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How did our suppliers score?  PROLOGUE:
Ryan and I got married through civil ceremony in January 2006. I went back to Dubai and he followed me after a few months. We flew again to Manila on August with our Maid of Honor, Beth, and spent three weeks to meet with our suppliers and work on the preparations.
Ryan & I flew back to Manila for the wedding on the 1st December, three weeks before the wedding. The last leg of the preps was the most excruciatingly toxic one.
Our wedding last 27th December 2006 was made memorable because of the many special people who have helped us since day one. Our supplier ratings are long overdue, but we hope this can help our other fellow w@wies in preparing for the most memorable day of their lives. Just a reminder from a couple who’s been there: enjoy your preparations and consider your wedding as a project which you will look back on in the many years to come…show each other your support and encouragement, even in the most frustrating moments of dealing with your preparations. Trust us, only the two of you can help each other out. Families and friends may be there to plug in some assistance, but at the end of the day, it is still your wedding…and anything that involves “hardwork” boils down to the two of you.
RATINGS:
5 * - exceeds expectations
4* - recommended
3* - mediocre
2* - sign up at your own risk!
1* - do not even consider…
CHURCH
San Agustin Church,
Intramuros, Manila
December 27, 2006, 4:00 pm slot
P18,500.00 - rate of 2005 (Inclusions: Wedding mass & ceremony, simple flower decoration, royal red carpet, organist & singer, usherettes & altar servers, 18th Century Chandeliers, Parking lot for 45 cars)
P1,000 (pictorial fee from the choir loft)
Rating: 5*
We booked this church 13 months ahead of time. We got engaged in June 2005, but wedding preparations have officially begun when we booked for the church. The church has been the bride’s idea of a perfect place to wed. Coming from a Catholic school in highschool, I’ve always always exposed to this church because of our many school activities, and I just fell in love with its grandeur. It was Ryan who booked the church, after all my “pangungulit” over the phone. We wanted an afternoon wedding, and as a worry-wart overseas bride-to-be, I was adamant that the groom-to-be book the church immediately because I know how December can be a very busy season for weddings. Our chosen date could still be available, but I was extremely anxious that the time slot we want could be unavailable. The early bird gets the worm indeed – we got married on our 100th Monthsary!!
PROS:
The church is very beautiful, inside and out. Being the oldest church in the Philippines gives it a unique charm. Personally, we believe there was no need to decorate the church with more flowers.
All the church staff, especially Ms. Belen, are very helpful. Even the security guard was accommodating and knows his way around, too, so if you needed to ask anything, he can help you out even during lunch break!
For an overseas couple like us, it was difficult to manage the paperwork, add the fact that we are a “mixed marriage”. Ryan comes from a different congregation, so we had to facilitate additional papers needed to be wed in church. But SAC was flexible and we had no issues whatsoever with the requirements. When we submitted the wedding banns and Ryan’s certificate of freedom to marry, we had the pre-cana interview in 15 minutes. The Chancery where we had to apply for dispensation was a walking distance from SAC, so everything was done in less than a day.
CONS:
The church is a bit expensive and we just don’t find the additional pictorial fee for the choir loft use fair. P1,000 is still P1,000, and mind you, it is only for 30 minutes use.
RECEPTION VENUE:
FATHER BLANCO’S GARDEN
San Agustin Compound
Intramuros, Manila
P10,000 (rate of 2005) – use of the venue for 4 hours (counted once the reception programme commences) / free use of the ruins garden for pictorial
P5,000 – lights
Rating: 5*
We both wanted a garden reception because we know how beautiful the lights will be on a December night. We wanted something nearby because we had to consider guests who will be coming without their own transport. We checked out other reception venues in Intramuros, but thank God for Villa Immaculada’s rudeness (they did not even bother to accommodate us because they probably thought we can’t pay them), we found ourselves marching to Father Blanco’s Garden, which was recommended by my highschool friend Mylin.
PROS:
Place was beautiful – filled with capiz and white Christmas lights at night. And the wells and fountain in the middle added a romantic touch to the place, not to mention the ruins that served as a lovely backdrop to the garden. Our wedding theme focused on the fountain of the garden, hence the design of the missalette and our wedding token.
Reasonably priced compared to the other gardens we checked out.
CONS:
If it rains, you won’t be able to enjoy the garden. Although there is a contingency venue, it will not be as lovely as having the reception in the garden with the lights billowing from the trees.
