A Change of Heart Part 2

With only eight months left before our wedding, I had another change of heart with one of our booked suppliers. This is actually one of the disadvantages of having long wedding preparations; I am often tempted to change suppliers whenever I'd see someone who tickles my fancy. Of course, I must resist the temptation to do so because of budget issues, but this time, I had to give in to my urges. This is my dream gown that we're talking about, people!

You see, I only set a maximum budget of P20,000 for my wedding gown since I was not comfortable to spending too much for a dress that I will wear for one day. And yet, I still dreamed of wearing a designer-made wedding gown. Ang labo ko diba? I know my budget is not enough for a designer gown so I settled for a well-known couturier that can copy my peg. I've heard great reviews about Jeff House of Fashion so I decided to book them.

But then Mox decided to increase our budget for my wedding gown as his gift to me. He allowed me to look for designers who are willing to make my gown for P30,000; P35,000 at the maximum. One of my W@Wie friends recommended her designer, Gretchen Pichay. Gretchen is actually one of the more famous gown designers, which was why I hesitated to inquire with her. I thought her starting price would be too much for me, but surprisingly, her minimum rate is actually very affordable. My friend has the same budget that I have, and Gretchen was able to sketch a design for her that was within her budget. And so I decided to set a meeting with her to see whether she could do the same for me.

Together with other W@Wie brides, I went to Gretchen's house in New Manila. Upon entering her house, we immediately saw her production area, where ladies were sewing and working on different wedding gowns. That was a plus point for me because I can immediately sense that she's very hands-on with every wedding gown: from the design to the production.

We were starstruck when we first saw Gretchen. Ang ganda niya promise! She was all smiles as we all sat down to discuss my pegs. She was able to give out suggestions on how my dream gown would look, but I had to let go of my dream ruffled skirt because it would cost at a minimum of P45,000. So I asked Gretchen to sketch a new design that has a simpler skirt but with a more detailed top. The new design must also fit my budget! And she gave me these two sketches.

Her sketches may seem simple, but that is actually Gretchen's style. She's more into the elegant, clean aesthetics of the gown, making the silhouette its focal point. She suggested to use Mikado Silk as the base of my skirt and then Taiwan Jusi over it to make the skirt look softer. She also plans to put in lot of lace appliques on my top. Here are some of the laces that she can use for my top.

I am not a fan of lace but I fell in love with Gretchen's lace swatches! Look how pretty they are! Some laces look as if they were used to make my grandmother's veil, but not this one. Pang-mayaman ata ito! Tignan mo, may bling-bling ang lace. Haha! The materials definitely do not look cheap. Even if her design is simple, my gown will still look classy and elegant because of the materials and laces that she will use.

Her quote for me is P35,000, which is higher than the rest of the designers' quotes but at least it is still within our budget. Her package includes all bridal accessories, the body form and free on-the-day assistance. However, I'm her second bride on our wedding date so she won't be able to personally assist me during that day because she would have to attend to the first bride. But she assured me that it wouldn't be too much of a downside because her staff is capable enough to dress me up even without her there supervising. I trust her naman so I quickly gave her my downpayment to reserve my date. Excited lang. Haha.

So there, I am now officially a Gretchen Pichay bride! Yey! Yung lace talaga niya ang humuli sa kiliti ko. I My measurement-taking is set in November so now I have roughly two months left to "try" (keyword is TRY) to lose some weight. I still have to let Anna of Jeff House of Fashion know about this though. I'll probably get them to do my prep dress so that my downpayment would not go to waste. Okay, time to search for prep dress pegs!

GRETCHEN PICHAY
6 Sunset Hill, New Rolling Hills Subd., New Manila, QC
0917-5349135
gretchen_diane@yahoo.com

Designer Meeting # 3: Roxy Bagano

Last Saturday, Mox and I went to Manila to visit Roxy Bagano, an up-and-coming wedding gown designer. Out of all the designers I have inquired with, Roxy gave me a quote that is within our budget! Plus, I've heard great reviews about her so I decided to set a meeting with her to see if she can create a beautiful design based on the peg that I sent her.

It was not that difficult to find Roxy's shop (thanks to my phone's GPS), but since I live in Marikina and she's in Manila, that could pose a problem for me if ever I will book her. Sorry, tinatamad talaga akong magdrive papuntang Manila eh. Haha.

Once we arrived, Roxy quickly led us to her small office in her house. There were a few gowns hanging on the side, all in cute, pastel colors, which are for the entourage of her October bride. I thought the gowns are simple yet elegant. Plus points for her agad!

