Santos-Tizon Supplier Ratings Part 2

Hair and Make-Up: Val Villarin (with Mike and Butch on the day)
Peso Power: 15k Package
Rating: 5++++++++++

Val is one of our favorite suppliers --siguro, in terms of kung sino ang mga pinaka-okay at pinakamasayang katrabaho during the preps and on the day, sila ni Kuya Bernie of Nice Print ang magkalevel. Sa Number 1 spot. hehehe. Never had any problems dealing with Val from Day 1. He's very mabait and considerate but he's also very professional. Like I said in my first post, Val is an ANGEL talaga. I swear. He was so patient on the day of the wedding kasi nagkakagulo na. I don't want to get into embarassing details about things that happened on that day kasi nahihiya na ako kay Val as it is but he was super understanding about the whole thing. Sabi na lang nya sa akin, wag mo na isipin yun kasi busy na tayong lahat, ganon talaga. Because nalate nga ako sa church because of the car, very late na kami natapos and they had to beg off attending the reception kasi super jampacked ang sked nya the following day. Pero in recognition of his skills, I don't think I needed retouches during the reception kasi ang galing talaga ni Val.

Another thing that I want to emphasize about Val is his skill. Background kwento muna. About 2 1/2 weeks before the wedding, I had my make-up done by somebody na I will not mention anymore kasi ayoko naman mangsisi. Basta, I didn't mention this in w@w at that time kasi I didn't want the story to reach the HMUA who did it, kasi I really didn't want to offend her naman kasi she was really mabait to me. Anyway, so she did my make-up and in the process, trimmed my eyebrows. I told her not to trim them na lang kasi Val just shaved them a few weeks back for my prenup pictorial and my wedding was in a couple of weeks anyway. Pero tinuloy pa rin nya, assuring me na she was just cleaning them up. Ok. Now, I never, ever mess with my eyebrows precisely because I was afraid I'd ruin them by shaving too close. I really hate the super thin brows that some women sport. Besides, my glasses usually cover naman my brows so I never bother talaga. Anyway, after this event, I washed off my make-up and imagine my horror when I looked at the mirror. Sobrang nipis na ng kilay ko! Thinner than I've ever seen them in my life. On hindsight, they were probably not as horrible as I remember them but at that time, I felt really ugly. Sabi ko sa fiance ko, ang pangit pangit ko na, hindi yan tutubo in time for the wedding! Sobrang iyak ko talaga. Kasi medyo hindi pantay yung pagkakashave. Hindi naman gaanong halata na hindi pantay but I was super upset already kaya hindi na ako rational. Sabi ni Xian, it's okay. Wag ka mag-alala, si Val ang bahala dyan. Maniwala ka, hindi mahahalata yan pag inayusan ka na ni Val. Basta, cry to death talaga ako nun. Siguro, sadyang loka-loka lang ako talaga. :-P

Anyway, on THE day, ayun, nagconfide na nga ako kay Val about how upset I was. He assured me na it was okay. Sya na daw bahala mag-ayos. Medyo naloka din sya nang konti dun sa kwento ko. Pero talagang professional all the way, kahit na nagkwento ako ng experience ko dun sa isang HMUA, he never said anything offensive about the other artist. Sabi lang nya, medyo mabagal gumawa yun artist (nakita kasi niya). Pero all the time, nagkukuwento ako, wala syang sinabing nega. At, true enough, you'd never see from my face on the day na just a couple of weeks back, feeling ko pangit ako on my wedding day. Ang gaan ng kamay nya at ang bilis gumawa. Galing!

May funny story pa. Kasi on the day, unang dumating si Butch, may dalang malalaking briefcase. Kala ng FIL ko, photographer. Aliw na aliw siya nung nalaman nya, make-up artist pala si Butch. hehehe. By the way, those considering Val's 15k package, irequest nyo si Butch kasi bukod sa pagiging make-up artist, magaling pa magdirek ng shots. Ang galing nung mga suggestions nya sa mga poses. Hehehe.