Comfort rooms are not as pleasant compared to hotels or other indoor reception venues.
CATERING
Makati Skyline
P650 / pax plus 12% EVAT
P60 / additional dish (Shrimp Creole) non-taxable
Number of guests: 180
Total package inclusive of tax: P141,840 (Inclusions: food tasting, flower arrangements, Tiffany chairs for Presidential tables, gazebo for cake, wine for toasting, guest book, parking for 30 cars)
Rating: 5*- food
4* - service
2* - set-up
Corkage fee: discounted price of P1,000 only for two lechon
Waived corkage fees: wines and spirits, iced tea, free buffer for 20 pax used for suppliers’ meals
This is a supplier we got by default. They are the exclusive caterer of Father Blanco’s Garden, so we had no choice but to book them if we want the FBG as our reception venue.
PROS:
No question about the taste of the food – everything’s good to the palate. All the guests enjoyed the feast. Makati Skyline still lives up to its good name in the catering business.
The waived corkage fees, the attentive and good service of the waiters, and the dedicated waiters for the bride and groom up until the reception is through and all the guests have gone and left (we felt like royalties!) made us extremely happy.
CONS:
The thing that troubled our wedding coordinator during the big day was the absence of our assigned AE. Sheryl was there during our meetings days prior to the wedding, but didn’t show up for the wedding day. She failed to turn over the arrangement details properly so the one who took over was clueless and wasn’t able to execute our instructions as expected. The free guest book was nowhere to be found. The inclusive flower arrangements supposedly used for the tables were in yellow! Good thing they were only intended to decorate the fountain and the comfort rooms, otherwise they would’ve been so inappropriate to be placed in the tables. I was mortified when I found out about this!
Set-up of the string quartet was a disaster! They were placed in an area where they were barely seen. My cousin and her hubby even argued about the music – her hubby thought the music being played was just from a CD because the string quartet was nowhere in sight! They were assigned to use monoblock chairs – not Tiffany as we have agreed upon. They looked “kawawa” in pictures and in the video.
OTD WEDDING COORDINATOR
Events Inc.
P12,000 (rate of 2005)
DP is at a reasonable price of P2,000 only. The rest of the payment on the wedding day itself.
Crew of 6 people in proper attire (ladies in suit, men in polo barong & black slacks) & using hands-free 2-way radios so less noise in the ceremony & reception
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended!)
My husband and I were so happy with our treasured find – Events Inc. Remember the day we were snubbed by Villa Immaculada and trooped instead to FBG? Yes, that was the day we met our now dear friend Li Regio of Events Inc. Since we had no idea who to book for our OTD Wedding Coordinator because we don’t know many suppliers (and I wasn’t a member of w@w then), we had casually asked Makati Skyline if they could refer someone to us. Luckily, Li was in the office that time. It was by chance that he was there, so we took the opportunity to discuss and we felt comfortable with him so we booked him immediately. Plus he gave us a good rate because we were booking in advance.
PROS:
Too many to mention. But here are three things we loved most about Events Inc.:
1.) Li has referred many of our suppliers without any additional fees (cake, invites, tokens, events stylist, HMUA for the bride & the attendants) & talagang sinamahan pa kami sa mga offices nila. Kahit na OTD service lang namin sila hired, he took the liberty of helping us out with our other needs.
2.) They were punctual in all our meetings. Were NEVER LATE – as in!
3.) Most importantly, they respond to emails and text messages, kahit sa Chikka! Overseas bride and groom-to-be appreciate this very much.
And did we mention that they gave us more than 10 confetti canons as gifts? Beniedick, who was a schoolmate as UST High, also created an AVP of our pre-nups in UPLB & Tagaytay without charge. The AVP was played in loop while the guests were arriving in the reception venue.
CONS:
Couldn’t think of any.
EVENT STYLIST
Flower Stories
P36,000
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
Inclusions:
Entourage
- 1 hand tied bridal bouquet of all Holland tulips in pink shades with misty blue fillers tied with Ivory satin ribbon, 2 Maid/Matron of Honor nosegay bouquet, 5 bridesmaids nosegay bouquet, 3 flower girls with head dress each, 3 secondary sponsors’ wristlet, 6 principal sponsors’ cone posy, 2 mothers’ nosegay bouquet, 1 grandmother cone posy – flowers are in roses, carnations, gerbera daisies, stargazer liliums, mums accented with fillers and foliage
Reception
- 18 guest table centerpieces – fish bowl type arrangement of imported roses & Alstromeria a.k.a. Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas placed on a glass topper accented with 3 votive candles each
- 3 VIP tables centerpieces – tall glass vase arrangement of stargazers, roses, gerberas and mums with fillers and foliage and cascades of vines placed on a round glass topper accented with votive candles and loose petals
- Couple’s table and backdrop – driftwood arrangement of stargazers, roses gerbera daisies, mums with fillers and foliage, and cascades of green vines and hanging lamps. Cascading arrangement of roses, stargazers, carnations and gerberas with fillers and foliage and cascades of green vines.
