Suppliers Review - San Antonio de Padua Church, Silang

Rating: 10/10 -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! :)

Kwento: This is our "This is it Church" but we let it go kasi nabulag kami sa Fernridge and dahil morning schedule kami sa kanila. But I always consider it as our backup church, kasi I call them from time to time to check if our booking is still valid. When I learned of our issue with Fernridge, ito ang una kong tinawagan and luckily our slot is still ours, even if we did not follow yun agreement na 1 month after booking dapat full payment na. When I called them I tried to take our chance if may na free up ba na afternoon schedule pero only the 4:30pm slot na lang daw ang available and weighing the pros and cons, better ang 10am schedule. When I went to Tagaytay (together with W@W Sis Ren and my abay Rica), this was first on our agenda, to finally secure our slot by paying in full, and nang maka-start na din kami ng Church requirements. When I was to book na officially yun slot namin, the in-charge there (Ms. Myra) asked me if gusto pa rin daw ba namin ng PM slot kasi yun ang pina-note namin dati, sabi ko, "opo but based on my call kasi (which is day before) yun 4:30pm na lang ang di pa confirmed and its too late na" but she said na "nag-open yun 2PM slot kasi she called yun nag-reserve after ko daw tumawag ang they cancelled". Di nya na daw itinawag sa akin kasi surprise daw! Grabe sobrang saya ko lang!!! The best sa blessings!

So here goes the points for my rating...

Pros:
- Very beautiful church interior and exterior
- With wooden door na perfect for the close door drama for your bridal entrance :)
- With good sound system, hindi sabog ang mic and speakers :)

- Easy to contact, whenever may question ako, tawag lang ako sa office nila

- Super helpful sila for completing the Church requirements, Kim will not be back until less than 1 month before our wedding, pero they adjusted our requirements para di kami ma-delay

- In order to release our Wedding banns on time, pinayagan nila na ako muna mag-isa ang mag Canonical Interview, then to follow na lang yun kay Kim.

- No need to memorize or recite anything for the Canonical Interview, though of course it would be best if tanda mo pa ang basic Christian Living lessons..hehe. Father Dennis, basically wanted to know how prepared are you for the sacrament that you want to receive

- They allowed us to have our Pre-Cana seminar sa ibang Church, in our case sa San Agustin since yun ang mas madali ang schedule. They provided us the endorsement letter nun day ng Canonical Interview ni Kim

- Kinulang kami ng oras to check our marriage certificate before our wedding day pero they allowed us to check it on the day of the wedding, sa morning, and ok lang kahit any family member na alam ang details namin ang mag-check

- They allow bringing your own officiating priest (for December Wedding di talaga kasama sa package yun priest, not sure if kapag di peak season)
- They provide the commentator for the mass

- Personal Vows and Unity candle ceremony are allowed

- They allow using personal choice of songs for the processional and bridal march

- Di mahigpit sa damit during wedding (naka-tube dress ang mga female abay ko..hehe)

- Pwede magpicture dun sa may kampanilya (di ko sure kung yun ang tawag), no special permit needed

- Compared to other church in Tagaytay, mura ang wedding fees: 1,000 for reserving a slot, then 12,000 for the complete payment. Cheaper pa if the couple or any of the couple is from Cavite.

- Sila na mag-aasikaso ng submission ng marriage certificate sa Civil Restry ng Cavite, kaya already registered na sya when you picked it up. Will be available mga week after ng wedding. Just give additional 1,000 for 5 certified true copies.

Cons:

- Bawal ang confetti, shower of petals or any na magkakalat sa simbahan (kahit pa i-promise mo na lilinisin ito after). They are really strict with this.

- Di deducted yun reservation fee namin sa overall fee. Not sure if dahil naging invalid na yun reservation namin 'coz we did not pay in full after a month. Pero not big deal ito sa akin.

