Trip to Kamuning for Momon's Barong

Today, we zeroed in on probably the only thing exclusively related to the groom--the barong.

Momon and I went to Kamuning--Quezon City's textile and tailoring capital--to see sample designs and research on rates. I've spent a number of weekends in Kamuning with my parents when I was young. My dad had his office attires and fancy barongs made there. My dress for the junior prom, CAT uniform, bed sheets were all done there. Whenever we need cloth for school projects, it's always Kamuning.

Our experience today affirms again the classic case for weddings, where the bride seems to be more important than the groom. For girls, we scan so many dress designs on the internet until we find the one, then we spend so much time again looking for the designer to have the dress interpreted for us. We know for a fact, and we have accepted it, that the most expensive clothing we will ever buy in our lives, we will only wear once.

For grooms, they decide between the barong and the suit. Then, we learn about the different kinds of fabric, their value and their prestige. From there, we pick and choose the design and work with a tailor to have it done. Sabi ko pa kay Momon, "Pag nakapili ka na ng gusto mong fabric, bubuklatin natin lahat yan para makita natin ang buong embroidery." Sabi nya, "Hindi, pipili na lang ako kahit naka-fold."

Ang pinakamahal pala sa barong is the abaca from Aklan, then the pina, then the jusi. Combinations of two fibers fall in between. We wondered why we haven't seen so many grooms wearing the abaca when it's so elegant and expensive--sort of a status symbol. There's also the callado embroidery which has all inches of the cloth embroidered; and the raya embroidery which has the embroideries at the back and in the sleeves. The type of weaving, whether checkered or unidirectional also has a bearing on the cost.

Prices of Cloth
Pure Abaca - 12,000
Pina Abaca - 5,000

Pure Pina Raya - 6,500 to 7,500
Pure Pina - 3,000 to 4,000

Pina Silk Raya - 4,500
Pina Silk - 2,000 to 2,500

Pina Callado Front - 6,000
Pina Callado Full - 12,000

Pina Jusi - 700 to 1,500 (depends on design)

Prices of Tailoring (Labor and includes lining, buttons, zippers, etc)
Pina with Lining - 1,500
Pina Jusi - 850
Pants - 400
Barong Suit - 3,800
Suit with Pants - 3,800

Momon has decided that he does not want a barong suit. He wants it either the pure abaca or pure pina raya. According to him, the final decision will depend on the budget left from my gown expenses, and whether or not he wants to be able to wear the barong again for other ocsasions. Case in point, again.

We also saw some cloths for wedding gowns, really interesting! But my mom intiially said that she wants us to go to Lumban and buy our cloths there. We'll see. Momon and I are open to another field trip. :)

As of today, Feb 21

Momon and I officially started planning last Feb 8, 2009 when we had our ocular in Tagaytay. Here's where we are after one year of preps and 7 months before our wedding day.

Many things have changed from our original plan, all for the better, I trust. We've made wonderful progress in our decision making procedures and we feel very confident with where we currently are.

I wrote down even the littlest details.


PARTNERS BOOKED/ITEMS PURCHASED:

1. Church - Santuario de San Jose, Greenhills
2. Reception Venue and Caterer - Adarna Food and Culture
2. Photographer - Redsheep Photography
3. Videographer - Cinemaworks by John de Guzman
4. Party Favors - Bai Capture Photobooth (c/o Andrea)
5. HMUA for Ros and Moms - Chickoy Vistro
6. OTD Coordinator - Special Events by the Planner
7. Wedding Rings - Regina Santi
8. Lights and Sounds - Rejectkrew
9. Entourage Florist - Angel of Hearts
10. Reception Florist - Flowers of May
11. Invitations - Printed Matter
12. Pre-cana Seminar - Discovery Weekend
13. Wedding Cord - Beautiful Bonds
14. Entourage Favors - Vietnamese embroidery products
15. Honeymoon Flights
16. Earrings - Tiger Lilly
17. Reception decor - sari sari store set-up
18. Ros' shoes
19. Nail enamel for Ros

SHORTLISTED/READY TO BOOK:
If you have some comments or feedback on these, please let me know.

