here's my utang to fellow w@wies.. i've been delaying the inevitable ('cause i know it's gonna be long and difficult to do) so a word of caution. this is gonna be looong.
my rating will be 1-10, 10 being the highest. if i'm super happy with the supplier (as in perfect, highly recommended, you'd have to be insane not to get them as well) i'd have their names in Red.
Astoria Hotel, Ortigas rating: 7
if you're looking for a cheap, spacious suite then go for Astoria..we booked 2 1-bedroom suites (1 for me, 1 for raymond's family) .. 1 had a late checkout (free of charge, checked out around 3pm) 1 room was booked for 2 nights. 3k a night (Pramerica had a corporate account)
pros:
-cheaper than most suites (compared to Linden and Discovery)
-lenient to large groups coming up to your suite
-you can bring up all the food you want to your room
-spacious rooms
cons:
-so-so breakfast buffet (compared to Linden and Discovery, Linden ranks first for me, then Discovery, tas last ito)
-raymond's family opted to call room service for their breakfast (2 lang kasi per room ang free, eh we got 3 already ) and super tagal dumating daw. when it came, kulang pa daw ang orders and hindi na mainit.
-friendlier staff at Linden and Discovery
-no impressive lobby
Nuestra Señora de Gracia, Guadalupe Viejorating: 9
Inday (the one at the office) is pretty easy to talk to. They even call you up to follow-up on certain things (like someone called us up to confirm our Garden reservation, we cancelled that one 'cause it was too small for our number of guests) i recommend this church! everyone said it was really beautiful. an officemate who is getting married booked there after seeing it.
pros:
-very photogenic. lahat nagsabi ang ganda ng church
-large parking space
-staff was very efficient. the manangs even had yellow and green scarfs to match our motif. a manang also arranged for a confession just before the ceremony..(which i completely forgot to arrange)
-on time nagsimula
-easy to book
-considerably cheap (10k only)
cons:
-can be quite hot inside. walang naitutok sameng electric fan nung umpisa lol! buti na lang ate chary adjusted it and gave us a paper fan
-the one way straight to the church is full of jeepneys and tambays
Tet Hagape (Bridal gown, 2 mother's gowns, 1 MOH, 1 BM, 3 SS, 1 Ninang's gown, 1 Lola's gown, 1 headpiece, garter, pouch, beaded cord, pillow)
rating: 9 for the end results
6 for efficiency
total cost: 45.9k
ms. tet's a family suki..my sister has 3 (or maybe more) bridesmaid dresses made by her.. she made 2 of my cousin's bridal gowns and their entourage.. i recommend her (even with the 6 for efficiency) because the gowns really turned out well. and she's really affordable.
pros:
- kasundo kami ng gusto sa designs. simple, elegant gowns.
- i love my gown! as in! and my gown got more praises than any other item in our wedding, hehe. i especially loved my obi belt, it had rhinestones and swarovskis that really sparkled in the dim lighted church.
my gown!
- i liked all the dresses! sa moms, keh lola, keh tita ebot, sa flower girls, keh ate chary (MOH), keh Akel (BM), sa mga SS as in lahat! i truly trust ms. Tet and her taste. when she said, ok na ang isang dress, ok na tlga! she had worries about my gown at first, kaya ang daming changes ng gown ko kasi ndi bumabagay saken. in the end, she figured out my body and everyone else's.
my mom's gown
MIL-Nanay Siony's gown..barong of Tatay by Suthoniels
MOH gown - Ate Chary
my Secondary sponsor's dress (Cousin Nina here)
SS back.. Anshe shown here
Flower Girls.. Niece Clarize shown here
- ms. Tet was there at the hotel to help me get dressed (with an assistant). she delivered the dress as promised the night before at the hotel.
- i like talking to her. she's honest. (she'll tell you what looks good in pictures, on you) at first i was adamant on having pale yellow as my motif, TG she stopped me. nagdadabog pa ko nun kasi ayaw ko ng bright yellow pero i realize now that she's right kasi ma-wa-wash out lang yun sa dilim ng church namin.
my secondary sponsors
- she doesn't pressure you to instantly book her at your first meeting.
- she's v. affordable.
cons:
- maluwag yung belt ng isa kong SS, but no biggie, carry parin nya
- i rated 6 sa efficiency kasi medyo nainis ang mga tanders (moms and tita) dahil parang august palang, nagpagawa na kami sa kanya, pero they only got their gowns a week before the wedding.. ndi pwede sa tanders yun, nagpapanic sila.
