Wedding Suppliers' Reviews & Ratings

It’s been a month since Percy and I said our I Do’s, and until now, there’s never been a day that I don’t play it back in my head. Our wedding may not be grand, but it was definitely magical. ;) That day, June 28, is a double celebration for us because it’s Percy’s 28^th birthday too! 

Most of our guests were commending us that our event was the happiest, beautiful and meaningful (everyone was wiping in tears during our ceremony) wedding they've attended and I owe it of course to our suppliers who helped us made our dream wedding happen.

Anyway, I must say our wedding day wouldn't have become as beautiful and organized as it was if not for the careful and meticulous planning. Every wedding, no matter how organize and grand the suppliers are, there will always be glitches (whether it was a major or minor one). In my case, I can only remember the feeling of nervousness and excitement that day rather than stress because our wedding coordinators handled everything for us.

I will be detailed with my review so pardon my long post. Haha! Anyway, I am not posting the prices just to show off how much our wedding was worth. Budgeted wedding kami. This is for our brides who would like to compare prices in the future. These were booked with 2013 rates. Here it goes...

Note: Photos are raw from our photographers
 

Legends: 5 - highest, 1 - lowest

Reception Venue: Gazebo Royale 

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 245,000.00 (Wedding Package)
Website: http://www.gazeboroyale.com/home.php

We chose Gazebo Royale as our wedding venue because it's very accessible for our guests. Plus our wedding month was a rainy season, yet we wanted the venue to have a garden feel, BUT we didn't want to risk doing it outdoors because of the very unpredictable weather. This made Gazebo Royale perfect for us. No matter what the weather, the program would go as planned. Also, the venue was very beautiful in itself, thus minimal styling was needed.

We got their wedding package for 150pax. Our package included - Ceremony and Reception Venue, Caterer, OTD Coordinators, String Quartet, Wedding cake, Lights and Sounds, LCD Screen and Projector, Doves and Champagne, Bridal Car, and Photo and Video service. Affordable and worry free package right? :)

The Afternoon Mood

The Elegant Swag and Chandelier

The Evening Mood

 

Caterer: Eloquente Catering

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Inclusive of the Wedding Package
Website: http://www.eloquentecatering.com/

With regards to food, there is no question that Eloquente is always delicious. That's already given, and I didn’t doubt that I would give their food a grade of 5 when I’m already doing these ratings. Ms. Bheng Ignacio, our AE, was VERY, VERY accommodating. She gave in to a lot of our requests.

During our wedding day itself, they followed every detail and styling that I wanted from the table covers, table centerpieces, chairs, flowers, etc. Our guests loved the food too! From the start until the end of the reception all guests were full, happy, and satisfied! :) 

Pricipal Table Set-up

Guests' Table Set-up and Gold Tiffany Chairs

Event Stylist: Amaranthus Florist and Event Stylist

Rating: 3
Peso Power: Php 8,750.00
Website: http://amaranthusflorist.com/web/

Sir Ren Tutop was nice and he has a lot of theme/designs of set up to choose from. We booked Amaranthus Florist for our ceremony set-up decors because I wanted an ark entrance with curtain before I walked down the aisle plus we have surprise before my bridal walk. Haha! :)

Ark Entrance with Cherry Blossoms

We chose a hanging ball of all white flowers with pink ribbon because Gazebo Royale need not a lot styling.

Hanging Ball of White Flowers 

 The Aisle Set-up

P.S. This was our surprise before my bridal walk. :) Since everyone was expecting me after the processional of the whole entourage, we made a little surprise. When the curtains opened, it was Ms. Jasmin Sumaylo who danced before me with a background music of "Ikaw Lamang" by Gary Valenciano.

Everyone was surprised because they didn't not expected someone will dance before my most awaited bridal walk. Success! Then after her interpretative dance, the curtain was opened again and that was the time she hand me over my bridal bouquet.

What we didn't like to their service was during our wedding day our couple's chair was a simple gold tiffany chair instead of a big Cleopatra chair which was supposedly included on our package. Another thing was our secondary candles on the altar during the ceremony should be put inside a glass but then it was not done and it costs Php750.00. But since it was not delivered as to what we agreed on, he gave us back our payment for that.

 The Altar Set-up and the controversial Secondary Candles. Lol!

The Unwanted Couple's Chair 

Photographer: Photography by Lee Santiago

Rating: 3
Peso Power: BLESSINGS! (Gift of Kuya Toff)
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/photographybyleesantiago

The photos were good but not what we expected. We also got disappointed because Lee wasn’t able to attend to our wedding day itself. He came few minutes before the wedding ends. He only sent his back up photographers Miller and Ronald to cover our wedding. He may be good in shooting but he was lack in commitments. And because of that, I regret cancelling our photo/video service from our wedding package. But still Praise God for everything! :)

Videographer: CVG Films and Photography

Rating: 5
Peso Power: BLESSINGS! (Gift of Kuya Toff)
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/chrisvincentgarcia

Kuya Chris Vincent Garcia was very talented! The videos can speak for itself. Superb! We super duper over mega loooove our Prenup and Wedding SDE video!  Whenever we watch it, our wedding day flashes back, like it just happened yesterday! The guests also loved our video. It's very touching and you can really feel the solemnity of our wedding.

