Hello Sisses!
This review is SUPER late because my husband and I got so busy with work after the wedding pero I still want to post it as a way of thanking our suppliers and I hope na maging helpful pa din ito sa upcoming B2B’s.
Like W@W, GT has been a really helpful avenue for me during our wedding planning and I met a lot of awesome and cool brides here who were really instrumental in our decision-making and giving moral support too!
Here are some lessons/tips I learned from planning our wedding.
1. Know your priorities and limitations then set realistic expectations. If getting a great P/V supplier is on top of your list, check the portfolios of all your prospective teams and try to book one that’s within your set budget unless you feel that they’re really worth it. Baka kase you splurge on P/V and end up scrimping on your caterer so on the day ang ganda nga ng pictures pero gutom or unsatisfied naman ang guests on the day. Also, keep in mind that each wedding has its own personality. Your wedding will not be the same as someone else’s even if you have the same exact supplier list kase the couple, the guests and vibe are different pa rin.
Add to that na most of the time, you get what you pay for, so if you’re getting a photographer na 10k below, don’t expect na maging ala-Metrophoto ang pictures nyo.
2. Location. Location. Location. Be mindful of the location of your chosen church/venue/hotel. As much as possible, try to have them close to each other kase you’ll never know what may happen on the day especially with the kind of traffic we have here in Metro Manila. We booked our hotel 2 blocks away from our venue pero na-traffic pa din ako ng mga 20mins dahil may daan na nagbaha. Take note din na if your hotel is medyo malayo sa church/venue nyo, pwedeng mas maiksi ang pictorials since you have to give time and allowance for your travel duration. My coordinators were glad nga that we booked a hotel near Oasis kase they had a bride daw before na ang ganda nga ng hotel na kinuha pero ang layo naman sa venue so ang daming kinain na time nung byahe. Sayang yung time na productive sana.
3. PRAY. ALWAYS. When we set the date na July ang wedding namin, alam ko ng malaki ang chance na umulan on the day. I prayed a lot during our preps na sana wag umulan sa kasal namin. A few days before the wedding, sabe ng weather forecast uulan daw buong araw on our wedding day. On the night before the wedding, bumagyo ng bongga. Natulog ako na kumukulog/kidlat pa sa labas. Even nung morning at preps pictorial hindi pa din tumitila yung ulan. Our ceremony was scheduled at 4pm and nagtatanong na yung mga suppliers kung itutuloy pa ba namin yung setup sa garden ng Oasis or ililipat na sa loob ng Pavilion. Sabi ko na lang sa sarili ko na ayoko na pa-stress at kung plano talaga ipagkaloob saken ni Lord ang garden wedding na gusto ko, He will make a way. So I let Ayie take charge kung san gagawin ang ceremony since may tiwala ako sa discernment nya at mas marami syang experience sa ganto. Thankfully, it stopped raining after lunch and natuloy kame sa garden.
Pero during the ceremony, ang lakas ng hangin (which I guess is a good thing na din kase di kame kumuha ng air coolers so at least di nainitan yung guests
) tapos talagang dark grey yung kalangitan. I really consider it a miracle na walang pumatak na ulan during the whole ceremony at natapos kame ng matiwasay. May mga moments nga sa SDE namin na nahuhuli ko yung sarili ko na tumitingin sa langit. Inaabangan ko kase na baka biglang bumuhos yung ulan, but God is good and I felt that He really blessed us on our wedding day.
We had no stylist, lights & sounds, band even bridal car suppliers and most of the suppliers we booked ay puro basic services lang and yung iba promo pa kase we wanted to our wedding to reflect who we are as a couple na tamang simple at praktikal lang but syempre we wanted everything to be done well and organized pa rin kaya we are so grateful to most of our suppliers for not just meeting but exceeding our expectations.
OTD Coordination: Imbitado Events (http://imbitadoevents.com/)
Reception Host: Ayie Contreras-Tuates
Peso Power: 13,000 + 3,000 (hosting)
Rating: 10+!They have so many raves here on W@W and now I know why! Talagang naging stress-free ang wedding namin because of them. It’s no wonder na highly-recommended and kasama ulit sila sa W@W Top 5 last year. Sobrang maaasahan si Ayie and she always replies within 24 hours to any of our inquiries. Malaking tulong din na ang dami nyang kakilala in the wedding business at halos lahat ng suppliers namin nakatrabaho na nya so she knows kung pano i-approach or kausapin if may concern/issue kame sa kanila. Pati yung shadows namin ni hubby (Kat & Varna) were super pleasant to be with. Hindi nila kame pinabayaan and they were so attentive to our needs! Yung tipong hindi pa namin naiisip na kailangan, naka-prepare na sa kanila like giving us water, tissue or assisting with our things and they do it with all smiles.
