On Finding a Really Good Wedding Photographer

Most couples that I know would eagerly allocate a big chunk of their wedding budget to well-reputed photographers. And I would do the same thing if only we had that "big chunk" of money to spend without hesitations.

So what do you do if you want to find the best photographer there is but don't have enough money to pay for their names? I'd say research.

One of the major pitfalls of relying too much on well-known names in the industry is that people tend to spend way more than they can actually afford. Marrying couples who have a Php300,000 wedding budget will look at photography services that cost a whopping Php100k. Of course there's nothing wrong with that, especially if it means preserving your wedding memories the best way possible. The problem that they overlook though, is the fact that 100k is already one third of their initial budget. And so they end up either scrimping on other details like catering, venue, and honeymoon or simply dealing with the stress of doubling their budget.

Ate Armi and Arvin's Wedding 
photo by Nice Print Photography

Being photo enthusiasts, I consider us lucky to have some skills to scrutinize each photographer that we encounter, and to be able to sift those who are really good with their craft from those who are just trying to milk the cow.

But for those who don't have a creative eye to see the difference between a photo that used depth of field from a photo that used the blur tool in Photoshop, the last things that you'd want to make as bases for your decisions are the following: 

Price

Just because the service is expensive, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's one of the best. A not so mainstream photographer can give you the same services for half the price if you've researched well enough. If you couldn't find one, it means you need to search further.

People's reviews

Obviously, people's opinions vary. And you definitely should think twice before shelling out a hundred grand for the services of someone who's been reviewed by a person you'd ride in a random jeepney with. If you want to rely on people's reviews, have the supplier you're eyeing on reviewed by someone who knows what he's talking about so you can think more objectively.

If the kinds of feedbacks you're seeing are "They're really nice people","They're affordable", or "They're fun to work with", you're gonna need to slow down. Remember, you're paying for the quality of your pictures, not for the fun moments with these guys. At the end of the day, it's you who will be checking their portfolio and deciding on which style will suit you best.

Photographer's clientele

Not all photographers who have worked with celebrities are worth considering, especially if they're using their clients as their status quo, and if their prices are impossible for people who are living on a paycheck. Of course photos will look pretty if Georgina Wilson's face is in it. Heck it's going to look pretty even if it's a VGA camera! The real verdict is if the photographer can turn the faces of  a regular "ateh" and "kuya" into celebrities (without Photoshop, of course.) 

I'm not generalizing every photographer there is, but generally speaking, these are the things that should help couples think things through.

DIY: Unity Candle

Project cost: Php300

I'm not sure if it's funny that we already have our unity candle considering our wedding is still 5 months out but anyway, I guess this is better than cramming, right?

I thought it's nice to have something personalized for the wedding ceremony so I searched for custom-made unity candles online. When I saw the prices range from Php1,000 to as much as Php3,000, I thought I'm gonna have to let it go--until I realized that I could do it myself. :)

I bought the candles from St. Pauls for Php300 something, wrapped the big one in burlap and the small ones in jute strings, added some buttons, and voila:

Not sure if they look nice enough but at least they didn't cost me 1,000. :))

I just hope they can last until our wedding without melting or something *crosses fingers*.

Discovering Woodsborough Log Homes Tagaytay

If just a few weeks ago I blogged about how much we're considering a family backyard for a reception, this time everything's changed. But we're still not spending huge amounts of money for a good venue--we're still trying to scrimp with all our might with this one.

I'm talking about this secret neighborhood in Tagaytay which I doubt if anyone has ever heard of. I was browsing on sulit.com to find an affordable vacation house for rent when I saw Woodsborough Log Cabins.

It's an exclusive subdivision where all the houses are designed to look like log cabins. These houses are for rent, and are definitely cheaper compared to hotels that will cost you an average of Php5,000 per night for 2 people.

I initially considered this as my preparation venue and as an accommodation for my relatives. They also have a function hall called The Lincoln Place but we found it too small to accommodate 150 people. But in addition to the dining hall, the place has a little pool area, a small terrace, a front courtyard, and a conference hall so if we book the whole place, a 200-guest event would be possible. Only, there won't be a large confined place where all the guests would just sit and watch the program. Guests would probably be roaming here and there so there needs to be some activity going on in every area. But I guess we won't have a problem with that since we won't be having a full production number. It's only going to be a relaxed luncheon so it's fine if everyone's moving around. 

Another option was the vacant lots located across the cabins. Ms. Jenny and her husband, being members of the homeowners association, offered us to use the huge vacant lot across their home for FREE. Well of course we obliged! The vacant lots need a bit of manicuring but we're sure it's going to turn out just how we imagined it. But it still remains an option since they didn't clear if the properties are theirs. Using a place that's not really designed to hold such an event can get us into trouble.

