A Love To Remember

James & Ann: A LOVE TO REMEMBER Wedding Suppliers Review Part 2

2013-05-14T17:41:00.004+08:00

I know, It's been more than 3 months since my first review and a lot of things happened. Married life adjustments, living in a new home with hubby, and the most wonderful thing was when we discovered that a baby is on the way! Yes, I'm 5 months preggy now, turning 6 this June and I am so glad to announce that we're going to have a baby boy! Hello baby jeddy! :)

So, this is the part deux of our wedding supplier's review, enjoy reading! Please refer to this link for the first part of my supplier's review :)

Legend: 1- lowest, 5- highest

Wedding Videographer: VJ Matias of THEROCKINDUO
Rating: 5++++

We super duper over mega loooove our Wedding SDE video! whenever we watch it, Our wedding day flashes back, like it just happened yesterday! The guests also loved our video. It's very touching and you can really feel the solemnity of our wedding.

We got VJ way back June 2011, when he was just starting in the wedding industry. That time he only got several videos to show in his portfolio, but I saw his potential so on our first meeting, I booked him on the spot. I know someday he'll be one of the most successful videographers in the country (and yes he's getting there already).

He's polite and down to earth. If you meet him, he's just like your younger cousin or brother. He's easy to work with (parang naglalaro lang kayo, thesis project ang peg habang nagsho-shoot hehe).

Our Wedding SDE:

For the HD version, click this link: https://vimeo.com/54970355

Peso power: 10,000 pesos only- this was his old rate for a full wedding coverage with SDE and prenup video way back 2011, nice huh?!:) Lucky me!:D

Wedding HMUA: Val Villarin
Rating: 5+

I actually didn't scout lots of wedding makeup artist, because I'm too lazy to go and pay for makeup trials (It's a waste of money for me). I only had one trial session in a bridal fair with my friends. I liked my makeup and the supplier, but the package is too expensive for me, considering it only covers the bride with airbrush and retouch for the groom.

I knew Val from a former office mate because she booked him as her wedding hmua last December 2010. I checked her wedding pictures and yes she's glowing, even though it's just a traditional makeup. I also checked his past brides and got satisfied with his works, so I went to this bridal fair and booked him on the spot even without any trial makeup ( trial makeup was done on the day of our 2nd prenup shoot). I just added some amount to convert my non traditional makeup to airbrush because I have oily and semi-blemished skin.

Val's airbrush makeup didn't disappoint me, most specially during the ceremony wherein I cried a lot. I thought my eye makeup smudged and my blush on was ruined because of tears, but hubby said I still look gorgeous. I also didn't expect that he'll be the one doing my makeup retouch in the reception venue, maybe because that's his reward for not staying during our church ceremony.

Val's assistants also made my entourage very pretty. Val made my mom's hairdo and makeup and she looked like a "donya" hehe. What I just didn't like was during our hotel makeup preps, when my mom told me Val was kind of "masungit" . When my two other bridesmaids came in our hotel room (because they were late), my mom heard his two assistants telling him that there are still two bridesmaids lined up for makeup, and he replied in a somewhat rejecting tone. When my mom heard them she replied, " O, wala namang problema, magkano ba ang additional fee sa makeup?", then Val said " Ay si mother, andiyan pala...". I really don't know what happened because I was not in the scene, but whatever it was I just hope that awkward incident didn't really happened.

Overall, I still like his service and highly recommend him. My flower girl said I looked like a barbie doll on our wedding day :)

Entourage gown maker: Hazel Garcia
Rating: 3

I intensively researched online for names and contact numbers of gown makers in Divisoria. James and I visited each stall on my list, and we ended up getting Hazel Garcia's service. Aside from her affordable rates, a friend of mine also recommended her.

I showed her my bridesmaid and mothers' gown pegs, and she delivered the designs that I wanted. The only issue we had with her was the fitting of the gowns and suits. My sister and mother's gown were sent back to her twice for repair. She fixed the issue on my sister's gown, but not on my mom's gown. Thank God for my 80+ year old grandmother, who's still alive, healthy, and knows how to repair gowns. She became my mother's savior days before our wedding day. My mom bombarded Hazel with texts, but she kept replying the same thing. If my grandma didn't fix my mother's gown, we'll end up buying an RTW gown at the mall.

My father, father-in-law, and some of our groomsmen were also not satisfied with the fitting of their coats so we sent it all back for repair. Our best man's pants (my hubby's brother) was too short for him, so we ended up using James' prenup pants even though we paid for it. Actually, It was a fault on our end, because my brother-in-law was not present on the measurement day and he only asked his office mate to get his measurement ( d*mn office mate for giving the wrong figures).

My father's coat was repaired, she made two coats for my father-in-law so he could choose, but the coat of my sister's boyfriend (also one of our groomsmen) still doesn't fit him. So what we did, we borrowed the other coat sent to my father-in-law, and didn't get the coat repaired for my sister's bf and deducted it from the original price package. We just returned the spare coat after the wedding.

The gown and coat repairs were a huge hassle on our part. On the lighter side, the gowns and coats look stunning on our wedding pictures, they were photogenic. So even though we've been through a lot of hardships during the repairs, I thank God it paid off.

I just wrote my experience regarding this supplier, it's up to you if you will still get her services.On the other hand, she's nice in person and easy to talk to. Just inquire, maybe what happened to me, won't happen to you.

My MOH and bridesmaids gown photo by Paolo Feliciano:

The bestman and groomsmen suits photo by Paolo Feliciano:

Floral Supplier: Mario Sicano
Rating: 5

Ka Mario was recommended to us by my mom's friend. Aside from his affordable rates, he's also the in house floral supplier of our ceremony church so we didn't had a hard time communicating with him.

We upgraded our package because I wanted a specific design for the aisle flowers and the tribunal flower design. Come wedding day, I love our aisle flowers (In white pomander ball with crystals and glass stand) but I was expecting more on our tribunal flower arc design. I thought he'll use thicker pillars but he didn't, maybe he just rented the pillars from a 3rd party supplier.

The bridesmaids and mothers' bouquets were colorful. As for my bouquet I find it a bit small though, but I love its color combination, it's pretty in pictures.

I still highly recommend him because he's down to earth and very approachable. Even with some imperfections, he still delivered well and on-time. He also caters to non-INC clients.

Me and my bouquet photo by Paolo Feliciano:

Photobooth supplier: Snaps N' Inks Photobooth
Rating: 5++++

I found Snaps N' Inks Photobooth promo in CashCashPinoy. Their original 3 hour Photobooth package is 7,000 pesos but we got them for 3,500 pesos only. Before I availed the voucher, I researched first about them and asked if our wedding date is still open, and they said yes.

Their team delivered well even before the wedding day. I had 3 revision requests for our photobooth strip layout and Ms. Amy executed it very well. I love the design and colors it really suits our A Touch Of Paris reception theme.During our wedding reception, they were really strict with the stop time, so I'm glad all our guests were inside the reception venue during the program. I know there were some guests who got impatient with the stop time, but Ms. Amy and his assistant were really eager their rules. I consider them as one of our good finds :)

Below is our photobooth pic:

Peso power: 3,500 pesos only through CashCashpinoy site:)

Bridal car supplier: Jamie Lim
Rating: 5++++

Our catering package includes a free bridal car,but unfortunately, we didn't like the car's model because it's kinda old and rusty.We felt it won't arrive on time for the church ceremony hehe. At first,We opted for a Chrysler 300c but it was too expensive, see my blog here. So once again, I researched for an affordable bridal car, and with a w@wie's help and recommendation I found Sir Jamie.

The bridal car was clean and smelled fresh, BTW it's a white BMW 2006 model. It arrived on time for my pick up at the hotel and manong driver was nice and quiet. If you don't ask him questions, he won't talk at all. Our wedding is 4:00 pm, we left the hotel ( Our hotel is in Eastwood) around 2:00 pm and we arrived at the church around 2:30 pm LOL (Our church is along Commonwealth Ave.), no traffic at all! I just waited inside the bridal car, take note the aircon is running until 4:00pm hehe.

Manong driver was so nice, that during our reception he got shy to ask for his packed dinner from my coordinator ( that's another story and actually my coordinator's fault they should have given them his meal). In return, we just gave him a tip after the wedding.

I highly recommend sir Jamie for his car and good service. I just hope he's still renting his car, because the last time I checked, his Sulit.com ad is already inactive.

Peso power: 7,500 pesos for 10 hours! from 2:00pm to 12:00 am ( the bridal car brought us back to the hotel). :) This is a 2012 rate.

Bridal car supplier: My Perfect Match Shoes
Rating: 5+++

I really wanted to have a unique and comfy bridal shoes, so I decided to customize mine. I don't like the usual glittery, silvery shoes so I chose to have a peach bridal shoes. Ms. Marie got the design I showed her, but unfortunately the design I chose lacks support in front. When I'm wearing it, it's slowly slipping off my feet! I got worried and returned the shoes to Ms. Mari for revision. She suggested to add a clear strap in front to prevent from sliding off. The clear straps were attached to the shoes using rugby, honestly I have doubts with the rugby, but I just let go of the idea to prevent stress. I also requested to add some Swarovski crystals to my shoes to give it some accent.

Weeks before my wedding, I tried my shoes on for break-in. While walking around our house, the clear strap got loose, so my father applied again some rugby. I got worried again, thinking that on wedding day, it might get off my feet but lo and behold! from the hotel up to the reception it remained still! I even danced during our couple's reception number wearing those shoes!

The shoes were very comfy and dainty. I wore it for more than 10 hours and no pain at all! Take note it has 3.5 inch heels. I highly recommend Perfect Match for bridal shoes :)

Picture of my bridal shoes by Paolo Feliciano:

Peso power: 4,750 pesos this is a 2012 rate.

