School days: they're here again. And I did the unbelievable: finished my registration in half a day! My classes will be on Tuesday and Thursday nights. This, on top of the growing work load daily.
It's the second week of June already, and though nothing on this blog seems new, I assure you that something new happens everyday: a project proposal gets rejected, another gets approved; a client complains to the high heavens, another sticks us, another praises us. This roller coaster of events drains me daily. It's a wonder I find the strength to go to badminton. Then again, it's exactly what I need.
Today we mounted a successful event: a knowledge harvesting initiative we helped develop and organize. It was one well-attended affair. The room was packed with professional staff from all departments. They all stayed til the end of the presentation. They were all enthusiastic about the initiative and kept asking questions. And even though I was standing and filming for more than an hour, I was so happy about the outcome. I can't wait to edit the video!
That was on top of a hectic week: prospecting, following up, negotiating with other clients and clients-to-be. But it's all good. At least the weekend's here. And a long one at that. I can't wait to sleep all day tomorrow. And Sunday maybe. And finish my Paris entry once and for all.
Sigh. Thank God it's Friday. Thank God he gave us Fridays!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Suppliers Ratings at Last: PART 2!
Here now is part 2 of the much-awaited suppliers ratings for your reading pleasure. I may have missed some other suppliers, but once I think about who these are, I'll post them for a part 3. Come visit from time to time as I answer your questions and queries on my wedding suppliers. :)
Keep those comments coming!
=====================
Wedding Rings: MATUS
Rating: 10
Contact Details: Themes and Motiffs, Basement, The Podium
Benc was the one who found them. At first he visited them to have my
engagement ring made there. But when he saw their craftsmanship, and customer care, he was convinced that our wedding rings would be done by them as well. Alain and Mye are the young couple who own the store. They're very accommodating and very interested in a client's concepts and will find ways to give the client what they're looking for.
Like us, for instance. Being Tolkien fans long before the LOTR movies were even an idea in Peter Jackson's head, we knew we wanted our wedding to have an imprint of our favorite
story (our first date ever was to a screening of LOTR!). So, we decided that our wedding rings would look like the One Ring. When Benc broached the idea, Alain was enthusiastic. Although it would be difficult to make an EXACT replica, he told us that there would be some adjustments in the design so that it still be a good approximation of the One Ring.
And he did it! The design is clean, the fit is perfect. One of Benc's worries was that it would look too heavy, because the One RIng's design actually makes use of thick layers to make it curve inward. But Matus knew where to adjust the design to make it matrimonial. And we are happy with the results.
Today we proudly wear our bands, and the fandom we keep with like-minded Tolkienites all over the world. It's also a great reminder of one of the things that brought us together: a love for the read and written word. :)
Save the date cards, Invitations, Place cards: DIY
Rating: 10
Early on, Benc and I decided we would do the invites ourselves. Next to actually making our presence felt as the couple to be married, we wanted our personalities to reflect on the invites: the first formal form of correspondence about the big day/ It's true what they say on all the wedding sites and books: the invite will set the tone and communicate the mood of your big day to all your invitees.
We both share credit on design, but Benc did the layout and conceptualization of maps. I conceptualized the whole look and packaging. We bought materials at the following:
Now you may think it silly for me to buy my mat
erials at the mall, 
when i could get them straight from suppliers for 3/4 to 1/2 the price. but when you consider other factors such as working 9-hour days, doing rackets once home, cleaning up and starting a new day, it doesn't leave one much time to go a-hunting in zapote or binondo. don't get me wrong, we did try, but after the first time, we computed, and decided the money and time spent hunting could be better spent earning more money to pay for the wedding (and to support our families, which both of us still do). Besides, mega mall was right beside where we both worked, and it was easy to drop by anytime if we needed extra supplies.
What's great is that simple joys gave me a sizeable discount when I bought their items in bulk. It was almost as much as the discount I'd get from the suppliers themselves. In all, we spent around 8,500 to make all 140 invites, save the dates and envelopes. The ink on our printer lasted so that cost was minimal (P300.00). If we add the mailing cost it would amount to something like 10,000 for eveything.
As for the place cards and table numbers, I did them myself, using 13 years of private school handwriting training to write the curly script. I used the left over paper from which the wraps were cut. Then Marikit and Jan had the creativity to tie to them to the lamps over the tables. Then they strung the palce cards over the water goblets. It made things look really rustic and romantic.
Because of these extra efforts, people said they felt the event was very personal. Plus people there knew it was my handwriting, and they appreciated the attention to detail so much that the line they kept saying was "This is so Data."
Guest Giveaways (Rosemary): Landscape Gardens on Quezon Avenue
Rating: 10
I love to cook, and rosemary has always been one of my favorite herbs. I was delighted to find out then that rosemary was actually also used in the old days during wedings to symbolize fertility and fidelity; for the guests it meant to say thanks for the well wishes. It was sort of a blessing for the bride and her entourage. In fact they tid sprigs of the herb to her veil and included it in her bouquet.
So to offset that tradition, and in keeping with the rustic, garden look of the wedding, we asked a garden at the Quezon Avenue garden and landscape vendors to breed some for us in terracotta pots. This cost us P25 per pot. Then we decorated these with raffia and some left-over beads from the invites supplies. It was the most romantic and charming thing to find sitting at your table. We printed a small note explaining the meaning of having rosemary at the wedding, rolled them up and stuck them in the pot. It was a nice, informal touch, and it fit in well with the theme.
