Church Hunt # 4: Mary the Queen Parish

After my trip to Santuario de San Jose, my next agenda for the day was to visit Mary the Queen Parish in Madison Street, also in Greenhills.

In honor of Mama Mary, everything in the church is in blue and white—from its facade to its altar and even to the stained glass windows on the side. The color scheme gives the church a serene vibe that makes everyone inside feel calm and relaxed. I love how it even fits with our motif. Hehe. It has a very simple altar, but the blue background and high ceiling makes everything seem larger and more open. The sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows provides the perfect lighting for great, natural pictures. The church has no airconditioning though, and I don't know if the doors on the side can be opened to allow some air to pass through. Although for some reason, it was cooler and more comfortable in Mary the Queen than in Santuario de San Jose when I went there.

The church is located near the main road, between Xavier School and Immaculate Concepcion Academy, two exclusive schools for boys and girls, respectively. But I'm not worried about students milling around the church because our wedding will be held during their summer vacation. I'm more worried about the traffic noise and gatecrashers because the church is more open to the public than Santuario de San Jose. Also, there aren't that many picturesque locations to have our post-ceremony pictures taken.

The wedding package costs P15,000, half the price of Santuario de San Jose. However, it is only inclusive of the priest's stipend, flowers and red carpet. You have to provide your own musicians or choir, and even the microphones and organ that they will use! Mary the Queen is also notorious for its strict policy for punctualness. You are given only one hour for the whole ceremony, including the procession of the entourage up to the recessional. Every minute outside that period merits a P300 penalty. Yes, that is per minute! So imagine the pressure to follow the timeline to the dot to avoid any extra fees. One bride from W@W even said she walked too fast during her bridal march because she was afraid to be late. Di man lang na-enjoy ang moment. :(

To reserve your date, you have to pay a P5,000 downpayment. But this will serve as a security deposit in case you go beyond the alloted time. You will have to pay P15,000 on the wedding day itself. If you don't go beyond the one hour period, the church administration will return the P5,000 deposit to you.

VERDICT: Mary the Queen was originally my first choice because of I love the natural lighting and the blue facade. At first, I thought I could handle a summer wedding in a non-airconditioned church, but I had to consider how our guests, especially the oldies, would feel. My mom usually have dizzy spells whenever it's too hot and I don't want to risk that happening during our wedding. Also, I don't want to rush our ceremony just to avoid the P300-a-minute penalty for overtime. We want to savor every moment of the ceremony, and not be stressed over the timeline of the event. And even if the package rate is half of SSJ's rate, I still think SSJ's package is more worth your money because it already includes musicians, unlike in Mary the Queen where you have to shell out more money to book musicians and rent a microphone and organ.

So we have finally made our decision: We will book Santuario de San Jose when its 2014 logbook will open in December.

MARY THE QUEEN PARISH
Madison St., San Juan
722-9711

Church Hunt # 3: Santuario de San Jose

After our failed church hunting adventure more than a week ago, I finally found the time to visit our top two options last Friday to help us decide which one we would choose for our ceremony venue.

First stop was Santuario de San Jose in East Greenhills, San Juan. SSJ is becoming one of the top choices for couples because of its elegant ambiance. The interior is a mixture of red, gold and wooden accents, while stained glass windows depicting the Way of the Cross adorned the sides of the church. There are also mini chandeliers on the ceiling, which will be turned on during weddings as part of their package. Outside, the church’s pale green and cream façade serves as the perfect backdrop for photos. There is also a small garden by the entrance that can be used as a waiting area for the guests and entourage.

The church can easily fit around 100 to 150 people; it’s not too big that the pews would seem empty if you plan to have an intimate wedding, but it’s not too small that it would feel cramped. The aisle is also the perfect length for brides who wish to enjoy their bridal march but are too daunted to walk down a long, long aisle (like me. Hehe.)

The church is located inside an exclusive subdivision in Greenhills, so the solemnity of the ceremony will not be disrupted by the traffic outside and other city noises. There are also marked parking spaces near the vicinity of the church for the convenience of guests with cars.

The wedding package for 2012 is P25,000, which is inclusive of the priest’s stipend, flowers, red carpet, use of the air-conditioners for 1 ½ hours, electricity for videos, lighted chandeliers, and a soloist and organist. To block off the date, you have to deposit P5,000. Each year though, the rates increase as well as the required downpayments. The wedding rate for 2013 is P28,000 with a reservation fee of P6,000, while the wedding rate for 2014 is P30,000 with a reservation fee of P7,000.

