Suze Orman on her signature line

2011-01-29T11:26:00.002+08:00

Some people like her, including me at times, and some don't.

I like Suze because her approach makes it easier for the typical person to understand their BASIC finances. Reduce debt. Increase savings.

Sometimes though her approach can be tough and rude. Tough is fine. Rude... hmmm.

Anyway, the reason why I really like her is because of her motto----PEOPLE FIRST, THEN MONEY, THEN THINGS.

It's so simple and sound to those who understand what she means by it.

Her principle is very straight forward. Take care of yourself first. It's not selfish. It's being smart.

Like when in an airplane, you're instructed in case of an emergency to put your oxygen mask first before your kid. It's logical.

If you put the oxygen mask first on your kid (loved ones in dire straights) before you and you end up dying due to lack of oxygen, who will help/protect your child? I doubt the stewardess will as she's also busy trying to put her own mask.

PG and Quiz night peeps on National TV

2010-08-30T08:56:00.000+08:00

QTV Channel 11's The Beat covered Quiz Night!

Our National TV debut... well mostly it's Rudi's national TV debut. Lol.

We're thinking of changing our official Quiz Night team name to "Team ni Rudi" or "Team Rudi Project" just for kicks. Can't wait to see the feature in FHM and Expat Magazine.

If the video below doesn't load, you can watch it here:

TEAM NI RUDI

Drat

2010-08-02T20:40:00.002+08:00

False alarm!

Marry Me Today and Everyday

2010-06-03T08:49:00.000+08:00

I will be using this for our wedding video. Amazing song. To all those who will propose someday *wink*wink* this is your song. Hahaha.

I love it.

Gatmaitan-Castillo Nuptial Supplier's Review

2010-05-23T16:35:00.005+08:00

As a w@wie or a member of weddings at work, I owe a lot of what happened to my wedding to my group.

They have been helpful in giving supplier leads as well as tips whenever my sanity falters. Lol.

As such, I owe them an unbiased review of our suppliers during our wedding.

Performance rating: 1-5 (1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest)

Church: Mt. Carmel Shrine

Officiating Priest: Rev. Fr. Arnie Boehme, OCD Pocket Damage: P15K as of March 2009 + P1K choir penalty + P500 for tulle + P 100 for the CD copy of the misalettePre-Wedding rating: 3+

FINAL RATING: 4

When we saw Mt. Carmel during our ocular inspection we had that "This is it" moment. I love big spaces. And the long aisle was also a nice plus factor. During the wedding, I was afraid that the place would be hot because of the weather. Fortunately, it was not as hot as we expected.

I gave a pre-wedding rating of 3+ because Mt. Carmel was not transparent regarding penalties. We booked in March 2009 but we weren't told that we should be using their official choir. We already booked someone else and had to pay the 1k fine when we had our interview last March 2010. We were only informed then. Also, their P15k package did not include the tulle which was an additional 500 bucks. The people in the church admin are nice to talk to though.

For those whose wedding ceremony will immediately be after another one, I suggest you fish if the ones ahead of you booked the tulle. Waste of money paying 500 pesos for a tulle that was re-used already unless, of course, if you booked an event stylist.

I gave a final rating of 4 for the following reasons:

1. We were told Mt. Carmel was strict with the time. Unfortunately, the wedding ahead of us took a longer time to finish. We were there by 2:30pm but the wedding ahead of us wasn't finished yet. When it was our turn, the sermon was super quick, we couldn't really understand what Father was saying. We didn't get to take to heart his message. Sorry but, I felt that we missed out on some precious moments of our wedding that was supposed to have happened.

2. Tulle was re-used.

The P15k price was worth it. I just wish Mt. Carmel would be upfront immediately with their penalties like what they do to Horan Hall as well have a clear price on the misalette because one w@wie got a misalette copy at the admin office for 50 bucks only while I got it for 100 bucks there.

Other than that, everything was perfect during the ceremony. The place was beautiful in it's simplicity. All things considered, I would still want my wedding to be at Mt. Carmel.

TIP: A few days before your wedding, Mt. Carmel will be encoding your marriage contract. Have your coordinator or someone from your family, if you are already busy, to check the data. I checked our contract two days before the wedding and found out that instead of my mother's name in the Mother's name area, my name was placed instead. I had it corrected right then and there. This will prevent issues especially during filing at the city hall.

