Monday, November 13, 2006

OUR HONEYMOONS !!!

HONEYMOONS!!!
  • ALEGRE BEACH RESORT IN CEBU
  • SERVICE: 10
  • FOOD: 10 (BUFFET BREAKFAST AND A LA CART)
  • PLACE: 10
  • TOTAL EXPERIENCE: 10
  • we had 2 honeymoons. 1st was at alegre beach resort in cebu. Travel time from cebu airport is almost an hour. our transfer was on time. the driver was nice :) he even let us stop to buy lechon and when we asked if we can bring it inside the resort, he said it's ok. just as long as we don't let other people see it :) hahaha...we saved on spending for lunch and dinner. then when we arrived there. the check in time is at 2pm but they gave us a room to rest,
    while they're fixing our room. our room was facing the beach front with garden and we got it as the same price as the normal rooms! hehehe...the package comes with free buffet breakfast. grabe...yummy food! my honey was sooo pleased with the buffet. breakfasthe said a buffet is not a buffet unless there's bacon. hahaha...ang takaw sa bacon!!! the next day, when the cook saw him, the cook said "sir, ilan bacon?" hahaha...kilala na cya :)) the pool was big and the beach was very clean. we even get to feed the fishes. the beach was so nice. very quiet. very calm. our only rant was the massage is a little expensive. the food was yummy and the price is not bad considering you're in a resort.no dolphin :( the path ways are well lit by the mini kubo lamps. they have a game room. we played soccer, scrabble and billiard. we also went on a boat ride for a chance to see the dolphin but no luck :) ...hehehe... basta total rate for our experience in the resort was 101%....i want to go back again!!!!
    after alegre, we stayed 1 day in cebu. malvin surfed the internet for affordable room in cebu. he pencil book a hotel but when we went there,the room smelled like the person who stayed there smoked for 1 whole month without leaving the room. it smelled sooo bad. it's a good thing we didn't tell the driver to leave yet. we asked if he knows another hotel there that's not too pricy. he drove us to parklane hotel. it's a new hotel, just walking distance to ayala mall. at dinner time, we just ate mcdo in ayala mall so we can get isha(my niece) the stawberry shortcake toy. then a friend of malvin (sherwin), fetch us at the hotel and toured us around cebu. then he again fetch us the next day and toured us around the city of cebu then he drop us at the airport. sobra fun experience.
  • SEAWIND RESORT IN BORACAY (station 1)
  • SERVICE: 10
  • FOOD: 10 (BUFFET)
  • PLACE: 10
  • TOTAL EXPERIENCE: 10
  • we rode asian spirit goint to boracay. SCARY!! it's so cramp and the toilet is so dirty! no tissues and it smelled yucky! i have to hold it until we got to the airport in boracay. the transfer was on time and the boatride was ok. we have to stopover every station thou but it's ok. the sea was calm. the sky was perfect. :) the front desk of seawind was very prompt with our check in. the room was very clean. we played sungkahahaha...talo!...malvin lost again and again :))
    the first night, we ate at hobbit house in "the mall" at station 2. after dinner, we went to pier1. so many people, it's a good thing we got a table. it's the anniversary of pier1 so there were 2 bands playing and 1 came from manila. forgot the name of the band though :) hehehe...not well known :) then the next day, we went island hoppingisland tour and snorkling! the corals and fishes are very colorful. ganda :) we were supposed to go inside a cave but the current was strong. sayang :)hot!

    they next night, we ate buffet at seawind. yummy seafood! grilled shrimp!! and the pasta's and dessert are not bad. the next day, we swim for a just a bit then we check out. we ate at the mall for lunch then just walked around and wait for our transfer.
  • hayyy... we feel sooo well rested.

