Santos-Tizon Supplier Ratings Part 4

Finally, last na ito.

Bride's Shoes: Abbylyn's

Peso Power: P1,250

Rating: 5+++

Naaliw talaga ako dito kasi when I brought my wedding shoes to New Yorker, swak na swak yung beadwork na ginawa nila sa shoes ko dun sa gown ko. They were very helpful and machika. Madaling kausap. Hehehe. Marami nga daw naaliw dun sa beadwork ng shoes ko, pinagaya.

Groom's Shoes: Bristol

Peso Power: P2,850.00

Rating:

Naku, hindi ko naman ma-rate ito kasi wala si Xian right now. La naman sya complaint. The problem is, laid back kasi ang style ni Xian kaya hindi nya ginagamit sa office yung shoes. Actually, hindi na nya ulit nagamit. Sayang nga, kasi maganda naman. Masyado lang formal.

Bridal Car: c/o Eloquente
Peso Power: dapat P3,500.00
Rating: ayoko nang i-rate

Eto lang ang nakasira sa supplier ratings ko kasi ito lang ang nagpasakit ng ulo ko. I purposely did not mention this in my ratings for Eloquente nor do I blame them kasi supplier lang din naman nila ito. I even forgot to get the name of the supplier because I wanted to forget it na.

Originally, we were supposed to use my friend Ferdi's black Volks beetle as my bridal car. Pero nagprotesta ang mga parents dahil itim daw at baka daw mag-breakdown kasi luma, etc. Siyempre, pinagbigyan na namin sila dahil ok naman sila with everything else (kasi kami ang nag-budget, kami ang nagplan at kami ang nagbayad for everything, higit sa lahat) except for that. So, para hindi na marami ang kausap namin, we told Lynn, our contact in Eloquente, that we were going to avail of their bridal car na. Ok naman, dumating nang maaga. Ok naman din ang hitsura at ang aircon. Medyo luma na nga pero ok na rin. Hindi naman ako particular, I just wanted to get to church. Period. O di ba, pagdating namin sa JP Rizal, just before Rockwell, biglang tumigil. Ayaw na daw kumagat nung clutch! Hello naman, di ba? Dapat nasa magandang kondisyon ang sasakyan bago umalis di ba? Naawa rin kami dun sa driver kasi bata pa sya at mukhang bago lang. Taranta na rin sya e. Besides, wala namang may gusto dun sa nangyari. Hay naku, to make a long story short, someone had to pick me up from there para makarating ako sa church. Syempre, Ferdi to the rescue, kaya lang, hindi yung Volks ang dala nya.

After the Mass, paglabas namin, nakita namin iba na ang bridal car namin at iba na rin ang driver, si Mang Tony. He explained na he got the call daw kaagad to replace our original bridal car kaya lang, sa Intramuros pa sya galing. Bawing-bawi naman yung pinalit nila (may skylight pa, sosyal!) kaso nalate pa rin ako sa Mass at sa labas na nga kami ng simbahan nag-picture-taking. Hay naku talaga!!! Makulit si Mang Tony tsaka damang-dama namin ang apology nung company kasi talagang sorry sya nang sorry. At that point, na-appease na rin kami pero I still wanted to talk to Lynn about it.

Nung nakapag-usap na kami ni Lynn later that night, sabi nya, they will do something about it, etc. I wanted to know kasi if I still needed to pay for the service. She will let me know daw. Hindi na rin nya ako natawagan since then at hindi na rin ako nakag-follow up. Right now, I just want to let it go na kasi nakaraos naman kami pero I would recommend that if you're going to avail of Eloquente's bridal car, kausapin nyo rin yung company mismo and be specific na lang about what you want. Kasi, marami namang Eloquente brides who availed of the bridal car na hindi naman ganun ang nangyari. I guess hindi lang ako sinuwerte sa na-assign sa akin. :-(

Last, but not the least.... (drumroll) my support groups

SocSoc --Ferdi and Ces Muro, Alex Abelar, Hae and Tec Nacario, Rachel and Marc Miranda, Jops and Jun Paoyan, Sunddie Manalo at Darl de Guzman
Priceless Friendship talaga ito!!!