Beautiful Church Altar

Closed Door Bridal Walk drama

Church's Kampanilya :)

Special Note: Flowers, Candles, Priest and Choir not included in the package.

Contact Number: 046-4141891 (Ms. Michelle)

--- May :)

Our Wedding Team!

Our dream wedding already materialized!! And it wouldn't be that beautiful if it weren't for those people who helped us make our dream become reality.

Here is our suppliers list:

• Church: San Antonio de Padua, Silang
• Officiating Priest: Fr. Rolando Tuazon
• Reception Venue: Angelfields Nature Sanctuary
• Hotel Preps: The Inn at Cliffhouse
• Caterer: Juan Carlo the Caterer
• Cake: Top Cakes
• Photo and Video: Nice Print Photography and Exige Weddings (P: Team Edmund and Jeff, V: Team Michael)
• Backup Photographer: Manny and April Photography
• Hair and MakeUp Artist: Makeup by Mary Ann Martinez
• Bridal Robe: La Tercera
• Bridal Gown: Gretchen Pichay
• Groom's Suit: Emil Ocampo
• Entourage Dresses: Tita Ayie (Groom's relative)
• Church Florist: Garden of Myths
• Bridal and Entourage Flowers: The Unique Bouquet
• Wedding Cord: Thai Crystals and Swarovski by mom&me (Gift from W@Wie friend)
• On the day Coordinator: R Events Coordination
• Band (Church and Reception): Muzik Qlass
• Emcee: Vana Barja
• Bridal Car: MVP Bridal from Hillcreek Gardens
• Invitation Suite: The Pretty Palette by OJ
• Invitation Printing: Impress Prints
• Bridal Shoes: Primadonna
• Groom's Shoes: Pedro
• Female Entourage Shoes: Manor Shoes
• Photobooth: TineySmiles Photobooth
• Photobooth layout and button pin design: Alvin San Pedro
• Mobile bar and Dance Panel: Flair up Mobile Bar
• Lights and Sound: Artuz 101
• Lechon: Ka Noy's Lechon, Batangas City
• Tent: Tent King
• Crew Meal: Packed Gourmet (Lunch), Juan Carlo the Caterer (Dinner)
• Online Support: Weddings at Work

I will provide reviews and kwento about them individually in my succeeding posts :)

--- May :)

Suppliers Review - Fernridge The Events Place

Rating: SUPER DUPER NOT RECOMMENDED!!! They are the worst type of supplier there is!

It was September 2013, nearly before our 100 days countdown when we received the most challenging wedding stressor any couple can get!

Fernridge was our 2nd booking, we we're captivated by the scenic view of their place nun nag ocular kami so we booked it on the spot last January 2013, it was a huge risk because talahiban pa lang sya by then, we took the risk and just trusted that they will deliver well. 

May 2013 (before Kim left for Germany) we went back to visit the place to check their progress and to our dismay halos walang pagbabago aside sa landscaping. From then super disappointed na kami, we had doubts pero we suppressed it and just hold on sa trust namin since I'm regularly in contact naman sa kanila, I always drop by sa booth nila sa wedding fairs which is almost every fair. 

I received a message from a co-Fernridge bride from W@W (Sis Janice) na there's something wrong daw sa venue namin, nabalitaan nya from her coordinator, since once of her coor's bride is a Fernridge bride as well. On the same day another W@W friend, who is also a Fernridge bride (Sis Ronna) received a message from her emcee naman regarding the same issue. Since most info are just 2nd hand naisip ko baka misunderstanding lang, so I messaged my AE Vangie to ask. I called her pero di nya ako sinasagot. Luckily nagkausap sila ni Ronna and she confirmed na Mike De Veyra the president already resigned. Fernridge and the other "Ferns" have different owners. Pero all was designed by Mike. For Fernridge's case he is just responsible for the design and execution but all finances ay sagot ng mga Ledesma (owner of Buena Vista Nature Park and Country Club / Taal View Heights) same family with the host RJ Ledesma. According to Mike, the Ledesma dont have enough budget to finance the project, tipong they really use the fund lang from bookings. Ledesma's side, they are not aware of the promises that Mike did, like the chapel within the venue. Sobrang laki ng problema sa management nila na ang mga clients ang naiipit at nagsu-suffer.