I could feel the sincerity and passion in what they do. Feeling ko nga ako pa nagpa-stress sa kanila since I did not get a sylist or a bridal car, sila yung gumawa ng paraan para magkaron ako ng curtain entrance and car on the day. Hindi rin kame kumuha ng lights & sounds supplier dahil ayoko mag-bloat yung budget kaya ang nagsilbing technician namin is si Troy na hubby ni Ayie.
Props din sa hosting ni Ayie kase even our relatives from abroad enjoyed our program at magaling din sya sa time management. I have nothing but good words for the whole Imbitado team sa efficiency and dedication nila. If you got them for your wedding, you can be rest-assured that you’re in great hands.
Ceremony+Reception Venue: Oasis Manila Garden+Pavilion
Peso Power: 221,500 (package rate w/ Caterer & Cake supplier)
Rating: 6
Sila ang katangi-tanging supplier na nagbigay sa amin ng stress. The main reason we booked them is because sobrang lapit nila sa bahay ni hubby. Ayaw na kase naming mahirapan mag-byahe yung relatives nya kaya wala na kaming ibang tinignan bukod sa Oasis. I’ve shared my experience with them here and on my blog kaya di ko na ilalagay dito sa haba. I’m just glad na wala silang hassle na binigay sa’min on the day (thanks din to Ayie kase sinigurado nya na di kame mase-stress ng Oasis) and somewhat thankful na din kase hindi namin madi-discover yung caterer namin if not for them.
Catering+Ceremony & Reception Setup+Kid’s & Crew Meal: M Catering (http://mcatering.ph/)
Peso Power: Included in Oasis Package
Rating: 10+!
One thing we did not want to compromise on our wedding day was the food to be served. We wanted to make sure na mae-enjoy siya ng mga guests at walang uuwi ng gutom.
We were able to try 12(!!!) caterers during our preps and M Catering really stood out para sa’min. Their food was consistently good from initial to final hanggang wedding and they delivered above and beyond of what we expected.
Our guests enjoyed the food so much na marami sa kanila ang umulit sa buffet pero never kinulang at nakapag-uwi pa kami. Kahit tapos na yung wedding, we still have guests raving about the food.
The ceremony and reception setup were beautiful too! Sinabi ko lang sa kanila na I wanted to keep it very simple at basta black & white ang motif and they executed it wonderfully. Meron din namang mga very minor misses that I’m willing to overlook dahil sa satisfaction ko with their service. They gave us our garden set-up for free(!) and the flowers they used sa garden and reception were very fresh kaya hindi napigilan ng guests namin iuwi yung mga arrangements sa ganda.
Sobrang bago pa lang nila sa weddings when we booked them pero I had a lot of faith in their potential and true enough, hindi nila kame binigo kaya it really makes me happy na dumadami na ang clients nila and I hope mag-grow pa sila and ma-maintain yung excellent customer service nila.
Photobooth: Pose & Print (http://www.poseandprint.com/)
Peso Power: Included in Oasis Package
Rating: 8
As expected, maganda ang output ng Pose & Print. Ilang beses ko na silang na-encounter sa corporate events at lagi akong nagagandahan sa quality ng printing at pictures nila kaya nung nakita kong accredited sila ng Oasis, I booked them agad. Yun nga lang nung inupload nila sa facebook yung pics sa wedding namin, may mga mali yung sequence sa photos. Too bad nga lang na hindi na ata sila accredited ng Oasis. Not sure why pero may kutob ako Oasis ang may fault. Haha!
Cake: Hearts & Bells
Peso Power: Included in Oasis Package
Rating: 7Ok naman yung cake. Hindi sya sobrang sarap pero di naman sobrang sama. Siguro kase di ren ako mahilig sa mocha flavor pero we picked that dahil ayokong mag-stain sa teeth yung cake kase kung chocolate or red velvet at baka makita sa pictures. We just picked one from their catalogue then na-deliver naman na same sa picture. Yun nga lang nung cake-cutting, walang nagbanggit samin kung ano yung edible layer so nung tina-try naming hatiin yung cake, styro pala yung tinatamaan namin. Hehe
Hotel: Summit Hotel Magnolia (http://www.summithotels.ph/)
Peso Power: 12,500+
Details: 1 Suite+1 Super King Room for 2 nights each +FREE use of 2nd Suite for pictorial
Rating: 10+!Summit na yung pinaka-decent hotel na malapit sa Oasis kaya no-brainer choice sya. Add to that na they give a 30% discount pag Robinson Rewards Card holder.
