Wedding Gown: BOOKED!

Booked my Wedding Gown couturier, 

Bride House PH!

https://www.facebook.com/bridehousephilippines

https://www.instagram.com/bridehouse.philippines



Sketch by Bride House

***Wedding Gown couturier CHANGED:
http://theheroandthebridetobe.blogspot.com/2017/04/peaceofmind.html

Related posts:
http://theheroandthebridetobe.blogspot.com/2016/04/my-first-wedding-dress-sketch.html
http://theheroandthebridetobe.blogspot.com/2016/08/pegs-wedding-dress.html


I will no longer post my actual Weddings Gown pegs, para surprise ang aking wedding gown! Heehee!

I visted Bride House, Ivory and Lace, Leslie's Bridal, Melaine's Bridal, Mark Brides, then Bride House again.

Bride House (1st Visit) 
https://www.instagram.com/bridehouse.philippines/
My very first sketch! Sobrang nadala lang ako ng mga reviews in GT (FemaleNetwork - GirlTalk) so sa excitement ko, nagpa-appointment ako dun without any peg, or idea of what I want. Literal na kakasabak ko lang sa wedding preps nun and wala pakong any idea kung ano gusto ko or what. Gusto ko sana kase makapag-sukat sukat muna ng RTW para makita ko din ano ba bagay sakin. Baka kase may peg nga ko kaso di naman bagay diba haha. Unfortunately, may bride na nagfa-final fitting at that time and hindi pwedeng may kasabay na mag-fit. Walang dizizit feeling, pero still one of my choices.

Ivory and Lace
Conveniently located in Landmark, Makati (they also have a branch in Landmark, Trinoma). It was my first time to try and fit gowns! At this time wala pa din ako exact peg of what I want so gusto ko lang talaga na makapag-sukat sukat. You can fit up to three gowns per day (sabi pa ni Ate Saleslady na nag-assist pwedeng bumalik-balik nalang ako para mag-try ulet ng iba haha). Medyo limited lang yung sizes na kasya sakin, but at least nakasukat ako. 

Leslie's Bridal
https://www.facebook.com/lesliesbridalph/
Recommended for budget brides! They made my BFFs wedding gown and our bridesmaid gowns. Pulido ang beadwork. And honestly, okay naman ang gawa nila. But, ayun lang. Ayoko talaga sa Divi since malayo and hassle for me lalo kung pabalik-balik ako for fitting. But I always recommend them since maganda naman talaga gown ni BFF by them :)

Melaine's Bridal
https://www.facebook.com/melyubridal/
Lots of Brides-to-be are raving about Melaine. Nakausap namin sya, umabot ng more than 2 loooong hours ang pag-kwento nya samin ng kung ano ano. Very helpful naman, super dami naming natutunan and naging mas mabusisi at observant kami sa gowns after our sesh with her. Ang hindi ko nagustuhan is she was forcing us to book on the spot. She gave us a super huge discount (around 20k off) but the catch is the three of us (co-WaWies) will have to book that day. Parang...ugh. Hindi ba pwedeng mag-isip muna? But, yes na-sales talk nya kami. Hindi lang sya sa good quality, but sa technicality of the gown. Hindi pwede sa kanya ang hindi perfect ang fit, ang may kulubot sa katawan, ang may hindi pantay ganon. Pg tinitingnan ko gowns nya, oo maganda nga talaga. perfect fit each and everytime. But still, beyond budget, and 

Mark Brides 
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004792547185
Tried two gowns. Beadwork is okay, but I don't like the fit. Aaaand. Basta may THIS IS NOT IT feeling na parang ayoko lang talaga sa kanila. Hindi ko lang talaga feel. Namimilit din sila mag-book on the spot. 

Bride House (2nd visit)
This time, on my second visit, prepared na ko. I have pictures of my pegs, I have a vision, I have a dream wedding gown in mind. Nakapag-inquire na din ako sa iba-ibang couturiers like Roxy Bagano, Nino Angeles, Tyrone An, RoyAnne Couture, Mikee Sangco, Bridesdream. Kaso lahat walang dizizit feeling. Wala ako makitang gown nila na super na-inlove ako and masasabi kong dizizit feeling. Among all other designers na napag-inquiran ko, na within our budget, si Bride House na yung pinaka-okay and pasok sa banga. Nandun ako sa point na hindi ako 100% happy and satisfied, it's really not what I want, pero kahit anong gawin ko siya na yung best choice for that range.