Hotel for preparations: Eastwood Richmonde Hotel
Rating: 2.5

We decided to book this hotel because of its classy and elegant interiors plus their affordable room rates. The first Account Executive ( AE) we inquired through my company was very accommodating, but unfortunately he resigned so our office admin told me that a girl replaced him. I like The first AE (by the way, was really polite and good-looking hehe) than the new one (his looks is not included in my preference).

On the day of our wedding day, we haven't got the chance to extend our stay in my suite until 2pm because they said it was peak season, another guest already booked our room. My coordinator called our hotel AE to request for extension, but unfortunately it was not granted. Instead we were transferred to the room where James and I will check-in after the wedding.

For the hotel premises pictorial, I was kinda sad because the GMA 7 crew was there to shoot around ERH premises. We only got some few shots around the lobby and staircase because of them (I only knew this after my wedding, my coordinator doesn't want me to get stressed that day so they kept it a secret) If my mom only knew it, for sure she will get angry with the ERH staff and of course the GMA 7 crew.

For my husband's side, their departure from the hotel was delayed because the ERH staff blamed them for losing/getting 2 bathroom towels and told them they should pay it. They searched the room for the towels, but James said, when they got there the CR only has 4 towels, not 6. Otep, my sister's bf and one of our groomsmen told the hotel concierge to check their towel inventory first before blaming them. My hubby told them, " Ang dami naming towels sa bahay, bakit namin kukunin mga yun? mga professionals kami!" On our last day in the hotel, the ERH staff didn't even bother to apologize to us for the false accusation, LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED! >.<

Wedding Coordinator: The Allianz Sisters
Rating: I don't want to rate them, because my head wedding coordinator became my close friend and we are their last client (they are not active anymore). I admit not all happened as planned, there were some flaws but unnoticeable. At the end of the day, I'm still happy it turned out to be the wedding I always dreamed of and the praises we got from guests were overwhelming. I want to thank Ayeth and the whole team for playing a major part on our wedding day :)

Emcee: Jem Santiago
Rating: 5++++

I almost forgot to rate her! Ms. Jem was soo nice, she's fluent in english and very prim and proper during our wedding reception. James told her in one of our meetings that he doesn't like a "boxing ring" style of program flow ( ayaw niya kasi ng maingay na parang palengke ang reception hehe). So that's what Ms. Jem did. She really delivered very well on our wedding reception, I super duper highly recommend her!

Peso power: None, her fee was already included in our catering package. I know she accepts outside clients so if you want to contact her, just leave a message here and I'll give you her number :)

Wedding rings: Tolosa's Jewelry
Rating: 5++++

Last but not the least, I forgot to rate our affordable but very beautiful rings made by Mr. Kris Tolosa of Tolosa's Jewelry. I knew him from sis Ilene also a w@wie and an INC bride. When I posted in the forum asking for affordable wedding ring suppliers in Ongpin area, she emailed me about it. At first, she didn't told me that the wedding ring maker was her fiance! we only knew it when Ka Kris told us during our wedding ring quotation. We love our wedding rings, we got it in a very friendly price. I know if we bought it in a bridal fair or in a well-known jewelry store it will cost us a hand and a leg.

His shop is located in Ongpin, 2nd floor of a building ( I forgot the name of the building hehe). If you want his contact details, just PM me :)

That's the end of our supplier's review. I hope my reviews will help soon-to-be brides on their wedding preparations. Now, reality check, baby preps here we go! :)

James & Ann: A LOVE TO REMEMBER Wedding Suppliers Rating Part 1

2013-01-04T13:21:00.000+08:00

It's been a month since our wedding and I can still remember how beautiful and solemn it turned out to be. Our dream wedding came true, the 1 year and 9 months preparation ( including all the ups and downs) were all worth it and it is because of our families, friends, suppliers, and most specially God's help. Every wedding, no matter how organize and grand the suppliers are, there will always be glitches (whether it is a major or minor one). In my case, I can only remember the feeling of nervousness and excitement that day rather than stress. James and Ayeth (Our coordinator that became our friend) joined forces to fix all the problems, so I could be a worry free bride and yes it really happened. I will let you know the mishaps later, but for now I will just start rating our wedding suppliers.

Because of our honeymoon trips, Lipat-Bahay projects, and the holiday season I wasn't able to immediately write our suppliers rating. Even though I'm in the office, I can now start rating (petiks mode on).

Legend: 1- lowest, 5- highest

Wedding Ceremony Venue: IGLESIA NI CRISTO, TEMPLO CENTRAL
Rating: 5++++

Every INC couple dreams of getting married here and we are very thankful that we had the once in a lifetime opportunity. Templo Central is our main church and you are lucky if you got a wedding date slot here because not every couple's request are granted. We just tried our luck last year, and prayed for it. Thank God he answered our prayers.

Our ceremony was very solemn because guests are prohibited to take pictures with flash during the ceremony and mobile phones are being surrendered in the guard house area before entering the church premises.

Peso power: None! we don't pay fees for wedding ceremony reservations, INC ceremony choir, and officiating minister :)

Bridal Gown And Groom's Suit Couturier: EMIL OCAMPO
Rating: 5++++

What can I say, we love Emil!:) We booked him last year, so we got his old rate for our gown and suit. Of all the designers I've inquired, his price range was the most affordable. Emil is so patient, quiet, and kind. I had 3 gown sketch revisions (maarte kasi ako) and 8 fittings! yes you read it right, 8 fittings because of my not so proportional back and waistline hehe. He made a very beautiful gown for me (that made me look so slim and fab!) and a dashing suit for James. Up to now, I still hear praises of my gown and James' suit from the guests. I know his rate right now went up a bit, but Emil is still one of the most affordable and talented designers in the Philippines. He will deliver you what you want, just let him know ;)

Pics of our gown and suit from Paolo Feliciano (our wedding ceremony photographer)

Peso power: Undisclosed. Old rate :)

Prenup photographer: BENJIE TIONGCO
Rating: 5++++

I discovered Benjie last year I think around June-July when he was just starting his own photography business. Benjie was with Imagination photographers before, so yes he is well trained. I was having doubts with our first booked P/V supplier then ( because of a lot of negative comments I've read that time) so we decided to find another one. When we met Benjie, we were still not sure if we are going to totally give up our first booked P/V so we just got his prenup services.

Come prenup day, he's the bomb! for his age, he is young but very very talented. He made us do poses that we never imagined we could do. We had buwis buhay poses, like posing on a dead end bridge ( when you look down the sea awaits), and a running shot wherein James forgot I was wearing 4 inch heels so I slide down the ramp ( thank God I have no scratches, just a minor bruise on one knee). To know more about our prenup shoot, check this link.

Some pics from our prenup shoot: (I can't wait Benjie to post these pictures in his blog)

Buwis buhay shot 1

Buwis buhay shot 2

Peso power: 10,000 pesos- His old rate for prenup services only :)

Prenup HMUA: ULY SARIEGO
5++++

Our original prenup hmua backed out 4 days before our scheduled prenup shoot for some LAME reason ( and I was so stressed that time!- PM me if you want to know who it was) thank God a friend of mine referred Uly ( she also got him as her prenup hmua) and he's my saviour. He transformed me into a hollywood star (naks!) during our prenup shoot. One of the employees in the prenup venue even asked if I am an actress haha ( kilig!).Uly is very nice and soft spoken (walang ka ere-ere). To know more about our shoot check this link again and our pics above.

Peso power: 1,500 pesos- Old rate . We provided him transportation (back and forth QC) so Out Of Town fee ( OOT) was waived.

Reception venue and caterer: THE GRAND TERRACE AND VS&F CATERING
Account Executive (AE): Val Jamora
5++++

I chose The Grand Terrace (TGT) as our reception venue because it's very near our ceremony church. We didn't visit other venues, and thank God we made the right decision. Come wedding day, TGT and VS&F delivered more than what what we expected, and it is because of the high efforts our AE, Mr. Val Jamora exerted.

A brief side-kuwento, Val was not our original AE. We had two AEs before we are turned-over to Val. Our first AE was Clarice Enriquez, but all of a sudden she resigned without informing us. I just knew about her resignation, when one day I decided to call VS&F for some reception decor inquiries. Ms. Maricel Tupas ( I think she was Clarice's supervisor) apologized and told us she instructed Clarice to inform all her clients before leaving. Starting that day, Ms. Maricel handled our account. My mom was still not satisfied with our AE, because she wanted the AE who handled her friend's son reception in TGT before ( and that was Val), so even though Ms. Maricel was nice, my mom called VS&F and requested for Val. That time Val was still on-leave so for the meantime Ms. Maricel handled our account. I think a month already passed, and my mom still insisted of changing our AE so she called again VS&F and finally talked to Val. Val happily accepted our account, and accommodated our every request. I know sometimes he gets annoyed because of my mom's frankness and "kakulitan" but now looking back, I am thankful that my mom was makulit and I have so many requests because our reception was very beautiful! We even changed our venue from Venus Garden to The Grand Pavillion of TGT ( it was bigger that it can accommodate 200-300 guests) though changing venues means extra charge, in the end it was all worth it.

Val meticulously designed our reception area. He exceeded my expectations and he even added a surprise Eiffel tower centerpiece in the buffet area as a gift to us with no extra charge! ( Yes, James and I had a Paris inspired reception theme). From the table covers, table centerpieces ( I didn't expect that my centerpiece will be that pretty because it was just twigs and some flowers on top, but indeed it was rustic chic!), table napkin fold, cake, olympic drapings and crystals etc.