Si Mike naman, super efficient din and funny. Ang saya nilang kasama. Biruan kami nang biruan. Ang kulit!!! It also helped that Val and Kuya Bernie have previously worked together kaya ang kwela ng atmosphere dun sa room namin. Kulitan sila nang kulitan. Kaya kahit maraming mga kaguluhan ang nangyayari sa paligid, ayun, tawa lang kami nang tawa. Kumbaga sa Tekken Tag, best tag team sa lahat ng suppliers ko si Val at si Kuya Bernie. :-)

Photo/Video: NicePrint Photo
Peso Power: 30k Rating: (Breakdown ko rin)

Prenup Service (from Contract Signing to Prenup Pictorials) : 5++++
Our contact person was Judith --sa kanya kami nagbayad ng DP sa isang Bridal Fair sa Gamol. This was shortly after Sis Thea signed up with NicePrint and had her prenups. Magaling magbenta si Judith. Hehehe. Anyway, hindi naman kami nagkaproblema with them at all. As soon as we found out that Kuya Bernie was the best in Ms. Charisse's (the owner) team, syempre, nirequest namin na sya ang photographer namin. Salamat naman na we got our request. Yung scheduled first prenup namin, hindi natuloy dahil bumagyo. Akala ko, masasayang ang make-up sa akin ni Val. Ang prenup namin tuloy, naging production meeting sa Gamol. Tapos, Kuya Bernie kindly offered na mag-studio prenups na lang muna kami para hindi naman masayang ang oras. Sabi rin nya, if we still have time, we can still have yung outdoor shoot na pictorial. Cool. Sabi ko, Kuya, tanga-tanga ako magpose ha? Ikaw na bahala. Ayun, he made us so comfortable that our session turned out well naman. Yung outdoor session namin was fun din. We got our CDs din kaagad.

On The Day Service: 5+++++ They arrived on time. Medyo magulo nga lang kami sa suite pero hindi naman nila kasalanan dahil talagang MADAMING TAO nun. The videographers (naku, sorry, I forgot their names, ang bad ko!) were unobtrusive. I hardly noticed them!

Natatawa ako sa comment ng mga tao kay Tata, kamukha daw siya ni Vhong Navarro. Tapos, napansin ko nga nung post-ceremony pics. Parang feeling ko tuloy, anytime, kakanta sya ng "Anong meron ang taong happy?" hahaha!!! :-))) Sayang talaga, kasi madilim na nung natapos kami. We missed a lot of shots na kami lang ni Xian sa facade ng church kasi wala na talagang natural light nun. Hirap na to get good shots. We managed to get a few, though.

Other Inclusions: Guestbook: 4.5
Hindi nasundan yung gusto naming lay-out pero it turned out okay naman.

AVP: 3.5 lang.
On a suggestion by Kuya Bernie, we deliberately picked out long shots from our prenup shoot together with close ups kasi sayang nga naman nag-location pa kami tapos puro mukha lang namin makikita??? May punto, di ba? So we specifically requested a shot beside the signage in the UP School of Economics kasi that's where we met. Tapos, pagdating ng AVP, all the shots were cropped!!! E di hindi nakita yung signage, which was the entire point of the shot! Haller??!! It was nicely done naman, considering the effects and timing sa music, pero we were not very happy with the cropping they did.

Thank You tags: 5

Signature Frame: 4.5
Maganda sana pagkakagawa and lay-out kaya lang medyo hindi matibay ang frame na ginamit. The following day, natanggal yung isang side ng frame. Buti na lang at may pagka-MacGyver ang FIL ko, ewan ko kung saan nakahagilap ng kung anong super glue at ayun good as new na.

Tarpaulin: 5

I would just like to give a separate rating for Kuya Bernie as the Main Photographer: 5+++++++++++++

Post-Wedding Service: (subject to change) 2.50 (as of 01 April 2008)

Why? Due to a really, really hectic sked, we only managed to pick up our raw photos February na. We had to wait over an hour because they didn't have it ready yet. Or it was supposed to be ready pero wala dun sa box ng CDs nila for pick up. They had to burn it again for us. Tapos, our video wasn't ready yet. Sabi ni Judith (who was there), malapit na raw, ite-text na lang kami. Awa ng Diyos, April na, wala pa rin kaming text na natatanggap.

Bridal and Ento Gowns: New Yorker PVR
Peso Power: 25k
Rating: 5

Thanks to Mushi, Cecile and Kaye for recommending this supplier! New Yorker was perfect for me, kasi sobrang convenient puntahan yung shop nila. Since my ento was kalat all over the country (one was based in Laguna, one in Cavite, one in Cagayan de Oro, one in Baguio), I didn't want them to exert extra effort pa to go to Divi kung pwede naman sila sa Makati pumunta, di ba?