When I visited for the second time, I had another sketch. And sa kwentuhan namin ni Ms Carmen, mukhang kaya naman i-achieve ang lahat ng gusto kong ganap sa gown ko. Medyo okay na ko and convinced to finally book with them, but hindi pa ko nag-book on the spot. I needed time to think about it. The catch is magi-increase sila ng price by next year so if ever sana ma-price lock ko na this year. Downpayment is half of the gown price, pero when I finally decided to book, ang binigay ko lang na downpayment is 25% and told them nalang na babalik ako ulit to give the remaining 50% kase I might have some details pa na gusto palitan sa gown and baka magbago pa price. Umokay naman sila, and with that, I was booked with Bride House! Not 100% happy, pero okay na din :) 

Another supplier down, bago matapos ang taon!!!

Wedding preps to resume next year! WAAAAA 1 year to gooooo!!! 


Wedding Gown Schedule:
May - Measurement
June - First Fitting
September - Second Fitting
November - Final Fitting, Gown pickup

XOXO,

Groom's Suit: BOOKED!

Booked Groom's Suit, 

Arvox Tailoring!

Another WaW find!

Mang Roger of Arvox Tailoring is highly recommended in WaW. Maker of good quality suits at such a great price! Haha! Wala namang alam si Hero sa "WaW recommended" but somehow napa-payag ko sya na puntahan ang Arvox para personal na makita ang suits nila. True enough, magaling talaga si Mang Roger. Pulido ang tahi and maganda ang fit! Okay din ang mga choices ng tela and prices would depend sa tela na gagamitin. Nung time na pumunta kami, may nakasabay kaming three other couples na pumunta din don to inquire. 

It's just a small shop lang in Mandaluyong. Our other choices for Groom's suit sana are Gardini and Onesimus. But malayo and inconvenient samin ang Gardini, and medyo expensive ang Onesimus.

Post says, "Booked", but actually we're not officially booked with Arvox. They don't require a downpayment daw kasi kahit we asked them about it. They just got our details, noted our wedding date and initial tela choices and that's it. Not to worry din daw with price lock since hindi naman sila nagta-taas basta basta and if meron man, minimal lang. Basta balik na lang daw ng 2 or 3 months before the wedding. Kaya naman daw nila ma-deliver in one month, kahit December wedding.

I asked Hero ng paulit ulit. Tapos ulit ulit pa ulit, if he's satisfied and happy na with Arvox. Okay naman daw sya, happy naman daw sya. :)

Happy Groom + Happy Bride = HAPPINESS! 

Groom's Suit Pegs

XOXO,

Videographer: UNBOOKED, BOOKED!

Booked our Videographer, 

Aisle 1401!

www.aisle1401.com/ 
https://vimeo.com/aisle1401/videos

Long story short--we changed our Videographer from IGS Cinema to Aisle 1401.

I have no issues with IGS Cinema. It's just that... hindi ako 110% confident na we will be super satisfied with the output. As I've mentioned in my original post, they are a safe choice. Sure na hindi pangit, pero hindi sure kung magandang maganda. 

Changing our videographer was not a spur of the moment decision naman. We really had no intentions na magpalit pa. Nandun kami sa point na ina-apply namin yung advice ng mga WaWies na once naka-book ka na, wag ka ng maghanap ng iba, and just trust your supplier. I tried my best naman. Pero may part pa rin sakin kase na nag-aalangan, na walang peace of mind. 

