Wednesday, May 31, 2006

teacher-teacher and the summer that was..

It's the last day of the summer month and the rainy and "floody" season is nearing...yet the heat is still almost intolerable. Whew! I'm supposed to go banking today at BPI but because of the heat outside and remembering today's a pay day..with sluggishness on the side, I decided to defer it 'til tomorrow. Will just have the whole noon blogging or perhaps will take a nap.

As today's the last day of May (wow..time flies by so fast huh!), just want to blog what kept me busy throughout the summer season. As you know, I've been unemployed for almost two months now and it's my first time to have this long break from the corporate world since I graduated four years ago. Haven't job hunted yet as I'm still waiting for a civil service qualifying exam scheduled on the 30th of July. Afterwhich, will try to get in at Napocor. (wehehe government naman para makakurakot naman...niyaha just joking!) Besides, ewan ko basta I'd like to rest muna and make bawi to my hubby. When I was still with GT, I seemingly lost time para asikasuhin siya because of overwork. And of course, we'll take this chance and still trying to conceive our little bundle of joy while di ako stressed.

Anyway, I could say na kahit unemployed ako, I've been productive naman. My mom-in-law who owns a pre-school at home was kind enough to give me a summer tutorial for an incoming Kinder 2 kid for a month. I tutored John Clyde at home every tuesdays and thursdays, 2 hours each session. At first, I was kinda hesitant. Well it's not that I don't like it but teaching is just not one of my passions and I'm quite uncertain I may not efficiently teach him. Teaching to read may sound easy but it's not..especially if you're not artistically gifted and having a hard time drawing objects. Oh yes I have to draw objects whenever I'm giving him a review test to gauge if he indeed mastered the sounds of vowels and consonants, consonant blends and dipthongs. I have to learn how to draw (with books as my reference of course) an octopus, a sleeping boy, a yelling girl, a blowing face, etc. Two objects I'd rather master to draw are the rat and the cat. Waahhh! I was meaning a rat but he gave me a cat answer. That goes to show my drawing is that bad...huh?

Another thing I had difficulty teaching him was the difference of long and short a vowel pronunciation; Vowel o pronounced as /ow/ or as short /a/; and the difference in pronouncing /o/ and /u/. At times, we're doing ok but whenever his being moody gets in the way....hay, nagpapagod lang ako. He can read but was easily distracted. Medyo may pagka-antukin din, like me hahaha! One problem with him is his unfamiliarity of the English words. He would know what a "barko" is..but he can't distinguish a ship from a boat. He doesn't know what a train is. He had a hard time differentiating tree and three. There's the hard part, isn't it? Even if he knows how to read the vowels and consonants but doesn't have any idea what that word means or implies, he still won't get it and it won't retain in his head. Nevertheless, one thing I like about this kid was his being open and madaldal. He wouldn't bring his baon for merienda but he has plenty of stories to tell about his family. At times, when I'm getting impatient waiting for his answer with my big staring eyes, he can make me laugh because he would also make "dilat" to me. Hay I miss that boy. There's even one time when we were on the picture-sentence association part:

John: He...helps..his...fa-ther..clean..the..room. (with the period representing his reading speed)
Mai: Very Good...now tell me in Tagalog, what does that means...
John: Siya daw...nihe-help niya father niya...i-clean yung room.
Mai: Niyek!

Ok sa translation noh?

There's also another one, I was asking him to fill in the missing letter in "f _ t" with the picture of a stout boy on the side. It took him analyzing my drawing and when he seem still doesn't get it..
Mai: ano ba yung nasa drawing?
John: boy na mataba
Mai: tama..so ano ngayon yung missing letter? ano ba english ng mataba?
(John still staring at me blankly)
Mai: Yan o si kuya...(pointing to his fat brother who's being tutored by my sis-in-law)..ano tawag sa katawan ni kuya?
John: (in an exciting and confident answer) MA-MUSCLE!!!!

**toink**

I have been paid meagerly for that month-long tutorial pero it's just ok kasi di naman ako napapagod. At least, it keeps me busy while waiting for my husband. Most importantly, it feels rewarding knowing that your student learned from you in the end. Yes, at first, John had difficulty reading simple words like "bag". A month after our tutorial, he can now read father, mistake, thumb, whistle, etc. though slowly but at least he already CAN read it. Niyahaha, ibig sabihin my drawings improved, too! hehe!

Way to go John Clyde! Make teacher mai proud. :)

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I need your vote pls..


I don't know how my blog got included in The Composed Gentleman's Filipino Blog of the Week list of nominees but just the same help me bag this for my sidebar hihi!

Kindly vote for my blog here. (Focus your eyes on the left column and scroll down until you see the "Win This Award" part and this golden ribbon pic). Check on maipaul and submit your vote!

** Thanks talksmart for linking me up and for this nomination!

***********************************

I'm glad..am no longer on a hiatus mode on my blog and it got a new look!
1. new layout (i digiscrapped that banner..ehem ehem).
2. the contents were redesigned and some are altered. I removed most of the wed preps links though I still alloted a few links for my wedding stuffs in case you'd still like to see it.
3. I finally figured out the configuration of that nerve-wracking radio blog (without seeking my programmer-husband's help..which makes him proud of his wife yihee!).
4. I added some "income-generating" (?) links of Google Adsense (so pls lang po...click niyo lang wag mahiya).
5. The referrer's list excites me everytime I check my blog. I suddenly realize some hits come from google..akalain mong gumagapang pala ang google sa blog ko hehe!).
6. Site meter says I got 33 hits today..(wow! akalain mong may naliligaw at nagbabasa ng blog ko hehe!) Actually, I got to chat with my stepmom yesterday who's in Saudi with my dad. They were able to read my Wedding Kwento and it brought them to tears daw ulit. oh well...i was teary-eyed too while doing it.

Blogrolling still somewhat pisses me off. I can't still figure out why recently updated blog links aren't appended despite editing my preferences a zillion times already. Grrr! I still have to hover my mouse over links just to see if my friends got new entries on their blog. Can anyone help me debug this? Another thing, can't understand why my blog takes so much time on its initial uploading. hmm...ano bang gagawin ko dito???

Monday, May 29, 2006

Swimming & wedding Snapshots

As promised, here are the pictures of our swimming getaway at Virgin Beach Resort, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas last Saturday.

P5270044copy

* click on the thumbnails to view larger pics *
P5270012copy P5270008copy P5270027copy P5270057copy P5270050copy P5270041copy

Teambuilding of Accenture.com's Careers Team - Czar, Ilya, Almer, Glenn, Roj, Anna, Paul - sabit lang kami ni Melvin (Anna's bf).

************************************

We've attended the wedding of my former colleague from Globe last night at Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park. The reception was held at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. It was one beautiful wedding that made me nostalgic of my own wedding last December. One, being a recent bride myself, I know the surreal feeling of walking down the aisle. Two, we share 3 similar coordinators whom I raved and referred to Janice after delivering exceptionally on our wedding.

P5280067copy

The wedding was well-attended by Janice's family and relatives from Davao and the groom's Chinese family and friends. Some of my former colleagues at Globe Telecom were also there and had some chikahan about the latest happenings there. (Masasabi ko lang, buti na lang talaga wala na ako with GT. :big grin:) Janice and Jerome were a lovely couple and their love for each other manifested well as they exchanged vows.

P5280072copy
The couple with my husband, my former boss Mommy Jo, co-cashier Chris and former colleague at Tower One Chanda

P5280069copy
With Sharon and Jonna, former co-cashiers and our relievers at GT Tower One

Had a fun time making chika with Kenneth Uy, our wedding photographer din. We even had our shots taken exclusively...o ha...lakas namin sa kanya. Same with Kitte (Out of the Box Events), Janice's coordinator whom I also referred. It's just sad to know that they'll coordinate weddings until August of this year na lang. Kitte and her husband will concentrate muna daw in having a baby. As expected, Sentimental Groove performed exceptionally. Though personally, I prefer the singers we had on our wedding.

We went home midnight na since the wedding and reception started late. But nevertheless, the wedding turned out well. Janice and Jerome, wishing you all the best!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Sunburnt & 2 Weddings

Just woke up from a 10-hour sound sleep...and still sleepy hehe! My muscles are aching (arghh!) and got a reddish brown complexion and feels a burning pain all over my skin (double arghh!). I bet the last sunburn for the summer season.