1. Gown - Our family seamstress, Gretchen Pichay for Ros
2. Barong - Kamuning textile market, Rhey Casedo
3. Cake - Estrel's Caramel Cake
4. Hotel Preparations - Astoria Plaza
5. Gift Registry - Rustan's and SM Department Store
6. Church Choir - Holy Family Parish choir
7. HMUA for Entourage - Angie dela Cerna or Darvs
8. Priest - from Santuario or from Discovery Weekend
9. Meals in hotel - our usual caterer
10. Projector - from Rejectkrew, or to be borrowed
11. Screen - Adarna

I also listed down other items needed, but which I might not necessarily acquire from any specific supplier. I just wanted to check with you if I missed anything.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

1. Jewelry and Accessories
2. Shoes for Momon
3. Transportation
4. Choreographer

FROM FRIENDS:

1. Host - Jenny Orlina
2. Special Presentation - Abet Mesa

POSSIBLE DIY:

1. Printables - menu, table numbers, pew cards, missalettes
2. Save the Dates
3. Treats for guests en route to reception venue
4. Additional decor for stage

ONGOING/MONTHLY TASKS:

1. Fitness routine
2. Petitions to Sta. Clara and Pink Sisters (Dona Hemady)
3. Facials

Madami pang hindi nakalista dito. Sa ibang entry naman.

Attacking the MF 2

I guess it's inevitable. There will always be things that will go beyond your budget.
No matter how strong, how steadfast you are in your finances, it will not be perfect.

Utimately, it's your fault. Ikaw naman nagtakda ng mga numerong yan. Bakit kasi di mo nilagay, bakit mo kasi in-assume na ganito lang ang halaga? At ang pinakatanong, bakit kasi gusto mo yan kahit mahal at kahit wala naman nakalaan for that?

In all fairness to me, onting onting items pa lang ang over ako sa budget. At madami ang may savings. PERO, pagkakamali ko di ko is may mga items na hindi ko nilagay. Gaya na lang ng choir, at pre-cana seminar. I think as the date nears, may madadagdag pa.

So ngayon, meron akong bagong term: ATTACKING THE MF 2.
MF means MYMIE/MARRIAGE FUND. MF 2's are savings Momon and I separately have to prepare for married life. Iba pa sa savings namin together for the wedding. Halos lahat ng income ko, diretso sa MF 2. Yung Day to Day account ko, yun lang yun kung anong kailangan ko talaga, the rest MF 2 na.

But for cases like our oncoming trip to KL and Mekong, and like what I shared above, we have to dip into our MF 2. And as a way to desuade myself... I call this "dipping"... ATTACKING THE MF 2.

So far, wagi ako. Pag pumupunta sa bridal fair, I only look at things I need. I just breeze through the other items. I stay away from malls. I always remind myself, if I give in to the temptation, wala kaming kakainin. If I find something so pretty that somehow I just NEED to have it, I have to walk around and psyche myself out. I have to recite over and over that I'm ATTACKING THE MF 2.

I'm not feeling so good at the moment. Should I prepare for more attacks?
Hay.. ako lang naman gumagawa nito sa sarili ko.

RedSheep Photography

We have chosen Red Sheep Photography (Guj Tungpalan) as our photographer.

If you're a bride to be, I'm sure you've spent hours and hours online looking and drooling over wedding photos. And naturally so, when a certain album inspires you more about your perfect wedding day, you want the photographer to be part of your "dream team".

From what I've observed in W@W, choosing a photographer is second in importance to securing a ceremony and reception venue. I think this is because wedding websites always emphasize the importance of good documentation, stating that "this is once in a lifetime" and "moments will never be repeated" yadda yadda yadda. I also noticed that in bridal fairs, photographers are a natural stand out simply because photos are meant to be exhibited.