Principal Sponsors Giveaways (Basket of goodies): DIY
Rating: 10 with love
A small woven basket from Divi (P10 per piece) that contained a bag of Muscovado from Antique (where my family hails from), San Nicolas cookies from Pampanga (Where Benc is from) and a bag of native Tagaytay coffee beans (where we were united) were what our ninongs took home with them. The cost was something close to P125 per assembled basket. This was largely due to the fact that one of my SILs bought the cookies for us, an we got the muscovado from my Lola, for free. :) But what made it special was that my mom was the one who conceptualized and put it all together.
Church Florist: Flowers of May
Rating: 7.5
Contact Details: Evelyn Santos 433-69-74/0918-936-9438
I contracted FOM to do the flowers for my church because
1) I only needed simple blooms,
2) and did not want to overpower the natural beauty of the chapel.
3) they were based in Tagaytay so I figured there wouldn't be much of an issue regarding transport (plus no out of town fees na!)
I asked them to make an altar and candle arrangement. Then asked them to put garlands of flowers to define the aisle. When I saw it on the wedding day, I found it to be okay. But my mom said if she didn't ask for some tulle to enhance it, they wouldn't even bother (she went to the church early to check the set-up). The blooms were simple mums and roses, with some lilies. Upon closer inspection you would see that these weren't their best ones. But I figured, that was ok, I wanted the ento flowers to be the highlight and not these add-ons (btw, they also did the flowers for the car). The whole thing was all right. But then again for 6,200, you do get what you pay for.
Preps Hotel: Tagaytay Country Hotel
Rating: 5
If there's anything you should remember about this section it is: Do NOT make a mistake of booking here. We were initially speaking with one of the account managers who said they would "take care of everything". She promised breakfast for all my guests on top of te sizeable discounts if I became a member of their club. Fine. When we get there the night before we find out that
1) she was not around to assist us, despite the fact that we probably filled out her sales quota
2) there was no such thing as free breakfast with the bookings
3) additonal beds/sheets/blankets were priced at an exorbitant rate
I don't know if we were duped. But I vowed to warn all brides not to book here lest they expose themselves to unnecessary stress. The night before I was fighting with the concierge, demanding to speak to the accounts person. but she reasoned an uncle died and could not speak to me. Ugh! Let's not go into the gory details. The long and short of it was that I had to fork over some extra cash to feed my family breakfast. And it wasn't pretty. *Sigh* Let's just leave it at that. I have nothing more to say. Just be warned and decide for yourself if you want to risk it.
Wedding Cake: Chocolat
Rating: 11!
Contact Details: Denise Lazaro 928.9304
77 Xavierville ave., cor. B. Gonzales, Loyola Hts. QC
Our wedding (cup)cakes were a gift from one of my good friends whose dad owns Chocolat, a bakery on Xavierville avenue. They specialize in anything chocolate and they have the f!@#$%^&* best-tasting chocolate cake on the face of the earth! So when they volunteered to do our cake, it was a dream come true.
From the get-go we decided on cupcakes because it was fun. It was informal and relaxed and guests could easily partake of the fun. :) Originally we wanted to have fruits on top of the cakes but
unfortunately, naubusan si Tita Marina ng fruits (which she used for the fondue). But it turned out all right. THanks to the specially-made ganache fudge (which they created solely for the wedding so that it wouldn't melt!) the whole gimmick held up nicely. There was so much cake to go around and everyone gladly took some home. To this day ang dami pa ring nagco-comment na they couldn't forget the cupcakes because it was a unique wedding cake and it tasted so good. We were glad just for that. Personally I couldn't wait for the traditional cake-tasting task at the wedding. We took a bite of that rich topping and smiled for the camera. To which our photographer exclaimed "These guys are crazy!"
Musicians (Trio): UP College of Music, c/o my sister, Thea
Rating: 10
T
hea is one of the most prolific musician-teachers in the UP College of Music and is in contact with some of the best classical musicians in her batch. So she of all people knew what she was talking about when it came to music! (In fact, I made her take care of all musical business for the wedding: repertoire, dinner and dance music).
We first hired a quartet who were also colleagues of hers at the UPCMu. They played a mind blowing arrangement of Por Una Cabeza and the Godfather theme (of which we were all fans) and booked them right then and there for 10,000. They were to play at the church, during the cocktails and program. Not bad, huh?
That was in March. Thea was to coordinate with them for the repertoire and practice sessions. Around October, I received a text message from her which read: "Ate Data, I fired the quartet and got you a better ensemble." I didn't know whether to laugh or panic. But when I inquired why she fired them, she said, "malabo sila. I keep asking for the contract and to hear their arrangements so far. Wala naman silang ma-commit. So sabi ko wag na."
I trusted her judgement. She said the people who were playing in the trio were her professors. Since things were picking up and getting busier by the moment then, the only time I could hear them play was during one of their shows in a hotel. Barney,
the violinist was so excited about me hearing them that he called me, and while their group played kept the phone on line. I thought, why the heck would he do that? Thea said, that's how passionate he is. All he wants to do is play, and any chance you give him he will take. They only charged me 11,000 (but their cost is probably higher now) to play at the church, and at the reception. (To this my dad quipped: "kaya hindi yumayaman ang mga taga-UP. Mani lang ang binabayad sa kanila")
So on my wedding day, they were there, bright and earl, warming up, tuning. And when they played my bridal march I was so thankful I trusted in them and in Thea's judgement. Their rendition of Vivaldi's Largo in D was perfect! At the reception, everyone kept commending them for their smooth and "malinis" na arrangements. Phew! It was one of the best decisions I had ever made!
