Kudos to Our Freenup Suppliers

It’s always been a W@W tradition to give out feedbacks on suppliers right after a bride’s wedding, but since I haven’t been married yet, let’s just start with our freenup suppliers. :)

PHOTOGRAPHERS: NYOi (Not Your Ordinary Images) 

Peso Power: Free!
Contact Details: nyoimages@gmail.com

Rating: 5+++ out of 5

I so love this team! The first time I met with Nikki and Alex, I already felt at ease with them. The first thing they did was to buy me a Java Chip Frappucinno—the first time that a supplier has ever treated me to anything. For that, they already earned plus points in my book! Hehe. But seriously, they were a blast to be with! During our meeting, we were able to tackle all the specifics of our photo shoot—logistics, how many sets of clothes we'd bring, what kind of shots we'd like or don't like, etc.—and had some chikahan moments in between. Ang saya lang. :)

During our pictorial, they were very professional. At first, I just thought they were just hobbyists who only wished to build up their portfolio, but when we arrived at our venue, WOW! There were set lights and reflectors all over the place! Sabi nga ni Mox mali ata kami ng napuntahan kasi may mga nakasetup na ilaw pa. Akala tuloy namin may nagshoshooting na artista. Yun pala, kami ang artista. Chos! Haha!

I already informed Nikki and their team about Mox's aversion to the cameras, but they were able to bring him out of his shell and even got him to smile! We got a lot of great pictures as a result. And I really mean a lot—around 900+ pictures in just 2 1/2 hours of shooting. Wow! :)

HMUA: Berny Tia

Peso Power: P2,000 for on-location hair and makeup

Contact Details: smbeautiful@yahoo.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I definitely made the right choice when I got Ms. Berny to do my makeup. I looked fresh and young in every picture! Plus, she's also very maalaga. She would touch up my makeup at every chance, especially since my nose would just become shiny immediately. Bwiset na ilong yan. Haha! She has the most affordable prenup rates at P2,000. With that rate, she would already join you on your shoot. Diba ang mura? Most HMUA offer on-location hair and makeup at P4,000 and above so Ms. Berny's rate is actually quite a steal. 

I didn't give her a perfect 5 though because I didn't like my first hairstlye, the curly half-do. It's nice and all, but I didn't think it suited me, especially with the dress that I was wearing. Mox thought it looked nice naman, but I thought it made me looked older. Although I loved the curls when she finally let all my hair down. :)

VENUES: Starbucks and Timezone in Greenhills Promenade

Peso Power: Free!

Contact Details: 896-2755 (Starbucks) and 571-0910 (Timezone)
Rating: 4 out of 5

I didn't want to spend too much money on our freenup so I searched for venues that would allow us to hold our freenup for well... free. But I also wanted a venue that plays a special part in our relationship. Luckily, I learned that Starbucks and Timezone allow couples to hold their prenups there for free. This suited us perfectly because we love to drink coffee at Starbucks and play arcade games at Timezone during our dates. Oh yeah, I would kick Mox's butt at the basketball games. Haha!

Nikki suggested to hold our freenup at the Timezone branch in Greenhills Promenade because it would be easier to hold a photo shoot there. Starbucks was right beside it so it was a win-win situation. I just had to send a letter of intent to the marketing departments of both establishments, where I put in details of our prenup shoot such as the date, time, number of people and list of the equipment that would be used.

Everything was all easy-peasy but I have to give the venues a 4 though because it took me quite a long time to get the permits from them. I had to follow up on them daily to get an answer. I almost thought I had to think of a Plan B because I still had no permit three days before our shoot. But luckily, everything worked out for the best. :) 

OUTFITS: Models' own (Naks, pinanindigan ang pagiging model. Haha!)
Peso Power: P1,400 for my blue lace dress (Forever21)
Rating: 5+++ out of 5 (Syempre, love your own. Hehe.)

Again, we tried to limit our expenses so we had to make do with our old clothes for this shoot. I only bought the blue lace dress from Forever21 since I had nothing else to wear. I even asked Nikki if it's okay to bring only two sets of clothes since I was already having a hard time looking for outfits to bring! Kawawang bata! Haha. I honestly don't know if the clothes we wore were fashionable or even appropriate for a prenup, but I haven't heard any complaints so I guess it's all good. Hehe.