Further, like I explained in my entry about Cinemaworks, technical requirements for photography have become more accessible. New trends of retouching and post-processing also presented a new kind of art. All these contribute to a new definition of wedding photography--one that relies on the photographer's mastery of the instrument, talent and creativity.

So I guess,soon-to-weds (Ok, BRIDES only!) now have a mentality that the chosen wedding photographer needs to be top-notch, in order to immortalize and showcase in images all the wonderful things we experience in our weddings.

The Story:
Documentation was my non-negotiable. Duh, obvious naman. With my background in broadcast media production, my life revolved around recording things, making a presentation, etc. I am in fact a conference documenter. So, no brainer.

I started looking at wedding photography websites in Jan 2009. I don't need to warn you, alam mo na, nakaka-addict ito. Hindi sila nauubos, parating merong bagong photographer na pwedeng pag-aralan. Minsan alam mo na agad kung hindi mo gusto, minsan naman it takes a while bago ka ma-convince... may iba isang photo pa lang, in love ka na.

Tapos titingnan mo yung rate nila... biglang mahuhulog na lang ang shoulders mo. Ayun, wala na! Pero teka, baka naman pasok sa budget? So, ayun na, in denial ka kasi sabi mo yun ang non-negotiable mo e, so dapat pagkagastosan... hmmm... pa'no na?

In my case, sikat na sikat sa W@W sila Mimi and Karl. Magaling sila, there's no denying it. I searched all over the internet for their rates... hoping na mamakahanap ako ng info without asking them for their price range directly--- E WALA. So sige, email ako ng inquiry. Pagbalik... OK, OUT NA SILA. Ganon ka-simple, madaling madali ko lang natanggap.

So, hanapan na naman! This time very conscious na sa budget. Di na magpapadala sa kagandahan ng photos. After more lurking in W@W... I chanced upon Red Sheep Photography.

Initial reaction: UY! Promising... uy, ang ganda. Simple lang, pero glossy.

After further analysis: Ok to, walang ganong retouch, post processing. Natural ang look ng photos, onting vignetting here and there, ok na. Ang ganda ng kulay, matingkad.

After venturing into the RATES page: SHIYET! Lalo pang gumanda! Grabe, pano nangyari 'to? Email ko na s'ya, now na!

Initial Observations:
We met with Guj on May 2.

Prior to this we were in touch with him by emails. It was very relaxed talking to him. Parang magkaibigan agad kayo. Gusto ko yung fact that he answers everything promptly and very very clearly. Kasi ganon din ako mag-inquire e, talagang naka-number pa.

When we met with him, he was prepared. And I'm not talking about simpleng pagfo-folder lang ng mga photos. Naka-Front Row pa! He shared with us his concept of photography, he showed us how he covers the wedding, his style of post-processing, shots of details, and album layout. He even has a mock-up album that shows the different elements, para bang catalog. Ang contract nya, naka-Pages! E pano ba yan I love iLife!

One thing that I appreciated the most with Guj was that he didn't give our booking away. What happened was, we were already scheduled to meet, but there was also a bride who wanted to get our wedding date and pay ahead of us. Guj, the smart and professional guy that he is, didn't give the date away. Kasi nga naman, technically nauna pa rin kaming nag-inquire sa date and it was only because of scheduling matters why we were not able to meet with him to discuss. This one, I really really appreciate. I experienced first hand this similar experience with another supplier, but he gave the date to the one who paid first kahit na ako yung unang nag-inquire and we were just waiting for our meeting sked.

Needless to say, we were truly impressed. And the rate, the rate, the rate---it was a blessing.

Other Options:
Actually, we met first with Jeff and Lisa Photography.

