Save-the-Date Magnet Session with Shutterbox

a sample of a photo we have to choose from

It was a sicky day for W2B and I told her that we can cancel our session with Shutterbox because she was sick.  Despite it, she told me that she still wants to do it, even though she has a cold. It was a rainy night but we still went to Shutterbox.

Before we went there we already have a plan on how to pose and also created our props for the photos.  We also did a little research on the easiest route on how to get to their place, but still we missed the spot. Their place was not hard to find, its just that it was dark and raining that is why we missed it.  Good thing Vida is easy to get in touch with, so we asked her for the directions.

When we arrived at Vida's shop, as always, she was very accommodating.  She offered us a seat and she took out her records and reviewed our contract.  While reviewing our contract, she told us that she is having a bad cold, but still she was nice and patient explaining to us the details of our STD magnets and guiding us on what kind of photos we want to achieve.

Doing the photo session was fun and for a while W2B forgot about her sickness and was enjoying her time.  We had 5 photo booth takes, a total of 20 shots.  We chose 8 photos from them, then they will put it into a layout and then they will be sending us a draft of the designs before we give them the go signal to print it.

After the session, we did our usual goodbyes and small talks.  When W2B and I went to the car we realized that it was really nice working with Vida and having that session with her helped take away the stress we usually have during working hours.   Thanks again Vida and Shutterbox!

written by:
H2B

Monograms: And the Winner is....

To all of our Friends and W@Wmates thank you for the time you have spent.  Here are the top three monograms.

Monogram 7 - 37 Votes

Monogram 4 - 34 Votes

Monogram 5 - 13 Votes

To see the other monograms and its tally click here

A Visit to Our Florist: Five Angels Flower Shop

It was nice to set foot in Dangwa again.  I guess the last time I was there was when I was about to celebrate my debut. Gee, that was like 9 years ago!  Nothing has changed however; the alley is still full of stalls and vendors of flowers. H2B and I decided to drop by and visit our florist. We actually met them in one of the bridal fairs that we have attended but never had the chance to see their store. It was a challenge to go there because this is the first time that we will go to our supplier by foot and commute.  It got us excited though as it has been a while since H2B and I went out by commute.  I was excited by the possible jeepney rides and pedestrian lane crossings we will be having but we ended up riding cabs to transfer from one place to another hehehe! 

As we went down the cab, I already started looking at the stall numbers.  It was H2B’s first time to be there that’s why he was counting on my sense of direction that time.  =)  It didn’t take us a long walk to see Stall No. 15; the number written in our contract. It was named after a different flower shop but says Hapon and Juanita, who happens to be our contact person.  By then we found put that it was Juanita’s stall which remained but it was her sister’s business name that they used when they decided to merge their business-Five Angels Flower Shop.  It was a breather to have spoken with them again; being in the business for more than 25 years gives me a feeling of relief that they are indeed skilled and experienced in their craft.  A few of their former clients were Jamie Rivera (wedding) and Regine Velasquez (concerts). 

Once again, we reviewed our contract and discussed each item one by one. They also showed us actual samples of the flowers that we have chosen which more or less gave us an idea of the over-all look of the plan. The mock up will be scheduled on our pre-nup shoot so that we can use the bouquet in the pictorial and we were asked to drop by next weekend to see their samples for a wedding they will be covering on Saturday and Sunday

with Ate Sonia Refe & Ate Juanita Refe

Many thanks to Ate Sonia and Ate Juanita for patiently answering my queries and for consistently entertaining my whims!  =)

*This entry was created because we had a hard time finding reviews about them. Hopefully this will help them in their advertising as you W@Wies out there find your own florist. =)

written by:

W2B

Meeting the W@Wies @ the W@W Christmas Party

won an iPod Shuffle @ W@W Christmas Party

It was a last minute decision for us to come to the party;  we asked “Fei ni Stan” a day before regarding our attendance.  Good thing she replied to us that we are already included in the list, thanks Fei!   We went there around 8:30, got their freebies, completed the sign-up sheet and joined the raffle.

The place was already packed with a lot of W@wies and we almost failed to get a sit.  The timing of our arrival was also off because people were already getting their food and we can't tell if a seat is already taken or not.   A nice guy from Imagine Nation Photography told us that there are still sits in front.  We waited there until the people settled down and asked them if we can share a sit with them. They were very nice people, smiled @ us and said that its alright.  After getting our sit, we got our food, ate and enjoyed the rest of the night’s festivities.

