Posts by Charles Gomez4

You can sell that on the forum 😉

Nathan Vaughn59 said:Thanks for the input!
We’re actually in the middle of negotiating with Mario Brkić right now, so I wanted to get the real scoop—what’s he like to work with? He’s got his own photo and video setup, so we were thinking about just hiring him to kill two birds with one stone by getting the band and the media coverage all in one go. 😁

Everything I’ve read about him online looks great, but I figured I’d check in with you ladies to see if the reality matches the hype. 😍 Mario Brkić; band, photo, and video—is it a YES or a NO? 🤷

Or should we just stick with The Trio?

Never heard of this Brkić guy. Does he have a website?

says:
Hey everyone, I have a wedding coming up this summer in San Francisco. Does anyone have recommendations for a photographer or videographer??? Please help me out! 🙄

Also, I could use some feedback or suggestions on these bands—which one is the best? : The Trio, Silver Group, Bud Light, or Channel One.

Or if you have any other recommendations?!🙏

Thanks in advance! 😍

Lisjak Photography (San Francisco)
I've only ever heard The Trio play, and I actually attended a wedding where they performed—they were really good. Not sure about their pricing though...

wanderingbadger17, I feel so bad that you had such a terrible experience with your photographer. I just had my wedding recently, and the photos were one of the most important things to me—after all, they're what last forever. It’s honestly awful that she didn't get a shot of you with your best man or that moment in church you mentioned... For a professional, that's a huge fail.

hollowpilot58 said:

batelant says:
back in 2012.

It’s all a scam. I remember when they were shooting this whole thing—they were supposedly photographing some prince from Saudi Arabia at some fancy hacienda in Spain or whatever. Just pure smoke and mirrors...
And then, just a few days before, we found out the guy was a total fraud a married couple was actually dealing with. They had already paid him a deposit to shoot that obnoxious prince on short notice after being offered the gig. We only heard about it from a guy who plays in the band at their parties... because the couple called him to ask for help finding a photographer since the original guy screwed them over at the last second... as if he was actually going to find them a decent replacement after they'd already handed him a massive deposit...

:

Yeah, true. A friend of mine went through this; he’s losing his mind over it. He reached out to the guys in the band to see if they could recommend someone, even though he’d paid the deposit a full year in advance. It really makes you wonder what the hell a deposit is actually for if not to secure a pro.

To make matters worse, this so-called "photographer" suggested he could come by a week before (or after, I can't quite recall) to do a little preliminary shoot.😂
Completely unprofessional.

I’ve been reading through this thread and I honestly don't get it—why is this guy so highly regarded?

When I was planning my wedding, everyone was shouting nothing but Matić's name while I was hunting for a photographer. I eventually dug through his portfolio (back when his website and Facebook group were still active) and realized his style just wasn't for me, even if he had some really great ideas. I prefer clean lines and natural colors, not photos where the midday sky looks deep purple with gold sparkles...

So I kept looking. I called photographers all over the US to see if they were free for my date (which was exactly a year out). Most weren't available, but almost all of them—without me even asking—recommended Matić. It didn't matter if I called someone in Florida, Washington, D.C., or Indianapolis... I figured it must be obvious the guy does good work if all his competitors talk him up like that. Plus, there were tons of posts here about how he's the best (but also the priciest) choice in California.

But just like how wanderingbadger17 was let down by such a famous photographer, I was left speechless when a super popular makeup artist I'd booked a year in advance canceled on me at the very last minute right before the wedding. Gross.

wanderingbadger17 said:My trip wrap-up:

The pirate bar: absolute peak, highly recommend it to everyone!!
The cathedral: St. Patrick's - a solid 5/5!
The band: Rhythms of the City - definitely check them out!!
The photographer: N/A - a total crook and a complete fraud. He’s just selling smoke and mirrors, and he's nowhere near worth the money he charged us—not to mention what he essentially swindled from us. To make matters worse, he sent some incredibly offensive emails when we tried to express how unhappy we were with his work. I'll make sure to trash him everywhere I can.

First time I've seen anyone complain about him (even if I don't personally care for his style), everyone usually raves about him. What exactly went wrong? Too many "cartoons"? (as my ex-flirts would say on a forum) 😁

The link isn't working.

What kind of pricing are we talking about? And what style would it be?

Daniel Smith8 said:I haven't stayed at that hotel myself, but I have friends who went to a wedding there where they had an open bar at the start of the night. They ended up losing their minds over the bill later on. 😢

I can't even begin to imagine the damage when the bar stays open all night long...

We did an open bar for a two-hour cocktail hour, and the cost wasn't actually that bad. It was definitely pricier than hosting something at home, but it felt way more upscale in the end, and we loved it. Then again, the final total really depends on the guest count, the time of day, and the local prices...

Bradley Jones9 said:Their representative explained all of that to me... including the dimensions for every single tier, and she sounded quite professional... I'm not sure if you've ever sampled anything from their shop or visited their facility, but if you have, then you know exactly what I mean. It’s essentially a small-scale production facility; they have their own training program and such... but regardless of all that, I noticed the white icing underneath that cream, and it was so perfectly smooth that it really sold me on them.🙂

I’ve had the exact opposite experience with them. Total lack of professionalism, to say the least. But hey, everyone's different...