- she forgets details. just make sure she writes everything down in your folder.
Madge Lejano (HMU) plus A and Steve for the hair
rating: 10++ for end results
7 for efficiency
madge at work
madge at work
madge with Pangs
a At Work
with Steve
i got madge not through w@w (i booked her even before i knew she was 'sikat' there) but through my officemate who got married and had her as her MUA. sa kwento palang ng officemate ko, booked na ang utak ko keh madge. yung TMU ko keh madge didn't turn out excellent, kaya medyo kabado ako kasi nagbook na ako sa kanya. pero turns out she studies the TMU and makes the changes on the day. as in. feeling ko ang ganda ganda ko grabe ang transformation ko! para na akong girl, lol! i'd recommend her anytime.
pros:
-excellent (as in) end results. everyone (my moms, 2 sisters, 1 cousin, raymond's sister) looked beautiful. she has a knack of showing off everyone's assets.
-the team is very friendly. and pros tlga yun kasi people can be quite nervous on a wedding day and they made everyone laugh out loud with their hirits and kwentos.
-madge and her team was there from start to finish. (they were the first to arrive)
-makeup lasted. as in. she did a retouch just before my march (lip gloss, blush, oil blot) but that's it. yung mga susunod puro blot na lang ng oil and lipgloss kasi makeup was in place.
-worth every cent!
chet, ganda ko! L O L!
cons:
-photo finish matapos ang makeup ng lahat. (kaya medyo nagpanic si nanay) ako.. i had no idea what was going on eh nagpipicture-picture kasi haha! bilib parin ako to think malamang minadali nya yung sa iba, gaganda parin nila!
Jaime Elizaga Photographyrating: 10++
sa kanila kami meh least instructions, least got OC about and sila ang nagexcel talaga. pansin na pansin ng lahat and everyone praised our photographers. very articulate (lol! pramis yun pa sabi nila), very efficient, organized and professional. they really exceeded our expectations! highly recommended! (feeling namin kulang ang binigay namin sa ginawa nila) my hubby discovered them through tipidpc.com where there was a forum for wedding photographers and he instantly loved their photos. handles nila are ogre (brian) and chaos (jaime).
shucks. just realize bakit wala kaming picture with them! waaah!
pros:
-hirap iexplain pero kasi hindi ako marunong pumosing ng seryoso. pero Brian (the 2nd photog) helped me 'cause he will extend his hand to were i should look at and gave me hints how to smile.
my camera-"shy" cousins
-absolutely loved our photos
-no hassle silang kausap. as in ZERO. wala kaming contract (4got to ask for one), we met a total of 5 times lang (1, when we first met Jaime.. 2 for the prenup at corregidor, 3 to get cd for prenup, 4 at wedding itself (dito ko lang nameet si Brian) and 5 to get the cd) ewan ko ba, hindi man lng ako kinabahan khet nung 3rd meeting eh nagbigay na ako ng full payment (actually, dito pa lang kami nagbayad.. walang down-down payment!) keh Jaime kasi malinaw siyang kausap.
-in simon cowell's words.. meh "likeability factor" sila, hehe!
-be sure to ask for brian as jaime's partner. they are
equally talented.
cons:
-wala wala wala!
Gel Motilla (backup photographer. 09179181411)
rating: 10++
great shot!
my paparazzi cousins c/o gel
gel at work
when Anne posted in w@w that her hubby will be offering his services for free i quickly emailed her even though she said it will be for Feb and March weddings only. She emailed me back the good news that yes, Gel can be our backup photographer. Yipeee! tuwang-tuwa ako nun kasi meh backup photog na kami!
pros:
- he's free! can you freakin' believe it??
- gaganda ng mga shots nya, v. talented
- book him na while he's cheap! lol! you might never know baka next year, ibang level na siya at di na mareach! hehe!
cons:
- wala!
Wings of Dreams (butterfly release)
rating: 9
contact person: Titus
pros:
-i gave them a 9 because of Titus. wala naman part sa contract na siya magrerelease ng butterflies, pero she did. she went to the hotel, gave the butterflies, went to the church and released them. once while i was walking and 2nd on our first kiss as husband and wife.
-v. cheap.. 2500 for 100 pieces.