Projector: Web Devices
Rating: 9
Contact Details: Velvet San Diego 0917-8344803
When former w@wie-turned-supplier Velvet first advertised her promo I jumped at the chance to reserve a slot. P3,500 was a steal if you consider my wedding was out of town, and reception would be in the evening. Her fee included the 
equipment and a techinician and their own transpo. This supplier was one of those I did not have to worry about: being a w@wie, she knew the kind of stress I was under and she would text me well wishes and gentle reminders that helped the payment arrangements proceed smoothly. No problems here. I was glad Velvet was there at the right time: it made life so much easier!
Van and Bridal car rental: Tony Lava
Rating: 10.5
Contact Details: Albert (his son) 0915.443.5285
My mom found Kuya Tony Lava in a newspaper ad at a most opportune time. We were running out of affordable transpo suppliers who could provide us with good service and a reliable vehicle. When he and my mom met, he said he would charge us P5,000.00 for the vehicle rental for three days (17 Feb to 19 Feb) and the Bridal Car (which would come
from QC) for another P5,000.00. All we had to do was give him a place to sleep and sponsor his meals.
Not only were his rates affordable, he was also very concerned and acted as if he was a part of the family: he would help plan routes, groupings to ferry people back and forth from the hotel to the church to the reception. He would assist in receiving gifts and loading them, and always made sure the bride and groom were doing ok in the bridal car. He was a wonderful person to work with. Not once did we have a problem with him, and at times even came to him for suggestions. The one complaint he did have was that his room was too big. "Ma'am, ako lang po ba talaga doon? Kasya pa ang apat dun. Sayang naman."
We plan to call on him for future bookings and trips. Very reliable, very helpful, very friendly and service is A1!
Groom's Attire: Kingsmen
Rating: 10
Contact Details: Basement, The Podium
We had my tita purchase the woven pina fabric in Iloilo, which was shipped from Aklan. The fabric alone cost us around P5,500. A bit pricey, but it was very elegant. Having seen and claimed the fabric, Benc was sure about the style he wanted for the wedding: Mao-collar style barong and black pants. (Fabric for the pants were purchased in Mega. We were in luck too since the Armani wool fabrics had just come in and were being sold at an affordable introductory rate of P500.00 per yard!) At first we visited the tailors of my uncle and lolos, and some of those on W@W but some were exorbitantly priced, others were just plain, well, jurassic in taste and design. Lya didn't want us to have her do it kasi she said it would be mahal if we asked her to execute the barong.
We discovered Kingsmen after several visits to Matus during the course of the preparations.
When we inquired with them, they said it would only take them a week to do the whole ensemble--unlike a bride's couture which is done well in advance! We paid the downpayment in the first week of January, and got everything the week later. Not a single problem with Kingsmen (well, in general, there isn't much to fuss about with men's clothing) and they executed the desing we had in mind very elegantly. Thank good ness they were affordable too! The whole ensemble set us back for only P5,000.00. A good deal, if you ask me. :)
Mobile: Willy Malay
Rating: 8
Contact Details: 09164102986
Willy was referred by Tita Marina, who was actually his ninang at his wedding. He provides services for Tita Marina's clients and was familiar with the place. This was a plus for me, since I didn't have to worry about their set-ups, and they knew what they needed, and could even approach Tita Marina if they had any issues.
The negotiations weren't that bad: I mean, P7,000.00 for mobile services plus lights. My sister just gave him a disc of mixed music for dinner and dancing and he said he would also provide his standard repertoire (most requested dance songs in weddings) in case the disc ran out. With all that, I thought this would be a breeze. But there was a time when Willy wanted to go back on the deal: initially he said we would have two wireless mics, for the hosts. Then close to the wedding he says he can only provide one wireless and one cable mic. But if I added P1,500.00 I could get another wireless mic. According to him, another event was using his other wireless mic. I was annoyed because it was obvious that he was trying to squeeze it out of me. I said, if we were going to use cable mics, then so be it, just make sure it will work, and that I had no time for these details na. I then turned him over to my sister Thea, who was in charge of sound preparations.
He kept repeating the request/suggestion, but we didn't budge. In the end, you know what happened? There was indeed an extra wireless mic available, and he gave it to me at no extra cost on the day itself. Hahahaaaay.
======================
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Hope my ratings were able to help you in some way. Please do leave your comments and opinions. I'd love to share more lessons learned from this event and exchange stories with all of you. Please feel free to post them here, or email me at daphnetolentino@yahoo.com.
Thanks and good luck to you!
Keep those comments coming!