Our 3-hour drive to San Juan, Batangas was kinda tiring...though the van we rented was super dooper comfy...the long drive was "butt-torturing". Had slept a few times pero still, nakakabagot at nakakangawit. It's a good thing super kwela ng mga officemates ni Paul. Wala akong ginawa kundi tumawa ng tumawa. Ilya, their Russian expat officemate was equally entertaining, too.

We arrived at Virgin Beach Resort (sounds pornographic doesn't it? hehe!) in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas at past eleven in the morning. (kinda late kasi nagka-aberya sa pag-rent ni Paul ng van). Nice picturesque..white sand, serene and crystal-clear waters...pwede na! But rates are kinda steep though. Entrance fee is Php 650/adult for 8am-5pm stay, beachfront air-conditioned cottages cost Php 6K, an ordinary cottage (table with bubong) cost Php 1K and add'l Php 200 if you want to have a mattress. Baon food and drinks are not allowed. Set lunch menus are inclusive in the entrance fee. Regular halo-halo which I had for merienda is Php 100 plus 10% service charge.

Mr. Sun was in the mood up there yesterday and the heat was scorching..thus, went home with a sunburn. Games of Pinoy Henyo and Dugtungan Music Game made us busy throughout our trip back to Manila at 5:30 pm. It was kinda hilarious imagine ang ipahula ba naman sa Pinoy Henyo..morning glory, love handles, Papaya soap, etc. It rained hard while we were at South Luzon Expressway approaching Alabang. I was dropped off here in our Makati home at 9:30 pm while Paul proceeded to QC to give back the van we rented. For the second night in a row, di kami natulog ng magkatabi..waah! I miss my hubby na. Di bale later he'll be here na. Have to be here in Makati for a week to accompany my little brother. Our maid went home to her province for her children's enrollment. Wawa naman bro ko, la siya kasama. (My parents are abroad, ate Maila's in Qatar already and ate Marites frequently stays in Pasig for her business).

Pictures of our swimming to follow...the cam's cable is with Paul pa.

*****************************************
Best wishes and congratulations to our dear CWL sis, Concon and Nel who got married yesterday. At last, all 10 of us in our *ChikahangWalangLagot e-groups are hitched! Yehey! "Con, were you able to use Karla's daring undies she gave you on your bridal shower?"

*These are my online bestfriends whom I shared with our wedding preps, post wedding adventures and other chikahans..thus, Chikahang Walang Lagot. We are all rookie wives who got married '05 and '06.

*****************************************
Another wedding, Janice and Jerome will exchange vows tonight at SSA. Janice was a former colleague at Globe Telecom (who's resigned na rin) and I'm just frantic to witness this wedding as I've recommended most of my suppliers to her. We share the same photographer, coordinator and musicians. hehe! I'm sure they'll also deliver well, just like they did on my wedding.

Best wishes and Congrats! See yah later!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Huling swimming hirit...

Just waiting for my hubby...i'll be joining their teambuilding in Batangas and have our last dip in the beach before summer "officially" ends...(akalain mong June na pala next week).

I'll be back with pictures..

/me exit

Friday, May 26, 2006

Patiently Waiting..

just bloghopped from my fellow december '05 brides...

half of myself is clouded with depression...
while the other half, i hear my mind repeating the words.."in God's time..it pays to be patient

Can't help but feel envious of those who are about to start the pains and joys of motherhood.

Five months have passed since we're wed...and here we are constantly bearing people's faces and reactions whenever they hear the "no" answer to their question: "Buntis ka na ba?"

Repetitive questioning and follow-ups got me easily irritated at first. I felt like I was being pressured so hard that I tend to worry warily and question about my capability to conceive. This has been one of the most discussed topics during our late night talks with my hubby..and with my husband being my "soul uplifter" I came to learn the art of psyching myself about God's plan. We might not have it now or soon, but I know I'm still worth of that blessing...in His time.

:sigh:

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Digiscrap..trapped!

Inspired by my fellow mrs. w@wies .. I find myself glued on PC more (as in extra more) these days because of Digiscrapping.


Thanks Mec for letting me know of Genetic Computer's Free Photoshop Training I attended last April. I had a crash course on PS basics..hmm..and I thought PS was difficult to trickle with? Well, maybe most of the functions yeah but armed with the basics, it's fun exploring your artistic side. (ngayon ko lang nalaman, kahit papano eh meron pala ako hehe!)


Here's one of my favorites:

Paul & Mai

LO: Meryl Barthou
Alpha Titles: Tanya Doughty





Wedding Sikat

still feeling wedding high..huh?

Just want to share these links. I never thought that our wedding could get our names and faces published/uploaded on the net and on print:

Tips On Having The Wedding Of Your Dreams Without Breaking Your Budget
- scroll down until the last tip
- as published on Manila Bulletin About Weddings dated March 15, 2006

Kenneth Uy's Website Prenups Gallery - Images 22 - 42
- edited prenup pics taken at Parks & Wildlife

Prenup pic featured at Canon PIXMA 2005 Exhibit Gallery at SM Megamall
- Kenneth Uy's entry

Wedding Announcement on Manila Bulletin About Weddings Dec. 3, 2005

Our Pic with our Wedding Cake by Emily Uy

- as published on our cake artist's website


** But wala ng sisikat pa sa W@wie/CWL sis kong si Jacque whose wedding shall be featured on an upcoming bridal mag. o ha...astig! (blowout naman diyan) :)

"We Work to Live...not, We Live to Work..."

More than a month has already passed since I quit my job and up to this day, can't help but feel dampened whenever I hear "making great things possible" commercials on tv, heavyhearted whenever I receive text messages from former colleagues and disheartened whenever a close friend at work I left behind ignores my texts and don't reply...she did once but her reply seemed unusually hers. Yes, she's mad at me and I felt that days after I tendered my resignation.

My resignation and my last days at GT were definitely hard ordeals for me to overcome. I may have been suppressed for more than a year with so much work, stress and pressure but resignation initially didn't enter my mind despite having my family and Paul encouraging me so many times to quit. I assumed the position of a head cashier 6 months after I got hired without being duly coached and without proper turnover leaving numerous prepaid stock variances to resolve. Worked for 12-15 hours almost everyday. Didn't even have a few minutes to sneak from long queus of paying clients to have a "wee-wee" break. Endured inconsiderate remarks of irate customers. If manpower is lacking one is left with no choice but to take a 10-15 minute lunch break from which I mastered the art of engulfing and swallowing of meals with just a few bite and munch. Even on rest days, we were requested to relieve other centers' cashiers who are on leave. There was one time I was asked to report on a rest day even if I was burning with fever just to supply the info my boss needs for his meeting where in fact, the said data can be obtained from the Manager-in-Charge who has the copy of cashier's daily reports. Some inconsiderate colleagues would even add to the pressure pa with their nagging questions where in fact they can obtain the answer by themselves. And worst, even if they see you with a haggard face and drowsiness clouds your face from too much workload, they don't even bother to help. How pity me and my co-cashiers were whenever we see them goes home promptly at five pm while we were left and stay until 8:30 pm on the average. I couldn't even file freely my vacation leaves since no one could relieve us. GT is on freeze hiring for months while so many cashiers resign thus leaving add'l workload but undermanned. For months after getting married, Paul and I experienced eating daily our dinner at the office with some paperworks on the side. And Paul falling asleep after waiting for hours at the office while I finish my work. We wake up early and suffer the MRT commuting ordeal in the morning and goes home late at night and doze off immediately. Isn't that nice to start your newlywed life? How can we have a baby with that routine?

Even before we got a new center head, I already raised our concerns and hoped they'd take action on these. Being the head cashier, I told him that we are all demoralized and exhausted. Months passed and even before he transferred into a new center, nothing happened. My teammates even contemplated if we threaten to resign baka sakaling gumalaw na sila. Barely days as a new center head, I already told Ms. C about our dilemma and blatantly told her I'm no longer happy with my job and our condition. She said, she'll see what she can do. Months passed again still nothing...In fact, it grew worse. We were really physically and emotionally stressed...and with the new VAT law implementation, we were mentally stressed. Still, I hoped and waited.

