Prenup Supplier Rating #1: Styling by Aira Franco with Fritz Mortel

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Okay, this is my first time to rate a supplier so I'll try to give as much info as I can remember, and as accurate as my memory serves me. I'll use a scale of 10 for more leeway on minor items impacting the ratings. 

Rating Scale: 1 - 10 (10 being the highest)

Service: Prenup Styling with HMUA

Peso Power: Php 7,000 (but became Php 1,400)

Rating: 9

We booked Aira as our prenup stylist last March. Shortly after the booking, we had our pre-production meeting to discuss the concept. It was a short meeting since Adrin and I do not have a specific theme in mind. Our only requirement is to have formal and fun sets. She asked for our venue and photographer and then started showing us pegs. Right then and there we were able to agree on the overall feel of our shoot. 

Exactly a month before our pictorial, Aira sent to us our lookboard. We requested for one month lead time so Adrin and I have enough time to shop and gather our wardrobe. Fast forward to 3 days before the shoot, I received an urgent call from Aira. I was told that there seems to be a double booking for our shoot date and she's saying that it started when her phone (and calendar) crashed. It so happened that the other couple booked her in January so they are the priority. She was very apologetic as we talked and gave us three options:

• Proceed with the shoot BUT only her styling assistant and HMUA will come with us; Remaining balance to be waived.
• Reschedule the shoot so she can be with us; Remaining balance to be waived.
• Cancel the agreement with full refund of payment made.

With those options, I told her that I'll just get back to her within the day for our decision. The next hours were full of panic on my part especially that I was only able to talk to Adrin after lunch.We decided to try rescheduling the shoot with all other suppliers, and luckily they all agreed to move our schedule. In that same day, Adrin was able to fix the glitch and set a new schedule, while I was in back to back meetings. Haha.

Fast forward to the day of the shoot, we were late for our call time with Aira and Fritz. I was expecting that they'd be a bit irate but I didn't sense any of that. Aira agreed that we'll do the HMU at her place before we do our studio shoot, then we'll just meet her and Fritz at Jardin de Miramar for the outdoor part later that day. I've split my comments into 3 sections and are outlined below:

Hair & Make-up (Fritz Mortel)

• Fritz really did a great job on all of my 4 looks - both hairstyling and make-up
• She was able to hide well my pimple marks, eyebags, and blemishes 
• Make-up is fresh looking and not overly done. A lot of people who saw our pictures liked my make-up that day.
• Hygienic: sponges, powder puff and brushes used on me were all clean and/or new. She doesn't even let her hands touch my face. It's always with a sponge, brush, puff or cotton tips.
• She works fast on styling my hair
• She's also nice to talk to, although a bit shy at first
• Fritz patiently retouched my make-up and styled my hair as I eat or as I chat. I know she had a hard time doing that but I kept on forgetting that she's tinkering with my face. Hahaha. 

On-the-day Styling and Assistance

• Aira and Fritz doesn't have any qualms being our personal assistants for the day
• Our clothes were meticulously sorted out and paired together
• Once it's on us, Aira checked for loose or ill-fitting areas and she'll put binder clips to make the clothes fit better.
• Aira even folded Adrin's shorts and assisted me when I changed into the gown.
• While shooting, they frequently fixed my hair (almost after every pose) and kept our faces dry from perspiration (lots of tissue on hand)
• Since it was raining, they dutifully carried the umbrellas for us and ensured that we stay dry and clean
• Dutifully wiping out our face and arms of water droplets from trees
• They bugged us to eat snacks in between shoots
• They carried drinks into the shoot area for us and for the photographers as well
• Aira reminded me constantly to walk carefully ang slowly because I might trip on the muddy garden or slip due to the puddles of water. She'll even grab me when I'm walking ahead of her just to support me as I walked.
• Aira coordinated with Jardin when she learned that the venue offered their picnic props and native hammock for our use.
• For added detail for the picnic setup, Aira plucked out flowers from Jardin de Miramar's garden. Hahaha.
• Since we're already 1 hour overtime at Jardin de Miramar, while shooting the last layout, Fritz packed away all of our things so we'd just quickly change and leave the premises immediately after the last layout.
• Aira was true to her word of waiving our remaining balance for their services. We were intending to still pay, and actually offered it before leaving Jardin the Miramar, but she just wouldn't take it.

