Day Tour
Weddings are so expensive.
My head is swirling with all the calculations I'm doing, trying to have an ideal celebration, and trying to keep the costs down. And it's hard.
Last Saturday, we went to see some photographers and caterers. We were also supposed to look at wedding rings at Ongpin, but the shops were closed, so we just ate dimsum and continued on. Here are some of the suppliers we visited:
Ariel JavellosaOur first stop. Mr. Javellosa was very kind, and very engaging. He talked to us and gave us some advice regarding weddings and family. No joke, I almost cried when he mentioned that the wedding day was also sort of a "goodbye" to being part of your old family. I also liked the video that he made for Bearwin Meily's wedding. Tenantz liked Bearwin's Chinese style barong. Most likely, we're going to book him.
Emil BuencaminoAfter visiting Ariel, we didn't feel the urge to look at more photographers. But we did pass by Emil's office, since it was on the way. Package is still expensive, a bit more than Ariel's promo.
Alex FrancoAlex Franco's cakes are supposedly super dooper yummy. We tried to go to the address listed on his website, but it seemed to be a residential house. We couldn't find anything resembling a cake shop, so we just moved on. Anyway, we are supposed to meet him at Chowking Pioneer on Monday.
Dexie's CateringWe wanted to see how Dexie's catering would fare. They offer a wedding buffet package, good for 200 people, for 54k. So we braved the traffic and headed to past Rosario junction in Cainta. We got a bit lost, called up Dexie's office, and finally found our way to her home/office. We talked about menus, and tasted the pastry that was available. Nasarapan si Tenantz. Ako, oks lang. Dexie is kind and accommodating. We'll be looking at her setup of Mt. Carmel on March 10, and we'll also be doing some food tasting then.
Jorge PortraitsNung pinuntahan namin ang Jorge Portraits mula Cainta, medyo nagkatampuhan kami ni Tenantz, kasi naligaw kami. Pero naayos agad. Maganda nman yung photos nila, at maganda yung album. Dito rin nagpa-photo yung isang batchmate ko, at nakapaskel sa isang pader ang blow-up ng kanilang portrait. Okay. Mas mahal sya sa Ariel eh. Pero titingnan na din namin, malay mo may discount sa wedding fair.
Hizon'sOn to Hizon's food tasting at its office in Sanville Subdivision near Fernwood Gardens. Medyo uminit ang ulo ni Tenantz kasi di kami pinapansin ni Sue, ang contact namin dun. Kasi may kausap pa syang iba na nagbu-book. Ganito pala pag food tasting! Ang daming pagkain, meal talaga ha. Sue served us some beef, chicken, pork, blue marlin, pasta, fruit salad. Medyo malansa para sa akin yung blue marlin, baka nagka-taon lang. Masarap yung Chicken Alexander. As in. Ang sarap. In-offer rin nila ang all-Tiffany chairs, free pasta bar and 1 additional dessert if we booked on the spot. Nag-extend pa ang offer ng Tiffany chairs till Monday ha. Tempted ako, kasi maganda naman sila eh, atsaka sosy tingnan ang Tiffany chairs, at ang sarap pa ng food nila. Pero....overbudget eh. :( Not unless I give up the photographer, as in, any photographer :( Hay. Kaloka.
Smart ShotsVisited Smartshot's satellite office near Fernwood. It was a bit cheaper than Ariel Javellana, but I didn't like the video they presented. I found it a bit boring. Although Tenantz did really like Smartshot's photos. So nasa list pa ang Smartshots.
Pagkatapos nito, sobrang pagod na kami. Nag-hiking pa kasi kami kahapon, at magfri-frisbee pa kinabukasan. So umuwi na kami, at ako naman, derecho tulog agad. Hay. Wala pa rin na-book.
We have a venue!
After much research and calling up churches (on my part), we finally found a venue that is:
a) accessible to both of our families
b) pretty nice (at least the church is)
c) fairly cheap (as compared to other venues)
Well, let me start by saying I wanted a beach wedding. Then, having gone through the logistical nightmare of that, I thought a garden wedding would be nice.
