Supplier Ratings
Hi w@wies,
Apologies for the delay!
I learned a lot from other w@wies' ratings and by sharing my own ratings and learnings, I hope I can help the other b2b's.
Our motif was shades of pink. For the theme, being avid supporters of local talent and products, we decided go with a Proudly Local theme. Thru out the wedding preps, we also kept in mind that we want to put our money on things that can be used again (bridal bag, not so fancy wedding shoes, arrhae, ento's gown, native holders instead of pillows etc).
@@@@@- Extremely Satisfied
@@@@- Satisfied
@@@ - Ok lang
@@ - Could have done better
@ - Extremely Dissatisfied
CHURCH - St Alphonsus Mary de Lingouri Church (Magallanes Church)
Customer Service
Ms Kathy/Gilbert - @@@@@
Ms Marita (wedding coordinator) - @
On the day output - @@@@@
RAVES- This is one really really charming church. We wanted a church that would showcase modern Filipino architecture and Magallanes Church was the perfect choice. Lots of natural light and clean lines. We love the dome shaped ceiling. Very photogenic. The size was also perfect for our 180-guest wedding. I did not want to see empty pews during my march and I don't think I saw any. One more thing, they only hold one wedding in the morning and one wedding in the afternoon. You need not worry na di pa tapos ang pictorials niyo at may nakapila na ang next wedding.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Ms Marita, the church wedding coordinator, was so stressed during our wedding day. Probably because we had several changes in the misalette, which were approved by the parish priest and explained during the rehearsal. Since Marita did not attend our rehearsal, she only found out about the changes OTD itself. Poor girl, she was so stressed to the point that she scolded our suppliers and ento.
dome shaped ceiling
gorgeous doors
HOTEL PREPS / RECEPTION - Manila HotelCS - @@@@@
OTD Preps - @@@@@
OTD Reception - @@@@@
RAVES: Where else to hold our wow Philippines themed wedding but in the most historic hotel in town. Everyone in this hotel from the guards and bellboys to our AE and headwaiter, was soooo courteous. They will really make you feel like VIP's. We attended a wedding with 6 course lunch in Manila Hotel a few years back and what I remember most was how busog I was that day. The same (surplus of food) is how many of our guests remember our reception by. We love the chandeliers! They look very pretty in the pictures. As for my bridal suite, it was not only spacious but it also had a great view to boot.
AFI: None naman talaga. Just remember that Manila hotel is known for its rich history, and not for its modern facilities. If you have a mindset that you will be going to a vintage hotel, you won't be disappointed. But if you are looking for the latest elevator or toilet flush technologies, better look somewhere else.
Chandeliers at the lobby
Pandanggo Ballroom
HMUA (Bride, 2 Moms, MOH) - Chichi Sotomil
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: Super nice and super kalog but very magalang and professional at the same time. Nakakagana to work with because she will make you feel like you are their fave client. At first I did not know anything about make ups. We went for the dramatic na pa-virgin look for the trial and for the prenup ( which we had in Lucban Quezon during the Pahiyas Festival) which worked perfectly. Sabi ko kay Chichi, gusto ko mapagkamalang artista and nangyari nga! A few weeks before the wedding, I told her I want something softer, something that will match my laceylacey gown and she said will go for the bonggang romantic look. Bongga and romantic was how I felt about her make up. The moms, and MOH's looked young, fresh and radiant on my wedding day thanks to Chichi and her team.
Chichi@work
Bonggang Romantic Make-up
HMUA for Ento - Keiz Caballero
CS - @@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: She's a newbie in the industry which explains why we got her at a very very affordable price. The brands that she uses are all high end. My BM's are both morena and I was concerned that the foundation might not look nice in pictures because of the camera flash. Even with flash, her make up looked very natural.
AFI: Nothing major except di lang talaga siya as sweet and accommodating like Chichi. Which is alright since she was able to deliver naman.
PartyPic Photo (with flash)
OTD COORDINATION - Fab Occasions
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: Camz and her team did a great job during our wedding. Many guests commented on how organized our wedding was. We were stress free the whole day because Camz took care of everything. Up to the simplest bilins like collecting the names and numbers of guests who brought cameras were done as planned. Tabs, the coordinator who was assigned to us, made us feel like VIP's. She gave me water while waiting for my bridal march so that I won't be thirsty. While waiting for our grand entrance, she gave us some food and fruit juice since she knew that we won't be able to eat much during the reception.
AFI: I just noticed when I got the raw pix, na hindi perfect yun pagka criss-cross nila ng back ng gown ko. I don't think anyone noticed.
BRIDAL GOWN - David's Bridal. Springfield PA
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@
RAVES: The gown was the first gown that I ever tried on. And I fell in love with it instantly. I love the bead appliques. Simple yet very romantic.
