Supplier Ratings- Jhune Marcelino Couture

Gowns
Jhune Marcelino
Price: P56,300.00
Inclusions: bridal gown (with veil, veil for sponsors, pouch bag, garter, head piece, petticoat, cord, arrhae, and pillows); entourage gowns (4 FG, 1 Little Bride, 3 Sec Sponsors, 1 MOH, 1 BM, 2 Jr BM, 2 Mothers, Pinya Barong and pants for groom, Pinya-Jusi barongs and pants for 2 fathers, barong rental for 3 Sec Sponsors and 1 dress up gown or desposada & free use of fitting form
Rating: Bride, groom, MOH, Sec Sponsors, FG, mothers and fathers attire- 5++ (except for the petticoat, it was very embarrassing!); Jr BM and BM- 3; Services- 3

I have said in my previous posts that Jhune Marcelino Couture was a great find. It was true naman, considering the kind of fabric used in my gown and the style and the services by Aling Magda. They used duchess satin for my gown, and that very elegant looking beaded imported lace on the bodice and the beaded lace scattered on the entire gown, the hem and the tahi at the back (don’t know what its called but it’s the tahi connecting the fabric, closing the back side and since my gown had 7-meter train, ganun din kahaba yung lace na tinakip sa tahi na yun..). those who saw the gown say that its really beautiful. Some of my friends even joked and told me they’d rent it when its their turn to get married. I really love my gown myself and if I have the chance and if there’s no pamahiin about it, and if its not super bigat, baka everyday suotin ko sya. . Except for the petticoat. I would’ve thrown the petticoat if not for fear of stepping on my gown when I walk on the carpet. It was nothing like what I had in mind- yung parang sa ball gown na hindi talaga mata-touch ng tela yung legs ko, and hindi magiging hindrance sa paglalakad ko. it was just like a half slip with a soft cardboard sa may laylayan. As in nung nakita ko sya parang whaaattt? Eto na ba yun? Pero sinuot ko pa din thinking it would save me from falling. Kaso yun nga it wasn’t of any help, aside from being just a half slip. I was too tired na lang and was running out of time to take it off.

3 lang ang binigay kong rating for the Jr BM and BM’s gowns. Disaster yung gown nung isang Jr BM. She looked so short sa gown nya, kse niremedyuhan lang yun ni Aling Magda. Originally, maikli ng several inches yung skirt (ibang staff ang kumuha ng sukat, because wla nun si Aling Magda). But replacing the skirt would cost them that much daw. pero I doubt… kse simpleng tulle and geena cloth lang yung ginamit. Hindi yung agreed kind of fabric. As in geena cloth and tulle na P20 per yard lang sa Divisoria. Tinarayan (pardon the term) pa ko ni Mang Jhune when I told him what happened to the gown. Hindi daw nila kasalanan yun and if I request for a new gown, additional bayad na daw yun. After that never ko na sya kinausap. Stressed na ko, kaya I told myself hindi na ko papa-stress pa lalo by talking to him. From then on si Aling Magda na lang ang kinausap ko. She’s ok naman kausap. Kelangan lang talaga laging tawagan, sa dami ng ginagawa nya. Yung sa BM naman, medyo masikip lang and kahit ilang ulit na pinabalik balik yung gown sa kanila, di pa din naayos yung sukat. Pero ok lang, carry pa din naman nya. Yung sa Jr BM lang talaga ang sobrang di ko matagalan tignan sa pictures kse naiinis lang ako hehehe…

Services-3. If not for that single incident na tinarayan ako ni Mang Jhune (pero inisip ko na lang na baka mainit lang ang ulo nya nung time na yun…) and for their no-show on the day itself, 5 sana dahil ok naman ang services ng staff nila during the preps- asikaso yung pag repair ng gown ko, asikaso nila ko every fitting, and ok naman most of the gowns ( I love my FGs’ gowns!). pero dahil nga they promised to attend to me sa hotel preps tapos hindi sila dumating, without any notice (they could have texted me), 3 lang. or 2 kung sinulat ko ‘to on that day mismo hehehe…

