Wish #1: Cupcakes as Wedding Giveaways

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Along with my new found hobby--baking, came a few orders. Two weeks ago, a friend called me up to inquire if I can make 200 cupcakes for her friend's upcoming wedding since they plan for the sweet treats to be the giveaways. This is the first time that I was commissioned to bake that much, and so I was a bit reluctant but still decided to accept the job. 

Adrin has always been supportive of this hobby of mine and consistently cheered me on whenever we receive orders from time to time. We’re partners in this venture; I do the baking and packaging preparation while he does the packaging preps, cupcake boxing, driving, and other thinking parts.

We shopped for the ingredients and cupcake boxes a week before the event. That same weekend, my supportive family helped me assemble majority of the boxes. On the other hand, Adrin printed and cut the tags that we’ll stick on each cupcake box.  He also prepared the makeshift delivery boxes that we’ll use to transport the goodies.

The day before the event was spent baking and boxing. It took us a really long time to complete everything. These giveaways surely are out of labor of love, and I hope that the guests will truly enjoy and savor eating them.

Now, if only we can do this for our very own wedding. It would be really nice and fulfilling to give our guests something they can enjoy and produced out of our own effort. Much more so since we want to digress from the usual giveaways of small what-nots with no other use but to gather dust. It would just be very hard to do that because surely we won’t have the time to bake and prepare the goodies anymore since we’ll be focused on the wedding preps. Even if we do, I don’t like the idea that we’ll be so tired heading to our wedding. Oh well, I guess I’ll just be content with baking for other people’s events for now. 

Cheers,

Photo/Video Supplier: Ariel Javelosa

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We finally booked our photographer and videographer! When I first did my research, this supplier immediately landed to our top 3 choices because of good reviews, reasonable rates, and quality output. After our first bridal fair experience, where we diligently made rounds to each photo/video supplier out there, we’re won over by their works and by the cheerful gentleman who entertained us during our inquiry.

And after a few months of waiting, in the hopes of booking our church first, and finding out (through an online article) that the man we talked to was Mr. Javelosa himself, we finally decided to book Ariel Javelosa Photography. We see no more sense in waiting since we’re no longer looking at other options. Aside from that, we know that booking them early will give us the advantage to lock their current rates.

The Man And The Wisdom
Behind Ariel Javelosa Photography

So last Saturday, after booking our venue, we went straight to NBC Tent for the Weddings ‘n Beyond bridal exhibit for another reservation agenda. Upon entering the hall, we immediately saw their booth and headed there. We were hoping to see Sir Ariel so we could actually make the reservation with him. But to our dismay, we did not see him there and was entertained by an unpersuasive lady staff instead. After several minutes of talking to her about their packages and deals for the day, Sir Ariel came out of nowhere and proceeded to assist some other clients who just arrived at their booth. With no more questions to ask to the lady staff and with Sir Ariel still engaged with another client, we decided to go around the hall first and just return to their booth later. Walking around the cramped tent, we discussed which package to book and which freebies/discount to avail.

As soon as we’ve come to a decision, we went back to Ariel Javelosa’s booth and were happy to find Sir Ariel free to entertain us. He immediately recognized us as the couple inquiring a while ago, and asked us if we have further questions. We just threw him a few questions and he in turn asked about our wedding details. It was also very nice of him to give us tips regarding photography style and prenup pictorial process even if we hadn’t expressed our intent to book them yet. Talking to him for the second time just convinced us more that we’ll be in good hands with his team. :) Next, we said that we’ll be getting their services and shared the package and freebies we’ll be getting. Sir Ariel’s generosity was not limited to tips and advices as he gave us additional free services!!! It was a smooth and effortless transaction for a very sulit deal. We completed the forms, gave our reservation payment and went out of NBC tent with such big smiles on our faces.


Cheers!

Reception Venue: Grandview Events Place

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Being a member of W@W has a lot of advantages. You get to see a lot of creative ideas, share thoughts and sentiments with other soon-to-be brides, and read about various suppliers and venues. That is where I first encountered Grandview Events Place. A fellow w@wie posted about it since she is also considering the place. I got curious so I checked it for myself online. I found out that it's a newly opened, Korean-owned events venue in the heart of Makati City. The business just opened last December 2011 and to date, has accommodated several events already. Seeing the pictures online, we immediately included it in our shortlist. 

I inquired about their rates for venue rental on their Facebook page and after several days, they responded to me via email. The rates they sent fits our budget perfectly so the next thing I did is check if Josiah's, our chosen caterer, is accredited in their venue. I called Grandview and they said that Josiah's is one of their partners and it's okay even if we'll just get the venue and have a separate transaction with the caterer (we already have this since we booked them last March). Separately, I also confirmed with Josiah’s that they are accredited in our target venue. Cool, all the signs are green so far. We just need to personally see the place before finally making the reservation.

Yesterday we went to the venue for an ocular and possible booking. Reymart, from their reservation office, guided us through the place. We first visited Aphrodite Hall since this is the one that can accommodate our guest list. It can comfortably sit 300 guests (our list is a lot less than that) with banquet setup and rent of the place already includes mood lights, basic sound system, and projector with white screen. The hall was bare and dim when we first entered but you can still see the elegance of it. Reymart turned all the lights on, including the chandeliers and mood lights and this is what we saw.

Few steps from the door. Sorry for including the vacuum. :P

The right ceiling panel with a row of chandeliers.

View from the first columns, and past the vacuum. :P

Next he led us to the holding rooms and make-up room. Since the place is Korean-owned, they provide separate rooms for the bride and groom. This is in line with the Korean tradition of holding the wedding ceremony and reception in a single place and the couple cannot see each other before it starts. Lavatory is decent, spacious and will not pose a problem even if you have a lot of guests. Renting the place gives us 20 guaranteed parking slots at the back of the building so our guests need not park at the side streets.

After the tour and some Q&A, we went back to the reception office and talked about allotted hours, possible change of date, and payment terms. With all signs still green, we booked the place for our wedding date. Since we made the reservation before June 2012, we get to lock their introductory price which is 20K less than the published rate! That spelled some savings for us!  Yippee!!!

After making rounds for 3 months, we finally found the place that suits us best. =D

Cheers!