=====================
Wedding Rings: MATUS
Rating: 10
Contact Details: Themes and Motiffs, Basement, The Podium
Benc was the one who found them. At first he visited them to have my
engagement ring made there. But when he saw their craftsmanship, and customer care, he was convinced that our wedding rings would be done by them as well. Alain and Mye are the young couple who own the store. They're very accommodating and very interested in a client's concepts and will find ways to give the client what they're looking for.Like us, for instance. Being Tolkien fans long before the LOTR movies were even an idea in Peter Jackson's head, we knew we wanted our wedding to have an imprint of our favorite
story (our first date ever was to a screening of LOTR!). So, we decided that our wedding rings would look like the One Ring. When Benc broached the idea, Alain was enthusiastic. Although it would be difficult to make an EXACT replica, he told us that there would be some adjustments in the design so that it still be a good approximation of the One Ring.And he did it! The design is clean, the fit is perfect. One of Benc's worries was that it would look too heavy, because the One RIng's design actually makes use of thick layers to make it curve inward. But Matus knew where to adjust the design to make it matrimonial. And we are happy with the results.
Today we proudly wear our bands, and the fandom we keep with like-minded Tolkienites all over the world. It's also a great reminder of one of the things that brought us together: a love for the read and written word. :)
Save the date cards, Invitations, Place cards: DIY
Rating: 10
Early on, Benc and I decided we would do the invites ourselves. Next to actually making our presence felt as the couple to be married, we wanted our personalities to reflect on the invites: the first formal form of correspondence about the big day/ It's true what they say on all the wedding sites and books: the invite will set the tone and communicate the mood of your big day to all your invitees.We both share credit on design, but Benc did the layout and conceptualization of maps. I conceptualized the whole look and packaging. We bought materials at the following:
card stock (pastelle naturalle 220gsm) - NBS Mega Mall
envelopes (Elit Veco size 7) -- NBS Mega Mall
parchment -- NBS Mega Mall
natural handwoven paper -- simple joys Mega Mall
rolls of raffia -- simple joys Mega Mall
beads, wire and silver charms -- simple joys Mega Mall
fossilized leaves -- simple joys Mega Mall
envelopes (Elit Veco size 7) -- NBS Mega Mall
parchment -- NBS Mega Mall
natural handwoven paper -- simple joys Mega Mall
rolls of raffia -- simple joys Mega Mall
beads, wire and silver charms -- simple joys Mega Mall
fossilized leaves -- simple joys Mega Mall
Now you may think it silly for me to buy my mat
erials at the mall, 
when i could get them straight from suppliers for 3/4 to 1/2 the price. but when you consider other factors such as working 9-hour days, doing rackets once home, cleaning up and starting a new day, it doesn't leave one much time to go a-hunting in zapote or binondo. don't get me wrong, we did try, but after the first time, we computed, and decided the money and time spent hunting could be better spent earning more money to pay for the wedding (and to support our families, which both of us still do). Besides, mega mall was right beside where we both worked, and it was easy to drop by anytime if we needed extra supplies. What's great is that simple joys gave me a sizeable discount when I bought their items in bulk. It was almost as much as the discount I'd get from the suppliers themselves. In all, we spent around 8,500 to make all 140 invites, save the dates and envelopes. The ink on our printer lasted so that cost was minimal (P300.00). If we add the mailing cost it would amount to something like 10,000 for eveything.
As for the place cards and table numbers, I did them myself, using 13 years of private school handwriting training to write the curly script. I used the left over paper from which the wraps were cut. Then Marikit and Jan had the creativity to tie to them to the lamps over the tables. Then they strung the palce cards over the water goblets. It made things look really rustic and romantic. Because of these extra efforts, people said they felt the event was very personal. Plus people there knew it was my handwriting, and they appreciated the attention to detail so much that the line they kept saying was "This is so Data."
Guest Giveaways (Rosemary): Landscape Gardens on Quezon Avenue
Rating: 10
I love to cook, and rosemary has always been one of my favorite herbs. I was delighted to find out then that rosemary was actually also used in the old days during wedings to symbolize fertility and fidelity; for the guests it meant to say thanks for the well wishes. It was sort of a blessing for the bride and her entourage. In fact they tid sprigs of the herb to her veil and included it in her bouquet.So to offset that tradition, and in keeping with the rustic, garden look of the wedding, we asked a garden at the Quezon Avenue garden and landscape vendors to breed some for us in terracotta pots. This cost us P25 per pot. Then we decorated these with raffia and some left-over beads from the invites supplies. It was the most romantic and charming thing to find sitting at your table. We printed a small note explaining the meaning of having rosemary at the wedding, rolled them up and stuck them in the pot. It was a nice, informal touch, and it fit in well with the theme.
Principal Sponsors Giveaways (Basket of goodies): DIY
Rating: 10 with love
A small woven basket from Divi (P10 per piece) that contained a bag of Muscovado from Antique (where my family hails from), San Nicolas cookies from Pampanga (Where Benc is from) and a bag of native Tagaytay coffee beans (where we were united) were what our ninongs took home with them. The cost was something close to P125 per assembled basket. This was largely due to the fact that one of my SILs bought the cookies for us, an we got the muscovado from my Lola, for free. :) But what made it special was that my mom was the one who conceptualized and put it all together.
Church Florist: Flowers of May
Rating: 7.5
Contact Details: Evelyn Santos 433-69-74/0918-936-9438
I contracted FOM to do the flowers for my church because
1) I only needed simple blooms,
2) and did not want to overpower the natural beauty of the chapel.
3) they were based in Tagaytay so I figured there wouldn't be much of an issue regarding transport (plus no out of town fees na!)