On the day we closed the deal with Mang Jhune, he affirmed that on the day of our wedding, hindi nila iiwanan ang bride hanggang hindi nakaluhod sa altar. As in they told our coordinator pa na wag sana makialam coz his staff already know what to do- sila magbibihis sakin, maglalagay ng veil, mag aayos ng train habang naglalakad ako hanggang makaluhod, etc… pero come wedding day, na-make up an na ko at naayusan na ng hair, walang taga Jhune Marcelino couture na dumating. I asked Fit2BeTied coordinator na assigned sakin kung may pasabi… wala daw. So she called them up only to hear na hindi makakapunta yung assistants kse wala daw sasakyan. Ok fine. After nun, binura ko muna sila sa isip ko. it was my MOH and a coordinator who assisted me when I put my gown on. Buti na lang mabait si jen, and masipag. Sobang thanks to jen for the assistance. I saw her nakaluhod sa carpet, ikot dito ikot dun… para lang maayos yung train ko… and to think na naka-gown na din sya nun! Haay… talk about sobrang ka-stress stress na pangyayari on your wedding day.

But even then, at the end of the day, gusto ko pa din happy thoughts na lang… pag tinitignan ko yung gown ko and nadidinig ko how my family and my friends liked it… nawawala na yung inis ko.

Supplier Ratings- Delica Catering

Delica Catering
Price: around P125,000 for 300 guests (+10% buffer)
Inclusions: 3-layer fondant light cake, upgraded backdrop and the menu was actually upgraded also, bouquets (bride, entourage, offertory, throw away and car), party poppers, bubble machine (which we used also sa church), doves; and venue set-up and flower arrangements from the stairs up the hall (they have their own event stylists, not just flower suppliers), tiffany chairs for the presidential tables, guest book among others
Menu: Nachos with dip and baked tahong as appetizer, Chicken BBQ, Roast Beef, Carbonara, mixed veggies (+ one more which I forgot na) for the main course, buko pandan for dessert, soup for PS, macaroni salad, bottomless drinks
Rating: 5++

Sobrang sulit po ang Delica. Thanks to Aiza and Ding, sobra. Because we booked them during bridal fair in Mega, they gave us a lot of freebies and add-ons. First, we booked only for the P380 per head menu, but they upgraded it to P510 menu with free soup and dedicated staff for the presidential table and for the elderly, free use of tiffany chairs for the presidential table, and upgraded backdrop. I think the basic backdrop is just the gazebo, but we wanted that water panel with tea lights backdrop they used during the fair so they upgraded it.

According to our guests (dahil hindi ko naman nalasahan nung time na yun yung food na sinerve samin hehehe..), sobrang ok daw nung food and sobrang dami ng serving. Mr & Mrs Delica were also very accommodating. They were both present sa event, overlooking things also. I like the centerpiece very much too. Its not very common, unlike yung usual simple flowers lang. I think its also a conversation piece and I think some of my friends took pictures of that because they like it as well, hindi nga lang maiuwi, hehehe.

Actually the package should’ve included bridal car and sound system (and ice carving, but I did not want that!) but we took off them from the list because we have a preferred car and we needed a complete mobile for the live band. Luckily taking those off from the list mean refund of a corresponding amount. Delica staff were also accommodating and very attentive to our needs. And they were kind enough to pack the excess lechon and divide it into two for the Davids and Marasigans. They also gave us the excess wine and our take out bags are still enough for one barangay’s dinner. Sobrang dami ng serving. Good thing, because we were able to share our “handa” to our neighbors who couldn’t make it to the event. The party poppers, I think was also an add-on. We were surprised that there were confettis and poppers during our entrance, which made it grand, hehe..