Our guests loved the food! a friend of mine, who was one of my bridesmaids told me that they heard guests raving how good our food was while they were retouching inside the bathroom. From the start until the end of the reception all guests were full, happy, and satisfied :)

Note: If you are looking for a great reception area around Q.C. visit The Grand Terrace. They have different function rooms that can accommodate your desired number of guests and their food? superb!. Though TGT have a small parking space, but no worries because they rent out Isuzu's front parking lot during occasions. The guards will lead you to proper parking spaces :)

Peso power: Undisclosed. Old rate :)

String Quartet: LEGGIERO STRINGS AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Rating: 5++++

In 2011, I was looking for a string quartet that can perform modern/pop songs. I liked this particular quartet but their price was not within our budget range so I let them go and searched for another. While researching, I found Leggiero's website and they definitely caught my attention! they have sample performances in their website, they can perform Katy Perry, ColdPlay, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5 songs and etc. James is very meticulous when it comes to music, when I emailed him their website he suddenly texted me and told me to book them immediately.

During our reception, I listened carefully and they perfectly played every song in the list that I gave them (The song list was a combination of modern and ballad songs that James and I love hehe). I didn't know that one of their members is an INC too!so cool :)

Note: They bring their own floor monitor so you don't have to rent one :)

Peso power: 10,000 pesos. Old rate :)

Wedding photographer: PAOLO FELICIANO
Rating: 5++++
From w@w auction

How am I going to start? hmmm...Okay so I got 3 photographers! haha. One is Benjie Tiongco for our prenup, the 2nd one was our original photographer ( we decided to change them for some reason-PM me if you want to know them) but we still availed their prenup services so our DP won't go down to waste, and finally Paolo as our wedding photographer.

I won the w@w auction last 2011 and got Paolo's wedding photography services. At first, I really don't know him and his works only if it wasn't for my w@wie friend Roan. She introduced Paolo's website to me, and suddenly I became a fan. It was my first time to join an auction, and hell it was so good to bid! I read the rules and Roan gave me tips ( because his hubby always bids at ebay), so there I suddenly received an email that I won!:)

At first, I thought because I only paid half of his original price, his team will also be half on our wedding day hehe ( meaning less photographer to shoot), but I was wrong. Paolo and his whole team came on our hotel in full ( they are 6 in the team including the Photo slideshow maker). They shoot here, there, and everywhere! Paolo made me look like a cover model of a wedding magazine :D During our reception dinner, they played our Photo slideshow and everybody loved it! all the pictures in the slideshow are RAW (meaning unedited) but we are stunning!:) I'm going to get the pictures from Paolo anytime soon, so for the meantime here are some teasers from our wedding :)

I only exchange FB, email, and text messages with Paolo after the auction and it was our first time meeting him during the w@w Xmas Party 2012 at Blue leaf. He's really very nice (good looking too hehe) and accommodating.

Peso power: 16,000 pesos only for service thanks to w@w auction! and additional 3,500 pesos for the SDE photo slideshow.

That's it for now, wait for my suppliers review part deux! :)

2nd Prenup shoot:DONE! :)

2012-10-15T17:44:00.003+08:00

Finally! I got the time to blog about our second prenup shoot, but this time it's a combination of a video and photo shoot.

Date: August 22, 2012, Wednesday

6:30 a.m.
We had a scheduled 6:00 a.m. prenup trial makeup at Mama Val's (Val Villarin) condo unit along Edsa in Q.C. But because of the heavy traffic, we arrived at his condo around 6:30 a.m. (to think we're also living in Q.C.! ). James had a hard time finding a parking slot because the condo's front parking was jam packed! he even drove in circles ( even reached Timog area) just to look for a place to park, but he's still unsuccessful. Good thing mama Val offered the indoor condo's parking slot for us and talked to the guards, Thank God we were able to park inside his condo unit.

It was our first time to meet mama Val in person. Last year, when we went to his booth at a bridal fair, he's not there. I just trusted the good reviews I've researched about him, so even though I haven't done any trial makeup yet, I booked him on the spot. At first, I thought he's masungit because he's very quiet. But after serveral minutes of applying makeup on my face, he's not that quiet after all! When we started talking about the common people we know, he never stopped talking! :)
I liked the airbrush natural makeup he did for me. I've decided to upgrade the package to airbrush makeup, because they say it'll last a lot more. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture with mama Val, oh well, I'll save it on our wedding day. We left mama Val's condo around 7:30 am. So for our next stop, to meet our videographer in SM Fairview :)

8:30 a.m.
After my trial makeup, we immediately went to SM fairview to meet VJ. VJ Matias is our prenup and wedding videographer. I found him when he was just starting in the business, so I got his introductory price which is very very affordable ( lucky me!). He texted me that he'll be late, but it's okay because we're going to be late too hehe. Our call time is 8:00 am but we both got in the area around 8:30 a.m. VJ followed our car going to James' house, and at 9am we started the shoot.

VJ, followed my script, but he also suggested to tweak some scenes ( which made the concept more funny). He's quiet (he's shy at first) but because of James' PR skills, he started talking. The shoot lasted about an hour and a half, and It didn't felt like a shoot at all because we're just like playing. We had two scenes, one was taken at James' house and the other scene was taken in UP. James' dad even questioned us, why we didn't check other venues for the shoot ( he didn't know we already had our first prenup in Subic hehe). Our venues maybe simple, but the concept is awesome! ( well for us it's awesome, LOL).

We decided to have lunch at Chocolate Kiss in UP Diliman, because around 1pm we're going to meet the SmartShot peeps for the photo shoot. Over lunch, VJ told us some of his plans for their wedding ( btw, he's also getting married next year). At 1pm, VJ bid goodbye, and we parked near UP Bahay ng Alumni to wait for Sir Zandro and his team.

2:30 p.m.
Our call time with Smartshot is 2:00 p.m., but they texted us that they'll be late ( So we waited for 2 hours- I was exhausted that time because of the scorching heat and that sucks! ). Sir Zandro Quimson of SmartShot and his partner (Sorry kuya I forgot your name!) arrived around 3:00 p.m. Good thing they are nice and friendly, so I didn't get mad at all ( even though they didn't said sorry and tell why they are late). They first introduced their selves and asked us if we have permit to shoot in UP. I didn't know that UP now requires permit to shoot in their vicinities, so we didn't bother to create one. Sir Zandro told us that they recently had a shoot in UP, wherein the couple also don't have a permit to shoot so the guards told them to stop. Because of that incident, he suggested to shoot in another location. I actually don't like the venue, because it's very common for prenup shoots. Since we have no choice, we decided to follow his suggestion. I just challenged Sir Zandro to produce unconventional shots, so people won't notice where it was taken. The shoot lasted for 2 hours, in the end it was fun but a very tiring shoot.

Note:

We finally got SmartShot's raw prenup pictures and I like my look :) My skin looks flawless (what I really wanted to achieve because I have an acne prone skin). I'll just tell mama Val that I love to have pink lips on my wedding day, because he just used a neutral colored lipstick on my prenup shoot.
I thought SmartShot's pics are just simple, but they exceeded my expectation. Most of the shots are creative, but I think they should invest more on new cameras. If I'm going to compare Benjie's shots with theirs, Benjie's have vivid color and creative. Still, I'm still happy with their output :)

October Updates!!!

2012-10-15T15:28:00.004+08:00

Wow, I still can't believe that we started planning for our wedding 1 year and 7 months ago, and now it's only 51 days to go before our wedding day! *still in panic mode*

October is our busiest month. We hope that by November we are in * finishing touches* mode with our preparations.We still have a lot of things to do, and so far here are our accomplishments:

OCTOBER MADNESS LIST:

A. DONE List:

October 5- Get Marriage License- DONE!
October 6- Last Divisoria trip- DONE!
October 8- Go to MMN District for James' requirements and follow up couple's backdrop to Ms. Veron- DONE!
October 9- Go to Main Church for the form signatories -DONE!
October 10- Meet our emcee, Ms. Jem Santiago- DONE!- I'm going to have a separate blog for this!
October 12- Wedding Seminar @ Church PART 1- DONE!
October 14- Visit Ninong Benny in Valenzuela- DONE!

Of course, if there is a DONE list, there's also a TO DO list ( actually a lot of to do list!)

B. TO DO List:

October 16/17- Book our hotel in Boracay
October 20- Derma session, 4th wedding gown fitting, 2nd suit fitting
October 21- Entourage fitting
October 22- Send invitations to ninang Divina and to Ilo-ilo relatives
October 23- Buy Blank Acrylic Ref magnets *Optional
October 27 Final detailing with the caterer and file turnover to our coordinator
October 28- Meet Ninong Edwin * Tentative Sched

C. DIY TO DO List:

Invitations- In progress
Guestbook- In progress
Fascinators- In progress
Table numbers- In progress (will choose design)
Boutonnieres- Not Yet Started
Canvass Portrait- To follow PVP
Door Knob signages- Not Yet Started
Pictures for the reception area- Not Yet Started
Souvenirs for principal sponsors- Not Yet Started * still canvassing
Souvenirs for Guests- *Optional- if none, There's already a PhotoBooth!
Just Married Sign- Not Yet Started
Paris inspired movie table posters- Not Yet Started*Optional

D. Pending Supplier to book:

Crew Meal Supplier- *still scouting

And that's how we are going to end our October! Wedding preparation is fun, but tiring. I know after our wedding I'm going to miss all of this. It's stressful but I love every bit of it <3

Now, time to do our November Craze list! :)

DIY Update: STD Posters

2012-09-17T22:53:00.000+08:00

It's 78 days before our big day, and we decided to start sending our STD (Save The Date) posters to our chosen guests today. I did three STD designs to choose from, but our fave is the In Time STD poster. (The pictures we've used were shot by our very talented prenup photographer, Benjie Tiongco.)

Our In Time STD poster

Our Casual STD poster

I will post our vintage retro STD movie poster, once we released our invitations to the guests. The main reason is we'll be using the same design for our cover page :)

DIY Update: Our Monogram~officially DONE!:)

2012-09-09T22:02:00.001+08:00

If you've been following our blog, I already created several monograms last January ( you can check it here ). Though I like some of it already, I'm still not satisfied. I don't want it to be the usual bold letter + curl letter monogram, I want some twist in it. So after hundreds of revisions and discussions with James, we finally finished our monogram.

