Countdown: 6 months!

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And just like that, we’re down to six (6) months! Yes, only six freaking months left for us before we crossover to a new civil status. I’m starting to feel the pressure and the rush as our weekends gets more and more hectic. But before we move to the potentially crazier months, it’s time to do another checkpoint. =)

To-do list 6 months ago:

•  Groom’s Attire > EA Casedo Embroidery (Rey Casedo)
• Parents' and Entourage's Attire > Jeff House of Fashion
• Engagement Shoot Moodboard > Done c/o Styling by Aira Franco
• Blueprint for DIY Invitations > In Progress (pocketfolds almost complete!)
•  Initial Food Tasting and Detailing > Done through ad-hoc food tastings and email detailing
•  More DIY Accessories > Matches; Shoe Sticker Decals (bought from e-bay)

Wow! Everything was ticked off! But wait, there's more! Haha. Aside from those we also managed to book/complete/ the following:

• Emcee - Darlene Tan Salazar
• Bridal Car - AdeB Entreprises
• Lights Supplier - LST Mobile
• Hotel Preps - Diamond Hotel
• Actual Engagement Shoot – Done last June
• Boudoir Shoot – Done last March

The process of creating my gown has also started. I had my measurements taken last May and last Sunday was my 3^rd fitting. Many more to come as we close the year.

So that was a packed half-year, but it certainly pales in comparison to what lies ahead. Haha. Target for the next 3 months (I’m splitting the remaining 6 months into 2 timelines) are as follows:

1. Free Prenup Shoot with Chasing Tales Photography
2. Completion of pocketfolds
3. Layouts for invites and other stationery
4. Production of entourage attires
5. Actual detailing with Josiah’s
6. Wedding shoes
7. Documents for the wedding
8. Lot hunting (yes this is included in the wedding related tasks)
9. Band for our reception

It really is getting more and more exciting and nerve-wracking day by day. Oh well, bring it on! =)

Cheers!

Set To Be Indulged at Diamond Hotel

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Our Diamond Indulgence cards are here! Well, it's under my name, but we all know that this is Adrin and I's membership card. The package arrived in this neat envelope.

Which contains this booklet that outlines the benefits of being a Diamond Indulgence member.

 Can't wait to use these vouchers! =)

For those of you who are contemplating on availing of this card too, please see full benefits I've listed below. = )

Diamond Indulgence Membership Benefits

(Annual Membership Fee: P6,500.00)

1. Dining Benefits

The following discounts exclude tax, gratuity, tobacco and beverages or alcoholic beverages and are valid at participating restaurants. Non-transferable. Not valid for catering. Valid only one card per booking. Valid only one card per table.

Upon presentation of a valid membership card prior to dining, members will be provided with a complimentary meal for all dining periods at all participating restaurant outlets, on each dining occasion when accompanied by one or more paying guests. The complimentary portion of your bill is determined by dividing the total food bill (excluding tax, gratuity, tobacco and beverages or alcoholic beverages) by the number of people in your dining party, and subtracting that amount from the original bill. Non-transferable.

• Applicable at Corniche, Yurakuen, Sky Lounge at Diamond Hotel:
• 20% for cardholder when dining alone
• 50% for cardholder and one (1) guest
• 33.3% for cardholder and two (2) guests
• 25% for cardholder and three (3) guests
• 20% for cardholder and four (4) guests

• 20% discount for dine in only at the following establishments:
• Lobby Lounge at the  Diamond
• Cake Club at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati

2. Beverage Discount

Member shall receive a fifteen percent (15%) discount on all beverages at the Hotel. Non-transferable.

3. Lunch or Dinner Buffer at Corniche

Member shall receive one (1) voucher valid for complimentary Lunch or Dinner Buffet for two (2) persons at  Corniche. This voucher is valid for three (3) months from purchase of membership. Non-transferable.

4. Special Occasion Voucher

One (2) " Special Occasion" voucher for fifty percent (50%) discount on the total food bill in any participating restaurant, when dining at a table of six (6) to twelve (12) people. Not valid with any other discounts or promotions. Transferable.