Supplier Ratings- Christ The King

Church and Reception
Christ The King, Greenmeadows, QC / Parish Hall
Price: P25,000.00 + stipend + P1,500 for pre-wedding seminar
Inclusions: Priest, Soloist & organist, Flower arrangements
Rating: 3; Parish Hall- 5

Since Mike is from Marikina and I am from Pasig, we decided to look for a church and reception venue somewhere in between. And then we found CTK. I would’ve preferred a smaller one because I wanted the ceremony to be as solemn as possible. But the smaller ones within our area are either non-aircon, and are far from our preferred reception venues- which are of course, venues that can accommodate 300-400 guests. So we booked the church and the parish hall last May 2006 and Ms Lily assured us that she would never accept any reservation on that day March 30 other than ours. Things were ok naman during the planning. We go to her once in a while and she’s really very accommodating naman, and we even had our pre-cana seminar there and they let us choose our preferred officiant also. So upon consultation here in W@W, we chose Bishop Martirez and we prepared our misalette for his approval.

So bakit 3 lang? Actually I really don’t want to write something bad about any of my suppliers kse my wedding went smooth naman. But I owe this to fellow w@wies of course, to warn them and give them ideas about the things that didn’t go very well.. On the day itself, we had some glitches with regard to the some things in the church. First, the time we booked with Ms Lily is 3:30pm. But having in mind the ‘Filipino time’, we printed 3pm both in our invitations and misalettes. Apparently, Bishop only referred to the misalette he was given several hours before the event, he went in at exactly 3pm. And at 3:15, even in the absence of a ninong and a flower girl, napilitan na silang magpa-march, because “baka daw magalit si Bishop”. My only sentiment about this is that Ms Lily was the one whom we always coordinate with so we expected that she’d be the one to inform Bishop that the ceremony should really start at 3:30 pa, and not 3pm. Good thing our coordinator really made it sure that we leave Richmonde Hotel just a little past 2 in case anything happens along the way (like traffic, or maybe if there’s something forgotten or left in the hotel).

Second, the left half of the door did not open. I don’t know but since I was always telling myself na even if there were small aberya from the hotel pa lang, still I believed everything will still be perfect. So binigyan ako ng konting imperfection. When the people go in and out of the church the doors would open perfectly. Pero nung ako na, biglang it woudnt, so I just made a little sway on the right so my gown wont get stuck in the closed door. When I was already inside, I stopped for a moment, and tried to walk on the carpet slowly (dapat naman talaga slowly di ba…) to check if my gown and my shoes wont fail me (mahaba-haba din yung aisle nun…) coz in the hotel, they did. They really did, I even tried to kick the gown but I get out of balance. I told the coordinator nga “kinakain ng shoes ko yung gown ko kaya di ako makalakad ng maayos.. goodluck na lang sakin sa church”. I even made some more practices sa hotel room to make sure hindi ako madadapa sa carpet. Going back to my walking down the aisle, when Ms Lily saw me walking slower than usual, she said “sipain mo yung gown mo iha, naiinip na si Bishop, baka magalit na”. kaya I think in some pictures taken nung nandun ako sa part na yun, I wasn’t smiling. Anyways, I was just too thankful to God that I was able to walk gracefully in the carpet (it shows nga lang in the picture that I was kicking my gown… the shoes were showing in every step eh hehehe), and they could not force me to walk faster coz my mother din cannot. She is still under PT due to stroke last year.

Third, I think our bible was not blessed by Bishop. Because when it was the blessing of the arrhae, rings and bible, missing yung bible ko sa altar! They only got it from the bible bearer when it was Mike’s turn to hand it to me (after the rings and arrhae).

Fourth, I don’t know if its just me or what… but when we were sitting/kneeling in the altar, it was hot. I even asked Mike to borrow a pamaypay because I felt I was gonna collapse. Maybe because of gutom and pagod na din, but then maybe not because I know Im used to it already. But when I asked the guests naman sa pwesto nila if it’s the same, hindi naman daw. So maybe sa may altar area lang or maybe because of the lights and lit candle din. I don’t know… and also the attendants of the priest were not as vigilant as I expected them to be.