Eto ang mga blockmates ko na walang sawa sa pagbibigay ng suporta wherever they are --kahit online lang yung iba. Hae is a fellow w@wie and who was in fact, the one who introduced me to the group. Ferdi and Ces were with us during the preps at talagang super help sa coord and transpo (ha ha) during the wedding day itself. Thank you kay Alex sa lahat ng help --emceeing and doing the best coord ever!
Love you guys!

MaSci Priestley friends --Judy and Eric Saclamitao, Chelo Pablo and RJ Remoquillo

Judy is also a fellow w@wie who got married 1o days earlier kaya halos sabay kami nag-preps! Thanks for all the help, girl! Si Chelo naman, who is also now a w@wie, e kinukulit na namin sa preps nya (kaya lang, la pa syang definite date. ha ha) and was more of a student (kasi dami namin shine-share sa kanya ni Judy about wedding preps and w@w) during the preps. RJ is always there naman pagdating sa mga important occasions... at kinukulit na naming maghanap ng babaing bibigyan nya ng engagement ring... hahaha!!!

The 5:30 Club --Betchay, Bengtuts, Cay and Ann

Eto naman mga kabarkada sa UP OBEM, who were with us from the beginning (as in medyo forever na rin kaming friends) of our relationship and who are still with us kahit mga twice a year na lang kami nagkikita. :-)

DFA Friends --buong PMD!!! special mention: Caren and Francis Almario, Renante and Cecile Estrella (kahit nasa Mexico yung isa at nasa Berne yung isa, todo palitan pa rin ng e-mail!), Onnie and Louie Palisoc, Theresa and Erik Heikkila (kahit nasa Oslo na, super support pa rin), Mafi, Toni, Oskee, Joven and all the mommies at PMD... hehehe. ExDir Dary M. pa pala, special mention din sa walang tigil na pagpapaalala tungkol sa married life. Higit sa lahat, Ninong Mel and Ninang Weng Lalunio, for all the help, advice at friendship.

For Xian naman, his barkada -Cres and Jess, Jeremy, Mon and Wyn and Liz, Che, Jo and Cristine, Jaypee

Cres and Jess, who got married before us, also gave sobrang moral support when we were fighting na (hahaha!!) because of the stress the preps were causing. Everyone else did a super job of providing support and advice when we needed it most.

Online Support Group: w@w (weddings@work)
Priceless
Rating: 5++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I cannot thank Ms. Benz and Sir John enough for founding this community. Thank you to all the w@wies for all the ideas, all the recommendations, advice and referrals. Thank you to all the w@wies who have given their views and answered my queries during my preps. Thank you for all the lessons I've learned. Love, love, love this group talaga! Sa sobrang addik ko, hindi pa rin ako nag-unsubscribe kasi sinusubaybayan ko pa ang wedding preps ng mga nakilala ko dito.


End of Supplier Ratings.

Santos-Tizon Supplier Ratings Part 3

Music: Velvet Mood Musicale (Edwin Silangcruz)
Peso Power: 11k
Rating: 5+++++++

Madali naman kausap both si Mercy and si Mr. Edwin. We only had to deposit the RF to his account, send him a copy of the deposit slip, then confirmed na kami. We had a meeting with Mercy to iron out the final details but we basically gave them a free hand with the reception. General song preferences lang ibinigay namin.

We got the trio plus a vocalist. Galing ng vocalist na binigay sa akin ni Mercy. Tuwang-tuwa ang guests namin sa music. This was one of the last suppliers we booked because we didn't know until a month before the wedding if we could afford to book musicians. The rate they gave us was the rate daw that they usually give for w@wies, according to Mercy. I just had four requests: 1. That they please do NOT sing anytime during the reception, "What Matters Most" because I don't think it's appropriate for a wedding; 2. That they play "Panunumpa" for my bridal march; 3. That they play "Seasons of Love" for the Recessional and 4. That they play "More Today Than Yesterday" for our entrance at the reception. Free hand na sila with the rest of the song choices.

What I liked about them most is that they never promised me anything they could not deliver. When I requested "Seasons of Love", they told me na di daw sila sure if they could play it kasi baka walang piyesa. Sabi ko, ok lang, sila na bahala kung anong appropriate na recessional. Thankfully, they were able to play it naman.

