Would Be Venues Part 1

It's already 11 months before our supposed wedding event but we're left without any progress.

Our supposed progress of finding a church and reception venue has crumbled with the down with fate with Makati Parks and Garden. Had the City of Makati's Office decided not to renovate the Pavilion, we wouldn't have this problem.


Since this is the case, we are putting our thinking caps and wander boots on for the enth time to find the venues fit for our budget and taste. To name a few of our forthcoming sojourn, here are some of our target venues:


Sta. Ana, Manila {The Proximate Candidates}
Sta. Ana Church: Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
Address: Pedro Gil St., Santa Ana, 1009 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: +63 2 564-4203
Vicariate: Holy Family
Feastday: May 12

Taken from Dontrivino

 The facade worth capturing

Beautiful. I may want to walk down this old church.

Memories of the past

The same long-stretched altar where my mom and dad walked at during their wedding rites. Am I fated to walk down the same aisle?

Pros:
1. This is very old-looking perfect for the shutters to capture.
2. The ambiance inside is very solemn.
3. I grew up wandering in and around the church's premise until I've started attending services at the Holy Cross Parish near Francis' home.
4. Parking space is really plenty.
5. Near the residence of my and Francis' relatives. Easy commute!


Cons:
1. Difficult to find for those from QC area.
2. The roads and streets leading to this church are not that spacious. Traffic might be a problem for some attendees.


Jardin 'd Isabel

 Taken from Pahinaphotos

Pros:
1. Near Sta. Ana Church; hence, the attendees will no longer have to travel (or be lost on their way) to get to the venue.
2. The ambiance is clean and very private. Great for intimate parties!


Con:
The residential area has a lot of bystanders, which may make other attendees turned off.
*** Haven't seen yet so I'll just update in the future. 

Aerial view. Oooh YELLOW! Just like our color!

A treehouse?!? Great! Now, I'm starting to root for this venue!

A hut definitely accentuates the entire reception area.

Ramon Magsaysay Hall, Paco, Adamson Church {The Conventional Choices}
Adamson Church: San Vicente de Paul ParishAddress: 959 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines
Postal Address: P.O. Box 2013 , 1060 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: +63 2 525-7853
Vicariate: Nuestra Señora de Guia
Feastday: September 27

The exterior. Taken from Senor Enrique

Pros:

1. Long aisle means long bridal march.

2. Breezy interior ambiance.

3. Bright lighting.

4. Spacious parking area.



Cons: 
1. Serves as an adventure for people who are unfamiliar with this place.
2. Might be a little bit more challenging to commute to this place.

Snatched from Glitchline

Ramon Magsaysay Hall, Roxas Blvd.
1680 cor J. Quintos St. Roxas Blvd., Malate
Tel.: 521.3166

The hall, naked to the public eye

 RMCH with sophisticated styling

Pros:
1. Enclosed so any change in the weather will not make the ocassion sour.
2. Wide and easy to style.


Cons:
1. A bit pricey at around 20k for us.
2. Very popular so the competion to win over this is quite close.


Paco Park Church and Garden:  St. Pancratius Chapel

The antique cradle inside the walled haven of a busy city

Pros:
1. Very solemn and peaceful inside the park.
2. The parks serves as a photo-worth backdrop for the picture-taking.


Cons:
1. Might be difficult to visit for other attendees.
2. A popular choice among many brides-to-be.
3. The aisle is too short.

Inside the antique facade lies a very solemn and intimate place for exchanges of vows.

Now, we're yet to visit each of these places as we continue the chase for the 2013 venue of our nuptial. Hoorah!!!  

*** These pictures are not mine. Copyright is reserved to the rightful owners. Thanks Mr. Google!
Posted on 2/9/12 at 5:03 AM

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Ocular: Makati Parks and Garden and Our Lady of Guadalupe

We had a very busy Saturday with Francis barely sleeping as he just went home from work. It was pretty manic if you'll ask me.


At exactly two in the afternoon, we went straight ahead to Makati Parks and Garden to check it out. While on the way there, we were able to spot a chapel that is almost worn and torn. It's actually perfect for an intimate wedding due to its solemnity. San Nicolas Chapel in J.P. Rizal Ext. is quite a catch for our supposed set-up; however, the lack parking space is a definite no-no. 


Though the mini church sits across Makati Parks and Garden, it is rather inconvenient to have the guests walk from one side to another (taking into account the fact that they need to use the footbridge to cross the street).


After speaking with a certain Ate Eba from the San Nicolas Chapel, we went to Sta. Tererista Parish (the main parish in West Rembo) to have a look at what they can offer and see the caretakers. Ate Beth greeted us there, and she was actually all warm and fuzzy. The only problem we had was that it's very difficult to find. Something that could be a pain in the ass for us and the rest of the attendees.  


The offer was 7,000 PHP inclusive of the priest's stipend, flowers, red carpet, and use of the church for the ceremony.


Failed on choosing this church, we decided to check Makati Parks and Garden then proceed to Guadalupe Nuevo's Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. 

Photo take from Shutter Bride

The security guard, Ate Gilda, was in the Pavilion and told us to inquire to their admin office (which, by the way, was not helpful at all!). Had Francis and I been a different kind of couple with loads of gran, we would have crossed this out immediately because of the staff's unfriendly welcome. 

Photos from Venues.Multiply.Com

Luckily, we got the contact details of a certain Claudine Magno from Makati's Office of the Mayor. 