VERDICT: I always liked to be married in a chapel, or at least a small church, because I felt it would make my wedding more solemn and personal, and SSJ has the perfect size to hold the small and intimate wedding that I dreamed about. And best of all, it’s air-conditioned! This was the deciding factor for us because our wedding will be held in April, which is one of the HOTTEST months. We wanted our guests to be cool and comfortable during the ceremony despite the stifling heat so an air-conditioned church is definitely a must.

However, I was dismayed over their wedding rates. Their current rate of P25,000 is already over our budget, so what more if it's P30,000? Their rates are only applicable for the year the wedding will be held so even though I'd pay the reservation fee this year, I wouldn't be able to lock the price. Right now, I'm still thinking whether it's worth paying more than half of our alloted budget for the church, but the lure of using air-conditioners on a hot summer day is sorely tempting.

SANTUARIO DE SAN JOSE
Buffalo cor. Duke Streets, East Greenhills, San Juan
725-2044 / 721-3842

We Won a Freenup!

A few days ago, I saw that our videographer, Aisle 1401, was having a promo. They were giving away three free prenup pictorials, or freenups as they were usually called, to Aisle 1401 brides who are also W@W tag holders. And since I got mine just this month, I was eligible for the promo! Yey! :)

And so just for kicks, I emailed Anna our wedding details to join the promo. I never really expected to win because I'm really unlucky when it comes to raffles and other contests. I never seem to win on those things, not even a friggin' ballpen! Haha.

But then I saw Aisle 1401's post on Facebook this morning.

Wow! I couldn't believe that we've won! I almost screamed when I saw this. Haha! My raffle-draw curse has finally been broken!

Anyway, now I'm nervous. I don't know what to do for our freenup. I literally have nothing: no concept, no props, no outfits, no venue, no hair and makeup artist! I really don't want to spend that much because I want this freenup to be a practice run for our real prenup pictorial next year. Mox is not really comfortable in front of the camera and the only pose that I know is the peace sign. Haha! So maybe this freenup will teach us how to pose like real models in front of the camera. :)

I just want this freenup to be candid, fun and relaxed. Now I need to research on possible venues and search my closet for clothes to bring! Gah, I'm so excited! :)

Food Tasting # 9: Juan Carlo the Caterer

Since we didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon,  my younger brother and I decided to attend Juan Carlo the Caterer's grand food tasting at Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City.

The entire Fernwood Gardens compound was  huge! Jocco and I even mistakenly went to a wedding reception instead of Juan Carlo's food tasting because there were so many venues to choose from. The whole place has that whole romantic, fairy tale vibe into it. There were fountains on the front yard, red vines hanging from the walkway's ceilings, a pond with a swan on it, and mini-waterfalls all over the place. There were also a lot of vintage bridal cars and even a horse carriage, perfect for brides who wish to feel like a princess on their big day.

Juan Carlo's food tasting was held at the Cycad Garden. The tables were set with navy blue linens with a white floral pattern. Their centerpieces were mostly white flowers, although using different types of vases and stands. Ours was a tall, metal stand with white flowers on top and at the bottom, which is part of the standard centerpieces. The setup was very elegant, but I found it too simple and generic. They can also upgrade your centerpieces to umbrellas and candelabras, although there would be an additional fee.

Now it's time for the good part: the food. For starters, we were both given different soups to try. I had the Sopa de Congrejo (Crab Meat Soup with Celery and Carrots) and Jocco had the Cream of Fresh Mushroom Soup. Both soups tasted alike, even though mine was supposedly crab meat soup while Jocco's was supposedly cream of mushroom soup. There were no crab meat in my soup, only little orange bits that were supposed to be carrots. Meanwhile, Jocco said his tasted like Nido soup. We were quite disappointed with Juan Carlo's soup offerings.

Sopa de Congrejo

Cream of Fresh Mushroom Soup

We were given different menus for the main courses. According to Ann, my AE, Jocco's menu consists of Juan Carlo's bestsellers while my menu consists of all upgraded dishes.

