Monday, April 8, 2013

Supplier Ratings


At last, after 5 months, our Suppliers Rating is finally posted. Long overdue. We waited for the pictures to arrive so we can post some here. Anyway, we're hoping that this will help especially if you're getting the same suppliers as ours. Enjoy!

5 - Highest
1- Lowest

Prenup location: La Mesa Watershed
Rating: 5
Rate: 1,000

Well.. We kind of changed venue a lot of times. First, we thought of Robot Bar in Makati-- Super nice venue which I loved from the pictures but sadly, they renovated and we never heard from them again.

We also considered PNR near Divisoria too. This was our final location before. But when we went to their office to submit our letter of request, we were told that they don't allow shoots on weekdays. Boo!

We were scheduled by our photographer on a Monday and we just couldn't take his Saturday or Sunday slot because those days are reserved for his wedding shoots already. All my thrills and anticipations picturing ourselves inside an old train posing like celebrities just went away. Too bad. But then again, there are a whole lot more venues better than PNR.

The last place we thought of was La Mesa Watershed. It's near Eco Park lang. But it's more of a place for bikers. I saw a prenup at the Watershed and settled our minds to hold the shoot there. It's beautiful in pictures clearly because we had a great photographer. ;)

Note: You can't just walk in if you want your shoot to be done there. You need to call a week before to reserve.













Prenup HMUA: By Yours Truly
Rating: 4.5
Rate: FREE

If I can do something by myself, I will certainly do it just to cut cost. Haha! But the initial plan was to really get a separate HMUA for our prenup. But I thought, I could do my own make-up! There's youtube, right? ;) And I could learn the looks I want since we still have plenty of time before our prenup.

The hair was my problem though, I'm not good at doing my own hair. So I was considering to do something simple na lang to it like curling it na lang or ilugay?

Rating was only 4.5 since I'm not a PRO and having it done by a Make-up artist talaga makes it look perfect. But anyway, our prenup was done na naman and we survived it somehow kahit walang HMUA. Hehehe




Hotel: Pan Pacific Hotel
Rating: 4
Rate: 18,000 for my suite(Pacific Suite for 2 nights) and 7,500 for Kim's Suite(Deluxe Suite with 2nd night & Upgrade  for FREE) Read why. ;)

We had few oculars at several hotels in Manila. I even considered hotels in Makati but Kim disagreed since it's too far na daw from the church, baka maipit sa traffic lang. After some time thinking, we decided to book Pan Pacific.

It's perfect. Just walking distance from our reception. Coordinators can check the venue once in a while without any hassles. You can also bring foods bought outside for your suppliers during the preps.

The suite I got for my preps is just enough for the number of suppliers and family members present on that day. But how I wished I got the next bigger suite. I don't know why I didn't. But anyway, the space is just enough.

Kim called 2 days before our check-in date to reserve. We thought everything was going smoothly to think hotel room na lang magkakaproblema pa ba? But no. On our way to the hotel a day before the wedding, Pan Pacific called Kim to inform that he didn't have a hotel room because they got overbooked daw!! I mean we booked months ago, confirmed days before and still they didn't reserve him a room. So the manager was really apologetic, they offered to transfer Kim to Midas that night and pick them up at 5am on the wedding day and bring them back to Pan Pacific. At first, Kim didn't want to accept the offer but he hasdno choice but to. Hassle naman kasi talaga sa part niya na instead of having a good rest, he needs wake up early to go back to Pan Pacific. But the good part of what happened to him was they gave him a free upgrade. Originally, he booked a regular room but when they got there, it's a suite room na and take note: bigger than mine! I think it's worth 12k but he didn't pay the 2nd night of their stay so 7,500 lang lahat ng binayaran niya. The perks of overbooking daw. ;)


My Room(Pacific Suite)

Kim's Room(Deluxe Suite)







Church: San Sebastian Church
Rating: 5+
Rate: 22,000
Package: Inclusive of Flowers for the aisle, Red Carpet and Chandeliers

San Sebastian has always been my dream church. Beautiful, old and made of steel. Kinatok ko pa nga nung unang visit namin. Haha! The staff were nice too. Whenever I had questions regarding their policies or requirements, I just call and they patiently answer every inquiries I had. Ate Cora was also the one who reminded me of our schedule for pre-cana seminar and canonical interview.