Fifth, yung preferred songs ko, hindi lahat kinanta sa ceremony. I even gave them the list of the songs, when to sing it and the cd of the complete mp3 way ahead. Even texted them a week before to remind. But on that day, they sang songs na wala naman sa list ko, yung ordinary songs lang. buti na lang Serene vocalist was there to sing in the most important parts of the ceremony- yung entrance ko, yung kiss the bride and yung recessional.

Lets talk about the reception venue naman. I gave Mang Rey 5 because he was very considerate to not let us pay for the set-up fee and additional payment for the use of mobile system anymore. Gift na daw nya samin yun. And also the place was not crowded (and not hot…) even if we have 300 guests. Imagine there were three buffet lines yata and we also had projector and live band and sound system, spacious talaga yung parish hall.

spiderman3 and starbucks cofi...

like watching movies, it has been ages since i last had a sip of my favorite decaf-no-whip-non-fat cafe mocha in Starbucks. since today is a rainy day here in Metro Manila (at least in Ortigas) and its freezing cold here in our office and its payday tomorrow and im having this terrible headache caused by the not-so-nose-friendly fragrance of a non-bathing creature somewhere here (and a thousand more reasons why i should have it today)... here i am now at this very moment savoring each and every drop of my cafe mocha- same ol' non-fat, no-whip but this time i had it not decaf (caf, caffeinated, whatever...). heck, its friday anyway :)

as for the movies, as far as i can remember, the last one i saw in a moviehouse was Sukob (thanks Ron for reminding me, i would've thought it was Kingkong *toink*) i think. hahaha. gosh, that was real ages ago. i think it has premiered on tv already. so on May 2, at 10:30pm, once again i will scream and sigh in belief and disbelief as i watch Toby and his lady (i dont like her so i wont write her name here...) climb from building to building and do their stuff on the big screen. and not just big but a gargantuan movie screen.

thanks marky for accommodating me even if im not a gt-opti anymore *sniff sniff* but at least i'd be with you on this big event in your life... just as you were a part of a big something also in my life- when i had my hair curled last year.

to cut or not to cut...

i sort of promised myself that after i got married i would cut my hair short. but now im kind of having second thoughts... kse sayang naman...

but i still want to, with this kind of weather that we're having. and maybe also, as our parents would tell us when we're young, "para maganda nag tubo"

something something

Early on in our wedding preps, it never occured to me that its a "must" that I have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue to use on the day of my wedding. Although I have heard that "belief" or whatever a thousand times before, I never thought that most of my friends and even mike are aware of it, too. Yep, it was Mike who first reminded me that I should have that something something in me on our wedding day.

So where did the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" thingy came from?

Lifted from ask.yahoo.com:

"The next line of this old saying actually hints at its origin. The complete phrase is:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.

"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

So... here they are, presenting the something something i used when i got married.

something old- i really couldnt think of any, months before the event. i have a lot of old stuff that i can use, but my question back then was "how old should it be?" "can i just buy my shoes today and use it once and by March 30 after one use, is it already considered old?" or "can i just wear an old underwear? after all, nobody will notice it." but of course, how about the honeymoon? hahaha. so i ended up using my old white hanky instead, which, for some reasons, was not used during my crybaby moment, because the hanky was in my pouch bag which i handed to my MOH before i left the hotel.

something new- of course, my gown. my very previous gown :)


something borrowed- a pair of diamond stud earrings. they're actually from our wedding & e-ring suppliers, and months before our wedding, i asked her if she could design an earring that will complement my swarovski-studded halter v-neck gown. and the following day she delievered these gorgeous pair of earrings which is "katerno" of our engagement ring. we agreed that i will trade my old mother of pearl earrings and ring set with this one, to save me some pesoses... but until today we havent settled on the payment scheme yet so i do not consider these earring mine yet. i just borrowed it from them, for the meantime.

something blue- the rosary that we bought from CTK when we had our pre-wedding seminar. i was holding it while i was walking down the aisle. i read from somewhere that the bride is sort of offering herself to Mama Mary on her wedding day so to pay respect, she must have a rosary with her. something like that. i was really holding on to this rosary when i was outside waiting for my turn. i was really praying that my wedding will be as perfect as possible, and that i would not step on my gown when i walk.