Jason Magbanua showing his hosting skills

While eating our food we saw some familiar faces who are also bloggers like us.  We saw Ching & Gail and Ada Mae.  Aside from co-w@wies, we also saw the founder of W@W John & Benz with their family, my idols Jason Magbanua, John Mateos Ong and Daniel Lei Sarmiento.  I was a bit shy to take out my camera to shoot pictures because of the presence of these photographers and videographers.

The top 5 W@W Suppliers of the Year
(K by Cunanan, Phoeben Tecson, Jayson & Joanne Arquiza, Rejectkrew, Veejay Floresca)

Also, W2B had a chance to meet some of the OTD suppliers which we haven’t booked yet.  She also liked  how Francis Day handled the event and we will try to book him if he is still available and if has a reasonable rate.

The party was fun and there were a lot of games that will entertain the crowd.  Francis Day was a great host, making the people laugh with his jokes and wit.  He even mistakenly called me DGM because of the way the O was written by W2B that looks like a G. 

Then came the raffle draw, where they were giving away honeymoon stuffs, iPods and Hotel accommodations.  We got ours, which was an iPod shuffle (Thanks to Veejay Floresca), in between the Oakwood and Shangrila accommodations. Tsk! Sayang! Hehehe! But 'twas alright because it was our second time to win a raffle for our wedding. The first time was when we won a wedding ring @ Goldenhills Jewelry.  Our relatives and closest friends, when they heard about it, teased us to make a bet to our Grand Lottery 6/55, which is currently @ 700++ million pesos.  I told them that I will wait for it to get to a billion and then I will make my bet hehehe.

W@W Suppliers

The event was finished by the awarding of the supplier of the year (Rejectkrew), picture taking of the W@Wies and picture taking of the suppliers.  After the event, we approached Ching and Gail and ask them to take a picture with us and we told them that we would mention them in our post here at our wedding site.  Thanks Ching and Gail for being a good sport.

 Ching & Gail

Gail & Roni

We enjoyed our time @ the W@W Christmas Party and we would like to thank Sir John and Ma’am Benz for putting this kind of event.  Aside from the fun it brings, it helps a lot of soon-to-weds like us to mingle with people and share wedding preparations with them.  Kudos to W@W!

written by:

H2B

Booking Review: Light of Love Events Place

It was our nth day at Light of Love last Saturday.  From the time we inquired, to the time we went around to see their various venues, to the time where we first brought H2Bs mom to see the place, then brought my mom and brother to see the place, to the time we booked, to the time we paid half of the reservation, to the food tasting events, to the times were we just felt like we wanted to see the place again and now to the time where we wanted to check if my dream long tables can be accommodated at my chosen venue, the smiling face of Kenny never fails to welcome us.

W2B and Kenny

The place is perfect and it has everything I wanted at an events place, I fell in love with it the first time I saw it! But of course I’ve got to be dealing with somebody accommodating otherwise I’d rather forget I’ve been to that place. J  Kenny is our Account Executive and I am so happy we met him because he was one of the reasons why we chose Light of Love. He is very accommodating, cheerful and very approachable.  Everyone there was actually nice to talk to. Whenever Kenny is not around, Dexter or Yana will be there to assist us in our concerns. 

Map of Light of Love

Light of Love - Cherish (see their online portfolio here)

Light of Love lies in the heart of Santol, Quezon City.  It was an old house, an old mansion, which was transformed into a wonderful events place.  I never thought that something as big as this place exists in that area.  A long Trellis will lead you to Cherish, our chosen venue.  It offers a breath-taking view of the garden and Mother Nature at its best.  It seats 250 pax and has an oblong stage at the center of it.  Trees abound and capiz lights adorn them beautifully at night.  It is also perfect for pre-nuptial photoshoots!

 trial solo picures hehehe

Many thanks to the wonderful team of Light of Love for making each visit feels like it was always our first time and for making us too excited to celebrate our Big Day with you!


Happy preps!


written by: W2B

Final Food Tasting @ Hizon’s Catering

with Cheska our AE in Hizon's

Back then, when we were trying to choose our caterer, we had Hizon’s in our top three list.  We chose them because they offered a lot of freebies in our package with Light of Love.

