Suppliers' Review (Part Two)

Here is the second part of our suppliers' review.

Part one can be found HERE.

Foreveryday Photography

https://www.facebook.com/ForeverydayPhotography

Rate: 5/5 – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pros:

• Gail and his team are great to work with
• Value for money. We booked his service-only package worth 30K. Nakakuha din kami ng 10% discount  dahil may promo sya for those who booked him earlier that year.
• Sulit ang bayad namin kay Gail kasi ang ganda ng kinalabasan ng photos namin (as expected). Gwapo at maganda kami ni Obi.
• Masarap ka-work sina Eric Chua at Khristian Alog din. Part of Gail's team that day.
• Gail is part of Pat Dy’s team kaya medyo may hint of the latter's style sa mga photos namin.
• SUPER bait ni Gail. Kahit supplier ko nag-comment na ang bait nya ka-work.
• Magaling mag-direct si Gail ng mga dapat na poses ko sa lahat ng photos.

Cons:

• WALANG WALA SYEMPRE!

Our awesome onsite photos here:

http://vimeo.com/83467739

Christian Andaya (Videographer)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ADV-Andaya-Digital-Video/171112469614026

Rate: 5/5 – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pros:

•  Magaling si Christian, madami sa guests namin were asking kung sino at magkano ang videographer namin.
• Open to suggestion si Christian. Ginawa nya yung mga special request namin sa video.
• Naka-work na nya si Gail kaya good na ang chemistry nila.
• Value for money. We booked him early at nakuha namin ang 2012 rate nya. 35K lang ang video package na kinuha namin sa kanya.   

Cons:

•  WALANG WALA SYEMPRE!

Our awesome SDE here:

http://vimeo.com/81264078

Fullblooms by Inah Anupol (Church Flowers)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fullblooms-Flower-Shop-by-Inah/299851607912

Rate: 5/5

Pros:

• Church florist namin si Fullblooms and madami kaming nakuhang freebies sa rate na bigay nya sa amin like lose petals, bridal car flowers at curtain decor sa church doors.
• Natuwa ako sa curtain na setup nya sa simbahan. Didn’t expect it to be that good. Ineffortan talaga ang pag set-up.
• Got a 10% discount. 9K na lang ang rate na bigay nya sa amin.
• No extra charge na rin yung pag-transfer ng flowers from church to reception venue.

Cons:

• None

church flowers

church entrance (curtains)

Khevin Almario (Wedding Singer - Church)

Rate: 5/5  - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pros:

• Ang galing ni Khevin kumanta. Choir-ish ang voice nya at pang-simbahan talaga.
• Mura lang ang rate nya. Naka-discount lang kami kasi friend ko ang friend nya. Hihi!
• Nagse-serve sya sa NSDG Church kaya walang problema sa mga liturgical songs kasi marami syang alam.

Cons:

• WALA ULIT! 

Checkout his youtube videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUYxFn56NJ4

Jacqueline's (Kamuning Market) (Groom's Barong and Pants)

Rate: 4/5  

Pros:

• Mura at pwede mamili ng tela for the barong and pants.
• Ang bilis natapos ng barong ni Obi. Two weeks lang, tapos na agad and ready for pick-up.
• Maganda ang yari at sukat na sukat kay Obi ang barong and pants. Di na kailangan ipa-alter.

Cons:

• Malayo from our place. Dadayuhin pa talaga para sa mga nakatira sa South.
• Wala pang camisa de chino na kasama sa price.

Rey Casedo (Barong and Pants - Bride's Father)

Rate: 5/5

Pros: 

•  Pwede mamili ng tela for the barong and pants.
• Maganda ang yari at sukat na sukat kay Daddy ang barong and pants. Di na kailangan ipa-alter.
• May kasama ng camisa de chino na shoot sa sukat ni Daddy.
•  Affordable lang ang rate ni Mang Rey para sa barong.
• Willing syang pumunta ng bahay para sukatan at i-deliver ang barong.

