Posts by Charles Hayes6

So, a close friend of mine recently had their wedding at this new pavilion/tent venue owned by a company out in Boulder. Since the hall was still under construction when we booked it, everything was agreed upon based on the architectural renderings. We were picturing fabric draping everywhere, massive chandeliers, round tables... basically, it looked amazing on paper. But man, reality hit hard. Our first actual meeting with the "venue manager" didn't even happen until Monday, which was only five days before the big day. And getting a hold of them before then? Total nightmare. I guess they just weren't answering the phone. Then, out of nowhere, they start nickel-and-diming us. They tried to charge $49 for a chair instead of the $50 we discussed, and for my meal—which was supposed to be a five-course spread starting with welcome drinks and fritters—they actually had the nerve to ask for $667 just to cover the chandelier! 😡 On the wedding day, the decorators wouldn't even let anyone into the hall until the afternoon because they were busy checking on the cleaning crew. It was such a mess; she ended up joining the cleaners to set the tables herself while they worked. To make matters worse, the bakery required a formal receipt, and we had a deal for delivery right to the venue. Well, they wouldn't let the delivery driver in, and he wasn't allowed to come back in the evening (and honestly, he never did), so the reception went by without any dessert at all. I feel terrible because the driver really should have been able to reach someone. 😡😡
As for the food, it wasn't anything special, I guess. The serving platters were tiny—like, a single portion of black risotto was enough for two three-year-old twins to finish. The staff was helpful, though; they’ll bring you whatever you need, but you really have to go out of your way to ask for it.
At the end of the day, we were stuck with $49 chairs, extra fees for spotlights, soap bubbles, and a wedding with zero dessert.

Sam Clark4 said:Hey there,

Does anyone have any solid recommendations for good cakes or pastries around the San Francisco area? Looking for something decent.
Thanks in advance

You should definitely check out Oreo in Oakland. Honestly, the price and the taste are just such a great deal.

Kate Allen said:Well, what can you say...
Honestly? I'd feel pretty crappy about it all...
If we could just pull up the footage right now—I mean, Jesus God, there's a recording for everything these days, isn't there?
It's basically living proof that everything you said in that last post, River, was spot on...

I bet even that kid would have acted the same way if you'd gone out and bought him an iPhone4...

But her actual wish was just for an iPhone or maybe "even just" a laptop

Charles Murphy6 said:I’d really love for you to tell us how you're feeling about the whole thing?

Honestly, I’m just feeling so disappointed whenever I look back on everything. It’s actually pretty sad how much things have changed. Nowadays, people treat being a godparent like it's just an excuse to hand over some gift. For my own godmother, she gave me this ring that I still wear every single day, and we stay closer than most of my actual relatives. But looking at things now? You can't get an iPhone out of that, and money isn't going to buy back a single heartfelt conversation from when I was going through a rough patch. And as for my own godchild... I guess I just feel bad that I didn't order a fancy cake through an iPhone app.

So, it’s been about ten days since I stood there as the best man, and I finally feel like I can sit down and process everything. I wanted to share how the whole thing went with you guys. After overthinking it for ages, I finally settled on a gift combo: a nice watch, a camera, a cool book, a cake, and some cash in an envelope just so they could grab drinks later. I ended up dropping about $1100 on the whole thing. When we first walked into their place, I spent maybe five minutes catching up with my godson. I handed over the gifts, and he goes straight for the book—which was actually the biggest part of the package. But instead of really looking at it, he kind of peels it open from the bottom halfway up, doesn't even check out the title, and just stuffs it back in the bag. Then he opens the camera and makes some comment about how he can use it for his trips now. He checks out the watch, says it's nice, gives his thanks, and then just heads off to another room. Meanwhile, his mom leans in and whispers, "Wait, what did you guys actually get them?" Then we spent another five minutes in the church, just standing in line waiting for the Bishop to arrive. Honestly, the only photo taken of me was one with the Bishop himself. By the time evening rolled around and we were saying our goodbyes, we spent another few minutes with the kid, and he suddenly announces that once school lets out, he's heading to the coast for a couple of weeks!

Nicholas King said:I believe I’ve already mentioned this: $10745.

The more specific the question, the better the answer will be.

Here’s my situation:😛We’re a typical, struggling American family—basically living paycheck to paycheck with a mountain of unpaid bills and a bank account that hits zero pretty much every month. The Krizmanikov family is drowning in debt (myself included), yet somehow the kids are always decked out in Adidas, Benetton, and Fossil. Now they're heading into high school, and I guess they'll probably need an iPhone or a laptop to keep up. Honestly, it doesn't even cross my mind to just go out and buy those things for them. I really want to get them a gift, but I need to keep it within a reasonable budget. I guess the real question is... what actually counts as a reasonable price right now?

...just curious, how much would be considered "normal" to chip in for a best man's gift?

Good grief, people... are you actually being serious right now??? A phone, jewelry, AND cash???? I work for $1000 for an entire month just to pay off my student loans!!! If this is actually how things are going, I guess I don't have much choice but to try and take out another loan myself. Where did those old days go? You know, back when you’d get a little keepsake to remember a wedding by, instead of... all this. I mean, seriously—grab some tech gadgets, maybe some white gold if possible, and then tuck the monthly paycheck right into an envelope.... Oh, and throw in some premium deli meats and snacks so the godparents can just cover the main bill on their credit cards?? I was thinking about asking my future goddaughter what she might want, but after seeing this, there is absolutely no way. Honestly, I'm almost scared to think about what she might ask for