PROS:
Professionally arranged flowers – hindi tinipid sa quantity. All flowers are fresh, and mostly imported. Entourage flowers arrived promptly at the hotel. Their shop is just a stone’s throw away from SAC / FBG so logistics was dealt with easily. Quick to reply on emails and sms, too. Also, our package is reasonably priced. And most importantly, they got me the most beautiful pink shades of Holland Tulips I have ever seen!
CONS:
Aside from a busted light bulb sa backdrop, which they did not anticipate to happen, everything was ok with Flower Stories.
HMUA
Eddie Bruan
P15,000 (special package for w@wies) use of high end products (Chanel, Awake, Shu Uemura, etc.)
Inclusions: HMU for 1 bride, 2 mothers & 2 sisters. Free hot oil treatment & haircut and manicure & pedicure for the bride, grooming for groom and HMU for 2 flower girls.
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
Everybody complimented my HMU during my big day. I felt beautiful. I only have good words for him. He is very passionate with what he does, and is worth every penny spent on his services. A meticulous and perfectionist person. I must say the most professional supplier we had.
PROS:
Very good with his craft…will not stop until he gets things perfectly done. Punctual: his team wheeled in their stuff at 9:00 am – an hour before the call time even! Totally fuss free!
CONS:
For those who have a tight budget, he can be a bit pricey. But personally, I think he’s “sulit” na because of the many freebies.
INVITATIONS
Unifair Printing
P50 each invitation / 140 pieces
Inclusions: outer envelope, monogram for envelope seal, RSVP card
Rating: 4.5*
Unifair is one of the referred suppliers of our wedding coordinator which we booked as soon as we met with them. One of the major stuffs that we needed to do during our August trip was to have our invites printed. We immediately paid them a visit which only lasted for less than 15 minutes…in 10 minutes we managed to choose our design, described to Erwin other supplements that we wanted and approved his suggestions. After a few days, we sent across the text of the invites and received them in less than two weeks. Envelopes were given to us ahead of time so we managed to have another supplier write the addressee names in calligraphy. The ribbons, by the way, were created by my Ryan because we both wanted a personal touch to the invite. We made a little survey at my workplace and it was a unanimous decision that a ribbon should be in place to keep all the invite pages together, including a map to the church and reception venue.
PROS:
So easy to deal with. They call or sms you if they need to remind you of something, so if you’re a bit of a “forgetful Jones”, you can rely on them to make “bilin” of your assignment so they can also do their job within the timeline.
CONS:
Not every page is printed perfectly. Minsan may misaligned, although di naman halata. OC lang talaga ako. And oh, at one point I had to come back to their offices to get 4 copies of the invite insert with the entourage list because I got 4 blank pages when we picked up the invites. My bad I didn’t checked, but I assumed everything was ok dapat. This was a learning experience…check your invites before you leave the office para hindi na babalikan pa. It was a waste of time and effort, add to the fact that in Manila , it is always difficult to commute.
CALLIGRAPHY
Julie Umawing
P10 per line (direct contact)
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
Julie was a referred calligrapher by a lot of fellow w@wies. Since she is the in-house calligrapher of Paperie in Rockwell and an outsourced calligrapher for the Senate, we were certain that she will execute things beyond our expectations. Very efficient and easy to deal with. She finishes things in no time, and generous, too. She rounds off to the lowest hundred ‘pag may butal, so you get free envelopes na rin…wedding gift na nya sa inyo yun!
PROS:
Your invites will look elegant and uncluttered with the beautifully stroked addressee names in the outer envelope. Plus of course this is the proper thing to do when you send an invitation to a formal gathering like a wedding.
CONS:
Only limited calligraphy styles available. You have to look elsewhere if you want a more ostentatious calligraphy.