Monday, November 06, 2006

SUPPLIER RATINGS !!

it's been 1 month since i became
mrs. leilani ching and so far,all i can say is "mahirap!!"
hahaha..but being married to malvin made it easier :) he
supports my every decisions and takes care of me every minute of everyday :)
i really love him.


i never thought being married will take a lot of
my time. actually,the whole 24 hours of it :))(naive!!!)
but it's fun. it's like playing house but with real
problems :)) but so far...no problems yet...so far...)
hihihi....


by the way, here's my supplier ratings...

these ratings are all based on my personal experience and opinions.

tip to those getting married.....DON'T!!!...hahaha...
just kidding...but this is an experience you will
never forget....all the preparations and hardship
of going to divisoria and carrying all the stuffs
you bought to save money....going to wedding events
and haggling with the suppliers...going to dangwa
to get the most affordable floral arrangements.....
trying to cut down on guests and hoping that others
will understand if they don't get invited.....
getting highblood with the pasaway suppliers....
hehehe...it's really an experience that will hunt you
for the rest of your life......


TIPS:

  • get a COORDINATOR!!! even for just the day itself. or
    if you have a friend that's not in ur entourage that
    can help you, that would be much better (free!!) ...
    hehehe...but honestly speaking, even if you think you are
    prepared for just about anything, think again... :))
  • if you're on a budget, list the things
    that are important to you. like restaurant, gown,
    photographer. then from there, allot how much you
    plan to spend on each remaining item. mahirap!
  • have everything in black and white,
    even the smallest details!!
  • if you're wearing a tube, be sure it fits you perfectly.
    if you're not sure with the fitting of the gown,
    ask the designer to put a very thin strap.
  • So far...yun palang tip ko :) hihihi...


SUPPLIER RATINGS :

10 - highest .... .... .... 1- lowest

  • church: UCCP - Ellinwood Malate
  • contact person: ate josie
  • contact no: 523-2884
  • rating: 7

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2601040710074591350dHTGRy?vhost=entertainment

  • we liked it here because aside from
    the old church feel, it has a long aisle and the stained glass was beautiful.
    but sad to say, a week before our wedding day, milenyo (typhoon) broke the
    lower part of the stained glass. so sad :*( ...ang pangit tuloy ng view :(
    ate josie was very easy to talk to. i asked her if she would be the one to coordinate my wedding. she agreed but when the day came, she had an emergency meeting but she did try to make it. my bridal walk was supposed to be ikaw, but it ended up with tan...tan...tan tan......no dramatic entrance.....hahaha...oh well...58
    the sound system was sooooooooo bad. my cousin (emcee) and the priest became ngongo...hahaha....hayyyy...what an experience. then sobra funny pa the
    barangay tanod. i asked the brgy chairman if he could put several brgy
    tanods there so facilitate the parking. since our wedding will be at 3pm,
    i told them to start fixing the parking around 2:30. hehehe...when i got there, i didn't see any tanods then after 5 mins, they all magically appeared...hahaha....
  • reception: CENTURY PARK HOTEL (Kachina Room)
  • contact person: richard yang
  • contact no: 528-8888 (Trunkline)
  • rating: service: 6
  • food: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2413440590074591350HaELjq?vhost=entertainment

  • with the reception, there were soooo many changes with the venue. as much as possible, we don't want to have our reception in a hotel because of our budget :D but i so want a lauriat. anyways, we considered wack wack golf and country club with buffet setup. i was penciled book but the ae there called me and ask if i'm sure i'll be getting the venue because someone is doing an ocular and they might get it. so i told her that we're going there that coming sat. but sad to say she gave it to the couple without informing us...sad...but i guess it's not meant to be so i read from w@w that with hotels like century and pan pacific, you can order from their restaurant and have the function at the hotel. it's much cheaper that way. so i told malvin and the next day, feb 14, we went there to check out the century park hotel and have the kachina room booked because all the other function rooms are fully booked, even the restaurant. so when we went home, malvin and i talked it over and agreed to have our reception at century park. since i want a lauriat and the restuarant is well known for great food so the next day, i went there and give the downpayment agad!!!
  • came the day of the reception around 6pm, me, ever being oc went to drop by kachina. hayy... the tables are not yet finish! the cake got lost and the waiters had NO idea where it was. it's the good thing my sil looked for it. then the waiters needed to be advice of the flowing of the beverages (thank you dhya :) hayyy... but the food was excellent. another problem was i got an oval table setup for the presidential table. so the waiter just gave the godparents 1 serving of each food. wawa...nagutom sila :( ...i should have gotten the round table for the godparents...hayyyy....
  • hotel preparation: ORCHID GARDEN SUITES (presidential suite)
  • contact person: jane
  • contact no: 523-9870
  • rating: 10

