Groom's Suit and the Men's Barong Tagalog

the look & poise that I can't resist! Photo by Bryan Yap

My groom doesn’t like to wear barong tagalog, he prefers suit over barong. Majority of the men here in Bangladesh wears suit on special occasions and they know their suit pretty well. So, instead of having his suit done in Manila, he had it tailored here in Bangladesh. He went to Fit Elegance for his suit because the master tailor is well-known and was trained at Reid &Taylor. Even without fitting session, the suit was perfect fit.  I’m glad he wore a suit because he looks more handsome and dapper. I know he will look good in barong also but a suit fits him well. We bought his tie at Robinson's Department Store.

photo by bryan yap

As for my father-in-law and cousin-in-law’s barong tagalong, we bought a readymade one at Kultura. 

Wedding Extra Extra

DIY or Do-it-yourself is the "in thing". Brides do it for so many reasons.

1) Budget: some items are cheaper than what is available in the market or the quote given to you by a supplier. But like in business math, the materials cost is not the only thing you have to consider in computing your actual price, you have to include your fare, fuel (if you went via car), time you allotted for buying and your own labor. So plan ahead before going to the wholesale haven so that you can maximize your time once you are on your buying spree. If you want to save more, you might consider using recycled items. I did by using the extra wedding invitation cards of my sister's wedding instead of buying cardboard for the letter buntings, table numbers and others.

2) Personal touch: you have a specific theme perhaps or you just simply want to personalize your event.

3) The item is not available in the market.

4) Artistic flair. You are simply creative and you are into craft-making, and it's your hobby.

5) Free time. Yes, you have all the time in the world to be creative and do all the things you want to create and make.

Others may have other reasons, but what I mentioned are my own reasons, and here are my own DIY's.

Kissing bells with tags as wedding favors

Name plate

Embellishment on the sole

Tag for the bubble wands. The monogram was designed by my friend.

Recycled pomander by dyeing it in yellow and lilac

Handwritten notes for the moms

Embellishments on the Secondary candles

Embellishments on the Offertory Candles

Embellishments on the hand-me-down cord

Perfect Match for each other

Bible garter

Bangladesh handicraft, I requested a friend to sew it as the new cover of the ring pillow

Both pillows are hand-me-down from my sister, we changed the cover using a Bangladeshi pillowcase

Letter buntings

Table numbers are names of places we've been as a couple

I made our growing up avp too. Here's the link . 
*All photographs are by Bryan Yap.

Wedding Moments to Remember

“I will not remember what my wedding looked like. I will remember how it felt. Because at the end of the day, even really cool stuff is just that: stuff. It’s the love you share, the people who hold you up, and those precious moments of bliss and joy that you will remember for the rest of your life. And none of that is for sale.”

There are lots of moments but some are starting to fade. The wedding day was stress-free, thanks for my A-Class suppliers and the love of friends and families.  There are moments that I will forever remember, just want to share it here too. Honestly, I can’t remember the set-up, decors, or even the taste of the food anymore but until now I can still remember the smiling faces, unusual moments, and funny moments. True enough, it’s not the cool stuff that will stick to your mind but those precious moments of bliss and joy, and how I wish it's the same with my guests too. Here are the precious moments:

•  15 absentees out of my total 100 guest list. That's almost perfect anyway because all the most important people in my life are present. It's like a Family reunion. Special thanks to friends who came home from australia, hongkong and saudi just to attend my wedding, and friends who travelled from ilocos just to be with me also.
• When honey was playing/fidgeting with the arrhae and ring box while we were on our knees, facing the altar.
• When honey was making faces at me, trying to make me laugh while i was saying my wedding vow! Mischievous husband!
• When I was standing outside the church, waiting for my cue to enter, my friend's dad, Tito Willy, approached me, gave me a peck and his wedding wish. One of the sweetest gesture that day! 