Right now I'm just super excited to plan our rustic-inspired vintage backyard wedding! We're still having thoughts why we can't say we're 100% about this place, but we can definitely consider this for the mere fact that this is going to be more convenient and practical for us and all our guests. In case we agree to take this one, we'll checkout the place again to finalize all the details.

Woodsborough Log Homes Tagaytay
https://www.facebook.com/thelincolnplacetagaytay/

The Downside of Being Scrimpy: Getting Ripped Off By Someone Named Janice Avellano Cuento

I met Janice Avellano Cuento from Memory Lane in Tagaytay to do my bridal makeup. She did not introduce herself as an independent beauty consultant from Mary Kay and so I thought I'm going to just hire her as a freelance makeup artist. I didn’t want to book her through Memory Lane to cut the liaison costs and I must admit that it was the biggest mistake I’ve done in this whole wedding planning yet.(Disclaimer: She was distributing her calling card under the table.)

Regardless of the fact that she gave me a horrendous makeup, I booked her because of all the suppliers that I got, she was the only one that I met in person. Talk about coloring my eyebrows red, my eyes green, and my lips bloody red! I had to guide her as she was redoing my face just to give her another shot!

She asked me to give a downpayment of Php3,750 to book her for a January  event. But after paying, she gave me this kind of agreement:

(Please note that this agreement was created 2 weeks after I paid the down payment, right after I told her I want a refund)

"This agreement is subject to acceptance for bridal package( hair and make-up for 5 pax.)of (INSERT MY FULL NAME) on January 2013. This agreement will take effect the date upon payment of 50%(percent) reservation fee with the amount of P7500.00 (seven hundred pesos)

BEAUTY CONSULTANT AGREEMENT

1.    to present as your beauty consultant for your wedding, it is my responsibility to assure your satisfaction.

2.    I must maintain the highest standard of integrity, honesty and responsible to my duty, truthful and sincere manner to have the good relationship with the client.

3.    I can do the best what I can on your wedding day.

CLIENT AGREEMENT

1.    regularly conducting skin care by Mary Kay product(facial,body scrub, foot care and hand care)

2.    Client must require to avail the Mary Kay Product suitable for your skin type, recommended by beauty consultant. -WHY IS SHE REQUIRING ME TO BUY MARY KAY PRODUCTS?

3.    Before using the product assure your beauty consultant the proper instruction.

4.    reservation fee are not refundable, unless beauty consultant harmless from damage resulting from mis-presentation. - WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?

5.    the package may be you want to change,suggested for the additional price,discount and time, you can inform your beauty consultant earlier for the status at anytime.

6.    you must inform your beauty consultant for time availability to conduct you skin care session. 

if your not agree for this agreement or if  you have want ta change,inform me before I will go to the notary public. we need to talk personally, we both need to sign for this agreement. I hope you understand for late the late rsponse.

      Thank you for nice consideration and God Bless..."

I researched well enough to discover that she patterned her contract from Mary Kay's beauty consultant application form. The only difference though was she added the " reservation fee are not refundable" clause.

I wanted to back out from the agreement and get a refund because 1) I didn't sign up for her Mary Kay services; 2) there was a long delay between me paying the down payment and her delivery of the contract and; 3)  the agreement contract contains very wrong grammars and unclear terms. I didn't want to push through with the business because she was hard to deal with. Instead, she told me it's going to be my loss anyway so we should just proceed.

I thought I could easily get my money back since she hasn't rendered any service yet, and my wedding won't be up until  next year but I was wrong---she replied to me once, and was insistent on not giving me a refund, even telling me that my wedding is still far out (like why am I pressuring her to live up to my expectations?). Take note, I didn't sign the contract so I didn't understand why she was implementing her non-refundable term.

As my supplier, of course I expected her to answer all my queries, send me a clear and concise contract, and clarify what services she'll be rendering. But apparently, she's already spent my down payment prior to performing her duties. That's probably the reason why her phone is  always out of coverage whenever I try to make a follow up. I even offered her to just send me back the Php 3k (Php750 short) in installment basis but still to no avail. I assumed she preferred to just burn bridges. 

So for future Tagaytay brides, be careful not to deal with this person. She is probably the worst and most unprofessional makeup artist you could possibly meet!

I forwarded the contract to Mary Kay Philippines and I was told that they're going to do something about it--not sure though what they did exactly since I haven't heard from them after that.

I also shared this experience with Memory Lane just so they won't be dealing with her again and I'm glad that they have found a better makeup artist to take her place.

What I learned: If there's one wedding aspect that I'd want to be frugal about, it's definitely not my make-up.

