• Alex Franco
• Bridal Car
• Buddy Gancenia
• Diamond Hotel
• Face and Skin Clinic
• Hizon's
• Interplay Creative
• Invites
• Jasmine Mendiola
• JJS Entertainment
• Kix Tavora
• Kultura
• Louis Mclean Wines (Chamdor)
• Madge Lejano
• Oasis
• Palawan
• Perfect Moments
• PIC-UK
• PingPing's Lechon
• Printed Matter
• Program Host
• Qatar Airways
• Rene Gaviola
• Rusty Lopez
• San Sebastian Basilica
• Souvenirs
• Teeth Whitening
• Teresa Hagape
• Veluz Reyes
• Web Devices
• Wedding Rings

San Sebastian Basilica

Rating: 4
Peso Power: 15k

i love love love this church! it was not our first choice bec. our original one (mt. carmel) required us to be physically present to submit our documents, which was impossible! no regrets though, as i loved how it looked during the actual ceremony. it looked so elegant and grand! we did not upgrade nor splurge on the flowers as they're pretty strict with their times. there's a wedding before AND after us so we won't really enjoy the added flowers.

they have their own coordinators which made everything so organised. as in they would even remind you to kiss the parents! im happy that they're strict with their times kasi we were still able to march out of the church, still organised! so we got to enjoy the poppers and confettis at the end. plus, im sure that our guests appreciated the fact that the mass started at exactly what's on the invites!

i would have given them a perfect score if not for the pre-cana. it was originally set for the 15th of december. but they had to move it a day earlier (14th) bec. apparently, the priest's not available. it just so happens that our grand family reunion falls on the same night! yup, the pre cana was from 6:30-10pm! and it did not start on time as the priest was late! i even asked them if we could just skip it. hey, it wasn't our fault that it was moved! but what can we do, we were at their mercy! no pre-cana, no wedding!

Oasis

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: 60k including 10k bond

this was not our first choice as well but we knew then that we wanted a garden reception. i did not even know it existed! but good thing, i saw them from w@w and immediately visited their website. i fell in love instantly! i asked my mom to contact them and even asked a friend to do an occular kasi he just lives round the corner. i got good feedbacks plus at that time, they've just been opened a month pa lang so they were still having this promo na if you pay 50% na, they will give you 20% discount ata. basta i think their going rate that time was 65-70k exc. bond for their pavilion. laking discount d b?

first time i saw it i was on board the lrt2 (tama ba?) going to tet's place. sabi ko, yan na un? i thought malaki ung compound nya based sa pics. but when we actually went to visit the place, nd matanggal ung smile ko from my face! ang ganda sa loob! i knew then that we made a very good decision. u wouldn't even think na asa manila sya! if i could just buy it for myself and have my wedding reception everyday, i would. but no money! hahaha!

my mom did not have any problems dealing with the owner and our ae. very accomodating. they even replied to my emails promptly, so prompt na they were replying kahit ung mom ko asa office pa nila! hihi. being very busy after the wedding, with all the parties we had to go to, nd na namin naayos ung refund nung deposit. they are the ones pa following it up with us! =p

wedding day? perfect!

Hizon's

Rating: 2.5
Peso Power: 150k for 240pax

let's start with the good bits. they were the first one who replied to our queries. we emailed all the accredited caterers of oasis and they answered the same day! when i asked around, people testified on how great their food tastes! my mom went to the food tasting twice and ok lang with them.

excluded in the price were the reception set-up and the cake. i know their set-ups are good but they won't be able to provide the proper setting to our theme. they can only provide malaysian mums for the table setup. we were looking at orchids as the main flower for the event bec. of our zen theme.

we changed ae a few months prior. both aes naman were good. very accomodating and very courteous, every other word with "po", seriously! though we did not get their reception set-up, they still provided an ice carving and luminaries.

our ae, angel, gave us a discount for the dessert bar. well, it's actually a promo that they have at that time but since a choco fountain is included in their bar and we've actually got it already in lieu of our cake, they happily added more desserts to the bar. was that a fair deal? nonetheless, love the desserts! also, they provided cocktail tables for our gallery - it was so last minute!

we have separate meals for the kids and they served it buffet style as well! that means nd tinipid. even the adults were welcome to it - funny, my sister thought it's part of the main course. hizon's provided the chairs and tables for free which ordinarily would go for 600pesos each.