Photo by Bryan Yap

• Our couple’s first dance, even without the mood lights, I find it romantic because honey was singing the song to me while we were dancing. Brings me back to our dating days, when he swayed me to dance in the privacy of our home while singing acapella of our love song.
• 
  

Photo by my bro-in-law

• The father-daughter’s dance to the tune of "Butterfly Kisses" that suddenly became a “family dance”. My papa who hates wearing barong, took off his barong as soon as he reach the reception venue, so he was feeling shy when we were dancing with his in-shirt on and no barong, so he decided to call my mom, and then my sisters to join the dance. If only the quartet played “sasara ang bulaklak, bubuka ang bulaklak, darating ang reyna, pakembot-kembot.”

• The prosperity dance because I want my husband and my in-laws to experience and witness one of the Filipino traditions. It was fun, and I actually advice my friends about it beforehand, and my friends are really cool, they pinned their money shaped into heart, sash and crown.
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Photo by Bryan Yap

•  I want my honey and his mom to have their moment too, so we added a mother-son dance.      

• W@W love was present that day too and I even heard from one supplier “having Benz as a guest means the w@wie couple are big time”. hahah! It’s just so happened that we became friends :-)

My husband's cousin got the garter, while my cousin lost the female's game.

• The single’s game. My wedding is the third in our family, but it’s a first time that we had the “single’s game” added in the program. It was fun and all my female cousins were game, too bad my male cousins went home with my grandfather before the game, thus we only had two bachelors left as all my friends are married too. It was an extra-ordinary experience for my husband's cousin, even if he was aware of this game, it is really his first time to be part of the game.

My High School friends with their respective families. I will have my own baby next time we see each other again.

• It’s like a highschool reunion with all my friends around and a family gathering will all my relatives around too. I’m glad that my family enjoyed the event too. Nakakataba ng puso when my sister said “it’s the best and most relaxing wedding she attended so far”.

• The night before, my in-laws surprised me with their traditional bengali way of "pamamanhikan" by giving me slippers in a tray with a lighted candle, gold jewelries - that i'm supposed to wear everyday, especially the bracelet as this is the symbol that you are a married woman, I can't be "bare" as the jewelries are symbol of abundance & prosperity in marriage, and things that I'm supposed to wear/use on the first night like toiletries, perfume and nightgown. Too bad, the bengali sweets were confiscated at KL Airport.

• And the wonderful speeches, from the best man, maid of honor, parents and friends. Awesome, witty, inspiring and very heartfelt :-)

       my mom's message: Peachy & Alvin, we are very happy for both of you. Alvin, welcome to our family. You have married a very unique girl - resourceful, cheerful, kind, creative & always willing to lend a hand. Peachy you are now a wife, a part of a unit & half of a couple. As a married couple you will have good days & bad days. Always celebrate the good days, and because you can't avoid the bad, learn from them. Find happiness in the simplest things & joy in being together. Respect each other & every now & then, give each other space. But always start & end your day with a kiss, a hug, & those three important words I LOVE YOU. We wish you all the happiness in the world. Congratulations!

Bride's friend's message:

Peach, Alvin, Congratulations again. 

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mika. Peach and I have been friends for 16 years now. We’ve been through thick and thin together, or in our case, fat and thin. Sexy na kami ngayon!  

We passed college, thesis, practicum and the board exam together. We’ve even survived the floods of UST. One time, we got stuck in the car because of the rising flood, and someone stole my side mirrors. Peach freaked out on my behalf. If it weren’t gross and insanely dangerous to wade out, Peachy might have run out to catch the guy. She epitomizes the expression small but terrible. So Alvin, always stay on Peachy’s good side! 

Peach brought me to Vigan, my first out of town trip, ever. We got stuck in the bus for 13 hours . But Peach was there to liven things up. We even had a theme song for that trip. This guy’s in love with you pare. There is no one I’d rather be stuck with that long than Peach. (Pause) And then there was Cebu, Puerto Galera. We conquered the Angkor Wat! Peach, I hope your adventures with Alvin will be as fun and exciting as ours, and I look forward to hearing lots of kwentos from you. 

I have a huge library of stories, but I feel we might not have enough time and will just be repeating what others have or will share - that Peach is a wonderful friend. 

Even though distance made it difficult for us to remain involved in each other’s lives, Peach constantly makes an effort to keep in touch. She always takes the time to meet up whenever she’s here in Manila. 