Then, ito si Aisle 1401. They had two promos. One was the introductory promo for their social media package. Book any package, and you'll get a Save-the-Date video plus 3 teaser videos for free. It was basically a free prenup video kahit SDE package lang ang kunin mo. I told Hero about this promo and para mapagbigyan ako, nag-marathon kami ng Aisle 1401 SDEs. At the end of the day, Hero was not that impressed with their work. His point was, if papalitan namin ang videographer namin, ang ipapalit namin dapat is yung super WOW. Super ganda. Super feels. Hindi yung medyo same level lang ni IGS. Tapos baka daw nadadala lang ako ng raves of other WaWies and because naging W@W top supplier sila. :| HUHUBELLS. Pero honestly, at that time actually, kahit ako medyo hindi ganung na-impress sa mga recent SDEs nila. So wala talagang dizizit feeling. And another problem pa pala with that promo is, I don't really want an STD. Mas gusto ko kase ang prenup na picture picture lang. Ayokong mag-emote emote or arte arte. Though okay lang din naman, but it's not really a priority. And lastly, their package with SDE and highlights is still waaaay beyond our budget, kahit pa may madagdag na free. That's why Aisle 1401 was crossed out of our list the moment I reviewed their rates nung simula pa lang. So, pinalampas namin to. Promo # 1 - EEENKKK!

Then, here goes Promo # 2. After a month or so, the W@W Top 10 Suppliers for 2016 were announced. And Aisle 1401, being the W@W Top Supplier for 2014, lauched another promo - the 2016 Throwback Promo exclusive for WaWies, where you can book them for your wedding at their 2014 rates.

Aisle 1401's 2014 vs 2016 rates is a whopping 30k difference.

Promo was limited to 6 slots. I inquired agad agad! Anna (of Aisle 1401) confirmed that they were still available for our date. Hero and I talked about it. Kung tutuusin, mas mura pa yung 2014 package ni Aisle kesa sa current package namin with IGS Cinema. But, considering na we already paid a 10k downpayment with IGS, then dun kami mapapamahal and matatalo. But still, we gave it a chance. We watched a few videos, and for both me and Hero, wala pa ring "this is it" feeling for us to choose Aisle and ditch IGS. And so we let it go again... Promo # 2 - EEENKKK!

Three weeks later. THIS happened.

Jules + Kim

https://player.vimeo.com/video/190550349

A fellow WaWie's SDE. Preps location at Thunderbird Resort Rizal, beside the Eastridge Golf Course. YES, that's an aerial shot of the golf course! THERE GOES MY DREAM WEDDING CEREMONY - a golf course ceremony! Haha! Kahit hindi naman ceremony yun, pero yung aerial sa golf course! UUUGHHHH I KENAT! It was so perfect! Plus, her ceremony was in The Mango Farm pa, with string lights at the pav! Ganun na ganun ang reception namin! Can you imagine my excitement! Na-envision ko talaga somehow kung pano magtu-turn out yung SDE namin on our wedding day. I cried a little. Sirius. Sa sobrang dami na naming napanood na SDE, hindi na kami basta-basta napapa-aaaaw at wow ni Hero. Until we watched this. 

And no, hindi kami nag-decide based solely on this SDE. After nito, we watched all their other recent SDEs ulit, and voila. It all made sense. The style, the music, the slowmo, the shots. Everything fell into place. Though hindi naman lahat perfect, pero at that point, Hero and I felt that Aisle 1401 can capture every moment of our wedding beautifully.

THIS IS IT. THIS IS REALLY IS IT. 😃

I told sis Kim, na her SDE was the "this is it" feeling and sign that Hero and I were waiting for to finally go for Aisle 1401. That was it. It was final. We will definitely get them for our wedding. Aisle 1401 is going to be THE videographer for our wedding. Time to book!

It was three weeks after they announced their throwback promo. Wala namang nakalagay until when it will last, basta it's open for 6 slots only. I took my chance. I emailed Anna and asked her if ever there's still a slot available, or if not, baka naman they can extend the promo pa for us.... Luckily for us, the promo was really extended nga naman pa talaga, and it was posted on their website's blog! 

Sadly, I had to let IGS Cinema know that we will be cancelling our contract with them... They respect our decision naman daw. Medyo nakaka-guilty ng slight but the least we could do was to be honest with them. 

And so, Moving on! We booked Aisle 1401 right away! Wala ng dalawang isip pa! Ito na, at peace na talaga ako. Wala na akong doubt, wala na akong alinlangan! Aisle 1401 is our videographer and I'm so thankful for their 2016 Throwback Promo! YAYYYY!!!!