food.... hmnnn... reception program should have started at 5:30pm but food came at 6pm! goodness! so they had to reheat the food pa for 30mins. it was very stressful... for my mom. hihi. we're not aware of it as we were having fun with our photo shoot. she was actually telling my photogs to stop the shoot for a while so we can proceed with the program. then, my coords informed me that they couldn't start the program kasi ala pa ung food! they were in touched na with hizons and their lame excuse was that it's traffic daw! they can't even be creative enough with their excuse! because of this, they had to revise the program - our principal sponsors all had their speeches as well as some members of the family, to cover for the 30mins that hizons need to reheat the food! comments from guests, they did not really notice that the food was late. they were enjoying our shoot as well.

however, the food was great. the guests were telling me how delicious the food was. we were able to eat during the reception. dami stories about how the couple was not able to enjoy their food, but we were fortunate enough to be able to eat our share =p. the waiters were attentive to us, nd ko lang sure sa iba =p.

too bad i have to give them a very low score bec. traffic's no excuse! you live in the philippines, for pete's sake! that's no excuse, it's a fact!

Perfect Moments

a.) Coordination
Rating: 4.5
Peso Power: 19k for Turn-over Coordination

b.) Chocolate Fountain
Rating: 5
Peso Power: 6,400 Sugar Free Belgian Chocolates (good for 60-80 pax)

a.) Coordination: they were referred by a fellow overseas wawie. from the start pa lang, we decided na we'll get some help with the preps. there's no way we can do it all by ourselves from the other side of the world. we did not want to pass on the hassle and stress to our families and friends naman though we know it's ok to them.

at first, i was having problems communicating with erika, the one in charge with logistics. siguro oc lang ako that i want answers when i need them. but sometimes, i need to wait a few days before i get a reply from them. other than that, they were able to deliver naman. all my requests were followed, naasikaso naman ung mga dapat ayusin. i ask them for everything - advise, suggestions, comments. they were very helpful.

i met them for the 1st time a few weeks before the wedding. that's the only time we met. but then, we're about 98% done na. we're all calm and parang we're just counting the days na lang. i find them really bubbly and cute. as in! parang ang sarap sarap kurutin ng mga cheeks nila lalo na ni erika. hihi.

wedding day, i did not have to worry about anything. i just gave them instructions and nasunod naman. the greatest blunder (coming up..) was beyond anybody's control. i gave them the key to our hotel suite and they took care of our things. john even checked tantan out of his deluxe room! from our lunch, to the impromptu opening prayer sa reception, to the payments - they made sure all's well.

i would have given them a perfect score if not for the communication factor.

b.) Chocolate Fountain: good thing we ordered a second choco fountain from a diff. supplier. (1) bec. hizon's was late (im coming to that part in a minute) and (2) tantan got to enjoy the dessert as well.

my bestfriend, who's an ent consultant by the way, was telling me over and over how good the choco fountain was! he was so excited by it. such a child at heart =p

Veluz Reyes

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: 45k (Bridal Gown), 5k (Veil)
10k (Groom's Suit)

the gown speaks for itself! all i can say is, it really is a perfect fit! to think, everything was done online! my colleagues here still can't bring their heads round to the idea. even they, say that my gown looked stunning and they haven't seen it for real! and the veil.... whoa!

veluz gave birth same day that i had my first actual fitting. she was waiting for me pa before undergoing the C-section. but we got lost, baby couldn't wait any longer. talk about professionalism!

tantan's suit was also very good. me slight tastas lang sa tahi but not obvious as it's inside the pocket naman. no online fitting, we just followed the guide - perfect fit!

Nikko - 5+++

- hairpiece, shoes, bag and accessories
- price included in Veluz's package
- super ganda din ng accessories ko. he's very talented and very mabait! he phoned pa during my preps to see how i was doing. i know he and veluz had to stretch themselves thin to accomodate all of us, dec 16 brides.

Teresa Hagape

Rating: 2.5
Peso Power: Contract price was 37k (4 BMs, 3 SS, MOH, MoBride, 2 FG, 3 Vests for bearers). Final Price: 53k

this was very stressful! i was contemplating on changing suppliers the last minute. got them thinking they are quite cheap considering the good reviews i was reading in the forum. we agreed on the following prices: 2,500 each for the ento, 3,500 for the moms, 1,500 for the FG and 600 each for the vests. i ended up paying more! i was getting bad feedback from my family regarding tet's mananahi. i was not spared, i was a witness to it too! she's not very flexible and she has her own opinion! ayaw nya sumunod sa client! to think, very obvious naman ung dapt nilang gawin. i for one, can say im not too difficult to please. in fact, i thought may pagka OC ako with my preps but with regards to the actual stuff, i just let things pass. very simple and dali lang naman ng hinihingi ko, tatarayan pa ako!