Jocco's plate

My plate

For the pasta course, I had the Penne Carbonara with Bacon while Jocco had the Angel Hair Puttanesca. I love carbonara so I had high hopes with my pasta, but unfortunately I didn't like this dish at all. The penne carbonara was very bland; the sauce wasn't creamy enough so the flavor did not stick to the noodles. You can taste a hint of the sauce at the first bite, but a second later, that flavor would be gone. Jocco also said his angel hair puttanesca also lacked the spicy and salty taste that puttanescas usually have. He thought the pasta was too saturated in olive oil that it lost the flavor of the tomato sauce. Another thumbs down for Juan Carlo here.

For our veggies, I had the Mongolian Vegetables while Jocco had the Stir-Fried Mixed Baguio Vegetables in Oyster Sauce. I really couldn't comment on my veggie dish because I didn't eat it, but I thought Jocco's veggie entree was quite good. The vegetables were soft and well-cooked, and the oyster sauce complemented the dish very well.

They also served us different types of rice. Jocco had the standard steamed rice, which they gave the fancy name of Steamed Fragrant Rice, while I had the Moroccan Rice. Honestly, I thought the Morrocan rice had no distinct flavor; in fact, both rice tasted exactly alike. I guess the only difference was their color. So not worth the price if the Moroccan rice is indeed an upgraded dish.

Now on to the four main entrees: fish, chicken, pork and beef. For our fish dish, I had the Salmon with Tequila Cream Sauce while Jocco had the Blue Marlin in Lemon Butter Sauce. I thought my dish was delicious because the salmon was very pink and so soft that it could practically melt in your mouth! Plus, you could barely taste the tequila in the cream, which is a good thing for me because I really don't like the taste of alcohol in the food that I'm eating. The blue marlin dish was also a hit! The fish was so flavorful that it would still taste delicious even without the lemon butter sauce. Jocco said this dish was one of his many favorites. Hehe.

For our chicken entree, Jocco had the Hong Kong Style Chicken in Oyster Sauce, while I had the Chicken Breast in Piri-Piri Sauce. The Hong Kong style chicken is a must-try! I don't know what kind of cooking style that is, but whatever it is, it made this chicken dish uber-yummy! The chicken was so tender that it would come off the bones cleanly with one slice of the knife. The oyster sauce also seeped into the chicken meat and skin, making it so savory even up to the bones. We were really satisfied with this dish! However, I couldn't say the same to the chicken breast in Piri-Piri sauce. Even though I don't know what a piri-piri sauce is, it didn't make any difference to the taste. It was simply grilled chicken breast with a special sauce drizzled on it. Nothing that special even though it was supposedly an upgraded dish.

For our pork dish, I had the Pork Caldereta, while Jocco had the Roast Pork with Prunes and Walnuts. The pork caldereta was actually quite good albiet a bit spicy for my taste. However, I felt that it was again too ordinary to be an upgraded entree. Mas sosyal pang pakinggang yung pagkain ni Jocco eh. The roast pork was delicious, by the way. While the caldereta has a hint of spicyness, the roast pork has the right amount of sweetness that is not too saccharine. I couldn't taste the prunes and walnuts though, but I'd still recommend this dish to future Juan Carlo clients.

Lastly, we had our beef course, where Jocco had the Ox Tongue with Buttered Mushroom, while I had the Kare-Kare with Alamang. Jocco's entree was actually the usual roast beef with gravy dish, but I still like this dish. The ox tongue was very tender and easy to slice, and the buttered mushroom sauce was heavenly. I didn't eat my kare-kare though so I couldn't comment on it. But I couldn't accept the fact that a caterer would charge more than P1,000 per plate for an meal that could be cooked every day in your own home. Of course, this could just be the kuripot in me talking. But still, I'd rather serve the not-so-ordinary dishes during my wedding instead of the usual homecooked fare. It's good to be a bit fancy once in a while.

We had the Strawberry Pannacotta, Pandan Pannacotta, Swan Puff and Parisian Fruit Tartlets for our desserts. At the first bite, the strawberry pannacotta would seem sour, but the strawberry's sweetness would soon invade your taste buds afterwards. Jocco thought the pannacotta was too sickeningly sweet though. He liked the pandan pannacotta better because it has the right amount of sweetness and the apple bits were a great addition to the dessert, but I still think Ma Del's Buco Pandan Jello wins hands down. I didn't eat the swan puff because I thought it was just an ordinary cream puff shaped like a swan, and Jocco said the pastry shell was hard to bite into. The Parisian fruit tartlet tasted okay, but the grapes used were too sour so the overall taste of the pastry was affected.

