Counting down the days…

to blue or not to blue…

Remember these beauties?

Still drooling.
I’m still toying around with the idea of wearing blue shoes for my wedding. It’ll be cool to have them as my “something blue”.

Here are more drool worthy blue shoes a bride can wear on her wedding day:

Jimmy Choo

Kate Spade

Pour La Victoire Erica

 And of course, Carrie’s shoes…

Manolo Blahnik

If blue shoes won’t be possible, these beauties will make a great alternative:

Nina Axelle

Maxstudio

 My friends applaud me when they find out we’re still within our wedding budget. I tell them I haven’t gone shoe shopping yet.

a vintage wedding that never was…

If my fiance and I agreed to have a themed wedding,  I would have gone vintage. Something 1920’s or ala-Mad Men circa 50’s-60’s. I love the simple elegance of that time.

Check out these fabulous vintage dresses from Unique Vintage:

A sequined flapper dress perfect for a 1920s themed wedding

A nice simple dress fashioned for the 1950s

50's style white polka dot mesh Grace dress with polka dots

 How about this pretty 50’s inspired dress by Dana Bolton.

channeling Audrey Hepburn

 And how about these fabulous finds from Etsy:

gorgeous 1940's beaded bag

A glass jewelry box that can double as an arrhae

Art Nouveau Jewelry or Trinket Box Stylized Floral Motif with wild roses - Made by Marshall Field and Company in 1913

 

dresses for my entourage

I just received the reco dress designs for my maid of honor from Nina Celso. I immediately forwarded them to my best friend who’s based in Singapore. I just love them!

For my bridesmaids, I picked out dresses from different designers and websites then tweaked them on photoshop. All cocktail dresses with a single floral accent.

For our flower girl:

The dresses for my secondary sponsors were a challenge. I wanted them to have similar tube dresses with different jackets/boleros. Here’s what Nina came out with:

I especially love the sketch in the middle.

Can’t wait to see how the dresses will look like on my girls!

something nice

I want this:

Something nice to tie my bridal bouquet with. Love it!

from Paloma’s Nest.

Wedding Dress Inspirations from the Emmy Awards

I already have the design for my wedding gown but that doesn’t stop me from browsing the net and drooling over dresses. I specially love looking through red carpet photos; I just peeked into the what the celebrities wore at the recently concluded Emmy awards and here are some dress designs that would look great as wedding dresses:

Drew Barrymore in her feathery pink Monique Lhuillier gown and ruby red lips.

 

Jennifer Love Hewittt in a beaded yellow Max Azria gown

Toni Collette in another Monique Lhuillier creation

Kate Walsh in a J. Mendel dress

Rose Byrne in vintage Valentino

Personal favorite: January Jones in Versace

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a draped, strapless Vera Wang head-turner.

Impressed with Impress Prints

I went to the wedding fair at the NBC Tent today with my parents and fiance to book Shutterbox photobooth (more on this later). Since we had time to kill before dinner, we decided to look around the tent and check out the suppliers for invitations.

Mac and I decided that we didn’t want to spend too much on our invitations. We’ve gone to several wedding fairs already and we’ve balked at the prices for invitations that we decided to do them ourselves. This way, we save on the invites plus the lay out will be personalized. I wasn’t so keen with the labor involved (being both frugal and lazy has its disadvantages) so I was still half-hoping that we’d stumble into a stationery supplier who’s within our budget.

And stumble we did.

We found Impress Prints (by Calliope Printing Services) by chance. We just left QP’s booth (another supplier) and I think Impress was the only other invitation supplier in the fair. I literally stopped when I scanned through their brochure. They had the LOWEST prices I’ve seen for invitations in ALL the wedding fairs I’ve been to.

STANDARD INVITATION PACKAGE - 5.5″x 7.5″ card – Php 5,800.00

LONG SIZE INVITATION PACKAGE - 4″”x 9″ card – Php 4,200.00

Both packages include the following:

100 pcs. Main Card

100 pcs. Entourage Card

100 pcs. RSVP or Thank You card

100 pcs. Mailing Sticker/Envelope Seal

100 pcs. Envelope

The quality of paper was good and their designs aren’t bad either. Here are some of the designs from their multiply site:

 

 

The owners were really nice and very straightforward. No bullshit–I liked that. The best part was that when I asked if I can make the lay out for our invitations, they said I’m free to do so WITH NO EXTRA CHARGE!!! Sweet! We still get our personalized invitations at a great price!