So when I learned that Peachy and Alvin were getting married, I gave her the best advice I could think of: DON’T. Obviously, she didn’t listen to me. But kidding aside, I was very happy for my friend. I was even happier to have finally met Alvin when he was here last year to meet the family. 

Marriage and weddings were things we talked about before. To see her now, happy and be with someone she deeply loves, and loves her in return, I am truly blessed to be part of this celebration. 

Peach brought me to Vigan, my first out of town trip, ever. We got stuck in the bus for 13 hours . But Peach was there to liven things up. We even had a theme song for that trip. This guy’s in love with you pare. There is no one I’d rather be stuck with that long than Peach. (Pause) And then there was Cebu, Puerto Galera. We conquered the Angkor Wat! Peach, I hope your adventures with Alvin will be as fun and exciting as ours, and I look forward to hearing lots of kwentos from you. 

I have a huge library of stories, but I feel we might not have enough time and will just be repeating what others have or will share - that Peach is a wonderful friend. Even though distance made it difficult for us to remain involved in each other’s lives, Peach constantly makes an effort to keep in touch. She always takes the time to meet up whenever she’s here in Manila. So when I learned that Peachy and Alvin were getting married, I gave her the best advice I could think of: DON’T. Obviously, she didn’t listen to me. But kidding aside, I was very happy for my friend. I was even happier to have finally met Alvin when he was here last year to meet the family. Marriage and weddings were things we talked about before. To see her now, happy and be with someone she deeply loves, and loves her in return, I am truly blessed to be part of this celebration. Peach, good luck to you and Alvin. I hope your party never ends and wish you both all the best. 

Supplier's Review: Weddings at Work

They are not supplier but wedding preps wouldn’t be easy without the help of online forums. And I’m so glad that there is Weddings at Work or W@W for short. Even their W@W Primer booklet is full of practical tips.

I found out about W@W in year 2007 when I started helping my sister in her wedding plans and my college friend was also preparing for her wedding, and as for me, I was dreaming of my own wedding. And since then, I promise that I will be a member of it once I get the chance to prepare for my own wedding. And that’s exactly what I did after honey proposed to me, I joined the W@W group. And, it’s the next best thing I did apart from saying “Yes” to honey.

I will be forever grateful to this online forum as it was really helpful to me during the preps especially I started as an overseas bride, and kudos to the founder Mimma Benz and Didda Abet for creating this forum, and changed the perspective of wedding preparations.

Through the group, I was able to borrow some of the creative works of other w@wie brides, and this is the Travelling W@W Love. How I wish I have something also to share to the community but all my DIY’s were for personal use and not generic use.

The travelling birdies of OJ

The wooden heart of Joed

The fabricated LOVE of Lalaine

The Long arm stapler of Mimi

 There were lots of online contest also. I wasn't lucky to win any of it, but I'm glad I got this consolation price from the joint collaboration of The Pretty Palette by OJ and JoedShares, two lovely ladies who decided to venture as suppliers.

Consolation prize from The Pretty Palette by OJ

I also won from W@W Auction a dessert buffet bar from Purple Dish. The Auction happens once a year and exclusive only for active W@W members.

Dessert Buffet bar by PurpleDish. Photo by Bryan Yap

The forum is not just a helpful online forum anymore, it became a circle of friends and extended families. It made my wedding preps meaningful and bearable. They are there virtually and physically to cheer you up, enlighten you when things starts to be blurry, gives you tips and advices, lend their ears when you need someone to listen, and to show you things that you tend to oversee. One tip that I'm really glad I did was the "plastic container" for the couple's food, think about a tiffin box. It was Joed who thought about it, since the bride and groom seldom enjoys the reception food because 1) they are busy with their guests, and 2) they are in a cloud nine and the taste of the food doesn't really register (it happens to me), and left-overs are not a sure shot most of the time, so it's better to reserve a food for the couple to bring home with them, thus you require the "plastic container" so that your caterer can reserve food for you. I'm glad I did this because I was able to enjoy the reception food back in the hotel. I should have done it also for the dessert buffet.