Another factor that bothered my mind was my pretty single close colleague who got pregnant accidentally. (Yeah...inunahan pa ko.) Honestly, she's one of the reason why I'd almost didn't tender my resignation. She's in despair and terribly troubled and I don't want to add pressure on her with my leaving. With that, I stayed muna and patiently endured everything...

I cried for weeks..I was praying that God give me a sign if it's time to go even if there's no other work to transfer to. And then He gave it. Sabi ko kasi "Lord, sige magtitiis pa ako with my work basta walang maging problem with my team and pag nagkaroon ng moment na magrift apart kami ng mga teammates ko..that's it! (which super di ko ma-imagine na mangyari dahil super close kami)..". March came and numerous problems poured in and it was aggravated by my co-cashier who rudely argued with me. Being her head, I called her attention on her recent work attitude (daily tardiness)...to my surprise, she rudely argued with me which is so unusual and with her personality di niya magagawa. She said she don't care if I'm her head and she don't care about her tardiness since she's about to resign na...for days she didn't talk to me and even took a leave with such a short notice...whoaa! That's it!

After successive nights of crying, after seeing Paul na nahihirapan coz he sees me na nahihirapan, after careful consideration of all the things they counter-offered me, after thinking na marami naman pala akong options outside Globe, I tendered my resignation. Most of my colleagues didn't fully understand the reason of my leaving but what the heck...I value more my health and my family. I want to have a baby na. If I was to be blessed with one, I don't want to deliver a frowning and stressed baby noh.

When I told my preggy colleague sadly that I finally tendered, she was quiet..she didn't want me to see her cry. She assured me she's not mad and that she's just sad kasi sa akin na nga lang daw siya kumukuha ng strength, iiwan ko pa. It tore my heart. I said I'm sorry but I got no choice. If only I can stay..pero that's the problem..di ko na talaga kayang mag-stay pa. I know it was not a selfish act. I may have turned her down pero di ko kagustuhan yun. It's just that one have to be sacrificed. I assured her naman na I'm still her friend and I understand what she feels kasi I also felt that when 2 of my colleagues left me when I just new. Weighing work and health/family life, I value more the latter siyempre. My husband and his family is more than supportive of my plans. Part time, my mom-in-law who owns a pre-school let me handled a one-on-one reading summer tutorial with a 5-yr-old kid. Paul's bro-in-law offered to help me get in at Napocor but just have to take my civil service exam on jul 30. Nightly, Paul and I would man our computer shop/rentals at home.

As of now, I'm enjoying being not a corporate slave for a while...simply put being a housewife. It's fun as I have all the time for myself and for my husband..sleep late or have a siesta, can go out easily, eat anytime I want, being able to watch noontime and kapamilya prime time bida shows, cook for Paul, do grocery, attend cooking and Photoshop lessons etc...a well-deserved break, indeed.

Yes it is fun and relaxing but it surely is depressing sometimes especially when pay day comes(oh which reminds di ko pa nakukuha final pay ko dahil pahirapan ang pagkuha ng clearance sa Globe)...and it's not easy for newlyweds like us who'd want to save as much the soonest time for: 1.) a house of our own 2.) just preparing in case I get preggy (which we hope it'll be soon) .
As they say, lahat may kapalit. You win some, lose some. But anyhow, Paul and I are doing well. Though minsan I feel frustrated for not helping him increase our savings..he's constantly reassuring me na it's not naman permanent, and just have to be patient. On another thought, I'd rather have this kesa naman sa may work ka nga, sacrificed naman ang health and family life mo. Dapat may constant balance lagi....

ergo..."We Work to Live...not, We Live to Work..."

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Suppliers' Ratings...(and some kwentos ulit)

Our wedding wouldn't turn out as great as it was without the help of our dear suppliers. Though there were some glitches, all in all, it was still the wedding we've dreamt of..definitely worth the stress and hardships we encountered for one year of preparations. I've been meaning to share our suppliers' ratings after our wedding day..but due to time constraints and laziness (hehe) it took me about four months before I can post this...hehehe!

Disclaimer: Ratings of our wedding suppliers are drawn from our own views..our personal experiences with them as the basis. These are personal opinions as their clients and we have no intentions of making any misguided or malicious statements. They are graded in accordance to OUR standards .. hence, pls do not carelessly generalize. Some may have not fully met our expectations and some may have disappointed us but these blunders are just case-to-case basis. Also, we've raised our concerns to the suppliers involved. I've heard their sides and we've talked it over na. Pls take this rating as a guide na lang for you to prevent potential blunders and glitches that may happen on your wedding day. Rates mentioned are their quotes as of Dec'05. Pls inquire directly from them for updated rates.


Our suppliers shall be rated from 1 - 10 (with 10 being the highest):

Church - Sta Rita de Cascia Parish
Address: Philamhomes Subd. Quezon City
Contact Persons: Egay and Cecille
Contact Number: 9298280
Peso Power : Php 10,000 (+100/pair of Principal Sponsor in excess of 5)
Rating: 9

IMG_6545 IMG_6567copy IMG_6661copy
What we loved about it:
1. Very quiet, peaceful and serene..the most important factors we considered while we searched for our church.
2. Very accommodating and friendly staff - Egay and Cecille.
3. Was organized and we were guided closely as to how our schedule of seminars/formations should go.
4. It's our preference to hold our wedding in a not so large church so it won't look empty kahit na di ganun karami ang guests.
5. I love the close door effect for my bridal march..many of my guests were touched and mystified kasi ang ganda din ng lighting from the outside upon opening of the door..ganda ng effect tapos cool pa daw ang bridal march ko dahil sa Sentimental Groove..tapos with my crying dad..ayun daming naiyak.
6. Processing of papers and other documents were easy.
7. The newly renovated front yard (which i thought initially na it wouldn't be finished prior our wedding day) provided lots of good views as background for our pictorials.

IMG_6546copy

What made us a bit-sad: (but all in all..still love the services)
1. We've prepared our Misallettes a month before our wedding and it was approved naman easily since we drafted it from the sample misallette they gave us. We copied it as it is..just added the cover and customized it by adding the processional sequence, names of the readers & offerors and pictorial sequence. With their approval and after reproducing it, we were surprised to know a week before the wedding na some parts of the mass have to be omitted since it was advent and also some songs should just be recited para sakto na 1 hour lang ang whole ceremony. Kainis lang kasi kaya nga kami nagpacheck muna eh..they should told us beforehand para naman hindi misleading sa guests yung misalette during the mass. Siyempre since limited na ang time and nakakapanghinayang pa kung palitan namin, we just used the misallettes as it is unaltered.
2. Medyo boring ang mga seminars conducted.




Reception Venue and Preparations Venue: Hotel Rembrandt - Grand Ballroom
Address: Tomas Morato, QC
Contact Persons: Beth / Ginee Castillo
Peso Power : Php 80,000 lunch buffet for 100 pax
Rating: Reception - 9 Hotel Preps - 6

IMG_6535copy _MG_5388copy

What we love about it:
1. Grand picturesque of the ballroom..it's easy to decorate since physical set-up alone maganda na siya. Not much styling was to be done since christmas embelishments and lights (plus a giant christmas tree) decorates the ballroom already.
2. I love the food...and all of our guests have the same thoughts afterwards. Prior kasi I've attended several functions there and my palate was impressed na.
3. Very reasonable ang package for a buffet menu good for 150 guests...plus other package inclusions
4. Ginee was easy to talk to. Pag may concerns and questions, she didn't hesitate to contact me to verify things.
5. It was stated in the contract that leftover foods shouldn't be packed and taken out after..pero the head waiter allowed us to take it all home (siguro because of the tip that we gave their team). Ang daming natira despite having served all the guests that came. Di nila kami tinipid. :)
6. Very courteous and accommodating waiters.
7. Food served on the buffet table never ran out as replenishment was fast.
8. I have to give credit to the housekeeping boy who helped me iron my gown. It got wrinkled on our way to the hotel the night before the wedding day.

What turned us off:
1. Housekeeping during preps sucked big time (except for the one who helped me iron my gown)! Kitte, my coordinator, has called for help to fix the room on the morning of my wedding as I begin to prepare but it took them about an hour before we were served.
2. The first AE we talked to when we booked it around January '05 was Beth. She resigned around July without doing the necessary turnover of our initial agreements and others to Ginee who assumed her position. She could've at least informed us para naman hindi kami nagworry or nagulat.
3. Color motif on table linens was not followed. Color blindness will never be an excuse...orange is not and will never be yellow...ok?
4. Their sound system sucked.