Scheduling for our food tasting and reception detail talk was kinda difficult due to the factors of us being busy at work and also us having a difficult time to communicate with our supplier. Good thing we were able to finalize our schedule 2 weeks ago and were able to do it last Saturday.

Going to Hizon’s office was not easy.  We were not familiar with the place and we had some wrong turns before finding the right one. Arriving at their subdivision, we were already able to find directions leading us to their office.

We arrived at 9:30 am and was greeted by their receptionist. We waited for a few minutes before our event planner came.  Chesca started it off right.   She reviewed the contract, asked the details of our preference - from the motif, to type of the fabric, to the number of guests, flowers to be used, cake and the list goes on.  Shortly thereafter, our chosen menus arrived.  It was commendable that she did not focus on the chosen menus alone but have introduced their best sellers and top picks as well.  Unfortunately the appetizer did not form part of the food tasting.

Ranging from 1 to 5, we are giving them 4.5 for the taste of the food.  The beef was right to the bite, the fish was crispy and its sauce simply says yummy! Though the porky was the same old porky, it was good and the flavor was extraordinary!  On the other hand, there were also variations which we find ordinary, though we believe that this is true for all caterers out there.

Sharing our menu list, let’s feast! =)

Mini Vegetable Spring Roll

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Salad Bar Station

Pasta Bar: Penne and Fettuccini on either Carbonara or Seafood Marinara Sauce

On-Site Carving Station: US Roast Beef

On-Site Cooking Station: Grilled Fish with Crispy Garlic and Lemon Butter Sauce

Chicken Barbeque with Hawaiian Sauce

Pork Slice Oriental

Lumpia Bar with Peanut Sauce

Steamed Rice

Dessert Bar:  Vanilla Mousse

                      Choco Mousse

                      Mango Panacotta

                      Almond Jelly

                      Leche Flan

                      Fruit Compote

Chocolate Fountain with Fresh Fruits and Mallows Yum!

Just a bit of caution: they are a bit lax in monitoring client schedules, so we advise you to take charge of your own planning timeline.  Overall, we are completely satisfied and we can’t wait to finalize our reception detailing.

Happy Preps!

written by: W2B

Jayson + Chee: Studio 2716 First Wedding Coverage

H2B and his friends are photo enthusiasts.  They love to go to photo gimiks just to practice their craft and have fun.  Sometimes they also use me as a model and being a photo-addict like me it is difficult not to say yes (hehehe). One of the photo gimiks that I went to was when they did their first wedding coverage.  The wedding was held in Quezon and it was with the lovely couple Jayson and Chee.  It was a lot of fun doing the coverage, plus we got the chance to visit Tayabas Quezon.

It was our privilege Jayson and Chee to be a part of your special day and to show our gratitude we’ve created a simple AVP of your wedding.  I hope you guys enjoy it! =D

Jayson + Chee from studio2716 on Vimeo.

Our First DIY: Monograms

Inspired by other W@Wies, we decided to make our own monograms, which can be used as invitation sealers, photo booth back draft and thank you cards.  We tried to make a few of them and we would like to hear from you on which among them are the most creative.  The top 3 monograms will be used for our wedding. Your vote will surely go a long way!

 monogram 1

 monogram 2

monogram 3 

monogram 4 

 monogram 5

monogram 6 

monogram 7

Help us by casting your vote using the poll below.

Happy preps!

Which of our monograms are the most creative?

written by: W2B

Dom & Roni's Wedding Supplier list

Church: Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
Contact: Manuel Amaza




Flowers: 5 Angels Flower Shop
Contact: Sonia Refe, Juanita Refe




Hotel:  Oakwood Joy~Nostalg Center
Contact: Chat Remegio
Website: http://www.oakwood.com/serviced-apartments/furnished/PH/Pasig/prop11100.html
Supplier Review:  http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/03/supplier-rating-review-of-oakwood.html




Reception: Light of Love, an Events Place
Website: http://www.lightoflove.com.ph/
Contact: Kenny Co Yukang
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/11/booking-review-light-of-love-events.html






Caterer: Hizon's Catering Services
Website: http://hizonscatering.com/
Food Tasting Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/11/final-food-tasting-hizons-catering.html

Cake Toppers: Precious Moments
Website: http://www.preciousmoments.com/
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/10/cake-topper-precious-moments-mori-reci.html