CAKE
Hearts & Bells
P7,125 (discount of 10% already taken off)
(Inclusions: 3 layer fondant wedding cake with flower arrangement (14" edible, 10", 6") height of 5" per layer - total of 2 feet in height with 12 pieces of 3x3 small miniature cakes, all in carrot walnut flavour)
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
Another client which gave us utmost satisfaction. This was booked last December 2005 with the help of our wedding coordinator. When I joined w@w last August 2006, I found out that they have a special package for w@w members. I contacted Hearts & Bells via email, and a very nice Ms. Eunice Go replied to me immediately with good news that I can change our package according to what we desire. Design of the cake was discussed and submitted during our August trip, bride changed her mind (hehehe!) about the design and resent another one last November through email, and cake was delivered on the wedding day just as she had wanted it to look like.
PROS:
Easy to talk to. Knows how to nicely follow up with their client. Great designs. Delish cakes!
CONS:
None whatsoever.
STRING QUARTET
Velvet Mood
P10,000
Rating: 4.5*
We heard Velvet Mood play during weddings a couple of times already before we finally booked them. Initially, we were pencil booked by our wedding coordinator, but while I was in Dubai , I made an overseas sometime in June to make sure that we are in their calendar, knowing how busy December would be for them. We didn’t get the chance to book them formally until a week before our wedding. Cool to deal with, especially Mr. Gary Silangcruz.
PROS:
They really know what they are doing and they play well. Wearing appropriate attire. On time and on cue.
CONS:
For some reason, they were placed in an area na hindi sila makita so parang may CD lang na tumutugtog during the reception. I know it’s not their fault, but I expected them to be a bit more assertive with regard to their seating arrangement & set up since they’ve been playing at FBG for numerous times already. Alam na dapat nila where they should sit and how they should be zoned para makita din sila ng audience.
PHOTO & VIDEO
East Digital
Total Package Price withheld
Inclusions: FREE pre-nuptial pictorial in simulated studio with panoramic background, FREE AVP, FREE 2 mini-albums, FREE Digital Guestbook, FREE 16X20 Photo Mosaic Portrait, FREE LCD/Projector, 3 Photographers, 2 flashmen, 2 viedographers, 2 video lightmen, 60 pages 11X14 album, 24X 36 box type portrait
Ratings:
Service – 2*
Studio Pre-nup – 3.5*
Photos – 3*
AVP – 3*
Unedited Video – 4 *
Album – pending
Edited video – pending
One of the first suppliers we booked for the wedding when I came home last December 2005. But this one is among the Top 3 that gave us a big headache. We really wanted to invest on this supplier, but we were so disappointed with the kind of service we got from them when we came back last August to pay our balance and discuss our requirements. To all East Digital clients, warning lang: be careful when you deal with Ms. Susan – she can be very rude and scheming. We inquired about upgrading our album to a bigger size, but for some silly reason, she recommended that we downgrade our package para daw makuha yung bigger album. She was like out of her mind – she wanted us to lose our freebies that we got when we went for the bridal fair in 2005…akala nya maiisahan nya kami!!
Pre-nup was ok naman…we found it a bit baduy, pero go pa rin kami since it was for free. The pics taken during our studio pre-nup was for the free guestbook so we were obliged. Sayang naman!
AVP of our childhood to grown-up pics was so old-fashioned! We had our own AVP naman from our pre-nup in Dubai so we didn’t dwell much on it na rin.
PROS:
Reasonable package with a lot of freebies. They have an accessible office that you can go to daily for your questions or what have you’s about your package.
CONS:
Plenty. First, they changed their style and everything looked “baduy” to me when we got home last December 2006 for the wedding – from photo to video. Secondly, they were LATE during the big day. Call time was at 12:00 noon, but they came at 1:00 pm. And lastly, the team they sent us were amateurs! We were supposed to have the team of Ms. Michelle who took our pre-nup photos, and that was confirmed a week before the wedding. Nagulat na lang kami iba ang pinadala nila. And we knew that Ms. Michelle’s team will be sent to Vigan the next day for a shoot – we assumed pinadala sila ng mas maaga sa Vigan, and then they just sent us a bunch of neophytes to take our pics kaya ayun, the taken photographs were not as what we expected and what I wrote on the list I gave them ahead of time. I had to tell the photographers what poses I wanted, and it was getting into me nung wedding, pero I told myself that I had to act cool, otherwise my mood would reflect on the pictures. A lot of missing snapshots!! No one took pictures of the cute buckets for the fans, the placecards, the escort cards, the flowers of my entourage, the centerpieces on the guests’ tables…basta, maraming wala! They were triggerhappy with the traditional poses, but did not bother to take note of our instructions. I was crushed when I saw the raw files. Tapos the funny thing pa about the Video, mas maganda ang kuha nung back up than the main.