Bridal Gown: Leonie Bautista
Address: H14 CB II Tutuban Center CM Recto Tondo, Manila / 363 F. Lozada St. Gatchalian Subd. Ph3 Las Pinas City
Contact Persons: Leonie / Grace
Contact Number: 0926-3143709 / 8293672
Peso Power : Php 9,000 (package includes: bridal gown, 2 veils, cord, coins, bearers' pillows, pouch)
Rating: 10

Gown IMG_6328copy IMG_6249 IMG_6248

I heard about this outrageous tipid find from my fellow w@wies. Having a stall located at Tutuban Mall simply implies that her rates are affordable..err should I say pratical. I have no negative feedbacks on her nor on her work as she is really commendable. Simply put..i just love my gown..simple yet elegant and notable of which..I was comfortable the whole time I'm wearing it. Her lead time was fairly fast. She got my measurement taken some time september and a month and a half after, I was already bringing home my fully embellished gown. A replica of an expensive gown designed by a local well-known couturier that I saw in a bridal mag...except that mine was made of much cheaper but equally elegant pina jusi cloth. As a powder detergent goes, "sing-ganda pero di sing-mahal".



Paul's Barong and Entourage Gowns / barongs: Smart Bridal Collection
Address: H-09 CB1 2F Tutuban Center CM Recto, Manila
Contact Persons: Melinda
Contact Number: 253-1782
Peso Power : Ento gowns - Php 600 each / barongs - Php 300 to 1000
Rating: 9

What we loved about her:
Another tipid find from Tutuban Mall. We'd love to get the services sana of Ms Leonie for the ento gowns but Melinda's gowns are much cheaper. Who would've thought you could still find a gown at 600 bucks? Except for the gowns of my maids of honor, the rest of the female entourage weren't customized. We just chose from their selection..at least didn't waste my time and whacked my head thinking of customized designs to have..also i get to see a preview of the overall style beforehand. I just provided her the girls' measurements and two weeks after..they were available for pick up. Didn't have much problem with the gowns' fit regardless of my entourage's sizes and built since the style of the top was adjustable with cris-crossed lace at the back. My ento friends loved their gowns so much that they didn't want to take it off after fitting. We also didn't experience difficulty in finding paul's barong and that of the entourage. I guess, Paul and I weren't OC and not that particular with regards to our attire. Our concern was more of simplicity, comfort and of course the budget! What a bit disappointed us: One of my maids of honor didn't like the fit of the gown on her. I contacted Melinda right away and she gladly repaired it without extra charge since it's their fault daw. The measurement of the gown was wrong daw. But still, quiet satisfied since they repaired it fairly fast.




Cake: Sugarbox by Emily Uy
Address: 1447 Masangkay St. Pearl Towers Unit B-401 Sta Cruz Manila / Themes & Motifs Podium
Contact Person: Emily Uy
Contact Number: 321-1024 / 0917 5348074
Email: inquiries@ilovesugarbox.com / emilyuy@ilovesugarbox.com
URL: http://www.ilovesugarbox.com
Peso Power : Php 9000 (Choco walnut / 3 layered with 18"x6" bottom and edible layer / free 24 mini-cakes)
Rating: 10+++++

cake

caketopper

No questions asked and no doubt..Emily is one of our favorite suppliers. 1.) Super yummy ng cake (actually, understatement pa yan) 2.) Super bait and professional. All praises ang guests namin sa taste ng cake. Super sarap at malasa daw. Eventhough the bridal cake was included in the reception package of rembrandt, we still opted to book Emily. We met her nung Bridal Fair sa NBC Tent and upon browsing her folio and tasting her cake...ala na...automatic ito nagkatinginan kami ni Paul and that's it! The next day we came back to book her and settled the deposit fee. When we met to discuss the cake design, actually, Paul and I didn't have a clear idea of what design we wanted. Being the cake artist that she is, she designed a cake which I think really suited our personality. The layers she made was uneven and unconventional shapes..simple lang with our motif reflected on the gumpaste flowers beaded on each layer. What I find the cutest was the 3 pairs of edible gumpaste toppers placed on each layer. She took a pic of us during one of our meetings and commented na she needs it as a guide for the toppers. She even kidded Paul na it's her first time to make a medyo "sunog" na topper because of Paul's complexion. Truly...tignan niyo ang toppers hehe! Unfortunately, only one pair of topper was left and now being displayed here at home along with our other wedding paraphernalias. Hehe see..months have passed and yet buo pa rin siya...di siya nilanggam ang galing! Also, super cute ng mga mini-cakes niya. Some of them was given to our female principal sponsors while some was given as token of thanks to our hosts and some suppliers. Actually, as per our coordinator, nawala daw yung iba as some of the guests took it kahit na hindi naman supposedly for them. Oh well..siguro talagang na-cute-an sila at di nakapagpigil hehehe! On a funny note, one of our ninangs mistakenly thought na hindi siya edible kaya ayun ginawang pang-display at di kinain hehe!




Florist & Event Stylist: Interplay Flowers & Events Specialists
Address: 14 Aurora Drive St. Vergonville Subd. Las Pinas City
Contact Person: Lala Baldelovar
Contact Number: 871-7260 / 0917 5295831
Email: interplaycreative@gmail.com
URL: http://www.interplaycreative.com
Peso Power : Php 18,850 (inclusions: bridal bouquet, entourage floral arrangements, reception floral arrangements, supposedly comes with unity candle, free 2 dozen loose roses and petals)
Ratings: Pre-wedding=10 / Wedding day itself=8 / Post-wedding=5 :(

bouquet mybouquet
IMG_6548copy IMG_6485copy
What we love about her:
During our preparations, Lala was one of our favorite suppliers as she was so bubbly and easy to talk to (with regards to her package inclusions). One thing we like about her is the super practical and affordable package rates she offers. Looking at her previous wedding projects, you'll really marvel on her folios. She also seemed knowledgeable on her craft as she could readily conceptualize the flowers she'll use in collaboration with your ideas. I love my bouquet! Just the way I imagined it to be .. same as with the flowers of the entourage and of the principal sponsors. Our coordinators didn't have a hard time distributing the mini-bouquets since they were also nicely labeled. Lala and her staff also arrived on time on our wedding day. In fact, Lala was even requesting the AE of Rembrandt if they could start setting-up the ballroom as early as 5 am. But since they were not allowed to do so..they still came early even before technician of the ballroom arrived. I liked their table centerpieces with the floating votive candles .. i just don't know kung ganun talaga ang style pero it seems na kulang mga flowers eh..what you think?


centerpirece centerpiece2 centerpiece3
stage votive

What disappointed us:
We didn't have our unity candle. One, Lala didn't make it clear that I have to provide her the candle and she'll only do the arrangement. When I asked her kasi I told her if she DOES unity candle..meaning the whole package (the candle, other stuffs and the arrangement). She said yes and thus it was included in the package. So all the while I didn't worry about it. It's only after the fiasco that I reviewed the contract..yun nga arrangement lang pala nakalagay. Nevertheless, di niya ako naintindihan of my requet ... she could've reminded beforehand of the candles she'll be decorating. I admit ang fault ko dito is di ko inintindi ang contract but still dapat ni-follow up niya sakin ang mga candles bago ang wedding day or the wedding day itself. Second, granting I provided her the candles, di pa rin kami magkakaroon ng unity candle ceremony. This time Lala shares the blame with my coordinators. I asked Kitte, my coordinator, if my sisters could hitch with them sa van nila on their way to the church. She agreed. I didn't know that Lala and Kitte had an agreement that Lala's staff who'll design the unity candle will be hitching with them din pala on their way to the church. Ayun naiwanan ang staff and thus, Lala puts the blame solely on my coordinator. But still that's not an excuse right? She could've just instructed her staff to find a way to get to the church. Ang lapit lang naman po kaya ng Sta rita sa Rembrandt. And nung naiwanan na and thus walang unity candle na na-arrange, dapat I was informed or kahit yung mga coordinators ko na wala nga kaming unity candle. Ayun, di siya nacancel sa ceremony and we looked like silly looking for our unity candle sa altar when we were called to light it.

