What's the best and worst decision you've made through wedding preps?

[anneshirley]

Hey girls! I'm not yet halfway through my wedding preps but wanted to check with you:

What has/had been the best and/or worst decision you (and/or your fiance) have made through your own wedding preps?

[barbeecue]

i dilly-dallied in booking my first choice of caterer. i didnt book them agad. when i was ready to book them na 2 weeks after our food tasting, someone else had already taken the last slot.

i didnt listen to my photographer & videographer regarding prenup location. i listened to my stylist. don't get me wrong, the stylist is really good & she picked out a very pretty location for prenup pictures (an artsy cafe). yun nga lang, masyado limited yung angles for a prenup video. so now, we need to add another day of shooting for the prenup video = that means more gastos (hmua, additional set of clothes, food, transpo) had i listened to my photo & video team, we could've done the shoot in one day lang. the good thing we'll be getting out of that is magiging very different yung shots for the prenup photos vs the prenup video

my wedding is on feb 2016 pa kaya for now ito palang yung "mistakes" ko. nasa wedding prep stage pa rin kami.

[120515]

best decision - planning early

because we started our preparations a year in advance, we have enough time to plan and complete our diy projects for the wedding.

[sparklingjewel]

Hmm shallow ones lang but this is what i thought of so far:

Worst
- Visiting a very affordable shop for my ento gowns to inquire and have them sketch for me. When i got there, they said they will email the sketches to me next week but I have to pay reservation fee upfront for them to reserve my slot. Since it was a minimal amount and the gowns are super affordable, nagpa-pressure ako and paid. The following week when the sketches were sent, super sablay, layo sa pinag-usapan. To cut the long story short i was able to get my dp back and now booked with a much better designer, thank God. Lesson learned, never book on impulse or only because of price! Baka mapahamak pa yung wedding day na pinaghirapan mo i-plan.

- Not exactly the worst but.. limiting yourself in terms of considering options. At first we tried hard to find an ideal garden venue within Manila. About 6-7 oculars later and still disappointed, my fiance pushed me to consider Tagaytay (ayaw ko sana malayo). We did a 1-day ocular and i was amazed how beautiful the venues there were! Mas pasok sa ideal setup namin. But we didn't get our top choice of date anymore because booked na. Had we done ocular earlier baka available pa, and i regretted the wasted time & energy going all over Rizal, QC, Marikina, Pasig, etc! So be open-minded from the very start.

Best
- If there is a certain supplier you really really like, and you feel there are few in the same price range who you will like as much, book them na agad bago maunahan! Just make sure you mesh well with their personalities too. I only considered 3 options for photo and 2 for video before we booked our top choice. That is very few, considering I had gone to about 8 designers for my gown and about 6 stylists before booking. No regrets!

- Being flexible in the budget--- we overspent for a LOT of things we wanted very early on... Venue (+53%), Video (+20%), OOT Prenup video (+45%), the fiance's (imported) suit (+35%), Styling (+65%), Accommodations (+100% kasi naging 2 nights), Ento gowns (+33%), etc. but we are still within budget because I managed to cut back significantly on other things--- Rings (-48%), my gown (-20%), dome tent (-55%), entourage gifts, etc while still being happy with what we got. Akala ko talaga super magover kami. Don't be afraid to splurge but bawiin mo somewhere later.

[belle_v2g]

best decision - increasing our headcount and inviting all the people who are dear to us; allocating a budget to suppliers who are worth the investment; availing a partial coordination coz someone can do some legwork on our absence, and the best i could think of is our decision to get married under civil union prior coz I didn't have to worry about paperwork during the church wedding, i just focused on supplier bookings and such which is less stressful.

worst decision - NIL.

[yannuh]

best decision:
*booked suppliers that we genuinely love:)


worst decisions:

*booking a mobile bar in a wedding fair, first time to attend one kaya naexcite pa, was not yet a member of w@w and GT that time, paying the full amount and now hinahabol namin sila kasi ang hirap kontakin:(

[anneshirley]

I love the variety of responses, learning a lot!