Next, we rode a jeepney back to Guadalupe, Makati. We walked and walked until we reached Orense St. in Guadalupe Nuevo. There stands the beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. It's a fascinating shrine perfect for our occasion! It's not that big but not too small.


The church staff, Kris, was very friendly and polite in answering our inquiries. She gave us the list of requirements and fees, plus their contact details. As per Kris, we will have to coordinate with Rovi and return in June. 


To be honest, I was enthralled when I saw the church. It's not as beautiful as other churches like Jon Don Bosco and St. Andrew in Makati. Nonetheless, I'll have to say that it's a solemn place to hold our special ceremony. The rate? Well, it's amazingly within our budget. A little less than 10,000 PHP with all the other inclusions.


Here are the pictures. We only had a chance to sneaked in and press our shutters.

Me in the altar and him from the farthest point

The angel is very welcoming if you ask me

These babies should be lighted on our wedding day

The tablet inside

I really fell in love with this church in an instant! Francis spoke about how quiet it is in the area. It's perfect! Just perfect for our uber budgeted wedding celebration! Can't wait to check Makati Parks and Garden's availability, so we can book this church! Yey!

Posted 1/29/12 at 5:29 AM

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Quick Update: NSDG Guadalupe and Makati Parks and Garden

Just a few hours ago, I received a call from Francis regarding his conversation with the admin staff of Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church in Guadalupe, Makati City. As per their conversation, he found out that the fee there is now 15,000 PHP, which is a little beyond our budget for the church ceremony.


The staff was friendly and attentive to my fiancés inquiries. He discovered that they do allow pencil booking but on the note that you will reserve the slot within the one-week period. The package includes the ceremony and adornment less the choir. This now is a problem in our case should we go ahead with this option.


As per the not-so friendly admin attendant in charge of reservations at the Makati Parks and Garden, inquiries will only be attended to every Monday to Wednesday. They sure as hell have some sharp tongue to lash out such unfriendly response. Nonetheless, we'll still try giving it a go depending on what we will see tomorrow.


Keeping our fingers crossed! Gaahhh!!! This is just so nerve-racking.


Posted on 1/26/12 at 8:42 PM

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Ocular: Sts. Peter and Paul and the Great Eastern Hotel

With just a little less than 365 days up in our calendar, Francis and I do consider that we are way beyond our wedding preps. Nonetheless, we wouldn't want to leave everything else to chance, would we?


For the last three weeks, we have accomplished a couple of things through our meet-ups and caucuses. It's actually kind of weird to be talking about serious matters like the budget for the wedding and all with him.


Yes, we have faired well with pulling off our resources and equally distributing the necessary pie of our budget to his and my households. See, like me, he is also a breadwinner in their family. But, planning our wedding party is different, I must say. It's more pressing and way stressful. We're talking about a 100k wedding challenge here, people. A hundred pesos!


After much deliberation, we've drafted our official guest list and arrived at 100 most important people in our lives. We cannot just invite our relatives from the province and those in Manila as them alone would amount to  a little over than 200 people. It was a very thought-provoking and time-consuming challenge, but we felt great after drafting the final list.


At the moment, we are considering Great Eastern Hotel (for the reception) and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish (for the ceremony). Both are located within the Makati Avenue realm, which will not be a hassle for our guests.


The Great Eastern Hotel
Through GT Sis Kat's persistent raving about this hotel, Francis and I sought to check it out. It turned out that it is indeed promising.


The reception hall is actually warm and cozy. Yes, it's perfect for our simple little event. We are yet to try their food. Mind you, the food tasting is not free. Right now, we're quite hesitant to put out some gran for this. We are to spend a lot in the coming days visiting bridal fairs and all. Thus, we've came up with the idea of further searching other options before getting a go on GEH's offer.

Aberdeen Court of the Great Eastern Hotel's Wedding Package Rates

There are four to five packages couples may choose from. By the looks of it, we may opt for the Festival Package, which would cost us a little more than 37,000 PHP for the wedding reception package and free overnight stay in one of their suites.


Pros:
1. Located in Makati and near a church (Sts. Peter and Paul Parish).
2. There are available staff that could assist you quite well with your inquiries.
3. The hall needs not be adorned much especially when we're planning on a vintage, etsy, and rustic party.
4. The reception is set in Lauriat style, which means no falling in line. Guests often get turned off by long lines.


Cons:
1. Corkage fees be damned! I couldn't wrap my finger around the fact that the overhead expenses will balloon up to 50,000 PHP if we are to include necessary decoration and even the Photo/Video coverage. They all have corkage fees!
2. Food served is Chinese cuisine. Not a lot of people are a fan of this, which may be a couple's dilemma.




Church Ocular: Sts. Peter and Paul
This church is an okay option for us. I must say that there is no WOW factor in the church and the administration officials are quite strict when attending inquiries. If we won't be able to find any other church, we better reserve this one as it's a good deal with its medium length altar.

Photo courtesy of Google as I don't own it and all rights are reserved to the owner.

Pros:

1. Located in Makati and near the Great Eastern Hotel.

2. Very small. Perfect for an intimate wedding like ours.

3. The aisle is actually narrow but long enough for the bridal march.

4. The prize is 13,000 PHP, which is within our budget.

Cons:

1. They have too many do's and dont's. I don't complain on the rules and policies because we really do have to be mindful about them; however, the two-meter restriction for photographers is quite troublesome. Francis and I must resolve this with the photographers.

2. The bearers need to be at least four years old. This, again, posits a dilemma to us since our bearers are three years old and younger.

We'll see other options but these aren't bad deals. More to come!


Posted on 1/22/12 at 10:09 AM

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