I’m lucky to be part of the W@W community as I did not find only friends but gained families too. The W@W Love can just engulf you amidst the wedding preps, and even after the wedding, the friendship never ends. It’s a bond you never thought it is possible in a cyberworld.

Summer Lakwatsa with the W@wies at Ugu Bigyan

At the W@W Booth during the Bridal fair

Dinner at IHop

Catching up before leaving for Bangladesh

The lunch date that started it all - my kaladkarin days

More lunch dates 

as wedding guests in a W@wie wedding

meeting randomly

Cheers to our fellow w@wies for the never ending love and friendship! =)

Supplier's Review: Photographer: Bryan Yap

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bryan Yap Photography (Pre-Nup and Wedding Day)

Peso Power: Php 30,000 Service Only

Inclusion: Unlimited digital shots for the duration of event and service of Bryan Yap + 1 photographer

Highly Recommended

Bryan Yap and his team after our wedding reception

Among our suppliers, he is my and honey’s favorite, having said that, this may sound bias but it isn’t! Two thumbs up for him and his team. He actually became my sort of “wedding tips advisor” and an “ear” during the wedding preps. Bryan is not that popular in the wedding industry, it's not because he doesn't have the talent but simply because he doesn't know how to market himself. He doesn't advertise much, I think he enjoys his low-profile and let the word of mouth works for him. Most of the time, he works as the second photographer of high-profile photographers and that's were he gets the chance to improve and hone his skills without too much pressure a main photographer usually gets. And, working from behind gives you the talent of looking for every nook and cranny just to capture that most prized moments.

Bryan was referred to me by my friend who is into photography too. I actually forwarded all the portfolio links to her and ask her opinions regarding my choices. And she notices that majority are post-processed already. Obviously, I don’t like someone whose photographs are just good after post-processing so they were all slash out from the list, and the search continues. I’m in search for someone who can deliver raw images with great output already. That’s when Mika referred me to Bryan’s website, and even asked her friend for feedback regarding Bryan’s service since they hired him for their wedding and after a year, to their first child’s baptism & birthday event. Yes, that’s how satisfied the client with Bryan’s work that they became loyal clients.

During the time I was still inquiring, I was surprised to received at least 1 paragraph answers to every questions I asked him. It’s not the usual “template answers” I received from other inquiries. I thought at first it’s his way of “sales talk”. I even get annoyed with his “OK’ in every end of the sentence. Then, as we continued with our communication thru emails which I noticed he usually answers in the wee hours, I’ve realized that he is just one friendly-talkative-photographer and not just “sales talking” me to get his service, and his “ok” is his manner of speaking in reality without being an airhead. So it seems we are becoming chums even if I haven’t book him yet, and even started sharing insights regarding wedding preps woos and other stuff. And well, it’s a small world really, because his partner was a student in Fine Arts where I used to teach, and she is from our province and supposed to be a distant relative. Thanks for that, I got an additional freebie.

Even with his great output, we decided to book him for his “service only” because of 1) budget wise it’s more affordable, 2) honey thinks photo albums are dust-collectors and in this country, dust is like your second skin already, that’s how dusty it is here, and 3) I want to do my own lay-out as “scrapbooking” is one of my hobby, and honey is my number one fan and critic. And, if ever I decide in the end that I want an album, I can always go back to Bryan and ask them to do it and will just pay for the fee.

We booked him for “Service Only”, but I got some freebies for being a good client, and because Pie is a "distant relative", yes, I'm a "user". According to him, he gave me those because I didn’t demand for it but I asked nicely for it, and who could say “NO” to someone who asked it nicely, right? As for me, it's a gift that I gladly accepted, and it came when I was really upset. He added an SDE, and gave us free prenup pictorial within metro manila - but I cheated him coz we had our prenup at Sunvalley RealEstates in Inarawan Antipolo, of course I asked him first if it is okay if we had it there, and he said yes because he is from Marikina, he doesn’t want to do it at Eco park or Wildlife park as much as possible, and because I’m a good girl. And he also gave us a CD of selected pictures from the pre-nup to be shown during the cocktail hour. This was so much help because we only had our prenup 4 days before the wedding and I don’t have time to make one anymore.

