Videographer: BOOKED!

Booked our Videographer, 
IGS Cinema!


http://www.igscinema.com/
https://vimeo.com/lecigscinema

20 November  2016 UPDATE: 
Videographer: UNBOOKED, BOOKED!

But before I share my thoughts on IGS Cinema, ilalabas ko muna ang aking first wedding preps heartbreak. :(

My first and top choice for videographer was Vidlens. From the very start, sila talaga ang bet ko and kahit pa may iba silang SDEs na hindi masyadong gusto ni Hero, lagi ko silang pinagtatanggol na for the amount we are willing to pay (starts at 50k), they are the best among the rest na and kampante akong magiging maganda ang SDE namin. 

I first inquired in April. Then another inquiry in May. Hindi pa kase talaga kami makapag-finalize ng overall budget and feeling ko kelangan ko pang mag-check ng iba pang videographers. Then after the engagement, nung decided and settled na kami, I sent another message and ang bungad ko na sa kanila is we will book them na and direcho hingi na din ako ng account number. No need for meetups. I was that 100% sure. Only to receive an apology na they were no longer available on our wedding date. 

Nakakapanlumo. The top rated, highly recommended, most reasonably priced videographer in WaW, was already booked on my wedding date. Nadepress ako ng madami. :( Mga fifty. Pero... I had to move forward. Hindi ako pwede magdepress-depressan pa more dahil baka lalo akong maunahan sa iba pang options ko ng videographer. 

Lesson learned na lang talaga is, kung 100% sure ka na sa isang supplier, yun talagang sila yung gustong gusto mo and alam mo namang kahit sino pa ang itapat mo sa kanila e they will remain your top choice, BOOK THEM. GORA. NOW NA. WAG MO NANG IPAGPABUKAS PA. Especially if one client per day lang sila and peak season pa ang wedding mo. Wag ng mag-antay ng promo o bridal fair para makadiscount kung availability ang kalaban. Spare yourself the heartbreak. Go ahead and book.

Ang next on our shortlist: Dreamechanics Event Films. First inquiry ko pa lang back in May, ang last message nila was "We'll double check our availability first and get back to you the soonest." And that was it. And dahil isa sila sa shortlisted ko, I sent another message this July to ask if they are still available. SEENZONED. Hindi na ko binalikan on my first inquiry, then seenzoned on my second. Know what? I don't even regret not getting Dreamechanics. I loved SOME of their SDEs, yes. But it's either a hit or a total miss anyway. Hindi consistent. Tapos ganyan pa kahirap makausap? Communication is very important to me as a client. Kung maganda ang gawa nyo pero sobrang papasakitin nyo ang ulo ko, NO THANKS.

I looked for other options in GT and in WaW, pero ang hirap talaga :( Then I asked our Photographer, Rex of We Do It For Love kung sino ang marerecommend nya:

Ian Cruz
Starts at 75k - SDE only. Free aerial and slomo.

Ghe Consolasion
Starts at 80k - SDE + short film (10-12 mins). + 10k for aerial.

IGS Cinema (Lec Magbanua)
Packages at 50k, 55k, and 60k.
Inspire Package (60k) - SDE, Ceremony highlights (10-15 mins), Reception highlights (30-40 mins). Free aerial.

Obviously, hindi pasok sa banga ang first two. And budget wise, even if kaya naman i-push, I would probably go for other videographers like Aisle 1401 and The Spark Series. And syempre my ultimate dream videographer, Bob Nicolas HAHAHAHAHAHA =))))) But op op op, budget bride tayo, we need to stick to the budget. :)

IGS Cinema has the closest rate with Vidlens. And dahil tropa si Lec and Rex, nahiritan pa ni Rex si Lec to give us a discount on his Inspire Package! Yay!!!