Reception: Fr. Mark Horan Hall

Pocket Damage: P15K as of March 2009 for 3 hours use + Php 1k for electricity use for the LCD projector and photo booth

Pre-Wedding rating: 5

FINAL RATING: 5

Convenient location, big space, aircon performance is great, back up generator is available in case of brownouts, and surprisingly the sound system was great. I was afraid that it was a bad idea not to hire a separate sound supplier. But Bayaw (the nickname of sound system operator) was super accommodating and he knows his stuff. We didn't hire a light supplier because our program was simple and didn't need dramatic light effects.

Caterer: Eloquente

Website: www.eloquentecatering.com

Pocket Damage: Php 440 + 10% SC for 150 heads, Anthurium Package rate booked in April 2009

Pre-Wedding rating: 4+

FINAL RATING:4

Grace was my AE for this event. In terms of the pre-wedding preparation, I didn't have a lot to worry about. We had everything written in the contract for reference. Food tasting was always superb. Though there were misunderstandings between Grace and my coordinator due to miscommunication, it was settled immediately between them and didn't really cause me any headaches.

Come wedding day however, hubby's free ice carving was missing. They forgot to order it. Grace settled this matter immediately with us the moment we found out.

Set-up was nice considering that we only got the simplest catering package.

They also followed my Mario and Princess topper.

We didn't have much opportunity to taste all the food, but I did notice that the plates used for us was chipped and we had to ask the waiter to replace our utensils. I didn't hear any feedback from the guests regarding the plates and the utensils so ours must have been just a one-off. The service by the waiters though were outstanding. And they were generous with the servings as we have observed from afar.

According to the guests the food was good. Though some found the soup salty but they were mostly the senior citizens who we know are really more into blander food than the rest of us. :) My sister loved the Mandarin Vegetables. And the beef was the most memorable according to the guests. And the brownies disappeared immediately. ;)

Their emcee, Jem, was wonderful. She was bubbly but not OA. Very professional because she was flexible to the program changes.

I gave them a rating of four because of the forgotten ice carving (which was in the contract) and the chipped plates and the utensils we had to change.

All things considered, still highly recommended for the good tasting food, value for money, tasteful set-up, and generally superb service.

TIP: Check with your AE if they have multiple bookings on the same date and align with your coordinator immediately so additional steps can be taken to ensure everything is in order. I believe Grace was overbooked that day which I think was the reason why the ice carving was overlooked. She had a reception at Horan Hall at 1-3pm, then ours at 5-8pm, and she had to leave immediately during the middle of the program because she had another event at Blue Gardens (if I remember it correctly). I felt bad for her because she looked really harassed and tired.

Coordinator: Fab's Events

Website: http://fabsevents.multiply.com/

Pocket Damage: Php 10k for Hand-Over Coordination + Php 1.5k for the misalette (2009 booking rates)

Pre-Wedding rating: 5

FINAL RATING: 5++++++++++++++++

Hands down the best supplier we booked.

From the moment I met Mayumi, I knew I was in good hands. Come wedding day, I was indeed correct. They are really passionate about their work and it shows on how they took care of me and my family. I heard a lot of comments about how everything was organized and the pacing was quick but not hurried.

One must experience being handled by this team to know what I am talking about.

We are really grateful with them for being patient with us. Or rather, patient with ME. Lol. I was always texting them about small details and I had lots of questions, last minute revisions, and frequent changes! And they even go the extra mile.

Post reception, we found out WE didn't have a ride back to the hotel because M's family already left and forgot to take the gifts with them. And the gifts would occupy a bigger space than the two of us combined in the van we were supposed to ride. Fab's offered to take the gifts back to the hotel even though they're actually done with their work. They couldn't bear to see us take a cab in in our dressed to kill attire. Although, if Niceprint were still there, now that would have been a nice and funny photo op.

Amazing team. You can never go wrong with them.

Couturier: Anthony Agudo

Address: Stall E-8, Fiesta Shopping Plaza, CM Recto cor. Juan Luna St. Binondo Mla.

Contact #: 0915-757 4580/ 0915-3633238

Pocket Damage: Php 59k++ for 21 people (Bride, Groom, Parents, Female and Male Entourage, Flower girl, and 3 bearers plus 1 extra barong for M) based on 2009 rates.

Pre-Wedding rating: 4

FINAL RATING: 4+

We had a limited budget and as much as I wanted a Veluz gown, it wasn't meant to be. I decided to scour W@W archives and found out about Anthony. We decided to check them out in Divisoria and immediately became comfortable with him. Right then and there we booked him since they really fit our budget and based on the reviews, he was good at making gowns.