Me too, honestly way too much. If it wasn't 150 instead of $500?

wanderingbadger17 said:Cheers...

Does anyone happen to know where I can pick up some waterproof LED lights for vases? Mine only lasted a few hours before dying on me...

At the IRS in a small town in the Midwest?

Paul Myers78 said:I'm dying to know—has anyone here actually checked out Jessy Band? What’s the verdict? I need your honest takes!

If you look at the top of this thread, there's a "Search this topic" option. Just type in Jesse or Jesse band and it'll pull up everything that's been said about them.😉

analogowl7 said:Hey there, so I went ahead and set up a foreign currency account at Bank of America today, specifically in Euros. My main goal here is just to handle some online payments using my debit card, but I have a few lingering questions about how this all works.

First off, if I were to deposit, say, $5 into the account, am I going to get hit with some sort of transaction fee just for making that deposit?

Also, if I happen to deposit funds in U.S. dollars, does the system just automatically convert those over to Euros, and if so, what kind of conversion fees should I be expecting to see?

I was also wondering about the easiest way to check my balance—is there a specific fee for checking it, and can I just manage everything through their online banking portal?

Lastly, could someone clarify what the annual maintenance fees look like for holding an account like this?

No deposit fees.

Since it's a Euro account, it only recognizes Euros. Nothing gets converted automatically. If you deposit $1,000 and try to buy something online, the system won't recognize the funds—it'll be like the money isn't even there.

You can check your balance through online banking; there are several different service tiers, and they all have fees. Or you can just hit an ATM with your card to check.

Annual fees are about $7. They pull it from the account twice a year, at the end of June and December, for $3.50 each time.

Lucy Spajic and Antonia Guć have been the main topics of conversation here lately, so maybe try mentioning 🙂 If I remember correctly, the girls also posted about Anne Benzon.

Hey, I'm from San Diego. anyone have recommendations for a wedding dress boutique?

I see names like Nicholas, Bridget, Galina, and Tina popping up online. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences they can share?

Joshua Hughes8 said:Hi everyone! I’m actually on the hunt for a wedding photographer myself right now, which is what brought me over to this forum. After seeing some of the posts regarding Matika, I thought I should jump in and share a little heads-up with all of you too...
A friend of mine works at a local photo studio, and she’s heard some pretty unsettling news from a reliable source: the main inspection authorities are breathing down everyone's necks right now. What’s even more concerning is that it isn't just one person being targeted. Apparently, Matic, Lisjak, and their son are in a massive amount of trouble—they're supposedly operating without any official business licenses or proper corporate filings... which is a huge red flag. I actually saw the three of them shutting down their websites and deleting everything from Facebook recently. I can't tell if the inspectors forced them to close shop or if they're just pretending to be out of business to stay under the radar... Anyway, my friend was the first one to warn me. She suggested it might be a bad idea to hire any of them, because who knows if they'll even be legally allowed to work by next year? I'm also worried about whether the materials I get from them might end up being subpar or problematic later on... I'm just not entirely sure. Honestly, I really don't want to spend the next year living in this kind of uncertainty. None of them will be honest enough to say, "Look, things aren't going well, you should probably find someone else." It's a bit intimidating, to be honest... who knows how this is all going to play out...
I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed myself right now because I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place... My current setup just isn't cutting it since things have become so difficult, so I'm urgently looking for someone who might be able to step in and help me out...
I really hope everything works out for everyone involved, regardless of who ends up being chosen... Anyway, ladies, if any of you happen to come across more information, please let us know!

Oh no 😢 So who is actually left in San Francisco for photographers?

Thomas Martinez said:I sent him an email—he just gave me this short reply saying he's busy. I actually asked him about the summer of 2012, too. I've heard whispers from a few sources that his studio was shut down, though I'm honestly not sure if there's any truth to that.

It’s more than just weird that he wiped everything from his site and deleted his Meta page, especially since it had such a huge following. I really hope they didn't close his studio down.😢

Olivia Lee5 said:Gosh, what on earth is going on with Smith? There's no gallery updates, and I can't seem to get a hold of him. Does anyone know how I might reach him? 🤷
I've already managed to touch base with Papaja, people out in California, IN, and Sinclair... I even reached out to lisjak, so now I'm just missing Smith...
And then it's just one studio after another... I feel like this process is going to be the death of me. 😁

Smith has gone MIA 😕

Edward Lopez21, good idea. I doubt anyone's going to be craving cookies that day, what with all that food and the wedding cake.

feralmoose32 said:As soon as I step into the hall, I head straight for the dessert table—I really prefer having them right there in front of me, rather than tucked away on some side table where everyone can gossip about how many trips I’m making for a little sugar... 😬

once, at one wedding, it was set up that way, so I just nudged my friends to go grab theirs first 🤣

Honestly, it seems to depend entirely on where you are... I’ve been to two different weddings in California, and in both cases, they didn't even bring out the sweets until after the main course was totally finished—so, like, around 9 PM
For me, that is way too late for anything sweet, and frankly, it’s just a bit disappointing 🤷

Yeah, in California (most of the time), dessert comes out right along with the cake at the very end. I haven't finalized the details yet, but I know they'll be flexible regardless of what I decide.