Themes & Motifs was the organizer of the bridal fair last March (LOL this time I remember na!). I had so much fun during that fair because that was the time I got to book a lot of suppliers I needed (and as of the moment, wala pa naman akong pinagsisisihan. Haha). There I got to book our florist and event stylist, lights and sounds (L/S), church and reception musicians, on-the-day coordinator, bouquet preservationist, second P/V supplier (I’d be having a separate post explaining this), and an invitation printer (one of two printers I booked, will explain that later in this post). It was held in SMX Convention Center again, so not much hassle travelling because the Mall of Asia was quite accessible from here in Imus, Cavite.
First stop was the florist/event stylist, Angel of Hearts. I actually already know that they’d be there because we already got to talk with the owner, Lorry Jean, at their shop in Dangwa, Manila, a couple of days before. I was with my sister, Pao, that day and once we got inside the halls, we went straight to Angel of Hearts to book them. (I’d share my florist/evet stylist story later on in another post.) I had the quotation sheet given to me previously, and there they based my booking. I also got the L/S that same moment because apparently, Angel of Hearts is also the owner of Audio Dream. Mom was certain to tell me to book them during the bridal fair because she liked Ms. Lorry Jean when we got to talk to her before. I didn’t mind her deciding on this one because florist and L/S naman ito. It was something I am not very particular about. Hindi siya covered masyado sa kaartehan ko. Haha! They have a Facebook page, if you’d like to see their works.
Church and Reception Music
While we were going around, we saw the booth of Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). I told myself, I think I’m lucky today. I was hoping MPO would join another bridal fair (I missed out on them last January) so I could get them and take advantage of any promo. MPO was something I really had to consult with the “authorities” like fiancé and mom, because at first it would sound really expensive. We were initially planning to hire a band to perform during the wedding, but we decided to book something like the MPO when we realized we wanted a very formal event. So there. I got to talk to Ms. Marijo, the MPO rep. She explained about their services and let us listen to the sample works of the MPO and their soloist—which made our jaws drop and gave us goosebumps. I particularly loved one singer, the one who sounded like Michael Buble. Hopefully he’s be available on my wedding day. Ms. Marijo told us that he’s one of Ryan Cayabyab’s group, and if ever the group would be having a commitment the same day of my wedding, “Michael Buble” would be prioritizing that. (My fingers are crossed!) I booked MPO by making a minimal down payment. I initially got a quintet (five instrumentalists) and one singer. We’re going to add another singer later and maybe (not sure yet) another instrumentalist. I’d just like to commend MPO of their fast replies and emails after booking. Even if the wedding was more than 12 months to go, they already sent me their song list, sample sequences, and other details, and promised to update us once there’s be new additions to the lists. If you’re wondering about their rates, below is a photo of their published 2014 rates. MPO gave me a little discount (which I still appreciated) upon booking on the spot.
Since I was there already, and was sure to book them, we went to Print Divas’ booth after MPO. Print Divas is a partner supplier of my P/V. They told me I’d be getting an automatic 25% discount if I’d be availing their service. Basically I just sat there and looked at samples, then booked them already. Funny thing was I told them I’d pay 3,000 for down payment but I wrote 5,000. My mistake, really. But the kuya I was talking to kept on saying sorry kasi we had to go back and make corrections pa. Hehe. Kahit kasalanan ko naman. By the way, I loved how girly their booth was. Here’s a photo taken from their Facebook page:
Before I went to the fair, mom was always telling me to look for a bouquet preservationist, like the one owned by Kristin Bersola (former newscaster, now host, wife of Julius Babao the news anchor—just in case you’re not familiar with her, haha). She told me it’s nice to preserve the bridal bouquet as remembrance of the wedding. I didn’t expect I’d encounter one during the fair, and apparently it was Precious Memories (the one owned by Kristin Bersola). Their booth was really tiny, like they were sharing space lang with another booth, but their rep Ms. Sherry was really nice to talk to. Turns out that they offer the bouquet preservation at a same rate even if the bouquet is large or long. They’d be placing it in a frame that’s kinda like a box, actually, along with the other bridal accessories used during the ceremony. They also offer bridal gown preservation, and preservation of baptismal paraphernalia, basically anything worth preserving. If you’re curious how much they charge for it, it’s 10,000 bucks for a set (bouquet or gown or whatever), but they give 10% off during bridal fairs.
