walkin' the aisle (part a)

We first met on the 3rd of January 2005 and started dating on the 4th (yeah… on that same month, same year). It was not really a love-at-first-sight thing. It was more of a lust-at-first-sight but we didn’t care at all. Our motto was ‘come what may’. So we had the usual boy-dates-girl stuff e.g. celebrating special occasions. But since he’s mostly away because of the nature of his job, he’s rarely around to celebrate with me these occasions. To make up with that, we found a way to have as many occasions as possible. We have the yearly thing, our anniversaries (which by the way, we only were able to celebrate together once). We also have the monthly celebration, our monthsaries as we fondly call it. Lastly, we celebrate every 100th day (100th, 200th…). We may have started the relationship for the not-so-right reason but we realized that it was not about how you started the relationship; rather it is how both parties handle it and work hard to make it work. So we finally decided to tie the knot exactly on our 1769th day, November 07, 2009.

If we had all the money in the world, it would have been easy to choose the most expensive gown or the most luxurious reception venue and have the grandest wedding imaginable, but we did have a limited budget so we had to be creative. We wanted to have our dream wedding at a price we can afford and that would leave us enough dough to start our married life. Afterall, the wedding was just the tip of the iceberg. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m quite an OC bride. But OC or non-OC, I still have a lot of people to thank for making our wedding a success. It wasn’t a perfect wedding (there were a lot of glitches) but nonetheless it was still the wedding we’ve dreamt of and it was worth the stress, tears (mostly mine), and hardships we went through for the 5 months of preparations.  I’ve been meaning to share our suppliers’ ratings and credits to our donors but due to time constraints and my laziness, it took me 4 months to start this entry. So this post is more of a salute to the people who in one way or another helped us in the wedding preparations.

Disclaimer: Ratings are based on our personal experiences with the suppliers. They are graded in accordance to OUR standards and these are our opinions and it is not our intention to make misguided and malicious statements, hence please do not carelessly generalize. Some may have not met our expectations and have disappointed us but these are just case-to-case basis.

Note: 
* Rates mentioned are their quotes as of November 2009. For the updated rates, feel free to contact them.
* Please don’t be confused when I sometimes use the pronouns we / us. I am just referring to the collective feeling we both have about something.

Our suppliers shall be rated from 1-10 (with 10 being the highest)

Church: St. Joseph Cathedral
Address: Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Peso Power: 8,000 (+ 200/ pair of principal sponsor in excess of 6)
Rating: 9

What we loved about it:

* The staff is accommodating. They willingly answered our inquiries and were generous to give us a discount on the fee for having a lot of principal sponsors. Instead of letting us pay 2600 (we had 19 pairs of principal sponsors, i.e. 13 pairs in excess), they asked only 2000. We were able to keep the 600 and spent it for our snacks.
* The aisle is long. I wanted to walk down a long aisle simply because I want to take my time and let my groom wait for a minute longer (another minute won’t hurt… we’d waited 1767 days to finally exchange I do’s). And also because we wanted to make the most of our entourage’s outfits and give them a lot of exposure (what can we do? We just wanted to showcase our beautiful/handsome sisters/brothers and cousins…)
*The PRECANA seminar they conducted was very informative and inspirational. It was somewhat an eye-opener. We thought that if we weren’t really into each other, we would have backed out from the wedding because during the seminar, along with other couples, we were confronted with tons of responsibilities. It will really scare you out if you’re not prepared to have such responsibilities. The seminar wasn’t all about responsibilities. There were 12 topics; unfortunately 2 topics were not discussed to us because the resource person had another engagement. The resource speakers were trained by the church to do the seminars, they didn’t volunteer, they were invited by the church (Someday, when we are old, I wanted us to be invited to speak to couples who want to get married…hahaha wishful thinking… but seriously, I do want to be invited, but the question is: how do I get invited?) The PRECANA was a 1.5 day event. It is a requirement imposed by the church before anyone is allowed to get married. For scheduled PRECANA’s, a reasonable fee of 300 is being collected. The money collected will be used to sponsor ‘kasalang bayan’. The church gives the scheduled PRECANA once a month. For those who can’t attend the scheduled seminar, they can avail of the special PRECANA for a fee of 3000 pesos. Special thanks to my tita, mama trif (she’s one of the speakers).

What turned us off (a bit):

*We were not able to take photos with our friends because a mass was scheduled to follow. Our wedding mass started at 0930 and finished a few minutes before 1100 and had the usual picture taking but we were not able to finish because they made us leave immediately for they have yet to prepare the church for the mass. I perfectly understood that they were just doing their job. It’s just that I would have loved to have pictures with our friends.

