OTD Wedding Coordinator (Part 4)

[kateguerzon08]

^ wacky18, some things I asked my OTD coordinator before I booked her:

• How many weddings does your team handle? Is it a 1:1 ratio (one wedding only per day)?
• How does your team manage unexpected guests?
• What specific services do you offer? [For this they should provide you a detailed breakdown of what is and what isn't included in their package.] Do you handle RSVP management? If not, what is the additional cost?
• Is your rate limited to x number of guests? If we exceed x number, what is the additional charge?
• How many are you in the team? Who will be the overall head for the day?
• What was the most difficult wedding you've worked on? -- I use this to get an overall feel of their experience and what they consider as 'difficult'
• Have you worked with <supplier name>? -- for me kasi, important that my suppliers know each other esp the OTD coordinator! Siya kasi magiging event manager for the day so she needs to work with everyone

Hope this helps

sis reese17, pakopya ng mga tanong mo, idagdag ko sa mga itatanong namen sa meetup with sir lowell on saturday..salamat sis! 

[reese17]

^ sure thing! basta my tip is to treat it like you're really interviewing them. My OTD package includes unlimited email consultations pala as well as supplier recommendations so if this is something yours can offer, super sulit. Agnes pointed me to stylists/florists that would fit my budget kasi (complete with contact details pa!)

[wacky18]

sis reese17, thanks so much! hindi namin naitanong yung ibang stuff diyan, lalo na yung handling unexpected guests. oo nga, important din yun. sige, noted para sa next inquiries namin.

sis kateguerzon08, interviewing coords pa kami e. next March pa naman kami kaya medyo chillax pa nung una sa paghahanap. pero after talking to some of my newly-wed friends, sakto lang na ngayon kami naghahanap ng coord kasi yung iba booked na rin until December next year. we'll also meet with 7ten5 sometime soon, though di ko pala sure kung si sir lowell makakausap namin. share ko na lang din yung ibang comments namin after we meet with them. good luck din sa coord-hunting niyo!

[LingMVL]

Hey, sis. I already booked my OTD 7ten5 but here are the results of my research based on reviews here on GT and my own interviews. Baka lang maka-tulong.

OTD's I met/chatted with:

7ten5 Events (9k) - many rave reviews; was very easy to talk to, answered all queries well
Passion Events Inc (14k) - rave reviews; I loved their bride's PA, Nina. I felt that she should be the team leader since she seemed like she knew how to handle situations and talk to people. She's also very knowledgable about processing documents (for those who need help with that). I'm not sold on the rest of the team though.
Imbitado Events (15K) - many rave reviews
Events Embassy (15k) - was very professional during the meeting but lacked personal connection (for me)
Styled Celebrations (18k) - Kits Diaz is a veteran, but ultimately I wasn't sold on her.
Events & Elements (18.5k) - many rave reviews; very professional even on chat

OTD's I did not get to meet:

Alalay Ko (18k)
Kredin (18k-25k for 2015)
Canaan Celebrations (30k)
Ruby Ines (35k) - good reviews
Events Republic (15k)
Getting Married/ Kutchie Zaldarriaga (42k)
Bride's Maids & Co (50k)
The Wedding Studio (18k)
Alpha Events (15k) - there have been some negative reviews but I have had no personal experience with them to speak of[/list][/list]

[kateguerzon08]

yey! thanks sis reese17 

sis LingMVL, pasok na pasok ang rate ng 7ten5 events mo ah, hihi..sana ganyan din maging rate ko sa kanila 

will post here magiging outcome ng meeting namen with sir lowell on saturday, excited na ko, sana maging ok

[LingMVL]

To be honest, we narrowed down our choices to 3: Events & Elements, Passionevents, and 7ten5. Each of them had something to offer that no one else had, without even considering their rates. All of them I felt would be very very good with the job.

At the end of the day, we went for Sir Lowell because he had the most number of rave reviews ANYWHERE (none of the 3 had negative reviews), he was very humble during the interview, he had a very calming effect on me, and huli na lang yung rate niya Siyempre, I won't lie. The money I lost earlier at a bad booking, I considered it as added cost to OTD so that our budget for it was less than it was originally. I was a little scared of his low rates at first, and my sister was also very skeptical. But I was intrigued enough about everything that I heard about him and still looking to save money, so I went to meet him.

[juwie]

I also had to change my coordinator and had to forego our downpayment. But no regrets since mas magaan ang loob ko sa coord ko now and i really feel that i can trust them with my wedding. having a reliable coord is a great wedding investment 😉

[peachlipstick]

Hi sis juwie , sino ang coordinator mo before? And would it be okay if you tell us why you had to change suppliers?

[fantabulous]

Hi mga sis!

I was a 7ten5 bride, and let me put it this way: we also liked Lowell upon meet-up, but their service was not excellent. We got him for OTD and because we were hands-on with preps, we thought an OTD was the best way to go. They were not awful, but their inexperience really showed. I think I would have liked a coordinator who had a strong personality, one who could command attention. Lowell kasi is not like that. In the end, the coordinators became simply "runners," tagabuhat ng train ko, taga-fan sayo when it became too hot. They were efficient in the small details naman, like make sure that the trinkets used in church were returned to you, that the leftovers were packed and given away, that the wedding favors were all given away properly. So we did not have any problems during the reception, although I would have really wanted someone with a strong personality. Their weakness during our wedding showed during the wedding ceremony itself: my maid of honor and bridesmaid were not able to march. Though this was partly the MOH and bridesmaid's fault, the coordinator should have also made sure the entourage was complete as there were only a few people in the entourage.