there was this incident pa when my mom fitted her gown tapos tet's assistant asked her, yan na po ba isusuot nyo? we were dumbfounded! sabi namin, oo naman, yan na ung gown na isusuot ni mami. kaya nga kami nagpatahi ng gown e (we were irritated na at this point bec. we don't seem to be on the same wavelength nung mananahi pero polite pa din ung pagkakasabi namin). un pala, the assistant was referring to my mom's girdle! she did not point to it while asking nor even mentioned the word. as in plain, yan na po ba isusuot nyo and we're all looking at the mirror, at my mom's gown. so this antipatikang mananahi said to the assistant, without batting an eyelash, ikaw wag ka na kasi magtatanong. tanong ka pa kasi ng tanong. manahimik ka na lang!... as in she was shouting in front of us! que horror!
let's digest each:

MoH - my sister hates her gown, full stop. tet and i agreed that she'll supply a shawl for each gown. she did not give my sister one and even told her she doesn't need one! they had to change the skirt part the last minute kasi sobrang straight nya tingnan. she was arguing, well her mananahi more, with my sister na ganito, ganyan dapat. my sister had to tell them that she's into fashion din, not mentioning that she's working as designer for arrow/escada, just so they'll follow her suggestions. very simple lang naman ng sinasabi nya and she wasn't being difficult neither. what annoyed us more was the fact she was told to come in for a fitting but did not get to fit her gown! sabi ok na daw ung fitting, chuchu. well, it turned out, very maluwag. my sister just wore a brooch sa top to hold it in place and to add some spark sa gown! buti na lang maganda sya, na-carry nya gown =p

BM - tet's not entirely to be blamed for this. i submitted a design for her to follow. but one bm (the only one active during fittings, the others only had one fitting which was just a few days before the wedding) found the tube too high and so unlike that of the original design. tet lowered the tube to about 3 inches above her nipples (so i was told by tet) so it's really gone down quite a bit. still she found it very diff. from the original gown so when tet confronted me about this, i asked her what else she can do. she suggested that instead of having a straight tube, she'll ask her mananahi to put some curve to it, like you know the shape of a heart's top, to show more cleavage. i told tet to go ahead with it so as to satisfy this BM's requests.

the rest of the BMs only had time to have their fitting a few days before. their gowns haven't been altered yet and when they had their fitting, they loved it! but after alterations, 3 out of 4 (including the one who wanted it lowered) got disappointed because the curve was not pantay. so they had to sew one side, tuck it lower to even it out with the other side. my friends did not complain anymore as they said they did not want to add to my stress and kaya naman nila i-alter plus, they did not pay anything for it so they can't really complain. it's not obvious naman come wedding day.

note to all: the gowns can't exactly be like the original especially when the design was just nipped off from vera wang's site and a stick-thin person's modelling it! consider: body frame and cost to make.

SS - had to change the color of the gowns. originally, was dark olive green which was kinda off from the rest of the gowns. coordinators decided to make it the same as that of the FG, which was a good decision. some changes as well to the final cut which turned out better. because of the changes, had to pay an additional of 4k. but other than that, no more complaints!

MoBride - my mom was hysterical during her first fitting, well, she sounded hysterical. i told her it was just the first fitting and that we don't expect it to be perfect. several fittings after, still the same complaints! i even joined in convincing tet's mananahi to make the changes and not to insist with what she wants. tet finally gave in to our suggestions and the end product's better than expected. she was happy with her gown in the end - only if the mananahi listened from the very beginning....!

--> because of this hassle, my mom had another gown made from sabella, robinson's place, as back up. it costs 8k, which she did not wear in the end. bless her!

MoGroom - mother in law had her gown made by a mananahi in eastwood. it costs 8k as well. it looks lovely. she had it altered after, made the skirt shorter so she can wear it casually =p.

FG - only ones made with less alterations and confrontations!

Vests for the bearers - goodness gracious! they made white vests! where did that come from?! and tet was insisting we agreed on it. hello?! white vests with white polo, black pants, black ties? she said they'll look like waiters if i insist on having them in black? duh! they will look...god, im lost for words... if they wear that creamy-colored vest! she had them changed in the end, me not wavering with what i want. 600 is cheap but we still paid for them! the oldest of the bearers did not get to wear his as it's too bitin for him. all bearers went to the fittings but did not actually fit them. they were just told that the vests are fine...

total costs of the ento gowns: 53k. if only we knew we would spend this much with all the hassles, we could have gone with the more expensive ones who can really deliver! note to everyone considering tet, make sure you clarify everything with tet point by point. and to consistently follow up on her. otherwise, her mananahi has other thoughts in her head!