ACCESSORIES: Con Andres (my MOH)
Peso Power: Free!
Rating: 5 out of 5

Con, my high school friend and my maid of honor, lent me a box full of accessories for the shoot. However, I only used this black bracelet during our Starbucks shoot. I was also supposed to wear a cute yellow fabric flower brooch with my blue dress, but it didn't really fit in with the venue. Nonetheless, I'd still give her a 5 since the accessories were cute, she's my close friend, and she volunteered to be my stylist for my next prenup. Yey! :)

Overall, the freenup was a great experience, and I'm so happy that we've done it. I just want to say thank you to Aisle 1401 for giving Mox and I the opportunity to do this freenup, and of course to all our suppliers for making this shoot a success. I love you all! :)

Official Freenup Pics by NYOi

Last night, our freenup photographer NYOi (Not Your Ordinary Images) gave us the copy of our official pics! Whee!

I haven't seen the raw pics yet since I couldn't find my external DVD drive for my laptop, but I love what they have uploaded in the Facebook. OMG, ang ganda ko lang! Ngayon ko lang nalaman na pwede pala akong maging mowdel! Chos! Ang photogenic kasi ng labas ko in fairness. Although kairita lang ang pagkakirat ng mata ko pag ngumingiti ako. Saka yung mga lawlaw kong  braso at ang matataba kong legs. Jusko, pata na kung pata! Pero keber, maganda naman ako. Chos!

Meanwhile, Mox is a revelation! For someone who claims to be shy and not so comfortable in front of a camera, he's actually the better poser between the two of us. Siya na talaga! Ang gwapo niya! Whet whew! Hot papa! Lalo siyang nakaka-inlove!

I'll talk more about our freenup suppliers in a later post, but in the meantime, here are some of our favorite post-processed pics out of the bunch. For the complete album, you may click this link. Enjoy! :)

Huwaw! Parang may mga anghel sa langit lang ang peg.

The new faces of Starbucks. Chos,

Keber kahit madaming tao sa Timezone, basta hihiga ako sa sahig - Mox

My Perfect Bridal Song

I know it’s too soon to come up with a wedding playlist (excited much?), but as early as now, I have been on the lookout for possible songs that we can use for our wedding. In fact, I already have a list of possible bridal march songs, even though I’m not yet sure if my church would allow love songs to be played during the ceremony. Assumerang palaka lang ako eh. Haha.

I only have two criteria for my bridal march song. One, it must have a beautiful melody that can reduce me (and everyone else) into tears. Dapat tagos sa puso ang kanta para feel na feel ko ang paglakad ko sa aisle. And two, its lyrics must speak about my feelings for Mox. I want something that will describe how much I love and cherish him. Cheesy na kung cheesy, pero pagbigyan niyo na kami. Kasal naman namin yun eh.

I have tried listening to the usual songs used for the bridal march, such as “Panunumpa”, “Two Words” and “Ikaw”, but I felt no real connection to them. I didn't have that warm, fuzzy feeling of kilig, which was a telltale sign that I had found THE ONE. Sadly, these songs just weren't the perfect choice for us.

But as I was driving home last night from my monthsary date with Mox (happy 23^rd monthsary by the way), I heard this song played on the radio, a 1997 single by Jim Brickman featuring Michelle Wright. I suddenly felt that kilig feeling, and right then and there, I knew I have found my bridal march song.

The song fits the bill perfectly. It has this melody that is so hauntingly beautiful that it gives me chills. I could just imagine myself walking down the aisle with that song playing on the background. Plus, it relays exactly what I wanted to say to my fiance, which I'll explain further in a later post. For now, I'll just swoon for a bit as I listen to this song over and over again.

Reception Venue: Booked!

During the initial stage of our wedding preps, I was already set to book North Greenhills Clubhouse as our reception venue. It was near Sanctuario de San Jose, which was our chosen church at that time, and it was within our budget. Best of all, it can easily fit in all our guests AND a live band. I was just waiting for its 2014 calendar to open in January so that I can book it for our wedding.

But unfortunately, I learned that North Greenhills now requires a sponsorship to rent the clubhouse. Since I don’t know anyone who lives in that subdivision, or even around that area, I had to let go of the clubhouse and search for other options for our venue.

I was already feeling a bit stressed about this issue because we couldn’t afford those big event halls such as Oasis and Light of Love. Meanwhile, most, if not all, of the other clubhouses in Pasig require sponsorships. Our last option was Acropolis Clubhouse, but I heard that the clubhouse could only accommodate 150 guests max, and if we added a live band, then it would be too crowded already. So it was back to the drawing board again.

Arbee of Kiss the Girl Events (who's also a good friend of mine) suggested Christ the King’s parish hall as an alternative. The parish hall was not part of our list of choices because I thought bands were not allowed there since the hall was right beside the church, but Arbee assured us that they do allow live bands. In fact, one of her clients will have their wedding at the parish hall and they also have a band. And with that, I decided to visit the place and see if it would fit our standards.

