RF in Powerhouse

Our photographer was recently featured in 'Powerhouse', a TV show in Qtv 11.

Though this is not the first time that you can see Raymond Fortun in TV, I was thrilled by this because he also discussed his works as a Wedding Photographer. 

Check it out:

RF in Powerhouse from Raymond Fortun on Vimeo.

Also, you can check his podcast in W@W here: RF Podcast

Road Trip #6: The One with the Caterer, finally!

March 17, 2012.

We had our scheduled food tasting with Eloquente last saturday. We've been eyeing them ever since we've decided to get a certain venue for our reception. Among all the accredited caterers, sila yung may magandang reviews and feedbacks. 

These are what they served us:

The food is great, especially the pink salmon and the vegetable with shrimp.We will try pa yung ibang menu nila later on.

And this is my always smiling AE, Grace. Ok naman yung naging usap namin. Sana until wedding day, maayos pa din.

Road Trip #5: The One with the Bridal Gown Part 1

When: March 10, 2012

Where: Divisoria

Who: Hanna and Russell

Last Saturday, I went to Divisoria to accompany Russell for her Bridal Gown fitting. Pero siyempre, i also have another agenda sa pagpunta dun:

1. Go to Tabora Street, the DIY heaven.
2. Check Ilaya street, madami daw fabric/tela dun.
3. Ask for quotations for my bridal gown
4. buy cellphone casing.hehe

 So, day before I printed a map of Divisoria kasi pareho kaming walang sense of direction ni rj. Saved the pix of my bridal gown pegs to my phone and sleep earlier than usual (mahaba-habang lakaran kinabukasan).

Come saturday, ang 1st stop namin is Tabora since after lunch pa ang appointment ni Rj sa couturier nya. Tabora is really a DIY heaven for B2Bs. Napakadaming small little things na pwedeng iDIY! What really got me excited was the invitation case that I was eyeing from Tiffany's Novelty, less than 50% lang ang price sa Tabora! Amazing! I just need to bring a sample nung paggagayahan nila. No problem with that kasi merong ganun yung pinsan ko! Yey! Nakakita din ako ng mga flowers, ribbons, cords, fans, etc na pwedeng gamitin ko sa DIYs ko.

After nun, we went to 168 mall kasi bili ako ng case ng phone. Dun pa kami nawala, hindi kasi covered ng printed map ko ang loob ng mall. Mali pala ang pagkakatanda ko nung store na bilihan.hehe. After ilang ikot, nakita na din namin yung store and i bought a Red case for my phone.

We skipped lunch muna since nagBrunch naman kami before going. We went straight to Tutuban for Here Comes the Gown, yung shop ng designer ni Rj. Below is her picture fitting her gown.

While nagfi-fit siya, other clients' comments were "Papakasal na siya? Ang bata pa niya" and "Ang payat naman niya, buti pa siya hindi na kelangan mgpapayat". I agree with the 2nd comment, life is so unfair.hehe.

After her fitting, nagpadesign na ko ng gown ko. Mentioning my 'sabog' na ideas, he was able to design a very nice gown. And the price? Pasok naman sa budget. Im considering him to be my designer, pero gusto ko pa din icheck ang quotes ng other designers muna before booking.

We ended our Divisoria tour with some shopping and super late lunch.

A very long and tiring day for me. Pero pagdating ko sa house, nakuha ko pang manood ng sine at pumorma.

Road Trip #4: The One with the Lawyer as Wedding Photographer

I've been following this photographer ever since I attended an officemate's wedding where he is a backup.
Here is the picture that I am tagged in which linked me to his facebook account:

After that, I always check his site for his wedding coverages. And i really like his pictures. When we started planning our wedding, he's among the first suppliers that I inquired at. At first, I thought that he's a little over our budget. So, nag-inquire muna ako sa ibang photographers and I found out na he's rate is still inexpensive for the quality of service that he is giving. So, we decided na balikan siya...

All inquiries and negotation were done through emails lang. I don't want a meet up kasi im afraid na baka ma-intimidate ako considering na he's a lawyer,hehe. He sends us the contract, and looking at the contract, alam mo na agad na lawyer ang mayari ng business kasi ang haba at masyadong technical.haha. We signed this contract and send it to him. Tinanong ko siya if he's going to send it back to us with his signature, and he said: 

The contract I sent is deemed to be an offer, and is legally accepted once that you send a signed copy to me. I am legally bound already by the terms even without my signature.

Ganun pala yun. O diba, May natutunan pa ko.haha.

So, who is this lawyer? Our official photographer, Raymond P.A. Fortun.

You can view his portfolio on this site: http://raymond42n.multiply.com/
Also, in that site, you can see that we are already in his calendar. :)

 

Road Trip #3: The One with the "Meet Up"

Last Feb. 25, 2012, we had our first supplier meet-up in Coffee Bean in Megamall. 

