This post is also on W@W pero sharing it here na din since W@W & GT are my favorite resource and support groups.

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The Kuripot B2B’s Prenup Supplier Review
Hello Sisses!
We had our prenup photoshoot last April 19 and I finally found time to create a supplier review and share our experience.

This is a given, pero reminder pa rin syempre that this will be a LONG READ.

)
Syempre may tips muna.

1. Research, research and more research.

2. Book a supplier that you feel comfortable with. Yung kahit sa inquiry or meeting pa lang ay palagay ang loob mo.
3. Hindi kailangan gumastos ng malaki to get good results. Minsan nasa diskarte lang ng couple at suppliers yan. Damit lang at pagkain/inumin ang ginastos naming for our shoot. No bongga props, no venue fees, no styling. Sakto naman na sobrang simple lang kame ni h2b kaya we want our prenup photos to reflect our personalities too.
4. PRAY. 30-mins in our prenup shoot, biglang kumulimlim at umambon. Sobrang kinabahan ako kase karamihan ng shots naming ay outdoors pero I really prayed hard and thank God, after 10mins ay hindi natuloy yung ulan. Naabutan pa namin ang golden hour and most of our favorite shots happened during that time.

Here are some pictures from the shoot:
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/f8_78/Christian%20and%20Faith%20Esession/story Note that all these pictures are RAW. Straight from the cam with no edits. ^_^
Photo: Blissful House Digital (http://www.blissfulhousedigital.com/)
Photographers: Michael Balo & Sherwin Villaester
Rating: 5Medyo Mahabang Side-Kwento: I’ve been an active w@w and GT lurker na nagco-comment din paminsan-minsan lalo na kung makakatulong with my preps. A few months back, may isang W@W sis who had a not-so pleasant encounter with Michael, our head photographer. I won’t go into details na pero I think nagkaron ng miscommunication issue on both sides which could’ve been resolved peacefully pero nag-escalate unnecessarily. I do empathize with the b2b, pero what saddened me was the negative comments about BHD na galing from those na hindi naman sila nakatrabaho or naging client. Sa online communities, we really have to be careful about sa mga binibitawan nating salita at wag tayong nagpapadala sa mob mentality. Naiintindihan ko naman na some of the sisses only wanted to comfort the b2b pero sana wag nating gawin in a way na nakakapagpa-worry naman sa ibang clients. There were some comments pa about their style and output which I found off-putting kase how can you criticize the work of someone you haven’t worked with di ba? Add to that na makakaiba tayo ng preference when it comes to p/v’s. I’m glad na I was able to talk to Michael about my concerns and he was able to address it naman. He’s not really the type who can be chummy and friendly ng todo pero I know na may passion sya sa craft nya and that’s enough reassurance for me. He has also been shooting recently with Oly Ruiz’s team (Metrophoto) kaya naniniwala ako sa professionalism nya kase I don’t think Sir Oly would want to associate himself with someone na sketchy ang ugali and portfolio. Anyway, this is a gentle reminder and feedback lang to our sisses here sooooo.. back to the prenup!

Maaga sila dumating sa assigned meeting place naming. Kakatapos ko lang maligo nag-text na sila na andun na sila sa kanto kung saan ko sila imi-meet since paloob pa yung location. The shoot lasted for about 3.5 hours with 3 looks. Happy and light lang ang atmosphere throughout the shoot. They guided us kung pano mag-pose kase di talaga kame marunong mag-project ni h2b pero habang tumatagal, mas naging comfortable na kame in front of the camera. Si Michael ang main photographer then si Sherwin ang parang back-up nya. Medyo mainit din nung nag-shoot kame pero never silang nagreklamo kahit pawis na sila tsaka nakita ko that they really want to get the best shot as much as possible. Madaming dalang camera si Michael at di sya nag-settle sa isa lang. Papalit-palit sya ng camera depending on the scene at dun ko rin na-appreciate talaga ang natural light kase iba ang nagagawa nya sa pictures. Minsan pag may shot sya na nagagandahan sya, pa-pause muna sya para ipakita kung gano kaganda at may mga shots talaga na napapa-wow kame ni h2b sa linaw.

I really want to commend them kase the prenup venue we chose was very simple lang pero they made it look really picturesque. Pati yung mga kamag-anak namin namangha kase they are very familiar with the place pero BHD shot it in a way that brought out the beauty of the venue. We are very pleased with the shots at mas kampante ako sa kanila na they will do well on our wedding too because of our prenup experience.
HMUA: Joseph Soliveres
Rating: 4
Inclusions: Traditional Make-Up for 3 looks + Grooming for GroomSi MV Balo talaga ang kasama sa package namin with BHD since sya ang wife ni Michael and madalas talaga sila mag-tie up promo but recently she’s been busy with their newborn so ang sinama nila ay yung parang assistant ni MV na si Joseph. Usually kase si Joseph ang sa hairdo tapos si MV sa makeup pag magkasama sila sa event though in-assure naman ako ni Michael na si MV ang gagawa sa wedding namin. Mabait at tahimik lang si Joseph. Maganda naman yung makeup nya saken though I believe may room pa sya for improvement. I think ang forte nya talaga is hair. I tie my hair in a ponytail everyday dahil buhaghag and unmanageable at dahil kuripot nga ako, hindi ko sya pinapaayos regularly sa salon at hinahayaan ko lang syang magulo. Haha! Pero nagawa ni Joseph na i-ayos yung buhok ko na naka-lugay at maganda kaya good job sya saken dun.
Venue: Manila Bible SeminaryDi ko na ‘to ire-rate kase may sentimental value sya sa’ken. This is a Christian seminary where I studied in college.