What I liked about Roxy is that even though she's so pretty and talented, she's very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. She is also a 2014 bride, so she can definitely relate on the stress of preparing for a wedding, especially if you're on a budget. Palitan pa kami ng notes sa mga suppliers namin. Haha.

I was able to tell her the design that I like for my gown, and she was able to incorporate all of my suggestions to create her own design. Here's what she sketched for me:

I love her sketch! It was exactly how I envisioned my dream gown to be: the ruffled skirt, the pleated bodice, the illusion neckline, everything! And the best part of all, it was still within our budget! Whee!

Roxy showed us some swatches of the fabric that she will use for the gown. She suggested to use Duchess Satin for the bodice then Organza for the skirt. She also showed  pictures of the lace that she will use for the appliques. She assured me that she does not repeat the lace that she uses, so if she uses this type of lace for a client's gown, she would no longer use it for another client's gown.

The gown also comes with a free veil, fascinator and train. The rest of the accessories, such as cord, arrhae and pillows, will only be included if you book her to do the ento gowns as well. I did find that  weird since most of the designers that I had met always include the complete bridal accessories if you would book them to do your bridal gown. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway since I already have my arrhae courtesy of Suarez and my DIY bridal cord. Weird lang talaga. Haha.

All in all, it was a very fruitful meeting. I know that I have to meet other designers pa before I can decide, but so far, Roxy is on the top of my list! :)

ROXY BAGANO
1576 5th St., Fabie Subd., Paco, Manila
roxybagano@yahoo.com

Wedding Shoes: Booked!

My wedding shoes were not really my priority. I was actually planning to just buy ready-to-wear shoes from any department store for our wedding. I'm not a fan of heels anyway so I don't want to spend thousands of pesos for a pair of shoes that I would probably wear for just a few hours.

Then Ivy, one of my W@Wie friends, suggested to visit this shoe supplier in Marikina, Roweliza, who specializes in making bags and custom-made shoes. I once toyed with the idea of having custom-made shoes, but the quotes from the well-known suppliers of custom-made shoes were enough to make me reject the thought.

But I was curious about Roweliza, so I sent her an email asking for a quote for my chosen peg. In a matter of minutes, I received a reply, and the price that she gave me was way cheaper than the quotes from Perfect Match and other shoe suppliers. Now I was really interested to meet them! :)

And so Ivy and I, as well as some of our W@Wie friends, decided to pay them a visit after our cake tasting with Chef Kiko. We were asked to wait for Ms. Rowie, the owner. When she finally came out after an hour, she was surprised to see five brides (and a groom) waiting in her small office. Oo, dinumog nanaman namin sila. Haha!

She then immediately got down to business. She asked us first to show her our chosen designs, then she called one of her men to measure our feet. The size of our feet would also play a factor on the pricing of our shoes because it would determine the amount of material needed to make our shoes. She also asked the heel height of our shoes, the embellishments (if we wanted any), and even the color of the buckles of the straps (if applicable). Yes, they were that detailed and organized!

We were also shown a box full of swatches of the different materials for the shoes. Honestly, it was so hard to pick a material; there were just too many choices! I wanted to be able to use my shoes after the wedding so I was tempted at first to choose a neutral color, such as white. But then I realized that colored shoes are much prettier in photos, so I picked a swatch that is within our color motif. After discussing the payment terms, I finally decided to book them and gave Ms. Rowie my downpayment for the shoes. I was told that our shoes would be ready in about two weeks to a month, depending on the availability of the materials and their workload. Whee! I can't wait!

So what made me decide to have my shoes custom-made? You see,  I have already looked around the department stores for my wedding shoes, and most of them have the same price as my peg (as quoted by Roweliza). So I might as well have mine custom-made diba? That way, I would be able to choose my own design and ensure that the shoes would be comfy too. It's a win-win situation!

Here is my chosen peg for my wedding shoes, only mine will use a turquoise glittery material. Ang arte ko lang. Haha!

FASHION PURVEYOR (ROWELIZA)
58 Sta. Ana Ext., Marikina East Subdivison, San Roque, Marikina City
645-2825 / 09178132825
roweliza.shoesbags@gmail.com

Food Tasting # 21: Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko

Okay, this is not the usual food tasting entry that you guys are used to because I didn't really attend a caterer's grand food tasting. Instead, I, along with some W@Wie friends, went to Chef Kiko's house to taste some of his delicious cakes and desserts! I already booked my cake supplier, but I just couldn't pass the chance to taste some delicious treats for free!

