Dondon and Richelle Suppliers Ratings - 11/26/2011 - PART 2

Here's my the continuation....

3- Bravo! Highly recommended to the highest level

2 - Clap! Clap! Recommended

1 - Booo!! Think twice, thrice, uhmmm.. never mind

Disclaimer: The supplier's fee I put here will just be a range as I cannot remember exactly how much I paid and considering I booked most of my suppliers mid-year 2010.

CATERER - K BY CUNANAN CATERING

RATINGS: 3++++++++

FEE: around 185k for 150 persons plus crew meals

K by Cunanan Catering is one of my non-negotiables. They are my first and only choice. After reading a lot of very nice feedbacks from w@wies on how they performed on their wedding, I am sold! I sent them an email, asked if they are available on my wedding date, paid the reservation fee and that's it. I haven't met my AE, I haven't done my food tasting yet. For me, I don't need to taste their food to decide. I know its risky but I am that confident that they will exceed my expectations. The AE assigned to me was the gorgeous Macy Dy. She's so elitista but very accommodating. I think hindi ko na enumerate how they do their food tasting kasi I know for sure alam nyo na how they do it. Natuwa lang ako sa servings nila - - super dami and talagang nakakabusog. I had a customized menu since I chose menus from package a-c. Yung alam kong best sellers nila and alam kong "safe" especially sa mga oldies.  Here's our menu:

Cocktail hour:

hoisin chicken wrap

Crostinis with prawn thermidore

Vegetable samosa

Assorted bread with liver pate and creamy pesto spread

Roasted corn soup

Insalata Caprese, orange, walnuts, strawberry vinaigrette

Grilled red snapper, ratatouille, shaved parmesan

Honey nut prawns

Grilled pepper-crusted tenderloin steak, mashed potao cakes, creamed spinach

barbecued baby back ribs, corn with parsley butter

Lechon carving

Carrot rice

Pannacotta with kiwi, strawberry, mango

White chocolate cake

Macy is very detailed when it comes to reception set-up. When we were doing the final detailing, ako ang sumuko. hahaha. I told them na sila na bahala with the set-up and I trust them. But since they need my approval I don't have any choice but to listen to the meeting. I didn't know na ganun pala kadugo yun. I mean with them, they really have to make sure that every reception details is balanced with everything. Even the placement of the plates, the guests tables, the flowers, the buffet. Kahit yung mga design nila should coordinate with one another. All the elements should be harmonious talaga to achieve the perfect ambiance. No wonder why all of their set-up are classy and tastefully done. Talagang inuupuan and iniisip nila how to execute it the nice way. Ang biggest dilemma namin is since our theme is simple elegance/jewel theme, I want to have a Sheisha corner. Hubby is working in Middle East and parang its my way of recognizing where our bread and butter comes from.Since medyo off sha with the theme, Macy suggested na we cannot highlight both the couples table and the sheisha corner. Mejo contradicting. I told her na I am willing to pay for an upgrade para lang ma-execute yung desing na gusto ko but after Macy explained na we can still have the sheisha corner but need lang na minimalist yung design nya so that it will not overpower the stage. Good thing I listened to her.Everything in the reception, super well coordinated. With the food naman, as expected, the guests kept on raving how delicious the food is. My brother in law told me na busog na raw sha but he can't help going back to the buffet for more. Our guests din from abroad na-impress with the food parang pang hotel daw. One of my friend pa who is a vegetarian, napakain ng steak since parang yummy daw so she tried. Yun nagustuhan nya. Ang dami rin naming take-out na food. We were both able to divide the food among my inlaws and sa house namin. Another thing nga pala, the flowers used for our wedding, its not upgraded. When I told my guests na pwedeng iuwi yung mga flowers kesa iwan sa event hall at masayang, I think wala pang 5 mins., ubos na yung mga flowers. Ang mejo boo-boo lang during the reception which siguro naman is not the waiter's fault is when the head waiter told me they packed the excess food na, he told me na the ulo ng lechon is hindi pa nagagalaw and they also packed it. But its my mom who received all the food and I forgot to mention to her na meron pa dapat ulo ng lechon pero hindi sha nasama sa mga nabigay. Well, ok lang naman at least iwas cholesterol ang mga oldies. hehehe.