Fernwood GardenA few years ago, a picture of Fernwood Garden came out in the papers. Instantly, it was love at first sight. I wanted to get married in Fernwood, with the swimming swans and the lush plants. Finally, last month, a batchmate got married at Fernwood, and I was finally able to see the place. Disaster! Disaster sa parking...I came alone, and had to park my car in a separate unpaved parking lot. Which was okay. What wasn't okay was that a) the parking lot was a bit dark, b) there was supposed to be a shuttle to take you from the parking lot to the venue, but it took a long time to get there, c) I just didn't like the inconvenience of the parking lot.
So it all boiled down to the parking lot. :) Once I entered Fernwood however, the place was really nice, and sort of made up for the terrible impression I had on the parking lot. But still, the stark contrast didn't exactly please me, and just impressed upon me the divide between the rich and the poor (just something like that). Not a good topic when a wedding is going on. Plus...it was quite expensive...
Gazebo Royale
The first venue we both visited. We loved it. Both. Nice parking area, nice venue, nice restrooms, nice everything. We were about to book it when we realized that practically all of the December dates we wanted were already taken. Ha! A quick "I-told-you-so" glance at him. I was trying to tell him last December that we should book a venue already, since December is the peak wedding season, and every article I ever read told me to book a year before especially if the event is in December, but no, he said I was in too much of a hurry. So there. We compromised by trying to find a date in November instead. But...after calculation of all the costs and looking at our bank account, there was the sullen realization that -- unless we wait another year to save up -- something had to give. We had to look for a cheaper venue.
Mt. Carmel Shrine
Mt. Carmel came about in a roundabout way. First, he wanted to have the wedding at St. Peter's Church in Commonwealth Avenue, since this would be near and accessible to his relatives. Which was also why we wanted the St. Peter -- Gazebo Royale combination. Then, when the issue of budget came up, we found out there was another church nearer Gazebo Royale. Mt. Carmel in Project 6 is nearer, and costs 6k less than St. Peter. But still, the church + venue was too expensive. So, browsing through the weddingsatwork mailing list, there seemed to be a lot of brides getting married at Mt. Carmel Shrine in Broadway. Same name. :) It's 4k cheaper than St. Peter, and there was a multi-purpose reception hall that *could* be decorated to be "garden-like". (I guess). The reception hall was 45k cheaper than Gazebo. Plus, it was in Aurora Blvd, and accessible to everyone. So there.
We spent almost an hour trying to find a suitable date. All the December weekends were booked, and so were the November weekends. I think there were some early morning slots open, but the reception venue wasn't. Plus, it just seems more fun if the reception was in the evening. We had no choice. The only slot we found suitable turned out to be a Friday night. So even if I didn't really want an evening wedding...well...there has to be an elegance to an evening wedding, right? :)
Whew, this is quite a long post. To make a long story short, we reserved the church and the venue, and paid the downpayment. There. We have a church, a reception venue, and a date. Yahoo.
Jump Off
Who knew getting married was this expensive? I bet all those wedding suppliers cashing on the quick buck knew. But I didn't. And I'm a bit shocked, honestly. I've never arranged for a party this big, so naturally I didn't know anything about how much food would cost, or how expensive it is to wine and dine in the right venue. With the money that is going to be spent here, I could:
- go on a 1-month trip to the US, with shopping money to boot
- spend for Tenantz' OCP certification exams PLUS enrollment to training modules
- buy the oakley shades i wanted, buy all the dri-fit stuff I want, eat at a fine-dining restaurant EVERY DAY for a year.
- honeymoon in the caribbean??
- Heck, I can even buy a package trip to Europe. For two.
Okay, okay. Enough griping. Weddings are supposed to be celebrations, and celebrations, well, they cost money. It's just a bit difficult to box-in your idea of a perfect celebration, and make it fit within your budget. Gosh, even the most unperfect celebration costs money, and if it were only possible, I'd prefer to skip all these brouhaha and just give everyone their souvenirs.
BUT..if we're gonna celebrate, we got to celebrate it right. We're still starting to plan stuff, and we don't know how everything will turn out. Venues have been evaluated, loved, and crossed out for being too expensive. The date itself has been moved, and my parents, friends, and relatives are not yet in on the secret.
But these celebrations are not really for us. It's a thank-you for all the people who had been and will be part of our lives, a way to show them how much we appreciate their support and love.
We're now married!