-ms. Mariella (??arrgh i forgot her name) the owner, was v. friendly at the bridal fair
-2nd release was perfect
galing noh?
cons:
-ndi perfect kasi medyo ndi maganda yung first release, i mean, malapit na mashado saken, walang khet 1 photographer (not even from guests) ang nakakuha ng magandang shot. still photogenic though, kasi meh mga butterfly sa veil ko.
Lala of Interplay Creative (entourage flowers, reception decor)
rating: 9 for my bouquet and entourage flowers
6 reception venue
hmmm. ohmigosh. i don't know where to begin. i'm truly disappointed keh lala, yes, my bouquet and entou flowers were really fresh and beautiful. pero if you've read my blog before, lagi kong sinasabi, sa kanya ako hindi kabado kasi maayos ang mga usapan namin and i loved her ideas. siguro kung hindi mataas ang expectations namin from her, okay lang.
pros:
-affordable rates, entou flowers + my bouquet- 7.65k, reception decor - 21k
-easy to talk to, v.creative
-fresh, fresh flowers (my bouquet lasted a week!)
-v.v. elegant presidential table arrangement
-v.v. beautiful flowers for my entourage
-everyone commented on how nice the reception venue looked.
-flower arrangements on guest tables were colorful, fresh, looked very nice by themselves.
headdress of flower girls
presidential table setup
pomanders for flower girls
SS flowers
mother's bouquet
cons:
-i don't know what happened ('cause she even asked if single bouquet or separate stems) with the throwaway bouquet but it was nowhere to be found. (Lala said meron daw siyang naendorse sa sister ko, so my sister probably lost it)
-was disappointed with the guest centerpieces. she showed me these....
..she gave me this
maganda naman diba? BUT not what i expected. i thought magsca-scatter man lang siya ng petals, add a lot of votive candles. hay. inggit ako sa mga previous weddings nya na nagexcel tlga siya. grrr.
-pinag-usapan namin na aayusin yung foyer, walang ayus. pati yung table namin ng pictures, meh ayus dapat. wala rin. para saan pa meeting namin dati sa Mangan where we talked about that? i should've asked for a more detailed contract i suppose. wala rin naman kasi sa contract yung couple's table (which she did), sa stage (which she did) kasi nga napagusapan naman namin lahat beforehand (where she supposedly took notes). siyet, kasalanan parin ba namin? arrgh.
-my bouquet didn't have yung beads na gusto ko na sinabi ko on our first meeting! yung may lawit lawit na arrgh hirap explain basta wala.
i mean, overall, from our guests' point of view, v.v. elegant ang decor namin. it's just that, disappointed kami ni pangs kasi it was nowhere near our expectations dahil pagnagkukwento si lala, she will really explain stuff in detail and we loved everything she said tas ndi namin nakita on the day itself. i can't get over the fact na ang layo tlga ng guest centerpieces! wahahaha!
PSE Auditoriumrating: 9
we first reserved the garden beside Nuestra but was later rejected by the Tanders because they saw it unkept and our number of guests increased so we decided to look for another venue. my cousin, Ate lala, also had her wedding reception there so i first adamant at first not to have the same venue as hers. (kasi NSDG din siya eh!) kaya lang, talagang mahirap maghanap ng venue kung san meh flexible kung sino ang caterer and yung kasya ang 200 guests namin. when my MIL saw the Auditorium for the first time, sabi nya "book nyo na toh!". rate was 4k an hour, setup time at 100/hour, to open the fountain, additional rate of 400bucks/hour.
pros:
- guests loved it, elegant daw and maganda
- nagkasya!
- madali kong nakuha yung security cash bond
cons:
- ms rowena martin, the contact person, was v.v. difficult to contact.
