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!

Ad-hoc Food Tasting with Josiah's

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Last week we had a chance to attend another food tasting of Josiah’s. We would like to attend as much of these events this early to try the food in their selection to help us finalize the menu for our big day. We already mentioned this to our AE, Happy, but since she’s on maternity leave, she wasn’t able to take care of it. Upon seeing the FT invite in Facebook, I just asked her to help us sign-up for it so she endorsed me to Meanne, our sales contact. She took care of our registration and mentioned that Lea will be assisting us during the event.

We got there pretty much on time and we immediately asked for Lea. After introducing ourselves, we were given seats and led to the buffet table. It was a small event so the styling was very simple without any theme.

Cocktail table setup

Table centerpiece. I will not get this for
our wedding since it's not well maintained. :(

Adrin started with the salad and he tried both the Balsamic Vinaigrette and the Citrus Dressing. He can't understand the flavor of the former and finds the latter very refreshing. I was only able to grab a forkful of the citrus summer salad from his plate and I agree with his description. 

Salad table

I, on the other hand, started with the Roasted Pepper and Shrimp Bisque. It tastes fine for me and can actually consider it as an option since it's not the usual creamy kind. Adrin, however, didn't like it and considers the Potato Garlic and Cheese Soup we had last year a better choice. Since he reminded me of that, I agreed that the bisque doesn't quite provide the comfort and goodness we experienced last year.

On to the hot buffet, they had two kinds of rice -- plain steamed rice and Mushroom and Walnut Risotto. Nothing special to expect of course from the steamed rice, while the risotto didn't measure up with our standards. It doesn't taste like risotto at all and just tastes like a normal soy based fried rice. 

Mushroom and Walnut Risotto

For the viand, let's start with Spinach and Mushroom Fish Casserole. This ones a winner for us because of it's cheesy goodness and softness of the fish. The spinach and mushroom also blended well with the texture of the fish and gave the dish a hint of flavor here and there to break the monotony. 

Spinach and Mushroom Fish Casserole

They prepared Sundried Tomato and Cream Cheese Stuffed Roast Chicken as the poultry dish. Not being a fan of sundried tomatoes, I opted this out of our list. Adrin gave way since he thinks there's nothing distinct with it too. We're also looking out for the other ones in the menu list and we hope to try them next time.

Sundried Tomato and Cream Cheese Stuffed Roast Chicken

Baby Back Ribs is the pork dish. After first bite, we had to recall what its name is. Why? Because we don't remember seeing lechon out there in the buffet but the sauce of that pork exactly tastes like it. Wanting to avoid the same confusion on our wedding day, we also crossed this out of our options.

Baby Back Ribs

We were also able to try the US Roast Beef w/ Mashed Potato and Mushroom Gravy Sauce. It's decent and will actually be a safe choice for us but since the gravy is a bit bland for me, I want to try their red wine reduction as sauce next time.

US Roast Beef w/ Mashed Potato and Mushroom Gravy

They had Tempura served so we got some. It's like those tempura you can find in average Japanese restaurants. Since seafood is not included in our chosen package, there's no point dissecting this one. 

Seeing vegetables in our menu package, we immediately looked for it but looks like they did not have any prepared that day. I let Adrin try on some pasta. This one need not be judged and scrutinized as we're getting the whole bar with on-the-spot cooking anyway.

Gourmet Pasta Bar

Lastly for dessert, we tried each kind on the bar but similar with the pasta, there's really no point discussing over them since were getting 15 kinds out of 16 in the list. We'll just finalize which one not to get but as of today we're eyeing to drop the mocha cake out. 

Desserts

All in all, it was a productive day for us. We we're able to cross some items out as we wait to try the other dishes which we can also pick. Crossing our fingers to join the next food tasting event of Josiah's!

Cheers!

There Goes My Commitment-Free Food Tasting…

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March 25, 2012… the day we booked our first ever supplier. We were in just for another free food tasting without the slightest intention of making reservations. Or so we thought…

I learned of Josiah’s Grand Food Tasting event from their website. Since I’ve been hearing good comments from colleagues regarding this caterer, it immediately caught my attention. I thought it would be nice to actually get to try their food and see for ourselves if the raves our true. After all, we are in scout for a good caterer. I pre-registered for the event and we arrived there at around half-past-eleven on a cloudy and gloomy Sunday. We were surprised to see several other wedding suppliers when we entered the hall. Since we were still waiting for our turn to be accommodated by Ms. MeAnn, our assigned Josiah’s staff, we just looked around first and checked if there is any other supplier in the room that might catch our interest.

Once we saw that Ms. MeAnn was free already, we immediately proceeded to her area so we can start discussing their packages. First impression, she looked really jolly and friendly. She made her spiel about what they have to offer and other freebies that we can get if we book them that day. The offer she made was really good because of the numerous pricey freebies she’s giving away at a very reasonable discounted rate. We discussed several scenarios, asked regarding possible price increases, and also date rescheduling. She answered all our queries happily and at the end of it all, waited for our answer if we’ll proceed with the reservation. Mind you, she was not that pushy, but of course it was still hard to answer her right away because I feel that Adrin and I should discuss first privately and more importantly, we’ve yet to taste the food. Hehe.  So Adrin told her that we can’t give our answer right away and she took this as a cue and asked us to eat and enjoy the food they prepared and see the setup of the venue.

The theme they had for the day was Roadtrip. We saw mock-road signs all over the place. They also used street signs as signage for the different food stations. Flowers that were used for the centerpieces were bright and those that can typically be seen along the roads when traveling.