I want our monogram to have a Parisian twist while James likes it classic. We incorporated our color motif- Plum/Purple, Silver Gray and Antique Gold.

So here it is!, I'm happy to present our classic Parisian inspired monogram :)

DIY Update: WYB Cards

2012-09-06T09:07:00.000+08:00

After a month of not blogging, I'm here to share our finished Will You Be (WYB) cards. We created a retro WYB french postcards for our principal sponsors and entourage. I did the design, James printed it, and we assembled it. We hope they'll like it :)

All the cards have the same vintage postcards design :)

Note: I got all the pics and templates I used for the cards over the internet. Thank you to all the people behind my resources :)

The Quest For Bridal Earrings

2012-08-02T18:38:00.002+08:00

I already have a set of earrings to wear on our big day, but unfortunately, for some undesirable circumstances, it was taken back from me. Now, I'm on my quest to find the perfect set of bridal earrings, and I started to fall in love with tear drop/ pear drop ones.

Below are some of my faves, they may not be made of real white/yellow gold or diamonds, but when a blushing bride wears it and walks down the aisle, it'll definitely look like millions!

Cubic Zirconia Connectors with Large Cubic Zirconia

Crystal Tear Drops

Photo from Etsy

I like the connecting CZ design of it. The tear drop CZs are not that big, just enough to accentuate the bride's ears. Not bad for 35USD :)

A Pear drop Cubic Zirconia White Gold plated

Post earrings
Photo from Etsy

This pair has a vintage feel. The top design looks like a symbol from the medieval ages.

Also, not bad for 48USD :)

Nina Bridal Eiffel Antique Silver Crystal

Statement Drop Earrings

Photo from: Amazon

This is so far my most favorite! If you will take a look closely, the bottom design is a group of pear shaped mini earrings that makes it unique. It's price is a little bit expensive compare to the other pairs I posted above, but I think for 95USD it is really worth it.

If I can't find a similar pair here in the Philippines from the ones I mentioned above, I think It's time to buy online :D

Happy 7th of July! :)

2012-07-10T23:17:00.000+08:00

I had a wonderful day last Saturday, July 7th. First, I went to Emil's shop (my gown designer) , for my first fitting and second, I went to Trinoma after the fitting to attend the w@wie's EB.

The big news was, I lost weight! yey! Emil is going to make a lot of adjustments on my gown (take note, I still haven't done big efforts on losing weight, maybe this is the output of wedding and work related issues I had recently hehe ) Emil even said, "Huwag ka ng magpapayat at wala ka ng mukha, panget naman ang wala ng mukha mahirap na make-upan." When I heard those words from him, of course I'm flattered! haha, but I'll still control my food intake and exercise as much as I can. Ito lang ang masasabi ko, pumayat na ang mukha at braso ko pero naiiwan padin ang tiyan ko! LOL. How can I wear my dream two-piece bathing suit if I stop exercising and dieting? =))

Below are some of my pics from my first fitting:

My mom behind the curtain and Emil making sure the lining fits me :D

Look! a lot of adjustments here and there! ang luwag! :D yey! more weight to lose!:D

After my fitting, my mom and I went Trinoma to have lunch. After eating, My mom met my sister at SM North and I went to SumoSam to meet the w@wies. I haven't met them personally, I can only see their signatures in the forum, and it's really a different kind of experience meeting them all in person. I can't stop smiling, talking and laughing while with them and my cheekbones hurt even more when Ms. Benz went to our side and made chika with us hehe. Indeed it was a fun EB! looking forward for more EB's to come :D

Below are some of our pics from the EB:

The whole gang :D

Nastarstruck lang kay Ms. Benz :D

On Losing Weight

2012-07-05T18:58:00.001+08:00

It's exactly 4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days before our wedding day but haven't lost a single weight :( I'm not overweight but I need to lose all those fats in my tummy area to look sexy on my wedding gown. I promised myself before that I will wear a two piece bikini on our honeymoon, but the cold weather now makes me lazy to exercise.

Last night I found my college graduation ball party dress and tried it on again, thinking it still fits me. Well it still fits me, but now all the flab handles around my waistline are showing off, because of that I was majorly teased by my lil sister :(

Starting July 7 onwards, I will do my best to exert more effort on eating healthy foods and exercising 4-5 times a week.

I will give updates on my weight on August 7, and hopefully I can see results that time.

This is it Magz! If you did it before, you can do it again! AJAHHH! ( means fight in korean ).

If there's a will, there's definitely another way!

2012-06-29T18:37:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, a very bad news welcomed me when I arrived at the office. A former colleague/friend who's also a w@wie informed me that a w@wie bride-to-be posted that all flights of ZestAir going to Marinduque were cancelled, starting October 28 onwards. We chose Bellarocca as our honeymoon destination and it is located in Marinduque. We booked ZestAir tickets going to Bellarocca for our honeymoon on December,obviously and unfortunately we are affected with ZestAir's flight cancellation. ZestAir is the only airline who has flights going to Marinduque, but now I don't know what will Marinduque do with their airport without any airlines in it ( Chartered planes are still available but it's super expensive). I've heard before that SeaAir has flights going to Marinduque, but they also stopped operations late last year.

Upon hearing the news, I immediately called ZestAir and it was confirmed, all flights are cancelled due to lack of operational requirements. The ZestAir staff also assured us that we can reroute, re-book, and refund our tickets anytime.After that, I called my travel agency, and informed them of what happened. Actually, they were not aware of it, so they called Bellarocca to know if we could refund our down payment to them or not, but until now they are still waiting for their response.

After those calls, I just sat on my office chair,stared on nothing and wondered what's the next step to do. I am worried since we already paid a reservation fee to Bellarocca and I don't know if we could still refund our money from them. Several minutes later of being in a shock stage, I realize I need to research alternative ways on how to get there. Below are the few things I gathered about Marinduque.

Marinduque is a part of the MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region in Luzon
It is located at the South and West part of Quezon, East part of Mindoro and North of Romblon. That's why it is called Heart Of The Philippines.

I checked flights going to Mindoro and Romblon, but when I looked at the map, it looks like there will be more boat travel time going to Marinduque from this provinces. Based on the map, it is nearer if you take the Quezon route going to Marinduque. I researched further online for instructions on how to get to Marinduque from Romblon and Mindoro but I haven't found a complete one.So after hours of contemplating, I decided to check the RORO route option.

I called Bellarocca and asked them the possible alternative routes, and of course as expected, they said the only alternative way aside from flying through ZestAir is to take the RORO. RORO means (Roll-On and Roll-Off) it is a combination of Land and Sea travel. On the first half, you will travel by riding a bus then the second half you will ride a ship, but wait there's more! :D the bus you rode earlier will be transferred inside the ship, so technically the bus is inside the ship (inside the cargo area of the boat) . All passengers will get out of the bus and will stay inside the ship until it reaches its destination. When the ship finally docks at its destination, the bus will be released from its cargo area and you will continue travelling by bus. It really sounds a lot of travelling time, but for people who likes adventure it'll be a fun experience.

Below are the instructions from the Bellarocca staff on how to get to Marinduque by RORO:

From Manila, ride a bus going to Lucena, Quezon. The famous bus line going to Lucena is the JAC Liner.Their buses has a CR and Wi-Fi, which is a plus for techy persons like me. If you are from the Southern part of Manila, go to JAC Liner Buendia terminal,but if you are from the Northern part of Manila go to JAC Liner Kamuning/Kamias Terminal ( Near GMA/Cubao area). The travel time from Manila to Lucena is around 4 hours. When you reach Lucena, proceed to Talao-Talao port.

Check JAC Liner website for their shipping schedules.

Note: Call and ask them if you need reservations before riding their bus. I know JAC liner arranges buses going directly to Marinduque, but since December is still months away I haven't called them yet to inquire.
Next, From Lucena, Talao-Talao pier/port ride a RORO ship going to Marinduque, Cawit Port. There are several shipping lines going to Marinduque but the famous shipping line is the Montenegro Shipping Lines. The Bellarocca staff told me to be in Lucena port before 12:00 a.m. so that we could get the 12:00 a.m. ship ride goint to Cawit Port. Bellarocca only fetch visitors from Cawit port and the travel time from Lucena to Marinduque is around 3 hours.
Check Montenegro shipping line website for their shipping schedules.
When you reach Cawit Port, a Bellarocca van is waiting for you outside. The travel time from Cawit port to Bellaroca port is around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
From Bellarocca port, you will ride again a rubber boat going to Bellaroca Island. This boat ride is free c/o Bellarocca.The travel time for this one is around 5-10 minutes only.

Wheww!! I already got tired of travelling while writing this blog hehe. To sum it all, it's approximately 8 hours and 10 minutes RORO travel time to Bellarocca. Supposedly, our flight schedule going to Bellarocca is Sunday morning, but since the flight was cancelled, we need start travelling to Marinduque by bus on Saturday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. so that we could get the Cawit port ship ride by 12:00 a.m. and reach Marinduque around 2:30 a.m, Sunday.

Haysss, I'll just pray for a safe and smooth travel going to Bellarocca and I hope Bellarocca will talk to several airlines so that there will flights again going to Marinduque.

Related Sources:
http://superhappytotravel.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-get-to-marinduque.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinduque
http://www.marinduque.gov.ph/travelbasic.html
http://jacliner.com
http://montenegrolines.com.ph

1st prenup photo shoot: DONE!:)

2012-06-14T20:48:00.002+08:00

Disclaimer: You will see a lot of exclamation marks while reading this post. It only shows how happy I am with how our prenup shoot turned out.

