Booking the church and the reception area before anything else saves the couple from a lot of headaches, too. Imagine the complications if one has already paid the downpayment for the photo and video team for coverage on a certain date, only to rebook them on another date because the church or the reception area is not available. In many cases, suppliers charge the couple a certain amount in addition to their chosen package, since they lost income for the original earlier date reserved, and since they also lost a potential client for the new date to be booked.
With all the horror stories of brides booking, re-booking, cancelling, and moving their dates and venues that I have read in the internet, I thought we who are still in the wedding preps stage should learn from their mistakes. So with these things in mind, Mr. M and I, my mom, my older brother Ron, and my aunt scoured Taguig and Makati for possible venues for our wedding (tentatively slated for August 30, 2012) last January 23, 2011. Why Taguig and Makati? While I was dreaming of a Tagaytay garden wedding even before I met my H2B, we both thought it practical (and economical, hahaha) to just hold the wedding here in Metro Manila. He's from somewhere in the South, while I live in the East. His relatives are in the South, while I have some from the East, and some from the North. The Taguig/Makati area is halfway for us and our loved ones, so we chose to start our venue hunting in these two cities.
First stop was the Palm Grove in Rockwell, Makati City. It's this posh club (or is it a clubhouse?) that houses Chef Jessie (Restaurant), Blue Shade (Open Garden/Poolside area), and Le Souffle (Restaurant). Rockwell is Rockwell, and just the name sounds so high-end. But to my surprise, when I emailed them, the packages offered at Palm Grove are reasonable. They offer an irresistable combination: great, accessible venue + good food. Now who doesn't what that?
Mr. M and I at the lobby leading to Palm Grove. Above this floor is Chef Jessie. The whole area has a garden / clubhouse feel without making one feel nervous if it rains on one's wedding day. In front of us are three smaller function rooms which they can rent out to prospective wedding clients to be used as re-touch area or holding room for suppliers.
This is Palm Grove, one of our top choices for a wedding reception. Can you see the chairs without covers? I think I'd rather not use the white covers if the chairs are that beautiful. The place is pure elegance.
A closer look at the table cloths. I like! Check out the decors too.
Each table can sit around 9 persons. Palm Grove isn't that big. It's perfect for the intimate wedding reception we have in mind.
Palm Grove is being rented out for Php 45,000 for the first four hours. However, if our bill exceeds that amount, they'll waive it. It's a very good deal, right? Packages for lunch/dinner buffet start at Php 695 per pax, inclusive of appetizer, soup, five-course meal, desert and drinks. The package also includes floral arrangements for the tables. We'll have to get a cake supplier for a minimal corkage fee, though. And speaking of corkage fees, they offer a one-time charge instead of billing me for every item or gadget we bring in (ie, lights and sounds, lights for videography and photography, string quartet, etc). Palm Grove also offers free use of their big screen for SDE viewing. Wow! I'm impressed! The place is very pretty, so I think it needs very minimal styling, and even zero lighting since we want a morning ceremony, and since morning light brightens up one side of the hall, making it very well-lighted already. That saves us much money, considering that event styling and lighting amounts to as much as Php 20,000.
I found pictures of a couple who recently got married and had their reception at Palm Grove. Click here to view more pictures of Palm Grove dressed up for an event. I couldn't take more pics because they were very busy prepping up the place for a reception that evening.
Scouting for other venues in Makati and Taguig isn't difficult. There are so many venues in these two cities, but the question is: will they fit in our budget? We'd like to be practical, and in our minds, if we could find a big resto, we'd go for that, rather than hire a function hall and pay rental fees on top of catering and other costs (lights, sounds, etc.). That's why we're kinda okay with Palm Grove. So Blue Leaf and the likes are out of our list. Maybe I'd consider the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) in Ayala Triangle if in the final computation, it'll come out cheaper. Their enclosed area, The Reading Room, can accomodate 80 to 120 guests. Venue rental for the Reading Room is Php 10,000 for the first two hours, and Php 2,000 for every succeeding hour. But they also charge for other items such as sounds and lights, etc. As much as possible, I want to get a venue that does not charge corkage fees and other additional expenses (is there a venue like this?).
The Reading Room of the Filipinas Heritage Library: Nice, but quite expensive....
Next stop was the church. To a Christian/Evangelical like us, this could be quite a challenge. Ours is a Metropolitan mega-church which houses about 3,000 pax in one service. Definitely, I wouldn't want to get married in a venue too big for our 120-pax affair. I'd like to get married in a small Christian chapel, but most Christian churches nowadays rent theaters due to the increasing number of members attending every Sunday.
We went to the International Baptist Church in Makati (IBCM), which was where I was having my Bible studies at the time I met Mr. M. It's beautiful, and looks very similar to the Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman. It has the church pews I want, and it's air-conditioned too. But parking will be a big problem, because it has no ample space even for about fifty cars. I was also really turned off by the fees. We need to pay Php 10,000 for the venue alone. On top of that, there are fees for renting a carpet, fees for paying the utility workers, fees for electrical gadgets to be used by my photography and videography suppliers, and other things to be charged, such as security deposit. I totalled the amount, and it looks like we'll need to shell out Php 15-20,000 just to get married in this venue. And we haven't even added the flowers to decorate the place! I couldn't strike it off my list, but I think I'll be really thinking many times if this is finally going to be the church for us.