AFI: I bought my gown a year before the actual big day. And it is something that I wish I did not do. Several months later, after reading excited posts of sisses of their experience with their designers, I felt bad and regretted buying my gown impulsively. I thought it would be cheaper if I buy from the US but found out later that there are affordable options here and that nothing beats the experience of working with a couturier. Lesson learned: if you like a gown from David's Bridal, don't buy it impulsively as the gown will most likely still be available until the next season
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MOTHERS', BRIDESMAIDS' AND S. SPONSORS GOWNS- Therese Labasbas
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: Her shop is close to my office so it was very convenient for me to visit her every now and then. She is very accomodating and will adjust her design or materials based on your budget. It took at least three trips to her shop before we finalized how to make my gown Filipiniana-ish. The mini panuelo was perfect and soo cute! I can still use it as an accent to the preps gown that Therese made for me. We had the BM and SS gowns in off white or champagne so my girls can still use them on other occasions. We came up with the idea of hot pink belts for a slightly different look. Therese also convinced me to have the mom's and MOH's gowns in pink to make them stand out. Highly reccomended for brides on a budget.
AFI: Again nothing major. The CR ( different from the fitting room) is not so nice. Make sure to have your bio break before going to her shop.
mini panuelo
Mothers and MOH gowns
Ento's and Bride's Wraps and Bridal Bag - Dita Sandico
CS - Dita's staff - @@@@@; Dita herself - @@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: I soooo love our wraps! Pink. Filipiniana. Practical. Just the way we want our wedding to be.The wraps are made of "pinukpok" banana fibers and can be styled in many different ways. Very Filipiniana yet very modern and wearable. My girls were very excited when I showed them the website ( www.ditasandicoong.com.ph/) . Dita holds a birthday sale every year. Last year was her 49th birthday and all items were on sale 49% off! I bought two wraps for myself and plan to go back again this May. Hehe
AFI: Dita's staff are really nice and accomodating. But Dita herself was quite a snob. Ok lang since I dont need to deal with her.
My Mori Petit Wrap in Emerald Green
L-R: Uella and Xtian in Mori Petit, Maqui, Jem in Celia and Aileen in Pailio with Mother of Pearl Accent
My mother of pearl bridal bag
Florist/Stylist - Angel of Hearts
CS - @@@@@
OTD
Church - @@@@@
Ento Bouquets - @@@@@
Centerpieces - @@@@@
Bridal Car - @@@@@
Offertory flowers - @@@@
VIP Tables - @@@@
Bridal Bouquet - @@@@
Drapes - @@@
RAVES: I thought guests don't notice the flowers but they did. Lawrence' arrangements were just to beautiful to ignore. I love the church arrangement the most. If I am not mistaken, our contract states 8 arrangements but when I checked the pictures, there were 12! Centerpieces were beautiful too! After the program, guests took them home. As in pinagkaguluhan at walang natira. The flowers that Lawrence used were so fresh that we were able to use them for our family party two days later. Originally, we agreed to use carnations and celosia. Unfortunately, onti lang yun dumating na celosia so Lawrence replaced them with more expensive types of flowers. For my bouquet naman, I was so looking forward to hold an all hot pink hyacynth ( because I have always wanted to have a baby girl names Jacintha) bouquet. Unfortunately, pale pink ones lang yun dumating kaya Lawrence used tulips instead.
AFI: We originally agreed to have 6 rows of drapes but there were only 2 on the actual day. Lawrence's staff dressed up the wrong ballroom kaya kinulang na ang time. Yun plan naming backdrops, di rin nasunod. We had to settle tuloy dun sa outdated standard backdrops of Manila hotel. I actually feel bad for Lawrence because I know that they had been working as early as 4AM that day. He called me several days after the wedding to apologize for the mistake and to inform us that they will be returning half of the fee for the drapes. Despite all these, we are still a satisfied couple and we reccomend him to couples who are looking for an affordable florist.
Church arrangements
Bridal bouquet
Ento's bouquet
Moms' bouquet
headdress and flower ball
offertory flowes
VIP Table
Bridal Car
Centerpiece
LIGHTS AND SOUNDS - RejectKrew
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@
RAVES: Elmer is probably the most corteous person that I have ever known. Sobrang galang as in! He is a busy guy but makes it a point to reply to my messages. We love Elmer! Even after the wedding, despite his busy schedule, he sent us a message to thank us for getting his services. Awwww
AFI: Unfortunately, di na maximize yun moodlights because di nasunod yun original plan for the drapes. For me, the sound system was very clear and tamang tama ang mga pasok. My mom commented though na mejo nabibingi na siya kase malapit siya sa speaker. Then again, that is my mom at sensitive talaga ang tenga niya sa konting ingay.
STRINGS - Velvet Mood (Edwin Silangcruz' group)
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@.5
RAVES: Ms Mercy and Sir Edwin were both very easy to talk to. Very courteous and replies to SMS and emails promptly.
AFI: Infairness to VM, they were not bad but they did not stand out as we expected. We observed two of their weddings and they were very very good on both occasions. Half of my bridal march, instrumental. The other half, may singers na. It would have been nicer kung tinuloy nalang nila na instrumental. I was looking forward to their Our Father but because antagal nila pumasok, binasa na lang ng commentator yun prayer. Their rendition of our first dance (This Never Happened Before from the movie The Lakehouse) was not as romantic as I thought it would be. It could be because of the sound system or maybe other factors. I know how good they are but unfortunately they were not able to bring their A-game during our wedding.