So then and there, we paid the reservation fee and booked them.  I mean, did we really need more convincing?

Bad Camba! Bad!

I received this email from a friend of mine whose brother got married a couple of weeks ago. They got Robert Camba as caterer for their wedding reception at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. Apparently, when the waiters were requested to “take care” of the left over wedding cake, the waiters had this brilliant idea of putting what’s left of the cake inside a red and white plastic bag–the type you get when shopping in Divisoria. Here’s a picture:

Let me share with you the personal account of the bride about their experience:

***

Considering Robert Camba’s Catering Services for your event??? The people behind Robert Camba’s Catering Services are liars, thieves and they are incapable of handling food appropriately.  Spare yourself the trouble.  Read on..

 My hubby and I decided to get Robert Camba’s Catering Services (www.robertcamba.com) for our wedding last August 8, 2009.  Amongst a number of options and other catering services recommended by friends and relatives, we decided to entrust our wedding to Robert Camba for the following reasons:

• When we visited their office in Project 4 QC, we were able to speak with Ate Neneng whom we found helpful and accommodating.  Ate Neneng was our point of contact from the day we signed the contract until after the event.
• Though the prices of their packages are a bit on the pricey side, the package has inclusions which made us think that it is worth it.  They included the emcee, bridal car, all tiffany chairs and etc in the amenities.
• My brother got them on their wedding six years ago and the entire family has a positive recollection of how the event was handled.  Moreover, I have a sister who works for a reputable company.  She recommended Robert Camba’s Catering Services because their company often hires Robert Camba for their events.

We had a number of requests which we endorsed to Ate Neneng. She assured us that they can accomplish our requests on our wedding reception:  1. we requested the waiters to cut and distribute the 3 bottom layers of our four layered wedding cake to the guests and, 2. the waiters to serve bottles of red wine per table.  As a wedding gift, my brothers also endorsed 5 cases of beers and 1 box of San Miguel Light containing 24 cans.

Suffice to say that things went well up until the event.  I remember asking Ate Neneng how they account the food consumed by the guests and what they do if there is left-over food.  Ate Neneng advised that they count by the number of plates used and she assured us that any left-over food will be given back to us at the end of the program.  She said that she will not be there to physically to manage the event for us but she assigned an “experienced” and “skilled” headwaiter, Alvin, to attend our wedding.

Confident that our business was in good hands, we signed the contract for 250 heads for the Silver package and we made it a point to ensure that our payments were made on time.  We took the time to visit their office in Baler a number of times to give our 2^nd and 3^rd partial payment.  And for the final payment, I asked my mom to give it on our wedding day.

The series of problems began to unfold after the reception program.  My coordinator advised me that the total headcount was only 151 guests including 11 kids, plus 10 heads for a few of the suppliers whom we asked to get food from the buffet.  My hubby’s mom prepared packed dinner for our suppliers so only a handful ate the food brought by Robert Camba.  This totals to 161 heads only.  But the left-over food given to my hubby’s mom was not even enough to feed 20 people. 

I asked Alvin, the headwaiter, about this but he assured me that 220 guests attended the reception.  I remember asking him how he came up with 220 heads as opposed to the 151 guests reported by my coordinator but he was unable to give me any realistic and plausible explanation.  The only thing that Alvin could tell me was that they prepared 270 plates and that they needed to wash the plates because all were used.  I find that highly unlikely because we had 22 round tables which can seat 10 people per table.  And I know that more than 4 tables were unused, and more than 3 round tables only had 2-3 guests, so his summation of 220 guests does not add up.  But I knew I was not going to get anything from a headwaiter who obviously does not know anything and who obviously believes that he can get away with his lies, so I decided to table my queries.