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2148444220074591350KyWXYI?vhost=good-times

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2057092920074591350iuPgxK?vhost=entertainment

  • we didn't get the package from century park hotel so we needed to book a separate hotel room. 3 months before when i called century, there are still many rooms available, the lady from the frontdesk said i could even book 2 weeks before the wedding. so 3 weeks before the wedding i called them up to book a room, they said it's fully booked! waaaa!!!!!!!! panic mode! the frontdesk manager suggest to book the orchid garden suite just across century park, so we did. the rooms were ok. spacious, clean, and affordable! at first i was not that keen with the rooms but when i saw their presidential room.... grabe, my dad said to book it right away. but i said it's too expensive :(( 10k/night. but it has 1 master bedroom that's really big with a spacious toilet and bath. another room with a queen size bed and toilet and bath. big kitchen, complete with kitchen wears and utensils. a big dinning table and a very spacious living room. and it also has a veranda. i used the sliding door of the veranda for my silhouette shot. ganda :) the light coming from the room was just right. even if the room was sooo jam pack with photographer, videographers, makeup artist, my whole family and my relatives, the room was still cold. miss jane was soooo nice. she gave me 500 discounts per additional room complete with breakfast for 2. she' was so accommodating. from the time that i booked until the time i checked out, sobra hands up sa service. this is one of the things that i was so glad i booked!
  • gown: JUN RICAFORTE
  • contact person: jun ricaforte
  • contact no: 4534439
  • rating: 8 .... *pls. check newly post rating for jun ricaforte*

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2337753190074591350chepYy?vhost=entertainment

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2613299640074591350DCwOsq?vhost=entertainment

  • i had my gown, my moms gown and my 2ndary sponsors made by jun. he's very approachable, very machika and very flexible with his rate. i loooovvvveeee my gown.
  • but the only problem was the wedding day itself. he said he can't go and he told me ate will go instead of him. the gown was delivered to me the night before my wedding but the manequin is in white instead of black . my head piece was a crown instead of beads. they forgot my coins. then ate (jun's assistant) told me she won't be able to make it too. hayyy...anyways, came the wedding day, the girl that was supposed to help me was late. i was already dressed by the time they arrive and the driver who was with her was in a hurry to get the manequin. grrrr.... that's the only time tonette (mua) put my headress on (jun replaced the crown with beads) and the photographer shoot the coins. hayyy...stressfull!!!! then i didn't get to look at the back of my gown, the flower was supposed to be clipped together. hayyy...ang pangit tuloy...nawala yung effect nung likod ng gown eh yun pa naman yung pinakadesign. grrrrrr.........sayang......
  • photographer/videographer: AVESEQE PRODUCTION
  • contact person: vice chua
  • contact no: 7968630; 0917.8157413
    rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2672852390074591350ccjxaT?vhost=entertainment

  • love my pictures!!!! love it, love it, love it. i also love my prenup video!!! super sulit with what i payed for :) i got at least 1 main, 2 or 3 backup photographer ata (ang dami eh) and 2 videographer. package includes onsite avp, signature album, prenup portrait, tarpulin, album, parents album, edited prenup avp and many more!! sobra affordable cya! imagine my honey, may bayad tawa nyan eh but they were able to make him smile at the preparation pictures :)) galing! and the guests really enjoyed our onsite avp :) ..happy!!!
  • here's the sample avp video. medyo malabo dito ...