Upon my arrival at the church, while I was still inside the car nervously waiting, I stared at it with doors closed. It's so beautiful. And when the doors finally opened for my grand entrance, wow, It's more beautiful inside! That moment paid off.

During the mass, I kept on staring at the altar and its ceiling, admiring every detail of the church. Parang sinulit ng mata ko yung binayad namin. Hahaha!









Reception Venue: Palacio de Maynila
Rating: 4.5
Rate: 100,000 for 5-hour venue rental with free use of Projector and Screen + 20% Catering Corkage Fee

What I initially liked about Palacio de Maynila was it's a spacious venue. Perfect it you want to have plenty of guests or you need a lot of space for other supplier like band, photobooth, mobile bar etc. Plus it already has drapes. You get to save P20,000 or more for the ceiling swags.

It's cool. The parking space is enough if you have plenty of guests bringing their own cars. The AE's are nice and easy to deal with too.

We only had a problem with it regarding the projector and screen. On our way to Palacio from the church, the venue coordinator called us to inform that Palacio didn't have a projector and screen. They have but we have to pay for the rental daw! Stress! Eh diba nga nakaindicate sa contract free usage na daw. So why are they telling us that we have to rent pa? When we got there, our AE Ms. Joy told us everything is ok na daw. Some info just got overlooked lang daw. So there settled.





Caterer: Queensland Catering
Rating: 4.5
Rate: 615/Pax
Package: (Inc. of Tiffany Chairs and Flower upgrade) for 200 guests + 10% Equipment Usage and Delivery Fee. 1 appetizer, 1 soup, 1 pasta, 1 green salad or vegetable dish, 1 pork, chicken, beef and fish for main dishes, 4 desserts, Potato salad, 1 round of iced tea plus coffee and tea service.

We had few food tastings from diff. caterers before we got Queensland. When we tasted their menu last Jan, well, it was somehow good. Of ourse, Josiah's will always be my dream caterer but duh! Php1,100++ per person for the menu I wanted.

With Queensland, it took us a while before we paid the downpayment. We needed to think it over. When it was final, we went to their office. I printed a sample of the setup I wanted. Showed it to them to have it evaluated. We had to add daw 200 pesos for the flower upgrade. Flowers pa lang yun pero since we'll be getting Tiffany chairs for all the guests, the owner made it 150 na lang. So 200 pesos per person for flower and Tiffany chair upgrade.

Honestly, they're super affordable. In fact our package is just 395/head. We had upgrades so it's priced 615.

During our mock setup.. I couldn't really appreciate it because it didn't have flowers. We had to add 4k for the mock to have flowers!! So we didn't insist. I just focused on the details of the centerpieces.

I didn't like the first few arrangements they made but after changing some centerpieces, it finally looked better. Plus we could use a couch too without an additional since a lot of their clients are requesting for a couch, the owner was forced to buy. :)

During the reception, nawala ang red carpet. I think it was late. We're about to make our grand entrance noong sinabing andon na daw ang red carpet. So paano pang ihahabol. But that's just minor since red carpet lang naman yun. But another thing was I carefully endorsed to Queensland that a pair of Principal Sponsor is a Muslim. Never serve pork. My dad was the one who told me that they asked one of the waiters kung ano daw yung appetizer na ilalagay sa plate nung ninong, he said it was Ham. My dad answered "diba wala dapat pork para kala Gov?" the waiter answered "Opo. Di naman po pork yan, ham yan." Napakamot na lang sila ng ulo.

The food naman I think everyone was satisfied. I asked some guests super sarap daw esp. the Chicken Flambe and Lengua. Honestly we didn't get to eat. Kahit isang subo ng kahit anong food. We were served generous servings of food at the couple's table but we just stared at it. Ganon talaga ata pag ikaw ang may event? Sadly, even the leftovers naubos. We just let our relatives take home the food. Not sure with our food at the couple's table kung saan napadpad. Hehehe







Photographer: Benjie Tiongco
Rating: 5+++
Rate: 20,000 Service only with Pre-nup

I was actually eyeing for Imagine Nation. I asked for their rates and they emailed it to me with the list of their photographers classified according to their rates. I found Benjie Tiongco and searched for his website. He's so good. And he improves in every new album he posts. Later found out that he's no longer connected to Imagine Nation so I asked personally for his quote. We got better rates. With Free Pre-nup pa. He's so nice. We paid our downpayment last Dec '11 para maprice lock if ever he would come up with updated rates. Whenever I have questions, I would just FB message him and he would reply. Photos are on top of our priority and he sure did a great job to make our wedding memorable.