Cons:

• Kailangan mag-full payment na agad after the measurement-taking. So tiwala lang talaga na di ka nya tatakbuhan.

Lilia Bonaobra (Mothers' Gowns)

Rate: 4/5

Pros:

• Mura na for the price and style na ginawa nila for our Mom.
• Nakatawad kami kasi marami kaming pinagawa sa kanila.
•  Maganda ang yari sa gown ng Mom namin. Di naman halatang gawang Divisoria.

Cons:

• May mga pina-alter pa kami nung pinick-up namin yung gown. Tapos after i-alter, naging masikip naman kaya kailangan pa namin talaga maghanap ng mag-alter malapit sa amin para di na kami bumalik pa ng Divisoria para dun.
• Napagbintangan pa kami na peke ang binayad namin na pera. Pero okay naman na-ayos naman ang gusot.

TIP:

• Wag nyo sasabihin ang exact date ng kasal nyo. Sabihin nyo na ang wedding date nyo is a month ahead than the exact date. Para may time pang mag-ayus ng problem sa damit, if meron.
•  If may peg na kayo, iprint-out nyo na at make sure na i-clear lahat ng mga ayaw at gusto nyo sa gown.

North Greenhills Clubhouse

Rate: 4/5 

Pros:

• Cheap ang rental fee ng NGH. 15K lang for the use of the whole venue, kasama na ang mini stage.
• Malaki na rin ang buong venue for 150 pax.
• Malinis ang restroom nila at well maintained.
• Mabait kausap yung contact namin.

Cons:

• Kailangan ng sponsor para makapag book ng venue
• May security deposit na 10K which can be refunded 5 days after the event naman.
• Medyo mahirap puntahan if walang car kasi wala silang tricycle sa loob ng village para sa mga walang dalang sasakyan.

Queensland Catering Service

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Queensland-Catering-Services/236579109718295

Rate: 5/5   - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pros:

• Queensland na talaga ang gusto namin from the start kasi suki na sina Obi sa Queensland at kilala na silang client.
• Si Michelle ang AE namin at mabilis sya sumagot sa mga inquiries namin, both sa email at text.
• Si Madel ang nakausap namin sa detailing at very accommodating sya. Nagsusuggest din sya ng mga items na pwede nila ipahiram for our wedding.
•  Mura ang rates ni Queensland. Roughly 500 per head lang ang rate na nakuha namin.
• Masarap ang food at sabi ng guests namin gustong gusto nila ang food ng caterer.
• Team ni Victoria ang na-assign sa amin. Magaling sya at alisto lahat ng mga waiters nya. Wala kaming narinig na bad comment about them.
• After the event nakabalot na rin yung mga tirang pagkain sa mga provided containers namin.
• As early as June, nagtatanong na sila kung kelan kami free para i-detail ang wedding. Kaya mid-year pa lang tapos na agad kami sa details.

Cons:

• Nabusog kami at nasiyahan sa serbisyo nila kaya wala kaming reklamo.

Toy Cakes and Pastries

https://www.facebook.com/toycakesbykiko

Rate: 4/5

Pros:

• Got his promo rate na 4K for 3 layered cake with 1 edible layer plus customized design.
• Mabait si Kiko (cake chef) when we met him at madami syang pinatikim na desserts nya kahit cake lang naman ang booked namin sa kanya.
• MASARAP ang chocolate cake nya. Super moist at di nakakasawang kainin.
•  May free na isang layer para lalagyan ng cake topper.

Cons:

• Nasad lang kami sa itsura ng cake kasi malayo sa gusto namin yung itsura. Gusto kasi namin mukhang totoong wooden log yung cake. Kaso medyo di na-achieve.

our wedding cake

Roweliza's (Bridal Shoes)

https://www.facebook.com/FashionPurveyor

Rate: 4/5  

Pros:

• Mura lang ang pa-customize ng shoes sa kanila kasi Marikina based sila.
• Wala ng extra charge after ko ibalik sa kanila yung shoes kasi di nasunod yung peg ko.
• Libre na ang “Yes” at “I Do” na tatak sa shoes namin ni Obi kasi sa nanyaring di nila pagsunod sa napagkasunduan namin.
• Dapat magpapagawa si Obi ng shoes sa kanila pero dahil walang makitang supplies si Rowie (owner?) sinabihan nya ako agad 2 weeks before ng target date para makapaghanap na agad kami ng ibang supplier.