[fantabulous]

Anyway, for 7ten5 brides just make sure you prepare a very detailed list of things to do for them, and if possible to identify who among them are assigned to which tasks. At the end of the reception, some guests were asking me if I had a coordinator, a question which surprised me. It only meant that the coordinator team was not visible at all. I also wish they had a uniform of some sort, which would have stood out.

[sparklingjewel]

^fantabulous thanks for this! Our veteran coordinator has a very strong personality even over chat and the first time ever that we conversed, i got a little bit intimidated whenever she would tell me this and that would not work well under my reception conditions. Imagine, i had only just named my venue and caterer to her, and our date, and she would tell me agad that this works or this wont! I felt a little bad na parang may opinion na kaagad, and i felt bossed around and i haven't even met her personally. Now i realize, baka she just really knows her thing and was trying to help me honestly so i dont waste my time conceptualizing things that wont work. Hehe so may use din pala yung strong personality. So glad to hear this!

As for your guests not realizing you had a coor-- ilan ba sila?! Exag na di sila mapansin, unless they were also in formal wear and heels. It just means they are not on top of things (esp where the guests are), or are reaaally good at working in stealth haha

[belle_v2g]

Madaming 7ten5 brides dito sa GT.. Hopefully mapag usapan nila with the head coordinator yung lahat ng pinoint out dito ni sis fantabulous para walang mamiss during the event.. and just keep in mind na kahit hindi naging ok ang performance kina sis fantabulous doesn't necessarily mean na hindi sila magiging okay sa wedding nyo. Maganda din if you open up about what you heard/read here para it can be avoided.

[kateguerzon08]

omg! negative feedback na kay 7ten 5 
sis fantabulous kelan yun wedding mo? na-broughtup mo ba kay sir lowell yun feedback mo regarding sa naging performance nila on your wedding day? ano naman sabi niya? sana moving forward they made a lesson out of your feedback and strived to improve..isama ko nga din to sa mga paguusapan namen on saturday, like mga scenarios na ganon..and then i'll come up din with list of things regarding my wedding..hope everything will turn out fine..thanks sa feedback sis

[yannuh]

salamat sa feedback sis fantabulous! Medyo alarming sya omg! Pero i will be very specific sa mga task na ibibigay ko kay Lowell at sa team nya. I will also take note dun sa dress color coding para nga naman me visibility sila sa guests at madaling lapitan pag me kailangan. We'll be having a second meeting this June and eensure kong walang ma miss na details.

[janagirl]

Hi mga sis, I got to attend also an event by 7ten5. Though hindi sya wedding, parang triple celebration yung event. 70th & 75th birthday ng couple and 50th anniversary din nila. I just noticed that during the entrance, one of the coordinators who were guiding the family, masyado ng nakadikit sa kanila. Na halos sinamahan nya na sa red carpet until makarating sa seat nila. For me it's a no-no, since pag ganon, makikita sa camera yung coordinator na naglalakad din sa red carpet, and it's a grand entrance for the family na dapat solo nila ang moment. I think pwede naman nila sabihan before the entrance na ganito dapat or dito sila pupunta, but not naman escortan na nya halos. Though i think, the coordinator meant no harm naman, she thought probably na ginagawa nya lang ang job nya. Simple observation lang naman to mga sis, i didn't know the feedback mismo ng family during that event because guest lang din ako. By the way, si Lowell din pala yung host during the event and for me, okay naman yung hosting nya non.

[juwie]

Hi sis juwie , sino ang coordinator mo before? And would it be okay if you tell us why you had to change suppliers?

Will send you PM, sis.

[LingMVL]

Thanks sis fantabulous for your honest reviews! I guess it really is too good to be true for any supplier to not have a single negative critique about them. Honestly, sa akin siguro, I would rather deal with their issues than with the issues of my previous of OTD or with the others na talagang hindi ko nagustuhan interview pa lang. Thanks also for the advice. Will make sure to take note of all of them when it's my turn with 7ten5. One good thing about Sir Lowell, is that I found na madali siyang kausap.

[donya_dyosa]

awww.. may nega comment sina 7ten5 ,, at least future brides open this up with 7ten5..
sa mga sablay sa wedding namin.. kahit maghanap ako ng masisisi... its still me and my husband talaga ang may kasalanan.. lalo na nung si mom ko... sinabihan na ng 7ten5 na antayin ako sa harap ayun umupo agad kasi nakita kapatid nya chikachika agad di man lang ako binigay sa mister ko.. kaloka... sobrang blame ko self ko kasi once ko lang siya nasabihan na magantay... eh akala ko alam naman nya di pala.. hehe..
sa veil sponsor ko naman dahil sobrang last minute ang changes, nakalimutan nung assigned veil sponsor na siya yon yung isang bridesmaid tuloy ang napatayo.. siguro kung sa ibang bride nangyari ito baka nagalit na sa otd or something.. pero sakin carry lang naman.. masaya naman ang lahat =)

[fantabulous]

Well, this is not an indictment of Lowell because he is really an easy guy to talk to. This is an evaluation of the team's performance. Because Lowell is easy to talk to, future brides can and should discuss their requirements carefully with him. He is receptive to suggestions. And hubby and I suggest to list everything you want your coordinators to do, as in all the small details are important.

[yannuh]

noted on that sis fantabulous, thanks for the tips:)