Here's the links to our prenup and SDE videos. Enjoy watching! :)

Prenup Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX6xBZWknG4

SDE Video:
http://vimeo.com/100958256 

Bridal Gown Couturier: Shaznay Couture

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 27,000.00 (Package: Bridal Gown & Accessories, Bridesmaids and Flower Girls Dress)

There were two items in the wedding that I loved the most, first was the wedding gown. Even before Percy made his proposal to me, I already researching about my dream wedding gown.. the style, the cut and the details. Kaye then intensively visited each stall of gown makers in Divisoria until she ended up getting Shaznay Couture’s service.

Aside from their affordable rates, they are the only one who can make my dream wedding gown. Kaye just showed my bridal gown pegs and they delivered the designs that I wanted. While it was still in the works, I already imagined how it would look, but the moment I saw it in front of me, I still got surprised at how pretty it turned out to be. They made a very beautiful gown for me (that made me look so slim and fab! :)

The Back Details - so pretty! :)

They also made my bridesmaids' and flower girls' dresses. For a very reasonable package, the gowns turned out to be really nice! :)
 

HMUA: Ms. Nieva Ogatia

Rating: 5
Peso Power: BLESSINGS! (Gift of Kuya Toff)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nadine.navidad

The second of my two favorite things in the wedding was the makeup! :)

Ate Nieva Ogatia is a good friend of Kuya Toff (my brother in law) and one of ABS-CBN’s make up artists. I didn’t bother having a trial make up with her since she also did my make up during our prenup. True enough, on my wedding day Ate Nieva really did wonders on me! She covered every single red spot on my face! Hehe!

The make up also lasted through out the night and didn’t feel heavy on my face. She also made Percy looked handsome! She always did our makeup retouch once in a while and we feel like we’re “artista”! Haha! :)

Ate Nieva's assistants also made my bridesmaids and our mothers very pretty too. She made our mothers hairdo and makeup and they both looked like a "donya" Hehe! My entourage were happy with their hair and make up as well.

 
Groom’s Tuxedo Couturier: Dream Mate Bridal Couture 

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 6,000.00 (Package) 

We found Dream Mate when we were looking for bridal gown makers in Divisoria. When we stop to their stall, Percy fell in love to one of their tuxedo in display and he didn’t want to look for other suits in other stores. (Na love at first sight siya. Hehe) No regrets, they made a dashing suit for Percy! My groom looked good in his suit! :)

Parents' Gowns and Barongs Couturier: Dream Mate Bridal Couture

Rating: 2.5
Peso Power: Php 7,000.00 (2 Gowns and 2 Piña-Jusi Barongs) 

They also made our parents' gowns and barongs. The only issue we had with them was the fitting of the gowns and barongs. My mother's gown was sent back to them twice for repair. They fixed the issue, but still it doesn’t fit her. My father and father-in-law were also not satisfied with the fitting of their barongs so we sent it all back for repair. My father's barong was repaired, but still the size was not right, too fit for him.

The gowns and barongs repairs were a huge hassle on our part. On the lighter side, the gowns and coats look stunning on our wedding pictures, they were photogenic. So even though we've been through a lot of hardships during the repairs, I thank God it paid off.

Hotel for Wedding Preps and Accommodation: Eastwood Richmonde Hotel 

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 33,930.00 (1 Premiere Suite for 2N2D and  1 Deluxe Room for 2N1D)
Website: http://richmondehotels.com.ph/eastwood-richmonde-hotel/

The primary reason why we chose Eastwood Richmonde, aside from its proximity to the venue, was the fact that it has a fine looking staircase which was very ideal for pictorials at no extra cost. It's a pretty new hotel with an elegant lobby and nice rooms. Read this post for more details regarding our search for hotel for accommodation and wedding preps.

For the wedding, we booked 1 Bedroom Premiere Suite and 1 Deluxe rooms, and much to our delight, they were given us big discounts upon are booking.

Wedding Rings: Austin Nikka Jewelry 

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 23,500.00 (Pair)
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/austin.nikka
Contact Number: 0933-134-3940 (Ms. Len)

Our affordable but very beautiful rings were made by Austin Nikka Jewelry. Dealing with them was superb! We’ve learned about them from Kaye who helped us searched for the best wedding rings makers. Hehe! Though it was little far from Manila (because their store is all the way from Meycauyan Bulacan) every single trip to their shop was worth it!

Our first plan was to have a single diamond on my ring, but when we saw their works from 1 diamond it became 7 princess cut diamonds but still on a reasonable price! Haha! Percy also loved his two toned ring. We also put spouse’s name on the ring and the date was also engraved on each one. :)  

String Quartet: Serenata Strings

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Inclusive of the Wedding Package
Website: http://www.serenataphil.com/ 

Our string quartet was part of our wedding package in Gazebo Royale. We only got them for the reception since we already have our singers for the ceremony. Even though Percy and I were busy during the program, we have notice how good the musicians and the singers of Serenata. 