Gaps

• Of course the panic and stress we got after learning of the double booking issue. I believe she already addressed the concern of mixed bookings by getting someone to fix her calendar for her.
• I forgot my belt for my shorts and was banking on Aira that she has belts with her as part of the accessories. No belt. I had to un-tuck my blouse and just tie it in front.
• My bra straps were always peeking from my dress but it wasn't fixed while we were shooting. It's such an eyesore in the photos.  

 All in all, it was still a good experience working with Aira and Fritz. They did their job beautifully on the day of our shoot and were attentive to our needs. However, a miss is still a miss hence I can't award her a perfect 10. But the good thing about her is the humility to accept her booboo and willingness to rectify her miss by providing us all possible options that we can get. In Adrin's words "at least she's not like our local airlines who do not give anything to the passengers whenever they inconvenience them". =)

Hope this helps!


Styling by Aira Franco
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Makeup by Fritz Mortel
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Cheers!

Celebrities For A Day: The Engagement Shoot

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Last Friday, despite the erratic and unpredictable weather, we were able to finally complete our engagement pictorial. Two months of preparation all culminated in a single day. Somehow it’s a glimpse of how our wedding day will pass by in a span of 24 hours after years of preparing for it. Haha.

We started preparing for our shoot around March 2013. Back then, I was already pulling together our suppliers. We already have a venue (Jardin de Miramar), and photographer (Ariel Javelosa) but I was also able to convince Adrin that we hire Aira Franco for a styling and HMUA package. The date was set with all of them for May 27.

Weeks leading to our date, we worked hard to complete our wardrobe so we’ll not cram for it. I also created our itinerary and shared it to all our suppliers to ensure that we are all on the same page. And with a sudden twist, the plan was changed. 3 days before our original schedule I received an urgent message from Aira which led us to rescheduling our shoot (more details on my supplier rating).

New date was set for June 14 and we’re prepared 2 weeks before that. I tweaked our itinerary a bit and sent it again to everyone.

Our Prenup Itinerary

The days leading to our schedule were all gloomy and wet, due to a low pressure area. I was even worried that we might need to reschedule again because of the bad weather so I asked for Aira’s inputs. She told me not to worry as she trusts that the clouds will all clear up on our shoot. With that, we proceeded as planned.

Since Adrin took a day off last Thursday, he took charge of our food for Antipolo. Not wanting our suppliers to get hungry, thirsty, and grumpy, we agreed to bring the following:

• Red Ribbon Ensaymada (10pcs.) and Mamon (10pcs.) 
• 1 pack Lemon Square Cupcakes
• 1 pack Nagaraya Peanuts
• 2 jars of Stik-O
• 1 pack of Mentos
• 1 pack of another candy brand
• 6 bottles of water
• 6 bottles of Gatorade
• 12 can of assorted soda
• 3 bottles of Cobra energy drink (yes, energy drink! Haha!)
• Small ice box and tube ice to cool our bottled drinks :P

Our June 14 started really early. We went straight to Aira’s place for my hair and make-up. Fritz started working on me as soon as we got there. After an hour or so on me and a few minutes on Adrin, we’re set all set for our studio shoot.

We got lucky that our drive to Ariel Javelosa’s studio was quite fast so we’re able to catch up a bit on our planned schedule. Sir Mel’s team, our requested photographer, arrived shortly after we finished dressing up. We found out that 3 folks were shooting us that day – 2 photographers and 1 videographer. They started the work immediately and took some portraits of me first. Next were Adrin’s solo shots, and after that came our pictures together. At first it was awkward doing the poses we’re directed to do, but soon got the hang of it and became more comfortable in front of their lenses. Time was unnoticeable already, we just realized that we were shooting for quite some time when Sir Mel said that we can already proceed to our outdoor location. 

Quick lunch with our P/V was spent at Yangchow Dimsum and Tea Place along Marcos Hi-way, then we went straight to the venue. Aira decided that we don't have to return to her place and we'll just meet at the venue. They were still parking when we got there so we're all right on time. I went to Jardin de Miramar's office so they can prepare the lounge for us. As soon as the lounge was ready, Aira, Fritz, Adrin and I immediately settled in while our photographers surveyed the location.

Our first wardrobe were pastels as decided by Aira. Fritz retouched my make-up and styled my hair. During this set, we were informed by Sir Mel that our venue offered some props. Aira clarified it in the office and not long after, a picnic set up with matching guitar was already laid out under a big tree. The props were not something we expected, nonetheless the gesture was much appreciated.