INVITES - Cardprints
CS @
Output - @@@@@
RAVES: We exerted extra effort to make our invitations personalized and swak to our theme. We were able to gather about 50 translations of I LOVE YOU in different local dialects thru research and interviews. All the effort paid off since guests and even suppliers loved our invites!
AFI: Read the story here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeddingsAtWork/message/281248
CAKE - Angel-lyns
CS - @@@
OTD - @@@
It was only in the latter part of the preps when I realized that paying 10K for a 4 layer partly edible cake is not a practical move. Angelyn's is Manila Hotel's only accredited baker kaya no choice na kami but to get her. Nice naman siya pero parang everytime kausap namin siya laging may additional gastos siyang ni suggest like upgrade, pearlized icing or swarovski. I peeled off a page in one of my wedding magazines para may copy siya ng design na gusto namin pero di pa rin nakuha. I can't remember how the cake tastes like but according to my MIL, masarap at moist daw.
PHOTOG - MangoRed
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: I love MangoRed! Sobrang saya kasama. Like Chichi, nakakagana katrabaho because they will make you feel like you are their favorite client. We have over 9K beautiful pictures to remember our wedding day by. After I reviewed all the pictures, I was a bit sad na walang close up shots yun cord and arrhae which are family heirlooms. I texted Randall and asked how much will he charge if papapicture-an ko sa kanila and he apologized and said free of charge na! It is also a good thing that their place is near my office.
AFI: They were late for the call time for our prenup and wedding. I understand naman because mahirap naman talaga makakuha ng cab ang isang group of guys ng dis oras ng umaga. Mejo na delay rin yun delivery ng raw shots ng prenup but that is okay since bumawi naman sila sa quality.
My Fave shots : P
VIDEO - Phoeben Teocson
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: We love our onsite video! Some guests even commented that it was the nicest video that they have ever seen. Because the wedding was Proudly Lokal, we wanted Bim to use an OPM song. I chose Eraserheads' Ligaya because it was perfect for the feel that we want.
Video was not a priority for us when we first made our budget plan. We only chose Bim because he had the most affordable package. Looking back, I can't help but feel grateful because output and customer service wise, he gave us more than what we paid for.
AFI: There were several shots by Mangored that would be really really nice kung di na singit ang videographer sa pic. Nothing major again since sobrang dami naman ang nice pix ng Mango.
PHOTOBOOTH - PartyPics
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: Getting a photobooth for our wedding is one of the best decisions that we've made. Our guests had so much fun posing for the camera. One of my biggest fears was that guests might leave right after eating lunch. That did not happen because guests wanted to have more time with the photobooth! It is been more than a month since our wedding and guests still keep on raving on how much fun they had with the Partypics. For a personalized and value-added service, Patrypics is the only choice!
BRIDAL CAR - 1928 Cadillac c/o Don Roberto
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
Won this from a Martha Stewart contest. It was a hit among our guests! Guests took turn having their pictures taken with the bridal car. Very cool inside and ample leg room. We exceeded the time limit pero the driver did not charge us.
SHOES - Landmark
OTD - @@@@@
Finding a low heeled semi sparkly pair of shoes was by no means an easy task. Thanks to Milani Landmark for my pretty and comfy wedding shoes. The groom's shoes were also comfy and classy. If we had more time, we would go to Marikina and Liliw to have our shoes custom made. Hopefully, there is a next time.
GIFT FOR THE GROOM - Mike Nakayama
CS - @@@@@
OTD - @@@@@
Mike is a former officemate. Di man niya ako binigyan ng discount winner naman ang customer service. The painting is perfect for our future music room.
ESCORTS - Mr Olino of MMDA
OTD - @@@@@
Our ninong from AFP informed us 2 weeks before the wedding that his contact could not find policemen who were willing to escort us. Reason is that personal escorts are no longer allowed. I found a group of policemen who said they can escort us but there was something fishy about them. The last thing that I wanted was to see myself in XXX. We met Mr Olino while observing a wedding in MOA. We were very happy when he told us that they can take care of the necessary permits since they are not covered by the no-personal-escort policy of PNP. He got the permit 5 days after. It was also a blessing that the MMDA's who were directing the traffic helped our escorts. PNP escorts would look nicer in pictures but I would not trade pretty pictures for peace of mind.
LCD - Dennis Sy
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OTD - @@@@@
RAVES: Even though maliwag ang venue, the screen was still very very clear.
TRADE FAIR / MARKET FINDS
Cake toppers
Unity Candle Holder from AsiaCraft, Rosary from Puka Beach, Bayongs from Los Banos Market
Beauty and Fertility Anitos for Principal Sponsors
Coconut globe for arrhae, cup for the rosary and ring holder. All bought from the last National Trade Fair
DIYs
Lighters
Unity candle
Misallete
Invite Envelope