Prenup pictorial by Bryan Yap

During our DIY pre-nup pictorial, it was a gloomy day. But it was perfect day somehow for a pictorial. It’s not sunny and it’s not raining hard too. It is humid but at least we were not under a scorching heat of the sun nor drenched in rain. We already have “The Notebook” as our peg just in case Mr. Rain will join us that day. Our pre-nup pictorial is too casual. Honey doesn’t like dressing up, he doesn’t want the “thematic pictorials”, and he just wants to ne at ease and is as he is. We had 3 casual looks 1) dressy look – I am also a girl and I need to show that, 2) couples shirt – we’re are just strolling in the park or hiking in the jungle, and 3) sporty look since he is a gym buff and I also want to show-off my toned-body care of my 3 months love affair with Gold’s Gym and discipline in eating. And well, I find a man who loves my least favorite part of my body – my big arms.

Prenup Pictorial by Bryan Yap

We had so much fun during the pictorial, even my in-laws find him friendly and jolly. You just simply easily ease-up with him because of his “gay-ish antics/style” and friendliness. It’s light and easy working with him. We were limited to certain parts of the subdivision but Bryan was able to capture a good angle and composition. Since we both forgot to bring our laptop, I wasn’t able to get a copy of the pictures instantly, but he came to my house the following day to deliver the CDs. That’s good service isn’t? It's good that we live near Marikina.

Bryan in action. Photo courtesy of my  bro-in-law

Come wedding day, Bryan and his team arrived earlier than the scheduled time because they want to do the details shot before everyone else arrives. Instead of two photographers, they had another one that day, so I have 3 photographers that day – Bryan, Pie and MC. After introducing the whole team, they proceed with their work. It’s a good thing also that they informed my coordinator that they want to start early because the night before that, Charisse came to my suite to arrange all the items needed to be photograph. Bryan just had to take those things and start shooting them; they don’t have to disturb me anymore because I was already having my make up done.

It was fun and easy working with the whole team. Obviously, I can’t still control myself from smiling, so all the “pensive look”, “serious look” was all failure. But they really captured the real me – “Bungisngis peachy”, and I caught them with their favoritism – they took a lot of pictures of Aiden, Mika’s daughter, my friend who referred Bryan to me, and who finally booked him for a family pictorial session a few weeks before my wedding day. That’s their first time to meet each other and they too have a great experience with the session.

Bryan’s style is a mix of everything – he can adapt to his client’s needs. He made sure that he can cover all the things that I require but at the same time making sure that he can deliver more than what I expect from him. He is open for suggestion too, if you like a certain pose, he will take it. My in-laws are uptight but he was able to chill with them and made them pose too. He gave me the raw images in DVD a few days after our wedding because we went home to Ilocos the day after the wedding.

Sharing our SDE by  Bryan Yap:

Alvin & Peachy's SDE Slideshow from Bryan Yap on Vimeo.

The only CON I can think about is they forgot to go back to the buffet table to take pictures of the foods. When I asked Bry about this, what he said was, the food were not ready yet when his team were taking details shot, but still it isn’t a reason to forget about it, so he was so sorry about it. It’s a small thing, it’s really not a problem but I’m into details too, that’s why I noticed that the food pictures are missing. But again, this small detail doesn’t affect their credibility and skills. I’m still grateful that I didn’t have to experience horror stories with my photographer.

He is one high-calibre photographer with the friendly rate every bride and groom wants to grab! By the way, I didn't request for additional enhancement to the raw images because I'm already happy and satisfied with the raw images! 

https://www.facebook.com/SunValleyEstates.Property

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTmwdJT0-Xg

Supplier's Review: Wedding Coordinator: Events Malditas

OTD COORDINATOR: Events Malditas (OC Coordinator for an OC Bride like me)

PESO POWER: Php 13,000 (discounted price for W@W Tagholder)

HIGHLY Recommended

Contact Details: Charisse A. Libao - 09175943010 / 09234330061; eventsmalditas@gmail.com

Aside from Bryan Yap, Events Malditas specifically Charisse, is one of our favorite suppliers.