I asked them to make an altar and candle arrangement. Then asked them to put garlands of flowers to define the aisle. When I saw it on the wedding day, I found it to be okay. But my mom said if she didn't ask for some tulle to enhance it, they wouldn't even bother (she went to the church early to check the set-up). The blooms were simple mums and roses, with some lilies. Upon closer inspection you would see that these weren't their best ones. But I figured, that was ok, I wanted the ento flowers to be the highlight and not these add-ons (btw, they also did the flowers for the car). The whole thing was all right. But then again for 6,200, you do get what you pay for.Preps Hotel: Tagaytay Country Hotel
Rating: 5
If there's anything you should remember about this section it is: Do NOT make a mistake of booking here. We were initially speaking with one of the account managers who said they would "take care of everything". She promised breakfast for all my guests on top of te sizeable discounts if I became a member of their club. Fine. When we get there the night before we find out that
1) she was not around to assist us, despite the fact that we probably filled out her sales quota
2) there was no such thing as free breakfast with the bookings
3) additonal beds/sheets/blankets were priced at an exorbitant rate
I don't know if we were duped. But I vowed to warn all brides not to book here lest they expose themselves to unnecessary stress. The night before I was fighting with the concierge, demanding to speak to the accounts person. but she reasoned an uncle died and could not speak to me. Ugh! Let's not go into the gory details. The long and short of it was that I had to fork over some extra cash to feed my family breakfast. And it wasn't pretty. *Sigh* Let's just leave it at that. I have nothing more to say. Just be warned and decide for yourself if you want to risk it.
Wedding Cake: Chocolat
Rating: 11!
Contact Details: Denise Lazaro 928.9304
77 Xavierville ave., cor. B. Gonzales, Loyola Hts. QC
Our wedding (cup)cakes were a gift from one of my good friends whose dad owns Chocolat, a bakery on Xavierville avenue. They specialize in anything chocolate and they have the f!@#$%^&* best-tasting chocolate cake on the face of the earth! So when they volunteered to do our cake, it was a dream come true.From the get-go we decided on cupcakes because it was fun. It was informal and relaxed and guests could easily partake of the fun. :) Originally we wanted to have fruits on top of the cakes but
unfortunately, naubusan si Tita Marina ng fruits (which she used for the fondue). But it turned out all right. THanks to the specially-made ganache fudge (which they created solely for the wedding so that it wouldn't melt!) the whole gimmick held up nicely. There was so much cake to go around and everyone gladly took some home. To this day ang dami pa ring nagco-comment na they couldn't forget the cupcakes because it was a unique wedding cake and it tasted so good. We were glad just for that. Personally I couldn't wait for the traditional cake-tasting task at the wedding. We took a bite of that rich topping and smiled for the camera. To which our photographer exclaimed "These guys are crazy!"
Musicians (Trio): UP College of Music, c/o my sister, Thea
Rating: 10
T
hea is one of the most prolific musician-teachers in the UP College of Music and is in contact with some of the best classical musicians in her batch. So she of all people knew what she was talking about when it came to music! (In fact, I made her take care of all musical business for the wedding: repertoire, dinner and dance music). We first hired a quartet who were also colleagues of hers at the UPCMu. They played a mind blowing arrangement of Por Una Cabeza and the Godfather theme (of which we were all fans) and booked them right then and there for 10,000. They were to play at the church, during the cocktails and program. Not bad, huh?
That was in March. Thea was to coordinate with them for the repertoire and practice sessions. Around October, I received a text message from her which read: "Ate Data, I fired the quartet and got you a better ensemble." I didn't know whether to laugh or panic. But when I inquired why she fired them, she said, "malabo sila. I keep asking for the contract and to hear their arrangements so far. Wala naman silang ma-commit. So sabi ko wag na."
I trusted her judgement. She said the people who were playing in the trio were her professors. Since things were picking up and getting busier by the moment then, the only time I could hear them play was during one of their shows in a hotel. Barney,
the violinist was so excited about me hearing them that he called me, and while their group played kept the phone on line. I thought, why the heck would he do that? Thea said, that's how passionate he is. All he wants to do is play, and any chance you give him he will take. They only charged me 11,000 (but their cost is probably higher now) to play at the church, and at the reception. (To this my dad quipped: "kaya hindi yumayaman ang mga taga-UP. Mani lang ang binabayad sa kanila")So on my wedding day, they were there, bright and earl, warming up, tuning. And when they played my bridal march I was so thankful I trusted in them and in Thea's judgement. Their rendition of Vivaldi's Largo in D was perfect! At the reception, everyone kept commending them for their smooth and "malinis" na arrangements. Phew! It was one of the best decisions I had ever made!