Interplay

a.) Entourage Flowers
Rating: 4.5
Peso Power: 14,300

b.) Event Styling
Rating: 4
Peso Power: 54k + 7,800 for generator

c.) Musical Direction
Rating: 4
Peso Power: 5k

a.) Entourage Flowers: i know nothing about flowers so i just relied purely on lala's suggestions. i was worried that my ento's flowers would look kakarampot and tinipid. mine were not! i did not have time to scrutinise each and every bouquet but generally, i was so happy when i saw them. my bouquet is gorgeous! all pink tulips, so sweet! lala put some jewels around to add some flavor, it was not in our contract so i was really pleased. only observation was that the tulips opened up towards the reception, which was fine by me, napagod din siguro sa pictorial =p. but it would have been nicer if the flowers did not open up much till the event's over. some pics kasi show the flowers too sabog.

b.) Event Styling: we needed to hire an event stylist since hizon's won't be able to follow our theme. since we got lala to do our ento flowers, we opted to go with them for our reception set up as well and we made the right choice! lala was so easy to talk with, she's so accomodating and very mapagbigay. she gave us 10% discount pa. all communications through email lang. she threw in free luminaries that were placed around oasis, for free. she even helped me with my problem with the electricity. we had mood lights kasi and we were told by oasis, nd kaya ng supply nila (whatever). we did not want to reduce the number of lights kasi masisira ung ambiance. so last minute, she booked me a generator supplier.

my pavilion was drop-dead gorgeous! i wish i could rewind and pause back our reception. i wanted to enjoy the place over and over again. too bad it's all over in a day! i did not see (meaning no time) each and every table centerpieces but im pretty sure they are of the best quality. the flowers, orchids mostly, on each table were brought home by guests as souvenirs.

why not a perfect score? they were putting down the drapes and the lanterns when there were still people in the pavilion. as i said, the reception was short but they were taking them down when we're still not done for the night! some said there were still people dancing (we were already doing shoots that time and mingling so was not aware) and they already have the scaffolding in the middle!

to me, it's still how i imagined my set up to be. it's so zen and they really set the mood of the event. if only they were in no hurry to take them down.

c.) Musical Direction: because of the bad feedback i've been getting for my instrumentalists (next in my ratings), i decided to hire a separate coordinator for them. good thing, interplay is also offering this service. beth chose the instruments to be used and helped me with the repertoire. good choice of songs. as far as i know, nasunod naman ung asa list. she's as accomodating as lala. she even played in our reception. i appreciate all the efforts she put in our event. she helped set the mood of the reception. she came up with a compilation of songs/instrumentals that would be played for when the instrumentalists were on their break.

i did not give her a perfect score as the singers were a disaster (i'm coming to that in a minute)! not entirely her fault but i asked her to make sure we choose the right and qualified singers. but can't be helped. she can only do so much.

JJS Entertainment

Rating: 1
Peso Power: 23k for 6 instruments, 2 vocalists (M/F) and sound system for church and reception

total disaster! even with a separate coordinator, they still failed to deliver! im really at a loss for words! the singers doesn't know the lyrics for most songs, they will stop in the middle and will just go, hmmnnn, lalala, hmmnnm....wtf?! the songs we requested were all in their repertoire and still forgot their lines?! they even had cheat sheets in front of them! they did not provide music for the dancing, beth did so that's one less off their plates. at least i did not have the unfortunate task of coordinating with them, i wonder how they were during those times... they looked as if they just met for the first time during the event! so all over the place! i think they should disband...

good thing tantan's friend, missy (lady in pink gown), volunteered to sing at the church and reception. she sorta held them together!