Outtake by Aira Franco

It started to drizzle and that prompted us to change into our 2nd layout. By the time we were safely in the lounge, the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour. We kept our hopes up that it would abate soon and true enough, it was just a passing  heavy cloud. Our 2nd layout started off with Adrin and I sharing an umbrella. Next we moved to Galera area where a huge wooden ship was the main attraction. Jardin also setup a native hammock for our use. Silhouette shots were taken in a nearby restroom -- It was so creative for our photographer to make the best use of a restroom. Haha.

Outtake by Aira Franco

Since we're already running late of our target schedule, we quickly changed to our 3rd layout and braved the outdoors again so we can still get a lot of pics for our formal set. Despite the light showers and rapid approach of dusk, our P/V did not give up. We were even the ones who called it a day since all of us were getting wet already. We also went past our allowed time frame at Jardin already and we might incur additional charges already. Haha.

Outtake by Aira Franco

We were surprised to find out things neatly packed already when we got back to the lounge. Fritz did all the packing and tidying so we just have to change to our normal clothes and load our stuff in the car.

All in all, Adrin and I had fun working with our suppliers and executing a light and fun shoot. It was very us! The downpour did not hinder us from continuing on and we're even thankful that we were given windows to shoot outdoors. Never mention the hassles of walking on wet grass and the sprinkles of water we had to take. We actually did not mind that it was gloomy as we cannot imagine shooting for hours under the scorching sun. :) 

Weeee! Another achievement unlocked for us in this game called wedding preps. =D


Cheers!

The Boudoir Experience with Boudoir Le Blanc

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I finally mustered enough courage to write about this special experience. Last month, I underwent a boudoir pictorial session together with 3 other friends. We've all been excitedly looking forward to the day of our shoot weeks before that, and when it came, we had one helluva fun!!!

So what exactly is a boudoir pictorial? Literally, boudoir is the French term for a lady’s private sitting or dressing room. Given that, boudoir pictorial is a shoot with female subjects with sexually suggestive poses. The degree of sexiness varies and is largely based the confidence of the ladies who goes for this shoot. Internationally, photographers saw the market for such pictorials and were long practicing boudoir photography. In the Philippines however, this was just recently introduced and we only have a handful of photographers offering this kind of service at the moment.

I learned all about this while preparing for our wedding, since majority of the ladies going for such sessions are actually soon-to-weds. Upon seeing some of their pictures, I was amazed by the confidence that they exude and their glow that was immortalized in those photos. They were self-assured to bare some skin and though the overall theme is sexy, their pictorials all appeared to be tastefully done.

Not one with the highest confidence out there, I longed to do something like that as well. I feel that this is the best time for me to do it given that I’ll never have an excuse again in the future. I also think that it’s high time for me to be comfortable with my body--flabs, scars and all; before I enter married life. Amidst all that, I’m still apprehensive to do it on my own. But I badly want to do it. And so, I asked Cris and Nat if they were up for a group boudoir session. Luckily, they were also sharing my sentiments and would readily sign-up for one if they have a support group to share it with. A week later, my friend Aiza also decided to join our group session since she was also secretly wishing to have a shoot.

That said, we scouted for the best boudoir photographer for us. We had 3 suppliers to choose from and in the end, we chose Boudoir Le Blanc. BLB won us over with their super chic outputs and the fact that they create concepts for each client. This is a big edge compared to other suppliers who simply takes pictures of their client in their lingerie or nighties. They also offered us a customized package which includes venue for the shoot and hair and make-up styling. 

We finalized the booking November of last year and scheduled the shoot for first week of February. Between that, we had a constant communication with Heather (BLB’s creative director) as they create individual concepts for us.  First they sent us a personality questionnaire that will help them get to know each one of us better. We had a hard time answering the questions since they were quite personal and of course we need to be really honest if we want a perfect concept. 

After sending the filled up questionnaire, a picture of ourselves, and our photo pegs, Heather came back to us with our look boards after several weeks. Mine looked really sweet and feminine probably because all my responses in the questionnaire translated to that. I love the pastel colors and of course the chicness of the concept they put together for me. I’m not exactly super girly, but I’m not one to roughhouse either, so I believe this look is set to bring out the daintiness in me. Haha.

My very dainty lookboard

When I saw my look board, I know that I need to do some shopping. Not a single item is available in my closet so I have to source them out. Here’s what I came up with. I requested to change the pink nightie into a grey one (since I was able to buy that before we received the board), and the lavender lingerie to periwinkle since it’s the closest decent one I found. Heather was so ecstatic when she saw my wardrobe and even commented that it perfectly matches the look she's gunning for.