After which, we later saw that a portion of our wedding cake was placed in a large red and white plastic pangpalengke bag by one of Robert Camba’s female staff.  But instead of carefully packing the remainder of the cake inside the plastic, she dumped the food carelessly inside.  This enraged my sister because the large plastic was almost full and we could no longer eat it.  Robert Camba’s female staff tried to reason out saying that she was given vague instructions by my coordinator on how to pack the cake and that my coordinator told her “bahala ka na” when she said that they do not have available plastic bags.  My sister told her that she should have the common sense not to handle clean food in such a manner no matter what other people tell her.  My sister even asked if she herself will eat the cake if she is asked and Robert Camba’s staff declined.  She said that she will not do so.

Unfortunately, my husband and I could not stay longer.  Our bridal car was waiting to take us back to the hotel so my family said that they will call Robert Camba and that they will work out the details.

We found out the following day that my sister took a picture of our wedding-cake-turned-kaning-baboy, called Robert Camba to inform him of the issue and sent Robert Camba a copy of the picture.   My family also informed me that my brothers asked for the remaining beer after we left and that the waiters could not produce all of the beers in can endorsed to them.  Only 5 cans turned up when they searched and 19 cans were missing.

I sent SMS to Ate Neneng and Robert Camba about what happened.  I apologized for not speaking to them directly and I told them that we had problems with the missing food for 89 heads, missing 19 cans of beer and that our wedding cake was mishandled by their staff.  The initial response that I received from Ate Neneng was that the waiters are on a rest day but that they will talk to them when they report to work. 

August 11, I received messages from Mr. Robert Camba himself telling me that I had 220 guests, that no food was missing, that he saw the picture of the cake my sister sent him and that “maganda naman”. An altercation of messages occurred after that but he just replied over and over again that no food was stolen because I had 220 guests (where they pulled that information, I really do not know), that some of the guests came back for seconds, that my suppliers also ate from the buffet and that the waiters served food as pulutan.  Robert Camba even had the gall to tell me that my guests took home the 19 beer cans missing and that giving us a refund is not fair because we only gave a small tip to his waiters with all our requests.

Sensing that communicating through text would not get us anywhere, I scheduled a meeting with Ate Neneng and Mr. Robert Camba when my husband and I got back from our honeymoon.  We took time off from work to meet with Robert Camba, hoping that the discussion will make Robert Camba realize how his staff’s actions and misconduct is damaging the name and reputation he has worked for.

I showed Mr. Robert Camba the report submitted to me by my wedding coordinators showing the number of guests seated per table and the breakdown of suppliers who took food from the buffet.  I offered to check the photos and videos taken by our wedding photographer because we had pictures taken per table before guests are allowed to proceed to the buffet tables so that Mr. Robert Camba himself can see and count the number of people who attended our wedding. 

I explained that there is a very big difference between the 250 heads my husband and I paid for and the 161 guests who actually attended the wedding reception based on the headcount per table and the registration.  I also said that my guests took the time to say their farewells before leaving the reception and that we did not see a single guest carrying a can of beer and that my wedding coordinators and some of my guests attest to seeing the waiters getting food from the buffet and actually eating the food we paid for.

Robert Camba however was deaf to reason.  He refused to even glance at the written report from our wedding coordinators.  He did not even consider looking at any wedding photos or videos and he remained firm and confident in his stand that none of the food was stolen, that I had 220 guests as if he was physically there and that my guests took the cans of beer home with them in their barongs and cocktail dresses.  Robert Camba is apathetic to his client’s concern and well-being.  He simply did not care.  He insists that their methods of doing their job is working and an incident like this cannot derail him from that belief.  Robert Camba’s quick responses only convinced us that he is not as innocent as we want to think, that he is completely aware of how his staff steals from clients on events and that such conduct is even acceptable to him. The way Robert Camba justified his staff’s actions point by point showed us that he is part, if not the master, of the entire thing. 

So if you are considering Robert Camba’s Catering Services for your event; do yourself a favour and look elsewhere.  They will blind you with the inclusions and amenities of their packages and they will shower you with assurances and promises that everything will be handled appropriately.  But based on our experience, Robert Camba and his catering service cannot be trusted.  On the day of your wedding, debut or what have you, you cannot count on them to listen, evaluate and to conduct their business professionally and with integrity.