Sobrang bilis lang namin nag-decide to get him, like 3 days ganon. Haha. Dahil depressed ako with Vidlens and panic mode na baka booked na din ibang videographers, I asked Hero na sya na ang mag-marathon ng SDEs ni IGS and ako, I watched only a few. What Hero and I liked about them is their consistency (unlike other videographers na hit or miss). So far wala akong napanood na SDE na hindi ko nagustuhan or napangitan ako. Their SDEs are...okay. So aside from it is the most affordable option among all my other shortlisted videographers, it is also a safe choice. Hindi nga lang ako masyadong umaasang it will be suuuuper ganda, or with wow factor, or yung mapapa-awww ka na SDE, but confident naman akong the output will be okay. Malay mo naman they can deliver beyond expectations, then that would be awesome! Pero ayoko lang din madisappoint in the end so better manage my expectations now. Basta I'm sure na whatever happens, we will have a great SDE :)

Vidlens... you are the supplier that got away. 
But I'm sure IGS Cinema will do well on our wedding. :)

XOXO,

Venue: BOOKED!

Booked our Ceremony and Reception Venue, 
The Mango Farm!


http://themangofarm.com/

After 3 months of venue hunting, nauwi kami sa only venue where i felt the dizizit feeling! 

It was extra special pa because my Daddy, Mommy, Ate, and Super Friends (entourage) were there when we booked the venue! I'm happy they got to see the farm and I could feel that my parents really loved the place! 

Sa susunod na pagbalik ko dito with my Daddy and Mommy, it's gonna be on my wedding day!

I'm sooo sooo happy!!!!! 

XOXO,

Venue Hunting Part 2

See Venue Hunting Part 1:
http://theheroandthebridetobe.blogspot.com/2016/06/venue-hunting-part-1.html

July 10:

Eugenio Lopez Center

July 12:
Valley Golf and Country Club
Sitio Elena
Emperor Event Center
Castillo Royale 

July 16:
Oasis Manila
UP Bonsai Garden

Eugenio Lopez Center

PROS: 

Eugenio Lopez Center... how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

- The view is beautiful! As in overlooking Manila! 

- The dining hall is okay. Maganda. Hindi ko napicturan and masyadong napuna dahil napa-wow nga ako agad sa view sa labas haha.

- It's basically a hotel with suites and rooms! Okay din ang rooms though medyo maliit. Super convenient na same venue lang ang preps, ceremony and reception!

- Madaming area for pictorial, including the bangin kung saan nagtakbuhan si Yna at Angelo (Kathniel) ng Pangako Sa'yo =)))) Super mageenjoy si P/V sa sobrang daming magandang location all around the venue for pictorial and video!

CONS: 

The one and only deal breaker: No garden ceremony area. :( Well meron naman pero it's not where and what and how I want it to be :(

Option 1: Round view deck - this used to be a helipad. Dito rin yung nakita kong previous ceremony and medyo maliit sya. It's also sementado, and all I want is a garden ceremony with green grass! Tapos medyo may mga puno dun sa viewdeck obstructing the view of the Manila skyline. Kung wala yung puno, baka medyo na-consider ko pa.

Option 2: Terrace - perfect view! But it's so maliit. Okay lang syang cocktail area.

Option 3: The new Helipad - with grass all around, na pwede ko ng i-consider KASO walang stairs paakyat and pababa sa area. Literal na parang trek sya ng konti and kumusta naman daw ang mga Principal Sponsors and Seniors na pupunta sa ceremony.

Option 4: The mini soccer field. No. Just no. It's beside the road, the tennis court and the basketball court. Plus hindi sya patag. I can't even imagine my ceremony here. :|

PESO POWER: 

Php90,000 inclusive of overnight stay, use of venue for 4 hours, massage (forgot the details), and applicable corkage fees.

VERDICT: 

NO.

 

Valley Golf

PROS: 

MY DREAM GOLF COURSE WEDDING! Plus the venue rental is only P10k! Kung pwede lang sa golf course, dito na talaga kami! I'm sure we could find a member! Imagiiiine 10k for a glass hall in a golf course, good for 150 pax! Pak na pak!

