The Wedding Fact Sheet

I recently attended a styling class at Oceana restaurant and events place in San Miguel by the Bay near Mall of Asia and easily thought of it as a good wedding venue. I like its crisp white surroundings which can be a good backdrop for one’s dream wedding, especially for a country/Victorian theme.

The place is divided into a fine dining restaurant boasting of international cuisine while the events venue can accommodate 350 seats. Aside from its white interiors, Oceana also has a good view of Manila Bay (hence the name) and guests can enjoy the breeze or spread out outside for some al fresco dining or smoking.

I was able to get hold of their brochure and Oceana has a wedding package price of as low as P147,000 for 150 persons for lunch and dinner. The brunch wedding package price, on the other hand, starts at P129,220 (or P784 per person). This is the 2010-2011 rate.

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Pergola, CCP Complex (Photo from the official website)

Opened only in May 2010, the Pergola at what used to be the Boom na Boom grounds in CCP Complex is the newest wedding venue in Manila. I pass by the area everyday on my way to the office and noticed the octagonal structure. It is in the same compound as Wensha Spa, Legend Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant, Pier One, Baga Berde and a few other bars. I think the advantage of this venue is its location. It is situated between three cities – Manila, Pasay and Makati, a plus if you have guests coming from all three areas. Parking appears to be good (the website says they can accommodate 500 vehicles), and guests who have no cars can easily commute because there are jeepneys, buses and taxis around plus an LRT station nearby.

There are at least 12 churches from the three cities I earlier mentioned that is near this venue. Holding your wedding reception at the Pergola also means that you enlist only their accredited caterers. No worries since the caterers are topnotch, if you consider Cafe Ysabel, Ilustrado, Josiah’s Catering, Tamayos, Via Mare, La Mer of LJC Group of Restaurants, to name just a few.

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In what looks like a tribal Igorot wedding, movie actor Robin Padilla has wed his girlfriend of only a few months (or is it weeks?) Mariel Rodriguez last September 13 in romantic Baguio City. We watched today’s TV Patrol Episode showing Robin and Mariel wearing woven ethnic clothing. Reports said a native priest officiated the Ibaloi ceremony, with the couple drinking tapuy (rice wine) and performing the tayaw native dance to symbolize their union and love for each other.

Though naysayers are ready to express their doubts of the endurance of this union, I find it refreshing to see them embark on a tribal wedding that it, at once, unconventional and focuses on native customs and traditions in the Philippines. Perhaps, it entails being a celebrity to do something that’s completely out of the beaten track. Robin explained that they chose a tribal wedding because his mother, Eva Carino, is an Igorot. Actually, the ceremony reminds me of another whirlwind romance of yore – Boyet (Christopher de Leon) and Ate Guy (Nora Aunor) who were wed in a beach in Pagudpud, if my memory serves me right

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Debutantes, grooms and brides-to-be will gather once again at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, the only five-star hotel in Cebu City, for its much-awaited annual “SEASONS: A Debutante and Bridal Fair” on August 28 to 29, 2010. Cebu’s best designers, stylists, florists, photographers as well as makers of jewelry, giveaways, and invitation cards will be offered in one venue. There will be useful tips on skincare, makeup, and wedding etiquette by industry experts. Highlighting the event are the debutante and bridal fashion shows featuring the latest couture creations of the Fashion Council of Cebu, composed of today’s celebrated designers Jun Escario, Albert Arriba, Arcy Gayatin and Philip Rodriguez, among others. For inquiries and reservations, call (032) 253-1111 (in Cebu) and 8871263 (in Manila)

Modern brides are indeed lucky! They get help from all kinds of media these days, including wedding blogs like this and of course the wedding websites. The newly-launched Bridalbook.ph is one such site and caters to the bride looking forward to have her dream wedding in the Philippines. I expect this site to get bigger as it belongs to the Summit media group, which also publishes Martha Stewart Weddings (Philippines).