Third, what disappointed me most was Lala's reaction/ethics when I escalated this concern days after our wedding. I emailed her (and my coordinator) and asked what happened. I explained how bad I felt being the client but nevertheless still thanked them for an overall good performance. I even told them na I'm no longer mad kasi tapos na yun and there's no sense of pointing pa who's to blame. All I want to know was their version on the incident. Also with my intention to let them know of their shortcomings so they could prevent same mistakes from happening again on their next clients. I've heard my coordinator's side and Kitte was apologetic about it. But with Lala .. nah .. I was surprised! I never expected that a client will ever receive a response from a supplier saying na: she's disturbed of my email as I was questioning her professionalism. She did not remiss on her delivery of her services daw. And why does she share the blame daw. Having been a customer service frontliner for a bank and a telecom company, I was really turned off to see a supplier refusing to accept a criticism from a client. Moreso, a supplier saying she feels bad on a client's comment about her performance. For her, she could've given her best but at the end, the clients have the final say if she indeed met or exceeded one's expectations. I've read her email a lot of time...not a single sorry was written. Her reply appeared she was more hurt..uhm, it was us who weren't able to have the meaningful unity candle. She gave us back the amount we paid for the unity candle..but still...we can no longer rewind the time. Sus we can buy anywhere now yang unity candle na yan pero para saan pa?




Coordinator: Out of the Box Events
Contact Person: Christine "Kitte" Daria-Estabillo
Contact Number: 697-1437 / 0917-2435006
Email: out_of_d_box@yahoo.com
URL: http://outbox.freewebspace.com/
Peso Power : Php 10,000 (w@wie rate / includes OTD coordination with 5 coordinators / free photo AVP)
Rating: 9.50

IMG_6268
a "love ko 'to" breakfast with Kitte

Being a former w@wie herself, it's so easy to talk and deal her with coz she fully understands the sentiments, thoughts, feelings of every bride she works with. Having been a bride two years ago and handling wedding coordination these past months makes her updated of the latest trends and happenings in the wedding industry. Add to that, her stint at ABS-CBN as promo specialist makes her adept in events coordination. She does wedding coordination part-time lang pero mapapabelieve ka sa professionalism niya. What I like about her is that di ka niya pababayaan. Though medyo bihira lang kami nagmeet before, ok slang kasi On-The-Day services lang naman ang nibook namin with them. Besides, medyo hands-on talaga ako sa preps before kaya nga tuwa siya nung nagturn-over kami ng documents and bilins kasi kumpleto with all the info she needed. Implementation na lang daw ang kulang which is her job. She was the one who made the reception layout and the program script which I edited na lang.

She and her husband, Joseph (part of the coordination team), were the ones who woke me up at the hotel at exactly 6:00 AM. True to her word talaga kasi a day before when we met, sabi niya "ako gigising sayo ng 6 AM". The rest of her team came early din and started working right away. Naging maayos ang call time ng mga suppliers because of Kitte's coordination din. Throughout I was being made up, Kitte was on my side. She was even the one who slipped on my shoes. While waiting outside the church, inaaliw nila ako and gave me tips on how to walk with my long gown para di ako magtrip, to smile and just enjoy the march ... sila rin ng husband niya ang nag-open ng door for me sa bridal march ko. I entrusted her na rin of all the payables that are still due to some of our suppliers. She was maayos naman as I was presented afterwards with signed acknowledgement receipts for the payments made. Basta wala akong ni-worry all throughout the wedding day kasi siya nag-asikaso (except for 2 minor flaws which I will entail later). I was relaxed and di ako nagpanic kasi alam kong si kitte bahala lahat-lahat hehe. Sa church naman si edith ang in-charge. The ceremony went on smoothly naman. Except for the unity candle I elaborated earlier with my florist's ratings. Sa reception, hats off ako sa mga guys, JP, Jun and Joseph. They handled everything very well..the program, yung cue ng songs, coordination with the other suppliers .. ang galing! My ate even commended JP for distributing the guest sheets and convincing them to write. Nung una kasi I was worried na konti lang ang babalik na signed guest sheets.. when they were returned to us to my surprise, ang daming signed sheets. Gift registry was well taken care of din. Paraphernalias and other wedding stuffs were turned over to us completely.

What a bit disappointed us:
First: yung sa unity candle issue nga with my florist. Kitte and her team failed to coordinate properly with Lala. Nevertheless, they were sincerely apologetic naman after.
Second: They forgot to give our thank you tokens to our entourage members. What I liked about them naman is that they didn't tell me right away kasi katwiran nila, they will just tell their mistake pag nagawan na nila ng solution. It's a good thing na I've given them a list of my entourage and their cellphone numbers. Kaya ayun, pinadala nila sa mga friends namin kaso I have to request na irush nila yung isa kasi lapit ng bumalik sa US yung isang friend namin. Ending, nareceive naman ng mga friends ko yung mga tokens, super apologetic si Edith that she even sent us a sorry gift from Body Shop. Now that's how a supplier should be to her clients .. ginagawan ng solution for any mess done and make up for their mistakes :)




Photographer / Videographer: Kenneth Uy Photography
Contact Person: Kenneth Uy
Address: 138 Kanlaon St. QC
Contact Number: 241-9444 / 0917-3280678
Email: kentuy@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.kennethuy.com/
Peso Power : Php 42,750 (discounted w/ 5%)
Package inclusion: 2 Professional photographers / 1500++ Hi-resolution shots / 40 pages Digital Magnetic Story Book Album (8x10) / 16 " x20 " photo lamination in a special frame / 1 videographer / digital editing MTV style / one copy in DVD / raw footage / free prenuptial shoot
Rating: 10

kennethuy
Another favorite supplier ito. We booked him through the Megamall bridal fair naman thus with the 5% discount. Honestly, we booked him before kahit na wala pa kaming masyadong feedbacks na naririnig about him sa w @ w yahoogroups. We just relied dun sa folio na pinakita niya and we were impressed naman. Aside from that, we were on lookout talaga sa budget kaya we got his package na photo and video services for only 45K+. Though naging reluctant ako sa kanya at first dahil ala akong masyadong narinig na feedbacks of him, di naman ako nadisappoint sa services niya come prenups shoot and wedding day itself. He was easy to talk with. When I asked to make revisions dun sa contract niya, go go go siya without hesitation. Tapos during pictorials, we never had any uneasy and "ilang" moments with him. Super comfortable kami ni Paul kahit na he was asking us to make this pose and that. On top of it..he really has the eye. Kahit na simpleng damuhan lang, pag labas ng picture you'll appreciate the beauty of the background and other elements he used. The contract stated na 2 lang silang photographers, nagulat ako pagdating nila ang dami niyang back-up photogs. Apprentices yung iba pero kahit na baguhan magagaling at magaganda ang shots nila. On time din ang team ni Kenneth nung wedding day. Upon arriving, click of their cameras ang naririnig mo kasi work sila agad. Fairly fast din magdeliver si Kenneth. We got our cd of pics the day after our wedding day. We submitted on January our selection for the album and by February the album is with us na. Seeing his shots make me ponder on the events that transpired .. sarap balik-balikan ang mga nangyari through his pics. Ang ganda din ng layout ng album niya. Then yung dvd ng video ... I think we got it end of January pa. Super bilis talaga nila magdeliver considering they stated in the contract na approximately 4 months ang lead time. Super galing din ng editing ng video as well as the songs used. Actually, I was surprised to know nga na ok na daw for pick-up yung video naming eh sabi di pa naman ako nakakapagbigay ng song selection. Sabi niya check ko muna yung editing then if we don't like the songs used papalitan niya .. pero watching it as it is .. gandahan na ako. Recently, I ordered for a mini-parent album .. sobrang bait pa rin niya he slashed pa the price Php500 off.

