I've been meaning to write more about our experiences on wedding planning so that my ideas are still fresh. Unfortunately, it took me almost two years to finally have the mood for it.
Our hunt for the perfect wedding reception venue was an adventure. Let me take you back to 2015. Long, long read. Okay?
If 'not okay', then here are my quick tips for your own hunt:
1. Get a venue more or less 15 minutes away from your ceremony
2. Test actual traffic. Drive in between venues similar to the day and time of your wedding
3. If they say it can accommodate 100 guests, take it with a grain of salt. Just consider that number as '90'
4. Factor in if you want to have a dance floor, cocktails, photo booths, etc. into the floor plan
5. Get a clear list of corkage fees to avoid "surprises"
6. Outdoor venues are risky; make sure you can afford a backup tent supplier just in case
7. Ensure you have enough parking, toilets, and air-conditioning
8. Do not book a venue that allows two events in one day
9. Check it if really goes well with your theme (not all people care about aesthetics so good for them). Otherwise, you'd end up spending more on styling than you would expect
10. Ask feedback from your coordinator, caterer, lights & sounds, string quartet or band, if any. Chances are they have had weddings in the same venue and they could manage your expectations better than the AE's sales talk.
BONUS: Be realistic. We normally tend to get what we pay for.
If you are a good friend of mine, you would know that Jeff and I got engaged early 2015. What you don't know is we started off with a budget of Php300,000 in mind for 100 guests. We set that amount based on what I was able to read online. Apparently, that's the average pricing for a decent wedding back then.
Knowing from the get-go that we want K By Cunanan to be our caterer based on the overwhelming positive reviews, finding the right reception venue became quite a bit of a challenge. We had to limit ourselves to venues that accredits KbyC or venues that do not require accreditation fee.
Fortunately, because KbyC is such a reputable caterer in the wedding industry, it was not that hard to find venues that welcome them. Unfortunately, most of these cost almost half of our original Php300,000 budget.
We didn't want to give up just yet.
My aunt was very kind to pledge Php8,000 for the rental venue of a clubhouse in a Tagaytay subdivision. It was spacious, had a pool in the view, cheap and basically a blank canvass that KbyC can easily play around with their elegant styling. There was also ample parking since it was inside a subdivision.
Jeff was grateful, but obviously not thrilled. I can understand why. It's hard to imagine how an old building can be brought to life. Cheapskate in me was excited to strikeout a task off the list, but my heart wasn't exactly happy as well.
Along the way, we checked a garden venue near our chosen ceremony chapel, Caleruega. Our timing was just right because there was an actual wedding reception about to happen in the afternoon. We were able to see how the chairs and table are set up. Bad news was the elders found it way too steep. It looked gorg in photos, but I didn't want to compromise safety for beauty. Jeff also found it small, despite the owner claiming it can accommodate more than 100 guests. It was for Php45,000 inclusive of rooms for family and morning preps/pictorials.
We then found a low-key hotel nearby that has views (not Taal Lake, but still beautiful nature) close to the chapel. Rent was only Php30,000 considering it is very easy to find along the highway, has a few parking slots, decent rooms for guests to check-in, and certainly a huge space for the reception itself. They will allow KbyC to cater, but I was doubtful that KbyC would agree (KbyC requires a large kitchen).
Again, cheapskate in me was satisfied with the price. Heart was not jumping with joy but I thought that's okay. Savings > feelings, right?
Months into our Tagaytay wedding planning, sticking to Php300,000 was looking bleak. My husband developed extremely high standards the more and more he became involved with the process. My technique was to only show him the cheapest suppliers I can get and limit his picks to those, as if no other better suppliers exist. But he was never enthusiastic. I knew by then that my ultra budgeting ways were dampening his spirits and holding back his creativity. I felt that increasing the budget was probably the way to go.
For some reason, maybe out of frustation, my husband found a photo of The Mahogany Place.
He kept on asking me on how much the packages are for this events place. I was like, "dude, it's six-digits strong". But he can't seem to shake it off his head. We then decided that yes, we are breaking the bank very early on. Off to a bad start -- at least according to my kuripot voice of reason. LOL.
We didn't have a car then so it was such a commitment to travel from Tondo, Manila to Tagaytay to ocular venues. But since Mahogany was having a grand food tasting, we didn't think twice of checking it out. Lakwatsa with free food? Tara!