Brides-to-be would do well registering as a member of bridalbook.ph to be able to talk with fellow members in the Forums or create her own Bridal Book. I also saw helpful articles like DIY projects and answers to questions about wedding etiquette. Moments like this, I look back at my own wedding preparations where I read as much as possible about wedding stuff on the internet and browsed bridal magazines. It all helped me well in the end.
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Summit Ridge hotel, Tagaytay

Our family went up to Tagaytay this weekend to savor the cool breeze and stayed at Summit Ridge hotel.We enjoyed our stay here because of its modern amenities (free wifi!) and the scenic view of Taal volcano from our fourth floor balcony. Summit Ridge is the newest hotel building to rise in Tagaytay and its advantage from competitors like Taal Vista is the mall-promenade beside it. No need to go far because everything is beside your hotel – restaurants, coffeeshops, boutiques, even a hardware store and supermarket. Parking is also very convenient.

Because of its big space, the ten-storey Summit Ridge makes for an ideal wedding venue. In fact, it has three ballrooms and three function rooms for special celebrations like anniversaries, birthdays and weddings. The biggest ballroom, Raintree A, can accommodate 240 persons while Raintree B & C, can seat up to 150 people each. All three ballrooms combined has space for 400 to 500 people.
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Recently, I was attend the launch of the new line of liquid foundation by Artistry, the prestige make-up brand of Amway. One of the highlights of the launch was a fashion show featuring wedding gown creations by designer to the stars Francis Libiran. He has made red carpet gowns for the likes of beauteous actresses Anne Curtis and Bea Alonzo. During a brief chat, the youthful Francis revealed that one can have a wedding gown made with him for as low as P17,000 (seventeen thousand pesos). For a celebrity designer, that’s certainly reasonable!

We certainly give the thumbs up to his wedding gowns, which were simple yet stunning. When asked what the wedding trends for 2010 will be, he mentioned that the color tone for the entourage will now veer on pastels, as opposed to the dark colors last year. This means the return of pink, lavender, lime green and other light colors. Instead of straight silhouettes, wedding gowns will have more frills at the bottom edges, like what you see in these gowns:

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Divisoria in Manila, Philippines is the ultimate refuge for the harassed bride on a budget. Even if it is unconsidered “unglamorous,” the truth of the matter is that even the most famous designers and couturiers go here for their raw materials and other supplies.

A walk down Divi will easily cut your wedding expenses in half. What you can find here: souvenirs, wedding giveaways, wedding accessories like necklaces, and of course ready-made wedding dresses for as low as 2K (about $40) , bridal entourage gowns for as low as 800 pesos (about $18) – all of them come in different sizes already. If you have your own style, the Divisoria tailors will customize the gowns for you, just be sure to give them the magazine clipping or photocopy of the image.

This is what I did when I had my daughters’ flower girls’ gowns done by a shop in Yangco Building, a place dedicated to wedding dresses and supplies in Divisoria. I just printed the picture I saw on the internet. I was happy with the outcome, although I remember being worried because the shop was so delayed in their promise to deliver. So one tip when you avail of the made-to-order services of the Divisoria shops: allow for lead time in delivery because they might be attending to a lot of clients. Anyway, I was really happy with how my daughters’ gown turned out. They certainly looked lovely, don’t you think?

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Photo via Agent Provocateur

In the run-up to the wedding, a bride often fusses and frets about her wedding gown. But there’s one thing that should also hold equal importance: her wedding lingerie, or what she wears inside the gown.

Bridal undergarments are a serious business since they determine the degree of comfort of the bride on her special day. A body shaper or waist slimmer would be handy to make sure no unsightly bulges are showing beneath her frock. There’s also the delicate matter of her bra. What to wear, for example, if her gown is almost backless? Happy to say that there are special brassieres for that, bra designs which will stay invisible at the right corners.
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It was the hubby who introduced me to the pleasures of Tiffany. A living testament is the Tiffany wedding ring and Tiffany engagement ring I wear on my left hand which I consider to be one of my most precious possessions in this world. So in love are both of us with Tiffany that we tried to incorporate it into our wedding. We managed to come up with a single-tier Tiffany wedding cake atop a cupcake tower expertly made by master baker Joy San Gabriel. It was all things pretty, yummy and sweet!

Tiffany Love by mrsz featuring Monsoon accessories

If me and my husband are to get married again, I’d surely choose a Tiffany wedding theme. The color itself is classy and far from ordinary. Most of all, it will blend perfectly with a white wedding gown.
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