Actually, 2 rooms lang talaga binook namin, isang Suite for me then Super King para kay hubby. Nung nag-check in na kame, we were informed by frontdesk na the room that I chose had a leak so ibang Suite na lang daw ibibigay sa’min which in turn became a blessing din kase they offered to us yung original Suite for pictorials since yun naman daw talaga ang pinili namin.
Kaya on the day, naging 3 yung occupied rooms, 1 for my family, 1 for hubby and another for the suppliers and for pictorials kaya hindi kame naging masikip in any of the rooms at naging komportable pa yung P/V team namin since maraming area to shoot.
Plus points that most of their décor is in black & white which is our theme too.
Photo: Blissful House Digital (http://www.blissfulhousedigital.com/)
Peso Power: 60,500 (promo rate: +E-session w/ Video & HMUA)
Rating: 10+!
We also had our Prenup Shoot with them and the review is located here:
http://countdownto070415.blogspot.com/2015/06/e-session-christian-faith.html They were the first supplier na dumating sa hotel and they started working agad.
Ang nakalagay sa contract namin is 2 photographers lang pero 3 sila on the day. Si Michael yung lead photographer then kasama niya si Bordz and Aika (madami na ding naging satisfied clients si Aika Guerrero dito from her days sa 3:11 Art Images and now she’s on her own na) kaya natuwa ako kase syempre that means more angles and shots for us.
Lahat sila professional and ok kasama. We also loved all our pictures! Sobrang na-appreciate ko sila kase maulap at makulimlim during our ceremony, hindi mo mahahalata sa pictures sa galing nila.
Kahit dun sa mga raw files, maganda at vibrant yung mga kuha. I think sobrang natuwa din sila sa miracle weather on our wedding day kase they gave us a surprise Photo SDE!
Hindi sya part ng package namin kaya sobra-sobra ang tuwa ko when they presented it to us. It was truly one of the best gifts we received that day.
I’m really thankful to Michael and his team for their awesome work and for making our wedding very special.
Video: Framestream (https://www.facebook.com/framestream/)
Peso Power: Included in BHD Package
Rating: 8
Hindi naman ako masyadong particular sa video and since super sulit nung package namin with BHD, hindi na rin ako nag-demand ng specific videographer on the day. Medyo bago pa nga lang sila so may room improvement but overall maganda naman for me yung output nila. Mabait yung team nila and kalog kaya chill lang yung atmosphere.
May potential din sila and eager to shoot. Nagustuhan ko yung mga moments na na-capture nila and at the end of the day, the SDE still highlights us, not the scenery or the details, but US as a couple.
HMUA: MV Balo w/ Joseph Soliveres
Peso Power: Included in BHD Package
Details: Prenup Makeup (3 looks), Airbrush Makeup for Bride on wedding day+2nd look+3 entourage
Rating: 9MV is our photographer’s wife and matagal na din syang makeup artist.
They make a really good team ni Michael kase alam na nila yung routine ng isa’t-isa so maayos yung flow ng schedule. Nagustuhan ko din yung portfolio ni MV kaya nung nakita ko yung tie-in promo nila, hindi kame nag-atubiling i-book sila dahil ang laking savings nung package for us. Nagustuhan ko yung make-up saken kase natural pa din yung dating nya at tamang enhancement ng features. Hindi ko kase bet yung todo-transformation/alteration dahil I want the guest to notice me and not the makeup. Meron kase ako’ng nakikita na ang feedback is “Ang ganda ng makeup mo” instead of “Ang ganda mo” kaya good job si MV dun for me.
Si Joseph naman ang in charge sa hair ko and sya ang nag-2nd look sa’ken. No issues with me din kase sya nag-make up saken nung prenup at may skills din talaga sya.
Mabilis, on-time and easy breezy lang lahat kaya I’m very satisfied with their output.