When I saw the hall, I couldn’t help but grin. IT WAS PERFECT. It was spacious; I think it could house around 250 to 300 guests. There's also a little nook at the back of the room where we can put the registration table, photobooth or whatever item that we want. The hall also has a large stage where our band can perform with ease. And best of all, it's right next to our church; our guests would only have to go down a few steps to reach our reception. Convenient huh?

Ang lawak diba? :)

The overhead lights

This is where Composed Band will play! Yey! :)

Iniimagine ko na yung setup namin dito. Excited much?

Taken from the back of the room

The rental fee costs P25,000 for four hours of use plus P10,000 security bond, which will be returned right after the wedding. A P5,000 downpayment is needed to block your date, and the balance must be paid three months befor the wedding. The hall is open for all caterers, so no need to pay any corkage fees, even for alcoholic drinks! There are additional charges though if we'd bring our own band—P500 per electrical outlet used. They also allow drapes and swags to be hanged, but the use of thumbtacks and scotch tape is prohibited.

Actually, we went a bit over our budget when we booked this reception hall, but I believe that the pros outweighed the cons here, so what's a few more thousand pesos to spend? Besides, this really seems to be the perfect alternative to my orignal choice of venue. I could not wait to see how my caterer would spruce this venue up for our wedding. Oh yeah, it's time to parteeeeey! :)

Church: Booked!

After almost 10 months of being engaged, we have finally booked our church and, in turn, made our wedding date official. Here's where we will exchange "I Do's" in front of our family, friends and God. :)

Christ the King Church in Greenmeadows, Quezon City

Ironically, Christ the King was not part of our original choices for our ceremony venue. I never bothered to do an ocular here because I have been hearing feedbacks that this church is great for big weddings, which was not what I wanted. I wanted a small, intimate chapel since a big church would probably look too empty in the pictures with only 150 guests. But since I wanted to check out the adjacent social hall for our reception venue (more on that on the later post), I decided to peek into the church out of curiosity's sake.

All I can say was WOW. The grand altar was just amazing. I could just imagine myself walking down the aisle towards Mox, towards the huge Jesus at the altar. Even though the church is big, I didn't get the whole pucha mawawala ata ako dito feeling that I got during our Mt. Carmel ocular. On the contrary, it still had that cozy, intimate atmosphere that I liked. Maybe the circular structure of the church was able to give an illusion of coziness? Haha, don't mind me. Nagfefeeling lang ako na may alam sa architecture.

Another plus point for me was its aisle. Surprisingly, CTK's aisle was shorter than average, considering its size. But I don't care; I liked it that way! Haha! And since there was a baptism in the church during my ocular, I was able to experience firsthand the church's airconditioning. Ang lamig ng aircon nila, in fairness. I'm happy to note that my guests would definitely feel comfortable during our ceremony despite the summer heat. :)

The church's interior

Close-up of the altar

Stained glass windows

Musicians' loft

CTK holds three weddings a day: one at 10am, one at 1pm and one at 3pm. The church's package rate is P25,000, which is inclusive of the aisle decors and flowers, organist, soloist and use of airconditioning. They also have a P15,000 package, which has the same inclusions as the former but without the use of aircon. A P5,000 downpayment is required to lock your date and you must pay the rest of the balance in full three months before your wedding.

I was a bit reluctant at first to let go of Santuario de San Jose as our church of choice because my mind was already set on booking them come December. Plus, I want a dramatic entrance for my wedding, and the glass doors of CTK kinda removes that element of surprise. But after giving it some thought, I concluded that booking CTK would be more pratical, both for Mox and I and for our guests. One, it would be right next our chosen reception venue, so less hassle for our guests with no transportion to travel to our reception. Two, its rate is actually cheaper than SSJ's 2014 rate. And three, they're already accepting 2014 bookings, so I can finally crossed that off our checklist. So there, after paying the downpayment, we finally secured our date. Idadaan ko na lang siguro sa kurtina ang dramatic entrance ko.

Food Tasting # 15: Hizon's Catering

Last Saturday, Mox and I went to the Themes & Motif bridal fair in MOA, and since we registered for Hizon's grand food tasting at 1Esplanade, we were able to eat a five-course meal for free! Sagot na tuloy ang lunch namin. Tipid moves for the win!

I liked how Hizon's decorated Coral Hall A of 1Esplanade. We had purple and green flowers on little pails as our centerpiece, while another table had bright yellow flowers on low, silver vases, and another had green and white flowers on clear containers. Their sample presidential table had pink flowers on white, ceramic vases. Everything looked classy and elegant without being too over-the-top. However, I don't know if these centerpieces are standard centerpieces, or if you would have to pay extra for them.