We met our prospect for videographer,

Aisle 1401 is owned and managed by an engaged couple, Anna and John. I thought they are already married kasi i read that Anna already left w@w and I assumed that its because they are already married. Yun pala, they will get married palang on March 2, 2013. (Exactly 1 month after our wedding.)

Anna is nice and friendly while John is tahimik lang at first. They explained how their business started and who are their partners. If I remembered it correctly, they have one videographer from ABS CBN and one from Star Cinema. They also mentioned na meron din silang ibang business, online shop. They are so business-oriented, nakakainggit. Ang tamad namin to setup a business, we're destined to be just employees.hehe.

After chika, we talked business na. Since we already exchanged emails with them so meron na kaming idea on their packages. We already picked 'The works' package. They explained the inclusions of this package and how they usually work. After that, we asked about the option on adding 4 mini-movies on our package. We just need to add x amount to our current package rate. We did not decide agad on the add ons, but we decided to book them na din, signed the contract and paid the 5,000php downpayment.

Another major supplier booked. Happiness. :)

Road Trip #2: The One with the Wedding Rings

We attended 2 bridal fairs last January 14, 2012. One in SMX and one in PICC. The only goal  is to get a feel on the rates of different suppliers and what freebies and discounts they offer in Bridal Fairs. We have no plan of booking anything since we still don't have the basic like church and venue for reception.

As we go around, we stopped at a certain Jewelry store I heard from my office mate and looked for possible designs of wedding ring. Siyempre, the people on the booth assisted us and told us the discount and freebies that we can get kung magbook kami sa fair. We just need to pay a 2000php reservation to lock the price of the gold and get the other freebies and discounts. So, ngpaquote kami ng possible designs from their album and we liked it naman. Since we don't want to be impulsive, kumain muna kami ng lunch at pinagisipan namin ng 1 hour, hehe. After mabusog, we decided to book it na.  

Presenting, our very first supplier, our supplier for our wedding rings:

< Sana hindi na magbago ang isip namin. :D >

Road Trip #1: The One with "Visita Iglesia"

The first thing we wanted to cross out in our long checklist is the church. Crossing this item out means finalizing the date of our wedding. So armed with our target dates, a full tank of gas, and the ever reliable Google maps and GPS, we head out to have oculars on our prospective churches within Metro Manila. This is sort of like doing a "Visita Iglesia" but instead of during the Lenten season we did it at the start of the year.

Santuario de San Jose Parish

Location: East Greenhills, Mandaluyong City

This is the first time for us to visit this church. It is located inside a sub-division so it is encapsulated from the busy streets of the city. It is definitely spacious inside, I think enough for more than 200 persons/parishioners. The aisle is long enough for the bride to savour her moment but not too long that she'll end up catching her breath when she reached the altar. The interior has a mixture of gold and wooden accents and has many stained glass windows which I think is perfect for wedding photos. The church is air-conditioned so no need to worry about the humidity of the city. We like this church but we are not ready to book it yet. So we moved on to the next church on our list.

Christ the King Parish

Location: Greenmeadows , Quezon City

We are lucky when we arrived at the church because there's an ongoing wedding. This gives us the opportunity to catch the environment of the church during actual weddings. Since the church is big, we noticed that it looks so empty when there are only few guests attending the ceremony. The interior of the church is beautiful, there's a huge Christ the king image at the center of the altar and a pipe organ at the side. Although the interior of the church is beautiful and air-conditioned, there is no "this is it" moment for us. The entrance of the church is a sliding glass door so there is no "suspense" moment when the bride enters the church. We are looking for a church with wooden/non-transparent doors which has a nice effect when the bride enters the church.

Nuestra Senora de Gracia

Location: Makati City

The moment we got out of the car and saw the church, we were amazed by its beauty. The facade of the church under a blue sky was enough for us to say "this can be our church". The steps leading to the entrance looks grand and perfect for photo ops. When we went inside, the interior has a dramatic feel with its nice ceiling and chandelier. The church is small and is perfect for couples with limited guests. We are greatly considering this church so we pencil booked it for January 26.

Hearts of Jesus and Mary parish

Location: Quezon City

We visited this church weeks after we pencil booked Nuestra Senora de Gracia. This church was not originally on our list and we stumble upon it when we were looking for our reception venue. Since we are highly considering Elements Centris located at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Ave. as our reception venue, we searched the internet for nearby churches and the hearts of Jesus and Mary parish was on top of the list. The church is small but it is very charming. Just like Santuario de San Jose, it is also located inside a sub-division so we don't have to worry about noise. The interior of the church is very neat and well lit. Although it is not air-conditioned, the sides of the church were open so fresh air can easily come in and out. One thing that catches our attention was the fire truck beside the church since it is adjacent to the fire department of the sub-division. I think the fire truck was the main reason why we immediately booked this church for February 2, 2013. :D