We booked them in March 2009 and had our initial fitting. June 2009 we had the rest of the entourage measured.

Oct 2009 we went there to pick up an extra barong that my hubby needed for a wedding. The fit was perfect. I wan confident that the rest would be good as well.

I wasn't really worried that I would be having my first fitting in Feb 2010, a couple months away from my wedding. Most w@wies were, but I wasn't worried because I was still trying to lose a few inches. ;P

My first fitting was perfect and so I didn't really worry much.

However, come March for the entourage's fitting, everything was ok except for my mother's gown and my maid of honor's because they lost weight. This was remedied immediately though.

I love my budget wedding gown because it fitted me nicely and it was cheap! Hahaha.

The reason for a not giving them a perfect rating was because it's not easy to get to Divisoria and it was really an effort to go there. Plus, I said not to make the gown really long. I specified chapel length or shorter. It was still long and I had difficulty dancing and walking because I had to drag a cathedral length train. And the dry cleaning bill was about 4k bucks because the removable train alone was equivalent to a gown.

But, it's all good.

Highly recommended if you're looking for budget gowns. And Anthony really knows his stuff especially when given measurements made by other seamstress. He knows if the measurements taken were correct or not.

TIP: If you booked early and you're the type of bride who wants to have a fixed fitting schedule, ask for it immediately with Anthony. Unlike more expensive couturiers, they don't usually have a fixed timeline for fittings. If you're the type who gets paranoid about it, rest assured Anthony never fails to deliver. Regular follow ups will do. Also, Anthony includes the accessories already in your package. No need to buy elsewhere for expensive accessories.

HMUA: Val Villarin

Address: Unit 8B5 Francesca Tower, Scout Borromeo Cor. EDSA, QC

Contact #:0920-8069726/ 454-2392 or email at val_villarin@hotmail.com

Website:http://www.valvillarin.com/

Pocket Damage: special rate c/o W@W Auction (Airbrush MU for Bride, Traditional Make up for Groom, plus 6 persons) FINAL RATING: 5+

Amazing work from Val and his team. Thank God that I got his services courtesy of the w@w auction. Val really has magical hands. I didn't get much sleep and I knew my eyes would be puffy because I had crying jags the day before (leaving the nest dramatics). But the magical hands made me fresh and pretty on my special day.

It's too bad Val had to leave early after he made me up. He had to go to Ecija because his grandmother passed away. He was still very professional despite that because they came earlier than the call time and did a great job.

Dexter, one of his assistant artists, was left behind to do the retouching. Dexter was really nice and I felt really pampered because of the constant attention.

Highly recommended!

Photobooth: Pose and Print

Contact #: 02-788-1480
Website:http://www.poseandprint.com/
Pocket Damage: Php 10,635.00 for 3 hours (booked during SMX Bridal Fair, May 2009)

FINAL RATING: 5+

One of our best suppliers.

Pinoys really are camwhores. A lot of the guests lined up and kept coming back to have their pictures taken.

We booked P and P because of the fast printing and high quality print outs.

Too bad the props we wanted ( the quirky shades) were unavailable. That's what happens if you have a weekend wedding. Most suppliers have multiple bookings and a lot of events usually book the same popular suppliers.

Pre-event preparation is a breeze with P and P. You can communicate via email and background design or re-design is quick.

The Bride and Groom hamming it up.

PG Society trying to fit themselves inside the booth

Musicians: Allan Naval and Company

Email:allan_weddingcnger@yahoo.com

Pocket Damage: Php 4,500.00 for church and reception

FINAL RATING: 5+

We found Allan and his team when we were scouting for musicians at Mt. Carmel church. They usually sing at Mt. Carmel, but they are not the official Mt. Carmel Choir. We booked them immediately the moment we heard them sing "Two Words" by Lea Salonga and "Ikaw" by Martn Nievera in perfect tune.

A lot of the guests thought we were playing a CD. But they were shocked when one of the singers said "Thank You". That's how great their voices are.

Allan and his team are usually invited by the likes of Lucy Torres-Gomez to sing in private religious functions.

Highly recommended!