Madge Lejano
Wedding day hair and make up, with A and Felicity

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 15k for bride, groom, 2 moms
1,500 for additional heads

madge lejano, known for her no-make up look. i did not have any trials with her and i wasn't worried about it. i know she's good. she was the first to arrive at the hotel. we started late bec. there were some hiccups with the hotel with our suite transfer. but they finished on time with some to spare =p. they even gave some friends a lift bec. they were the last ones to be made up. they were a jolly bunch. my hair looked simple but when you look closely, it's not so simple after all! i wasn't too particular naman, as long as it's clean and classic. lots of retouch and they did not leave me till the reception. they also did my sister's, 2 aunts, my lola and 2 friends. they all looked stunning =p

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Jasmine Mendiola

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 2.5k

it was a last minute booking which rene organised. madge was not available that day so we were frantically searching for alternatives. jasmine has another shoot that day but gladly squeezed me in her busy sched. appt. time is at 11am but she was 30mins late bec. she had to fetch her son from school p. no probs with me. she's machika and she did both my hair and make up. she just made an organised chaos of my hair and did a lovely victorian make up. really perfect for our shoot.

Rene Gaviola

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: see website

i love this guy! very talented and super bait! we had a hard time deciding on which photographer to get. he was just starting then but just looking at his early folio, you'll be convinced of his skills na. we originally agreed on a traditional album but when he introduced his us made coffeetable art book, he gladly adjusted the price minimally =p. for our prenups, he hooked us up with M, a stylist, for a victorian-themed prenups. good thing we did the prenups and not opted for the post nup, so rene had time to study my best angle =p. the outcome was brilliant! we had to choose 10 from hundreds for our gallery at the reception. hirap! ganda kasi lahat =p

Kix Tavora

Rating: 4.5
Peso Power: 7k

being camera hoggers, we wanted as much photo as we can have. i searched around and liked his style. i was sure he would be another asset in our photo team. come wedding day, he was the first to arrive (fr the team) and he started shooting right away. all the accessories, then me and lotsa of us through the day. ala din syang kapaguran! small world, same department pa sila ni tantan, engineering, sa up diliman and same batch pa! =p

i would have instantly given him a perfect score but then sa contract kasi namin, as far as i could remember, he's supposed to give the cd (no album) after 7 days. perhaps, busy lang talaga ang december kaya nd nya nabigay?

Buddy Gancenia

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: see website for prices, inclusive of 2cam reality video, avp and onsite

i have nothing but praises for his group. tahimik lang si buddy when working pero ang lalakas mang alaska! he gave me huge discounts with his avp so i can have his onsite. ang bait! and talented =p

speaking of avp, supposedly 3 weeks before the wedding ung shoot namin so he'll have ample time for the editing. kaya lang me bagyo that time so having an outdoor shoot was risky. so we said dec 6 na lang. that's just over a week before the wedding! tapos we couldn't think of any concept. he wants to do something cinematography-ish but it's not doable with the unpredictable weather. hanggang sa all we could settle was the venue, lamesa ecopark. bahala na sa concept.

day before the shoot, he was calling me daw so i could bring some stuff. unfortunately, sobrang hina ng signal ng smart sa house namin, the call did not go through. so nung shoot, ala kaming props! but we managed really well. lahat ng activities sa ecopark tinry namin and shoot lang ng shoot sina buddy. i, myself, was wondering kung me kakalabasan ba ung ginagawa namin. we enjoyed the shoot, we enjoyed their company. tantan was even curious about video editing that buddy invited him over to his place so he can see how they do it. unfortunately, nd mag swak ung sched nila. i told buddy i wanna preview the avp first before being shown. so during preps sa hotel, ni-play nya ung video sa akin. as i've said, just a few seconds into it, i asked him to stop it. i'd rather watch it for the first time sa reception. those few seconds were enough to convince me that i indeed made a brill choice!

wedding day, they were very unobtrusive. nd mo nga mamamalayan na andyan sila. very encouraging lalo na sa interview part. sobrang speechless ako and nd ko alam kung nahihya lang ako. but the final interview after the reception, we were so at ease that it's like nakikipag kwentuhan lang kami sa knila.

as i've said, over and over. i love my photo and video team. and if we're all still around for a 25th anniv and a 50th anniv, i would happily have them again =p

Alex Franco

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: 19.5k, 5 layers all edible

i wanted a cake we could share with everybody so we opted for an all edible one. and who else would we choose but the best! alex was so helpful that he even taught us the right way to slice a cake! kaya come wedding day, we were so pressured as not to mess it up. good thing we're good students =p. tama nga naman sya, pangit sa pics if we don't do it well. he was present during the event to see through everything. his sample cake, which he gave during our 1st meeting, ubos in one sitting! hahaha! guests loved his cake, aside from the very nice presentation, very yummy pa. sosyal daw, my colleagues here say. and that's just based on the pictures they've seen! =p