Cons:

• Di nasunod yung peg ko nung una. Ginaya lang talaga nila yung print-out na binigay ko at di pinaltan yung colors na pinili ko.
• Pati height ng shoes di nasunod kaya binalik ko at pinarush ang pag-gawa ng revision.

bridal shoes

Astoria Plaza Ortigas

Rate: 5/5 – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pros:

• We booked 2-bedroom suite. one for me and one for obi's family.
• 7K++ lang ang rate ng room nila for a 2-bedroom suite. So mura na for a 2-bedroom suite na sobrang laki.
• Walang restrictions. 9 kami sa isang suite tapos sina obi 11 naman. Di naman sila nangsisita if meron excess na tao sa room.
• Sulit din ang breakfast buffet nila. Masarap ang food.
• Maganda ang rooms and well maintained. 

Cons:

• WALANG WALA SYEMPRE!

* photos are stolen off the web... we hope they don't mind 

Labor of LOVE DIY's

Click each link to see our DIY stuff for the wedding

• Flower bouquet
• Flower girls pail and flowers
• Headbands for the flower girls
• Flower in boxes
• Boutonniere
• Groom Boutonniere
• Thank you tags for guest souvenirs
• Thank you tags for VIP souvenirs
• E-invite
• Ring pillow
• Aras pillow
• Obi Kat signage
• Cake topper
• Map invite
• Wish tags for wish tree
• Wish tree
• Obi Kat caricature stamps
• Instagram/Facebook signage
• Perfect Match design
• Candle design 
• Monogram

How-How the Carabao

Our wedding is D.I.Y.-heavy and it is not uncommon that we get inquiries on how we did these things. To share our craft, we'll post instructional materials from time to time. In this case, we will demonstrate how we turned a simple wooden box from a thrift store into a decorative material for a vintage-whimsical themed wedding (like ours)!

The Project:

ornamental boxes

The Materials:

• Felt flowers (another DIY project na sana mapakita namin paano gawin in future articles)
• Wooden box (nabili sa isang Japanese thrift store na nakikita sa mga sikat na malls) 
• Styro ball (galing Divisoria)
• Glue gun (doh!)
• Metallic and pearl accessories (meron din sa malls, pero mas mura sa Divisoria)

halos meron sa Divisoria lahat neto

The Instructions:

Step 1: Cut a styro ball in half o kaya sa size na kasya sa wooden box.
Step 2: Glue one half of the styro ball inside it.

Step 3: Itusok ang mga felt flowers sa styro ball na parang hotdog at marshmallow sa pinya kapag may birthday... wow, 1980's na punchline [obi]. Simulan ang pag tusok ng felt flowers sa gilid ng styro ball hanggang sa makarating papuntang gitna. In this way, you can make sure that the flowers on the middle part of the arrangement are higher than those on the sides.

like marshmallow and hotdog in a pinya, y'know?

Step 4: Continue inserting felt flowers on the styro ball generously. Dapat hanggang sa wala nang makita sa styro ball beneath the arrangement.

flowers on the top should protrude higher than on the sides

Step 5: Put hot glue on smaller or softer flower designs (like the pompom flowers below) para mas secure kapag idinikit na sa arrangement. Target the part that will be glued on to the styro ball.

bang! bang! bang!

Step 6: It is advisable to alternate between big and small flowers to have an even look.

quirky!

The Parting Words
When setting it up for the occasion, put the accessories on the other half of the box. Dapat medyo overflowing. Metallic (lalo na yung medyo tarnished) and pearl accessories are perfect for that vintage touch.