Calligrapher: Julie Umawing

Email: julieumawing@yahoo.com

Contact #: 0919-8459430

Pocket Damage: Php 10/envelope for a minimum of 50 envelopes

FINAL RATING: 5+

Ms. Julie's services are very affordable and she's pleasant to deal with. I inquired with a lot of calligraphers and kept coming back to Ms. Julie's proposal. I found other calligraphers who offer a lower price than Ms. Julie's, but I got turned off at the suggestion of using gel-based pens. Other calligraphers really price at a premium. They charge per line! Ms. Julie charges per envelope. Her work is impeccable and she works fast!

Invitations: Printrade Society Printers

Email: printrade_society@yahoo.com

Contact #: 02-941-0583/ 02-942-2601

Pocket Damage: Php 7,200 for 100pcs embossed invites. Booked during Sept 2009 bridal fair.

FINAL RATING: 5

We wanted a simple but formal embossed invites. Printrade delivered what we wanted at an affordable rate. A lot of the guests said our invites were simple but had a wow-factor.

Highly recommended!

Flowers: Weddings @ Bouquets

Address: 1266 Dos Castillas St. Sampaloc Manila

Pocket Damage: Php 4,900.00 for entourage flowers (Bride, MOH, BM, FG, 6 PS, 2 Mothers, offertory flowers)

FINAL RATING: 3+

The were easy to talk to and their rates were affordable, they delivered on schedule, and they gave me what I asked for (fans with flowers for the Mothers and teddy bear with flowers for the FG). Unfortunately, I gave them a 3+ because my bouquet arrived wilted. Everyone else's flowers were fresh except mine. The flowers were already brown on one side that I had to hide it for the photos.

That's it. I didn't complain about it since everything else was ok and I didn't want to stress myself on my wedding day.

P/S Souvenirs: Rachebelli Wines

Email: rachebeli_wines@yahoo.com

Contact #: 0922-9936736/ 02-3464355

Pocket Damage: Php 150/ 360ml bottle (with free matching chocolates if you get their package) + Php 10 for the acetate packaging (w@wie discount. Regular packaging price is Php 20)+ free personalized label.

FINAL RATING: 5+

When I met Chelo, their account executive, I was immediately at ease talking to her. She was bubbly and really funny. She even taught me how to properly drink wine and got cool tips on how to make my wedding memorable.

It was easy to transact with them. And they deliver on time based on your agreements.

The quality of the wines are good. And the chocolates were also a hit. It was such a hit that some of the guests who were not part of the Principal Sponsors wanted a bottle of their own, like my Aunt Yolly. So I gave her some of the extras. ;)

Highly recommended for the quality of the product, the packaging, and great customer service.

All in all I had a smooth wedding. There were glitches but none that would wreck the festivities.

Super thanks to my W@W family for the support and guidance during preparation. You girls rock!

The Post Wedding To Do List

2010-04-24T11:37:00.000+08:00

So D-Day's finally over. More than a year of preparation went by in a flash. Now what?

Reality now steps in and there are lots more things to do when your happily ever after begins. So here's my list of things I need to do two weeks into this thing I call my new life:

1. Cleaning and preserving my gown. Even if my gown was sourced in Divisoria, I still think I should keep my gown for posterity's sake. Or, I could use it as a costume in the future? Kidding. I need to have the huge thing dry cleaned. Good luck on the cost though.

2. Change my name. I really want to get a head start on this because some of the gifts (thank you generous sponsors!) were in the form of a cheque that was for "Mr & Mrs G". Obviously my bank still calls me Ms. C and will not yet honor the cheque until I have the necessary updated government IDs and a copy of the marriage contract.

3. Send Thank You Notes to our generous sponsors. :)

4. Change my address on all my mails and my IDs.

5. Giveaway Duplicate gifts. (This really shouldn't be in my list as I have done this already) Some didn't go to the store where we registered and we got multiple versions of Teflon Pans in all shapes and size, duplicate peelers, and fruit bowls. As much as I wished they bought me the dutch oven I am obsessing with or the Global Chef knife that I will kill for, you really can't do anything about it now. I don't want to return the items anymore. Instead, I will give some to my old house. They could really use a new peeler and a new pan.

6. Get the raw cd of our photos and videos.

7. Open joint accounts once the marriage contract from NSO arrives.

8. Go into Wife Bootcamp and transform myself from just taking care of myself to properly running a household.

Training Mrs. G.

Suze Orman on her signature line

PG and Quiz night peeps on National TV

Drat

Marry Me Today and Everyday

Gatmaitan-Castillo Nuptial Supplier's Review

The Post Wedding To Do List