I honestly find the experience with them very, very, very disappointing and frustrating.  With the 89 heads difference, our families should have had a fiesta 3 days after with the left-over food if Robert Camba’s staff were honest enough and if they did not steal our food.  Or we could host another party with the 89 heads when we have our first born two years from now.  But we have accepted the fact that we can no longer get a refund from Robert Camba.  We are just hoping that through this, you will learn from our mistakes, you will be able to choose a better catering service and you will have better experiences and memories when you have your event.

Good luck hunting!

Joan Collada-Carinan

Bridal Bouquet Mock-Up

My florist (Flowers of May) sent me this picture so I can have an idea how my bouquet will look like:

They will replace the azucena flowers with blue hydrangeas so my bouquet will match our theme.

I know I originally wanted yellow calla lilies but I fell hard for the white white carnations plus I’ve always been a fan of white roses.

Me excited!

Wedding Fair virgin no more…

My fiance and I attended the Philippine Wedding Summit at the PICC Forum yesterday. The bridal fair was organized by Themes & Motifs.

This was not our first wedding fair–we’ve attended around 4 or 5 of these event since we got engaged but we’ve never booked anyone before. We went to the fairs for “research”–we talked to suppliers and got their average rates so we could come up with a realistic budget. Yesterday was the first wedding fair we went to with concrete plans of booking several suppliers. Our targets were suppliers for (1) invitations, (2) flowers, (3) my fiance’s barong suit and (4) edible wedding favors.

After seriously considering several suppliers for our invitations, my fiance and I decided to do the invitations ourselves. We both know how to use photoshop and I love doing lay outs so all we have to worry about is the printing. Both of us don’t want to shell out that much money on invitations alone. Call it frugal but we just don’t find spending over 10 thousand pesos for 200 invitations practical.

We found a florist–Flowers of May. Yes, they’ve had some negative feedback from other brides from w@w but since I’m not really particular about flowers that much, no biggie. I really don’t want to go to Dangwa to haggle with the shops there. I decided on a white bridal bouquet with blue accents: white carnations and white roses with blue hydrangeas. For the mothers and my maid of honor, I asked them to make bouquets of yellow and orange roses. For the bridesmaids, wrist corsages with yellow and orange roses as well. Why the wrist corsage? Because they’re going to be carrying something else during the bridal march…

My fiance has been adamant about having a butterfly release during our wedding (he attended a wedding once where the couple released butterflies during the reception and he just loved it). If it was just me, I really didn’t want to use butterflies because I pity the poor things. We compromised by having the butterfly release outside the church as we make our exit–an alternative to confetti. This way, he still gets his butterfly release and I would be comforted by the fact that the butterflies would still fly away to the “natural” world instead of being stopped by closed doors and windows at our reception venue. The butterflies will be placed in small baskets (which we still need to scout for at Divisoria) and will be carried by our bridesmaids. Double-purpose.

It was probably fate that Acclaim Butterflies was among the suppliers at the bridal fair. We booked them immediately.

As mentioned in previous blog posts, both my fiance and I want edible favors to give away to our guests. We stumbled on the Theobroma booth; it’s a supplier that specializes on Belgian chocolates. We thought that they were expensive and we were pleasantly surprised at their rates. My fiance and I tried their chocolates and we loved them so much that we booked them on the spot. The good thing is that we kept within our budget for the wedding favors plus I wouldn’t need to slave over the packaging.

We didn’t find a supplier for my fiance’s barong. I’m that worried since my fiance already has an idea on how he wants his barong suit to look like. We just need to find someone who will make the barong within our budget.

All in all, it was an experience. It was the first time we booked anyone during an actual wedding fair. The discounts we got were way worth the travel to PICC.

Our Monogram

We asked our good friend (who’s also a very talented artist) to make our monograms. After a week of constant prodding (sorry p’re, we were so kulit!) he sent us several studies.

All the designs were simple and some of them reflected our personality as a couple. I personally wanted our monogram to be more than just an artistic presentation of our initials. We sent him our choice and earlier today, we got the final product:

No frills, just simple and symbolic. The monogram is in our wedding colors: dark blue (connotes stability and unity) and silver (patience and reflection).  Our initials are standing side by side which symbolizes our partnership. The ring signifies commitment.