Our Onsite AVP by Project Happiness

I'm so excited because we just received our external hard drive, which contains our raw pictures and videos of our wedding day. I was almost late for work because I lost track of time; I was too busy looking at our pics and videos! :)

So before I get started with our supplier ratings, let me share to you our onsite AVP by Project Happiness. :)

Backup Photographer: Booked!

A few months ago, I mentioned my dilemma on whether I should book a backup photographer or not. I decided not to have one then because I didn't see it as a necessity, only as a nice-to-have that we could do without.

But then I heard a lot of stories from fellow brides whose wedding photos were stolen, lost or corrupted. This is actually one of the situations that I hope I wouldn't encounter during our wedding... well, aside from tripping during the bridal march. Hehe. I honestly don't know what I would do if our wedding photos would be compromised. Iiyak siguro ako ng bonggang-bongga nun. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event (unless you plan to get married again), so it's almost impossible to recreate the wedding photos if they get destroyed. :(

And so, I thought hiring a backup photographer was a good idea. It slowly became a necessity for me. After all, in case something like this would happen to us (although I'm hoping that we wouldn't experience this kind of stress), at least we would still have photos from the backup photographer, right? Backup photos are better than no photos at all!

Luckily, Mox agreed to book one, so I started searching for someone who has a different style of photography from Osep&Mimi, and who would fit our budget. Then I remembered April, a former W@Wie, who recently ventured into photography with her husband Manny. They are architects by profession, but they do prenups, postnups and backup photography for weddings during weekends. And since they are just starting out, their rates are relatively affordable! :)

I checked out their porfolio and really love what I saw. Their talent is very evident in their photos, and I believe they have the potential to do great in their craft. And so I emailed April for their rates, and she replied instantly. After a few exchanges of emails, I then told her we would book them for our wedding. It was a very quick transaction! April even told me that she was surprised I made a decision right away. Ganun talaga pag excited eh. Haha!

And once I deposit my downpayment tomorrow, I will officially be one of their happy brides. Yey! :)

Here are some of my favorite photos from their portfolio. :) For more of their works, check out their website. :)

MANNY AND APRIL PHOTOGRAPHY
mannyandaprilphotography@yahoo.com

Wedding Dilemma #4: Backup or No Backup?

I never really thought of hiring a backup photographer because it means additional expenses. I wasn’t also as impressed with other photographers’ works as I was with Osep&Mimi, so I didn’t really have a choice for a backup photographer yet, if ever I would decide to get one.

But then we had our freenup with NYOi, and everything changed. Suddenly, I wanted to book NYOi as our backup photographer!  We love how our pictures turned out, and we are already comfortable working with them. Plus, they have super low introductory rates. Imagine, I could get them as my backup photographers for only P6,000! Now I’m thinking of adjusting our budget to accommodate them. Waah! The fickleness of the bride strikes again.

Still, I don’t know if we could afford to get NYOi as our backup photographer, even with their low rates. No, scratch that. We could DEFINITELY afford them. The real question is, I’m not sure a backup photographer is worth spending more money for. Now before any violent reactions, let me explain myself. You see, at the start of our wedding planning, I took into consideration how much we could save in the span of two years. Then I drafted a budget that would still leave us P50,000 for our future savings. Now, we could afford a backup photographer since we have enough money in our account, but am I really willing to use money allotted for our future savings to pay for that backup photographer?

Also, Mox didn’t want to have a backup photographer because he didn’t see the need for one one. “May photographer naman tayo eh. Dagdag gastos lang yan,” he would say. And while I do agree with his sentiments, the maarteng bride side of me still wants her backup photographer. Haha!

To help me decide, I listed the reasons why I should and should not get a backup photographer.

WHY I SHOULD GET A BACKUP PHOTOGRAPHER

1. More photos to choose from. This is actually the main selling point for me, especially since I love having my picture taken. Haha! It’s better to choose a backup photographer with a different shooting style from your main photographer since you’ll be getting pictures taken from different perspectives. So if Osep&Mimi’s shots are vibrant and colorful, then the backup photographer can take shots that have a vintage and dreamy effect. Oh diba, best of both worlds.
2. No details will be overlooked. There will be more eyes (and cameras) for other wedding details that the main photographers may overlook. For example, while Osep&Mimi takes the official wedding portraits, then the backup photographer can take candid photos of the guests.

WHY I SHOULD NOT GET A BACKUP PHOTOGRAPHER

1. Additional expenses. A backup photographer’s fee usually ranges between P5,000-P10,000. Plus, this also means having additional mouths to feed, so more supplier meals are needed. So again, more gastos talaga.
2. Backup photographer might overshadow main photographer. Of course, I’m sure naman NYOi won’t do this, but there are actually some cases where the backup photographer actually acts like he/she is the main photographer! Nakakahiya lang pag nangyari ito eh.Magsasapawan lang sina main and backup.
3. I really don’t need one. We plan to only have 150 guests, and I believe Osep&Mimi can handle a wedding of that size perfectly. So there is no pressing need for a backup photographer... well, except for mere kaartehan purposes only. Hehe.

Obviously the cons outweigh the pros here. So I guess, I already have my answer. Oh well, I'm sure a lot of our guests will bring cameras to our wedding. Maybe I'll just grabbed some photos from them. Tipid moves lang. Haha!

Ihanda na ang mga SLRs. Haha!

Photographer: Booked!

Before I left for Dubai, I met with our prospective photographer to discuss their wedding packages and view their portfolio. They are one of the few suppliers who already accept 2014 bookings, so it would be an advantage for us if we could book them as early as now.

And luckily, everything went so well during our meeting that we booked them on the spot. So my fellow brides and grooms, let me introduce to the photographers who will capture the heartwarming moments of our special day:

I fell in love with their use of bright, vivid colors and their ability to capture the candid moments of every wedding. The vibe of their photos is fun, lively and fresh—just what I wanted for my wedding. They also capture in black and white for a more dramatic feel. Plus, dealing with Osep, the main photographer, was a breeze! I had a great time during our meeting because we just laughed and chatted like long lost friends. There was no air of arrogrance from him, considering that they already have lots of great reviews from their brides and grooms. I was also surprised to learned that we were of the same age. Akala ko kasi matanda na siya eh. *Peace Osep! Haha.* And the best part of all is that their rates are relatively affordable. Of course, I am willing to shell out more cash for photos since they would be our only remembrance of the event, but luckily, I was able to find a great photographer within our budget. :)

OM Photography is actually my non-negotiable supplier so when I learned that they are willing to accept 2014 weddings, I immediately grabbed the chance to meet with them and book them. Osep told me that I am the earliest bride to book them (25 months in advance!), and that Mimi was so happy to hear about it that she posted it on their Facebook page. See, may advantage rin pala ang pagiging excited sa kasal. Haha!

Here are some of my favorite OM photos. Check out their website for some of their other works. :)

Finally, we can checked off one supplier from our checklist. Now, all I have to do is come up with a great concept for our prenup pictorial. Nakakapressure! Haha!

OM PHOTOGRAPHY
0947-8128910
osepmimiphoto@gmail.com