I hired Riley as my wedding makeup artist.
During my make up trial, Riley made a homophobic comment that made me feel uncomfortable. She didn't realize I was a gay bride when she expressed: "I don't have a problem with gay people. I do have a ...problem when they flaunt their lifestyle in my face." This was unprofessional, unwarranted and made me uneasy. When I revealed I was marrying a woman, she apologized for "putting her foot in her mouth."
Even though our interaction left me with doubts, I decided to give Riley a second chance and hired her anyway. I loved the lipstick color she had created and was pleased with her makeup techniques.
I came to regret this decision on my wedding day.
In the bridal suite, as a movie was playing in the background that made a comment about being gay, Riley made yet another homophobic comment, making me very uncomfortable. The sad part is that I don't think she knew it was inappropriate. I had taken a chance on her, and had to deal with homophobia during what was supposed to be a special time.
To make matters worse, the lipstick combination she utilized was not the same as she used during the trial. This was the sole reason why I hired her: for the lipstick color she had concocted. She had assured me that it could be replicated during our trial. I ended up wiping it off and doing it myself when she told me our time was up and she couldn't fix it.
Even though Riley is a talented makeup artist, if you are having a same-sex wedding or have LGBT folks in your wedding party, you might want to hire someone else unless you want to deal with homophobia on your special day.