P/V #2
I’d just explain later why I availed another P/V in another post, maybe the one after this. Anyways, I got Studio1 Photography and Videography (Gladberg) at a very great deal. This is actually the supplier I was really happy about after booking them, and this was when I experienced haggling about the deals. Studio1 is almost always present in bridal fairs, and they always offer discounts and many (seriously) many freebies. When I actually went over the offers of the different P/V suppliers, Studio1 offers the best deal. At first I was wondering why they go to that extent when it comes to discounts and freebies, but I trusted them. They wouldn’t afford being in bridal fairs all the time if they didn’t have stability. After all, booths during bridal fairs don’t come cheap—and they always get the big ones. The rep I got to talk to was Alger. Ang tatak niya sakin ay si “kuyang andaming energy at galante sa freebie.” He kept on giving more freebies even if I didn’t ask, maybe because I still showed him hesitation even if I was sure already. LOL. I’d share the rates and inclusions later na lang. Basta I’m happy I got them. I know they’re not as to-of-the line as other P/Vs, but I like them.
On-the-Day Coordinator
This was the last supplier I booked during the fair, and honestly, I was quite unsure of this. LOL. There were many On-the-Day Coordinators (OTDs) during fairs. Price range really varies, but the average price nowadays is 18,000. (Some can even go as high as 60,000 depends on the number of guests.) I got Celebre Events, because 1) They’re really affordable. 2) Their office is based in Alabang, where my wedding would take place. 3) They’d assign a male coordinator to assist the groom. Some coordinators are all-female groups. Sorry naman kung gusto ko lalaki din kina groom and his entourage. Haha! 4) They have coordinated attires and communication equipment. 5) They give lots of freebies like offertory items, RSVP service, guestbook, et cetera. 6) The rep I got to talk to, Kimberly, was very kalog and merry and lively and all. Hindi masungit, but I think kayang kaya naman kapag very formal ang event. I hope she’d be able to be in the team, come our wedding day. And 7) They have good-looking coordinators. Haha! There’s this one girl I saw on their Facebook page who’s really pretty. I hope she’d be in the wedding as well! Haha. I got them pala at 13,000 bucks promo price (but their regular price is very affordable, at 15,000) but I added another thousand for one extra member because I’d be having more guests than the usual 150-200.
I mentioned I was unsure of them at first, kasi they weren’t well-known pa. I haven’t encountered many reviews about them in forums, “wed”-sites, and at the Weddings@Work group. They aren’t hyped up online, but they’re active in posting their gigs on Facebook. There was, apparently, one post in GirlTalk which said that one caterer told a client to stay away from Celebre because at one wedding, they changed the programme without notice. Hopefully they won’t be doing the same. Saka, that’s third-hand account naman. I’d pull out if I’d be reading lots of bad feedback. I’m not the type naman who easily judges a supplier because of a single mistake, unless it involves the supplier fighting with the client na. In fairness to them naman, I found out that they’ve been awarded top-booker in a bridal fair sometime this year, and their head/owner, Gina Chan, was interviewed/consulted by GMA News TV about weddings. I told myself, Sige na. Trust them. Just communicate with them well.
There was something that made me uneasy, though. They weren’t able to issue me an official receipt (OR) during the fair. I was about to claim a raffle ticket equivalent to the amount I paid for reservation with Celebre when the organizers told me that it was invalid because they needed an OR. When I came back to the booth, they told me it was in-process pa with the BIR. When I deposited naman the full down payment, still the OR wasn’t ready. I came to their booth a few days ago at a different bridal fair(May 4, 2014) and asked if the ORs are ready. Kimberly told me they was ready, and will advise me once the ORs are ready for pick up. Luckily my sister’s college entrance review center (MSA) is located right across their office building in Alabang. I told them my sister would just pick it up after a few days. I am hoping that this is not a bad sign. *sigh*
Raffle Entries
I wasn’t able to win anything instantly that day. No cupcakes, whatsoever. *laughs* But hey, since I booked a lot of suppliers, I got to have a lot of raffle tickets! Pao and I got really busy writing down details on all those tickets and put them in the drop box. Hopefully I’d win any of the prizes. Ang hirap kayang mag fill-out! *laughs*
We got kinda tired after the fair. It was dinner time already when we went out, so Pao and I headed to BonChon-MOA na lang to eat. With all those flyers and contracts we got, we went home na after.
There! Haba ng kwento! But there’s more pa to come! Till next time!
Good vibes!
-Gero