Damage done: Php 3,750

A Rustic Backyard Concept

Finding the perfect reception venue is probably the second most difficult thing marrying couples deal with, next to where to hold the ceremony. Some couples, particularly those who belong to other religions, have the privilege to hold their reception exactly where they hold their ceremony. But for Catholics who are not allowed to exchange vows outside the church, it’s a whole different story.

There are countless hotels and restaurants in Tagaytay that are highly sought and recommended by wedding magazines, wedding websites, and well-reputed wedding planners. But though it’s ideal that we book our reception in one of those fairytale-worthy places, they’re not even in our options.

We’re thinking of a relaxed backyard luncheon, where people would just be talking the whole afternoon over good food and lemonades instead of dancing the night away. We also had to consider the fact that not everyone will have their own transportation, so we had to make sure that everyone can get home safe and sound after the wedding.

Initially, our plan was to hold the reception in the fiance’s Tagaytay backyard. This option will not only help us achieve a relaxed ambiance for the reception, but will also save us a huge portion of our budget. We simply can’t imagine spending Php 70-90k on venues that will be rented out for 5 hours, especially since it will take most of us at least 5 months to earn that amount of money. Maybe for other couples, the price is just right. For us, definitely wrong.

Here are some photos of the backyard:

SKID MARKS: the pickup got stuck in the mud. LOL

It still looks like it needs a little manicuring but once it undergoes a makeover, it can comfortably room about 120-150 guests. We’re still considering the possibility of holding our reception to a different venue, but for now, it’s the backyard that we’re really eyeing on.

The Day When I Realized Why Wedding Gowns Cost A Fortune

I don’t quite get why wedding gowns would cost so much when a similar beaded Cinderella gown would not cost a fortune if it’s in a different color.

 I’m not a hundred percent sure if I should be blogging about this story but I think it’s still worth sharing. There’s this one up and coming designer who makes wedding gowns for Php 20-40k. I went to her one time and brought my dress peg to show her. I just wanted to see how much she’s going to quote me. One major detail though: I posed as a maid of honor. So technically, I was inquiring for a maid of honor dress.

I had to see how much the dress would cost IF I’m not the bride. She drew something that looked like an ankle-length Kate Middleton dress and quoted me Php5k for the labor (fabric would come from me). It didn’t want beadworks, so it was a real simple dress with some lace details. Though I had to compose myself every time she would wonder why I’m having something in ecru/ivory, it’s still worth snooping around. Because of that I learned how much I should be willing to spend for my wedding dress – that Php20k would be too much.

I almost booked her right there and then because I got excited about how cheap I’m going to get my dress made. But I realized that the designer was more concerned about me not getting in the way of the “real bride”. She wanted to make sure that I won’t steal the limelight. In short, I came there as a maid of honor, and left her shop feeling like a real one. I didn’t feel like a bride. And it’s a feeling that I’ll never be able to experience and forever regret if I push through with it.

I know there are a lot of factors that contribute to the high price of wedding gowns--- there’s the materials, the workmanship, the “uniqueness” of the design, and whatnot. I never knew how to justify why wedding dresses are so expensive until I realized that it’s not just the dress that I’m paying for---I’m also paying for all the pressures of those once-in-a-lifetime thingamajigs that designers have to deal with, and for the emotions that I should feel once I try the dress on.

I called off the project with the designer and, luckily, I found a good one who quoted me Php 5k for the labor. This time though, the designer knows that I’m the bride, and I trust that she’ll make me feel and look really pretty on my wedding day.

Do guys really have to put a ring on it?

The Ring

I'm pretty sure a lot of couples would not agree with me on this, but as much as I want to find reasons why engagement rings are not necessary, it's kind of hard.

And I don't want to assert that such accessories are a must either, because at the end of the day, it will all depend on the couple. But personally though, I would like to quote Beyonce:

"If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it"

Even though engagement rings can be considered as materialistic representations of a superficially perfect love affair, they actually represent a lot of things. For one, it's the time bomb that reminds the couple how far out their big day is. It's like the moment the guy slips the ring into the girl's finger, the real planning starts. I know there are couples who still don't have a plan even if they get engaged, but they're probably part of the exception.

Second, engagement rings are a sign that the guy is ready, not only to spend the rest of his life with the girl, but also to take responsibility of what the future holds for them . Now unless the girl is willing to pay for everything and provide a sustainable living for her future family, engagements rings are not really necessary. But that's unlikely.

Lastly, engagement rings can take regular boyfriend-girlfriend relationships up another notch. They set a period to rethink the whole relationship and see whether the couple are really meant to take the big leap. They separate the couple from other couples who are "taking their time". Trust me, I know some couples who are "engaged", but because they don't have an engagement story, I couldn't tell if they're settling down any time soon. When you have a ring on, you know that your shit just got serious.