Last June 5 was our first prenup photo shoot, and it was a successful one! :) It was held at the Water Craft Ventures Shipping dock in Subic, beside Subic Bay Yacht Club ( It's a a private shipping company selling boats, yachts, speed boats etc.) and we owe it all to our Ninang Ghe for the free access (thanks Ninang we love you to bits!). It was our first time to ride a yacht for a whole day shoot and we felt like living the life of Manny Pacquiao. Our prenup photographer is Benjie Tiongco and my hmua is Uly Sariego. They are amazing! Benjie was really really good in his craft and Uly made me look like a star that day!:)

James and Kevin (James' cousin) arrived at our home around 5:30 a.m. The original plan was to wait for Ninang Ghe, because she will ride on our vehicle ( Thanks Kevin for lending us your sweet ride), but she called us up and told us that she will bring her own car together with his husband, Tito Jojo. After we fetched our suppliers, we'll just meet up at Shell Gasoline Station along NLEX.

We fetched Benjie and his assistant ( Sorry Kuya I forgot your name), around 6:00 a.m. at SM North, The Block. We waited another 10 minutes for Benjie's friend ( a photography enthusiast too) to arrive, but unfortunately he's still in Santolan MRT station, and that's still around 10-20 minutes minutes away from SM North. Since we are in a hurry, Benjie told me to leave him and proceed to Uly's waiting place.

Uly was very prompt. He's already in 7-11 near Jackman, Munoz around 5:30 a.m. Take note, he lives in Fairview .I didn't know he lives in Fairview, If only I knew it earlier I will told him to wait in SM North too. I was surprised to see him when he went out of 7-11, because I thought he was big! because his profile pic in his FB account says so, but no! he's so thin in person. I even told my mom " Mama, usog usog ka dito sakin medyo malaki si Uly." (Hehe bad me), but like I said, he's the other way around. Being the curious me,I can't help asking him what he did to be that thin hehe. He said, when he started dieting, he just ate fruits, vegetables and fish, take note, no rice and meat. But now, he enjoys eating any food he wants but in moderation. Upon hearing those words from him, it motivated me more to pursue my diet and exercise routine for the big day hehe. I am now doing the 1 rice a day challenge and Zumba workout 3-4 times a week, and so far it works for me :)

When everybody's complete, we took the NLEX- Mindanao Avenue route and met Ninang Ghe and Tito Jojo at the Shell Gasoline Station in NLEX. We followed them until we reached the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and arrived at the Water Craft Ventures Shipping dock area. We got there around 9:00 a.m., It took us around 3 hours to get there.

At first look, the place was not that pretty and enticing..it's just a normal shipping dock area. The prettier version of it is the Subic Yacht Club, just in front of us hehe. But when you walk around the venue and reach the end, you could see ships being made and furnished at the steel area. The place for me was perfect for our movie and casual theme so I told James not to worry, because Benjie will unleash all his creativity to make plain areas look unique and pretty...and so he did :D

We stayed on the Water Craft's yacht the whole day. We had our costume changes, make up and photo shoot there. While Uly is applying makeup on my face and James is getting ready with his outfit, Benjie walked around the vicinity to scout for more prospective photo opp areas. I love Uly to bits! he achieved my desired look for our themes. All the people in the dock ( Benjie, my mom, James, Kevin, Ninang Ghe and Tito Jojo) were in awe and they all asked "Ann Ikaw ba yan?" , James even said " Sana han ganyan ka nalang lagi.." haha. After the final touches, we started the photo shoot on the yacht and later on went around the venue for other photo opps. Supposedly, we should have another prenup venue in Subic, but James got really tired and he told me, he never thought that a prenup shoot would take that long hehe.

Uly was always with me, retouching my makeup and fixing my hair during the photo shoot (except the last shoot because he got lost, he didn't know where we went hehe). Benjie had lots of posing ideas, that we felt we were celebrities that day.I even told myseld, "Ang hirap palang maging artista!" haha. I had a minor accident during the shoot, we had a scene wherein we need to run, but James forgot I am wearing high heels so he ran fast while holding my hand, so I tripped off and got a small bruise on my right leg. Benjie told me, he thought I sprained my ankle because I slide down and sat in a very weird twisted position, but Thank God he didn't let that happen :)

All in all, it was a fun but very tiring shoot. Thank you Ninang Ghe and Tito Jojo for the free access and for accompanying us to the venue, to Kevin for lending us his van and to my mom for the delicious snacks she made for us.To our suppliers, Benjie Tiongco and Uly Sariego, thank you so much for the wonderful and very memorable prenup shoot.Last but not the least, Thank you God for giving us a very good weather on our prenup shoot. Days before the shoot it was raining hard, but on our prenup day it was hot and sunny :)

Below our some pics from the prenup shoot and prenup teasers from Benjie :)

My mom and Ninang Ghe

(L-R) Uly, Kevin. Mom. Moi, Benjie and Hannie :)

Again, last shot for the happy group :)

The Prenup Teasers

Love it! <3 <3 <3

Exactly 6 months to go!

2012-06-04T19:21:00.004+08:00

I had the chance to blog today while in the office, because our "BIG BOSS" is blabbing around and hearing his voice gives me a headache. So to shift my mind off, I decided to post a blog while hearing his voice :D

Today is exactly 6 months to go before our big day! I'm nervous, knowing that in a few months I'm going to leave home and miss my family but at the same time happy, because I'm going to spend the rest of my life with the man I'm going to marry. So for our progress, tomorrow will be our first prenup photo shoot with Benjie Tiongco and his team. We prepared three themes based on our common interests. The first one will be a movie theme ( from one of our fave movies),second a casual beach theme ( a.k.a kulitan blues habang nasa tabing dagat hehe) and last but not the least the music inspired bohemian theme. We prepared three different outfits per theme, but my friends suggested to bring a fourth outfit just in case my photographer suggested to change. I am also going to bring lots of props and accessories to accentuate each theme.

Before I end this blog, I wanted to share my experience with my ex-prenup hmua. She was referred to me by a friend, saw her portfolio, and booked her last year. Now,six days before our long time scheduled prenup shoot she called and told me that she can't go to our prenup shoot anymore because the scheduled arrival of his dad ( which she hasn't seen for 16 years) was rescheduled to June 5 instead of the original plan of going home on June 7. She reassured that her friend will replace her instead. Upon hearing the replacement hmua, I still kept my cool because I know that she'll give me someone she trust. Two days after, she texted me again that her "replacement" friend backed out too because she didn't agree with the amount I booked with my original prenup hmua, so she told me she'll find one within the day. Upon hearing those words, I panicked. I don't want to spend my weekend thinking who will be my new prenup hmua, so that day I decided to research for myself. I got angry with her because she gave me stress that day, a major stress. I

After several hours of researching, my friend Jen noticed and asked me my sad YM status so I told her the whole story. I'm very thankful for her help because she recommended me her prenup hmua, Uly Sariego. Uly is nice and very prompt in answering my questions. He even texted me earlier reminding me not to put conditioner on my hair tomorrow ( so that he could curl my hair better). I promise to post my prenup suppliers review after the shoot, when? I still have no definite date, but I promise I'll post my review with pics.I've been also praying for a good weather..hopefully tomorrow God will answer it :D

Hoping to get some good sleep tonight,coz tomorrow Subic here we come! :)

Breaking the silence, more updates!

2012-05-22T14:56:00.000+08:00

After 20 days since my last post, here are our new updates :)

Prenup Venue for 1st prenup shoot on June: Checked!- Thank God, we finally made a decision to just stick to one prenup venue. We will be having our prenup shoot at Subic, c/o our ninang Ghe. The venue is free of charge,( yey thanks ninang!) so all we have to do is to save some amount for food, toll gate and gas.
Prenup outfits for our theme: Checked!- Yes, we are nearly finished buying and preparing our prenup outfits. James bought more clothes and a couple of shoes than me, because I'm just going to use my old shoes/sandals and I have this dress that I bought last 2008 that I haven't worn yet. We will start creating the props this weekend :)
Change of reception hall venue: Checked!- James finally saw our reception venue and tasted our reception food, last May 13 at Grand Terrace's food tasting.I booked the Venus Garden of Grand Terrace last year when James was still working abroad.The venue is good for 150-200 guests, but James didn't like the idea of having a balcony. He told me, guests might ask why they were seated on the balcony ( thinking maybe, they are not that special to the couple). So to prevent that kind of issue, we decided to transfer to a bigger hall, the Grand Pavilion, which can accommodate up to 300 guests. The Grand Pavilion costs a lot more than the Venus Garden, but it is more spacious.Our caterer will be VS&F, and they have good food! James loved it :)
My measurement with Emil Ocampo: Checked!- Earlier, I went to Emil's boutique for my wedding gown measurement. I went alone because my mom is sick ( boo yah vertigo!) and James is at work. July 7 will be my first fitting, and yes, I can now feel that my wedding is getting nearer...I'm excited and nervous at the same time.My gown is a combination of my ideas and Emil's design expertise, I can't wait to see my gown in full bloom! I need to loose more on my waist line, yayks! (pressure mode on!)
Will-You-Be Cards revisions: Pending- I created Will-You-Be Cards ( WYB Cards) for our principal sponsors, bridesmaids, groomsmen, best man and maid of honor, but I have to revise all of it because they are blurry when printed. I will start the editing today, later in the afternoon.
Ninong and ninang meet up: This Sunday- This coming Sunday, I'm going to meet James' uncle and aunt. They will be one of our principal sponsors, so I'm excited and nervous to meet them in person. We still have 3 ninangs and 1 ninong to fill our list.

That's it for now, thank God plans are being followed/ happening accordingly. Hopefully this will continue until the big day! :)

Prenup Venue Hunting Part 1

2012-05-02T18:08:00.002+08:00

A lot of things happened at my work lately, that's why I had less time to write here. Last week, our office had been gloomy and emotional. A lot of people left us, but they will never be forgotten. Like they say, it is business as usual. I know God has other plans for them, and I know it is for the better.