He's professional. He works seriously pero he's jolly naman pag kausap namin. On our wedding day, superb talaga ang shots niya together with his backup Paul Bonin Vargas. We requested for a shoot after the church at Ayala Bridge. No regrets. Those were our favorite shots. Ang ganda. Ang galing. We're so blessed with Benjie Tiongco.











Videographer: BlackTie Project
Rating: 5+++
Rate: 40,000 Full HD Final Video + Same Day Edit

We booked them last Dec 2011. We've already paid in full before May 2012 and we only visited their office 3 weeks before the wedding.

We chose them after watching few SDE's they've made. I liked most of them. It's also in HD na unlike other videographers na may additional pa if you want it to be in HD. They're affordable(before) but they increased more than 10% during the first quarter of 2012. Good thing we booked before 2011 ended.

The SDE was nice and cool. We wanted fast music and they did an excellent job on our SDE. Kahit What Makes You Beautiful of One Direction ang music, still we get comments na naiiyak sila. Maybe it's in the way  they inserted the touching parts of the wedding day. We actually gave them specific shots that we wanted to be taken during the wedding. Nasunod naman. What they did was better than what I had in mind. Even the guests say ang galing nila.

Watch our SDE here :)
http://vimeo.com/54623037

Lights and Sounds: Palacio de Maynila's in-house L&S (Omi Fong)
Rating: 5
Rate: 17,000

We got him because he's the in-house L&S supplier of Palacio so no more corkage fee for that one. We wanted Sensitivity talaga pero 4k more or less ang corkage fee ng L&S. So we opted na lang for their in-house.

We went to Palacio to complete our payment for their venue. Luckily, there was an on-going event and Omi Fong was there. He was the L&S supplier so we got to talk to him personally. We pencil booked pa lang. He gave the package for 17k with 4 moving heads and 36 PAR lights. We asked if he could make it 6 heads na, he gave it naman. :) After a month, we deposited the complete payment.

But during the preps, Omi does not respond quickly to my inquiries. I had to call his landline pa for faster transaction. But anyway, nothing is more important than their performance on the day itself.

Come wedding day the venue turned romantic because of the mood lights. We gave them the list of songs that we wanted to be played and nasunod naman. Sayang lang I put most of my favorite songs sa huli, hindi na napatugtog kasi short lang pala yung whole reception program.






Bridal Gown: Edward Silbol
Rating: Wedding Gown-4.5 Reception Gown-3
Rate: 53,000
Package: Bridal gown, Reception gown, Gowns for my Mom, Sister and Lola plus 2 Jr. Bridesmaids

He's a family friend. He makes our gowns talaga when we have an event to attend. He made my high school prom gowns, our dresses for my mom's 40th birthday and the gowns for other occasions so I never thought of anyone na magdedesign ng wedding gown ko other than him. Matik na yun! ;)

I started collecting of gowns I wanted back in March 2011! My goodness. Buti na lang matagal preparation namin kung hindi, palit ako ng palit ng designs. Haha! And then I found about the Veluz gown thru W@W and WOW! I want one. But not Veluz herself that I honestly could not afford. More like a Veluz inspired gown. ;) Thus, I gave him a sample and waited for our very first fitting.

Honestly, once lang ako nagfit. The second time that I saw my gown was on the wedding day na. Imagine the risk that I took. But the gown was lovely. Maybe it's not exactly like Veluz's but it looked beautiful to me. Though I wanted a fully beaded gown, OK na rin siya kahit yung body walang beads. Still, I'm satisfied. 

With my reception gown naman, I didn't actually like the idea of its belt. It was too makapal na parang masagwa tignan. I should have worn the wedding gown until the end of the event instead.









Groom's Suit: Onesimus
Rating: 5
Rate: 12,500

It was a fast decision for his suit. We were actually there at MOA for a movie and we passed by Onesimus. Kim tried some suits. One suit looked and fitted well. He asked me if it looked OK on him. I said "yes". And he bought it.