Of course, we were blown away by how dreamy it was. Hard to find from the highway, sure. But there's Google Maps for that, right? I tried to reason with myself then. As you can see in the picture above, it is princess-y. And I didn't mind. We didn't have Harry Potter as our motif then. We only had "blue". LOL!
I don't remember if we had money on-hand to pay for the reservation fee, but something in my head just told me to sleep on it and wait for a few days. Even if it meant risking our date to be taken by another couple. Sensing my apprehension to commit immediately, the Account Executive tipped us to pay during the bridal fair that following weekend to get a discount. I was able to buy more time to internalize this humongous jump in our budget.
I couldn't sleep for days! I was excited. I felt guilty and giddy at the same time. I never thought I would agree to pay such amount in my life. Context: I was young and naive.
But at the same time, I knew fully well that we're not into Victorian gate grills and grand staircases. Not into horse carriages. I loved the draping in the ceiling because of the way the lights reflected on it. Without the lights, you can see the cloths needed bleaching, LOL. And I didn't like the fact that we have to book a separate prep area for the makeup and family pictorials on the day. For the nth time, something's amiss.
We were scheduled to attend the bridal fair and pay the Mahogany reservation fee on Saturday. Thursday came and Facebook algorithm served me something new: An advertisement of Sandari Batulao's Club Ananda.
Have you ever felt the emotional translation of "where have you been all my life?" Exactly.
If I could hug a concrete establishment, I'd do that tightly to Club Ananda. My jaw dropped (in my head, it did) -- I couldn't contain my euphoria and lured my fiance to view their Facebook page.
With his 110% approval, I hurriedly called the number on the website to ask if our date was available. And of course, to ask just how much peso we need to burn to be able to make this a reality. My delight nose dived into despair when I learned our date (November 21) was no longer available, and that it was almost Php50,000 more expensive than the other one.
I literally cried. At lunch time. Inside our office pantry. Shucks, no? Kadiri. Umiyak dahil lang sa picture na nakita ko less than an hour ago.
I called Jeff and asked which November weekend he wanted, just so we can push through with this venue. Then I figured, we'll choose the weekend nearest to our birthdays (November 6 and 8) instead. In that way, we can celebrate all our important dates in one week. Tipid pa sa regaluhan at sa leaves! LOL!
Since our original date wasn't a sentimental choice (we only wanted November because it's our birthday month, weather is cooler in Tagaytay but less traffic compared to December, and most likely our 13th month pay would be in already, LOL), it was no-brainer to check with Caleruega and our other suppliers if November 13 could still make the cut. To my surprise, they all were available on that date! Like all of the stars aligned, like God got fed up with my whining. We finally have a venue!
Would you believe the progress in my attitude: from being ready to settle for a free clubhouse venue to becoming willing to save more for a luxurious clubhouse venue? Akalain mong I will be able to surpass that internal struggle na righteous or dakila ang laging matipid? We didn't even have the chance to see it in person. Obviously, all of my logic went out the window. Normal Ms. Danielle Dandan wouldn't take a chance on something I haven't seen in real life. I only relied on recent pictures and same-day edit videos. But I guess when you really desire something, no amount of rationale would prevail.
So instead of visiting The Mahogany Place's booth on that bridal fair, we went to Sandari Batulao's instead. I felt awful because the AE from Mahogany might be expecting us since we had a really good discussion just a few days ago. But the heart knows what it wants, 'di ba, teh Selena Gomez?
You might be wondering, what moved us to book this oasis for our big day?
The pictures were not a scam. What we saw, we were able to get. More than this outstanding piece of modern architecture, they also offered us the subdivision's model unit for us to use the night before and during the preps. They gave us a good package with KbyC. They gave us free prenuptial shoots (one of which was unscheduled, we basically barged in but they allowed us!). They made us feel at home. Drama, no? Hahaha!
Who knew such task could give us a roller-coaster ride? This may be pathetic and petty for most, but when you are planning your own wedding, emotions truly arise. Especially when you are trying to pay for it with your humble salary and your budget keeps going haywire.
I used to see it as "just one day". But my husband looked at it as "our big day".
I'm sure I was a good girl in my past life because God made sure I won't get stuck with someone who only settles for the sake of it. He got me someone who will always want the best for me... even if meant doubling the hard work. :)
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