Aisle 1401 - The Essentials Package

3-5 minute Onsite Video (Same Day Edit) to be shown at the reception

3-4 Videographers and one editor

Final edited video uploaded online and saved for you on your HDD

Full Wedding Coverage
15-20 Minute event highlights saved for you on your HDD

Raw files saved for you on your HDD

*ALL HD

*Free 500gig Hard Disk Drive

*Free one (1) music license below $50 for your SDE

XOXO,

Wedding Band: BOOKED!

Booked our Wedding Band, 

Madz and Dzhei Events Singer and Host!

http://madzharmony.weebly.com/

"Love... sa photo, video, hindi ako naka-feel ng ganito. 

First time kong magka- "THIS IS IT" feeling sa isang supplier."

- Hero, referring to Teejay and Sandy after watching videos of their performances =)))

Sadly, Teejay and Sandy is way waaaaay WAAAAAAAY beyond our budget. Aside from the rate of the acoustic band, they have a whopping out-of-town fee of 10k for The Mango Farm! Grabehan sa OOT fee!!! But they are reaaally good naman. And Teejay's Forevermore for the First Kiss, grabe. Sobrang perfect!

But anyway, I'm super happy with Madz and Dzhei! They were the only band recommended by our coordinator, Ayie of Imbitado Events, and they are one of the most booked bands in some wedding community polls (in tie with Infinite Soul Acoustic). Madz and Dzhei's renditions are really smooth and soothing! Ang angelic ng voice ni Madz! And super okay din si Dzhei. Ang ganda ganda ng kanta lalo pag duet sila! 

Perks of being a WaWie and Imbitado Bride-to-Be: Madz waived the OOT fee for The Mango Farm! She even gave a free guitarist for our quartet as a freebie for WaWies! YAYYYY! SUPER LOVE THEM! 

Tips to Brides-to-be: Wag mahiyang humingi ng discounts or freebies to suppliers, and always mention you are a WaWie (or a member of GT)!

Here's our Quartet + 1 = Quintet!

2 singers: Madz and Dzhei
Pianist
Violinist
Guitarist (WaWie freebie!)

Buuuut I'm a little worried though :( We are Protestant Reformed, and our Pastors and Elders specifically reminded (read: WARNED) us about the music we will use for our wedding. One of the last weddings we had in our church kase played music that were... a little too secular and worldly (Twerk It Like Miley ba naman kase hahaha and other RnB party songs). Medyo maraming church members na na-offend because of that, and my Dad (an Elder) was one of them. That's why Hero and I really pushed and alloted budget for a String Quartet. Absolutely no RnB music--just classic, jazz and bossa nova versions, or OPM classic love songs lang. I also limited the the instruments to piano, violin and guitar only, no drums or percussion para hindi maingay and magulo. We were also thinking nga na purely instrumental music only, no singers, but I feel na kulang :( I really want someone singing Forevermore for our first kiss hahahaha and may kumakanta on other songs. I believe naman that Madz and Dzhei's performance will be great on our wedding, and hopefully, wala namang maging any issues.

Another supplier down! :) Next year na kami ulit kami ka-karir sa preps!

XOXO,

Dream Wedding

As posted in Weddings@Work:

"We're Christians (Protestant Reformed) ni H2B, and ang weird lang kase before I got engaged, ang dream wedding ceremony ko talaga is sa Catholic Church. Para kaseng...legit na kasal yung feeling na big church, long aisle, waiting si groom sa altar. Siguro vision ko sya kase it's one thing I will never get to experience. Anyway, nag-roadtrip kami sa Calaruega ni H2B last Saturday and got this picture. Ito na ang pinaka-closure ko sa Catholic Church Wedding dream ko hihi. I'm having a garden ceremony by the way."

XOXO,

Florist: BOOKED!

Booked our Wedding Florist, 

Amelia Blossoms!

 

https://www.facebook.com/messages/ameliablossoms30

Amelia Blossoms was recommended by our OTD Coordinator, Ayie of Imbitado Events. I sent my pegs and headcount to the owner, Ms. Marinell and she customized a package for us. It was waaay beyond our alloted budget (since I didn't really want to spend too much on flowers) but thought the price was reasonable considering our headcount. 