BRIDAL GOWN - CECILIOA ABAD COUTURE

RATINGS: 3++++++++++++++++

FEE: won thru w@w 2010 auction

I have to thank w@w for this. I owe w@w maraming maraming thank you. If not for w@w I wouldn't be able to have my dream wedding gown. Just a little background, I am already booked with Joe San Antonio for my bridal gown. I have already paid the reservation fee and she already made a wonderful sketch of my gown based on what I want and what suits my body type. Actually, all is well between me and Joe. Pero ewan ko ba kung anong pwersa ang naghatak sa akin to join the w@w 2010 auction. I joined the auction since I want to score great deals especially with the unity coins and perhaps a trial make-up that I could use in one of our events sa office. Yun lang. I don;t have any plans na mag bid dun sa ibang items since that time I am already 70-80% booked with most of my wedding suppliers. Then while scouting the great deals listed,  I found that meron for auction si Tito Cecil. Ewan ko ba talaga at napa-bid ako. Actually, gown pala ni Veluz ang una kong bid pero na-outbid na ako and di ko na keri yung naka-outbid sa akin. hahaha. So ayun kay tito cecil ako nag-try. Ganun pala yun mga sis, kung talagang para sayo ang isang bagay, mafe-feel mo talaga sha. Hindi pa tapos ang bidding, I know deep in my heart mananalo ako sa bidding. After the makapigil hiningang last minute bidding and after Ms. Benz sent an email confirming that I won the auction for tito Cecil's gown, I'm supeeerr happy. I really can't believe it. I will wear one of the masterpiece of Cecilio Abad. God is really good. Ang naging problem ko n lang is how to tell Joe na I am cancelling the gown na with her. I  really prayed na sana she forgive me pero kung hindi, I am willing to let go na lang of the reservation fee. Buti na lang, my cousin told me they are getting married din. I thought baka pwede kong pakiusapan si Joe to use the reservation fee para magamit for my cousin's suit. We had a meeting and I would say Joe, is not only beautiful and talented. Napakabait pa and she understood my situation.  Grabe yung saya ko talaga. Everything is falling into place. Ilang gabi din akong di nakatulog dun.hehehe.

During the first meeting with tito Cecil, na star struck ako. hahaha. Tito Cecil is very nice. Kita mo yung dedication nya sa work nya and sa mga gowns na ginagawa nya. May passion talaga. He asked me what I want in my gown. I just told him two things - - a gown that will make me a little bit taller and one that will make me look slimmer.That's it. The rest sha na ang bahala. I put my full trust and confidence in him. He sketched my gown and made me fit the tela na super sikip. Fast forward sa mga second fitting and succeeding fittings, grabe lining pa lang perfect fit na for me. But for tito Cecil, hindi pa. May dapat pang iadjust. During the third and final fitting, I kept on losing weight. Natuwa si tito Cecil at first pero weeks before the wedding I kept on losing weight pa rin I don't know I can't help it. kakahiya nga kasi adjust ng adjust sina ate ikyat. Di rin pala maganda yun kasi nasisira yung design tapos nasisira yung tela. 3 days before the wedding lang nakuha yung talagang perfect fit. During the last fitting din, one mom super nagustuhan yung gown ko nagpa-picture pa talaga with tito Cecil. I am very pleased with my gown.

Clayton arrived the night before the wedding and when my mom saw my gown (she has never seen it before) ang ganda daw talaga. Hindi mukhang wedding gown. hahaha. Parang magde-debut lang daw na isang princess. I was so surprised pa because I thought since I won this sa auction, gown lang talaga. When I opened the box, meron din complete set ng unitu candles, pillows, bridal bag. Grabe super tuwa ko talaga muntik na akong maiyak.  During the wedding naman, I think this was one of the highlights. When I was in the lobby for the bridal pictorials, nandun ang mga Ms. Earth 2011 candidates waiting for their service. They commented how pretty I am daw. If I remember it correctly, it was Ms. Columbia na nagpa-picture pa kasama ko using her own camera para daw when its her time to get married, papagaya nya gown ko.  Hahaha. These beauty queens, made me feel na  pwede rin akong lumevel sa beauty nila even if its just for one day. Super nakaka-touch. They even had a cameo role pa in our onsite video. My gown was really one of the highlights of our wedding. Super ganda ko raw.  I believe them. Kahit mga co-suppliers like Dylan and Jesy told me na ang ganda raw ng gown ko. The gown didn't outshine me. It complemented my whole bridal look.