Three Months to Go

It's about three months to go before we say "I do"! Here, have a chunk of updates from what we accomplished during the last month.

D.I.Y. Crafts

Creating our D.I.Y. stuff is now on full-scale. There's still a lot to do but it looks like finishing them before December is still a possibility so hala bira! Enjoy naman kami sa mga ginagawa namin kaya hindi namin namamalayan na nakakadami na kami ng nagagawa. Masaya din kami kapag may mga nakaka-appreciate ng mga gawa namin from friends and relatives. Good job kami! Fat in the back! LOL.

new and improved boutonniers 

potted paper flowers

These are done projects:

• felt bouquet for bride (added brooches and improved aesthetics)
• colored tin pails for the flower girls (added laces around the pail)
• boutonniere for the entourage (wrapped the wires with ribbons)
• headbands for the flower girls (decorated with felt flowers)
• vessels for the rings and arrhae
• menu card design (printed in kraft paper)
• match box design (printed in kraft paper)
• handmade stamps for the... uhmm... we still need to think where to use these. LOL. (with help from Kaye)

"pillow" for our rings

"pillow" for our arrhae

headbands for the flower girls

These projects are still in progress:

• tags for the wishing tree (need to do about 40 pieces more)
• tags for the give-aways (have to attach it to the give-aways)
• ornamental board with our monogram (monogram is done, just need to decorate the board)
• boutonniere for the groom (boutonniere needs to stand out from others)

for the entourage

write something for us

handmade stamps (obi and kat caricatures)

Projects that are not started yet:

• wishing tree (bought the twigs in Divisoria yesterday)
• cake topper

flower pails

table ornaments

Big thanks goes to Sara Kim for giving us permission to use her designs for the wishing tag!

Bridal Gown

This month, we visited Roxy Bagano (our gown designer) for Kath's measurements. She's also a B2B (bride-to-be) o-ha, andami kong natututunang wedding acronyms [obi] and so we shared things about suppliers and other wedding stories. Kat is very happy that Roxy liked her DIY's. She left some of her flower templates with Roxy so she can try to craft her own. We are always glad to help out other couples on their preparations so imagine how happy we are to be of help to our own supplier. Apir! Haypayb!

Invitation

We almost missed where Wink is along Mayapis Street in Makati due to heavy rains heralding the typhoon Maring. Wink (or Written in Ink) will provide the invitations for our wedding. They have tons of very creative designs at affordable prices. Salamat sa malupit na pagsasaliksik ni Kath.

mas madali pa pumili ng design kesa sa kulay ng design #colorBlinding

We picked a cute and unconventional design for our invitation. It will be in a two-page loose format, inclusive of a small card where the map will be printed. May binabalak kaming gawing chechebureche para malagyan ng rustic feel yung invitations (since mostly whimsical ang datingan niya). Tignan naten.

Attire

Our moms will wear green gowns on the occasion. That will serve to bring back green on a majority violet hue of the entourage's dress and hand-carried items. A subtle way to pronounce that the motif is not just violet. 

Lahat na lang kasi ako ang itinuturong pumili ng kulay porke madaming violet. AMP! Guilty. [obi] 

peg ng mommy ni obi

We went to Divisoria on separate dates to have our moms select their gown designs and be measured for fitting. Wedding Collections by Lilia Bonaobra is the name of the store and it's conveniently inside the 168 Shopping Mall (Basement Level at LGF 07-08, to be exact). Kahilera nito yung mga iba pang pagawaan ng gowns at barong kaya madaming mapag-pipilian within the area. We picked Bonaobra's among them since nakita na namin yung mga gawa nila in the past from Kath's researches online kaya at least may references na kami.

Sa kanila na din nagpagawa ng barong si Long (my brother and a secondary sponsor) at si Tita Angie (my aunt and a principal sponsor).

mommy ni obi and kat (miss lilia, looking by)
this is NOT our gown, but the green should be the same

Shoes
Matagal na kaming may idea kung ano ang gusto naming design na swak sa vintage feel ng kasal. Pero lately lang namin nalaman na may tawag pala sa ganung klaseng style ng sapatoses!

