wedding suppliers' rating part 3

Barong Tagalog: Henio's Embroidery
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Henio's was the first barong shop we saw when we went to Lumban. Hindi na kami nagtingin sa loob mismo ng town proper since we thought pare-pareho na lang ng rates yan. Dito nagpagawa si Reden ng barong at bumili naman si Paolo at Miko. Mabilis naman ang turn-around. Within a week nakuha naman namin agad ang barong ni Reden.

Cord: Beautiful Bonds by Pam Sulit
Rating:

I discovered Pam through Weddings at Work. Kahit matagal siya sumagot sa e-mails, nadeliver naman niya on-time yung cord. Maganda naman ang quality and super sulit talaga.

wedding suppliers' rating part 2

Venue: Siesta Residencia de Arago
Rating:

I was happy with the venue. Maganda naman ang pagkakaayos lalo na yung staircase! Natuwa din ako na kahit nagresign yung original AE na kausap ko, maayos naman naexecute ni Archie (the other AE) yung mga requirements namin. They also helped us pack the leftovers and the cake. Okay din naman ang sound system na prinovide nila. No jologs song was played. Haha.

Gown designer: Noel "Lola" Villanueva
Rating:

I was surprised by how my dress turned out. Hindi ko talaga inexpect ang petticoat but it turned out well naman. Maganda naman at pulido ang pagkakatahi sa wedding gown ko pati dresses ni Mommy, Lia, Apple, Tita Liza at flower girls. Ang reklamo ko lang is yung train ko. I requested na sana detachable na lang siya pero sabi nila idedrape na lang daw. Hindi ako nagkaprublema sa kanya until the part when we had to dance sa reception. Nasira yung button na nag-aattach sa train dun sa supper part ng skirt kaya kinailangan kong kaladkarin. Hindi ko tuloy nasayaw ng ayos yung sayaw namin, hehehe. Aside from that, ok naman. Sila na din ang gumawa ng candles, matches, pillows at veil, with matching ribbons!

OTD Coordinator: Egay Victorio
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I know nothing about how a wedding should go so right from the start, I knew I needed an on-the-day coordinator to help me. During my first meeting with Lola, he asked if I already had a coordinator. I still didn't have one at that time but was considering several coordinators from Manila. When I told Lola that, he recommended Sir Egay. Wag na daw ako kumuha sa Manila. I texted Sir Egay after I left Lola's shop and asked if we could meet him. He said he was still in Manila (planning a wedding) but will drop by our house once he's back in San Pablo. He went that evening and I was impressed kasi kahit pagod na siya, go pa din siya sa amin (I offered to meet him sa house niya pero sabi niya siya na lang ang pupunta). Reden and I immediately decided to book him. Besides, it was better if we got someone who knew the San Pablo-based suppliers and knew his way around the city.

Sir Egay exceeded our expectations. Even if we hired him for OTD coordination, he almost did full coordination. He helped us book Sol, his former student now ABS-CBN reporter, and the bridal car, the owner of which he knew as well. Siya din ang nagrequest sa church na yung choir na gusto namin ang pakantahin sa wedding ceremony. Lahat ng iutos ko ginagawa niya agad tapos kahit hindi ko inutos gagawin, gaya ng  pagproduce at pagpapaapprove ng misallette, at paggawa ng program outline. Pinakabonus sa lahat yung pagchoreograph niya at pagtuturo ng first dance namin. On the day itself, andun sila ng team niya, bihis na bihis in their grey polo shirts and black trousers. Nakakatuwa kasi inasikaso naman nila lahat tapos sa reception, nung nasira ang audio ng MTV namin,  inutusan niya ang DJ na sabayan na lang ng ibang song yung video. Siya din ang nagdala sa instant wedding singer (although sana nasabihan na ayusin ang damit, hehehe). We love Sir and we're really thankful siya ang kinuha naming coordinator.

Florist: Ryan of Lola's Fashion House
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I originally wanted to get an event stylist but I thought it would cost too much. When Lola told me one of his "girls," Ryan, does wedding flowers, I talked to him and hired him immediately. Okay naman siya kausap but I was quite disappointed with my and the entourage's bouquets and the centerpieces at the guests' tables. I thought my bouquet was too small and he didn't use calla lilies which we talked about in our meetings. Yung mga bulaklak naman sa bouquet ng entourage nanglalaglag, and he used chopsticks! The centerpieces naman were too small. I was disappointed kasi I felt na tinipid niya ang flowers tsaka I didn't see anything spectacular with the arrangements, except for the flowers sa simbahan na okay naman.

Emcee: Sol Aragones
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Salamat kay Sir Egay at nabook namin si Sol. Although she was a bit expensive, sulit naman. She was lively naman and spontaneous and we loved her reporter approach.

Catering: Kusina Salud
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We love, love, love Kusina Salud and what better occasion to share it with people we love other than our wedding? Madali naman makipagcoordinate sa kanila. I've just exchanged e-mails with Chef Paul Poblador at nafinalize naman namin agad ang menu. I just gave him our budget per pax and the dishes we wanted to serve at siya na ang nagadjust. In Laguna, si April naman ang kausap namin ni Sir regarding the details and okay naman siya. According to some of our guests, the food was good naman. Yung food kasi namin ni Reden mabilis lumamig since tapat kami ng aircon so hindi na masyadong appetizing. Nagulat lang ako though na umalis sila kaagad even before namin sila mabayaran.

