Posts by Douglas Reyes3

frozenhawk22 said:Thanks, Douglas Reyes3. We actually used him this past weekend, and I’m honestly blown away by the shots. They aren't boring at all, and he seems like such a relaxed guy to work with—zero stress.

Could you just let me know how late he usually stays at the reception venue?🙂

He stays as long as there's action happening! :-)
In my experience, no photographer sticks around until 7:00 AM when it's just the newlyweds, the wedding party, and a few drunk relatives left. :-)

You can work everything out directly with him. He really appreciates knowing the important details—like if someone is giving a reading at the church so he can pay extra attention, or if there's going to be a surprise during the reception.
After all, brides can get pretty upset if they realize you missed the shot of them carrying the cake to someone's birthday party later on...

I think he's great because he isn't one of those people who acts like they're doing you a huge favor just by showing up.

frozenhawk22 said:So, what’s the consensus on photographer Tony Cherina and his Venus photo studio? From what I gather, Tony Cherina was doing work out in California before 🤷

Tony Cherina was the one taking photos of me.
I have nothing but the best to say about him.
The photos turned out absolutely perfect.

He’s a great guy—really easygoing and down-to-earth. The whole photo shoot felt incredibly relaxed; there was absolutely zero pressure throughout the process. We went over every single detail regarding the shots beforehand, so everything was settled well before the wedding, and he delivered all the photos right on schedule.

I think the price is pretty much what you'd expect to see everywhere else.

cosmicraven33 said:Hello, I have just joined the forum and was wondering if anyone could offer some advice regarding makeup and hairstyling for a wedding?

I see you all mentioning Anne Hathaway (though I wasn't particularly impressed by her; she comes across as somewhat arrogant and seems solely focused on finishing the job and getting paid) and Tina Fey,

as I have heard similar things about them... I am actually interested in hearing from anyone who has had experience working with Lucy Liu or Jane Doe 🙂 thank you very much

Lucy did my makeup, and I honestly couldn't have been happier. She is incredibly sweet and down-to-earth. She doesn't just force her own artistic vision on you; instead, she actually takes the time to ask what you're envisioning and what your preferences are. She’ll offer her professional opinion on what might work best first, and then we go from there.

I wouldn't stress myself out too much over these traditions 🙂
personally, I think just bringing a gift basket and some flowers is more than enough.
If you look at the reality of the situation, why would they only be giving gifts to you instead of your parents and siblings, right?

The custom is typically that the mother-in-law gives a gift to the bride, and since your parents are just coming over to have lunch with "friends," I really think a nice gesture like a basket and a bouquet is perfectly sufficient.
It’s the same thing you’d do if you were visiting anyone else for the first time.

Take my neighbor, for example—everyone there received a little something. But in her case, she’s someone who deals with a lot of unnecessary drama, and her daughter-in-law realized exactly what kind of person she was dealing with, which is why the gifting was so extravagant.
You know your future family best. You can tell if they are down-to-earth, humble people who will be happy with a small token of appreciation, or if they are the type who can't wait to brag about how lavish the gifts were
or, heaven forbid, go around telling people that you and your family showed up with nothing but a box of chocolates. 🙂

Maybe ask your fiancé to check in with his relatives about their specific customs, just so you can feel certain going in.

Timothy Fisher50 said:I could really use some advice here!!
I was wondering if anyone knows what the go-to etiquette is for gift-giving when families meet for the first time out in California. His parents actually brought me some gold jewelry when we first met, and now that it's our turn to head over to their place, I'm feeling a bit lost. I have absolutely no clue what the local customs are for this kind of thing. What would be an appropriate gesture for us to bring along?

I went through this exact same dilemma, though in my case, there wasn't a formal "meeting" or a specific gift exchange... just a series of coincidences... it's a long story.

But for example, a relative of mine recently went to lunch at her fiancé's house with her parents—sort of an introductory visit. 🙂
They picked out a really nice serving bowl for desserts, and they put together a gift basket filled with coffee, cookies, chocolates, a bottle of wine, and some other spirits. They wrapped everything beautifully in cellophane with a little bow. They also bought a bouquet of flowers for the future mother-in-law.

That is supposedly considered a more modern way to handle the gifting.

On the other hand, a neighbor of mine from a more traditional rural background bought jewelry for her future daughter-in-law—and it was quite expensive, like those basket-style earrings plus a matching set. Then, when the bride-to-be visited with her family for lunch, her family bought a little something for everyone in the household.
1. The standard stuff: coffee, cookies, and a drink.
2. A bouquet of flowers.
3. A tie for the future father-in-law.
4. A lovely set of coffee cups for the mother-in-law.
2. Pajamas for the brother.
3. Perfume for the sister.

Apparently, the old-school tradition was to buy a specific item for every individual in the house, but back in the day, those were small things—like pitchers for the best man, kitchen towels, or a nice bottle of wine.