Ladies and gents, meet the "brogue".

eto mismo ang trip ni obi (an oxford, wingtip brogue)

eto naman ang trip ni kat (a single monk, quarter brogue)

Brogues pala ang tawag sa mga multi-piece leather shoes na may decorative perforations. Ganitong klaseng sapatos ang unang pumasok sa isip namin since we decided to scratch the idea of wearing skate shoes (andami nang nagpapakasal nang naka rubbershoes) and look for alternatives.

We are looking at having our shoes custom-made in Marikina this weekend. Hoping everything goes well.

Others
We went to Divisoria yesterday and we were able to buy the following items.

• secondary veil
• dried twigs for our wishing tree
• additional DIY materials

Bibili din sana kami ng photo frames para may mapaglagyan ng social media notices kaso yung napuntahan naming store ayaw magbenta ng panay puting frames lang. Ang gusto assorted colors. Marunong pa sa amin. Eh di wag!

Kumain na lang kami sa Wai Ying, Binondo... as usual! Reward for a job well done!

pabili po ng lace

Five Months to Go

We have about five months to go and it's causing a riot of emotions to shuffle through our minds. Nakaka-excite na makita yung mga pinag-hirapan namin during the past months and at the same time, nakaka-pressure tapusin yung mga natitira pang kulang. Hindi din maiwasan mag-alala sa kung ano-anong bagay. I guess the OC in us can never be sated until the wedding itself happens already.

Anyway, here are some of the things that we were able to work on within the past month.

Wedding Fair

We attended a wedding fair organized by Themes and Motifs last June. We are able to check out yung mga natitirang bagay na wala pa kami, which is mostly for my barong and the invitations. It's amazing that of all the wedding fairs we've attended during the last year and a half, sa wedding fairs lang ng T&M kami nakapag-book ng suppliers. Both are impulse bookings pa. Read on to see what we got booked under T&M.

Wedding Ring and More

We finally got our rings from La Real Jewelry and from the fitting up to the details, they're perfect! We met with Katrina of La Real on the T&M wedding fair to get the rings and the freebies (arrhae, cord, and ring replicas). The cord is personally crafted by Katrina, herself, and it looks very elegant. Sakto sa vintage theme namin.

lower photo is the bottom part ('habambuhay' engraved in Baybayin script)
we designed it that way so we can switch between designs
(believe us, it's a safety feature... LOL)

We can't express how much satisfied we are on this package. Given that it is one of the earliest item that we booked for the wedding (June 2012) - and the first one we booked at a T&M event - nakakagaan ng pakiramdam makitang unti-unti nang nabubuo yung mga sinimulan namin since last year for the wedding.

i can see the rosy tinge from up here

Gifts from the Couple

One of the other impulse booking we've had on a T&M event just came recently as we chanced upon Robert and his Red Clay Factory booth. They are selling custom-made clay lamps crafted from a town in Albay. Matagal na kaming naghahanap ng maganda ipang-regalo during the wedding kaya sobrang "lightbulb" moment nung nakita namin yung produkto nila. It seemed a bit off for our vintage theme but the unique designs appealed to the whimsical side of it. 

let there be light

We immediately booked them that day for a very affordable reservation fee. We are continuously in touch with them up to this day to discuss how we want our clay lamps to look like before they start their production.

Kuya Robert of Red Clay Factory

D.I.Y. Crafts

Lately, we've been increasing our "craft nights" together (with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Glorietta 2 and Starbucks in 6750 as the usual hangout) to push the production of more DIY items. As of today, we've created enough felt flowers to decorate the following projects:

• bouquets for the secondary sponsors, our moms, and the bride herself
• colored tin pails for the flower girls
• wooden containers as table ornaments

lagi yang nagkakalat sa coffee shop! tsk tsk!