Strawberry Pannacotta

Pandan Pannacotta

Swan Puff and Parisian Fruit Tartlets

VERDICT: Juan Carlo the Caterer is one of the pricier caterers in the market and the package they offered me is the most expensive that I've received so far. I think there are other more affordable caterers whose food are at par with Juan Carlo, and who offer similar, if not, better wedding packages. Take Josiah's for example. Josiah's package for me costs around P164K and already has a salad bar, pasta bar, choco fountain, and 15 desserts. Juan Carlo's package costs more than P173K and only includes three pastas, five desserts and a choco fountain. It's really best to compare the caterers' packages to see which would be a better deal, and right now, I don't think Juan Carlo is the one for us.

JUAN CARLO THE CATERER
24B 11th Jamboree St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City
929-3674 / 416-5134
info@juancarlothecaterer.com 

Food Tasting # 8: Ma Del's Cuisine Part 2

Mox and I were supposed to go church hunting last Tuesday, but it seemed like luck was not on our side because all of our ocular visits were all in vain. Our first stop was at Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills, but a wedding was taking place when we arrived so we weren't able to take pictures of the interior of the church. Not only that, the parish office was closed so we couldn't ask them when their 2014 calendar will open. Ang malas lang diba? Our next target was North Greenhills Clubhouse, but because it was a holiday, the office was also closed. We were so frustrated that we decided to cancel our last visit, which was supposed to be Mary the Queen Parish, and just go home.

One good thing did happen though: Mox was able to accompany me to another food tasting with Ma Del's Cuisine! My parents and brother were the ones who were with me during my first food tasting, so I scheduled another one to let Mox taste their food. The food served today were the same as the ones served before, except for the chicken and fish entrees. Forgive me though because I forgot again to take pictures of our plates. Masyado ulit kaming naexcite kumain eh.

We again had the Fettuccine Italiana for our pasta. Surprisingly, I appreciated the dish this time around because it was more flavorful than the last time. I don't like my pasta sour, which is why I am not a fan of tomato-based pasta, but the Fettuccine Italiana was packed with meat, which made it a bit salty—just the way I like it. Mox thought it was so delicious that he literally gobbled it down. Patay-gutom lang ang peg. Haha!

Another repeater was the Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy. Last time, I said that my roast beef was tough to chew. Now I believe that it was bad luck at that time because now my roast beef is very soft and tender. The mushroom gravy again has that sweet-salty taste that I love. Think the gravy used in Jollibee's burger steak, but even better! Basta ang sarap niya. It’s just too bad that the famed Spanish Beef Caldereta was not served during our food tasting so I couldn't compare both beef entrees.

We then had the Chicken Flambe next. Flambe means to ignite food that have liquor or liqueur added, so I  thought the chicken has some alcohol in it. But the Chicken Flambe looked nothing like what I'd expected; instead it looked just like the Chicken Cordon Bleu because the fillet was fried, filled with ham and cheese, and had some gravy on top. I couldn't taste a single drop of alcohol in it. However, I'm not complaining because the chicken was very juicy and the gravy balanced the cheesiness of the dish. Plus, I'm not really a fan of alcohol-soaked food, except for my mom's nilasing na hipon (but of course, the shrimps were soaked in Sprite rather than alcohol so that's not counted). Mox loved this dish so much that he even ate the rest of my share. Haha!

Our fish dish was Fish Fillet with Tartar Sauce. What I liked about this is that Ma Del's is very generous with their fillet. You can practically taste all of the fish in one bite, unlike other fish fillets where there are mostly bread crumbs. The tartar sauce is also the perfect dip for the fried seafood. Yummy! This dish is similar to Quido's Fish Fillet with Mayo Garlic Sauce but I'm more impressed with Ma Del's version.

For our pork entrée, we again had the Korean Pork. It tasted as delicious as before, but compared to the other dishes that we’ve tasted, I thought it was too salty and overpowering now. Yes, too much flavor can be a bad thing. Plus, it looked too boring next to the other entrees because it was the only dish without any sauce or dip.

And for our dessert, we had the Buco Pandan Salad. Honestly, I don’t know if it was really the Buco Pandan Salad that we ate or the Buco Pandan Jello. They looked exactly alike, from the shot glass to the whipped cream on top. The only difference was there was more coconut meat in the Buco Pandan Salad. Maybe it was really Buco Pandan Jello and Anj just made a typo on our menu for the day? I don't know; I should just stop confusing myself now. Bottomline is, the dessert was really delicious!