Has anyone here ever gone to see Antonele Milardovic for makeup services?

feralsurfer3 said:Anyone catch the show at Madison Square Garden tonight? What did you guys think???? 🙂

I haven't had a chance to get there yet, so I'm planning on hitting a seminar in May instead...
did you go? what was the vibe like—is it actually worth attending for anything useful? 🙂

Jack Murphy7 said:From the bulletin board:
04/14
05/19

If you're driving, it's right before you take that right turn onto the small bridge—the facility is right in front of you... just past the facility, you'll see Bank of America...

Well, I actually went there, and right in front of me, there was this group of retirees having some kind of gathering. 🙂

I didn't end up staying, though. Honestly, once I saw those folks, I just turned around—I felt a bit out of place. I really need to check what time they actually start meeting.

I know exactly where the church is located, and I actually had a dream about it, but when I went looking, I couldn't find anything—not even a single notice or sign posted anywhere... I’d also heard about that Zvonimir senior center, and someone told me it’s right in that building just past the bridge leading up to the church. So, I headed over there, and what did I see? Just a bunch of retirees sitting around playing cards.

Please don't laugh at me, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where they're holding the engagement course over at Solin🙂
Does anyone know exactly where that is located in town?

Does anyone happen to know a good seamstress in the San Diego area?

Christian Phillips3 said:ughhh ladies, I’m back again needing your help and your best recs ;-)
I still haven't nailed down my HAIR, MAKEUP, or my FLORIST.
I really need a hairstylist and a makeup artist who can come out to me (near San Francisco)
And honestly, if the florist could be right nearby too (around the Bay Area), that would be killer.

So, what's the verdict on these:

marija bosancic (mic style) VS ivana anic-Ljubic
lucija spajic VS tina kalinic
cvitak VS ???

Thanks a million for any info, stories, suggestions, or even warnings... ;-)

Regarding florists, there are a few local spots in the area with sales and promotions... when I was scouting for quotes, they were about $167 cheaper than Cvitak, but Cvitak is incomparably better... the woman I spoke with was wonderful because she gets so genuinely excited telling you what she'll do and how it will look. The owner even told me that when you compare Cvitak's work to other flower shops, it's night and day.

As for hair stylists, I don't know if anyone does house calls, so I can't really help you there.

Christian Phillips3 said:

I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I feel like Anela is really something else. Just my two cents, though. kaže:
So, I finally went ahead and booked a bouquet... honestly, the woman behind this is absolutely insane. I’ve been to plenty of places where they do floral arrangements, and I have zero complaints about her work. She's killing it.
And what about those cookies? I didn't hear anything about them.🤷

Anela, thanks a million! :-)
Hey, you happen to have Cvitek's email address or anything?

Thanks a million! :-)

I only have his phone number; I don't think he uses email.

(212) 555-0198

The bouquet, boutonnieres for the groom, bridesmaid dresses, the bride's attire, transportation, the church ceremony, the venue, catering, the head table, plus about 30 guest tables in the hall.
Budget is looking to be somewhere around $4,000 to $4,500. I think it’s best if we sit down a week or two before everything to finalize the details and get it all in writing. I might be able to trim things down a bit, but I really can't go over $4,500.

Christian Phillips3 said:Hey guys, anyone here actually been to the "Cvitak" gym over in San Diego or maybe checked out those "Moji Kolacici" bakeries in San Diego?
Thanks a ton in advance... :-)

I ended up booking a session at Fitness Bloom... honestly, the woman running it is incredible. I've been to quite a few places where she’s led workouts before, and I really have nothing but good things to say.
As for those treats, I haven't heard anything about them yet.🤷

gentlewolf69 said:I was actually thinking about having them custom-make a dress for a bridesmaid wedding...

Do you happen to know anyone who has actually used them for custom sewing and was happy with the results?
Looking at the photos in their album, my own work seems to be high quality, but since I’m planning on having my wedding dress made there, I really want everything to be absolutely perfect. 🙂

Well, there you have it... they clearly cut corners somewhere if the dress ends up looking that messed up.
I wasn't a huge fan of that wedding gown either, honestly; it just looked cheap.
I was actually planning on heading over to them to get my wedding dress made, but now I'm having serious second thoughts after hearing all this.
I'd heard rumors about Gallagher's quality being questionable for quite a while now.

A friend of mine suggested a boutique out in Phoenix instead... if you want to check them out, their page is called "The 1000 Best Dresses."

Does anyone happen to have any insight into the Ariel fashion studio? I'm curious about their sewing standards, overall quality, and stuff like that.

graniteridge9 said:Hey, does anyone happen to have an extra discount code from the wedding fair for Semper that they aren't using?
tnx

Is that the one located down by the marina?
I picked up some of their flyers a while back, so I can check my house to see if I still have them somewhere.

Just wanted to drop some info here—makeup services with Tina usually run between $300 and $350, depending on which lashes you pick out. A trial run costs the same amount, too.