Here are some of our favorite shots taken by Kenneth's team:




What makes us medyo tampo of him:
Waaahh! Our pics are not included yet sa wedding gallery on his website. Instead, our prenup pics ang andun pa lang (click on prenup samples). I asked him why ours were not included..sabi niya he exceeded his web storage quota and yet to erase some old files daw. I do really wish na ma-include na niya pics namin sa gallery..a lot of our friends kasi are asking about it na :(




Musicians: Sentimental Groove
Contact Person: Danny / Kate
Contact Number: 0915-7422799 / 5333688 / 7181151
Email: tsg_prod@yahoo.com / sentimental_groove10@yahoo.com
URL: http://thesentimentalgroove.kasal.com/
Peso Power : Php 20,000
Inclusion: Should be Enamel Group but was upgraded to TSG1 (church and reception)
Rating: Pre-wedding meetings - 5 / Wedding day: 10++++++

IMG_6738copy

I'vee heard about SG through weddingsatwork with their positive feedbacks and after attending their demos, I got Paul's approval to book them. Super hats off ako sa galing nila. All in one band talaga. Pero quite disappointed ako with the way they handle their prospective clients (those attending the demo). One: one of their AE was not sure of her answers on her queries..in fact, wala siyang alam. She didn't even know how much was the rate of one band and just answered us na it was the road manager who knows it. Tapos when we asked if Enamel was still available on our wedding date..sabi niya booked na daw. But later claimed na we check daw with Danny, the one who handles the scheds. What's the purpose of the calendar with marked bookings that she carries if that's not the official one. And the ultimate question, why is she attending our queries if she wasn't sure of answers to give. When we came back 2 months prior our wedding, wala na itong AE na ito. Tapos when I attended the Megamall Bridal Fair, I saw her there pero not with Sentimental Groove anymore. She's with The Mango Farm na ata. Buti naman..ala ng panggulo sa SG.

Our succeeding production meetings were organized naman as Danny and Randy were easy to talk to. They asked for our song selections and were played naman .. though I'm just not sure kung lahat since siyempre on the wedding day cloud 9 ang feeling mo. Pero what makes me happy about SG the most was they upgraded our package without a fee on the wedding day itself. Originally, we booked Enamel (3rd best group since the 2 best groups were booked already)..while waiting on the bridal car, one of their AEs who was also the flutist (shucks forgot the name) approached me and said that Enamel couldn't make it kaya TSG1 will replace them .. I was like..huwaaat??? siyempre super happy ako. Yun kaya ang first choice namin nun and undoubtedly the best SG group. Kahit na with my gown on, kulang na lang magtatalon-talon ako sa saya hehehe. Second surprise, I was surprised to have 5 singers!!! Sa contract kasi only 2 are included sa package. All of their 5 best singers were there sa church: May, Johan, Ronald, Candy and the singer/flutist which I forgot the name nga. The climax for me was nung bridal march ko. Without Johan (SG's Josh Groban) singing You Raise Me Up, my march wouldn't be as touching as it was. Pag-open pa lang ng door and upon hearing yung into ng song, I was teary-eyed. Truly the song added emotion so much kaya nga my bridal march was one of those moments I always relive and replay on my mind. A lot of our guests were sniffing and crying while I marched..well aside from the song kasi eh my dad was like a crybaby hehe! After the wedding, I would hear comments na super galing daw ng musicians namin lalo na nung Lord's Prayer which Ronald sang. Operatic daw ang dating. Same with May when she sang Love Moves in Mysterious Ways during the reception. That's what Sentimental Groove is all about. Sayang nga lang kasi ayaw magsayawan ng mga guests after. Pero nevertheless, Sentimental Groove rocked the house talaga. Kahit na medyo nagsplurge kami on budget sa musicians .. it's truly worth it.



Hair & Make-Up Artist: Joan and Loren (formerly of Clamar)
Contact Person: Loren
Contact Number: 0918-5309364
Peso Power : Php 8,330 (discounted w/ 15%)
Package inclusion: Bridal Package (hairstyling and make up for 5 subjects + 2 flower girls / free trial make-up)
Rating: 10++++++


_MG_4057 _MG_4451copy Copy of IMG_6243 _MG_4484copy
We booked Clamar during the NBC Tent bridal fair thus, with the 15% discount. We also heard about them through their overly satisfied w@wie clients. Midway our preps and when I'm about to have a trial make-up with them, I was frantic kasi di ko macontact ang Clamar. When luckily I got hold of Loren's number from a w@wie, I texted her right away and asked where I could contact them and where can I request a copy of the contract. I gasped upon hearing her answer na wala na daw Clamar and she's doing freelance na. But she assured me naman I get still to be served but she'll check first Joan's availability on our wedding day since Joan's working full time for Body Shop na daw. So yun, I was happy naman with her trial make-up. I asked her to make it light lang kasi it's for our prenups din on that same day. I like her style. She knows what colors blends well with my complexion and di siya madaling mag wear-off. She even gave me a fashion earrings which she personally did daw. Gift daw niya sakin..how sweet! Come wedding day, they were on time. Joan (yes she made it hehe) started with my hair..at ang bilis gumawa..in 20 mins or less ata my hair was up na forgot what is called pero French something .. which my coordinator got envious of. Kitte wanted that style sana for her wedding. Very neat..walang strays of hair na naliligaw. Then Loren started on my make-up..I like what she did .. light lang (day wedding kasi). Liked the colors, too. My sisters and my mom-in-law also liked their make-ups by Joan and Loren.




Rings: Finest Jewellery (Dammam, Saudi Arabia)
Peso Power: FREE c/o my dad
Rating: 10

IMG_6278copy

Our rings are made of white gold and knowing that it was bought from Saudi siyempre ganda ang quality. I just sent my dad the design we wanted and it was nicely done naman.




Chocolate Fountain: Events by Perfect Moments
Contact Person: Erika Que
Contact Number: 0917-5361015 / 5636879
Email: eventsbyperfectmoments@yahoo.com
Peso Power : Php 6,500
Package inclusion: 2 units of 16" fountain / choice of 5 dippers /5 kilos of Pure Belgian Chocolate
Rating: 10+++++

chocofountain chocofountain2

Choco fountains are one of the latest trends in the wedding industry. Paul and I were awed everytime na may bridal fair and we would fountain-hop and taste it..hala dip ng dip everywhere. From the beginning I really wanted to have such pero medyo ala sa budget kasi ang rates ng mga fountains displayed sa bridal fairs. Kaya ayun..i just shrugged it off na lang. Even Paul he finds it impractical to rent a 20K fountain. Tapos yung maliit lang 5K na. Siguro meant din talaga na magkaroon kami ng choco fountain on our wedding kasi four days a week before the wedding, I saw sa classified ads ng weddingsatwork.com that Events by Perfect Moments are renting two small machines at 6,500. Upon learning na available pa siya for rental on our wedding day, I sought the approval of Paul agad. And being the mapagbigay that he is, he asked kung talagang gusto ko daw ba...and siguro dahil nasa "letting-go" stage na siya by that time..pinayagan niya ako. Kaya Events by Perfect Moments was the last supplier we booked days before our wedding. Madaling kausap si Erika. In fact all our transactions were through text and call lang..we never met. She didn't even ask for downpayment. Ni wala na nga rin kaming contract. Pareho kaming nagtrust na lang sa isa't isa. Full payment was to be paid cash on-the-day. Come wedding day, ang daming guests ang nag-flock at natuwa sa choco fountain. Sarap daw. And looking at the pics, grabe nasimot nga ang chocolate at dippers.



Bubble Machine: Burst Professionals
Contact Person: Odette
Contact Number: 09178349930 / 6556909
Peso Power : Php 1,500 (usage of the machine throughout the reception / 1 technician)
Rating: 10+++++

bubbles

Kahit na minor supplier lang ang Burst Professionals, I love dealing with Ms. Odette. Sobrang accommodating and madaling makausap. We booked her just a week before our wedding. We never met din as our contract was just faxed and negotiations are through text and calls. Malaki yung bubble machine nila. It has a stand and may adjustable lever siya kaya it can be elevated or lowered depends kung gano kataas mo gusto magblow at magfloat yung bubbles. Our bubble machine was utilized as we entered the ballroom and nung first dance namin. Ganda ng effects. It was nice to see the kids na tuwang-tuwa sila sa mga bubbles. Ms. Odette was also sweet...she texted me after the wedding just to extend her warm wishes.



Unity Coins: Weddingsatwork
Contact Person: John & Benz Rana
Peso Power : Php1,400
Rating: 10

_MG_3965

Super cool ng unity coins. One of the first wedding stuffs we bought. Truly it's not the ordinary arrhae kasi may symbolism siya. Sobrang precious and the more na talagang iingatan mo siya just like you take care of your marriage.