The pants, on the other hand was just altered. But it didn't come out good. Parang pinilit i-alter. Masagwa ang kinalabasan although it was altered in Onesimus din. And so he needed a new one.

In the end, gusto na din niyang magpalit ng suit. This time it's customized so he returned the suit to Onesimus. Super thankful na tinanggap nila kahit may 1 month na nakalipas from the date of purchase. Good idea din na nagpalit siya because the new suit is better than the one he got before. Nevertheless, my husband looked good on our wedding day. Kahit pa siguro barong ang suot niya, OK parin sakin. :)





Ring & Arrhae Pillows, Crystal Cord: Julao Couture(Ylaya St. Divisoria)
Rating: 5
Rate: 580

Julao is where the mom of Kim had her gown made. They're also making customized accessories so we just looked on the internet for some samples and gave it to them. Although it wasn't completely copied, ok naman yung kinalabasan niya.




Fabric for Gowns of Entourage: Divisoria
Rating: 5
Rate: 2,100

To maximize our budget, we asked my bridesmaids, secondary sponsors and flower girls if it's ok na we'll give them the fabric and they can have the gowns made at their expense. Ok naman sa kanila. Gift na lang nila samin yun. :) We just gave them samples of gown para may ideas sila ng design na ipapagawa. We bought Chiffon fabrics and Geena Cloth for the inner lining. I forgot yung sa flower girls. Something shiny but not satin. May pagka 2-tone.





Invitations: C/O Mom
Rating: 5++++
Rate: Labor of love

I made the layout. I actually just looked for pink and gray invites on the internet. And just well.. Copied it. (In my blog post about the invites, I gave credits to the couple who owned it so I wouldn't be sued for Plagiarsim) Hahaha! And mom just fixed the editing and then had it printed.



Hair and Make Up Artist: Victoria Contreras
Rating: 5
Rate: 10,000 & 1,500 for an extra head
Package: Bride and Groom(Airbrush) + 3 Traditional + 1 Extra head

We got Ms. Victoria because she's a friend of my gown designer so we got a discounted rate. She's the make up artist of some showbiz people like Ara Mina etc. She's also a HMUA at some ABS-CBN and GMA shows and based on the pictures posted on her facebook, I was confident enough that I will look my best on our wedding day. I just gave her a picture of the look I wanted pero mas maganda yung ginawa niya. 

Funny side story lang. When she got to our room, my mom and I were still having breakfast pa. When we got there, ang bati niya sa mom ko was "Ang ganda niyo naman po and ang ganda din ng gown niyo" so tito Edward corrected her na ako yung bride. Nagulat siya at natawa kasi hindi daw siya sinabihan ni tito Edward na mother ko pala yun. O well, hindi ko siya masisisi. My mom looks young pa kasi. Hehehe






Wedding Shoes: Figliarina
Rating: 5+
Rate: 2,199

5+ because it was the design I kept on looking for at any stores. Or something similar to it I suppose. I liked the colors. But the pair I found at People are People has 5-inch heels same as the one at Steve Madden. I want heels lower than that so I tried looking for the same design and luckily found one at Shubizz in Greenhills.




Wedding Rings: Meicel Jewelry
Rating: 5++
Rate: 52,800 with Bridal Fair discount

We got them during the last fair we atteded at SMX. It's only 39k. However, Kim jokingly asked for another discount since we'd pay in full and they were kind enough to give us one more ulit. From 52k down to 38.5k na lang. :)

I love our rings. We saw them twice before we booked. The first time we saw the rings, we felt excited because those were the specific designs we had in mind. But we didn't get them that day. We still looked for more jewelers. After that fair, I checked their site, I was convinced to get them. Good thing they were present on the next fair and decided to buy the rings na.

Super nice pair. Kim's choice was something thick, matte inner and glossy outer. While I wanted mine to be half eternity. Before, few diamonds are fine with me. Basta meron lang. But now, I'm really glad I have half eternity ring. Wishes do come true! :)



Entourage Flowers: Rudy and Ding Zaragosa
Rating: 4
Rate: 6,500 + 300 to add roses on Bridal Bouquet & 500 for 2 mini bouquet for Jr. Bridesmaids

This was actually a steal! After asking for quotes from different florist, finding them was a blessing. If you've read my blog about them, you'll know why. Kaya lang on the wedding day, nawala yung roses na pinaadd ko at binayaran ng additional 300 para sa bridal bouquet. Ang liit lang tuloy ng bouquet ko. Maganda naman siya for me although not special and imported flowers were used. I'm just confused why ate Ding didn't inform Ms. Melai, who received the flowers, na walang roses na nailagay kahit siya mismo yung nagdeliver or maybe it was completely forgotten.