Kahit before pa, ayoko talagang gumastos for a prenup venue. It’s not the prettiest or classiest venue pero it’s very practical for many reasons:
1) Location. Sa Novaliches, Quezon City lang siya so no OOT fee.

Aside from that, it’s a 3-min walk from my grandparents’ home kaya dun na ang naging preps place namin for hair and makeup at dun na rin kame nag-lunch and dinner.
2) Theme. Si h2b ay nag-aral sa UPIS from kinder to HS at UP ng college so naging option samin before ang UPd at dahil hardcore 90’s kids kame, gusto sana namin ng back-to-school theme. Kaso kailangan pa ng permit at fee kung sa UP tapos pili lang ang lugar na pwede mag-shoot. Medyo marami na din akong nakitang prenup na sa UP ginawa kaya mas gusto ko na sa iba naman. Since seminary nga ang venue namin, may classrooms at chairs kame na pwedeng gamitin without restrictions kaya swak sya sa theme. We can shoot pa anywhere we want na walang mga taong padaan-daan sa paligid.
3) Fee. Walang siningil samen.

Though I still gave them a simple monetary “love gift” as support ko na din sa seminary but nothing compulsory or set na fee.
Outfits: OwnSince ayaw namin na may nasasayang na gamit, we made sure that the outfits we bought would be pieces na pwede namin isuot ulet in the office or for other occasions. Nagagandahan ako sa mga prenups na gown and suit and if I had the budget, I would’ve went for that route, pero dahil nga wala, puro casual lang.

1) Koreanovela keme – Mahilig kame pareho ni h2b sa Asian culture kaya we opted for a koreanovela/jdorama vibe. Kahit summer kame nag-shoot, pinush talaga naming yung turtleneck tops. Hehe
2) School uniform – The uniform I’m wearing is the actual HS uniform of my alma mater. Nakihiram lang ako sa kapitbahay.

Yung kay h2b naman, plain white polo and slacks lang.
3) Light & Bright – People know me as someone who’s very boyish na lageng naka-dark colors and pants so I thought it would be nice to be girly even for a day.

Also, since shared love namin ni h2b ang music at isa sa mga nagustuhan ko sa kanya ay ang skill nya sa pag-gitara, I asked him to bring his acoustic guitar para may props kame kahit isa lang.
Para saken, advantage na hindi madaming props or may fancy setup yung prenup namin. Kase it made the photographers focus on us instead of the details. Our prenup is very much our own because it shows our simplicity and happiness together. Kaya mga sisses, make sure that your prenup complements you talaga as a couple pagdating sa feel and vibe.
Personal Assistants: Sister and CousinsI’m really glad na my sister and cousins helped out during the shoot. Sila yung tumulong samen magbitbit ng gamit, kumuha ng refreshments at nag-assist sa ano mang kailangan namin. Naging happy din yung vibe ng shoot kase chinichika at nakikipagkulitan sila sa photographers at lightsman. May mga solo shots tuloy sila na nakasingit sa raw files namin. Hehe I’m super thankful sa kanila kase kahit wala kaming stylist, malaking tulong yung extra set of hands during the shoot.
Food: Lutong-BahayWe did the shoot during the weekend of my birthday so may konting handaan sa bahay ng grandparents ko. Dun ko natutunan na suppliers really prefer home-cooked food kase for lunch, nagpadeliver muna kame ng pizza kase for dinner pa yung handa pero mas pinili pa nila yung ulam na niluto nung morning kesa pizza. Bumawi naman kame for dinner kase nagluto ng crispy pata at papaitan yung tita ko at kitang-kita sa kanila yung gratification dahil lutong-bahay ang handa namin.

Kung nakaabot ka sa part na ‘to ng aking review, maraming salamat for taking time to read my ramblings.

I started making this review last month pa pero ngayon ko lang sya natapos due to work and a lot of other stuff happening. Naunahan tuloy ako ni Toni at Paul na maglabas ng pictures! Aliw kase yung shoot nila with Pat Dy at Mark Nicdao dahil medyo parang samen with the black & white w/ jeans outfits pati yung turtlenecks.

Anyway, 3 weeks to go na lang for us and I’m feeling the pressure na! Sobrang halo na kaba at excitement!
Shoutout to my fellow July bride-to-be’s and happy preps to all our sisses!