Since Anj already explained the inclusions of their packages during our previous food tasting, she just showed us some samples of her beach-themed setups, including the beach-themed wedding cakes made by her cake supplier. Since we will have around 150 guests, we are entitled to pick two freebies and one of those freebies could be our wedding cake.

Ma Del's offers both icing and fondant wedding cakes. There are template designs for the cakes, but Ma Del's also allows customized designs for an additional fee. I think the icing cakes would cost around P3,500 to P4,500 while a fondant cake would cost around P8,000. Here are some samples of an icing cake and a fondant cake from Ma Del's for a beach-themed wedding. I think the icing cake below is based on a template design while the fondant cake is customized to suit the theme.

Satellite Cake

Fondant Cake

I know I said before that a customized cake would be the least of our priorities, but I'm now ready to eat my words. Just look at it! It's so pretty! And while I still don't think we could afford a customized wedding cake, I am willing to look for other affordable suppliers for this, if there are any.

VERDICT: Mox just loved Anj and Ma Del's. He would probably book them on the spot if their 2014 calendar was already opened. He was quite participative during our meeting, asking Anj questions regarding their setups and other services. He even asked Anj to compute how much would it cost us if we would get their most expensive package with tiffany chairs. Bibong-bibo talaga si kuya! Haha! This was a surprise because he would rarely talk during the few times that he'd accompany me to a supplier meeting. I guess he felt the this-is-it moment with Ma Del's. :) Of course we still need to attend a few more food tastings before we make a decision, but Ma Del's is now a frontrunner in our search for our caterer.

We Got Tagged!

W@W-tagged that is!

Our W@W tags were delivered today, which now proves that I am a certified W@Wie! And to think that we haven't even booked our church or reception venue yet. Haha! That means we can never change our wedding date or else I have to order another pair of W@W tags, which is an extra expense that I couldn't afford. So I really have to check with our chosen church to see when their 2014 calendar will open so I can book them already. Excited na ako eh!

W@Wie babies

What is a W@W tag? According to the W@W website, it is a bag tag and a membership card rolled in one and it is given exclusively to active and deserving e-group members. At first I thought that once you sign up for the Yahoo! group, you are already considered a W@Wie. But no, your membership will be formalized only through the W@W tag.

The tag not only serves as a cool souvenir of your wedding preps, but it can also help you get freebies and discounts from certain suppliers. Even a 5% discount can be a great help, especially for budget brides like me. For a complete list of suppliers that honor the W@W tag, you can check it here: http://www.weddingsatwork.com/2008beta/wp-content/themes/WeddingsAtWork/benefits.php.

So how can you get one? Easy, just be an active member of the W@W Yahoo! group. That means you must contribute to the discussions within the group, whether it's sharing about a certain supplier or answering a fellow bride's question. I was pretty quiet before because I really have nothing to share when it comes to actual wedding preps, but when there were topics that I can relate to, that's when I'd begin talking.

No one really knows the actual number of posts needed to be considered an "active" W@W member, so you have to email W@W's founder, Benz Rana, to ask if you are eligible for a W@W tag. If she deems you eligible, she will email you the instructions on how to order. Wait for 14 days, and viola! Your W@W tags will soon find their way on your doorstep.

Seeing our names and our wedding date on the tags just made this whole wedding planning thing even more real. I can't wait to put our W@W tags to good use! Hehe. :)

Proud Furmommy

Meet Bacon, my super-duper kulit but adorable shih tzu. I got him for my 24th birthday last year and despite the hefty price tag, I never regretted my decision one bit. I'm always in a hurry to go home because of him. He would greet me at the front door, lie down on his back and beg for a belly rub, which is his way of paglalambing. Sometimes, he would sit with me on the couch and just lay his head on my lap. Even when I'm mad at him because he's too hyperactive sometimes, he would just look at me with his puppy-dog eyes and all my anger would melt away. I swear, no one can give unconditional love better than a dog.

Wearing an Ateneo jersey ;)

Now while I'm excited to live with Mox after our wedding, I still have one apprehension about it. How can I leave this adorable bundle of joy behind? It would definitely take some time before I'd get used to not living with him anymore. :(