Photo and Video: Niceprint Photography
Website: http://www.niceprintphoto.com/
Contact: Bien Mansueto
Pre-Nuptial/Engagement Pictorial Photographer & Videographer: Kenneth Malate & Rolando "Jhun" Villar Jr.
Supplier Review Part 1: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/03/supplier-rating-niceprints-avp-and-on.html
Wedding Day Photographer & Videographer: Bernie, Kenneth, Edmond & Gerome

Photobooth: Shutterbox Postcards and Memories
Website: http://www.shutterbox.com.ph/
Contact: Vida Aenlle
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/10/photo-booth-vida-aenlles-shutterbox.html
Save-the-Date Magnet Session Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/12/std-magnet-session-with-shutterbox.html
Save-the-Date Magnet Designs: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/01/shhutterbox-std-magnets.html
Supplier Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/03/supplier-rating-shutterbox-photobooth.html

Quintet: Leggiero Strings
Website: http://www.leggierostrings.com/
Supplier Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-quintet-leggiero-strings.html
Contact: Merli Yapchulay

Wedding Gown: Bridal Factory by Ysabelle
Website: http://www.bridal-factory.com/bridalmenu.htm



Hair and Make-up:  Mel Cruz
Website: http://melcruz.com/index.php/page/loadPage/1
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/10/hair-and-make-up-mel-cruz-booked.html

Wedding Ring: Golden Hills Robinson's Galleria Branch
Website: http://www.goldenhillsjewelry.com/
Supplier Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2011/10/weddings-rings-from-golden-hills.html
Contact: Dhalee

Groom's Wear: Onesimus SM Megamall Branch
Website: http://www.onesimus.com.ph
Contact: Kenneth Aguilar & Obet Orian
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/10/onesimus-suits-and-barong-sale-at-sm.html

Groom's Shoes: Rockport Robinson's Galleria Branch
Contact: Ian Durian
Booking Review: http://thedomandronishow.blogspot.com/2010/11/grooms-shoes-rockport-booked-at.html





Invitations: Printed Matter
Contact: Kerwin Chua
Website: http://www.printedmatter.com.ph/Printed_Matter/Home.html

Sponsor Gifts: Titania Wine Cellars
Website: http://www.titaniawinecellar.com/
Contact: Chef Rene

Our Online Community: W@W
Website: http://www.weddingsatwork.com/

H2B and I just wanted to post this so that we will be reminded of what are the things we still need to book.  Also, we want to help the other soon-to-wed couples out there in search of a supplier.  We will provide our experiences when acquiring them in the booking reviews sections of each supplier.

Happy Preps!

written by: W2B

Groom's shoes: Rockport booked at Robinson's Galleria

Ian and Dom with the Rockport Shoes

I had my first Rockport shoes in 2002.  8 years had passed and it is still alive and kicking.  It has been to a lot of places, walked a lot of roads, and even played a half-court basketball game with it.  It was almost like my best friend, witnessed some important events of my life through those years.  From then on, I trusted the shoes and its brand and to show my faithfulness to it, I bought 2 more pairs of Rockport since I bought the first one.

So when W2B asked me what brand of shoes I want for our wedding, I felt that it was a time to change brands and I was thinking if I can have that same quality, swagger, cost-effectiveness and faithfulness of my buddy ol’ pal Rockport shoes in a different brand.

The scout for the Groom’s shoes had begun and  the brands that we considered were Kenneth Cole, Bass, Florsheim, Tyler, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bally, Pab Der Uomo and Zara.   Pab Der's, Tyler's and Kenneth Cole's look promising.  Pab Der caught my attention because they have handmade shoes from Italy and it will  cost you around 4k – 8k of your peso powah.  The Tyler shoes that I liked costs around 10k and it has this old school elegant look that I was looking for.  Ferragamo really describes its spoof version very well - “suotmoitopre farragwapo”. Indeed you will look handsome because of the pride of the brand, quality and its traditional look.   It is just too expensive though even if they are offering it at 30%-50% off.

And then came along the visit to a Rockport store...

The moment we entered their store in Robinson’s Galleria their slogans bombarded my judgment... Innovation! Walkability!! TruWalk!!! AdiPrene+!!!! Look Good Longer!!!!!  It was just like Rockport invaded my conscience telling me that I should buy my wedding shoes from this store. 