  • florist: MARRIELLE'S FLOWER SHOP
  • contact person: ate maricar
  • contact no: 0918.2855872
  • rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2685009920074591350YFjfLs?vhost=entertainment

  • ate maricar was the one who did my sil's wedding 3 yrs ago and she didn't skimp on the flowers and my sil got it in a very affordable rate. when i went there, i asked for a quotation then i asked mang boy also for the qoutation of my bouquet and he gave it a little higher than ate maricar. so proven ko na mas mura si ate maricar :) my flowers were so nice :) the arrangement on my reception was way over what i expect for the price i payed for. ganda! especially the flowers on the presidential table. the flowers of the church was inclusive of the rate but i ask ate maricar to put additional flower arch at the entrance of the church.
  • makeup artist: TONETTE CHUA
  • contact person: tonette
  • contact no: 0917.9623496
  • rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2883324420074591350bimeOj?vhost=entertainment

  • another good find. tonette was also the makeup artist on my sil wedding. he was the first one to arrive at the hotel. he's so easy to talk to. my makeup was light but just enough to put colors in the pictures.
  • i really like him. he was so calm and he help me with my veil which my designer ( or assistant of the designer ) should be doing.
  • sound system: ENIGMA SOUND SYSTEM
  • contact person: Francis Ismael
  • contact no: 0917.8070754
  • rating: 8
  • he's very easy to talk to and very mabait. he gave us the upgraded equipment without additional charge :) he arrived early at century but there was till a party so he got to set up a little late and didn't get a chance to check the sounds. there were some minor problems like the mic. the sound was a little distorted. the bubbles and the smoke machines are not in the right place coz i didn't feel or see the bubbles and the smoke around us. but all in all, it was ok. the songs that i wanted was played. no regret :)
  • emcee: MELISSA FERRER-LITAO
  • contact person: missy
  • contact no: 0917.8292309
  • rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2002320790074591350cmnhMw?vhost=entertainment

  • hayyy..what can i say!?!?!?! all my guests complimented how good my emcee was. the reception was entertaining and fun. and she's very flexible. even if there are changes with the flow of the program, she's not bothered by it. galing! i really love her. sobra bait and very approachable and she gave me a very good price :) hihihi...
  • invitation: UNIFAIR PRINTING
  • contact person: shirley
  • contact no: 0917.8668791
  • rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2794623960074591350KiVOxS?vhost=entertainment

  • we had a hard time with deciding about the invitation so we ended up with just 2 months before printing it out. hehehe...shirley was so accommodating. she gave us free extra print for the map. i'm glad we had our invitation printed at unifair, very good quality and reasonable price :)

  • Bridal car: STREETLINE
  • contact person: loleth
  • contact no: 6770882 / 5265432 to 33
  • rating: 10

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2903750100074591350bKTWeK?vhost=entertainment

  • the reason why we book them is because of their package of a free mb van :) they are easy to talk to. the bridal car arrived very early and the driver knows the easiest way to the church and back to the reception. but tip for the brides, be sure to pay before your wedding day because even if you pay their downpayment, they won't arrive in your wedding day if you didn't pay the full amount. they don't allow the driver to receive the payment. nataranta ako dito! i forgot to pay until the last day, and they called me up to tell me if i don't pay they won't send their bridal car the next day. grabe! (my fault :)) hehehe )
  • ring: c/o MIL
  • rating: 10
  • our ring was beautiful :)

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2225896020074591350lfedYn?vhost=entertainment

  • cake: SWAN BAKESHOP
  • contact person: abe
  • contact no:09178465004
  • rating: pwede ba negative? hahahaha

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2075498730074591350ORBzaw?vhost=entertainment

  • kwento...check my old posts about the cake...hayyy...the cake i choose was hard icing. while i was choosing a design from their cake album, the cake looked gorgeous but came the actual cake...hahaha..mukhang fake. hayyy.... then i had problem pa with ..... hayyy... then the cake got lost pa at the reception. hayyy..hahaha...basta no comment! in fairness he was easy to talk to WHEN I WAS booking the cake. BUT after that....no comment na! hahaha
  • diy: cord, souveniers, gifts for entourage, candles, misalette
  • rating: 10++++++++++++++++
  • hihihi...sympre ako gumawa .....all labor of love :) (and trying to cut down on expenses) hahaha...

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2378819730074591350KbFxkW?vhost=entertainment

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2685693660074591350AVwNOX?vhost=entertainment

after 2 months :)).....dec 15,2006...just finished doing supplier rating!!! ang hirap pala gumawa nito! :)) well..better late than never :)