I just had my wedding here and it was a dream!!!! I'll start off with the con since there is only one: The exterior of the location is not great, it's a strip mall that looks very unattractive. However, the parking is plentiful. Your guests will not have a problem parking close by.
The Pros: First and foremost, the cost to host your entire wedding reception is the best. I did some shopping around and could not find a better so-much-included place. There are 4 different menus to choose from. I did not pick the highest price one and everyone told me the food was delicious and plentiful. You are able to structure the order the 9 courses are served. By the time the lobster came out, most of my guests were so stuffed from the yummy fried rice and the to-die-for honey walnut shrimp. My package included the appetizers so on-time guests were able to have a little to eat while the other guests showed up and took pictures. My aunts heard so many people saying, "I have been to a lot of weddings and have never seen so much food served!" We had a good mix of multicultural friends at our reception and everyone loved the food.
I chose the open bar option. I believe there was only 1 bartender and everyone was pretty happy with him. For those of you who are concerned with the open bar - you have no need to worry. My husband and I thought the deal was just too good to be true. All of our friends and even our parents' friends did not drink the bar dry and trust me, we have some heavy drinking friends!
We had 300 guests, which is 30 tables. They can host up to 45 tables max. It is very spacious and modern. The dance floor is situated in the middle of the two sides of 15 tables. There is a stage for your dj / band and one for you and your cake table. You can pretty much have it set up however you like. They are so flexible and they truly try to make it your ideal vision. The lighting (you choose the color), projector, mic, speakers and ivory backdrop is included. Our dj and photographer used their own equipment, but Mon Cheri was really helpful with setting up and working with them. Chiavari chairs are included and so are cake, registration and other useful tables. They also have an easel for your gigantic engagement photos. Simple linens are included also, but at the last minute, I chose to upgrade to the nicer ones. They did not have the color I wanted, but with only a week left, they made their way to LA and ordered it for me. I did pay a little extra, but it was worth it because it came out as I envisioned it and made the whole event very elegant.
I saved the best for last. I cannot rave enough about the ladies who run the show. Thao is the owner and she is a sweetheart. I dealt mostly with her niece Vivian who is also the coordinator for the day. She is super sweet and very professional. For those of you who do not speak Vietnamese, Vivian is fluent in English! I know it sounds lame, but some of the other places are a bit tough to deal with when you don't speak their language! On the day of my reception, she introduced herself to my family and my bridal court. She checked on me constantly to make sure I was feeling ok and having a good time. She made sure I had a drink when I was thirsty, she fed me hors doeuvres when I started feeling faint and held people back a little when I just needed a minute to breathe. She was everywhere all the time. She managed her staff of cooks, servers, bartender and security guards (also included). When I felt the pressures from my mom to start the music for her friends, Vivian convinced me that I needed to do my bouquet toss and cake cutting first. She was so gentle, yet encouraging and I have her to thank for all the wonderful pictures of these two events that I wanted to forgo in the moment of pressure. At the end of the night, we had a lot of leftover cakes and cupcakes. She came to me and asked what I wanted to do with them. I wanted my guests to take them home, she had it packaged up and ready to go for them. She, along with my wonderful MOH, packed up everything into my car. Towards the end of the night, 2 of the security guards came and asked Vivian to spare 5 minutes because there were guests of ours who could not drive themselves back to the hotel. Upon their return, I told my husband about it and when he tried to tip them, they both graciously declined. We had such a wonderful time here. Everything was better than I imagined. I encourage all future brides, event planners and party goers to check out Mon Cheri. Take a moment to talk to Vivian and you will be so happy that you did. read more