I didn't set an appointment with Tina. I just walked in one day tapos ayun, 2 hours na kaming nag-usap! I had no intention of booking her nung nagdecide ako pumunta, basta, iche-check out ko lang kasi na-curious ako. Pero once we started talking, ayun, dere-derecho na. We agreed on a lot of things kaya I knew then that she was the supplier for me. I gave her my budget (kasi sabi nina Mushi, you just give her the budget and she'll work around it), which was really, really small --not even the budget for an entire gown for other designers! Imagine my relief when she said, okay, I can work with this. She also gave me sobrang daming tips and she convinced me to change my motif para mas bagay sa mga abay ko because they all have different complexions, and the one I originally wanted would have been not only too dark for some of my secondary sponsors, but would also look too heavy for the interior of the church and the reception venue.

Although I guess every girl dreams of a fancy princess-type gown on her wedding day, I knew that I was short and didn't have curves kaya I didn't have the body type to carry these type of gowns. Also, I didn't want to spend too much on a gown I would wear for 8 hours at most then keep in a box forever. :-) I just wanted to look like a bride. Period. I also wanted something for my ento na they can wear again for other occasions.

I loved my gown. Simple lang pero hindi naman sobrang simple. I also didn't want anything too trendy na tipong after 5 years, titingnan mo sa picture, tapos sasabihin mo, "What the heck was I thinking???!!!" kasi hindi na uso... hehehe. Also, I didn't want anything elaborate because that wasn't me! With a small frame, anything na sobrang beaded or lacy or had too many details would look "too busy" and overwhelm me!

My mother loved her gown. And that's saying something. My mom is very hard to please. Especially because nananahi din siya.

Ibang case naman sa MIL ko, kasi we (as in kaming lahat ng family ni Xian) had to convince her na bagay sa kanya yung design nung gown nya nung sketch palang. Medyo body-conscious kasi yun. Pero nung suot nya na, ayun, natuwa na sya! Covered na yung kanyang "areas of concern". Hehehe.

Ang common comment ng karamihan ng ento ko, ang sarap sa balat nung tela ng gown nila...hehehe. Sobrang simple lang talaga yung gowns nila, dinaan lang nina Tina sa beadwork tsaka details. I wanted it na rin to be my token for them since I didn't have a budget for ento tokens anymore (kids lang nabigyan ko), di at least they can wear it for other occasions.

I also didn’t expect naman sobrang bonggang gowns nga because my budget was really small so I was pleasantly surprised with how the gowns turned out.

I also just had the gowns delivered to Somerset on the day para wala na kaming maraming dala.

Other inclusions:
Ring and coin pillows, pouches for moms and ento, secondary veil, free use of mannequin

Other freebie ni Tina: Preps dress. This was a bit of a disappointment. The dress was nice enough, but it didn't fit!!! It was as if it was made for one of my secondary sponsors who's more than a few inches thinner than me. It was sobrang sikip! I swear! When I wore it, tawa kami nang tawa kasi hindi talaga kasya. I could hardly breathe. The dress had no zippers. I was able to wear it but I couldn't take it off anymore. Mike had to help me tear it along the side with a razor so I could get it off. Sayang tuloy pero we were all just laughing hysterically all the time. Anyway, ok lang. pangbreak ng tension. Kaso I didn't prepare a robe or anything kasi I was prepared to wear this dress nga. Buti na lang may sleeveless ako na blouse and capri pants (ok na rin kasi I didn't want the usual bride-in-a-robe photos).

My only other disappointment was that Tina didn't come to dress me herself, considering na nasa Makati rin lang ako. Pero okay pa rin lang kasi overall, I was very happy with the service I got and the gowns. I had no problems coordinating with Tina and Charina, her assistant with whatever concerns I had.

Flowers: Mang Boy Mahusay of Jarielle's Flower Shop, Stall #16, Dangwa
Peso Power: 8k
Rating: 5++++++

Loved my bouquet! Tunay na mahusay talaga si Mang Boy. Wala na akong masasabi na hindi pa nasasabi ng libo-libong w@wies na yata na bride nya. Maaga dumating ang flowers, kaya lang naligaw sila kasi nakalimutan magdaan ng mapa sa kanya. Higit sa lahat, hinanapan pa nya ako ng ribbon na swak sa color ng motif ko. Wala kasi sila nun on stock, sabi ko maghahanap ako pero hindi rin ako nakakita. On the day, surprise, surprise! Nakahanap sya!

Medyo mabigat lang yung mga wrist corsage, sabi ng mga secondary sponsors ko, pero okay pa rin. Lahat ng napag-usapan namin on the day that we went there (thanks to Judy, for accompanying us pala), natupad.