At first, we were having second thoughts in getting a coordinator since my groom then thinks it’s not necessary. It's only 100 guest’s event and he thinks our own family can do what a coordinator should do on the wedding day. Coming from a different culture and country where weddings are not a performance, he finds it extra expense.

But considering my family dynamics and being aware of what really is going to happen on wedding day, I explained it to honey that we have to get an OTD Coordinator. And, after our wedding day, he was glad that we did hire a coordinator.

Events Malditas are still considered new in the wedding industry, but their team leaders Charisse and Ems got the passion in what they do thus it seems they’ve been in the industry for so long. And, I also read good reviews regarding them in W@W. And during our first meeting, I find them organize, presentable and smart. And even if their name is Maldita, I think I’m still more maldita than they are. Kidding aside, they are not maldita in a negative sense, they are maldita with their work – they are strict that they made sure they do it right and they are kind of OC like me too, a good combination for an OC bride like me.

Having all the free time in hand, I was able to finish all my task way even before Charisse will remind me or give me the to-do-list and they are even teasing me few weeks before the wedding that I can actually get married on that day since I’m prepared and completed everything, only thing missing is the groom.

Pro:

OTD Schedule provided by Malditas

• OC – they are so into details, they have a checklist that they send to me and then every meeting we will crosscheck what is done and has yet to be done.
• They do their own follow-ups. Give me reminders and tips of advice too.

• On the wedding day, I was stress-free. And the whole time it feels like I have a PA or personal assistant. Either Charisse is always with me or another team member is with me. Same experience for my honey, which is very important since they are foreigners and they are not really aware how the weddings are done here in the Philippines, they never felt left alone or hanging in mid air, Robert is there for them.
• They were able to convinced my dad that both of them mama and papa will walk me to the aisle. Well, papa isn’t happy about it, he is a traditionalist but he just have to accept the fact that this is the common practice now in the church.
• Definitely, you are in good hands with Events Malditas.

Photo ops with the team after the reception. Photo  by Bryan Yap

Having a coordinator is not a "nice to haves", it is a "must have". Not everyone will agree to this but if you get a very efficient coordinator like Events Malditas, you will understand what I mean. You are a lucky bride if you have the 24/7 support of your girlfriends and entourage members during the preps, but if you are like me whose girlfriends are not really available, having a coordinator is helpful. Being the bride, your mind tend to be congested with so many cobwebs regarding wedding preps, documents, work and among other things that sometimes you will forget even the smallest details, that’s where you need a coordinator. You need someone who is in their right mind because it’s their job and responsibilities to crosscheck all the required things and other checklist needed. Come wedding day, you will need someone to keep you and the rest of the entourage including the suppliers to be on time. And when you miss something, the coordinators are there to check this and if your coordinators are heaven sent, they could even run errands when required and necessary. They can be your cheerer and stress-reliever on the day, they can be your girlfriends and who knows, they can be your friends in the end. They are there to check if everything is according to your plan, if everything is in place, if everyone is properly seated, if the suppliers are on time. These things all can be done by family members and relatives too, but since it’s your once in a lifetime event, you may want your family members and relatives to enjoy the event as well – thus it’s is advisable to hire an efficient coordinator and give all this tasks to them and have a stress-free wedding day and let your family enjoy it too.

Supplier's Review: Videographer: Aisle 1401

VIDEOGRAPHER: Aisle 1401

Peso Power: Php 18,000 Introductory Rate of Package 1: The Essentials

Highly Recommended

While writing my suppliers review, there were times that I think I am a “rebellious bride”. Between photography and videography, I prefer photography, thus why videography was not a priority for me. Maybe my friend somehow influenced me when I was scouting suppliers. She was not pro-videography too since not everyone wants to watch a video and it’s a hassle to insert the cd/dvd and play unlike with photographs, you can easily browse thru albums, she actually advice me to just hire the service of a street-side videography shop just to have some moments captured, and for keepsakes too.

Because I’m just in the look-out for someone affordable with good videography skills, I’ve checked Aisle 1401 after reading a lot about them in W@W and after Krystle referred them to me also. Their works are good, and their introductory price was really a steal! I instantly emailed Aisle 1401 and happy that I got them before the end of their Introductory Price and change to their new regular price.