FYI: Church Requirements (source: St. Joseph Cathedral)

1.       New copy of BAPTISMAL and CONFIRMATION certification of Groom and Bride from the church where they were baptized and confirmed (certificates are valid for six months from the date of issue) with the annotation FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSES ONLY and to be submitted two months before the wedding.
2.      MARRIAGE LICENSE to be acquired from the Civil Registry of the City or Municipality of either the Groom or the Bride (License is valid for 120 days or 4 months). If CIVILLY MARRIED, a certified true copy of Marriage Contract from the National Statistics Office should be submitted one month before the wedding.
3.      CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM TO MARRY for Filipino citizens living abroad for more than 6 months, to be secured from their Parish abroad.
4.      CANONICAL INTERVIEW of the Groom and the Bride to be conducted two months before the wedding date.
5.      A Certificate of Attendance in the PRECANA Seminar of Marriage Preparation Program or other programs related to marriage.
6.      ECCLESIASTICAL BANNS and PERMIT to be announced for three consecutive Sundays in the Parish of the Groom and the Bride.
7.      List of names and addresses of sponsors. A minimum of one pair and a maximum of six pairs. If the couple wishes to have more than six (6) pairs of sponsors, a charge of 200/pair will be collected.
8.      WIDOWER and WIDOW must present the Death Certificates of their deceased partner.
9.      For Wedding Anniversaries, bring a certified copy of your Catholic Marriage Contract and come for interview by the Parish Priest / Asst. Parish Priest.
10.   Couples whose marriage has been declared null and void must present the document of nullity from a competent Matrimonial Tribunal and a letter of approval from the Diocesan Office.
11.    Additional requirements for Marriage between Catholic & Non-Catholic: A certificate of Freedom to marry from the Non-Catholic Minister or Pastor and a PROMISE FOR MIXED MARRIAGE FORM to be filled out during the interview and to be submitted to the Chancery Office for approval.
12.   Additional requirements for Marriage between Filipino & Foreigner: a.) Secure a Form of Clearance from the Chancery Office of the Diocese. b.) Certificate of Freedom to Marry from the foreigner’s Parish Office. c.) Legal Capacity to Marry from the foreigner’s National Consulate or Embassy.

Reception Venue: The Dagohoy Grand Hall, Bohol Tropics Resort
Address: Graham Ave., Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Contact Number: (038) 411- 3510 to 14
E-mail: boholtropics@boholtropics.com
Website: www.boholtropics.com
Peso Power: 66,300 (for 300 guests @ 220/person + corkage for lechon @ 300)
Rating: 8

What we loved about it:

* The venue was big enough to accommodate 300 guests.
* I like the food. It wasn’t the best, but it was not bad either. For the price we paid, I can say it did somehow meet my expectations.  The menu we chose included the following: cream of mushroom soup, pork guisado, roast chicken, pancit laureate, sautéed shrimp in spicy mixed vegetable, black zamboo, plain rice and one round of soft drinks.
* We were able to bring home the leftover food.
* Ms. Joy was very accommodating and I think their rate was reasonable. We get to enjoy the following package inclusions:
    -free bridal car

    -free one night stay at the Ambassador Garden Suite
    -free breakfast for two (2)
    -free wedding bell and decoration

    

    -free use of sound system
    -free 30 tickets to Lazer Party Disco (we had the free tickets but we were just too tired to party)
    -free guestbook
    -free corkage for one lechon (at least we were able to save 300)

What turned us off:

* When we blocked the date in May (we paid the non-refundable, non-transferable, non-convertible blocking fee of Php 5,000), the original package was at 200/person. But when we came back in September, there was an increase in their rate. From the 200/person quotation that they first gave us, we are shocked to learn that there has been an increase to 220/person. When I asked them why we were still affected by the increase when we already have paid the blocking fee, they told me that the blocking fee was only to reserve the date and can’t protect us from any change in rates. They failed to inform us about that technicality. I didn’t want to make a fuss about it though since the updated rate was still within our budget and was still within what I consider as reasonable, but the thing was that they should have informed us of the change.
* The reception was originally booked at The Sandugo Grand Ballroom but then when we came back to pay the 50% down payment, they informed us that original venue was undergoing renovation and it won’t be ready for our wedding. So we were transferred to The Dagohoy Grand Hall. For me, it was a good thing that we were transferred to Dagohoy because it was bigger than Sandugo. It’s just that it annoyed me that they forgot to inform us of the change before the invitations were printed.
* I was disappointed with the seating arrangement. The principal sponsors were seated just like the other guests. For me, they should have seated the sponsors next to the parents.
*The waiters forgot to serve the cake. I suppose they enjoyed watching us having a good time dancing ‘kuradang’ that it slipped their minds that they have to serve the cake to the guests.