Swan Cateringrating: 9 for the food
bagsak (kung si nanay magrerate, 1 lang!) sa Presidential Table service
we got swan 'cause una, we like ms.Irish, our contact person there. she became our instant friend, v.honest, and v.helpful. pumasok pa siya ng mas maaga kahit kakapanganak palang nya just to supervise our wedding. 2nd, we loved the food sa food tasting. unlike other caterers na mga 4 viands lang papatikim sayu, food tasting nila is from the appetizer to the dessert. the whole course. plus at only 450/head (we had 4 viands (bbqd spareribs, blue marlin, chicken pastel, beef caldereta), lumpiang sariwa, phad thai, 3 desserts (mango crepe, fresh fruits, assorted pastries), salad bar, clam chowder soup, okoy appetizer, iced tea) they were really affordable. maarte lang kami ndi namin kinuha yung part ng package like flowers and cake. we did get the free Bridal car though.
pros:
-everyone said the food was delicious
-ms.irish was there
-we got our leftovers
-v.v. affordable
-v.nice setup sa buffet
-madaling kausap si ms. irish.
really, the only good thing about Swan is ms. Irish. if ever you're getting them, make sure to ask for HER only.
with ms.irish
cons:
-walang iced tea ang presidential table! watda!? hanggang ngayon hiyang-hiya ako sa mga ninongs and ninangs namin na nastress dahil sa waiters na nakaassign sa kanila. 4 daw inassign ni ms.irish pero 2 lang ang nakikita ng mga ninong namin. eh hello,..mahaba (as in loong) table yun (30 people there!) kaya ang bagal daw ng service nila. hay. dami reklamo nila nanay kasi ang bagal ng mga waiters.
-meh parang 2 tables (according to nanay) na wala daw soup! watda??
-at minsan daw pag magdadala ng 7 na glasses of iced tea, edi bibigyan around the table tas meh 3 natira diba.. abah, hindi na babalikan yung tatlong wala! wahahaha!
-extremes are review nila eh.. walang gitna.. meh ibang guests kami na puro raves sa caterer namin, meron naman puro reklamo. weird diba?
- ndi nila binayaran yung security cash bond for the venue, kaya kami pa nagshoulder nun. buti na lang sinoli kagad ng Tektite.
i would still recommend them (in fact, Anshe has Swan as her caterer, her's wedding on June) just tell ms. irish na tutok sa waiters. she was very busy kasi sa buffet line. plus, i think this is where my sisters' failed to oversee the function.. kasi kung someone just told ms. irish what was happening, aayusin naman nya yun eh! hiyang-hiya si ms.irish nung ikwento ko yung nangyari.
Judy Uson (cake)
rating: 10++
grabe, heaven sent si ms. Judy. see my cake? it's delicious even in photos, hehe. super sarap nya. i got the carrot walnut sa cutting cake, chiffon with lemon filling for the 5 layers, and chocolate on the top.
pros:
- v.v. delicious
- ms. judy is so friendly. we got to know her personally 'cause we would always drop by her booth in bridal fairs.
- super ganda ng cake. yung flowers, grabe, they looked so real!
- super sarap! everyone enjoyed the cake! very handy to give out, nakaseparate na kasi bawat isang piece. parang naging instant award sa mga naiwan sa venue. (100 pcs lang kasi! 200 ang guests namin)
cons:
-wala wala! her cake is worth EVERY cent. (13k for the cake)
my only regret is sharing the carrot-walnut cake. bwahahaha. i should've kept it all for myself.
The Sentimental Groove (we got Science of Sounds)
rating: 9 (on the day)
4 (prewedding..bagsak pramis)
really, if you can get another band to save you the stress of having production meetings arranged, go ahead and do it.
SOS inside the auditorium
pros:
- loved our singer, Aubrey (get her if you're getting them. we're the lucky ones who discovered her hehehe). TJ was great too.
- no hassles on the day. not a single one.
- ganda ng pagkanta ni Aubrey ng I feel for you ni Kyla, my bridal march. even the tanders na ngayon lang narinig yon were impressed.
- they sang Bless the Broken Road (by Rascal Flatts). hihihi. tuwang-tuwa ako kasi inaral tlga nila yun.
- our invocation was great. TSG style, The prayer sa umpisa, tas meh magsasalita (our Ninang Lorna) for the actual prayer, tas ending na kanta ulit. v.v. good.
sayawan time mom and tita
sayawan time with SOS!
strut time
cons:
- didn't hear a single barry white song. demmit. pero only because our program was moving pretty fast kasi lahat naman ng kinanta nila, (during dinner time) were on our list.
- the prewedding preps for TSG is a nightmare. do i have to enumerate? search nalang ng archives sa yahoogroups, andun lahat ng hinaing ko. basta, they need better client management if they want to stay long in the business.
- TJ sang this Our Father during the ceremony na well.. speechless ang guests kasi no one could join him. extremes are reaction.. some said super ganda, some said "watda?" lol.