I've heard a lot of great reviews about Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko, and I personally love the cupcakes that he baked for the W@W Grand EB, so I was really excited to taste more of his goodies! :)

We picked the perfect time for our cake tasting because another client had booked Chef Kiko to do their dessert buffet, so there was a table full of cupcakes and other goodies when we arrived. And these were all served to us! Yey!

Now let's get a more close-up look at all these desserts. First up are the panna cottas. We had the Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, the Fruit Panna Cotta, and the Malteser Panna Cotta. I just made up the last one since I'd completely forgotten the name of the panna cotta. I just called it the Malteser Panna Cotta since it has a Malteser in it. Haha!

From L-R: Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, Fruit Panna Cotta, and Malteser Panna Cotta

What I love about Chef Kiko's panna cottas is that they have the right amount of sweetness to them, even those with chocolates as toppings! Hindi siya nakakaumay talaga. I especially love the fruit panna cotta because the sourness of the fruits was the perfect complement to the panna cotta. I loved them so much that I got three shot glasses! Patay gutom lang. Haha.

Then we had the cupcakes, both the bite-size and full size versions! We had Dark Chocolate Ganache, Banana Walnut, Red Velvet and Lemon cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Boy, all of the cupcakes were yummy! Mox especially liked the dark choco ganache, although I found them a bit too sweet. Just one or two of these bite-size babies would satisfy my choco cravings. The banana walnut was also delicious, but I'm not a fan kasi of anything with nuts in it, so I'll probably pass on this one. I loved the red velvet and lemon cupcakes because both were not too sour nor too sweet, and yet you can still taste their distinctive flavors (the cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cupcake and the lemon flavor for the lemon cupcake).

Lastly, we hadFruit Tarts and Truffles. I really couldn't comment much on the fruit tarts because I didn't taste them, but for the truffles, I only have one thing to say: choco overload! Imagine this chocolate ball that is the size of a jackstone ball covered with cocoa powder. It was delicious, but I could only take so much chocolate for the day. Ako na ang gumive-up sa kanya! Haha!

Truffles and Fruit Tarts

Chef Kiko also showed us a sample of his three-layered cake, which costs about P6,500. The cake has one edible layer, which is the bottom part, and is taller than the average three-layered cake. I guess in a way, sulit na rin siya. And of course, you can be sure that your cake would taste delicious.

Despite being tired from conducting a dessert tasting for one client and baking a wedding cake for another client, Chef Kiko was still so cheerful and friendly to the group of very noisy people who went to the cake tasting. And mind you, we were 13 in the group, including the grooms. Talagang sinugod namin si Chef! Haha! Still, he was able answer all of our inquiries and even took a group picture with us.

Thank you again Chef Kiko for the very warm welcome and for the delicious treats! :) I'm really looking forward to tasting your Chocolate Cheesecake. A note to my darling fiance, you now know what cake to order for my birthday. Haha!

TOY CAKES AND PASTRIES BY CHEF KIKO
#5 16th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
0905-3191296

Designer Meeting # 2: Hana Saab Tomacruz

Since Mox agreed to increase our allotted gown budget for me to have my dream designer wedding gown,  I now have the whole month of August to set meetings with possible gown designers. Oooh, this is so exciting!

The first on the list was Hana Saab Tomacruz. I really love her dainty and feminine designs! Most of her gowns feature illusion necklines and lace bodices with appliques. I'm more into simpler bodices and a layered skirt, but her designs still tickled my girly side. Haha. (Pics were taken from Hana's website)

I emailed her my chosen peg, and sadly the price that she gave me was way over my budget. But still, I decided to meet with her to see if I can haggle her quote. Hehe. Her shop was not that difficult to find thanks to my phone's GPS. Oh yes, di na ako nagpiprint ng Google Maps. Hi-tech na ako eh. Haha!

Hana welcomed me warmly into her shop. She may seem timid and shy at first because she is very soft-spoken, but she certainly knows her craft. She asked me what kind of gown I envisioned myself wearing on my wedding day, and she sketched on the spot using a sign pen! Galing noh? This is what she came up with:

You can't see it from the sketch, but my skirt has this feathery effect instead of the usual ruffles. Hana said this can be achieved by using shredded tulle. Don't ask me what that is; I never knew that such a fabric exists. Haha. She also added some appliques to my bodice so that the waistline would not be too noticeable. At first I wanted to add some illusion overlay, but Hana didn't recommend this because it would cover up the pleated bodice. Sayang lang ang pleats diba? So she suggested to put in some straps, which can be removable for the second look.