All I'm saying is, engagement rings, or whatever accessory that represents your engagement are necessary---it's the expensive, unrealistic ones that aren't.

D.I.Y: Bridesmaids Bouquet

Project cost: Php 1,360

I didn't think I'd be able to pull this one off, but I think the outcome's not bad for someone who's determined to save up something. Having a bunch of girlfriends, I had no choice but to have 7 bridesmaids. It could be pricey if I'll let the fiance pay for everything, and so I had to do something to cut the expense.

Besides the fact that a small, handheld bouquet can go up to Php350 apiece, real flowers can't last the next day because they wither. And that means Php350 going down the drain, multiply the effect by 7. Pure pain.

So I scoured the Internet for step-by-step guides on how to make inexpensive DIY wedding bouquets and roamed the streets of Divisoria to find the perfect ready-made flowers that I can use. Some people are creative and patient enough to DIY each flower, unfortunately though, I'm not one of them. I found a lot of fabric flowers at Michelle's Ribbon and Lace Center that can be bought per yard, and just cut them out to make individual heads.

Here's the final output:

Didn't think I could make something like this. In fairness.:))

Pardon if they look different--I basically used the same materials but the base differed slightly so I had to "redesign". :)

I didn't make my own bouquet because I wanted real flowers for myself. As much as I want to scrimp on this wedding, it's still our day so I have to look expensive. LOL.

Besides saving some cash, the best part about this project is that my bridesmaids would think twice before throwing this one out.

For details and step by step guide on how to do this, drop me a message in the Questions? tab.

D.I.Y: Men's Boutonnières

Project cost:  Php 800

I've been seeing a lot of DIY wedding stuff long before I got engaged and planned on doing them for my own wedding. And now that the time has come, I'd like to thank Pinterest for unleashing the crafty side of me.

I've never done something creative my entire life-- or at least there's nothing that I can clearly remember. But since the fiance and I are trying to be frugal, I gave my cheapskate, artsy-fartsy self a shot.

Lo and behold, D.I.Myself boutonnieres for the groomsmen, principal sponsors, and secondary sponsors:

rustic boutonnieres

We scoured the streets of Divisoria for the materials and spent approximately Php40 to make one piece (I made 20 pieces). Try to have these done by a professional and you're gonna have to shell out Php150-200 for one. We were able to save at least Php2,200 for this project -- a hefty price if you're working on a budget.

Going to the Chapel of Love: Chapel on the Hill, Batulao Batangas

The moment we got engaged, I knew I didn’t want to walk down a kilometer-long aisle. And because there aren’t a lot of nice, intimate chapels here in the metro, we both agreed that a Tagaytay wedding affair will be perfect. Besides, spending thousands on a rented venue was not in our plans. Tagaytay would be perfect since the boy's family owns a house with a roomy backyard just a few blocks from Olivarez Plaza. We can just hold our reception there.

Even before my fiancé proposed, his mom already booked San Antonio de Padua for Php500. She booked the place right away just in case we’re not able to find exactly what we’re looking for, at least we’ll have a church to hold the ceremony at.  

The church, however, though looking like a cute chapel from the outside, was way bigger than what we expected. And so we had to look for another one. There’s really no way that I’m going to walk down there, especially since I’ve no plans of wearing a traditional gown with a super long train.

After 2 months of researching for an alternative, I stumbled upon Chapel on the Hill online. I showed some photos of the place to my fiancé and he liked it! We knew it’s going to be one of our top where-to-get-married choices.  Right then and there I contacted the chapel and asked for their slots.

We thought of an afternoon wedding but the 2pm slot was already booked---2 years ago! Only the 10am and 5pm slots were free. And since a 5pm wedding for us is quite unlikely, we pencil-booked the 10am schedule. I mean, hey, it’s better to have the wedding in the morning than postpone it until a good slot opens up, right?

We went to check the chapel a week after and just fell in love with it. I literally imagined myself walking in there. The 360-degree view of the mountains, and the fresh, cool air of the province just made it all the more perfect.

View from the side
photo lifted from Cyndy's virtual tourist site

This is where my grand entrance will be. LOL. I love the stained glass part of the ceiling.
photo lifted from Cyndy's virtual tourist site

View of the mountains
photo lifted from Cyndy's virtual tourist site

We settled the down payment and off we went. Serious planning mode: ON.

Down payment: Php10,000

Balance to be paid 1 month before the wedding:
Php 2,000 for the use of chapel

Php 5,000 for the Parish

TOTAL: Php 17,000

We initially set our church budget to 10k so we went 7k over. But this is definitely one of those additional expenses that couples shouldn’t mind. We’ll just go scrimp on other scrimp-worthy details. :)

----

Chapel on the Hill

Don Bosco, Batulao, Batangas

(+632) 7435614/4044327/4759724(Manila)