Mr. Edwin was unavailable during my wedding because of a personal commitment pero okay lang kasi sulit na sulit kami sa performance ng group nya. They went on break for an appropriate period, came back and played til the end of the reception. Never had to think about them at all. We were only truly able to appreciate their performance through the praises we received from family and friends.


Cake: Joy San Gabriel
Peso Power: 8k
Rating: 5

Joy was the super LAST supplier we booked. We booked her two or three weeks before the wedding (can't remember anymore). O di ba, panalo talaga ako sa cramming! We initially wanted to book Sugarbox pero syempre, by that time, hindi na tumatanggap si Ms. Emily ng booking for December, which was completely understandable.

Cake wasn't a priority but the cake included in our package with Eloquente didn't appeal to me. Sabi ni Xian, okay na yan. Pero dahil sa aking powers of suggestion and persuasion, na-convince ko sya na kumuha ng ibang cake supplier.

We just called tapos nag-walk in sa shop nya sa Galas. Wow! Pagpasok mo palang parang gusto mong kalimutan na kailangan mong magdiet para magkasya sa wedding gown mo! We told her na we had a really small budget lang but we wanted an all-edible wedding cake so we have the option to serve. Ayoko naman magbayad ng libo-libo sa cake na kalahati styro lang! Nagbe-bake din kasi ako pero I'm not an expert so taste is far more important to me than aesthetics. Hindi naman kailangan malaki, kahit simple lang, basta masarap. Then she presented different options for us and had us taste her bestsellers. Super sarap ng chocolate mud cake nya... talagang melt in your mouth...yummmmm!

When we were computing getting regular-sized cakes vis-a-vis getting mini cakes, narealize namin, parang ang mahal. We thought we couldn't afford it. Then, Joy presented a brilliant idea. She just had this cake tree made and was going to use it for the first time for her cousin's wedding. She was providing the cakes as her gift. She showed us a photo of the cake tree sans decoration. Naaliw na kami agad. Tapos, after several minutes of discussion, she said we could have 2-layer cakes for 8 of the 12 platforms pero simple lang daw yung icing but she'll make caramel fillings daw for the cakes and gumpaste roses to top the cakes. But, the proposal met my most important requirement. It would be all edible. I would have to provide extra flowers to decorate the cake tree, though.

She had us sample the chiffon cake with caramel filling that she was going to use for our cake. Panalo! Mr. Sweet Tooth Xian decided right then and there to book her services and accept her proposed presentation. Nakakatawa pa nga si Joy e. She kept asking, " Are you sure? Are you sure? You don't want to think about it first? Uy, wag kayo mapressure ha? Ok lang talaga if you don't decide yet. Talaga? Talaga?" And we kept nodding and saying yes and uh-huh between mouthfuls of the cake. Hehehe. We signed the contract and she gave us samples pa of her bestsellers to take home.

During the reception, when we were called na for the cake cutting ceremony, people were kinda looking around for the cake. Yun pala, akala nila, decor lang yung cake tree! Hehehe. My cakes didn't have the gumpaste roses kasi Joy's girl used fresh ones but I didn't mind kasi mas maganda pa nga tingnan. I mean, who really eats the gumpaste decors on cakes?!!

A word of warning to those who want to use her cake tree, though. Please, please, please, pay na lang the extra P500 pick-up fee. Delivery is free kasi, pero you have to pay for pick-up. Kasi nga naman, mahal na ang gasolina, tapos kawawa naman yung maghihintay until the end of your reception. Ang LAKI at ang BIGAT nung cake tree. Nagasgas yung tint ng kotse namin when we returned it to Joy. Sabi nga namin, kung alam lang namin gaano kabigat yun, nagbayad na lang kami. And, reminder also, you have to pay a refundable deposit of 3k or 5k ba yun if you have to use said cake tree. Hindi ko maalala at the moment. Mahal talaga kasi pagpapagawa nya. But it's worth it. Ganda ng cake tree ko. Proud nga ako na ako yun first client nya to use it e.