CONS: 

We cannot hold the ceremony at the golf course--or at ANY part of the golf course. And yes, we need a sponsor. Not just a resident at Valley Golf, but a legit member of the golf club. Also, sooooobrang layo nya sa kabihasnan! We might have some guests who would be commuting so we need to consider that as well. 

PESO POWER: 

Php10,000. 

VERDICT: 

NO.

Sitio Elena

PROS: 

It's a great reception hall with great amenities. Plus the AE Joan is really really nice and accommodating. Nagkita pa kami sa bridal fair and nagchikahan pa kami!

CONS: 

No garden. No ceremony area. Overpriced. 

PESO POWER: 

Php95,000

VERDICT: 

NO.

Oasis Manila

PROS: 

The Orchard Hall is okay. Price is also okay. Very convenient location.

CONS: 

TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. Before coming, I texted my contact Marione if it is possible for us to use the Garden for our ceremony. If ever kase, we will only book Orchard which is good for 150 pax but of course we need to use the garden for our ceremony. The Garden is adjacent to the Pavillion and she said it will be awkward for the client who booked Pavillion if there will be another couple having their ceremony at the garden beside their hall. Well, Marione could have just told us directly that it's a NO instead of encouraging us to visit them personally that day as they have an ongoing promo daw for walk-in clients.

Anyway, we were running out of options and that's the ONLY reason why we already considered Oasis. It was never on my shortlist due to the numerous negative reviews. Yes, madami talaga (and detailed ang ibang reviews, if you research well, AND I SUGGEST YOU RESEARCH WELL). 

PESO POWER: 

Php60,000 for Orchard

Php85,000 for Verandah

Php90,000 for Pavillion (with garden)

+ Php30,000 corkage for non-accredited suppliers.

VERDICT: 

NO because of all the negative reviews. A second NO because there's no garden for the ceremony. And a third NO for being inconsiderate to potential clients.

I will no longer review Emperor Event Center and Castillo Royale. They were never in our shortlist, but we checked them out anyway since we were already in the area. It's a flat NO for both venues. 

For UP Bonsai Garden, uh, we went there pero hanggang labas lang, we didn't even bother to go inside kase sobrang chaka ng labas. We felt the area was unsafe because of all the children and residents na naglalaro and nagkalat on the streets. I assume the parking would be just on the side of the road and ang hirap lang ng hindi well guarded and secured ang area. Just saying. :|

Updates on other venues on my list:

Sun Valley Estates - called again to inquire about the rates and office hours since we were planning to do another ocular and hopefully book them on the spot (if they will allow us to book without a sponsor). Unfortunately, they no longer rent out the Promenade hall daw and they insisted that we need a sponsor. So we are now officially crossing this our our list :(

Jardin de Miramar - Went to the Rizal Bridal Fair in SM Taytay on July 15. We asked for a quote, hoping to score a great discount (dahil bridal fair) that would make us choose Jardin over Mango Farm. The lady who assisted us, unfortunately, was, matapobre. May unang babaeng nag-aassist samen but apparently, she doesn't know anything about the rates and the venues and kept on asking this other lady from across the table to answer all our questions. This lady, who was all alta and glamorousa, looked irrirated but managed to put on a smile when she approached us. Hero felt that we were being judged that were just inquiring and it's a waste of time to explain everything to us since we don't look like we're gonna book anyway. She quoted us Php119,000 for Sevilla and Estacion (without any bridal fair discounts, and inclusive of all corkages that she didn't even bother to explain). I've inquired thru email and I've been to Jardin de Miramar. I've been quoted waaay less and the others na nakausap ko answered my emails, and accommodated us politely when we visited Jardin. Sobrang nakaka-turn off lang talaga si ate, and that was the final straw for us to cross out Jardin de Miramar from our list.

So finally.... after 3 months of venue hunting, it looks like we're left with no other choice but...

The Mango Farm! Ang tanong... available pa kaya? 

