Supplier Rating: Christ the King Parish Hall

I apologize for not writing here for such a long time. I just felt so sick during the first three months of my pregnancy that I didn't have the time, nor the power, to update my blog. Again, so sorry to those who have been waiting for me to complete my supplier ratings. Don't worry, I'll do my best to complete my ratings before next month ends!

So next in line is our reception venue, Christ the King Parish Hall.

RECEPTION VENUE: Christ the King Parish Hall
Peso Power: P25,000 + P10,000 refundable security deposit (which can be refunded after the event)
Package Inclusions: Use of the function hall for four hours

HITS

• The function hall is merely five minutes away from the church, which can be very convenient for guests who do not have any transportation. Luckily, a bridge connecting the church to the function hall was built before our wedding so guests didn't have to go up and down the stairs to go to the reception venue.
• The hall is very spacious! We reserved tables for 160 guests, and yet we were still able to squeeze in a photobooth, a mobile bar, and a candy buffet.
• We were able to get our refundable security deposit days after the wedding. Yey for more savings!

Here are some pictures of the function hall during our wedding.

MISSES

• The rental time begins not when the reception program starts, but when the wedding ceremony ends! Since our wedding ceremony ended at 4:00pm, our rental time for the function hall was from 4:00pm to 8:00pm only. Our reception program began at 6:00pm and ended at 8:00pm, so we had to extend our reservation just to have our after-party.
• The extension fee is so expensive! It would cost us P6,250 per hour if ever we decided to extend our use of the function hall! We initially plan to extend for two hours but P12,500 was just too expensive for us, so we only extended our rental for one hour.
• The function hall is bare so you really have to hire a great stylist or incorporate your DIYs to jazz the place up. We weren't that preoccupied with the styling, although I kinda wished that we put drapes on the ceilings to make the place more elegant. Hehe.
• We weren't allowed to bring drums for our full band! This was a major miss for us, and we almost changed our reception venue because of this issue. When we inquired about the venue, we were told by Ms. Aileen, the OIC at that time, that they allow full bands with drums. Then a month before our wedding, Ms. Dodo, the new OIC, told us that they do not allow full bands, just when we had booked our band already! I kept on negotiating with them, hoping that they would allow us to still have our full band since we did have prior approval from their previous OIC, but Ms. Dodo was very firm. NO FULL BANDS ALLOWED. She didn't even give suggestions on what we can do to salvage the situation. She just said sorry, and in an insincere manner if I may add. Parang walang kwenta sa kanya yung perang nagastos namin. Nakakairita lang. Eventually, we had to agree with her terms; wala kaming choice eh. We had to downgrade our full band to an acoustic band instead, but since we already paid them in full, we didn't get any discount. If only we had learned from the beginning that full bands weren't allowed, we probably would have book an acoustic band immediately, and in that effect, save some money.

RATING: 7.5 out of 10
I'll probably recommend this place because of its convenient location (if your wedding ceremony is at Christ the King) but just a word of advice: make sure that you put everything that you have talked about with Ms. Dodo into writing. That was my mistake; I immediately assumed that Ms. Aileen did the proper turnover when she resigned, but since she didn't put in my record that we would have a full band during our wedding, I didn't have anything to show to Ms. Dodo when we were discussing about our band.

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! :)

Venue Hunt # 1: the Village Patio and Philam Clubhouse

FIRST STOP: THE VILLAGE PATIO
Mox wanted a garden reception, but since our wedding will be held in the summer, I felt it would be too hot for an outdoor event. So I browsed forums for suggestions for an affordable indoor garden venue and chanced upon the Village Patio. The pictures in the website are very beautiful and the wedding package is also quite affordable. If you get their in-house caterer, Tarlaquena Catering, the venue rental fee will only cost P8,000 for five hours. But if you opt to get an outside caterer and just rent the venue, then the rental fee will cost P40,000.

Here are some pictures of the setups done in the Village Patio. Photos were grabbed from their website.

VERDICT: It was a bit difficult finding the Village Patio because the signage was not that noticeable even in broad daylight. There was also no parking space so we had to park along the street. We didn't bother going to Tarlequena's main office anymore because Mox just wanted to find another venue. Di niya nagustuhan ang itsura eh. The Village Patio is a beautiful garden venue, but I thought it was a bit too small. We plan to have 150 guests, a photobooth and a band, and I feel that it might be too cramped inside the venue. So the Village Patio is off the list.

THE VILLAGE PATIO
185 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, Q.C.
921-5354 / 426-1554
thevillagepatio@yahoo.com

SECOND STOP: PHILAM CLUBHOUSE
When we did an ocular at Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish, we also went to see the Philam Clubhouse behind the church. But just like the Village Patio, the clubhouse seemed too small. I also found it too dark and dreary that I felt we had to hire an event stylist to make it prettier. Eh dagdag gastos lang yun eh. It's just too bad because we really wanted to book Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish, but since there are no good reception venues nearby, we have to look for other options.

PHILAM CLUBHOUSE
Philam Homes Subdivision, Q.C.
928-4098 / 926-7944