Well, enough for the sad part, now on to our wedding updates :D First update, we got our rings and we love it! :) I just have some minor comments on the wedding date engraving inside and the two lines holding the diamonds on top of my ring, but all in all it is worth the wait and every penny :) I'll just have a separate review about our wedding ring supplier later on.

Now for our second update, we will be having our first prenup shoot on the first week of June. At first, I thought everything was all set. We will be having our first prenup shoot in Subic, because we have a free venue there c/o our close friend/ ninang. But my father gave me an advice, to just rent a place here in Manila or QC instead of going to Subic, because it'll still be more cheaper to rent in nearby places instead of going to Subic for the shoot ( including the food, gas, toll gates etc). So James and I thought about the whole idea and accepted my father's challenge, To find a nice place in Manila/QC for our prenup shoot. Knowing James he's not really into researching like me, so again the task of finding a new prenup venue is now my burden T_T

If I only know someone who owns an old mansion around Manila, or any place that's free but not a common prenup venue, is fine with me. Hope we could check one this weekend...*sigh*

Hello wedding prep bumps! *sigh*

Updates! Updates!

2012-04-11T12:01:00.001+08:00

Today, is exactly 7 months, 3 weeks and 2 days to go before our BIG day and I'm getting more nervous as it gets nearer. We have been very busy with work lately, that's why I lack time to update this blog.

For updates, we recently booked our last major supplier for our wedding rings. We're going to get it next next week and we're so excited to see the finished product :)

My focus now is for our prenup shoots. Yes, we have not just one but three prenup shoots! and we're still on the process of researching and looking for venues, concepts, and outfits. The first prenup shoot will be on May or June, the prenup video by July or August and the last prenup shoot by September. We're having one free prenup venue in Subic, c/o a close friend who's working there. So right now, I'm looking for another venue there to make the prenup shoot worthwhile. For the prenup video and second prenup photo shoot, we'll just look for free venues here in QC and Manila area.

I don't know if this is normal, but I feel relaxed with the preps now. We're going to have DIY invites, souvenirs, boutonnieres and head fascinators but I haven't started one yet, all just concepts in mind hehe. I just hope, I won't be so rattled as the wedding gets nearer.

*sigh*

The Proposal

2012-03-25T21:09:00.000+08:00

March 23, 2012, Friday. I will never forget that day. It's the date that I have been waiting and dreaming of to happen in my life, that is to be officially engaged.

I thought it was just an ordinary FriDate to us. I'm checking out Sureseats to reserve our tickets in Glorietta to watch Hunger Games. I texted him that movie seats are running out, so I wanted to get an online seat reservation. He told me not to reserve, but instead I should go out exactly 5:30 pm from work and go straight to his office. We'll just watch the movie tomorrow, so I should'nt be in a hurry. I packed my things, retouched, but I still logged out from work around 5:45 pm. Traffic welcomed me going to the MRT station, so I got in his office around 7:30pm. When I went to his room, he's not there. I just saw Sir Carlos and asked him where James is.

Me: "Ay hello po, si James po nasaan?"
Carlos: "Hello ma'am, nasa taas lang po may inaayos lang."
Me: "Ah sige po wait ko nalang po siya dito."
Carlos: " Sige po ma'am upo lang kayo diyan. Matraffic ba ma'am?"
Me: "Opo kuya natraffic ako papuntang MRT kaya ngayon lang ako nakadating dito."
Carlos: "Friday kasi eh kaya traffic talaga, lahat pupuntang mall."
Me: "Oo nga po eh, Sige po, CR lang po ako kuya..."
Carlos: " Sige po ma'am, diyan lang po sa tapat yung CR."

After refreshing up, I went back in the room and sat down. Sir Carlos approached me.

Carlos: " Ma'am, akyat daw tayo sa roof top sabi ni Sir James."
Me: " Ha, aakyat po tayo? hindi po ba bawal doon?"
Carlos: " Hindi ma'am okay lang po yun, andun naman sila Sir James eh."
Me: " Sige po.."
Carlos: " Iwan niyo nalang po bag niyo ma'am."
Me: " Naku dalhin ko na po hindi po kasi ako sanay eh na iniiwan..."
Carlos: " Iwan niyo nalang ma'am kasi ilolock naman natin tong pinto, nasa akin ang susi."
Me: " Ah ganun po ba, sige po, cellphone nalang po ang dadalhin ko."

We waited for several minutes before the service elevator came. While inside, I asked Sir Carlos about some building stuff and he answered me in detailed. Later on, we reached the roof top of the building, it's in the 36th floor.

Carlos: " Ma'am dito na po tayo."
Me: " Wow ang bilis ha."

When the elevator door opened, It was really dark! but the Makati Skyline served as a beautiful background in the darkness. A single yellow spotlight helped lit the area a little. It was pointing to the second level of the roof top, it's near the Maintenance room.

Me: "Ay bakit ang dilim naman? wala akong makita kuya. Han asan kana?! andito na ako!"
Carlos: " Ma'am nasa taas po si sir akyat po kayo."
Me: "Ay taas pa? dun sa Maintenance room na yun?"

Then I walked the stairs going to the Maintenance room.

Knock, Knock...

Me: "Han andito na ako, asan ka na ba?"

But the door is locked.

Me: "Kuya, nakalock naman yung pinto eh. Asan ba talaga si James?", I'm starting to get annoyed in this part.
Carlos: " Ma'am akyat po ulit kayo dito sa kabila, andun napo si Sir James."
Me: "Ha? aakyat ulit? tatawid ako diyan? nakakatakot kuya baka mahulog ako..."
Carlos: " Hindi ma'am mauuna ako aalalayan ko kayo."

So with Sir Carlo's help, I managed to get through the narrow ledge going to the higher part of the building, There you can see clearly the Makati Skyline. When I reached the other side, a man in green overalls showed up, holding a single red rose with green mums in a red wrapper.

Bernard: "Ma'am, pinabibigay po ni Sir James..."
Me: " Wow, thank you kuya. Han! asan kana ba?!"

Then the yellow spotlight turned off, and this time it's total darkness.

Me: "Waahh! ano ba ito bakit ang dilim naman!"

Then a background music started. Now, my hunch is confirmed, he's going to propose! The yellow spotlight was lit again.

Carlos: " Ma'am tingin po kayo sa kanan!"

Then when I turned right, a Will You Marry Me sign lighted up. James showed up from the corner holding a bouquet of roses. I was in awe when I saw the well lit words from below and James holding the bouquet. I never stopped saying, " Oh my God!, Oh my God!" as he walked towards my direction. When James went up and he's getting nearer to me...

Me: " Weh! Ano yan?!"

He came closer, knelt down, and opened the red box he's holding and popped the question...

James: " Hannie, will you marry me?"
Me: " YES!, of course I'll marry you!"

Then I helped him get up, kissed, and hugged him tightly. I can't get off the smile on my face, it was really magical and perfect! James called the crew who helped him make his crazy idea possible for picture taking. The Makati Skyline made it even more romantic. I told him before that when I was a teen, I dreamed of a proposal on the top of the Eiffel tower. It may not be on the top of the Eiffel tower like I always dreamed of, but what he did was more than what I have dreamed of.

Move over John Lloyd, James is the best actor in romantic flick this time :D Let the pics below enlighten you more on what happened that day :)

The Venue

The Makati Skyline in the morning

This is the exact place where he proposed. The roof top in the 36th floor of the condo unit where he is working. He's the building engineer there, that's why he has access to the forbidden places in the building like this one :D

The Preparation

Lunch time, they decided to lay out the xmas lights

My very hands on groom to be :)

The best crew who helped James make his crazy idea come to life :D Thanks guys!

They made this ledge just for me, so I could go to the other side.

Setting the sound system

Kuya in green cleaning the area :)

The Event

The finished product:)

And he popped the freaking question!

just so happy

The Makati Skyline as our background

Can't get enough of picture taking

Say, we're now officially engaged!:)

One happy bride to be :D

There you go, now I'm more motivated with our wedding preps!:D This is really is it! is it!! :D

Details, details, details!

2012-03-21T18:08:00.001+08:00

I always dream of going to Paris. Aside from, of course, it is the city of love, I really like the place and its architecture. When I was a teen, I dreamed of my knight in shining armor proposing to me at the top of the Eiffel tower (sorry han, but that was years ago hehe). As I grow up, I've learned that not all your dreams will come true.Well, some may come true but in a different way or execution you never imagined. Since I haven't been to Paris yet, I didn't meet my boyfriend at the top of the Eiffel tower, and we're preparing for our wedding, I came up with this idea to incorporate Paris in our wedding. It shouldn't be that grand, but at least with a touch of french love.

I've been researching lately on how are we going to design our reception in a Paris inspired way, but the challenge here is, we're not going to spend a lot of money (definitely a big challenge!LOL) So I came up with this idea of D-I-Y stuff since it's the craze nowadays and we still have some time (OMG, it's getting nearer!!*panic mode*)

Below are some inspirations that I wanted to incorporate in our reception, but I still don't know what to start and where am I going to buy the things we needed for these projects. All these designs are Paris/french inspired.

images from elizabethannedesigns.com

images from greenweddingshoes.com

image from mydiywedding.com

images from karentran.com

Wish us luck! we already have a stylist from our caterer, but we only opt to have their standard centerpiece design (cost cutting on floral upgrades haha) so now, I'm thinking of ways on how I can at least incorporate these styles to our reception tables :D

If you can recommend suppliers where to buy some of these stuff here in the Philippines (specifically in Divisoria) , please do so, we'll highly appreciate it!:D

Honeymoon destination :BOOKED!:)

2012-03-12T18:31:00.003+08:00

Before, we still have no idea where our honeymoon destination will be. I suggested going to Boracay since we haven't been there before ( yeah, we suck hehe). Two Sundays ago, that was March 4, James texted me to change our TV's channel to QTV 11. He said ANG PINAKA's topic was favorable to us because that time they covered the top 10 world class resorts that can be found in the Philippines. When I changed the channel, it was on number 6 already. Below is the list of the top 10 luxurious resorts in the Philippines.