I also loved how the white trees with lanterns hanging on its branches gave a whimsical touch to the couple's table. So cute! Another thing that I liked were their ghost chairs, which added an air of sophistication to the venue. These chairs are already included in Hizon's standard wedding packages.

Before the food tasting, we were given a score sheet to rate the dishes that we would eat. This was actually a great idea because I was able to gather more insights from Mox instead of his usual "Okay lang, masarap naman." answer. Haha! The scoring system was 4-Excellent, 3-Good, 2-Average and 1-Needs Improvement. For this food tasting entry, I'd use the same scoring system for my comments about the food, except mine would probably be 4-Super Sarap!, 3-Masarap Kahit Papano, 2-Pwede Na, 1-Kadiri. Haha!

For starters, we were served five bite-size appetizers on a plate. If this is the size of Hizon's pica-pica, then you'll definitely need to add more appetizers because one isn't even enough to satisfy your tummy.

Ang cute nilang lahat. Literal na cute.

We had the Crisp Beef Ssam Fresh Spring Roll, Smoked Tanigue with Mango and Tarragon Salsa, Caramelized Onion and Cheese Canape, Tomato and Mozarella Bruschetta, and Argentinean Steak Canape. I thought the appetizers with  bread tasted the same, so I'd give them all a 2. My favorite out of the bunch was the crisp beef ssam roll. The saltiness of the beef and the sweetness of the sauce underneath was the perfect combination of flavors, so it deserved a 4. However, I hated the Argentinean canape because the green stuff on top of it was too sour. I could barely eat the steak underneath because the sourness was too overpowering. Because of that, this dish got a 1. Mox gave this dish a 3 though, because he didn't mind the green sauce. Weird guy. Haha.

Caramelized Onion and Cheese Canape - 4

Smoked Tanigue with Mango and Tarragon Salsa - 2?

Caramelized Onion and Cheese Canape -2?

Argentinean Steak Canape - 1

Next, we were served two kinds of soup: Cream of Pumpkin Soup and Truffle Cream of Mushroom Soup. We thought the pumpkin soup was the winner of the two because it was creamy, rich and surprisingly filling. The mushroom soup tasted fine, although there was something missing in its flavor. I can't desribe exactly what it is, but I thought the taste was fleeting. One minute it's there, the next minute it's gone. Nakakabitin tuloy ang lasa.

(L) Cream of Pumpkin Soup - 4; (R) Truffle Cream of Mushroom - 3

Then Hizon's served us salads in cocktail glasses. We had the Asian Salad with Wanton Crisps and Mediterranean Salad. We tried to use chopsticks to eat the salads, but we had to resort to using the tiny spoons for the soup because it might take us forever to eat the salads. Ayaw na naming magpanggap na marunong kaming mag-chopsticks. Haha!

The Asian salad consists of romaine lettuce and red coral greens topped with crisped wanton strips and drizzled with Asian barbecue vinaigrette. Our AE said that we must mix the greens with the wanton strips to truly enjoy this salad, but I thought it still tasted just like your ordinary greens with vinegar. Nothing special. I couldn't even tell if the vinaigrette tasted like barbecue. Maasim lang siya, period. So I gave this dish a 2.

I liked the Mediterranean salad better because it had candied walnuts, parmesan cheese and sundried tomatoes. This salad offers a myriad of flavors due to the sourness of the balsamic vinaigrette, the saltiness of the parmesan cheese, and the sweetness of the candied walnuts. Delicious! I so love the candied walnuts; I can probably eat them all day. Hehe. The Mediterranean salad got the perfect rating of 4.

Asian Salad with Wanton Strips - 2

Mediterranean Salad - 4

Now for the main courses, we were asked to line up for the buffet. I wasn't able to take pictures of each entree in the buffet so we have to make do with this crappy photo of all the food in my plate. Takaw mode lang eh.

We were served two kinds of rice during the food tasting: Crispy Beef Rice and Steamed Rice. The beef rice looked and tasted like to Chowking's Beef Chaofan so this garnered a 2. Er, do I have to rate the steamed rice? I think everyone knows how it tastes like. Haha.

For our beef dishes, we had Beef Teppanyaki with Sauteed Vegetables and the Slow Roasted US Beef with Classic Mushroom Gravy and Hickory Smoked Barbecue Sauce, which was carved on the spot. I wasn’t particularly wowed by both dishes, although I still liked the roast beef better than the beef teppanyaki. The latter tasted weird; in fact, I really couldn’t describe exactly how it tasted like. At first, it was sweet, then it became salty, then… I don’t know!  Basta ang labo ng lasa niya talaga.  And so our scores for the beef entrees were: 2 for the roast beef and 1 for the beef teppanyaki.