5. Beverage Benefit

Two (2) vouchers for complimentary second round for two (2) people excluding premium brands, wne the first round of drinks was fully paid at Sky Lounge. Non-transferable.

6. Complimentary Bottle of Wine

Member shall receive one (1) voucher valid for one (1) bottle of house wine when dining at any participating restaurant when dining in a group of two (2) or more. (With minimum consumable amount to be spent of P2,000.00) Non-transferable.

7. Complimentary Appetizer

Member shall receive one (1) voucher for complimentary appetizer when dining in a group of four (4) ore more people at Yurakuen or Sky Lounge. (With minimum consumable amount to be spent of P2,000.00) Non-transferable.

8. Cash Vouchers

Member shall receive eight (8) vouchers valued at P100.00 (One Hundred Pesos) each to be used when dining at any participating restaurant. Member discounts apply. One (1) voucher can be used per visit. Non-transferable.

9. Accommodation Benefits

Member may access preferred member rate to book rooms for friends and business associates. Member or membership need not be present at time of his or her guest check-in to qualify for the specified rates. Subject to availability and prior reservations requested.

• Member shall receive one (1) voucher for  pay one (1) room night on member rates and get the second night free. Inclusive of breakfast for two (2) persons at Corniche. Non-transferable.
• Member shall receive two (2) vouchers for pay two (2) room nights on member rates and get the third night free. Inclusive of breakfast for two (2) persons at Corniche. Non-transferable.
• A preferred member's rate at ten percent (10%) off the best available local rate. Subject to availability at time of reservation. Transferable.
• Member shall receive two (2) vouchers for Suite upgrade at cost of P5,000.00++ per night. Non-transferable.
• Member shall receive receive 50% off rack rates. Applicable seven (7) days a week. 
• Member shall be entitled to late check-out. Flexible check-out time, not to exceed four (4) hours before or after posted time. Subject to availability.

10. Banquet/Conference Benefits

• Member shall receive one (1) lunch/dinner voucher for two (2) persons at Corniche for a one-time banquet for every P75,000.00, excluding tax and service charge. Transferable.
• Member shall receive one (1) lunch/dinner for two (2) at Yurakuen worth P4,000.00 for a one-time banquet event worth P100,000.00, excluding tax and service charge. Transferable.
• Member shall receive one (1) overnight stay voucher for a one-time banquet event worth P250,000.00, excluding tax and service charge. Transferable.

11. Other Benefits

• Health and Fitness Center
• Member shall receive one (1) voucher for one (1) week trial workout to the health and fitness center including the use of swimming pool and gym. Non-transferable.
• Member shall receive fifty percent (50%) off membership fee at the gym, Applicable for one year membership only. Valid for new members or first time guests only. Not valid for existing members. Non-transferable.
• Member shall receive twenty percent (20%) off for massages at Diamond Spa and ten percent (10%) off on reflexology treatments at the LifeSpan Reflexology. Non-transferable.

• Member for a Day
• Member shall receive two (2) vouchers entitling the holder to the standard dining benefits for one (1) day. Transferable.

• Renewal Benefit
• Member shall receive one (1) complimentary Spouse Card when renewing the membership.
• Member shall receive one (1) dining voucher for complimentary lunch/dinner for two (2) at Corniche.

• Referral Benefit
• Member shall receive one (1) complimentary dining voucher for two (2) for either lunch or dinner at Corniche for every successful referral.

• Sundry Boutique
• Member shall receive ten percent (10%) off at Sundry Boutique except on magazines, newspapers, and Royce chocolates.

12. Black-out Dates

•  Dining
• Valentine's Day
• Easter Sunday
• Christmas Eve and Day
• New Year's Eve and Day
• Accommodations
• Black Saturday
• New Year's Eve

Diamond Hotel Philippines

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Cheers!

Hotel Preps: Ocular and Booking at Diamond Hotel

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After my first fitting with Hana, on our way to our reception venue, we called Diamond Hotel and checked if can do an ocular that day despite being informed the day before that there's no available room. By some twist of luck, the girl on the line said that there's a vacant Executive Suite and we can do visit that afternoon. 