Our Souvenirs

this is one of the "essentials" we were able to accomplish just few weeks before the big day. we actually finalized what we want for our souvenirs as early as November, and our first choice was a crystal cube with embossed picture inside. but some things are really not meant to be, no matter how much you wanted to have it. something went wrong with our supplier from Divisoria. we almost lost P6K for nothing, but i guess God knows how hard we worked for every peso that we spent on our wedding and He did make a way for us to get our money back from Aling Baby. and as they say, charge it to experience...

so fast forward to Feb... we finally were able to find a new one. from Papemelroti. and we are so thankful they accommodated our order despite the short notice. and they really delivered on time. our souvenir is called resin scroll with personalized wordings and photo.

we wrapped our souvenirs with pink and white tulle we got from Divisoria with pink japanese paper underneath. tied ribbons to seal and attached the gift tags. we have two designs for the gift tags- one we got for free from i forgot na, sorry... but the gift certificate was from last year's w@w Christmas party. we got 30 pcs free gift tags from that. the second design was a DIY- printed in photo paper using- ops, wag na ulit... basta thanks to paopao...

DIY: Misalette & Unity Candle

two of the few Do It Ourself projects-

misalette- this was a labor of love. as in. first we got a copy of a sample misalette from CTK. then we typed everything- changed the names, cover, etc. and put a b&w photo of our prenup in the first page.

then we brought the revised print out for checking by CTK. after few weeks, we found out it was misplaced. so we printed one set again and went back to the church. after a few corrections, we finally got the corrected one. so i brought it to copylandia for reproducing.

next we bought 40 sheets of pink paper and i printed more around 50 sets of letters M & I in- ops, info withheld- this was sort of our simple monogram coz we also used in our unity candle. and then i cut the letters one by one and pasted them on the cover while Mike attached the cover to the booklet. and then i pasted the plastic flowers with ribbons i got from Divisoria to the cover and voila! our pink and purple personalized misalette.

*we found out right then in the ceremony that even if we reviewed and re-read the contents of this misalatte several times already, there were still some typo errors, wrong words and such... and we only found out about because Bishop was correcting the words and the terms as he reads it. good thing we were really listening :)

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unity candle- i think i was able to finish this 2 days before our big day. but the materials and accessories were already available last year pa! talk about maniana habit hehehe...

we got the unity candle from a store of religious items in Sta Lucia Mall and the dried flowers are from Divisoria. The letters are excess from the misalette print outs. i had no more ideas in mind so i just wrapped the candle using the pink japanese papers (excess from souvenirs wrappers) and attached the letters using pins, inserted the dried flowers in the pink paper and tied the ribbon.

for that classic and more dramatic look...

(waaah that's my petticoat showing!)

some more Boracay pics

we flew in to Boracay last April 2. we almost didnt make it coz we left our house at past 5am, our flight was at 7 something. on the way to the airport we heard on the radio that it was jampacked by travellers going to Aklan. at the traffic was heavy from C5 Pasig up to only God knows where... so we asked manong driver to find other ways to get to the airport and when we arrived there, i saw the line outside about 100 meters long! so mike and i tried to talk to the officers in charge and luckily we were able to check in at the last minute.

i need to do it konti konti... coz blogspot is not being friendly nowadays...

and by the way... on our first day of honeymoon, the red flag was up. up to April 4, the last day of our trip.

so those who wished us a honeymoon baby, better luck next time. hehehe... next time means who knows.... maybe we can have our second honeymoon in Thailand or Indonesia or even Europe. *wish*