So I tried the pair of shoes that W2B liked with the help of their staff Ian Durian.  Ian was very thorough and knowledgeable of their product and company.  I asked him about the adiprene+ and he explained to us how the technology helped the walkability of the shoes.  He was very patient and courteous when I was trying it on and while walking it around the store just to get a feel of it.

Then, I remembered my buddy... my 8 year ol’ pal Rockport shoes. The staffs were good, the shoes look elegant, I’ll be getting it in a discounted rate and W2B loves it.  I said to myself what could go wrong with this brand when I had my first for 8 years already?

In the end, I went back to the one I first loved and to the one who has been faithful to me all these years! =)

Happy Preps!

written by: H2B

Cake Topper: Precious Moment's Mori + Reci Prenup Pictorial

Cake toppers! Oftentimes, this is one of those we do not normally put too much of our attention.  Why? Because it usually comes with our catering package, or maybe because it is not too “pansinin” in our big day or maybe because it just doesn’t seem to be a part of our checklist. =) For us, we did not initially plan to have one too, until we met Mori and Reci.

Mori & Reci Prenup Pictorial

Allow us to share with you our cutesy cake topper! =) We were inspired by Precious Moments when we visited The Wedding Library at SM Megamall. They have these cute toppers which, were as big rag dolls (oh yes they are big enough to be hugged and I wonder how can they be toppers hehehe!) but is just too cute to be left unnoticed.  Unfortunately, Hubby and I planned to have just a small wedding cake and so they obviously will not fit.  We tried to ask if they have smaller versions of those but apparently it has been out of stock for months already.  Hoping, we left our contact numbers and email addresses just in case smaller versions are delivered to them. 

they are such a cute couple

As we walk towards the parking lot, we ran across a kiosk of Precious Memories. Voila! It says “Closing Out Sale” up to70% off.   There were a lot of cute little ceramic figurines and we were hoping we can find something which we can use as our own cake topper.  We had a few selections until we finally found the one!  Meet MORI and RECI! =)

we asked mori and reci to act like they are kissing :)

ultra-zoom mode =P

It has been a habit of me to name my things and these two had theirs coming from their own brand names.  They were sooo cute I can’t help but at look at them and feel sooo happy and light! They look very innocent and carefree!  Best of all we got them at 70% off so the price is not the normal pricey Precious Moments stuff.  Such a wonderful deal!

they are just soo adorable!

one last shot for the prenup =)

Happy Preps to all and hoping you can find your own cake toppers too!

written by:
W2B

Photo booth: Vida Aenlle’s Shutterbox Booked!

Booking a Photo booth supplier is confusing.  They practically offer the same package and within the same range of rate.  What will set them apart is the quality of the picture, the layouts, variation of props, printing time, freebies and the staff who will be assisting you in your special day.

Shutterbox at Light of Love

Shutterbox was the first photo booth we have tried.  We were supposed to book our catering supplier that day but they were incidentally at the event held at Light of Love Events Place.  We were frustrated on how the catering service turned out and so we tried to look around and see what else we can find.   Our attention was caught by the save-the-day magnets, key chains and picture post cards.  We initially thought it was nice-to-have but it will certainly add up to our budget.  Just the same, we tried Shutterbox and ended up having fun.  J We were impressed on how fast the picture was printed while keeping the colors vibrant and alive.

Shutterbox at Weddings and Beyond

Short of time, we left the event and headed off to Weddings and Beyond Bridal Fair.   Our goal back then was to book a photographer, but as soon as we entered the wedding fair, a PhotoMan asked us to stop for a while and pose.  We then thought “uso na pala talaga eto ngayon!” (This is already becoming a fad). There was an alley of various photo booths and you will go crazy trying each one of them. I think we have tried 7 photo booths, just to compare the quality of output and processing time. It was a lot of fun though J and this time we thought it is no longer a nice-to-have; we should already get one! (hehehe).  We also thought that it will be great to use as souvenirs for our guests.

Among all the others, Shutterbox offered the most number of freebies.  To name a few -  a package one price lower than the usual, save-the-date magnets, free original back-draft and layout, not to mention uberly cheerful and helpful staff.  We had a handful of questions and Vida was there to shed light on those.  The staff, quality of the picture and their processing time convinced us to finally book them.

For those of you out there who is considering a Photo booth, I hope this one will help you decide. J

Happy preps! J

written by:

H2B + W2B