We finished a few more wedding errands first and had afternoon snacks. By the time we got to Diamond Hotel, it was already dusk. We approached the manager on duty and shared our agenda, and so she happily accompanied us to the available suite for an ocular. As we entered the room, she shared to us the room size (88sqm), booking inclusions (breakfast for 2), check-in/out policies, and the like. Since we said that we're considering it as our preps venue for our wedding, she shared to us the bridal packages they're offering at the moment.

Since I've already done an extensive research beforehand, there's not much questions from us at that point so I just took some snaps of the room. 

The living room - from the main door

The living room - from the bedroom door

The bedroom - from the living room

The bedroom - from the inner bath room

The bath room

Since we'd like to know more about the Diamond Indulgence membership and how we can leverage the benefits for our hotel bookings, the manager (sorry I forgot her name) endorsed us to the Kath, the Diamond Indulgence specialist. 

Kath explained to us the benefits of being an Indulgence member and the annual membership cost. It will set us back by Php6,500 but that is a meager amount compared to the perks and room discounts we can get just for our wedding preps booking. Kath was nice enough to do a comparison computation so we can appreciate the advantages better. And then there are also the dining and wellness benefits for our taking. So it's really a no brainer that we avail of the membership.

After signing-up for the Indulgence card, we proceeded with the booking order. Kath noted the dates for our reservation so she can already do an advance booking. We can pay on another date when we already have the card and the vouchers. Probably we'll just do the payment once we avail of the complimentary buffet at Corniche on my birthday [Update: Corniche Birthday Dinner]. Will share that experience to you too, so stay tuned! =)

Cheers!

The Hotel Choices

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For me, preparation venue is just as important as the reception venue. As early as last year, I was already on the lookout for the best hotel that will suit our needs. It was only recently though that I turned the research into an active and serious hunt.

Our ceremony will be at Intramuros so naturally my shortlist comprises of the hotels nearby (Intramuros and Roxas Boulevard area). I checked their rooms and published rates online for initial comparison and even went as far as placing a dummy booking online (I'd cancel before the payment part) to get more accurate figures. Some would clearly standout from the rest in terms of aesthetics, but they were equally matched with skyrocketing rates.

Not one for a compulsive booking, I then consulted our coordinator for some feedback. I also turned to the ever reliable W@W to read on reviews. Here's what my list looked like after.

So you see, booking Sofitel will not only make a huge dent on our budget, it will also be more difficult for us to bring in lunch for the family and suppliers. Lest we resort to sneaky tactics, which are not fool-proof by the way, we run the risk of getting hungry and surly even before the ceremony. Handing out supplier allowance is not a good option since we don't want the suppliers to still think of how to get their food when they should be focused on doing their best for our big day. And of course another major minus point is for the outrageous fee you have to pay just to be allowed for some snapshots around the hotel! No way will I shell out that amount just for that. Thus, even if I like Sofitel best, I had to let it go.

Manila Hotel is a good contender except for the same concern of bringing food up the hotel rooms. Plus, I'm not really into its Filipiniana aesthetics. Its interior looks too old fashioned for my liking so it's scrapped off the list. Pan Pacific Manila got average feedback so I took it out also knowing the Diamond and Hyatt Hotels have a better standing.

Seriously considering Hyatt and Diamond, I had an extensive inquiry with their respective reservations specialists. I inquired about room sizes, late check-out policy, maximum guests allowed inside the room, and the like. I learned that Hyatt only has 1 or 2 renovated rooms for each room type. I asked if they can give it to me, but I was told that they can't commit on that and they'll just learn of room assignments days leading up to the actual reserved dates. That is a blow to my scoreboard so I decided not to do an ocular with them anymore. 

For Diamond Hotel on the other hand, I explored the Diamond Indulgence membership and looked into the possibility of getting that to save up some bucks for our stay. I was sent the list of privileges and when I computed, it really resulted to some savings for us. Interesting right? After learning that I asked if we can visit the hotel and do an ocular of the rooms. I was told that I can inquire a day before my prospected visit to check if the rooms we'd like to see are available. Now, this we have to squeeze in our schedule real soon. Can't wait!

Cheers!