Projector: Web Devices
Rating: 9
Contact Details: Velvet San Diego 0917-8344803
When former w@wie-turned-supplier Velvet first advertised her promo I jumped at the chance to reserve a slot. P3,500 was a steal if you consider my wedding was out of town, and reception would be in the evening. Her fee included the 
equipment and a techinician and their own transpo. This supplier was one of those I did not have to worry about: being a w@wie, she knew the kind of stress I was under and she would text me well wishes and gentle reminders that helped the payment arrangements proceed smoothly. No problems here. I was glad Velvet was there at the right time: it made life so much easier!Van and Bridal car rental: Tony Lava
Rating: 10.5
Contact Details: Albert (his son) 0915.443.5285
My mom found Kuya Tony Lava in a newspaper ad at a most opportune time. We were running out of affordable transpo suppliers who could provide us with good service and a reliable vehicle. When he and my mom met, he said he would charge us P5,000.00 for the vehicle rental for three days (17 Feb to 19 Feb) and the Bridal Car (which would come
from QC) for another P5,000.00. All we had to do was give him a place to sleep and sponsor his meals. Not only were his rates affordable, he was also very concerned and acted as if he was a part of the family: he would help plan routes, groupings to ferry people back and forth from the hotel to the church to the reception. He would assist in receiving gifts and loading them, and always made sure the bride and groom were doing ok in the bridal car. He was a wonderful person to work with. Not once did we have a problem with him, and at times even came to him for suggestions. The one complaint he did have was that his room was too big. "Ma'am, ako lang po ba talaga doon? Kasya pa ang apat dun. Sayang naman."
We plan to call on him for future bookings and trips. Very reliable, very helpful, very friendly and service is A1!
Groom's Attire: Kingsmen
Rating: 10
Contact Details: Basement, The Podium
We had my tita purchase the woven pina fabric in Iloilo, which was shipped from Aklan. The fabric alone cost us around P5,500. A bit pricey, but it was very elegant. Having seen and claimed the fabric, Benc was sure about the style he wanted for the wedding: Mao-collar style barong and black pants. (Fabric for the pants were purchased in Mega. We were in luck too since the Armani wool fabrics had just come in and were being sold at an affordable introductory rate of P500.00 per yard!) At first we visited the tailors of my uncle and lolos, and some of those on W@W but some were exorbitantly priced, others were just plain, well, jurassic in taste and design. Lya didn't want us to have her do it kasi she said it would be mahal if we asked her to execute the barong.We discovered Kingsmen after several visits to Matus during the course of the preparations.
When we inquired with them, they said it would only take them a week to do the whole ensemble--unlike a bride's couture which is done well in advance! We paid the downpayment in the first week of January, and got everything the week later. Not a single problem with Kingsmen (well, in general, there isn't much to fuss about with men's clothing) and they executed the desing we had in mind very elegantly. Thank good ness they were affordable too! The whole ensemble set us back for only P5,000.00. A good deal, if you ask me. :)
Mobile: Willy Malay
Rating: 8
Contact Details: 09164102986
Willy was referred by Tita Marina, who was actually his ninang at his wedding. He provides services for Tita Marina's clients and was familiar with the place. This was a plus for me, since I didn't have to worry about their set-ups, and they knew what they needed, and could even approach Tita Marina if they had any issues.
The negotiations weren't that bad: I mean, P7,000.00 for mobile services plus lights. My sister just gave him a disc of mixed music for dinner and dancing and he said he would also provide his standard repertoire (most requested dance songs in weddings) in case the disc ran out. With all that, I thought this would be a breeze. But there was a time when Willy wanted to go back on the deal: initially he said we would have two wireless mics, for the hosts. Then close to the wedding he says he can only provide one wireless and one cable mic. But if I added P1,500.00 I could get another wireless mic. According to him, another event was using his other wireless mic. I was annoyed because it was obvious that he was trying to squeeze it out of me. I said, if we were going to use cable mics, then so be it, just make sure it will work, and that I had no time for these details na. I then turned him over to my sister Thea, who was in charge of sound preparations.
He kept repeating the request/suggestion, but we didn't budge. In the end, you know what happened? There was indeed an extra wireless mic available, and he gave it to me at no extra cost on the day itself. Hahahaaaay.
======================
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Hope my ratings were able to help you in some way. Please do leave your comments and opinions. I'd love to share more lessons learned from this event and exchange stories with all of you. Please feel free to post them here, or email me at daphnetolentino@yahoo.com.
Thanks and good luck to you!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Suppliers' Ratings at LAST: Part 1!
Finally, after much ado, here are Data and Benc's suppliers ratings. Apologies of this will seem like an overly long story telling session. But some of the details may help you.
Contact Info: Ate Lorie-- 7435614
Rating: 10
We had always wanted a small wedding. Intimate, familiar and solemn. We originally wanted to have it in Manila but found none that suited our taste. We even made a downpayment at the Santuario de San Antonio. But a friend quipped: how are you going to have a small intimate wedding in Santuario? And she was right…the nearest reception areas would be hotels, which were way out of our league. At one point we decided to take the wedding to Boracay, where only a limited number would be invited…but it turned out to be expensive. So we decided to check out Tagaytay. We went to Caleruega first: it was pretty, and quaint but felt it too tourist-y for us (there were throngs of people peeking into the ceremony that was going on…ourselves included). We had heard of another, smaller chapel but didn’t check it out then. We decided to take a look after our caterer-to-be suggested it. When we did, we fell in love with the place in an instant.
The Chapel was indeed set on a small hill, overlooking Taal Lake and the Batulao mountain range. The chapel itself was very earthy: roughly-set floors, wicker chairs, wooden altar. It was very Filipiniana, if you ask me. Very cozy and homey, just the way we wanted it. I didn’t need a lot of décor because the gardens surrounding it provided a perfect backdrop for the place. It was just perfect! The coordinator, Ate Lorie made life so much easier: she was efficient, knew my needs, knew her job.