Hotel for preps: Tahanan ni Aling Meding
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Tahanan ni Aling Meding is the only hotel in San Pablo na maganda at picture-worthy and interiors. I loved the red tiles, the staircase and the details on the iron gates. Since madaming doors, airy sa loob and presko. Naappreciate ko din ang veranda nila. Although the rooms were quite small, nagkasya naman kami lahat. Masaya din ako na may heated water sa shower at malakas ang pressure ng tubig, except sa room ng friends ni Reden sa third floor. Ayos din naman ang pakikitungo sa amin ng staff doon. The only downside is wala silang sariling restaurant kaya pag nagutom ka in the middle of the night, kailangan mo pa lumabas, which is inconvenient kung wala kang sasakyan.

Cake: Gem's Cake Shop
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The cake was cute and looked exactly how we wanted it to be. Masarap din siya! It had chocolate, vanilla and mocha layers, and the icing was not too sweet. (We're sorry we were not able to share it with guests.)

wedding suppliers' rating part I

Rating Legend:
A represents how happy we are with a supplier's performance.

Videography: Threelogy
 

I've been watching Threelogy videos looooooong before I had a fiance and I promised myself that I will get them to cover my wedding someday. So, when Reden and I began planning for our wedding, Threelogy was on top of our list of preferred suppliers. They were the first vendor we booked, and the most expensive too. Hehehe.

Threelogy is really among the best videographers in the Philippines today and we're so glad we invested our hard-earned money in them. The team--Jon, CJ, Bong and Rose--arrived right on schedule and when they entered my room, all of them had smiles on their faces. After introducing themselves, they began working immediately. Even if the team is very serious about their craft, they do know how to make people laugh. The preparations were fun and relaxed thanks to Bong and CJ. Although we haven't seen the final DVD yet (available in 6-8 months), we're not worried at all. Reden and I are actually excited to see the final output kasi may interviews sila with friends. Tsaka based sa quality ng on-site video, ano pa ba naman aalalahanin namin? We received a lot of good feedback about it so we're certain that the final video will be just as good, if not better. It was definitely a pleasure working with Threelogy and we'd definitely recommend them anytime.

PS: Jon was the one who booked the LCD projector and screen for us so that's more. He patiently answered my inquiries kahit technically, labas na sa responsibility nila yun. We love Threelogy! Hehehe.

Photography: Imagine Nation


When we were coming up with a list of suppliers, we initially wanted Mimi & Karl to cover our wedding. However, they were already booked on our wedding date. Imagine Nation was next on our list because, like Threelogy, I've known about Imagine Nation years before Reden and I became a couple. I liked their style and their rates were reasonable.

We met with John Ong at the last day of 2007 (special arrangement pa ito since holiday yun), and after seeing his team's works, we immediately made a down payment and signed the contract. Jason de Guzman and Gerdie Francisco covered our wedding and we couldn't be any happier with their performance and pakikitungo.

Jason and Gerdie arrived on time and, even if we only met them on the day itself, Reden and I easily warmed up to them. Aside from that, they were very polite. I've read of photographers na napipikon pag pinapahawak sila ng personal cameras ng guests or pag sinasabayan sila sa pagkuha. That was never a problem with Jason and Gerdie. They even gave way to guests who want to take photos. Jason even points to the camera where we should look! We got the DVDs of the photos three days after the wedding and we loved the output. They captured all the important moments. We love them!

Hair and makeup: Aaron and Bryan of The Makeup Studio
 

The Makeup Studio is a Weddings at Work find. I liked Madge's style, which is very natural and only enhances what her subject already has. She knows her stuff. However, her rate made me think twice about getting her services so when I finally decided to get her, she was already booked. John Ong recommended Jesi Alto (who was still with Madge that time) when we spoke with him so I asked my friend, George, to check if Jesi was still available. The lady at the studio said Jesi was already booked but Aaron was still available. When George told me this, I went with my guts and decided to book Aaron--even without a trial.

When I did have my trial, I was relieved! Aaron may be a chikadora but he knows his foundations, eyelash curlers and mascaras very well. Nakatulog ako ng mahimbing after my trial and knew that come my wedding day, I will be a beautiful bride.

On the day itself, Aaron and his assistant, Bryan, were the first to arrive. As in 7am pa lang at naliligo pa lang ako andun na sila. Then after breakfast, derecho na sa trabaho. Aside from my HMU, they also did my mom, mom-in-law, sister, sister-in-law and aunt's HMU. Everyone looked pretty! Unlimited din ang retouch ni Aaron before the ceremony and the reception.

Invitations: WINK


WINK is another Weddings at Work find. When I checked their site, I knew they had to print our invitations. Their invitations are fun and kikay, which are the qualities I wanted our invitations to have. Reden and I met with Daisy at their old office pa. I originally wanted to use my own design, which we used for our save-the-date email but when Daisy showed me their templates, we found one that had circles (our motif) printed on it. We chose that design, signed the contract and made a down payment. After a week or two, Daisy sent me the first layout. A few months later, Pia, a friend who's getting married in April, saw a WINK template closer to the look I wanted. I immediately e-mailed Daisy and asked her if I could change the template. I received a prompt reply from her saying it was okay. Pagdating sa layout, I used up all my four (or three) revisions. Meron kasing iba na hindi ko agad nakikita or hindi nila napapalitan. Buti na lang editor ako! There were times, however, na matagal sumagot si Daisy pero sumasagot naman siya palagi.

Pagdating sa mock-up, I saw that the colors were off and didn't match our colors. But it's my fault. Pinilit ko kasi na gamitin yung colors na ginamit ko sa aming save-the-date. Since we didn't have much time na din, hindi ko na niraise kay Daisy. I'm sure though na if I did, she would accommodate my request naman. All in all, satisfactory customer service and good quality printing.

Next: San Pablo-based suppliers