M plus M

We've always trusted in Val's expertise since the day we booked his services. My first trial makeup He did my hair and make up twice before the wedding. One during our video prenup shoot, another one during our photo prenup shoot. I loved how I look especially in our prenup pictures. I echoed to Val my fiance's feedback though about having too much make up on our first try. My second trial make up was done with airbrush and was much lighter. Mike found it much better than the first one. My second trial makeup Our transactions with Val had always been worry-free. I would call several weeks prior to the schedule, and then remind him a day before about it. I think he could do better with following up the customer a day before their schedule, specially during trial make ups for prenup shoots. He called 4 or 5 days prior to our wedding day to confirm our final headcount. On our wedding day, he and his two other hair and makeup artist came the earliest! That...

AudioMixx is a light and sounds supplier based in Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila. But we didn't hire them for light and sounds since we already have this included in our package with Juan Carlo (caterer). We had our wedding reception at the lakeshore (outdoor venue at Club Balai Isabel) and we were expecting the weather to be hot and humid in the afternoon. Although I wasn't really particular about getting extra coolers, as this was already beyond our planned budget, Mike insisted that he would be bothered seeing the guests feeling uncomfortable due to the heat. Communicating with AudioMixx was fairly good via email. But it would be best to call or send them a message through phone. We inquired in January about their serviced but only decided almost a month before the wedding. Thankfully, we got a nod when we asked if they're still available on our date. A few days before the wedding, the weather was so crazy. The end of March is supposed to be summer already, but the rain...

Pre sales story. It was very easy communicating with Kristel Sy, their proprietress. Flashwink one of those suppliers I was confident to message via email only. Although they offered free photobooth layout, I chose to make our own layout and backdrop after seeing their proofs. I'm not taking it against them though. I'm fickle towards these things 'cause my motto is things I can do better, I'll do myself. ( Same thing happened our wedding invitations . ) During the wedding day, they had their nifty looking booth beside the buffet station. I bet most of our guests (mostly relatives) enjoyed their time there. We simply love the quality of Flashwink printouts. Our pictures were available on their website a mere two days after the wedding! Photobooth pic with our former Philippine Army superiors I could have wished that they furnished us a copy of the pictures taken after the wedding. Otherwise, we're very happy with their services. Getting them through Cash...

Getting a separate reception florist was another one of our nice-to-have 's. Juan Carlo gave us an option to avail of their free centerpiece upgrade. But we chose to waive that since I thought none of their centerpieces will fit the windy setting in Balai Isabel's outdoor venue. Besides, I envisioned a wedding reception setup that is clean, simple and beach-inspired. Serge Igonia is a buzzword in W@W Yahoogroup. I tried my luck to contact him in September 2011, first via mobile and then email. Mike and I couldn't decide months from that if we have enough money to afford a separate the reception decorator. It was a good 4 months after our first inquiry when we asked again and decided to pursue with the nice-to-have. We're thankful that Serge accommodated us. We met at Alabang Town Center to discuss the details. Serge knew what needs to be done with Club Balai Isabel's reception. He anticipated that the venue will not be exclusive for us and our guests so he p...

We booked Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas, more than a year before our wedding. The place is number one among our non-negotiable wedding suppliers because first, we wanted a beach wedding and second, it's less than an hour away from Manila. First ocular visit @ Club Balai Isabel (Pantalan sa Clubhouse) At first, I wasn't too impressed with the beach. I wanted white sand (like Boracay). Eventually, I've come to accept that this is the closest thing we can have next to Boracay, budget-wise. We planned to have both the ceremony and reception in Balai Isabel . I didn't like the indoor venue because it would defeat the purpose of having an outdoor beach wedding, correct? Also, getting one of the indoor pavilions will cost us for a separate ceremony venue. So getting the Clubhouse Pantalan (lakeshorevenue) seemed like the best deal. We gave one payment for both reception and ceremony venue. Transacting with Ms. Ruby Mendoza, our account manager, was has...

Hiring musicians for our wedding was last among our priorities. When Mike shared his thoughts that he would want to hear violin playing while we're having our first dance, we decided to go for it. A few weeks before our wedding, when Al Espina of Juan Carlo suggested Muzziqe Vox who often plays at Fernbrook Garden weddings, we got in touch with Iggy Rey, the band's manager. There isn't a lot of feedback about the band over the Internet or at Weddings at Work (W@W), but we booked them, without looking for at other options. It was a good thing that they waived their out-of-town fee given that our wedding is in Talisay, Batangas. I was happy to know that they agreed to play the songs we requested that were not part of their repertoire. Muzziqe Vox plays mostly jazz, bossa nova and acoustic music. I requested for them to play the following (emphasis on songs not part of their repertoire): Ceremony Music The Entourage - Canon in D Entrance of Bride -  Somewhere ...

Before Club Balai Isabel allowed us to have an "outside" supplier to provide catering services for our wedding, we were set on getting their wedding package, which includes food and reception details, and discounts for the use of venue.Two or three months later, we finally persuaded them to have one of their accredited suppliers, which is Juan Carlo to be our catering provider. The biggest part of our budget went to Juan Carlo. And that means we really did expect a lot from this supplier. We were requested to provide feedback on their food, services, styling, etc. Except for the food, I gave them very satisfactory rating. For some reason, Mike and I didn't have the appetite as we used to during our reception. Our menu included the following: Appetizers (Nachos with Cheese Cream Dip / Bruschettas with Cheese, Tomato and Basil) Salad Bar (Assorted greens, cucumber, tomato, white onion rings, corn kernels) Main Course (Italian Beef Rolls / Hongkong Style Chicken in ...

We got Top Cakes initially as part of the package offered to us by our caterer, Juan Carlo. It's either the a basic 3-tiered fondant cake or basic light and sounds. Knowing that getting L&S supplier separately would cost more, we decided to spend for the cake. Besides, Mike really wanted a unique wedding cake when he saw those game console-inspired cakes at the bridal fairs. We planned to splurge on this one. We scheduled meetings with Ms. Mary Anne to give our down payment and discuss the design for the cake. She has regular bible study schedule during Thursdays in Makati so I was convenient meeting for us to meet her after office hours. What we appreciated best about Ms. Me-Ann is her experience with her craft. She's definitely a pro. When we showed her Mike's design sketches, she knew exactly what needs to be done. She sent us a sketch after our meeting, and then another one with with our color motif. Our last meeting was scheduled for the cake tasting. She...