Cord: Rio Tiaras
Contact Person: Regie Escolin
Address: 106 Small Horseshoe Drive, Horseshoe Vill., QC
Contact No: 09175302341 / 4126640
Email: resph99@yahoo.com
Peso Power : Php 700
Inclusion: cord made of blue and white crystals/beads with free pouch for the coins
Rating: 10

_MG_3961copy IMG_4028copy

We bought our cord during the Rockwell Bridal Fair. At first, I wanted to make our cord myself sana (as influenced by some co - Wawie friends) kaso didn't have the time to run to Quiapo pa and buy the materials. Kaya when I saw on display yung mga cords, nagustuhan namin pero ni Paul (match din kasi sa motif) so we bought it na. The cord was fairly visible nung ceremony. Ganda ng effect.




Bride's shoes - Rosana Pena (Landmark)
Groom's shoes - (SM Makati)
Peso Power : Bride's: Php 795 / Groom's: Php 1,395
Rating: 10

shoes paulshoes

One of those things na "tipid find" namin. I didn't want a customized one for me kasi di naman siya makikita underneath the gown. Basta particular lang ako sa height ng heel..medyo mataas pero comfy. I need to wear high heels para naman kahit papano eh di ako magmumukhang masyadong maliit sa height ni Paul. I wore the shoes from 9:30 AM until mga 5:00 PM...my toes and soles didn't hurt or sore. Same with Paul's shoes. Elegant and lambot daw sa paa. Isa pa, it's reusable..ginagamit niya ng pamasok sa office ngayon.


Manequin Rental: Theresa Nobleza c/o W@wie Liv Nobleza (liv ni ruy - 12.17.06)
Peso Power: Php 300
Rating: 10


IMG_6252copy

It's a good thing talaga to meet Liv sa w@w. Her tita rents out manequins and I believe ang daming w@wies ng nakinabang dito hehe. Siyempre ilang hours mo lang naman magagamit ang manequin (for the pictorials) kaya reasonable na ang price.




Bridal Car: AdeB Enterprise
Contact Person: Tricie
Contact Number: 682-5922
Peso Power : Php 3,000
Package inclusion: 3 hour usage of MB E320 (driver, gas & flowers included)
Rating: 9.50

bridal car

We booked AdeB during the NBC Tent Bridal Fair also the reason why we got a discount. Tricie was easy to deal with. Mang Jerick, the driver, arrived so early...way ahead of the call time which was 10:30 AM. Kahit na inaayusan pa lang ako around 9:45, my coordinator said na naghihintay na yung bridal car sa baba. Our preparations at the hotel didn't take that long din kaya way ahead din kami sa timeline namin. The reason walang nagpapanic or nagru-rush. Ceremony is at 11 AM pero 10:30 pa lang nasa church na kami. We could've started earlier than scheduled pero most of the guests and entourage (and ang dad ko) wala pa kaya the whole time nasa car lang ako. For 30 minutes, Mang Jerick made kwento and imparted his marriage thoughts (he's a family man with 3 children). Well siguro he thought that I was that tensed. Hmm...siguro medyo lang pero more of excitement kasi nararamdaman ko. He was mabait and machika. He even helped me arrange my gown's veil when I alighted from the car. At may kakulitan din nga pala si Mang Jerick. On our way to the church, our videographer suddenly turned the cam on and interviewed me and my sister (who was me in the car). At siyempre kadramahan pala ito. While my sister was teary-eyed as she gave me a message, nagpatugtog ba naman si Mang Jerick ng madramang instrumental. Songs that you usually hear on drama anthologies while on their emoting scenes. Naiyak tuloy kami lalo ni ate. Maingat din magdrive si Mang Jerick. Since malapit lang ang hotel sa church and we left early, hindi siya mabilis magdrive. Kahit na sobrang luwag ng daan kasi morning pa and alang traffic sa Quezon Ave.

What a bit saddened me:
Yung right window ng car, sira. Hindi daw naibaba kaya permanently closed lang siya. Kainis lang kasi may friends na gustong makipagpicture-taking sa right side kaya ayun they have to transfer on the other side pa at siyempre kelangan kong umurong on the other side din. Hirap kaya to move with my gown on.




Projector: c/o Out of the Box Events
Peso Power: Php 3,000
Rating: 10

We used the projector for our AVP. Just don't know the exact dimensions pero clearly visible and maganda naman quality ng video. Wala namang technical problems na nag-arise.

avp




AVP: c/o Out of The Box Events
Peso Power: FREE (inluded in their coordination package)
Rating: 9

_MG_3997copy
Our AVP was a photo montage of our baby pics to prenup pics. OK ang editing ni Kitte considering na medyo mabilis yung choice namin na song. Hindi siya ganun ka-extravagant with the effects pero ok lang kasi pictures pa lang maaaliw ka na.




Accessories & Jewelries: Maupassant
Address: Rustan's Makati
Peso Power: Php 1,000
Rating: 10

_MG_4588copy

Their silver dangling earrings were on sale kaya binili ko na siya. Sobrang elegant and in fact di mo aakalaing 1K lang siya.




Hair Ornament: Veluz (c/o Nikko)
Peso Power: GC worth Php 300 (bidding won at weddingsatwork X-mas '05 auction / actual price is Php 1500)
Rating: 10++++

altar hairpiece

Hay...isa sa mga minor suppliers na super love ko din. Kahit na somewhat free and di talaga nila ako client..nikko was so machika and super accommodating. He sent me through MMS (MMS sending cost is not cheap ha) pics of his sample designs and pinapili niya ako para magawa daw niya. When I won the bid I thought na may ready-made particular design na sila and yun lang ang ibibigay. So nice of him na gawan pa niya talaga ako. Sayang lang kasi I never met Nikko kasi when I picked up the ornament, he went somewhere and it was Ms Veluz who entertained me. At kahit na may client si Veluz nun, she too time na asikasuhin ako sandali and made konting chika. Super elegant din ng hair ornament..in fact, hiniram pa siya ng w@wie friend kong si wella.



Invites Envelopes: Juliet's Printing
Address: Recto
Peso Power: Php 15/envelope
Rating: Initial product - 0 / Final: 7

Hay one of those suppliers na pinagsisihan namin. Sa dami ng invitation printers sa recto sa kanila pa kami natapat. Throughout our wedding preps wala akong inaway na supplier. Eto lang talaga. Why wouldn't you get mad kung yung output na ginawa nila eh it's not what you ordered. Buti na lang envelopes lang ang pinagawa namin. The gold stamped they used was too dark and lagpas sa borders ng square with our initials on it. Supposedly two borders siya pero sa kapal ng lining naging isang line lang ang border at may smudge-smudge pa. They claim na bago lang daw kasi yung machine. So what? ang concern ko was ang panget. Second, it's not the font I instructed them to use. Tapos ang lakas pa ng loob ng girl na makipag-away na ang sinabi ko daw was siya ang bahala. I told her na I pointed a particular sample on their display na iyun ang gayahin niya for the font, the thickness of the borders except for the color na gawing gold and increase the size by a quarter of inch. I was mad even more nung ayaw niyang palitan and insisted na yun daw ang inorder ko... or kung papalitan daw magdadagdag kami ng 300 bucks for the remodelling of the stamp. Since nagdownpayment na kami ng 50% and we were running out of time na, we just compromised na sige magdagdag na ako ng 300 pero if still I didn't want the output di ko siya babayaran. She agreed. Days after, nakuha ko naman siya and kahit paano a lot better ang itsura. Though may konting smudge pa rin sa gilid...we just etched it away with a ruler.




Emcees: Archie Gonzales and Wilsie Salas
Peso Power: Free
Rating: 10++++


IMG_6950copy

Archie and Wilsie were our HS classmates. They were debaters during those times kaya naman carry nila ang magsalita. Added to that, even before, they used to emcee a lot nung HS. Considering na I just sent them the program through email and di ko sila nabrief ng maayos, they pulled it off. Ang galing nila. Isa pa, it's nice that our emcees are our personal friends. They know you better kaya di sila mahihirapan to make adlibs.