She also made some suggestions for the fabrics for my gown. She even showed me some sample swatches so that I would know what she's talking about. She recommended tulle and lace for the bodice, and tulle for the skirt to give the gown an overall soft look. She then added a three-foot train so that I can achieve my dream photo peg: lying on the floor with layers of my skirt surrounding me. Parang nakahiga lang ako sa clouds. Haha.

We then talked about the number of fittings required (around five to six); the delivery of the gown (a day before the wedding since her team will set up the gown on the body form); and her payment terms (50% during booking and 50% upon delivery of the gown). Every thing that we talked about was written at the back of her sketch. She's really that detailed and organized.

Sadly, her quote costs more than half our budget. As much as I really wanted her to do my gown, I had to cross her out of my list. But to all those brides out there who are still looking for their gown designers, do try to visit Hana Saab Tomacruz. :)

HANA SAAB TOMACRUZ
150 L. George Street, San Juan, M.M.
0915-2596792
hycsaab@yahoo.com

Groom's Suit: Booked!

The next thing on our wedding agenda was to look for suppliers for Mox's suit. Originally, I wanted him to wear a barong since our wedding will be held in the summer, and a suit will be too hot to wear. Plus, a barong is cheaper to buy/make than a suit. But Mox was very insistent that he wanted to wear a suit on our wedding. Sige na nga, pagbigyan na natin kasi kasal rin naman niya yun. Haha.

Since we are on a very limited budget (read: less than P10,000) for his suit, we plan to visit a good tailor who could copy the peg Mox has chosen. I've heard good reviews about Mang Pons of Kamuning and Mang Roger of Mandaluyong, and I know that they fit our budget, so we decided to pay them a visit last Saturday.

Unfortunately, it was raining so we weren't able to visit Mang Pons' and Mang Roger's shops. Instead, we went to the Before I Do bridal fair in Megamall to look for possible suit suppliers. The fair only took up one Megatrade hall so there were only a few exhibitors, but luckily we found one suit supplier.

That supplier was Emil Ocampo of E. Ocampo's Fashion House. I've heard good reviews about him when it comes to wedding and ento gowns but I never really thought that he could make great suits. And the suits were indeed great! I am no expert, but I thought the workmanship on each suit was perfect. Pulidong-pulido ang mga tahi. Here are some samples of his suits taken from his website.

Emil's rates for his suits range from P10,000 to P12,000, but since he was an exhibitor in the fair, he offered a 10% discount for on-site bookings. His assistant explained to Mox that the price of the suit will not be based on the suit's design, but will depend on the fabric used. He even showed us some swatches. I never knew that there were so many different variations of black, gray and cream! Ang hirap mamili, in fairness.

I thought his rates were quite affordable for a designer suit, but Mox was not yet that convinced. He thought he would still get a better deal from Onesimus and other tailors in the mall. But then he overheard May, one of my W@Wie friends, say that Onesimus charges an average of P8,000 for a suit, and that's just for the labor cost! Now that convinced him that Emil's offer is quite a steal.

We got the chance to talk to Emil during the fair, and he is so nice and soft-spoken. Mox didn't have a hard time explaining to him the cut and fit that he wanted for his suit, which is a good thing because Mox sometimes can't express himself well. So buti na lang na nagkaintindihan sila. Haha.

Emil also made a few suggestions for the color of the suit, and even scheduled Mox to have his measurements taken on February. And the best thing of all? The fabric that Mox picked is part of the P10,000 package, and with the 10% discount for on-site bookers, we were able to book Emil for just P9,000! Now that is very affordable, considering that a designer will make Mox's suit. Dinaig pa niya ako!

Emil Ocampo of E. Ocampo Fashion House

We did went over our budget for Mox's suit, but I know that it would be all worth it once I see him look so handsome on our wedding day. Also, another good thing happened to me that day. Because Mox booked Emil to do his suit, he said it's only fair that I should get a designer to do my gown! And he agreed to add P10,000 from his personal savings to our budget just for me to have my dream designer wedding gown! I swear, I really love my fiance to bits! :) Kilig mode on!

Another happy side story, a day before we went to the fair, I learned that Mox went to Robinsons Galleria by himself to get a quotation for his suit. I'm just so touched to learn that my formerly unenthusiastic groom is slowly becoming hands-on in our wedding preps! Kilig mode again!

E. OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE
1613 Alvarez St.,Sta.Cruz Manila
711-8868; 0917-5005890; 0917-5984969