FEMALE ENTOURAGE GOWNS (no PS) - JHEFF FASHION HOUSE

RATINGS:3++

FEE: around 27k

I found Jheff Fashion House through my coordinator pero I have read na rin sa w@w archives some reviews about them. I decided to give them a try since their shop is in Cainta e most of my entourage are from Rizal area so mas convenient for them. Ate Anna is very nice. She's straightforward and she knows what she is talking about. When I presented her the pictures of the gowns na gusto ko for my entourage, we immediately talked about the kind of tela. Since wala akong alam sa mga fabrics, inisa-isa nya s akin possible fabrics na bagay sa design na gown. Though in the end we decided to use chiffon. I think my package with them is already a steal considering lahat long gowns and chiffon yung materials plus some gowns may intricate beadings pa. Tito Jheff naman on the other hand is super  mabait. Pulido silang magtrabaho. First fitting pa lang almost lahat ng entourage ko, wala ng adjustments. My mom's gown naman has this tela na may embroidery and talagang pinagtyagaan hanapin ni ate Ana kung anong bagay.All I can say is my girls looked elegant in their respective gowns.

HAIR AND MAKE-UP - JESY ALTO

RATINGS: 3++

FEE: 18k

I made an entry of my first trial make up with Jesy. And until the wedding day itself, hindi nagbago yung quality ng work nya. She made me one blushing bride. She knows how  to highlight a bride's feature without making it look heavy sa make-up. I just let them do their job and the moms were both satisfied with their look during the wedding. I will let the photos speak for itself.

WEDDING RINGS - MATUS JEWELLERY

RATINGS: 3+++

FEE: around 65k

Matus made my engagement ring so its just right to choose them to make our wedding rings. Proven ko na yung quality ng rings nila, the craftsmanship, the diamonds used and the customer service. belle is my contact person and mas naging madali ang transaction ko sa kanila when they moved their shop from Glorietta to Megamall. We had free mock rings that we used during the bridal march and the original ones we gave to the bestman for safekeeping. At first hindi mo ma-identify which is the fake and which is the original one. Very timely din yung delivery nung mga rings namin. Although they are more expensive than the other ring suppliers pero for me, sulit na yung rates nila given all the fact that I mentioned before. Since preggy lang ako ngaun, di na magkasya yung wedding ring ko. hehehe.

WEDDING CAKE -  ALEX FRANCO CAKES

RATINGS: 3+++

FEE: 25K

Alex Franco Cakes is my non-negotiable. I told hubby I want Alex to do our wedding cake. Pumayag naman sha. I booked sir Alex to do our wedding cake but before that, tuturuan ka muna nya the proper way to cut the cake. With matching tools pa yun ha? He doesn't accept reservation fee. Payment will be done on the day itself. We ordered the five layer all edible cake para ma serve namin sa guests and para may take home din kami (takaw ko kasi). The cake was one of the highlights of our wedding reception. It was placed in the middle - - between the VIP table and between the guests table. The cake is huge and beautiful. it was elegantly arranged and talagang nakakaagaw ng pansin. Some might say mahal for a cake but come to think of it, you will be spending almost the same amount of money for a 5 layer fondant cake and only the base layer is the edible one. With their cakes, alex's team will be the one to set-up the cake table. Somebody will assist during the cake cutting and alex's staff will be the one serving the cakes to all of your guests. Not to mention the additional freebies such as 30 pcs brownies (which in our case we made as additional guests favors), the chocolate cake as alex's gift to the couples and of course, the yummy goodness of the cake. A lot of our guests kept on raving how yummy the cake daw. We were able to bring home the third to fifth layer and we're able to feed our entire guests. Hubby who doesn't eat sweets naubos yung cake that I served after the wedding na. Super masarap daw.

And that's the end of my suppliers ratings. To all the brides, just enjoy the preps. Don't fret on small things. Let go and Let GOD!