Celebrity fashionista Pops Fernandez is adding another feather to her cap. After making a name for herself as a TV host, pop singer and Concert Queen, she’s ready to reinvent herself as a wedding gown designer offering affordable frocks to women planning their special day.
The bedimpled Pops will team up with her business partners (and good friends) Emily Sy and Michelle Lim in establishing stand-alone boutiques throughout the country. The boutiques will sell not just custom-made wedding gowns but also gowns for the whole wedding entourage, including of course the bridesmaids and flower girls. They will also offer cocktail dresses and formal get-ups that one can wear in all kinds of parties.
Plans are afoot to franchise the Pops Fernandez wedding boutiques this early. The launch of her wedding collection was made in the Franchise Asia 2011 expo but it wasn’t revealed yet where the first boutique will be.
What is good is that the wedding gowns will be very affordable, only P15,000 up. Cocktail outfits can go as low as P3,000, depending on the design.
As promised, am printing a price list of the wedding packages at Discovery Shores. Honestly, it looks reasonable because the lowest-priced package will only set you off at less than P200,000 for the first 50 persons.I think I can only invite 50 anyway, if am having a destination wedding.
There are four different categories of the packages which all have Italian-sounding names. But I guess they only differ in prices because of the food served in the buffet:
EL OTONO @ P183,000 for the first 50 pax
EL VERANO @P210,000
LA PRIMAVERA @ P231,000
EL INVIERNO @ 242,000
Inclusions are the following: three-layered wedding cake, floral arrangement on all guest tables, sumptuous dinner buffet for 50 guests, one round of iced tea or soda, guest book with pen, one bottle of sparkling wine for the bridal toast, free corkage of 8 bottles of 750ml wine or liquor, complimentary pressing or steaming of the bridal gown, complimentary use of the golf cart for the bride & groom to & from church, drop off/pick up services for the guests to & from church, food tasting of chosen wedding menu by the couple, stage and dance floor, free use of multimedia projector, standard sound system, overnight accommodation for two in a Junior Suite with buffet breakfast for two at Sands Restaurant plus 5% discount on prevailing promo rates for additional rooms.
Hubby and I just concluded one of our mini-honeymoons in Boracay. I haven’t been to the island since 2007. What made it one of my best vacations ever was staying at Discovery Shores. Their service, ambiance and amenities were simply superb.
No wonder a lot of people choose to have their wedding and/or reception at Discovery Shores. It takes more than the usual budget, all right, but I was witness to the fact that they do their job well and will give you a quality outcome. There was a wedding reception going on during our stay and the outdoor tent was beautifully set up for the event …..
Former actress and beauty queen, now US-based Dindi Gallardo is one of those women I admire for her sheer pulchritude. There’s something about her that spells old-world glamor, the kind that reminds me of Hollywood.
Dindi got married in New York City last month to her long-time friend Eric Mills and the wedding reminded me of an old Hollywood picture indeed. It looked like time stood still and all you can see were these two people in love. I found the vintage chic theme so beautiful, the glowing bride and groom played the role so effortlessly and well.
(Thanks to Mrs. Dindi Gallardo-Mills for the pictures!)
I have a confession to make. If I wasn’t married in church, I’d probably have a beach wedding. There’s something about it that’s refreshing and naturally photogenic. With the sight of coconut trees, flowers and fine white sand, you’d hardly need any decor, except perhaps the glimmer of candle light or canvas tents to shade your guests.
A recent visit to the sea town of Mactan, Cebu made me fall in love with the idea of a beach wedding again. More so because we were billetted at the elegant Crimson Beach Resort & Spa, the newest resort in Mactan at the moment. Experiencing Crimson and its topnotch garden view villa certainly made hubby and I feel like we were on a honeymoon again.
What I like about Crimson is that it’s not as big as the other five-star resorts in Cebu so the feeling of privacy and intimacy is there. If you’re planning a small wedding with 100 guests or less or even 200, the resort has three venues to choose from.
Whether at dawn or at dusk, the small garden by the beachside Azure Bar of Crimson provides the perfect backdrop for the beach wedding of your dreams. Romance surely pervades the air with the view of the ocean and swaying coconut trees. All you’d need is a chair, a wide-brimmed hat and a sunny attitude about how beautiful the milestone moment is.
For an indoor ceremony or reception, Crimson has three function rooms that can be joined together to make a grand ballroom to accommodate as many as 200 guests in a banquet or cocktail style. The resort has prepared wedding packages for a minimum of 100 persons and this already takes the hassle out of preparing for the reception. The basic wedding package at the resort already includes the buffet, sound system, flower arrangements, two-layered fondant cake, overnight room accommodation with welcome basket, complimentary lechon, free use of the venue for four hours and other additions.