Gift Favors for Male Principal and Secondary Sponsors/Groomsmen: Chamdor Wines by Louis Maclean Far East Inc
Address: Suite 1907 Antel Global Corporate Center, Julia Vargas Ave. Pasig City
Contact No: 687-0701
Contact Person: Tere / Cecile
Peso Power: Wines - Php 225 per bottle / mini- wines - Php 110 per bottle
Inclusion: free packaging
Rating: 10+++

wines PC040176copy

We booked them during a bridal fair kaya may discount. Practical and time-saving kasi elegantly packaged na siya.




Gift Favors for Female Principal Sponsors: Scented Candle Sets c/o National Bookstore
Peso Power: Php 170/set
Rating: 8

PC040186copy

We bought it na nicely wrapped na rin siya. Kainis lang kasi they easily ran out of stocks kaya yung isang gift naiba yung color niya.



Gift Favors for the Flower Girls and Bearers: Teddy Bears for the girls and Picture Frames for the boys
Peso Power: Php 180/teddy bear and Php 99/pic frame
Address: teddy bears - 168 Mall / pic frames - City Walk Glorietta
Ratings: 10++++

PC040179copy

Gift Favors for Maids of Honor, Female Secondary Sponsors and Bridesmaids: Cellphone charms
Address: Greenhills tiangge and House of Fashion Accessories
Peso Power: Php 74.75/charm
Rating: 10




Gift Favors for the Guests: Paper Soaps (Divisoria) / repackaging (DIY)
Address: House of Fashion Accessories for the paper soaps / Various suppliers along Tabora St for the materials used in repackaging
Peso Power: Approximately Php 45/souvenir
Rating: 10+++++++

IMG_6244copy IMG_6396copy

Siyempre kami nagconceptualize at nagrepackage nito kaya taas ang ratings. A lot appreciated it even more when they learned na kaming 2 ang manually na nagrepackage.



DIY Corner and others:
Invitations: Paul
Materials supplier: Prestige Paper Inc
Printing: DD Copyworks
Peso Power: approximately Php 30-35/invite
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


_MG_4016copy _MG_4004copy

Hehe biased ba ang rating ko? nah! he deserves higher grade pa nga eh kasi kung makita niyo lang ang pagod diyan ni Paul..every weekeends and pagkagaling sa work siya lang gumawa. (Though may konti naman ako itinulong hehe). Siya nagcut ng paper isa-isa (our invite has 4 inserts each), nagprint and nag manual punch ng design on the front. Almost a hundred pieces yung ginawa niya kaya super proud ako sa kanya. Even the map siya gumawa using MS Paint. Kung kaya nga lang daw niya gumawa ng envelope, he could've done it na rin daw. Sobrang nakatipid kami dito since magaling naman talaga asawa ko and nakatulong talaga printing shop nila...salamat sa Fuji Photocopying Printer...and kahit ako natutunan kong kalikutin.




Misalettes: Paul (and Mai) -->isingit ba?
Materials supplier: Prestige Paper Inc
Printing: DD Copyworks
Peso Power: approximately Php 15-18 /misalette
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_MG_3995copy

Another DIY kaya mataas ang rating hehehe! Basically paper and printing lang ang nagastos dito.




Thank you tags and Guest Sheets: Paul and Mai
Materials supplier: Prestige Paper Inc
Printing: DD Copyworks
Peso Power: approximately Php 5/sheet
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

guestsheets PC040174copy

Guest Sheets conceptualized by me, implemented by Paul. Thank you tags - searched and printed by me.




Photo Mosaic: Paul
Printing: DD Copyworks
Frames: National Bookstore
Peso Power: mosaic software - Free (internet) www.ezmosaic.com / frames - Php 120
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

mosaic invites

Another DIY of my dear hubby. We saved thousands..thanks sa free softwares downloaded from the net. Prenups pics used courtesy of our dear photgrapher, Kenneth Uy.



Match
Scrapbooking Materials: National Bookstore
Match: Sari-sari store
Rating: 10

_MG_3959copy
Siyempre kahit posporo kelangan may design hehe!



Kissing Bells and ribbons: c/o Tabora St. Suppliers
Peso Power: Php 10/bell
Rating: 10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

bells

Our guests loved the kissing bells idea. Truly they rang it many times hehe! Out of 20 bells we distributed, isa lang ang bumalik.



Personalized M&Ms container & personalized M&Ms with our names on it
Container: tabora st. suppliers
Peso Power: Php 19.75/basket / m&ms - FREE c/o my balikbayan cousin (check their site for the updated rates)
Rating: 10++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

mms1 mms3

mms2 mms4

094541copy

Ay! pinag-agawan lang naman ang mga chocolates placed per table. Kahit mga baskets walang natira.



Party Poppers - 168 Mall
Peso Power: Php 200 (about 8 containers)
Rating: 10

IMG_6876copy

Truly colorful and fully utilized paglabas ng church.




Personalized Wine Flutes: Made For You
Address: Glorietta 4
Peso Power: Php 200/personalized glass
Rating: 8
_MG_4018copy

Oks ang wine flutes pero I find the attendants unaccommodating. When I was inquiring, kumakain pa ng mangga habang kausap ako.




Unity Coins Container: Oceanic
Address: Glorietta
Peso Power: Php 117 pls scroll up (unity coins) for the unity coins chest pic
Rating: 10
Super tipid find considering its quality. 70% off sale when I bought it.




Gift Registry: Rustan's Bridal Registry
Address: Rustan's Makati
Peso Power: Free
Rating: 10

Rustan's attendants were courteous and accommodating. There were gifts from guests that were doubled and we were able to have it exchanged into gift certificates.




Prenups venue: Parks & Wildlife
Address: Quezon City
Peso Power: Php 10/head
Rating: 10

pic 1 pic 5 wed pic 3

We didn't want to wander away from the city just to have our prenups..and buti naman that this park is just in the middle of Quezon City. We had our prenups some time September. The only drawback we had was the weather kaya maputik. Wish we had our prenups earlier. The park provided good background views naman add to that the craft and eye of Kenneth brought out our best prenup pics.




Church and Legal Documents
Address: NSO, Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, St. Matthew Parish, San Pedro Bautista Parish, QC Hall
Peso Power: all in all Php 2,527
Inclusions: Birth and Confirmation Certifications, CENOMAR, Marriage License, Family Planning and Pre-Marriage Seminars and Certificates, Cedula and Banns.

Eversince, very tedious talaga ang processing ng papers from any government offices..given na yun hehe! At siyempre di nawala ang "under the table" transactions just to speed up your papers at para makatakas sa mga seminars. For the parishes, absolutely walang problem :)



Pre-wedding Anti-stress Regimen: (Mendez Medical Group) Weigh Less Center & Spa
Address: 31 Roces Ave, QC
Contact No: 371-8886
Peso Power: Free (GCs courtesy of Mom-in-law)
Inclusion: Full Body Massage
Rating: 8
Staff is well-trained. Super na-relax ako. Facilities and equipments need to be improved, though.



Bridal Fairs
Rating: 10

wemlogo kasalan2005
power weddings rockwell
We could've been totally lost (and broke) on our preps without these bridal fairs. Most of our suppliers were booked during these affairs. Much discounts and freebies were given to our delight. :)




Wedding Resources
Rating: 10
d.) Wedding Essentials Magazines and Manila Bulletin's About Weddings
e.) Metro Weddings Magazines

Without these resources, we might have whacked our heads off on our preps as we were totally clueless about weddings. Thanks to these sites, prints and e-groups. More power sa inyong lahat and may you continuously help brides and grooms in their plight to create their most magical moment in their lives.




Wedding Announcement: Manila Bulletin About Weddings
Peso Power: free
Rating: 10

PC030176jpeg
Well, nothing's more exciting but seeing your announcement with pics on the newspaper. At siyempre at no cost at all..thanks to w@w and Marbee of About Weddings. Marbee was so kind and accommodating. She even emailed me to inform that we are included in the announcement.


Certainly, even our wedding had flaws and glitches and some disappointments from suppliers..I wouldn't change a part or any of its details if we were given the chance to relive and redo it again. These imperfections made our wedding even more memorable in a positive light. What's important is that we made it..we're married at last...and we believe we deserve a pat on our backs as our teamwork during our preparations paid off. Thanks to these wonderful suppliers who also became our friends..more power to all of you and looking forward to work with you again...in 25 years time?? hehe!