Diamond Hotel

Rating: 4
Peso Power: 18,800 for a standard, deluxe and an executive suite

i actually love this hotel. before we checked in, we've been hanging out here for a few days since my tita moved in here for a week for the preps. they were staying kasi at makati shangrila but thought that it will be easier for everyone if they are closer to the venue. they moved back to shang after that week though (mas malapit sa glorietta!) =p

anyways, since we've been going in and out na of the hotel, the staff kinda knew us by face na. very polite and the rooms are actually big even their standard one. if i were to choose between diamond hotel and makati shang, i would choose diamond hotel. mas feel ko ung rooms and bathrooms nila (ala kasing bidet sa shang!) hahaha! the executive suite was massive! and the view was spectacular. dahil malaki ung suite, i was in the the bedroom while tantan was having his face done by madge and we did not see each other! it's like 2 diff worlds! me, having a shoot in the massive bedroom while tantan and others are having their make ups done in the equally massive lounge!

not a perfect score because, we were delayed in our transfer to the suite. we were promised kasi that the room would be ready by 8:30 and past 9 na kami nakalipat. so medyo na-toxic sila madge dahil daming nakapila! but no harm done, kasi they were supposed to charge us 1,300 for the early transfer, pero they did not. also, they don't allow na pictorials sa lobby if your reception's not with them. i think you have to pay. we did not bother as it's not that important to me =p.

Formal Invites
c/o Ericka Que

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 8,575 (115 pcs) set of main page, ento page, rsvp, thank you cards, gift tags
200 for embellishments

Design: priceless! c/o w@wie sister, ERRA

this is a semi-diy project. we were having a hard time choosing our layouts that printing got delayed. not their fault but ours. nauubusan na kami ng idea when an angel helped us! erra made this design and we were saved! i did the lay outs and at least, personalised na talga ung invites. we were supposed to go with printed matter for printing but erika found us a cheaper supplier.

loved the outcome, very unique. the paper itself is diff. and it's so classy! but my sister said the presentation's too simple. so what we did, my mom bought some pink sinamay paper and tantan, some thin abaca threads. tapos we cut the paper into strips then wrapped them around the invites tapos tied them with the thread - cool! but it's hard work =p

Printed Matter

Rating: 4
Peso Power: 2,200 for 100 save the date cards
4k++ for mock ups and LO fees
7.8k for 78pcs of fans

std cards were good. we also thought they'll be printing our formal invites but erika found a cheaper supplier. we wasted about 4k for mock ups and LOs that we did not actually use. that's the problem with them, every move, you have to pay. pati LO na ako mismo gumawa, me charge pa din kasi i-LO pa daw nila ung sa paper (whatever!) e i always give them the png version para i print na lang talga!

the fans though turned out really lovely! we were not supposed to have these made but naisip namin, naka suit most of the guests tapos there's no aircon sa san sebastian, maiinitan ung mga tao. so we provided them fans which turned out as souvenirs na din =p. too bad ala akong nauwi! =p

Souvenirs

a.) Chimes
Papemelroti Supplier
Rating: 4
Peso Power: 35each for small ones and 55 each for the big ones

b.) Abaca Bags (packaging)
Rating: 4
Peso Power: 7 each

a.) Chimes: chimes talaga first choice namin for souvenirs. i saw this supplier sa waw that supplies papemel so im sure na maganda products nila. plus daming positive fb. they were delivered in bulk sa house namin and we only got to see each one closely when we were packing them. unfortunately, some of them, nd maganda ung pagkakagawa. my mom said parang nd pa tuyo ung bamboo, pinilit na nila so ending, nagbubukbok. siguro there were more than 10 that went to waste!

b.) Abaca Bags: my mom met this supplier when she went to a wake. haha! sila ung cheapest dahil at that time, around 12pesos up na un sa quiapo and divi. mostly ok naman. some lang has himulmol so i had to cut and tried to smoothen them up. hard work din ha! boring!

Web Devices

Rating: 5++
Peso Power: 4k for 2000 lumens

its owner, velvet dacanay, was a former wawie so she knows the stress of the wedding preps. sa contract namin, i think a week before u have to pay the balance na. but we did not have the time! i asked her if she's got a shop near us so we can pay, kaso ala. she told me i could pay na lang sa reception, that she knows how toxic na that time. she's very easy to talk to and she's worked with my videographers na before so i did not really have to tell velvet the requirements of my video team, alam na nya =p. wedding day, ganda at linaw ng projector =p.