2nd thing, nakaindicate sa contract na Tulip daw and buttonaire para sa groom pero local rose lang din. Ang masama pa, hindi yung may label na "Groom" ang naibigay kay Kim. Super liit nung napunta sa kanya. Not sure kung fault nanaman ng coordinators yun.

Pero overall, our flowers were beautiful. I'll still recommend them, just make sure you remind them of the details twice or thrice a day before the wedding.










Cake and Cupcakes: Sophie's Mom
Rating: 5
Rate: 5,500
Package: 45 pcs Cupcakes with box, ribbon and sticker & 6" Cake topper

I love Sophie's Mom ever since. Their red Velvet has always been my favorite. And after liking their page on Facebook and found out that they also customize cakes for events, I contacted them.

Honestly, with the cake, it wasn't really on top of our priority. We didn't want to splurge 20k for that. Too much for just a nicely covered styro and a big block of chiffon with a fondant wrap. :D

We decided to be practical. We opted for a small cake with cream cheese frosting. It was in gradient pink frosting and layers are also the same. Super nice! The cupcakes are cute, too. Instead of Red Velvet, I asked them to make it pink just to match our motif. We just added delivery fee and that's it. Hassle free! And their cakes and cupcakes are truly the yummiest.




Mobile Bar: Mixed Mobile Bar
Rating: 5+++
Rate: 9,000
Package: 5 hours unlimited drinks

The last supplier we booked.

Initially, we decided to not get a mobile bar kasi mahal. But after considering our extra budget, we got them na rin.

No regrets at all. They made the party funner. Nakakatuwa lang when I saw pictures of my relatives na hindi naman talaga drinker pero nasa bar sila having some drinks, pumatok siguro sa kanila. And it's free so why not.

They are also 2nd to the last supplier to leave. Nagpack up na ang Queensland pero the kuyas of Mixed are still energetic serving drinks to us and our few friends who remained at the venue. They are one of my favorite suppliers actually. :)





LCD & Projector: Metrotech 
Rating: 5
Rate: 5,500

We added one more screen and projector for the guests seated on the left side. Palacio already gave us a free use of their projector and screen but we thought it was a little too small for the whole crowd to see. We got Metrotech's 8x8 screen and projector and added a splitter to connect the 2 projectors.

OK naman ang service nila. The screen was big enough and clear naman.

Photobooth: Pose and Print
Rating: 5+++
Rate: 7,800
Package: 2 hours + 1 hour FREE in Photo Magnets

We booked them last June 2012 Bridal Fair at the World Trade Center. I wanted a consistent photobooth when it comes to their lights. Some photobooths kasi have dark lights.

Good thing we booked them during the fair because their normal rate is way more expensive. And we got them for 7,800 only and it's photo magnets already. Actually it's 8k. But because we paid in full, less 200 pa. :)

We made the layout and emailed it to them. Always patok naman ang photobooth sa mga events these days so I think nasulit talaga ang bayad namin. Even Asec. Eric Tayag has a picture at the photobooth. When it comes to service, I can't think of any bad comment. Mabait and magalang naman yung 2 operators nila so they deserve a high rating. :)








Bridal Car: Weicars' Mercedes Benz E320
Rating: 4.5
Rate: 5,500
Package: 4 hours inclusive of Flowers, Gas & Driver

We got their flyer during a fair. But we were not able to inquire because I had flu, I felt too weak to converse.

After I recovered, I started texting Ms. Nika. At first I wasn't decided pa. Not sure if we'd get their Mercedes Benz E320 or AdEB's Benz E240. After being certain to get Weicar's service, I texted them ulit. Medyo matagal lang magreply si Ms. Nika at first. And after we paid the downpayment, it took her 2 days to email me the contract. I had to remind her pa. But I understand. Adding smiley faces on her replies to me made me patient. Nakukuha ako sa smiley eh. Haha! Yun nga lang when she sent me the contract, it was stated there na we paid 3,000 for the downpayent when we actually just paid 1,500. So I texted her again to change the downpayment stated and resend it back to me.