Part 3 of Supplier Ratings: Velvet Mood Musicale, Joy San Gabriel, Somerset Salcedo

Santos-Tizon Supplier Ratings Part 1

Eto ang aking rating scale:

5 – Exceeded Expectations
4 – Excellent pa rin
3 – Met Expectations lang
2 – Pwedeng Pagtiyagaan
1 – Please, wag nang kunin

Anyway, here they are:

Church: Nuestra Señora de Gracia, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City
Peso Power: 10k for a weekday afternoon December wedding

Pre-wedding service Rating : 5+++
Pre-Cana Counseling and Interview. Sobra kaming natuwa ni Xian dun sa Pre-Cana Counseling (Cost us extra P500) kasi ang dami naming natutunan. Nakakaaliw yung mga Kuya and Ate dun na nagseseminar kasi pag narinig mo yung mga kuwento nila, alam mo na may karapatan silang mag-counsel kasi ang dami na nilang napagdaanan. At seryoso sila sa assessment nila sa inyo. If they feel that you are not ready to get married, di nila kayo bibigyan ng certificate. Kakatawa din yung Family Planning Seminar nila kasi talagang galit na galit sila sa artificial family planning. Hehehe. Yung Interview naman, nakakatawa din kasi 10 mins lang kami in-interview ni Fr. Vic.

On-the-Day Rating: 5+++

Sa lahat ng mga nasusungitan sa mga manang ng NSDG, ang masasabi ko lang, alam nila ang kanilang ginagawa. Hehehe. As I previously posted, I was 45 mins late for my wedding because the bridal car broke down (more on this later) on the way to church. Lahat ng mga manang, natense dahil ang officiating priest namin ay si Fr. Vic Amplayo, yung NSDG parish priest. Kilalang sumpungin daw si Fr. Vic kaya tensiyonado na sila nung hindi pa ako dumadating. Sila pa nga ang nagpakalma sa MIL ko kasi naprapraning na sya nung di pa kami dumadating. But other than that, lahat ng kailangan problemahin sa church, sila ang nag-ayos. Sila ang nagdistribute ng misalettes, sa kanila ang commentator, sila pa nga nagprovide nung pin for the secondary veil kasi nakalimutan naming magdala! Everything at church went well, walang hitches nor glitches sa flow ng ceremony. In fact, sobrang naaliw yung guests namin kasi sobrang dramatic daw ng entrance ko. Sayang lang dahil may 6 o’clock mass so we had the picture-taking sa façade na lang ng church.

Officiating Priest: Fr. Vicente Amplayo, NSDG Parish Priest
Rating: 5+

Considering na sumpungin daw talaga sya (according sa mga kwento-kwento) at masungit, ang bait-bait nya sa amin kahit na-late ako. Ang bungad ko sa kanya nung nilapitan nya ako before the mass para makapag-confess ako, “Forgive me, Father, for I am late.” Hehehe. Buti na lang, natawa sya at hindi ako binatukan. O di ba, quotable talaga yung pambungad ko sa kanya dahil nagamit nya pa yun sa homily??!!! Tawa nga ng tawa yung mga bisita namin nung naghomily na sya. Tapos tinatanong nila ako kung sinabi ko daw ba talaga yun o joke lang ni Fr. Vic...hehehe. He gave a beautiful homily. Since advent nga at ang advent ay panahon ng waiting, gamit na gamit nya ang tema for our nuptial mass dahil lahat nga sila ay naghintay sa akin...hahaha!!!

Reception Venue: Lepanto Penthouse
Peso Power: 14k for one day use, including electricity na yan. Extra 1,500 if you request to use the boardroom.
Rating: 4

I got mixed reviews for this venue. Naaliw ang mga friends ni Xian sa place. Papano daw namin nahanap yung place? Syempre sabi ko, thru my w@w community. Aside from Eloquente’s flowers and set-up, may mga Christmas décor din naman yung place. Will make sure that I post a photo of the set-up in my multiply site para makita nyo. Yung iba ko namang friends, naloka kasi sobrang sikip nga during the reception! Anyway, we wanted a small, closed venue, in case it rained, somewhere in Makati na kaya ng bulsa namin. Lepanto met all the criteria plus hindi naman mahirap kausap si Ms. Reby. Nirequest namin na buksan yung boardroom for storage lang ng gifts, we paid extra 500 for that pero hindi naman binuksan. I’m rating it 4 na rin kasi sobrang sulit yung view ng Makati skyline from the patio.