Contact Info: Marikit Imperio
Rating: 9.75
We did not know this place existed til we serendipitously came across the garden of Marina San Pascual in an old issue of Metro weddings. We went to Tags to visit Tita Marina, and she showed us the garden of her daughter. You know how you get goosebumps because you feel something is so right? That’s how Benc and I felt when we saw the place, moreso when we met Jan and Marikit. Magaan yung loob ko sa kanila, and we realized it was this factor that would guide us in choosing suppliers.
They rented out the place for P30,000.00 (might be higher now), would fix it up on the big day, provide all the tables and chairs and take care of the parking. All we had to do was show up.
because it is, after all still their private garden. So one has to be patient when following up, and most of all one has to have complete and total trust. At first I was worried because they didn’t have those types of forms and processes that I read about in W@W regarding reception suppliers. But you know what? I realized it was okay because it meant they were more open to ideas and developing our concept for our wedding. Marikit herself was so excited about everything and loved organizing these things. This made it feel like a family affair, and thus resulted in more care from them in setting up our reception, which people are still talking about today. It was the most magical thing! Our guests could not believe a place existed. But it did, and it does, all thanks to this super couple!
More photos here, c/o of our friend Pol Mangilo -- http://polmangilog.zoto.com/galleries
Ratings are based on a scale of 10, with ten as the highest.
==============
Contact Info: Ate Lorie-- 7435614
Rating: 10
We had always wanted a small wedding. Intimate, familiar and solemn. We originally wanted to have it in Manila but found none that suited our taste. We even made a downpayment at the Santuario de San Antonio. But a friend quipped: how are you going to have a small intimate wedding in Santuario? And she was right…the nearest reception areas would be hotels, which were way out of our league. At one point we decided to take the wedding to Boracay, where only a limited number would be invited…but it turned out to be expensive. So we decided to check out Tagaytay. We went to Caleruega first: it was pretty, and quaint but felt it too tourist-y for us (there were throngs of people peeking into the ceremony that was going on…ourselves included). We had heard of another, smaller chapel but didn’t check it out then. We decided to take a look after our caterer-to-be suggested it. When we did, we fell in love with the place in an instant.
The Chapel was indeed set on a small hill, overlooking Taal Lake and the Batulao mountain range. The chapel itself was very earthy: roughly-set floors, wicker chairs, wooden altar. It was very Filipiniana, if you ask me. Very cozy and homey, just the way we wanted it. I didn’t need a lot of décor because the gardens surrounding it provided a perfect backdrop for the place. It was just perfect! The coordinator, Ate Lorie made life so much easier: she was efficient, knew my needs, knew her job.
Contact Info: Marikit Imperio
Rating: 9.75
We did not know this place existed til we serendipitously came across the garden of Marina San Pascual in an old issue of Metro weddings. We went to Tags to visit Tita Marina, and she showed us the garden of her daughter. You know how you get goosebumps because you feel something is so right? That’s how Benc and I felt when we saw the place, moreso when we met Jan and Marikit. Magaan yung loob ko sa kanila, and we realized it was this factor that would guide us in choosing suppliers.
They rented out the place for P30,000.00 (might be higher now), would fix it up on the big day, provide all the tables and chairs and take care of the parking. All we had to do was show up.
because it is, after all still their private garden. So one has to be patient when following up, and most of all one has to have complete and total trust. At first I was worried because they didn’t have those types of forms and processes that I read about in W@W regarding reception suppliers. But you know what? I realized it was okay because it meant they were more open to ideas and developing our concept for our wedding. Marikit herself was so excited about everything and loved organizing these things. This made it feel like a family affair, and thus resulted in more care from them in setting up our reception, which people are still talking about today. It was the most magical thing! Our guests could not believe a place existed. But it did, and it does, all thanks to this super couple!More photos here, c/o of our friend Pol Mangilo -- http://polmangilog.zoto.com/galleries
Caterer: Marina San Pascual
(Marina San Pascual 09184139670)
Rating: 11!
The first time I met Tita Marina at her home in Tagaytay, I had a good feeling about her. It was her garden that I saw in an old magazine that brought me to her. But after I saw her daughter Marikit’s garden, I decided to rent that one out. The deal is that, she is the exclusive caterer for the garden. And you know what? I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
She cooks because she loves to cook. It’s her art and her passion, and most of all she does it to satisfy her patrons. To illustrate: I wanted to make a dp early in March, to “reserve” her services, as the practice usually is with most commercial caterers, and after reading various posts in W@W. But you knmow what she said? “Ay naku, give it to me na in January. That’s the only time I’ll start going to the market!” Naturally, I got a little nervous, but once again all I had to do was trust. And she delivered beyond expectation!
Cocktails:
Chicken Chicharon
Camote Chips
Veggie sticks and Sate Dip
Fruit punch and softdrinks
Bagoong Rice
Calabasa Soup
Oriental Salad with catfish flakes
Tilapia sa Gata
Inihaw na Liempo
Chicken Pandan
Crab Croquette
Shiitake Mushroom Pancit
Juice/Softdrinks
Chocolate Fondue
Leche Flan
Coffee and Tea
Gown: Lya Armovit (Bridal, Entourage, Mothers, secondary sponsors)
Contact Info: Amabelle -- 635-0016)
Rating: 11!
I love, love, love Lya. 