10. Buri Beach Resort & Spa

Sitio Dalaruan, Brgy. Sabang, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

09. Plantation Bay Resort & Spa

Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu

08. El Nido Resorts

El Nido, Palawan

07. Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa

Punta Engano Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

06. Discovery Shores Boracay

Station 1, Balabag, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan

05. Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa

Tawala, Panglao Island, Bohol

04. Misibis Bay

Cagraray Island, Bacacay, Albay

03. Shangri-La's Boracay Resort & Spa

Barangay Yapak, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan

02. Bellarocca Island Resort & Spa

Barangay Tungib-Lipata, Buenavista, Marinduque

01. Amanpulo (Palawan)

Pamalican Island, Cuyo, Palawan

After watching the whole program, James and I automatically dreamed of going to one of these resorts. We know that the accommodations on these resorts cost a lot, but I told James, "Who knows? maybe one day we can afford to go in one of the top 5."

Lo and behold,a miracle happened. After a week of day dreaming...we're very fortunate to have our honeymoon in one of the top 10 world class resorts in the Philippines!

Any guesses? Maybe the picture below could help you guess where we are heading :)

Photo from: http://bellaroccaresorts.com

What a beautiful rock, isn't it? We're now more excited with the honeymoon than the wedding itself LOL =D

After our honeymoon trip, I'm going to share how we got this honeymoon package. I want to experience it myself first before I recommend our travel agency.They are just new in the industry, with no detailed online reviews so If our trip will be superb, I'll totally recommend them.

Just wait for my review, Gad I'm really excited! :D

The last but not the least supplier to book, the wedding ring supplier, yay!:D

Entourage gown maker: BOOKED!:)

2012-03-05T17:46:00.001+08:00

It's exactly 8 months, 4 weeks and 2 days before our wedding ( I'm getting scared as it gets nearer), and I can say we're nearly finished booking all our major suppliers. Last Saturday, March 3, 2012 we went again to Divisoria to finally meet Ms. Hazel Garcia. Of all the entourage gown makers that we visited in Divi, her assistant Ms. Jane has the lowest quotation on our gown designs ( Hazel was in CDO that time for a vacation). Check my post about our first Divisoria trip, to know more about the ento gown makers that we visited.

Ms. Hazel is a young wife and entrepreneur. She's only 26 years old but you can see that she's happy and successful with her business. She's approachable and easy to deal with ( haggle lang ng haggle! tawad lang ng tawad! LOL) seriously, just tell her your budget for the gowns and she can adjust to it (of course the more intricate the design is the higher the price, so go for simple but elegant designs).

I know we're in good hands because I saw the entourage gowns she made for my friend and I can say she did well :)

Below is her Divisoria address:

Ms. Hazel Garcia
Pasilyo K-16 Ground Floor, Cluster Bldg. 2, Divisoria

Next to scout: Wedding ring maker and Honeymoon destination! :)

Once we're finished booking all our suppliers, We're going to focus now on our prenup concept and D-I-Ys :)

Off to Divilandia! Part 1

2012-02-28T11:23:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, February 25, James and I went to Divisoria to scout for our entourage gown maker. We only have a certain budget for it so even though it's far and we're not that familiar with the place, we still went there to try our luck. From Quezon City (SM North Edsa), we took the Munoz jeepney ride going to Roosevelt LRT station. We dropped off Doroteo Jose station and from there, we walked right until we reached Recto Avenue ( look for the traffic stoplight) then ride a jeep going to Divisoria. This is the fastest way going to Divisoria if you're from QC area, particularly in Project 6/7/8, Bago Bantay, and Tandang Sora vicinity.

I researched online for those recommended dressmakers in DIvi and these are the gown makers that we visited.

Ms. Nora Pajunar
Pasilyo Q-9, 2nd flr. Cluster Bldg. 2, Divisoria

Ms. Hazel Garcia
Pasilyo K-16 Ground Floor, Cluster Bldg. 2, Divisoria

CIB gowns by Ms. Glenda Villanueva
Stall H-20, 2nd flr. Cluster Bldg 2., Divisoria

CH Bridal Couture by Cherry Beruela
Ms. Cherry Beruela
Stall Q-29, Cluster Bldg. 2, Divisoria

DISENYO PANDI by hanna chienel bridal collection
K-14 cluster bldg 2 ground flr., Divisoria

CHONA AND JHUN BRIDAL GOWN
H- 17 Cluster Bldg. Tutuban Center C.m. Recto manila.

Sophie’s Boutique by Ate Juvy
Pasilyo 0-18, 2nd flr. Cluster Bldg. 2, Divisoria

Some of them are still out of our budget( you really need to have the patience to scout), but these are the ento gown makers that will be added in our final list of choices: Ms. Hazel, Ate Juvy and Ms. Nora. They are the most affordable and reasonable quotation that we got.

The prices of the gowns depend on your preferred design. I printed and showed them the designs I wanted, some of it are very intricate that's why they quoted as higher :D But if you opted just to have a simple design with lesser beads/crystals, no crystals at all or choose from their existing design, it'll be a lot cheaper. The quotations that we got from these ento gown makers ranges from 15k-25k ( a package without the bridal gown and groom's suit).

We will visit again Divisoria this Saturday to look for more ento gown makers. A friend recommended us to visit Ylaya Street where more affordable ento gown makers could be found. We will also visit Tabora Street to look for souvenirs and materials for our D-I-Y projects.

Tips going to Divi:

Go early in the morning- we went there after lunch and it's so freakin hot!
Bring water and towel.
Wear a hat and sun glasses or bring an umbrella .
Don't bring wallet (particularly a big wallet), just a small coin purse will do- you'll never know if the person behind or beside you is a snatcher or pick pocket. Put your money in your jeans pocket or better yet in the secret pockets of your bag.
If someone will ask you where you're going in Divi, don't entertain them. Better ask the guards, it's safe to ask authorities around.
Wear casual clothing. Don't go there looking like a millionaire, or else, you'll go home crying.
Don't go there without researching.

wait for my Off to Divilandia! Part 2 blog! :)

Double Whammy!:-)

2012-02-22T16:00:00.000+08:00

Last February 18 (Saturday), James and I went to two big events. It is a one heck of a day, very tiring but fun! :)

On that day, I went to Makati to fetch James from work (one lucky guy, ei?). Yes, his work is 6 times a week, but only half day on Saturdays. On my way there it's cloudy but when I was already in Makati, rain poured down heavily and I was soaking wet when I already arrived in his office. When I was already dried up and the sky is clear we decided to go. James forgot to print my shoe design ( I need that because I'm going to present it to the shoemaker supplier at the bridal expo) so he went back to his office, while I was waiting for him at Goldilocks, Buendia ( Gad, I was really starving that time).

After eating, we decided to visit first the Travel Expo at SMX, Mall of Asia (MOA). My original plan was just to have a quick look at the fair, but we ended up roaming around the area for more than an hour :-D We checked accommodations for Boracay ( It's our first option for honeymoon). A lot of travel agencies, hotels, and resorts were offering reasonably priced packages, but sad to say, most of them only have promos for summer and not applicable for December use ( maybe because it is peak season). This expo is a big help to those people who always travel abroad. If you wanted to experience US, ASIA or EURO tour, you should always wait for the travel expo every year. You can get fair priced tickets and international travel packages here.

After roaming (and wasting) for one and a half hour at the Travel Expo, we left empty handed. Tired and exhausted we still went to our next event, The Wedding and Debut Bridal fair at SM Megamall. This bridal fair was big, a lot of wedding suppliers were here. We even got lost, looking for the shoe maker supplier. Finally after several minutes of walking, we finally found Perfect Match.

Perfect Match customizes shoes for any occasion but they specializes bridal shoes. I've been hearing a lot of good feed backs about her from w@w, so I decided to give them a try. My first shoe supplier didn't deliver what I wanted, so I decided to let her go and find a new one. Ms. Mari is the owner of Perfect Match, I haven't met her before but her past brides said she's very nice and easy to deal with. I am lucky to talk to her at the fair,she's really simple, soft spoken, nice and funny. What made me even happier was when Ms. Mari told me that she can deliver my very intricate shoe design!:) My first supplier said she can't do it so I really thought no one can really do it here. After hearing those words, I didn't think twice so we booked her right on the spot!:)

I was excited and overwhelmed with the swatches she showed me and she let me hand picked my desired swatch color, heel, and sole :) I had a hard time picking the right things, but she patiently waited for me to decide. I'm really excited to see my shoes by September :)

After meeting Ms. Mari, James and I looked for the w@w booth at the fair. It took us 2 rounds before we reached the booth ( i told you that fair was huge!) unfortunately, we didn't have any pic but we wrote at the photo wall. Next time, I'll make sure that we have pics and we'll meet w@wies :)

Below is Ms. Mari's shoe portfolio, Once I get my shoes, I'll post it here. For sure you'll never get wrong getting her for your bridal shoes :)

http://myperfectmatch.multiply.com/

Two down! :)

2012-02-15T20:50:00.000+08:00

Today, I accomplished two things for our wedding. One, I booked our photobooth online and two, I created a Will You Be card for our ninongs using Adobe Illustrator CS5.