Amelia Blossoms Package:

1) ​1 Bride

​Hand-tied clutch cascading / semi- cascading style bouquet

​-blush peonies, pink imported roses, pink hyacinth, white and green lisianthus ​with fillers and ivy leaves, holland eucalyptus foliages ​accented with cord lace.

2) 1 Groom

​Boutonniere

​-imported rose, white and green lisianthus with fillers and foliages.

3) 1 Maid of Honor

​Nosegay (mini-bouquet)

​-blush roses, succulent rose, rice flowers with fillers and foliages accented with the cord ​lace of color ​motif.​

4) ​1 Best man

​Boutonniere

​-single stem blush rose with fillers and foliages.

5) 9 Bride’s Maids (i'll have 7 BMs only, +1 for my deceased BM)

​Nosegay (mini-bouquet)

​-blush roses, succulent rose, rice flowers with fillers and foliages accented with ​the cord ​lace of color ​motif.

6) 8 Groom’s men (7 GM only)

​Boutonniere

​-single stem blush rose with fillers and foliages.

7) ​2 Mothers

​Nosegay (mini-bouquet)

​-blush roses, green carnations, rice flowers with fillers and foliages accented ​with the cord lace of color motif.

8.) 2 Fathers

​Bouttoniere

​-single stem blush rose with fillers and foliages.

9) Primary Sponsors (will have about 6 pairs only)

​8 Female

​Wrist Corsage

​-pink carnations, green carnationswith fillers and foliages accented with the ​cord lace of color motif.

​8 Male

​Boutonniere

​-single stem blush rose with fillers and foliages.

10) 3 Flower Girls

​Pomander

​-blush roses, rice flowers with fillers and foliages accented with the cord lace ​of color motif.

​Flower Crown

​-clustered two-toned pink carnations with foliages.

11) ​3 Bearers

​Boutonniere

​-single stem blush rose with fillers and foliages.

Freebies:

*Loose Petals

*Throwing bouquet

*Bridal car bouquet

Pegs: Wedding Flowers

Bridal Bouquet

Shades of pink pastel colors, cascading or semi-cascading

Mothers, MOH, and Bridemaid Mini-Bouquet

Shades of pastel colors

CREDITS: Full Blooms by Inah Anupol (Last 3 pictures)

Female Principal Sponsors

Wrist Corsage with Ribbon

Flower Girls

Pomander, shades of pink

Additional:
Wedding Ceremony Arch
Grabbed from: http://brideandbreakfast.ph/2015/10/03/let-love-grow/
Ceremony Setup: Full Blooms by Inah Anupol

XOXO,

Hair and Make Up Artist: BOOKED!

Booked our Wedding Hair and Make Up Artist, 

Val Villarin!

https://www.instagram.com/valvillarin/

https://www.facebook.com/val.villarin

val_villarin@hotmail.com

0906-370-1564

***Wedding Hair and Make Up Artist CHANGED:

http://theheroandthebridetobe.blogspot.com/2017/04/peaceofmind.html

Booked Mama Val during this week's WaW Online Bridal Fair 2. Super sulit deal plus he gave me additional free upgrades pa! Super okay kausap ni Mama Val and hindi ko inexpect na ibibigay nya na lang ng free yung mga tinanong kong for upgrade sana, considering na promo rate na yung nasa fair. No wonder he's very much loved by his WaW brides and brides-to-be! Can't wait to work with him!

Package Inclusions:

Airbrush Makeup for the Bride + retouch until start of ceremony only
Grooming for the Groom*
Four (4) pax Traditional HMU) 
Prenup HMU to be availed at Makeup Studio*

Upgrade Freebies:
Upgrade to Airbrush Makeup for the Groom
Upgrade to On-location Prenup HMU

Additional Service to avail:
Entourage Traditional HMU (WaWie rate of Php850/head)
Second Look for reception (nahiya na ako itanong kasi baka ibigay din na free hihi)

Presenting the recent gorgeous brides of Mama Val!

(All photos grabbed from Val Villarin's IG)

#ValVillarinBride

XOXO,