To w@wies considering this venue, please be advised na talagang maliit sya. I would recommend the place for couples who want an intimate wedding and who have at most 120 guests. Kasi kahit sabi ni Ms. Reby (Bldg Administrator/Contact Person) na sakto lang sa 150 pax, masikip siya talaga at noon lang namin narealize na ganun nga sya talaga kaliit.

Catering: Eloquente Catering
Peso Power: Anthurium Package, P360 per head for 150 pax

One of our favorite suppliers, Eloquente exceeded our expectations with regards to the quality and amount of food (according to my friends and relatives, masarap daw… di naman kasi namin natikman halos ni Xian…I’m sure you can all relate.).

Set-up Rating: 4

Ang ganda ng set-up nila sa Lepanto. Although hindi nasunod yung pinag-usapan namin ni Lynn na calla lilies ang centerpiece (kasi nga dark wood paneling sa Lepanto kaya gusto ko sana light colors yung gagamitin nila sa set-up) kasi they used maroon and yellow gold mums, ok na rin kasi natuwa naman ang guests. Yung pinag-usapan din naming lay-out ng tables ay hindi nasunod kaya naloka yung friends kong nag-coord ng reception pagdating nila dun kasi iba na po ang lay-out! Buti na lang, mabilis mag-isip ang aking friends at naayos naman. Ang problema lang dun sa lay-out, may ibang guests na hindi kami makita dahil iba na nga yung pwesto ng table namin.

Quality and Quantity of Food: 5+++

Ang pinaka-importante sa amin ni Xian, walang nagreklamo sa food at walang nagutom. I am unable to personally rate all the food kasi nga wala naman kami halos nakain. I am basing my rating on what I tasted after the wedding at sa comments ng friends. Natuwa kami kasi most of our guests were very satisfied naman with the food. Xian’s family were also super happy with the food at hindi sila makapaniwala kung magkano lang binayad namin for the food. Higit sa lahat, marami kaming nauwing food after the wedding. Sarap nung tuna and beef fettuccine!

Service: 4

I am giving them a 4 because some of my friends complained na one of the servers was masungit sa kanila kaya yung iba hindi na bumalik sa buffet table. But other than her (I forgot to get her name), the head waiter and his partner (loveteam pa sila… hehehe.) and everyone else on their team that day provided excellent service. Prompt sila sa pag-accommodate ng mga request namin. Medyo nagkagulo rin kami sa payment kasi hindi nasabi ni Lynn, AE ko, na nabayaran na namin yung 70% a month before. Nagdeposit lang kasi kami sa bank kaya wala kaming receipt. Buti na lang at dala namin ni Xian an gaming trusty Jollibee expandable envelope at naipakita namin kay Virgie (yung ka-loveteam ni Head Waiter) ang deposit slip. Nahiya din si Lynn dahil nakalimutan nya sabihin kay Virgie yung tungkol dun sa payment. Di kasi nakarating si Lynn sa reception ko at textmates lang kami nun. Ok naman at naayos din in the end.

Rings: Suarez Wedding Rings
Peso Power: PM me na lang po
Rating: 5+++++

Sobrang love namin ang aming wedding bands! Xian and I wanted simple wedding bands we could wear all the time without being worried about stones. We booked them about a week after he proposed. Dun kasi sya bumili ng engagement ring ko at Suarez din ang supplier ng best friend/best man nya for THEIR wedding rings so wala nang kwestyon kung saan kami bibili ng singsing. What we love about Suarez is that sobrang sulit ang binayad mo! Ang bigat ng mga rings namin! Nagulat din kami kasi we got curious about another popular ring supplier here at nag-inquire kami sa kanila. They have surprisingly similar designs as that of Suarez pero mas mabigat yung sa Suarez.

Higit sa lahat, pwede ang lay-away plan! Tapos ang bait-bait pa ng mga staff nila… sina Cristy at Ann ang lagi naming kausap. Nung nagbook kasi ako, wala pa akong napiling design but they assured me na I will still get the 2006 prices kahit 2007 na ako makapili ng design. Lahat tuloy ng friends ko who are planning to propose, o naghahanap na ng wedding rings, sa Suarez ko nirerefer! Hehehe.

Next Post. Part 2 po of Supplier Ratings: Val Villarin, Nice Print Photo, New Yorker PVR, Mang Boy Mahusay