Lesson learned: If you have that certain negative instinct about your photo and/or video supplier, heed it and do not hesitate to look elsewhere for a replacement. Don’t mind the cancellation costs if you are wary that at the end of the day, they may screw up. And please, try and look for back up photographer, just in case. You’ll never know talaga. Good thing my cousin who was into photography was there to take pictures. Some of his pics are better than East Digital’s…haaaayyyy!
PRE-NUP IN DUBAI
Kelvin Montalbo
Price withheld but expense is courtesy of Filipino colleagues at DIFC
Inclusions: free AVP (photo montage style)
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
As I’ve posted in our wedsite, a pre-nup in Dubai was a dream-come true for me. Special thanks to sis Lei’s announcement in the W@W forum, I managed to book a slot with Kelvin via email to do the pre-nup upon learning he’s coming to Dubai for a visit. And since we were running a bit tight with the budget already, my Filipino colleagues from DIFCA volunteered to pay for it as their wedding gift to Ryan & myself.
The pre-nup was done at the Madinat Jumeirah premises and the open beach next to Burj Al Arab. It was fun, fun, fun!! We had an amazing time & Kelvin was such an easy going guy so we were so at ease during the shoot. Kalog naman yun so di ka na rin mahihiyang mag-pose, lalo na sa harap ng mga total strangers.
PROS:
Clearly knows his stuff. Nice suggested poses. Tells you what to do and what not to do in front of the camera. As in plenty of pics to choose from. The pictures were amazing, especially the sunset shot. And the slideshow presentation he made for us was pretty cool! And oh, easy to haggle with kaya swak sa budget.
CONS:
You have to do a lot of follow ups with this guy in order to get the end product. He tends to forget what you told him (song to use, title, message, etc.) so a gentle reminder via sms or call is a must. And be patient when you speak with him over the phone – he tends to sound “nagmamadali” all the time.
PRE-NUP IN TAGAYTAY
Paul Vincent Photography
P8,000 (out of town fee with transport provided)
Inclusions: Raw & edited pics only
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
We initially wanted Paul to be a back up photographer for our wedding (although I was thinking then na siya na ang main, and East Digital to the back up…hehehe!) since June of last year. Since he was already booked for our wedding date, we opted to hire him to do our pre-nup pictorial at our favorite out of town venue, Tagaytay, where we also went for our honeymoon after our civil wedding rites on Januray 4, 2006. Our pre-nup in UPLB wasn’t that bad, but the weather wasn’t cooperative then, so we promised ourselves we’ll get a proper outdoor pre-nup pictorial nearer the wedding date. His services were booked last August and the pictorial was scheduled on the 12th December. By that time, pang-apat na namin syang pre-nup pictorial.
PROS:
No sweat to deal with. Straight forward, no non-sense photographer who knows his craft well. Perfectionist in terms of getting the best snapshots and will never stop unless he gets his desired effect. He doesn’t mind getting himself literally dirty, as long as he captures the picture from the right angle. Doesn’t duplicate poses with the other couples, so you’re guaranteed yours is unique. Creative is an understatement.
CONS:
He doesn’t have his own transport so you have to bear with him if he gets a bit late to your call time. And his office is a bit difficult to find, but hey, he is a treasured find anyway so worth the long spiral stairs na rin!
PRINTED ITEMS
Ryan Aldaba
P4,500
Inclusions: Missalette cover, placecards, escort cards, token tags (2 sizes) & table names
Rating: 4*
Ryan was a good find from the w@w forum. I didn’t want to spend much on the printed matters so I opted for his services. Dealing with him was no sweat naman, and responds to emails promptly.
PROS:
Less hassle for us because I myself don’t have the luxury of time to DIY some wedding stuff, especially for these minute details.
CONS:
A few misprints left and right that added to the hassle of rearranging our schedule just to meet up with him. The table names were huge and wasn’t double-sided printed. We had to make do with it as there was no time to change and reprint again. Also, I had to draw what was in my mind because he couldn’t picture what I was trying to describe (or baka malabo din ako mag-explain - I dunno!) so technically, conceptualization was from my side. All he had to do was execute and print.