The car was early. I didnt have to wait. Super OK yung driver kasi we thought talaga na late na kami because it was 3:30 PM na and it was indicated at the flyer of San Sebastian that the Bridal march starts 10 mins before the time booked so it means late na late na ako. So kuya driver naman binilisan na ng todo at ginagawan ng paraan everytime na matapat sa red light but never siya nag beat ng red light. Nililiko niya agad sa right then turn right ulit para walang huli. Safe naman kaming nakarating so all praises to the driver. Thank God nandon pa yung naunang ikasal so hindi pa talaga ko late. Minus .5 lang because of the transaction that I had with Nika.



(The white one, not the Chrysler. ;)))


Host: Ryan Fortaleza
Rating: 5
Rate: 6,000

One thing to describe ryan, he's the bomb! ;) I'm not sure what our wedding would turn out if he wasn't our host. Our coordinator was right. He's good. He can keep the crowd alive. Although we never had a meeting before, I didn't have a negative comment against his hosting style. OK talaga siya. One of Kim's cousin who got married last Jan '13 also got him as their host. They found him cool and great daw.





Coordinator: Ms. Melai Caigingin of Melaircreations
Rating: 2.5
Rate: 12,000 for On the Day Coordination

Ms. Melai was our main coordinator. After a wedding fair last March '11 ata she started calling me. Ang tagal na non. That time wala pa talagang plan. No date, no church, no venue, no everything. But she waited. She kept calling like every month to ask for updates. Finally Dec '11 may date na. Our first meeting was last Jan 9, 2012. We paid narin the down payment that time.

At first, I was quite skeptical because I think they're new pa lang sa business. Pero ok naman siya sa personal. Funny naman. She talks likes she's a PRO na in her business so she got my trust.

Now here's why the rating is just 2.5. During the wedding day, 3 lang silang coordinators. Kim said 4 daw ang sinabi niya before. Imagine 3 coordinators lang for 200 guests. Tinipid ata kami? I thought all were delegated carefully. And if ever I missed a detail, diba dapat responsibility nilang icheck? First thing, the host. I don't know, siguro kasi nadala ako sa assurance niang OK yung host and magaling. Actually, walang problem sa host. Pero hindi siya nagset ng meeting between us and Ryan Fortaleza so no briefing at all. Ang nangyari tuloy, hindi nasunod yung program na gusto ko. Like yung games. Hindi lahat nasunod and yung prizes! We bought 3 boxes of Ferrero Rocher and 5 GCs of Krispy Kreme. Pero yung games parang kulang. Kung iisipin meron pang natirang 3 prizes pero we only thought of that a day after the wedding so di narin mahahabol mapamigay. 3rd, the souvenirs for principal sponsors were not placed near their station or near the other coordinators for more convenient distributions. After dinner kasi a pair of sponsors will be leaving already. The 2 other coordinators, nasa receiving area lang nakaupo and not in the main hall so wala kaming mapagtanungan kung nasan yung souvenirs. Kim had to run after the sponsors pa to ask them to wait for their souvenirs. And lastly, the cupcakes. Honestly I completely forgot to endorse them the cupcakes. I ordered 45 pcs for the whole entourage and the sponsors as well. Our cake kasi is a cupcake tower. Hindi ko nasabi na yung hindi magkakasyang cupcake sa tower, sa gilid na lang ng tower ilagay. So ang nangyari wala dun yung ibang cupcakes. HINDI NAIPAMIGAY SA ENTOURAGE AT SPONSORS. Kanya kanyang kuha ang nangyari. No one asked me kung para kanino yung cupcakes. Tatlo sila but no one tried asking. Maybe they assumed na giveaway yun but what's worse yung remaining cupcakes(I think 25 pcs) naiwan lang sa paper bag na after the reception na lang nailabas at pinamigay na lang sa may mga gusto. Still pissing me off whenever I remember those incidents.

OK sana sila but they have to pay full attention to details and not just assume what they think is alright. And they have to be more alert and careful all the time because couples entrust everything to them so they must live their jobs and COORDINATE that's why they are called COORDINATORS nga diba? We thought they would never give us a problem but you see, they have the lowest rating and well.. below average rating.