Kultura, Mall of Asia

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: gifts for Principal Sponsors (undisclosed)
Picture Frames for our gallery (350@)

i love that place! im not sure if it's mura but i enjoyed going through their products. everytime we go to moa, we end up here, buying something! good products, nice staff and i love the ambiance! =p. the gifts we chose for our sponsors, they did not have enough stock. they took my number and they contacted all their stores para lang mabuo nila ung requirements ko.

Louis Mclean Wines (Chamdor)

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 15k, 7 dozens of white, red and peach wines

we ordered loads so there were left overs for christmas and new year for our families. im not a fan of wines but the guests liked them. they are non alcoholic bubblers and they taste good. my cousin even finished a bottle all by himself, in one sitting. and he's 10!

Pic-UK (Travel Agent)

Rating: 4.5

we bought our return flights from them. as early as march ata, nabook na namin to. well, ever since, sa knila lang kami nagpapa book. i think they've got the cheapest rates and you customer service reps nila are pinoy so it's so easy to deal with them. very helpful pa with inquiries like baggage allowances, what NOT to bring, etc. not a perfect score kasi their lines could be very busy so pudpod na ung phone pad before u can go through.

Qatar Airways

Rating: 5+++
Peso Power: 958£ return for 2 pax, economy (95php conversion rate)

sila ung 2nd cheapest airline offering flights to pinas. initially, i did not want to fly with them despite their 5star rating. i said i would only fly with emirates kahit 4star lang sila, hahaha! but they're so expensive that we had to balance our finances. we went with qatar this time.

flight to manila - we're delayed by an hour 30mins. but then, we're not the only ones delayed. my cousin fr the states even had to stay in hongkong for a night bec. they were so delayed, their connecting flight left without them. even our friends who flew with emirates, got delayed. foods ok and inflight movies are great! pero as any economy seats, very cramped and puno talga.

flight to uk - heaven! our seats were upgraded to business class! woohoo! iba talga ung service dun, pampered. if it will be like this all the time, i will fly with them forever!

upgrade aside, it was still a pleasant experience. flight's not that long as stop over's right in the middle. as i've said, good food and nice movies to watch. they even have tagalog films to boot!

Palawan Honeymoon
Overall Rating: 5++

1.) PALakbayan
Peso Power: 25,549 (5D, 4N)

a.) Hotel Fleuris
Rating: 4.5

b.) Ellen's Travel and Tours
Rating: 5

2.) Dos Palmas
Rating: 4.5
Peso Power: 4.8k Day Tour
900 underwater cam
3k for 2pax, 20-minute scuba diving

a.) Hotel Fleuris: price included in the package

not a 5star hotel but it was nice, in the center of puerto princesa city. the room's clean and bathroom's big. un nga lang, room service was so sloooow! but the location's really ideal. walking distance sa jollibee and chowking! so pag tamad kami ni tantan to eat somewhere fancy, they're just a stone's throw away =p. staff were courteous. pag late kami sa assembly time namin for our tours and we couldn't eat our bf, they would gladly pack them for us.

b.) Ellen's Travel and Tours: price included in the package

ang babait ng tour guides nila! we got the city tour, underground river and the honda bay tours and we enjoyed every moment of it. my fave tour guide was jojo. sya kasama namin sa city tour and honda bay. he took good care of me sa honda bay! i don't swim and im scared of the water but i got to enjoy our snorkelling and even ended up knowing how to swim! si tantan was like, kaya mo yan, ganito lang gawin mo ekek without really showing me. but jojo, he held my hand and never left me talga on my own. sabi ko i will drown! there were 2 of us whom he taught how to swim! galing! since sya tour guide, i got first hand experience of everything kasi alam nya san maganda ung corals, we even looked for the school of fish like in nemo, ung super daming silver na fish na swirling undersea! grabe and ganda!

also, the other tour guide who accompanied us sa underground cave, adventurous. that time kasi laki ng waves and to go to the cave, either you take a boat or you hike for about 2hours! most tour guides won't go ahead with the hike kasi slippery and nakakapagod! but sya, go kung go. sayang naman kasi andun na din kami. the cave itself wasn't that spectacular. what made it fun was the hike we did! we were with balikbayans from canada, a couple from devon and a couple from singapore. it was so fun! imagine, going through the rain forest! it was very tiring but all worth it!