Floral Arrangements: Fullblooms by Inah (https://www.facebook.com/fullbloomsbyinah/)
Peso Power: 12,500 (total of 54 floral arrangements)
Rating: 10Ate Inah is the sweetest supplier ever! Sobrang gaan ng loob ko sa kanya and I consider her as my fairy godmother kase nung una sobrang nahihiya ako to ask for a discount dahil nga ang liit lang ng budget namin for flowers pero she made me feel so comfortable. Ang bait and generous nya in person and plus points if you’re an Imbitado bride pa kase close sila ni Ayie.
Kaya everything was smooth on the day. Right on time dumating yung flowers at ang fresh at blooming talaga! Even my PV team complimented the flowers kase parang bagong bukadkad lang at walang bahid ng lanta kahit na all-white Ecuadorian roses ang bouquet ko. Kahit yung sa mga secondary sponsors ang ganda! To be honest, medyo nalakihan nga ako kase ilang kembot pa pang-bridal na yung bouquet nila! Haha! Pero I guess that shows na din na hindi talaga tinitipid ni Ate Inah ang clients niya and she really puts love and effort in her work.
Bridal Gown & Groom’s Suit: Roxoanne Bagano-Dizon Couture (https://www.facebook.com/baganocouture/)
Peso Power: 28,000 (Gown) + 9,000 (Suit)
Rating: 10+Roxy is part of the 2015 Top 5 W@W suppliers for a reason. Ang tagal ko bago nag-decide kase nga ayokong gumastos ng malaki sa gown at natatakot ako dahil baka di kaya ng budget ko si Roxy at akala ko intimidating sya pero when I finally set an appointment with her, napalagay ang loob ko at nagka-THIS IS IT moment ako sa sketch nya.
Sabe ko nga kay Roxy kahit yung pang-ninang lang na long-sleeves tapos gawin nyang white ok na saken kase nagtitipid talaga ako pero dahil siguro nakita ni hubby na gusto ko na talaga si Roxy eh pumayag na sya na i-stretch yung budget ko at kay Roxy na din sya nagpagawa ng suit. I indicated na kahit yung cheapest material lang at kahit walang beading or embroidery para di tumaas yung presyo pero nung nasuot ko na yung gown nagulat ako kase it exceeded my expectations and my gown got a lot of compliments din.
Hubby was satisfied with his suit too. Pulido at malinis yung tailoring and I learned from Ayie na yung family ni Roxy ay nag-start with making suits back then pa. It’s good din na Roxy has a new office in Makati kase maraming construction dun sa area nila before sa Pasay so mas convenient na for clients puntahan sya.
Female Entourage Attire: Cheesecake Infinity Dresses (https://www.facebook.com/CheesecakeInfinityDress/)
Peso Power: 11,900 (1 floor-length & 9 knee-length dresses)
Rating: 6Communication with Agie was ok and she shipped the dresses early so my abays were able to get & fit the dresses early. I was just so disappointed with the output. Majority of the dresses had rough edges on the panels and uneven stitching sa hemline.
Parang bara-bara ginawa at may off sa workmanship. Buti na lang black yung dresses so you won’t really notice those flaws. Nahiya lang talaga ako sa mga abay ko lalo na that one of my sister-in-laws is a start-up fashion designer with her own line na kaya hassle na magbigay ng subpar quality dresses.
Invitations: Print Divas (https://www.facebook.com/printdivas/)
Peso Power: 2,100 (50 sets 4x9 w/ RSVP card & Monogram stickers + 200 TY cards)
Rating: 6Since invites were not our priority, we opted for the cheapest package we could find. We just picked from their templates and I made changes lang sa fonts and layout. Ok naman yung output considering the price. There were some minor miscommunications nung una but na-settle din naman since wala naman kame masyadong requests but if you’re wanting to have more detailed and customized invites, I think it’s better to get a different supplier.
Giveaways: Homemade Polvoron
Peso Power: N/A. Pagmamahal lang.
Rating: 10+!My mother usually makes polvoron for family & friends during the holidays so she made our giveaways as her gift to us.
We bought the ingredients and packaging materials from Divisoria kaya ang laking tipid for us and nagustuhan din sya ng guests. Kaya huge thanks to my mother and my friends for working on our only DIY items and providing support all throughout the preps.
It’s been months since we’ve been married and my husband and I still look back at our wedding with happiness kase nakita at naramdaman namin how everything we planned and worked hard for fell into place wonderfully. It also brought us closer and made me appreciate all the more how awesome our teamwork can be.
I hope and pray that all the other bride-to-be’s here get their dream wedding too and may you all have a blessed marriage with lots of blissful years to come!
Photo SDE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qajs0pFwjhMVideo SDE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXM4P-5Xiew