They even played Christian songs that made are guests feel so blessed. I remembered they played "Hosanna" by Hillsong during our photo ops after the ceremony. All I thought was the song was played through the sound booth because it really sounds like the original song, but later on our friends who have been part of our guests told me that it was actually the Serenata Strings who played it. Wow! I was really amazed and blessed. :)

Florist: Rudy and Ding Zaragoza Florist 

Rating: 3.5
Peso Power: Php 10,000.00 (Package)
Contact Numbers: 731-5309 / 0919-697-3600

Mang Rudy Zaragoza was recommended to us by Ms. Tess our OTD. His arrangements were clean. I love how neat the flowers looked and the added accessories on my bridal bouquet. Aside from his affordable rates, he made my bouquet just how I wanted it to be!

The bridesmaids and mothers' bouquets were beautiful too. Even the flower baskets and flower headdress of flower girls were cute. 

What I have noticed was when they delivered the flowers, the stems of the flowers except my bridal bouquet were too long so I have to asked them to cut it short. I also didn't like the arrangement of the flowers for our mothers and Ninangs. The flowers were a bit small too! Plus according to our package they will give me another bouquet for bridal bouquet toss but it was not included to what they delivered.

There were some flaws, but overall, we were satisfied with what they have done, which was based on the details we agreed on. It was also easy to transact with them. My bridal bouquet and my bridesmaids bouquet turned out as I expected. 

Invitations: My Perfect Designs Wedding Invites

Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php 4,980 (Php 83.00/pc)
Website: http://www.myperfectdesigns.com/
Email Address: info@myperfectdesigns.com

We got Perfect Designs in one and only bridal fair that we attended. Hehe! Their rate was very affordable plus their works were pretty good thus we booked on them on the spot.

We wanted a personalized invitation that would follow our wedding theme so we gave them our sample pegs and they did not disappoint us. One word about our invites: LOVELY! :)

OTD Coordinator: Manila Mystic Events

Rating: 4
Peso Power: Inclusive of the Wedding Package
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Manila-Mystic-Events-by-Tess-M-Catapang/244303742427482

Our OTD was also part of our wedding package in Gazebo Royale, and Ms. Tess Catapang was assigned to us. I immediately liked her because of her warm, bubbly personality. She was very ma-‘kwento’ and she makes you feel like you’ve known each other forever. But at the same time, she knew when to get serious. She’s very organized and very meticulous about everything. She coordinated with all our suppliers regarding the details and schedules of our wedding. 

What we didn’t like was her team (except to Ate Luz who assisted me from the hotel until the end of the wedding). I admit not all happened as planned, there were some flaws but unnoticeable. During the reception, her assistants especially her husband changed what’s on the program. He wanted to do this and that first even if they have the copy of the program that I made. But at the end of the day, I'm still happy it turned out to be the wedding I always dreamed of and the praises we got from guests were overwhelming.

Entourage's Boutonniere: Lucky Charms Clay Accessories
Rating: 3.5
Peso Power: Php 1,435.00 (Php 85/pc)
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/WeddingKeepsake

If you read my previous post regarding our wedding theme, you will know why I wanted to have a personalized boutonnieres for our entourage. Kaye discovered this shop through facebook and when we saw their works we included them on our list of suppliers. Communicating with Ms. Edicel Roxas was smooth and easy even though I am so makulit and OC. Haha! She delivered well all my requests.

Wedding Cake: Cakeline Manila
Rating: 3.5
Peso Power: Inclusive of the Wedding Package
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/cakelinemanila

Our wedding cake was another inclusion from our wedding package in Gazebo Royale. They have 2 suppliers for wedding cakes and we chose Cakeline Manila for we find their wedding cakes beautiful compared to the other supplier.

At first I wanted a personalized wedding cake but it's too expensive. I sent them pegs of wedding cakes I wanted and it cost Php 30,0000. Whew! I don't want to spend that big amount for just a cake. It's not worth it and I don't find it sulit! Hehe! You will just take a bite of it and for pictorial purposes. So we decided to chose one from their sample cakes and it look like this.

Photobooth Supplier: Stat Photobooth
Rating: 5

Peso Power: Php 6,500.00
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/statphotobooth

Stat Photobooth was referred to us by Ms. Tess. Their team delivered well during our wedding day. Our photo booth layout executed very well. I love the design and colors it really suits our Music-themed wedding.

I super love the magnetic pictures that served as souvenirs for our guests. We consider them as one of our good finds :) 

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That's it! :) Our heartfelt thanks goes out to this dream team who helped make our dream wedding become a reality. Thaaaaank youuu! :)

Lastly, special thanks to these people who played a major part on our wedding day! Our friend/coordinator Kaye and our emcees MJ and Dan! We love you guys! Xoxo! :)

 

The big day is over, now the spotlight is on our life-post-wedding bells, something we have to seriously work on every single day of our lives forever. Are we ready? Yes we are. Game face on! :)

Now a wifey,