For our Photobooth, I saw this photobooth promo at Cashcashpinoy. It really is a good deal because where can you get a 3 hour photobooth service for just 3500 pesos? The name of the photobooth is Snaps n' Inks. A little down side is they are not that popular and I haven't seen any full reviews about them, so I really just tried my luck hehe. I've seen their promo the other day, but I'm still hesitant to get their service, so I emailed and texted them my questions and I'm quite satisfied with their answers.I thought I was too late, because I knew that their promo ended early but lo and behold, I was surprised to see that the promo is still up. So for the very last time, I called their number and I was able to talk to Ms. Amy and she answered my questions. She sounds nice and I hope that their output and service is also good *cross fingers*

For the Will You be cards, I created a french inspired vintage postcard for our ninongs. I'm thinking of printing and giving it to them personally. I have to finish each DIY one by one coz I hate cramming hehe. Next WYB for ninangs, bridesmaids, maid of honor, bestman, and groomsmen and another Save The date design ;)

I'll post each DIY I made as soon as they are printed ;)

Hotel for wedding preps: Booked!:)

2012-02-14T16:57:00.000+08:00

Again, I've been very very busy lately, so I haven't got the time to update this blog. Like they say, " Huli man ang magaling, naihahabol padin" So I'm going to share here today our experience on how we got Eastwood Richmonde Hotel. If you wanted to know our hotel ocular adventures, read my Wedding Preps Venue hunting Part 1 and 2.

Before I start, first, Happy hearts day to everyone ( though we don't celebrate V-Day in our religion hehe) and secondly happy monthsary to my one and only hannie, thanks for the flowers! :-*

Now for my story, last February 3, 2012, me, James and my mom went to Eastwood Richmonde hotel. This time we're not going there just to ocular but to book them. It'll be my mom's first time to see the place so I'm excited to see her reaction if she'll like it or not. By the way, I wanted to thank my current company because I got corporate discounts for this hotel. We have a lot of foreign visitors who stays there so they gave us privilege rates.

When we finally got into the hotel, my mom was in awe and she really liked the place. She loves the stairs and the big chandelier at the middle of their lobby.The hotel is also connected to Eastwood Mall (Same owner) so it really is very convenient. She said,"You made the right the choice." and I was happy to hear that. We got there early so we waited for Mr. Edward Lim to accommodate us. Mr. Lim is the corporate sales manager of Eastwood Richmonde who handles our company's hotel rates. He's a nice, professional and good looking guy, so watch out all you single ladies out there (my mom asked him if he's still single, and he is).

We're very lucky that day because there are a lot of rooms available for ocular. Mr. Lim assisted us to view the following rooms below:

Superior Room (King Bed)
-I can say this room is already suitable for the groom. It's not that spacious but it can allow several guests in it.
Deluxe Room (Twin Bed)
- This is more spacious than the Superior room.There is more space to accommodate your guests and suppliers.
One Bedroom Suite ( Queen bed)
- This is already suitable for the bride. The bedroom is separated from the mini living room. Just limit the people who are getting in the room or else it'll be crowded.
One Bedroom Premiere Suite (Queen bed)
-I think this is the biggest room that we've seen. just like the one bedroom suite, the bedroom and living room is separated. The bedroom area is bigger than the living room.There is a divider between the living room and dining area that makes the living room look small.
One Bedroom Deluxe Suite (Queen bed)
-This is the second to the biggest room. I like this room more than the one bedroom premiere suite because there is no divider between the dining and living room area that makes the living room look bigger. The bedroom area is smaller than the one bedroom premiere suite, it's up to you if you like a bigger living room or bedroom.

After seeing those rooms, James and I decided to get the deluxe room (king bed), one bedroom deluxe suite (queen bed) and the superior room (king bed). I prefer a bigger living room than bedroom because I wanted all my suppliers and guests to be comfortable on the day of the preparation.

I hope my blog helped those brides who are eyeing to get Eastwood Richmonde Hotel as their venue for wedding preps. My tip for couples is to visit your prospect hotels before booking them, so that you could feel what really suits your taste and estimate if it is enough for you and your guests.

Wedding Preps Venue Hunting Part 2

2012-01-30T19:56:00.000+08:00

I've been very busy with work lately, that's why I haven't got the time to update this blog. I'm still at the office (bored of working), so here I am making a side step on blogging hehe :D

Last January 28, we went out again to scout more hotels in Ortigas. Good thing the weather that day was with us, it's not too sunny and with partial rain showers, so it's kinda cloudy walking around Ortigas between 11am-3pm :)

We visited four hotels. We inquired at Richmonde hotel-Ortigas, Linden Suites, Discovery Suites and Oakwood Premiere Joy-Nostalg Residences. These hotels are just one to two blocks apart, so it was a good exercise for us. I suggest, if you are going to bring a car, park it at SM Megamall or Shang-rila mall then walk towards San Miguel Avenue.

Richmonde Hotel-Ortigas

This is the first hotel we visited. It is not as big as the Eastwood Richmonde hotel, but the staff too are nice and accommodating. The hotel is kinda old, but the interiors, decors and furniture are really nice. It has a vintage feel like ambiance, unlike the one in Eastwood that has a modern and bright feel vibe (maybe because it is new). We only checked their junior suite,because that's the only available room that time for ocular. I must say that room is suitable for groom to be's. It has a mini living room, just enough for the groom's preparation and picture taking with his groomsmen.

Richmonde hotel-Ortigas offers reasonable room rates. Money wise, it is cheaper to book here than in Eastwood Richmonde hotel,but if you are after the spacious lobby and modern design, you could extend some amount to go for the one in Eastwood. Their room rate ranges from 4000-21,000 pesos ( I think this is the largest suite in the hotel), not bad for a four star hotel.

Pros:

Pretty vintage interior in the lobby and hallways
It has a spiral wooden stairs but not as big as the one in Eastwood. By the way, the stairs in Eastwood is made of metal and colored marble.
Nice and very accommodating staff
No food corkage fees
Can extend check out time ( just talk to the manager)
Free picture taking in the rooms and lobby except in their pool and restaurant

Cons:

The rooms in Eastwood Richmonde hotel are bigger
Its lobby and hallways are not that big ( but not too small either)
Small lobby area (compared to Eastwood Richmonde)

I'm going to add Richmonde Hotel-Ortigas in my final choice list. Both Richmonde hotels got in, what's next??

Linden Suites

I've been hearing a few good feed backs about this hotel from w@w, since it's just a block away from Richmonde, we decided to take a look. I can't comment more about this hotel because that time they don't have any rooms available for ocular( they have a lot of tenants that time), so I'm just going to write here what I've known from their receptionist and also from my observations.

For me, it is a must to have a nice hotel lobby for pictorial and video purposes. Linden has a small lobby and they don't have a staircase. I think they need to improve their lobby so that there could be a space where you can strike a pose for pictorial. I know they have minimal corkage fee if you're going to bring food outside, just verify it to them for sure.I've read in forums that they have nice and spacious rooms, so if you really wanted to check this hotel, better make a visit.

If I'm not mistaken, their room rates ranges from 7000-18,000 pesos. Also a good deal if you are not after the lobby design and just with the rooms.

Discovery Suites

This is the third hotel that we visited in Ortigas, unfortunately we had a bad customer service experience in this hotel. I don't want to spread bad feedback about this hotel, but I just want to share our experience so it could be a lesson to everybody.

Before we enter Discovery Suites, we are already warned that we are going to wait for some time before we get our turn to inquire. We saw through their glass doors that their receptionists are very busy accommodating a long line of tenants. We even saw tall basketball player imports in the lobby waiting for their turn to check in the hotel.

Upon entering the hotel premises, instead of the usual greeting that we get from hotels like "Hello Ma'am, Sir, Good morning/afternoon." we received this very rude greeting from their hotel lobby guard.

Guard opening the door: "Saan kayo?"- (with matching taas ng kilay! na napansin pala ni hubby to be)

Me: "Magiinquire lang kami ng room rates, kasi we're looking for a hotel where we can have our wedding preps."

I just ignored his rudeness because I'm not in the mood to react violently, but my fiance told me that he didn't like the guard's attitude. So, after asking room questions to their receptionist, we immediately told her what the guard did to us. The receptionist was nice and very apologetic to what the guard did, and she said that they'll have an immediate action for him.

We wore decent clothes that time ( my fiance was wearing slacks and long sleeves because he came from a meeting) and we don't look like beggars roaming around the hotel, so I just don't know why he treated us that way. I think if beggars are trying to enter the premises, they should still treat them with respect, unless they are going to cause a commotion.

I can't say any nice words about Discovery Suites because one, I haven't seen any of their rooms because they are fully booked when we visited, two, because of our bad customer experience and three their lack of staircase in the lobby They are definitely OFF my final hotel list.

Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg

Just a block away from Discovery Suites is the Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg residences. My office mate recommended this hotel to me, so we decided to pay a visit. It is an apartment type hotel that's why it has the word residences to it.

As of today, this is the newest hotel in Ortigas so its interiors are new (also smells new). Their lobby is big and nice, but they don't have a staircase. When the receptionist accommodated us to see their rooms, we were amazed to see that they have spacious, well lit, fully furnished rooms. The kitchen is very modern, there is an oven where you can bake goodies. Their bathrooms have bath tubs with LCD TV so you can watch a movie while dipping in the tub. They have a pretty couch and big bed. All in all the room is very nice, so I suggest if you are going to stay for a week get Oakwood's long stay rate, you'll definitely enjoy it.

Their room rates are a little bit pricey, ranging from 8000-19,000 pesos but it is worth the stay. I really love their rooms but I'm really after the hotel lobby with staircase so I guess I'm not going to add Oakwood in my final list.

If you're going to ask, why we didn't visited Edsa Shangri-la hotel because one, the room rates are too expensive for us, and two you need to pay an additional fee to have a pictorial in their room and lobby.

Now for my final list, we're choosing between Eastwood Richmonde hotel and Richmonde hotel-Ortigas. I'll let you know what we're going to book pretty soon! :)