I like their work, pero bottomline, it really wasn't fit for me. I think they specialize on the rustic, sepia feel. I also didn't like that when they met with us, they didn't have a presentation prepared. They just asked us to browse the album. I was even the one who asked them to show a sample of raw and edited photos, which they had to dig up from their computer.

We also considered Redefine Wedding by Jayson Arquiza and Photos by Ging by Ging Lorenzo. We did not proceed with the meetings because we already booked Red Sheep.


CLICK HERE to view some of their recent works.

Special Events by the Planner

We chose Special Events by the Planner as our On-the-day Coordinators.

The Story:
I don't want our families to be stressed during the wedding. Gusto ko para rin silang bisita, gusto ko wala silang aalalahanin. AT LALO NA AKO, AYOKONG MALOKA. Knowing myself, hanggang sa kadulu-duluhan, mage-effort pa rin ako sa pag-aayos. So, di ko na kailangan ng mega pagpapa-convince kung kukuha ba kami ng OTD Coordinator. Si Momon... go din sya!

After researching and tallying costs, feedback and other information, we chose to meet and book Love Daligdig of Special Events by the Planner. We met at Starbucks Zapote on May 31.

We prepared a set of questions, but by her presentation alone she was able to answer everything already. I guess ganon talaga dapat ang ma-feel mo pag kukuha ka ng coordinator. Kailangan ma-feel mo na they will take care of everything even before you ask them to. They will be on top of things, and you can just take a back seat.

Hmm... sasabihin ko na naman ba "because of my experience as a ______", in this case event coordinator. YAK! Parang lahat na lang yata may affinity ako, ang di ko pa lang yata nagawa is maging photobooth!

Pero sige na nga, dahil dati rin akong event coordinator, I know the demands of the job. Judging from our meeting with Love, I trust that she and her team will do a good job. Kahit ngayon nga pag nagco-consult ako sa kanya, she always responds promptly.

Other Options:
Wala, really. Hanggang online inquiry lang. We didn't meet up with anyone else.

Other Notes:
They honor the W@W Tag, and they have lots of partner suppliers who grant them discounts.

Rejectkrew

We booked Rejectkrew (Elmer Bautista) as our supplier for our Lights and Sounds.

The Story:
This is another no-brainer booking influenced by Weddings at Work. Elmer and his crew are one of the Top Ten Suppliers of 2009 and I’ve read numerous great reviews from other members. Di rin naman ako bago makipag-deal with lights and sounds supplier cause I used to work for events kaya alam ko na rin mga tatanungin ko. Nasagot rin n’ya lahat, syempre. Nagulat nga s’ya na tinatanong ko na yung mga ibang details like ingress and electricity requirements sa unang conversations pa lang namin. And of course, the most important, his rate is below our budget. So bakit pa namin papahirapan ang sarili namin… s’ya na.

Initial Observations:
As if this wasn’t enough, grabe, ang ganda ng attitude ni Elmer.

Una ko pa lang sya nakausap sa phone, na-feel ko kaagad ang enthusiasm n’ya sa trabaho at ang kasiyahan n’ya na s’ya ang napili namin. Sa lahat ng text, sobra s’yang magalang. Hanggang sa nagkita na kami… maayos s’yang kausap, marami s’yang ideas pero gusto n'ya malaman ang ideas ng couple para yun ang gagamitin n'yang inspiration. May “title” na nga s’ya para sa lighting na gagawin nya sa Adarna.

We also talked about things beyond his service. He shared his ideas about the whole reception program, mga crucial details that were truly helpful.

Soundbytes ni Elmer:

* Ako kasi Ma’am, hindi ko nililimitahan ang sarili ko sa trabaho ko lang. Na-experience ko na yung parang ako yung nagging coordinator. Ako yung tumatangap ng mga nagse-set-up na suppliers. Kasi naniniwala ako na para maging successful ang event, dapat lahat malinis, dapat nasa best form, at dapat magtulungan kami.
* Ang promise ko sa inyo Ma’am… actually hindi promise, guarantee. Ang guarantee ko sa inyo, hindi ako magpapatay ng ilaw at ng sounds hangga’t may bisita kayo.