I was able to have an idea on what to do from W@W, another W@W Sis (Sis Bonnie) raised the topic based on her friend's experience. It was a long, emotional and tiring week. Together with Sis Ren and her h2b Melo, we went to Tagaytay to book my church, scout for venue and visit Fernridge.

The confrontation was with Me, Rico Ledesma, his wife, her secretary Arlene and the AE Vangie. Basically they blame everything to Mike. But I told them I don't care if they don't know what Mike promised kasi Mike was the president that time and he represents their company, and as member of the board, he (Rico, the acting president) should know it. The progress of the grand conservatory that I saw is around 20% pa lang. So I said I'll stick  with my email to them na Im canceling our reservation and asking full refund plus damage fees. The confrontation was smooth actually, they apologized and promised to do what they can to get me my refund. I call them everyday to follow up and give them until next week to give what they owe us. To cut it short, I already got our full refund, no damage fee though because wala nga daw yun sa contract, etc. Nakakainis na ganun na lang yun. Just to be clear we asked for the damage fee not because we wanted extra budget, its because sobrang dali naman sa side nila na magkamali na they just have to return the money and move on samantalang yun mga affected ni hindi malaman kung paano itutuloy yun kasal na pinlano nila ng matagal. And its to compensate for the additional expense that their shortcoming did to us..ulitan na naman sa paghanap ng suppliers (coz we got the all-in package) and pinakamasakit we will scrap the invitations na ginawa namin at need na naman gumawa. ng bago. Sobrang laking hassle!

When I get the refund they let me sign a quitclaim na I free them with any liability after that, I signed it pero I didn't sign it immediately, nagpahirapan muna kami, just so they know na walang peaceful breakup. If someone's planning to file a legal case against them, I very much willing to help..as witness maybe.

Anyway, we learned a lot sa experience na ito, specially regarding contracts. For our case even if non-refundable yun nakalagay sa contract I demanded it. Kasi hindi naman ako ang nagkulang, sila yun may problema. I realized din na contracts are made for the purpose of protecting the supplier but not the clients. So better if mas maging mabusisi tayo dito. Sa case namin sinasabi nila na wala naman daw sa contract yun sa Chapel (sabi kasi nila sa diocese ito aayusin once maapprove na yun memo nila), even if paulit ulit nila itong pinapromise sa mga clients. For special cases like mga under construction pa lang may renovation,etc..pa-update nyo yun contract on when they promise to finish it and yun exact plan nila (e.g. may tent ba, glass windows,etc) Di na enough yun verbal lang.. kasi tayong clients ang kawawa. Di enough na we based our trust dahil sikat sila. Honestly since they are part of the "Fern" mas madali makuha ang tiwala ng clients kasi they are one of the top wedding venues. So who would have thought this would happen. So let's protect ourself through the contract. Merong topic about the contract sa W@W Primer.

Hopefully no more brides would become victims of suppliers like this!


--- May :)

And Our Forever begins..

Waaaa! Its been a loong loong while!!!!!

I promised to myself that I will keep record of the moments that leads us to our happily ever after! Pero I was not able to do so promptly.. :( So backtrack and reminiscing ang peg ko, at least this one I hope to accomplish!

So what happened for the past N months??? Here...

We got married na!! :)

Had our honeymoon in Korea :)

And yes! Im pregnant na!!!

Yes! Mabilis ang mga pangyayari!! We had a wonderful wedding, it was not perfect but it is the best we could dream of. We enjoyed our honeymooon! Obvious naman ata kasi may result agad.. haha!

So now that we're on the same page sa latest happening.. I can start reminiscing :)

--- May :)