Love Story Buffet: A Josiah's Grand Food Tasting

We were served potato soup as soon as we took a seat. After enjoying the creamy and filling soup, we immediately headed to the buffet tables. First stop, Interactive Salad Bar. Here the greens were served in a cute cocktail glass and you can choose your preferred dressing. Next stop, Main Courses. There was an array of different dishes and we enjoyed almost all(I found the pork with apple dish way too fatty). We lined-up next for the Gourmet Pasta Bar. It showcases their on-the spot cooking service where you choose your noodles, ingredients, and pasta sauce – and have it cooked (more like tossed in the pan) in front of you before being served. We tried both red and white sauces and happily finished them. Unfortunately when we were already up for dessert, the dessert bar was already empty.

While we were actually eating, Adrin and I already discussed whether we liked the food or not. At the end, we found ourselves really satisfied and convinced of booking them. We had a major concern though, to book them means that we’ll spill the beans and tell them that our real wedding date is January 2014 and not January 2013. I surely cannot do that. I’m certain that if I’m the one to admit that to Ms. MeAnn, I’d feel really guilty about lying to her and tears will be streaming down my face even before I can open my mouth. Haha. Yes, I’m that iyakin. So we agreed that that was for Adrin to do. Teehee. =P

We requested for Ms. MeAnn's presence again so we can provide her some of our comments, tell our real wedding date and ask for a re-computation of the package. While Adrin was telling her the real scenario, I was just looking down at my plate the whole time teary-eyed. I was that ashamed and guilty. Haha. Anyway, she just brushed it off and just told us about the additional cost to the initial computation she gave since our date is still too far from today and they can only give the initial quotation for events until mid-2013. We’re okay with that since we understand that of course there will be price increases from now until that date and they will surely want to factor that in the quotation they’ll give us now. She excused herself so she can discuss and secure approval first from her manager and came back with the new rates. They were really nice to give us very minimal additional and so we booked them right away, paid for the reservation fee, and signed the draft contract. We’re officially a Josiah’s couple!  

We were such happy campers when we walked out of 1Esplanade. We found out that planning and researching for suppliers is fun, BUT actually making a reservation is way way more exciting!

Cheers!

Of Bridal Fair and Food Tastings

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It has already been a part of my routine to check bridal fair schedules. Luckily right after the Feb event that we attended, there's another one scheduled this March. Not only that, VS&F and Center Table Catering were both holding food tasting events on that weekend. Perfect!All the more reason for us to spend a day of our weekend for wedding preps again. You guys must know the drill by now. I told Adrin about it, we agreed to go, and I pre-registered for all 3 events. We arranged our schedule like this; (1)VS&F food tasting around lunch time; (2) supplier scouting; (3) Center Table food tasting as late merienda/early dinner. Strategic right?!  Upon arriving at SMX convention center, we immediately registered and we were handed our name tags and claim stub for the bag souvenir and other giveaways. 

First stop, VS&F’s area to have our lunch. Hihi. Seems like most other participants also thought strategically so when we got there all the staff of VS&F had their hands full already. We were asked to sit first and wait for a sales person who can attend to us. While waiting for food to be served, I can’t help but notice how nice they have styled the area (was not able to take pictures since it was not allowed). The theme was Nautical with hues of Red, Blue and White. They had anchors and floaters hung on the wall, while each table was decorated with a wooden ship. Bottles filled with sand served as table numbers. Long minutes passed and we were served with soup. Their menu that day was Seafood Chowder and Creamy Spinach Soup. Both hungry, we gorged the soup and made our evaluations. They were very good so we noted in our sheets our rating. It took quite a longer time for them to serve us the main courses. When they finally arrived, Adrin and I took turns trying each course and agreed to only comment after both of us have tried the dish. I cannot remember anymore what we had but in general, we find most of their dishes a bit bland but some were noted as passable. Dessert came and they were presented really well. As for taste, let’s just say that our eyes were more pleased. We have already finished eating and yet no one came to discuss about their services so we just decided to go around the hall first and just return later to check their packages.

By now we realized that when in fairs,it's more fruitful to focus on suppliers for one key element of the wedding than just go and check everything. That's what we exactly did and concentrated on two things; caterers and ring suppliers. Not in to miss our eyed caterers and venues, we ensured to pass by Ibarra’s and Tamayo’s booth.  Events venue was also prioritized since were still not really decided where to hold our reception. After that we went to every stall there is of rings supplier to canvass. Seeing all the designs offered, we were able to note a few from several suppliers including the prices.We did not intend to book back then since our wedding is still on 2014 and we want to tick off the major items first like church, caterer, and venue.  With a couple more hours to spare, we also checked the stalls of the couturiers and their gown displays. 

It was a bit late already and with still one food tasting to attend, we decided to go back to VS&F first before proceeding to Center Table. Sadly even with available staff, VS&F did not accommodate us to discuss their services but instead just handed out a copy of their packages with the corresponding rates. Let down, we just proceeded to Aliw theater for Center Table’s event. Stepping in to the venue, I immediately had a feeling that I wouldn’t be much impressed by them. The decorations were so simple, with tables adorned only by tall vases with a ball of roses on them (sorry, forgot to take pictures). The walls were bare too. Uh-oh, not so good so far. I just kept mum about my observations first and set them aside so I can assess the food. There was not much guest so there was no queue at the buffet table. We took a bit of everything from soup to main courses and desserts. While eating, we again noted down our ratings to each dish on the menu list that was given to us. I was right; I was not impressed by their dishes and knew that Adrin wasn’t as well. Their account executive approached us after we finished our desserts to discuss their services. He was very nice and accommodating, even throwing out suggestions on possible venues. We listened to what he has to say and made some clarifications on the inclusions of their packages. After, we told him that we’ll discuss first and just contact him should we decide to book them. As soon as we got in the car, Adrin and I both decided that we’ll take Center Table out of our choices.

Even if we were not able to consider a final supplier for any item, it was still a fruitful day for us. Until the next fair and food tasting event!

Cheers!