For an added amount, they would also include your wedding giveaways, photo and video coverage, bridal car… even a trio of violinist, flutist and guitarist. Click here for more details.
Visit Legend Villas’ Crystal Weddings open house from September 17 to 18, 2011 and get as much as P50,000 off your wedding package in the Crystal Dreams raffle promo. Book your special day during the open house weekend to get one raffle ticket. Winners will be announced immediately after the event.
“The overwhelming response to our Crystal Weddings open house held early this year made us decide to hold another one. This time, we wish to reward one lucky couple with as much as 25% off their dream wedding package,” said Karen Reyes, Sales and Marketing Director of Legend Villas.
Crystal Weddings presents two unique packages – Quartz and Onyx, motifs which make for truly unforgettable weddings. The Quartz theme reflects timeless elegance with its luminous décor and classic table set-up. Stylish and chic in black and white, the Onyx package is meant for couples who opt to veer from tradition. The starting package rate for 100 persons costs only P155,000.
Marriott Hotel Manila in Newport City has unveiled Garden Rooms, a function space that offers both banquet and conference facilities. Actually, the place is three function rooms put together, with a total area of 404.71 square meters.
Designed by the reputable Casas + Architects, Garden Rooms is the perfect place to perk up your wedding with its enviable view of the Villamor Golf Course and its lush greenery.
To create a fresh and natural garden feel, the new function room is furnished with color-changing coffered ceilings adorned with handcrafted chandeliers. The lights are embellished with intricate clusters of leaf-shaped crystals and metal leaves and elegantly mimics the natural branches and leaves of trees.
The high-quality Axminster carpet, on the other hand, illustrates the rusty earth soil color tinted with red and serves as an accent to natural earth tones. As one walks down the hallway, beautiful anigre veneered panels match with the rich and plush carpets, smaller scaled chandeliers and oversized circular wall lights which all send a message of understated luxury.
Marriott Manila director of marketing Cristy Carreon says: ” a 30% increase in weddings is usually expected by the end of the quarter. We have prepared menu options starting at P1850 per head. Innovative and freshly prepared daily, our offering allows our clients to customize the menu from breakfast to dinner, with other specially crafted options for snacks, desserts plus wines and cocktails.”
For the blushing bride having an upscale wedding, look no further than Spanish label Rosa Clara which has dressed some well-known socialites and celebrities in Europe and beyond. I’ve passed by the Greenbelt Residences in Makati City and can see signs that the first and only Rosa Clara bridal boutique will be opening soon in the Philippines. This is certainly good news for women out there who want to expand their options on classy and elegant wedding gown styles without going too far.
Peek at the Rosa Clara website to see how beautiful the styles are. For 2012, the label sticks to classic, minimal lines. They feature simple bodices, bare backs, asymmetric necklines and swishy skirts. The gowns either have high or low tight waists, or full skirts. They’re also fond of using such exquisite fabrics as Chantilly lace, silk organza and tulle.
Filipina R & B singer Kyla will wed her boyfriend of five years, basketball star Rich Alvarez of the Talk n’ Text team in November of this year. Important details, such as the church and reception venue, will still have to be announced but this early, the bride says she wants it to have a “vintage Hollywood” theme.
“I want my guests to look beautiful and glamorous. They don’t necessarily have to be in formal, long gowns…just looking glamorous is enough.”
Kyla’s one more request is for her parents to sing at the reception. “My mom and dad were members of the same choir before, and it’s really my wish for them to sing the songs they’ve sang before, especially Filipino Kundiman songs.
So far, Rich and Karla have already filmed their Save the Date, pre-wedding video which was shot in Virgin Beach Resort in San Juan, Batangas. This lovely video was shot by Nice Print Photography.
So your fairy tale wedding is coming true….congratulations! Now begins your frantic preparations and of course the semingly-elusive search for the perfect wedding gown. A gown that will perfectly match that of your Prince Charming. How to do this? Wear a princess-inspired wedding gown, of course!
I was quite surprised to find out that the US-based Walt Disney company has a Disney Bridal collection where you can play the role of a Disney princess to the hilt with their wedding gown collection. For example, the Sleeping Beauty gown has a crystal beaded bodice with rose detail and “multiple layers of dreamy gossamer tulle, reminiscent of cascading briar rose petals.” View it here.
The Cinderella gown features a draped criss-cross bodice and a romantic sweetheart neckline accented with sparkling crystal beading and rhinestones. This is your classic ballgown of tulle and glitter net over taffeta, and reminisces what the storybook Cinderella wore with her glass slipper.