TOKENS
Printed Matter
P4,375 for 153 pieces
Inclusions: cartoony fridge magnet in biz card size with design fee
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended!)
A totally hassle-free supplier – the best there is when it comes to promptness and professionalism. Kerwin & Phoebe Chua was a charming tandem, both in emails and in person.
PROS:
Certified professionals. They say your items are ready by Friday. You call on Thursday mid day to inquire about something else, but they tell you your stuff are ready for pick up already. Swift service, 100%! End product was adorable and looks classy – everybody wants one, even here in the office!
CONS:
The only setback is that they do not send designs via email for security reasons, and of course to protect their designs and copyright, so you really have to take a trip to their offices to see the designs. This is a little constraint to overseas & provincial b2bs & h2bs, but don’t you worry – they can deliver ordered items in no time, whatever the season!
COUTORIER
Pepai dela Cruz
Price withheld
Inclusions: wedding gown with 6 meter train and 10 meter wedding veil, bag and hairpiece
Rating: 3.5*
My wedding gown was a design that I had in mind, and we both sat down last August to discuss its details, etc. Pepai was the one who created my cousin’s wedding gown, and he did very well with it, so I didn’t have any second thoughts of getting him to create my gown. His rate is ok, and is good at keeping in touch naman, either through email or via sms.
PROS:
My gown was beautiful, especially the back detail. A lot of people complimented it and its beadwork, particularly the swarovski crystals in the bodice (thanks MOH Beth!). Affordable. Patient in dealing with questions. Can carry out the design you want.
CONS:
I know it was partly my fault that the gown was too loose on me because I did shed off a few pounds since my measurements were taken last August. I failed to advise him before flying to Manila to at least give him a head start with the adjustments. But despite two alterations, he wasn’t able to adjust properly the tummy area so it looked lousy and parang wala akong shape at all! And worst of all, my gown was a “bitin” – beautiful pero “bitin”! First fitting pa lang we mentioned it na, but it fell on deaf ears. I got my wedding gown, hear this, on the 25th December – as in Christmas Day! Since it desperately needs adjustment nga, especially with the petticoat on, my husband had to call him at 11:00 pm and argued that the gown must be adjusted the next day because the wedding was a day away. My hubby was so worried I was crying over the gown on Christmas Day so he took matters into his own hands. Mas effective pala kasi pa gang groom na ang nagco-complain. So originally, wala dapat lace yung rim nung gown, but Pepai had no choice but to modify the last minute. And that was his only option. I would rather have a long gown than a “bitin” one that would look silly in pictures.
GROOM’S BARONG TAGALOG & TROUSERS
Exclusively His (Alabang-Zapote Branch, near Alabang Town Center )
Tailoring only
P1,200 – Piña silk
P700 – trousers
P750 – polyester camiso chino (long sleeves)
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
No sweat supplier!
PROS:
Took them one week to finish everything. Perfect fit to the groom (buti pa sya!). Cost-wise, they are A-ok compared to their competitors.
CONS:
None.
ENTOURAGE GOWNS & BARONG TAGALOG
LMK Gowns and Accessories
Price withheld
Inclusions: gowns for 5 bridesmaids, 3 secondary sponsors, 3 flowergirls, 2 RTW barong tagalog and 1 Piña silk silk fabric for groom (plus more RTW barong tagalog ordered for relatives)
Rating: 5*
I posted a major problem with our entourage gown supplier which we have booked last August. To make the long story short, the initial supplier failed to do the gowns and had admitted to the fact literally less than two weeks before the wedding. Who in the right frame of mind would be willing to accept my requirements on such short notice? Hubby, MOH and I trooped our way to the ever reliable, supplier haven Divisoria to seek help, and LMK was the first shop we approached. After an hour’s diligent search at the Cluster Building , we found ourselves going back to the same shop to haggle more and finalize the order. For a rush job order, we did get a terrific deal…didn’t bear a hole in our pockets.
PROS:
Our contact person, Rose, was very cordial during our dealings and was so responsible in ensuring that our orders arrived on time. All we had to do was give the measurements to her, which we got from the supplier we cancelled. And for some cosmic grounds, all the gowns fitted the members of the entourage perfectly. Another thing we loved about Rose is that she had kept her word about the date of delivery, and even called for updates – just to lessen my stress about the gowns. In about 10 days, just before the 21st December, all the gowns were ready and sent off to the respective users. The designs weren’t original because we only had to choose among the samples they have, pero not tasteless naman so ok na rin sa min. As long as my entourage has something to wear, that’s what’s important!