Here are our other pending DIY projects:

• ornamental board with our monogram crafted in interlaced thread
• wishing tree and tags
• pillow for the rings
• boutonniere for the groom

(work in progress) tin pails for the flower girls... isa sa mga mastercraft ni Kath [obi]

wag masyadong makyutan... baka lumaki ulo ni Kath [obi]

Lights and Sounds

We originally planned on getting musicians but it being low in priority budget-wise, we settled on getting a packaged lights and sounds deal instead. Kat personally initiated an extensive research to land a good deal and we eventually decided to go with C1 Discotech Lights and Sounds. 

They gave us a list of the machines and devices they can provide and it's just the right things required to make the venue extra appealing visually and to support our audio needs. Nothing fancy is necessary. Hindi naman kami magpapa-disco so the basic setup will do. Nakapag-ayos na sila sa North Greenhills Clubhouse in the past so it's a plus na alam na nila ang layout ng venue.

a sample of their work (taken from their FB page)

We meet with Sir Bobby of C1 just a couple of weeks ago to discuss the particulars and to give our down payment. Isa sa mga mahalagang napag-usapan namin yung kung anong mga kulay at klase ng ilaw ang gagamitin at kung saan itatayo ang mga ito. He has been very accommodating kahit noong nag-uumpisa pa lang kami makipag correspond sa kanila for initial inquiries.

Video Projector

We are getting a 7x7 feet screen for our venue and rented a 5000 ANSI lumens projector from Projectors for Rent PH. We've inquired and researched a lot just to determine how much ANSI lumens to get. Nakasalalay kasi ito sa luwag ng venue (which will determine the number of audience) at amount ng ambient light dito (kung gaano kaliwanag ang lugar).

their setup for Handle Bar (Makati)

They are easy to talk with and answered all our questions clearly (si Miss Ellen ang kausap namin palagi over the phone). Their rate is fairly competitive with similar businesses we've found online or has been referred by friends kaya kinuha na namin sila agad. Here are some of the things we will or plan to project during the program:

• On-site video from photographer.
• On-site video from videographer.
• Save-the-Date animation.
• AVP of our photos.

* New items added on the Wedding Updates page.
* New items added on the Bookmarks section.
* New items added on the Resources section.

Pail of Flowers

We already have baskets for our flower girls but a visit in Makati changed that plan. Aksidenteng nakakita kami sa mall ng cute na cute na colored tin cans na parang ganito (meron lang wooden handle)...

And our colors (violet and green) are readily available. So insta-buy!

At home, Kath tried to put our felt flowers in it and it's very eye-catching and unique. We'll use smaller felt flowers for the bouquets that we will put in these pails para mas cute.

As of last count, Kath and her sister were already able to finish around 45 felt flowers. Next stop, she'll be crafting flowers for the flower girls and for her own bouquet. Ang galing!

Fancy Felt Flowers

Kat and her sister, Kaye, is making good progress with their felt cloth and buttons bouquet. Nakaka-excite makita kapag naka-layer na yung flower-shaped cutouts and ready for stitching and design.

layering the cutouts and where the buttons go

Variations in stitches and button designs will make the flowers on each bouquet unique but using similar color tones (violet, green, and beige hues for us) will maintain its unified look. Kaya pasok pa din sa motif.

after stitching the cutouts together

At first, matagal gawin yung mga bulaklak dahil madaming kelangang isipin: what flower combinations to layer, anong stitches ang gagawin, anong buttons ang gagamitin, at paano ang layout. Matagal din (at masakit sa kamay) mag-gupit ng flower patterns at tahiin yung actual stitches. Surprisingly, for Kath and Kaye, it got faster after their first few flowers. Just a jump-start of creativity and they were set.

bunched up

Ang ganda ng kinalabasan nung unang bouquet! We can't wait to see everything done (three more for the secondary sponsors) so we can move on to doing Kath's own bouquet. Dapat mas standout than those of the entourage's (maybe bigger? more flowers on it? more radically looking buttons?). May mga ideas na kaming pinag-lalaruan. We'll see.

take two