c.) Dos Palmas: we were a little disappointed at how dos palmas looked. it was not as spectacular as we expected it to be. but buffet lunch was good, staff courteous and ok na din ung amenities - free use of snorkelling equipments, kayaks, darts, billiards and some other stuff that we did not get to try. naubos kasi time namin snorkelling and scuba diving. to go snorkelling, a speed boat will bring you to a floating station. tapos from there, makikita mo na ung magagandang corals. but you'l really enjoy them if you go diving. it was worth the experience! at first ayoko, i almost quitted during our trial dive. feeling ko kasi i will drown. but we were in good hands. and dapat 15mins lang ung dive. but the diver with us, gladly extended it and even took pictures of us underwater!

all in all, i would still give palawan a perfect score! would you believe tantan and i were supposed to go back (but to el nido) after christmas! but then i had an ear infection, which has resolved na (thanks to my very good doctor!), and bec. of that, i won't be able to swim and snorkel and dive without risking anymore infections. we almost bought some land there! kaya lang when the british guy we're with joined in the talks, nagtaas ng price ung seller! o well, next time perhaps!

PingPing's Lechon

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 7.8k, good for 80pax

erika took care of this. we also got to eat our share =p and days after, paksiw na sya =p. hihi

Program Host

Rating: 5
Peso Power: free. Included in Hizon's Package

We were originally assigned with Marjorie Dizon. But at the last minute had to change as she needs to attend to family affairs (wedding ata or something). We were then given Gladys as emcee. We did not meet prior to the event bec. of conflict of sched.

She was able to carry the event quite well. She knows how to work it out with the guests. Despite having changed the program flow (due to hizon's incompetencies) the last minute, she was still able to bring it all together.

Bridal Car

Rating: 4
Peso Power: free. Included in Hizon's Package

I was not that particular with the car. 3 weeks before the wedding ata i was still contemplating whether i'll use na lang my dad's car (honda accord na black) or there's a need for a really nice fancy car. but then i thought, it won't really be used much kya i told hizon's i'll use na lang their free car. it's a mercedes benz e320 ata.

it's nice and clean and me aircon naman, in fairness. and mabait din ung manong driver. only comment ko lang is super tipid ng flower! nakakaawa tuloy sya tingnan katabi nung magandang car sa church. hahaha! but i couldn't care less. i could have splurged on it too but didn't.

Rusty Lopez (Groom's Shoes)

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 1,750

We have searched everywhere! dito pa lang sa uk, we have looked na for his perfect shoes. sobrang hirap kasi bilhan ni tantan. he's diabetic so the shoes should be really comfi plus the fact that he's got small feet! hihi. In manila, we've been to megamall, mall of asia, glorietta, robinson's place and galleria to no avail. tried different branded shoes pero they we're no good. nikko suggested what shoes are bagay to his suit din so that made it triple hard.

as we were losing hope, and i was looking for slippers, napadaan kami sa rusty lopez. and would you believe, dun lang pala kami makakakita ng shoes na kasya and comfi plus mura pa! it was indeed a great find. and nikko said it's so bagay to his suit. hahaha!

Teeth Whitening

Rating: 5
Peso Power: 20k

sorry, vain po ako. my teeth are not perfect. i am so conscious of it being protruded and since i haven't found the right dentist here yet to correct it, i settled for something else but equally important, having my teeth whitened! i just went to our friendly neighbourhood dentist. it just took an hour but sobrang sakit, mangilo. but it's all worth it! you see they have this chart, from the yellow-est (ewe!), my teeth went to the whitest! ang saya! and seeing the pics, yeah, my teeth are still protruded but at least their sparkly white. hihi.

Face and Skin Clinic, Pan Pacific Hotel

Rating: 5++
Peso Power: 10,800 (3 years ago)

facial, nutra cell and diamond peel, pan pacific hotel branch. actually, we did not pay anything as i still had some sessions left from when i originally purchased the program in 2003! yup, and i was still able to avail of my unused sessions. they were even the ones who texted me and reminded me that i have about 6 sessions left! and to think that was 3 years prior and you would have thought i have already forfeited them.

i have always gone to them for my facials and skin care. i like their 1-1 service and the massage. love the ambiance and their well-mannered staff!

Wedding Rings

Rating: 4
Peso Power: 5,320 (58£ for the 2 rings at 95php conversion rate)

we did not really fuss about our wedding rings. we both have identical cartier tri-color puzzle rings which we consider as our main ones. but for ceremonial reasons, we have to have something diff. that we can use everyday. we bought titanium rings over the net. ever since, we have agreed on getting titanium bands with no stones - just a simple bare band. and when we bought them, i also got a free silver necklace! hahaha!

not a perfect score though as dami na nyang gasgas, and you would think that titanium is the hardest metal d b?! but can't complain, mura lang naman sya. we only get what we paid for =D