For our pork entrees, we had another dish that was carved on the spot, the Thrice Cooked Pork Belly with Mango Cilantro Salsa and Lemon Hoisin Sauce, and the Korean Pork Sesame. We could hardly differentiate the pork belly from the roast beef, but we thought the pork was tender and quite easy to slice. Plus, its sauces were much tastier than the beef's choice of sauces. I loved the lemon hoisin sauce because it tasted barbecue-y, while Mox's favorite was the mango cilantro salsa because it had vegetables in it. Tsk, go figure. For this, the pork belly got a rating of 3.

The Korean pork sesame, however, only got a 2 because we thought it was too flavorful. Plus, it had the same weird taste of the beef teppanyaki. It only got a higher rating because it was sweeter than the teppanyaki. And you all know how much I love sweets. Hehe.

We only had one chicken entrée, the Stir Fry Sambal Chicken with Prawn Chili Sauce. I only took one bite of it because I was already too full, but I’d probably give it a 2 because the chili sauce was too salty. Although I have to give props to them for the large serving of chicken in my plate. Isang chicken lang ata, mabubusog ka na eh.

For our fish dish, we had the Pan Seared Fish with Lemon Dill Sauce and Baked Fish with Spinach. The baked fish was definitely a favorite because the fish was so soft and tender. Plus, the sauce was rich and oh so cheesy that we could barely taste the spinach in it, which was a good thing. This entree actually reminded me of something that I ate from Sbarro: a lasagna-like dish, but with kangkong or some sort of vegetables in it. But while I loved the Hizon’s baked fish, I hated Sbarro’s weird lasagna. Sumakit pa tiyan ko dun eh! Anyway, I digress. For our rating, Hizon’s baked fish wins a perfect score of four!

On the other hand, the pan seared fish only got a 2 because the dish was merely fried fish fillet drizzled with a sauce that was too sour for its own good. Masyadong pinanindigan ang pagka-lemon niya sa sobrang kaasiman.

The seafood entree was supposedly an upgrade in our package, but our AE allowed us to get some Shrimp Tempura with Tempura Sauce and Roasted Sesame Sauce just to have a taste. I don’t have to go into detail on its flavor since most of you probably know how a shrimp tempura tastes like, but I’d give this dish a 3. Why such a high rating for a seemingly ordinary dish? Well, because the tempura was packed with shrimp meat, and considering its large size, that’s already a huge thing to me. Others would use lots and lots of breading to cheat its size, but this one is the real deal. Hehe.

There was also a pasta bar during the food tasting, with two choices of noodles (Penne and Fettuccine) and two choices of sauce (Puttanesca and Seafood Cream). I mixed the fettuccine with the puttanesca sauce and the penne pasta with the seafood cream sauce. I'd give both pastas a 2 though. The seafood cream was bland and there were no traces of seafood in it AT ALL. On the other hand, the puttanesca sauce was too sour. Okay, I'm a bit biased here because I really don't like red sauces on pasta.

(L) Fettucine with Puttanesca - 2; (R) Penne with Seafood Cream Sauce - 2

Lastly, we were given five choices of desserts: Mango Pandan Panacotta, Peach Egg Tart, Blueberry Cheesecake, Pandan Macapuno Cream Cake and Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream.

The peach egg tart tasted just like your ordinary mamon so I'd give it a 2. The panacotta garnered a 3 because I love the little sago bits in it. Plus, the pandan tasted sweet, but not too much so there is no umay factor. Meanwhile, I couldn't distinguish the flavors of the pandan and macapuno in the pandan macapuno cream cake so I'd have to give it a 2 also. I'm not a fan of blueberry cheescakes, but surprisingly, I loved Hizon's version. The cake was very moist and the blueberry was not that sour. Plus you can taste a hint of cheesiness in the cake. For that, I'd give this a 3. And now, I saved the best for last. I LOVED the flourless chocolate cake so I'd give this a 4. Well, that's probably a given since I love anything that has chocolate in it.

Peach Egg Tart - 2

Mango Pandan Panacotta - 3

Pandan Macapuno Cream Cake - 2

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream - 4

Blueberry Cheesecake - 3

VERDICT: Well, Hizon's is already a household name in the wedding industry so you are at least assured of the quality of their food. Plus, they give out a lot of freebies and upgrades during fairs and grand food tastings. However, I've been hearing feedbacks that their styling is very limited; you have to upgrade if you want thematic styling. Also, you have to follow up regularly with your AE just to make sure that everything is okay.