Preps Venue: Somerset Salcedo
Peso Power: 22k for 3BR Suite, 3D and 2N
Rating: 4.5 (kasi masungit yung isang guard)

I chose Somerset for three reasons: 1. It was virtually a stone's throw away from Lepanto, 2. We felt that it was value for money and 3. My barkada and I experienced excellent service from them previously so I was assured na I wouldn't have any problems.

I booked the suite in October and got it at a discounted rate (20$ less than the regular rate) kasi I was a member of Ascott International. Ang kasalanan ko, I forgot to specify that I wanted a suite on a non-smoking floor kasi hindi talaga kami smokers ni Xian. In fact, we abhor the smell of cigarette smoke. eeeewwwww!!! Anyway, ang swerte nga naman, syempre sa smoking floor kami nabigyan ng suite. Ang saya-saya!!! So while I was at the dentist right across the street from Somerset, pinatanggal talaga namin yung smell ng yosi pero syempre, meron pa rin faint smell after the cleaning procedure (parang may machine na nag-absorb ng amoy ng yosi).

The suite was spacious and was enough for all of us. Nung first night, andun yung buong family ni Xian plus his lola (9 sila lahat) tapos kami ng mom ko, nephew and best friend ko. Awa ng Diyos, sa dami ng tao nung araw ng kasal, nagkasya naman kaming lahat. There were Val's team, the NicePrint team, Tina's girls, plus yung mga flower girls, mga abay... ang DAMI namin! Kaya nagsungit na yung guard sa baba, kasi daw ang dami-dami nang tao. Tapos, ang arte-arte nya kasi kailangan lahat ng dumadating, susunduin pa. Haller??Ano yun, kailangan may protocol officer pa akong in-assign para sa lahat suppliers ko at bisita? Sana pala, nag-invite ako ng mga taga-Protocol sa opisina! Hay naku, I had to go talk to the Front Desk and explain. This is my wedding day, maraming dadating pero before 4pm, the suite will be cleared. Promise. Mabait pa nga yung Front Desk Officer at sabi nya, sige lang, Ma'am, it's okay po. Bwiset na guard yun. Antipatiko. Hindi ba nya nagets na kasal yun, dumating yung florist, yung make-up artist, yung photographer? Kakaasar. Bakit ba kasi hindi common ang common sense? :-P

I am just really grateful to Somerset kasi they didn't charge me extra sa dami ng tao sa suite. I think they understood naman na wedding yun kaya di na nila ako ni-charge.

Their breakfast buffet isn't extensive and is just barely enough to cover the basics. Pero you don't stay naman at the Somerset for their breakfast buffet e. Hehehe. Weird lang din yung fact na they only allotted us 1 parking slot inspite of the fact that we booked a 3BR suite.

We also chose Somerset kasi nga we had a small budget. We couldn't afford to book separate suites of rooms pero it was spacious enough for our needs. We had to let go of that usual dramatic shot of the bride walking down a grand staircase because we had to be practical. Ok lang walang dramatic shot, wala naman kaming utang before and after the wedding! hehehe.

Actually, my in-laws shouldered this particular expense pero when we were planning, we didn't expect naman our parents to share kaya we chose our suppliers very carefully, kasi naman hard-earned money din yung gagastusin namin. Blessing na yung sila ang nag-volunteer to pay for the bill.

Groom's Barong: Elvis (I never could remember his surname)
Peso Power: 4.5k
Rating: 5

Xian's barong was piña with vertical stripes as details. Simple lang din. Included na yung flesh-colored undershirt. Syempre, wala naman kami talagang naging problema with Elvis. Nagkita lang kami sa office (kasi may bazaar nun), pumili si Xian ng tela, sinukatan sya. Elvis delivered the barong at Somerset.

Elvis has been a long time supplier of barongs and Filipiniana outfits at the Department. Ambassadors, Ministers, Consuls and our Foreign Service employees are only some of their clients. He supplies barongs, ternos and all manner of Filipiniana wear. From pang-daily wear na gusot-mayaman to full-length piña gowns for Independence Day. Hindi na ako naghanap pa ng ibang supplier.

Part 4 will be the last of the Supplier Ratings series. Abangan. :-D