Thanks so much girls, keep 'em coming! I'll share my own when we start really going into the preps!

[reese17]

Best decision - not committing to/buying a wedding gown right away. I had my eyes set on a RTW gown by Rosa Clara but it was going to cost Php125k and though it was sooo lovely, I couldn't justify spending that much on a dress I'd only wear for 12 hours. My mom offered to buy it for me but I went with a local designer who is just as talented. We got wedding rings instead which we can wear everyday!

Worst decision - like Chili, maybe being too impulsive in booking a wedding venue. Enderun is nice and all but I also would have wanted a smaller and more intimate wedding at Antonio's. Oh well!

[sparklingjewel]

^Antonio's! Always reminds me of Bea Soriano's chic wedding <3

Reese17, a friend of mine just got Enderun also for her Jan 2016 wedding. Hehe i think maganda talaga there. I wish fiance and I could have checked it out too during ocular.

[belle_v2g]

^chili and reese, i booked my bridal gown designer and photographer on impulse, yet they ended up doin a wonderful job.. I believe your venues will serve you well on your big day.

^anneshirley, when is your wedding? you will notice varying responses depending on individual preferences. you'll learn a lot here.

best decision - planning early
because we started our preparations a year in advance, we have enough time to plan and complete our diy projects for the wedding.

-i so agree to this, kaya i convinced my friend to start booking as early as now even if wedding is 1.5 yrs away

[chiarm]

BEST - prioritizing food
Our wedding was on a Monday and I had everyone follow formal dress code. So dapat lang mag-enjoy sila sa reception
Plus, I believe weddings are too special to have an "ok lang" food served.

WORST - giving chance for a supplier to deliver
Hay naku, we had he worst coordinator team! I posted details in the Suppliers Review thread
Any hint of doubt, don't go through with a supplier.

[shygirlme]

Best decision - suppliers who never gave us sakit sa ulo.

Worst decision - venue and caterer. Venue naghanap ako ng mura. Ayun di ko naisip yung traffic. At sana as early as my engagement nagdecide kami to have intimate wedding. Yung close lang talaga ininvite. Di ko ininvite yung ibang kamag anak na di ko naman close. Di na sana namin inisip mga magtatampo. Caterer. Sana di ako naging tamad dumayo sa FTs. Ayun di sulit bayad sa nakuha namin. Sana talaga intimate wedding nalang kami. Tipong laid back wedding. Hay!

[thekitchenbride]

Best decision - getting our coordinator Knots Elemental events management, no words can express how great they are! Superb! They will worry everything else for you. Also i think the best decision was to buy a wedding gown than to had it made, less stress and hassle of fitting and worrying about time. 

Worst decision - not getting a backup hmua. Since we were already disappointed with her during the prenup. We still hoped she was professional on the day itself, but still late as ever. Talent is not enough if the person does not honor commitments.

[caleeice]

^That's so true sis! When I had problem with my previous HMUA and was on the fence whether to get a new one, my officemate said to go with my gut feel. I'm so glad I did!

For brides and grooms here, when you feel that something isn't right, maybe something really isn't. Explore alternatives while you still can. It might save you from stress and regrets later on

[hunny]

Best decision - deciding to change my HMUA to the one I felt more comfortable with

Worst decision - hiring the OTD coordinator/host on the basis of a friend's recommendation alone. I should have researched more and hired a more affordable yet more professional choice. I'm butting heads with the current one I have.

[yannuh]

Ang dami pa lang nagchang ng HMUA. Hai ako din less than 2 mos before the wedding nagpalit na. Sana oks sken si Nini☺️ Magaan kausap and polite and ok din ang portfolio.

[fuzzy_pink]

Worst decision - ang dami ko nasayang na bookings - mango farm, emperor events center, other suppliers dahil lang napaka fickle minded ko

Best Decision - lowering our wedding budget para 2 parts ang honeymoon namin at excited na kami to buy our house/condo and car. (God willing)