With The Aisle 1401 guys and Krystle at the W@W Christmas Party

I never got the chance to meet them and interact with them prior to the wedding day. We were so busy already with the last minute preparations that I wasn’t able to squeeze them in our schedule or maybe vice versa. So, technically, I don’t know them all by face and name. I met them once in a brief introduction during the W@W Christmas party but I ‘m not sure if I registered in their minds.

 

Drei instructing us what to do

PRO:

• It was an easy transaction thru exchanges of email. Anna replies promptly and explains things in layman’s terms and answers my “stupid” questions hehehe.
• The SDE is great! I love it and so with honey. We still have to receive the highlights which they said it will be ready after 3 months. I hope it will be ready because after listening to their podcast, I’m not sure if I hear them right but they said its 6 months.
• They can do magic. They were able to include someone in the SDE even if they are not really present during the mass.
• They are good. Mico and Drei arrived on time during the wedding day. They introduced themselves happily instantly before proceeding to their work; at the same time I introduced them to whoever is present in the room too. I find the duo funny, serious with their work but fun, opposite of what I felt with Anna and John – dead serious.
• They are all good-looking.
• I emailed Anna recently to inquire when is our wedding highlights ready for delivery and she replied quickly telling me this coming september - that's 3-4 months production :-)

CON

I don’t have any negative thing to say regarding their craft and their work as a team because they are really good in what they do even if they are still considered “neophyte”. But let me just share my experience or what I felt that day.

I believe that any suppliers should introduce themselves to the bride and/or groom when you enter their preps room. We maybe too busy but we still prefer people coming in our room to introduce themselves properly. With all the people coming in and out, and surrounding us, we can’t recall or remember everyone’s name in an instant, so it will be of great help if you will introduce yourself or even just to say “Hi! We are here!”

If Mico and Drei were so jolly in introducing themselves when they arrived, it’s different with Anna and John. They came later than Drei and MIco, I’m not sure if this is their usual set-up. I’m done with my make-up when they came to my room. I can’t remember them introducing themselves but I did remember saying “Hi” to them (since I know them by face) when I saw them standing there and watching the make-up session. They did say “Hi” after that. I don’t know if they knew that I was the bride until I said “hi” because I was just standing near Anna when they entered. She asked for the coordinator, so I pointed at Charisse. Anna asked her what’s the time for the bride to leave for the church, and before Charisse could answer, Anna walked towards the wall where the schedule is posted, checked it and then face again Charisse  and said “I suggest we leave earlier than the schedule instead of 230pm. That area is traffic sometimes. We had a wedding their last week and the bride was late the church didn’t allow her to march anymore. You don’t want that to happen to your bride and put the blame on you, do you”

I understand she has a good intention here, but the tone and the body language has an effect in a good communication. The room just felt silent when she was talking and as soon as they left the room, everyone went back to their jolly mood. And whoever was around that time felt that she is “bossy”, and as the bride, I was a bit turn off. Honey had a similar experience with Anna and john. He is a foreigner and he really doesn’t know all our suppliers except of course for Charisse and Bryan whom he met days before the wedding. So, when he saw Anna and John standing inside his preps room, he asked them “And you are?”, and their reply was “we are with them “, pointing at Drei and Mico who were in his room that time. As for Honey, he still doesn't know them, and even now, he can just recall the name and face of Mico and Drei. After hearing their podcast interview at W@W Chat, it came into my mind: maybe they have their wife-husband misunderstanding that day.

I know this incident doesn’t affect their work and creativity. It maybe just a misunderstanding. It’s so minor that anyone will just ignore it. It’s not their intention, but I still think and believe that every supplier should be at their best mood and putting their best foot forward when they are on-duty. Again, this is not to bad-mouth them as they are really good with their work and craft , as a matter of fact, I'm highly recommending them - but, I'm just sharing my experience as a client too. And it's a common knowledge that people have different experiences.

Sharing our SDE by Aisle 1401

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWRMqExkpgg&feature=youtu.be

Sharing our SDE by Aisle 1401

Alvin and Peachy from Aisle 1401 on Vimeo.