Melissa Ferrer (emcee- 09189292862 - rate: 3k)
i only met Melissa personally on the day of our wedding. solely relied on the reviews of fellow w@wies. i didn't tell the tanders that or they would've freaked out! we finalized the program through email and YM only!
in-demand melissa
pros:
- easy breeeezzzyy to talk to.
- v. articulate, did a great job
- (some of my guests thought she was a personal friend! hehe)
- rate is v. affordable
- everyone enjoyed the games
sige lobo!
palakihan
garter time! kala nya yung lalake ang naglalagay hehe
cons:
- wala ko maisip.
Suthoniels (barong ni raymond, ni FIL, Eric (SS siya)
rating: 9 (recommended!)
contact person: ms. Cathy Suthoniel (09193393644)
met them at Megamall in the MegaTrade Center during a bazaar. 4.5k for raymond's barong.. pure piña siya, ethnic ang design and raya. 2k ata yung keh FIL (piña silk), 1k keh Eric (piña jusi).
pros:
- nadiscover ng Exclusively His na meh pinsize hole sa barong ni FIL. pinalitan ni ms. cathy even though nakabase sila sa Kalibo. pinalitan via LBC
- angat na angat ang burda ng barong ni raymond sa pictures. ganda!
cons:
-nagkakalituhan kami before kung san kami magmimeet para sa replacement ng barong..kasi she would go in Manila for a few days lang so hirap siyang i-meet.. in the end, via LBC lang din pala.
Invitations - don't know how to rate kasi iba iba supplier. lol! parang DIY na rin
..inserts from Recto (25bucks for 3 inserts)
..box from my Tita Penny (free, she's an exporter, she usually makes these by the thousands, so am not sure if i should give her number) i only specified that i wanted a 5x5 box, 1/2 " thick.
..painting of box by Ms. Marge of Artfinds (5 bucks each)
..maps by us, we did the Ribbon and tags
everyone absolutely RAVED about our invites. from the tanders, to my friends, officemates, they loved it! hihihi. katuwa! everyone thought malaki ang nagastos namin when less then 40 bucks lang siguro yun!
here's a separate entry in my blog regarding my invites.ArtFinds - Souvenirs for guests and principal sponsors (09167827324)
rating: 10
got this at 30 bucks each only.
this was priced at 350 per lamp. mga 1 1/2 feet tall toh.
hakot na ng Ninangs!
pros:
- v. cheap
- everyone loved it
- price included everything for the coasters.. ribbon and tag
- excellent work she did for our boxes
- ms. marge also designed our invite for free (she was the one who came up with color (burnt amber), the raffia ribbon, etc.. kala nyo creative kami ano? lol!)
Shoes (
Shoe Saloon at Glorietta. yep, Saloon not Salon)
rating: 10
pros:
-ganda diba? plus was surprisingly comfortable.. i bought a back-up pair but didn't need it.
cons:
-a bit expensive (for me).. 2.6k
FreeBra (lol..bat buh?)
rating: 10++ haha!
pros:
-v. cheap, my sister bought one at Greenhills for only 250 bucks
-stuck on like glue bwaahaha ndi ako kinabahan.
-khet flat parin ako as a boy, helped filled up my gown a bit! lol!
cons:
- wala! lol!
coordinators (
my sister's friends.. Free!)
rating: 8
bigatin mga coordinator ko.. 2 are doctors, 1 is a lawyer, the other a manager and my sister who is a process engineer. hehe, ayush! pro-bono work! lol.
pros:
- they're free! lol!
- for first timers, my guests said my wedding was v. organized
cons:
- my sister should've informed irish what was going on the Presidential Table. or parang hindi siya aware dun? arrgh ewan! lol!
hirap din naman tlga mag-ask ng favor sa kanila. kaya my advice, hire professionals! parang ndi ka mahihiya magrequest at magbilin.
*WHEWWWWWWWWW* grabe. did you know it took me almost a week to finish this? at hindi pa ako tapos.. honeymoon (Shang Mactan Island Resort and Alona Tropical and Alona Kew) supplier ratings to follow!!
v.v. huuuge thanks to Mama Benz and John who created weddingsatwork.com and the yahoogroup for b2bs. dami kong supplier nakuha from the reviews of fellow w@wies and everyone in the group was so helpful!
Thanks! and salamat sa mga nagbasa nito, ang tiyaga nyo! lol!