CONS:
Going to Divisoria during Christmas season is a very bad idea! But we didn’t have any other choice. It was rainy and filthy in the streets filled with vendors, shoppers and road transport of all kinds so traffic was terrible.
HOTEL PREPS
Manila Diamond Hotel
P8,000 net for Executive Suite
P6,500 net for Palisade King
P4,000 net for double deluxe room
P4,000 pictorial fee
Inclusions: free breakfast and late check out until 3:00 pm
Rating: 4.5*
Love this hotel! Very near to the church – only 15 minutes away without the traffic in a 40 km/hr speed (I’ll explain later) and accessible since it’s right in the heart of Manila .
PROS:
Our AE, Ms. Katrina Panapanaan, was very accommodating since day one. No sweat in dealing with her. She was referred by fellow w@wie and HS batchmate Dionne, and was kind enough to extend good rates. Rooms are spacious, especially the Executive Suite. Breakfast are yummy, too! Service is excellent – I cannot thank the staff more than enough for giving with all our requests. The staff are polite, too, especially the housekeeping peeps. The laundry service staff were also very efficient and were good at keeping me pacified come wedding morning (my wedding gown was wrinkled with the adjustment done the previous day). They came knocking at my door at 7:30 am ready to iron out the creases.
CONS:
The P4,000 pictorial fee. And the lifts – they were a bit small. (hehehe! Masyado bang observant??) And oh, the front desk people who kept us waiting for half an hour while we were checking out. I booked one room via internet and had paid the deposit way back June 2006. When we were checking out, they had charged me for the entire amount. Despite hard copy proof, it took them more than 20 freakin’ minutes to double check with the accounts department. The lady assisting us was giving us a lousy excuse, trying to convince us na tama raw yung statement ko, etc. Good thing I carried all the docs with me, and she ended up getting a lecture from me! Serves her right for a staff who tries to make excuses just to finish a transaction.
BRIDAL CAR
Studebaker 1932
c/o Manila Diamond Hotel
P5,500 for 3 hours inclusive of floral arrangement
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
Everybody loved our bridal car! Kakatawa nga kasi while I was waiting for our turn sa SAC at around 3:45 pm, some guests from the 3:00 pm wedding had their pictures taken in front of the vintage beauty. I was inside the car and I couldn’t help laughing. It was ok na rin kasi it eased me and made me feel relaxed. I’m certain kasama ako sa mga pics nila…hahahaha!!
PROS:
Gorgeous…just gorgeous. Reasonably priced – costs lower than getting a Benz bugs-eye. A treasured find talaga! Thanks to our wedding coordinator, nalaman namin na meron palang for rental sa Manila Diamond Hotel. We didn’t have to look somewhere else. And the driver was professional and knows how to carry a conversation. Sanay na mag-alis ng tension sa brides.
CONS:
Mabagal lang ang takbo…40 km/hr. It wasn’t built for speed because during the 1930’s, life was slow-paced and easy.
NON-ALCOHOLIC SPARKLING JUICE
Chamdor Sparkling Bubbles
P180 per bottle
Rating: 5* (so highly recommended)
We thought of purchasing Asti Martini for every table so that the guests wouldn’t look silly holding a glass of iced tea or soda for the Best Man’s toast. However, we knew how much it will jack up the cost of the wedding supplies. So we decided na the Asti Martini goes to the VIP Tables and we’ll just search for a reasonably priced white wine for the other guest tables. Our good old wedding coordinator recommended Chamdor, a non-alcoholic sparkling juice which we can use instead of getting the “real stuff”. It was a brilliant idea since not every guest will be keen of drinking, or at least sipping wine anyway. Sayang lang, di ba? So we bought 36 bottles of the “White Wine” last August from Louis Mac Lean in Ortigas Center and stocked them in my in-laws’ house. They were delivered a day before the wedding to FBG.
PROS:
Everybody enjoyed it – even the kids! (I meant the little ones from the entourage) Received a lot of compliments from the guests…they all thought they were served wine, and some even commented it’s the best one they’ve ever tasted…LOL!
CONS:
Medyo hassle lang to pick up the bottles kasi they're heavy and mahigpit ang security sa Antel Global Building , but other than these, everything’s fine.
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