waiver). We also have access to two notaries that can offer a wedding license right in the Monterey/Carmel area.
Q: Can we write our own vows?
A: Yes. Whether you have one of our beautiful love and marriage ceremonies or one that is custom written, our officiant will assist you with your vows. We encourage our couples to say their own personal statements/vows to each other as it helps to personalize your wedding.