Will go there again this weekend, and sana... available pa! =)))

Why not call now, confirm now, book now? Kung para sa'min, ibibigay. Kung hindi, then maybe, kelangan namin mag-consider ng other options. :)

CURRENT RANKING:

1. The Mango Farm
2. Eugenio Lopez Center
3. L'Orchard
4. Le Blanc 
5. Jardin de Miramar
6. Oasis Manila
7. Sitio Elena
8. Sun Valley Estates
9. Valley Golf
10. UP Bonsai Garden
11. Camp Aguinaldo

XOXO,

Photographer: BOOKED!

Booked our Photographer, We Do It For Love! 

http://wedoitforlove.net/ 


All pictures below grabbed from the 
We Do It For Love Facebook Page

We Do it For Love is a WaW find. Ang hinahanap kase namin ni Hero is a specific style in color grading. Yung soft and light pero may buhay. Hindi yung kulay point and shoot lang. Syempre post-processing naman yun but ang preferred na namin is yung photographer who process their pictures that way. Andami sanang okay din na photographers who are super pasok sa budget but yung color grading ang problem namin (Ram Marcelo, NQ, Efjay de Leon, Sunday Morning Studios). And marami ding okay na photographers na super perfect sana but are way out of our budget (Manny and April, CamZar, Bob and Zab, Ruffa and Mike). Then, I found We Do It For Love.

With Rex, the owner and main photographer, inquiry pa lang, mafee-feel mong he's trying to make a connection. Yung makakausap mo sya ng super casual lang and magaan agad ang loob mo. He will also try to work around your budget so you can meet halfway para win-win kayo pareho. Sa kulay, it's exactly how we want our pictures to come out. Soft, happy, and light. After my first inquiry, marami pa akong ibang tiningnan na photographers but they remained on top of our list. Eventually, Hero and I decided to finally go for him. We got a greeeat discount and a really good deal kaya gorang gora talaga kami and meet agad the following weekend! When we met him, I found out that it's actually his wife pala who answers all emails and inquiries hahaha. But personally, Rex is very humble, pleasant and chill lang. Makaka-joke and jive mo sya so at least before our shoot medyo tanggal na yung awkward and hiya feels. Andami nya din agad inputs and suggestions na nabigay samin and he's also very open to all our ideas. So far, no regrets naman kami ni Hero that we chose him! Excited for our prenup shoot next year! 

Our package includes:

- Engagement Shoot and Wedding Day

- 10x15 42 page coffee table book

- 300 pcs post-processed 4r prints

- 12x8 16 page signature book

- 16x19 blow u portrait on canvas

- Raw and edited files in DVD

- 3 photographer set-up

- Aerial photography

- Onsite photo slideshows

XOXO,

Caterer: BOOKED!

Booked our Caterer, M Catering and Fine Foods!

 www.mcatering.ph/

Our AE is Camille, and so far I'm super happy with her and with M's customer service! Masarap ang food, sobrang daling kausap, and madaming freebies!

What's on our menu?
(2) Welcome Drinks*
(2) Appetizers (originally 1 only, +1 free)*
Soup
Salad
(2) Pasta (originally 1 sauce only, +1 free but half-half)*
Beef or Pork Carving Station
Chicken
Fish
Vegetable
(5) Desserts (originally 2 only, +3 free)*
Coffee*

*freebies, not included in M's original package


Additional Freebies I got:
- Use of ghost chairs for all guests (including the ceremony)
- 3-layer bridal cake
- Photowall
- Corkage for any venue (we don't have a venue yet, but M confirmed that they will shoulder the corkage for any venue)


Additional Service I availed:
- Garden Ceremony Setup (which I got at half the price!)

Additional freebies other M Brides got that I didn't:
- +1 carving station (both beef and pork for main course)
- Bridal Car
- Paella Station
- Host
- Mobile Bar
- Ceremony Setup

Sana makahirit pa ko next time sa kanila ng additional freebies. Though I think isa na ko sa mga M brides with the most freebies hihi. Mahirap naman maging abusado, baka mamaya bawiin sa ibang bagay wag naman sana! Haha!

Will create a separate post for the Food Tasting :)

XOXO,