Bridal Gown and Entourage Gowns & Barongs: Moda De Dhoodz
Address: 25 Borja St., Tagbilaran City
Contact Person: Rodeline Marquez
Contact Number: 501-8678
Peso Power: 33,400
Package inclusions:
Buy-out: Php 12,000 - bridal gown & accessories (2 veils, cord, pouch, 2 bearers’ pillow, 1 mini dress)
Php 9,000 - Two (2) mother’s gowns and two (2) barongs with pants for fathers
First user: Php 7,000 – a set (1 MOH, 5 gowns for bride’s maids, 1 BM, 5 barongs for groom’s men, 5 gowns for flower girls, 2 barongs for bearers)
Php 2,400 – 3 gowns and 3 barongs for secondary sponsors
Php 600 each – additional 3 gowns for bride’s maids
Php 400 each- additional barongs for groom’s men
Rating: 6

What we liked about it:

* Dhoodz went his way to make a package that will cater to our needs and our budget.
* He was very accommodating and had spent time with me to discuss the design I wanted for my gown and my entourage and at the same time gave his suggestions. I completely trusted him.

What really disappointed us:

* We had agreed that the gowns and barongs be ready a week before the wedding, but to my horror the barongs were available the day before the wedding and the gowns on the morning of the wedding (couple of hours before the ceremony). As ever the OC-bride, I wanted that things be ready a week before if possible. I would have wanted to spend the day before the wedding pampering myself and relaxing. But sad to say I didn’t have the luxury to relax due to the stress the delayed gowns caused me. Yes, they were able to ‘finish’ the gowns except for a few minor glitches (if you of course will consider pins and needles on the hems a minor kind of thing), but I wasn’t quite satisfied with how it turned out. The bust line of my gown was ill fitting. My only consolation was that many people loved my gown. I think they would have done well, had they focused on their commitment to us. The thing was that they accepted another booking on the same date that we had. With limited time and catering to two set of clients, I’d say is a recipe for disaster. I just hope that they’ll learn from the experience and keep in mind that one can’t serve two masters at the same time.

Groom’s Barong: Barong Pilipino (SM Megamall)
Groom’s Pants: SM Megamall
Peso Power: 6,250 for barong, 455 for pants
Rating: 10

It was a good thing that he insisted that he just buy his outfit. Though we spent an entire day looking for the ONE (quality at a reasonable price), it was worth it. We were thrilled to find a very affordable pair of pants (‘coz he didn’t want to spend more than 7k for his outfit); it was just sad that the hue wasn’t exactly the one we wanted. We were looking for something that will perfectly match the color of his barong but after having toured all the shops, we couldn’t find the perfect pants, so we settled for the one that’s available.

Cake: Ramirez Cakes & Pastries
Address: Bool-Dauis Junction Rd., Tagbilaran City
Contact Numbers: (038) 411-2818; 500-1268
Peso Power: 6,000
Rating: 10

The proprietor was very friendly. I told her what I wanted the cake to look like and she was able to deliver with flying colors. I wanted a matte finish for the cake to match the finish of our wedding ring. There were four (4) cakes (from our anniversary January 4) and fifty-eight (58) cupcakes (3 days before the wedding was our 58th monthsary and that was our last monthsary as bf-gf).

Florist: Fely’s Flower Shop
Address: Agora, Tagbilaran City
Peso Power: 20,000 (inclusions: bridal bouquet, entourage’s floral arrangements, church decoration, reception’s decors, and candle for the candle sponsors)
Rating: 10

It was our wedding coordinator Ate Jette who negotiated with Ate Fely. I told Ate Jette what we wanted and she relayed the information to the florist. I so loved the decorations and the bouquets, especially my bouquet.

For my bouquet, they used white lilium.

For the entourage's floral arrangements, they used yellow and purple mums coupled with white and purple baby's breath. For the mothers' and maid of honor's bouquets, yellow and pink roses were also added.

For the church decorations, they used white flowers such as baby's breath, mums, spathiphyllums, gladiolas and dendrobiums.