She has class and elegance only few can measure up to. Again, it was serendipity that brought me to her, aside from the conversations I had with fellow w@wie Pia Unson-Rivera. She helped convince me, and it was one of the best decisions I made.
even my photographer was taken aback by how simple yet stunning it was. What I love most about Lya was that she spared nothing to make you look good. In fact, she ensured it the moment she takes your measurements. And on your day, I assure you, everyone will be transformed. I’ll let these photos speak for themselves!
Her staff is extremely professional. Amabel, her assistant, is very prompt in answering queries, quick to coordinate interviews and fitting skeds. They know who their clients are and handle each one with a personal touch. Most of al, when Lya says your gown will be ready three months before your wedding, it will be ready three months and a week before! And it will be perfect! (*Lya used my photos for her tarp for her exhibitions this year. Check out what a great job she did with my dress :))
Make-up: Angie Cruz and Ogie Rayel
Contact info: 09163868307
Rating: 10!
These two are one of the biggest blessings any bride could ever have.Always on time (early in fact) for any trial HMU appointment, and always in good spirits, Angie and Ogie are arguably one of the best in the business. Angie’s make-up is dramatic but it doesn’t hide you.
It enhances you. I was still Data, only better. Plus, her make-up never one melted or 
smeared. It was amazing! Equally amazing was Ogie, who never once sat down on the wedding day to eat, as he finished up our hair for the ceremony. He worked straight, from 10 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon. And he managed to make all of us look beautiful but in different ways. They are calm and collected in the face of pressure, VERY professional and always willing to go the extra mile. I can go on forever about how great these two are, so again, I will let the photos do the talking.
Click here to see my first make up session with Angie and Ogie.
Photographer: Rene Gaviola
Rating: 10
Another serendipitous path! I chanced upon Rene’s website out of a million links on the w@w database. 
Turns out his cousins were my husband’s classmates in Pampanga! That was a 
start. But when we did finally meet, there was a familiarity and again, lightness I felt toward him and Buddy, his videographer-friend, whose services we also enlisted (more on that later). Plus this guy’s so honest, you feel embarrassed to make tawad. He will show you Excel tables that compute his production cost and labor, and you will find it all to be reasonable. He will tell you that if you want to make tawad, you can haggle down his labor fee!
Rene’s natural light photography and unstructured style was just what we wanted. We wanted our wedding 
relaxed and cozy, with little to none of those stiff firing-squad poses and tv-drama type compositions. I wanted candid, unguarded moments, in action, natural shots, because that was who we are. The posed shots I did allow, of course were the mandatory bride and groom photos, and family groupings (which his back-up, Joseph, accomplished). What’s great about
Rene is that he puts you at ease and talks to you so you don’t notice him pointing his cam at you. (Sa sobrang comfy namin sa kanya, my FIL asked if he was a friend of ours. He couldn't believe he was one of our suppliers!)Plus, the absence of flash makes you forget you are the subject of his machine. The whole task becomes un-intrusive and makes you project your “real” self. That was important to us. And because of that we have tons of gorgeous photos to help us remember our special day!
Videographer: Buddy Gancenia
Rating: 10
We booked Buddy (and Rene) the same time we met them. Aside from the fact that he had worked with my colleagues at Probe, and knew them, I was so pleased that he respected our concept of being “reality-based” and the fact that my husband and I had extensive video experience. He actually helped us conceptualize and made sound suggestions for our video. The thing about Buddy was that he would try his very best, even stretching himself and his schedule to accommodate our requests. Though we haven’t gotten our video yet, I have full confidence in Buddy and his team, who were the so professional during the wedding day, being careful not to disrupt proceedings, respect the private family moments, but still being “listo” enough to catch the important moments (such as the time my husband was about to kiss me when I approached the altar. Hehe, force of habit).
Flowers: April and Karen Yu
Contact info: Karen -- 09178480766
Rating: 10
Unlike most co-brides I met, flowes were one of my priorities. I love flowers, especially wild,
uncultured ones, ones that seem to grow 
in meadows and fields and Italian gardens. So when it came to my wedding, I knew I wanted that “just picked from a garden” look. I searched for like-minded suppliers but none really piqued my interest, until I met April and Karen. They knew exactly what I was looking for! They understood that I wanted something wild but elegant still. Something colorful yet simple
that exuded femininity. These ladies know their botany! When I suggested a certain flower, they knew where to get it. And on D-Day, boy was I in for a surprise: they arrived early, with all the bouquets and corsages properly labeled and boxed. The arrangements were just as I envisioned. But when I saw my bouquet, I was bowled over. I had an authentic cabbage rose! Unbelievable! These ladies outdid themselves and stuck to my theme like bees to honey. Flowers on any day will make me smile, but these flowers will always bloom in my mind and make me happy forever!
===================
Okay, that's it for part 1. Part two will come very, very soon. Visit this link for more photo links of our wedding. Please do drop by again!
Friday, August 19, 2005
It's been ages
But here are more photos. I'm in a reminiscing mood. I miss the kids. :)
Handgames in the afternoon
Waiting for twilight
With friends
You can easily count as family.
Handgames in the afternoon
Waiting for twilight
With friends
You can easily count as family.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Wink
Things don't have to be complex to be pretty. Sometimes all you need is one element that represents the collective beauty around you. And inside you. Sometimes all you need is one look, and you'll know. Sometimes all you need is one eye, and you'll see.
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