My actual wardrobe sans some accessories

Few weeks before the shoot, we also received our set design. At first I was confused on how the items will play out together, but since the sweet and chic vibe is still very apparent, I just trusted BLB that everything will look lovely.

One week before out shoot date though, Tooney (BLB’s photographer) had a bad fall which injured her ankle, and was advised for a complete rest to speed up her recovery. That prompted Heather to request for a shoot reschedule since she doesn’t want to compromise our shoot's output because of Tooney’s limited movements. We agreed and locked in a new date.

Came our most awaited day, I was destined (us four decided by drawing lots) to be the first one to go in front of Tooney’s lens. Boy was I so nervous. Tina (BLB’s make-up artist) carefully followed the look that Heather wants and was successful at it. Their hairstylist also curled my hair and once they’re done with me, Tooney led me to my set.

Still really uneasy, I followed her upstairs and just prayed that everything will be alright. But as soon as I entered the room my nerves were alleviated and replaced with sheer delight when I saw what they've arranged to be my domain for the session. It was so so so pretty and sweet. Everything was cohesive and there’s not a single décor out of place.

I was requested to change to my first wardrobe and Tooney immediately leapt into action. She directed my poses, and while taking my pictures, would also tell me where to look or place my hand. She also had done a very good job of making me comfortable by continuously encouraging and commending me. Her lines ranges from “so pretty!”, “love it!”, and “I love that expression!” to “you’re so easy to direct naman pala eh”. With words like that consistently thrown at you, wouldn't you also be relaxed and feel beautiful? Hahaha! I really hope those aren't empty words. =P

As we went on, I changed to my other wardrobes and continued to pose under Tooney’s guidance. One hour flew by really fast and before I knew it, Tooney already said “one last shot”. I was surprised and felt a bit sad because I was game to do more. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment posing for her, that I didn’t even noticed the passing of time.

After my turn, Aiza went next, followed by Cris, and then lastly Nat. We had a super late lunch once everyone was done. We learned that we are their first boudoir soiree clients and it was much of an experience for them too, as it has been for us four. As a remembrance of our super fun group boudoir session, we had this pic.

Our group photo c/o BLB.
Back (L-R): Nat, Aiza, and Tooney. Seated: Tine and Heather. On the floor: Cris and Tina

Our souvenir door hangers.
From left to right: Cris, Aiza, Nat, Tine

We've yet to receive the full set of our photos and the only thing we've seen so far is a sneak peek which I’m also sharing to you. Now, be the judge! =)

Boudoir Le Blanc Photography

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Cheers!

Aira Franco for our Prenup!

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Our wedding is fast approaching and we're now down to 10 months before the big day. We intend to release our official Save-the-Dates by June/July 2013 and our key requirement for that is our prenup pictures. Shoot date is set around May and I’m positive that the output will be available for our use the following month.

Adrin and I, being non-artsy fartsy individuals, haven’t thought of any theme yet. We just can’t pick certain facets of our personalities or life to highlight and so it is hard for us to create our own storyboard. Since I’ve experienced the ease of doing shoots with a stylist through our boudoir soiree sesh with Boudoir Le Blanc (story to follow), I thought that it will be a huge help for me and Adrin to have one for our prenup.

I scouted for possible suppliers and was left to 2 choices. Aira Franco offers styling and HMUA services while Alex Lapa offers styling services only. Package rate of the former is expectedly higher since it includes HMUA services already. As I’ve also been toying with the idea of hiring an on-location HMUA, getting Aira is like hitting two birds in one stone. We’ll have the stylist to help us with our storyboard, clothes, and some props and a bonus of on-location HMUA!

Problem: How do I get Adrin to agree with my idea? You see Adrin does not see the prenup shoot as a big deal. He even asks why we need more than 2 hours just for a friggin’ pictorial. Oh well, lucky me for having a fiance that eventually gives in to my reasonable and well-defended whims, I strategized carefully my proposal.  

I started my case by sharing to him that our wedding HMUA rates for on-location shoot is quite steep. Next I floated to him the struggle we have with prenup conceptualization. With those things out in the open, I then shared that I found a stylist that also offers HMUA services for a reasonable rate, and it would be best for us to get her services. I believe I was able to position my case well, hence the immediate “okay” from him. I was floored and had to double check if he’s not just pulling my leg. Well, he’s serious with the go signal and that makes me one happy fiancée once again. Hahaha!

So without a bat of an eyelash, I e-mailed Aira to proceed with our booking. With her help, our once in a lifetime prenuptial pictorial ought to be exceptional! Woohoo!

Aira Franco
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Thrilled,