So there, til October. Sana ma-experience rin namin ang mga na-experience ng mga nauna sakin. :)

Angel of Hearts

We booked Angel of Hearts (Lawrence and Lorry Jean Dela Rosa) as our supplier for our Entourage Bouquets.


The Story:
I honestly don't know how I feel about flowers... gusto ko ba sila, prioriy ko ba sila, or willing ba akong deadmahin lang sila? I ike flowers in general, yes. I arrange flowers in our house and I enjoy looking at them. Momon only gives me flowers for special occasions, so I guess di rin s'ya big on flowers. So, wala. Di ko alam kung nasaan sila sa rank ng mga priorities namin.

Pero for sure, kailangan namin ng flowers kasi ganon talaga. Alangan naman walang bouquet? Wala rin naman akong idea na pang-substitute.

I went to Dangwa/Manila Flower Center in Laong Laan for a meeting with Angel of Hearts. Although di ko pa sila nakaka-usap, wala pang anything, decided na kami ni Momon sa kanila. They were recently named one of Weddings @ Work’s Top Ten Suppliers, and the feedback of the members speaks volumes.

Initial Observations:
My meeting with them was quiet brief, walang ganong discussion except for me asking for the names of the flowers. They were very patient, kahit minsan umuulit na yung tanong ko, sinasagot pa rin nila. Ako na yung nagsasabing, “Ay natanong ko na pala yung kanina!” I felt Lorry Jean wanted to move forward already so I just listened to her after this.

Comment ko lang is sana mas maganda ang organization ng mga photos nila. When I saw the photos, they were classified according to use (ento, centerpiee, church, etc). Maybe they can bring it further and fix it by color and by kind of flower. Kasi for someone like me who doesn’t know a thing, it would have save a lot of time kung may ganong classification.

Napadali ang decision making because of one thing: COST.

Grabe, MY GAD ang mahal pala ng bulaklak. I mean… alam ko naman na hindi mura… pero na-shock pa rin ako. Imagine, isang bouquet ng cymbidium orchids P6000; yung tulips… P8000 ba? How can it be? Tapos after all that malalanta s'ya? Nyikes!

Buti naman yung favored flower ko ay kasama sa mga “cheap” flower selection. So, ganon ulit, dumali ang decision.

Grabe din ang quote for centerpieces, nakakalula! Ang simple centrepiece in a low vase – SIMPLE, TALAGANG NAKASPECIFY – ay P500. Pag tall vase, P800. And the vase is going to be pulled out, di mo maiuuwi. Couples Table is P4000; VIP Table is P5000.

Note that THIS IS NOT TO SAY that Angel of Hearts is expensive, it’s just that it took us by surprise, mainly because of our lack of knowledge of the price range and that flowers are not our priority.

Package Inclusions:

Flower Selection – roses, carnations, astromeria, statice and buttons

1 Bride
2 Mothers
2 Maids of Honor
3 Secondary Sponsors
3 Female Principal Sponsors

Package Cost: P8,000
Freebies (although I don’t think anything is really free, haha!): Tossing bouquet, car bouquet and petals

Next Steps:

We’ll have to come back around a month prior to the wedding to make the mock-up and finalize all the details.

I have to research some more and finalize my idea about my bouquet. Kasama na rin sa research and paghahanap ng simple and cheap centerpieces. Kung DIY, open rin kami dyan, pero kung for a small price may mao-offer ang Adarna, dun na lang.

Side Kwento:
Nung dumating ako sa shop may mga madre doon. Ang sweet nila. Bago sila umalis, mega greet sila saking ng best wishes, good luck. Yung isang madre, nag-kiss pa sakin. Hehe.

Ayan, for something na paulit-ulit kong sinabing wala akong true interest, ang dami ko pa ring sinabi no?