Just a few blocks from IBC is Makati Sports Club (MSC). I got their packages via email with their personnel, and I find them a bit exhorbitant for my taste. W@Wies have been giving it a good review, saying that the food served there are at par with what other well-known caterers provide. The downside is that the venue needs styling, so we'll have to set aside a sizable amount to prettify the place. Unfortunately, there was an affair going on at the time we visited, so we couldn't take pictures. But with just one look at the entrance, I was turned off already. The place looked old and so unattractive, so untended and so...goodbye, MSC.
While on our way to Taguig, Mr. M and I decided not to completely say no to IBCM. It's really classy and beautiful....if only we could do something about the parking and of course, tweak the budget a little so that we could have the funds we need to pay for the church.....
Or maybe we could move the venue to Malate/Manila? When I first found out about Ellinwood Malate Church, a Methodist congregation near Intramuros, I thought I'd do my reception inside the Walled City after our ceremony. Here are some pics of this beautiful church captured by Toto Villaruel, one of the wedding photographers I am eyeing for my big day. Check out this blog entry, and this one too for more photos.
It's got stain glass windows. And a nice aisle too. Not too short nor too long.
The aisle is simple but elegant.
It's a very photogenic venue.
The lighting is also good. Perfect for portraits.
The church is really elegant and classy. I love the gold accents!
My mom, however, doesn't like Malate/Manila weddings. She hates the heavy traffic, and the fact that the streets in Intramuros are narrow. Parking might be a concern for our guests, too. I was ready to explore Ellinwood as a possible church, but when I found out that they charge Php 25,000 for the venue alone, I decided to remove this beautiful church from my list of potential ceremony sites.
My mom also brought up the Holy Trinity Church (HTC) in Forbes Park, Makati. My older sister got married there in 1998. I remember it being so private and exclusive, perfect for the intimate wedding I want. The parking is not a problem, and it's near Rockwell! However, they don't allow photographers to use flash and other lighting equipment during the ceremony. What?!? The rental fee is also a big factor for us to say no. I heard that like EMC, HTC charges Php 25,000. They also have a lot of do's and don'ts. Php 25,000 can go a long way for budget weddings, so goodbye, HTC as well.
After going around Makati, we headed off to Taguig City. I heard that inside the Philippine Army camp in Fort Bonifacio is a small, circular Evangelical church perfect for Christian weddings. I called up the church and I amost dropped the phone in disbelief and joy when the man on the other end of the line told me that they charge only Php 5,000 for a 2-hour wedding ceremony! Five thousand? I immediately wanted to book the venue right there and then, but of course, the wedding is still more than a year and a half from now! Hahahaha :-) The five thousand pesos, by the way, already includes the fees for the use of their air-con, maintenance and the services of their utility workers. There's a big piano which we can use for free if I bring in a pianist, or for a small fee (just add Php 500 to the package) if I hire theirs.
So even if I initially wanted a Tagaytay wedding, I had a change of heart. I want to get married in the city if it's going to be in this church. We're getting hitched on a rainy month, and the logistical challenges I'll be facing as an August bride is something I'd like to get off my shoulders if I could. Tagaytay is a romantic venue, but the costs (like for example, additional out of town fees for Manila suppliers), hassles (transporting our families and relatives to Tagaytay), and the difficulties (doing site inspections given Mr. M's schedule) involved made me turn to the internet to look for other viable options. And I'm so happy I found the Fort Andres Bonifacio Evangelical Church. It's beautiful, and it's very very reasonable!!!!
The Fort Andres Bonifacio Evangelical Church inside the Philippine Army camp in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It's small and simple, but I love it!
Photo Credit: Philippine Army-FABEC
Here's a picture of the ceiling. The church is circular, that's why at the center of the ceiling is a circular brown accent with one chandelier. Simple but elegant.
Even with a circular shape, this church has pews --- perfect for my traditional taste. I wanted a church with pews, not with monoblock chairs. And yes, this church has aircon! I think I saw four or five air con units. Yey! (Side Note: Maybe I can request the church administrators if I could take down those tarpaulins on my big day. I just feel that they lessen the classy-ness of the place.)
Here's a picture of the aisle. It's almost bare, except for the floral arrangements and the huge Bible on the altar. But this is okay for me, since I can always spruce it up with flower arrangements of my choice.
I am so happy about finding a potential church. In fact, it is now my one and only choice. If I couldn't get married here, then I might convince Mr. M again to hold it in Tagaytay hehehe :-)
To cap our afternoon, we headed to Mahogany Place III (MP III), a project of DMCI Homes. It's also in Taguig. My brother is a licensed, freelance real-estate broker, and one time he showed me some of the projects he's busy with. MP III was one of those projects. I fell in love with the place even though I first saw it through brochures and sales kits only. I went with him to MP III in one of his trippings, and I must say that the place looked 10x better when we visited, even if it wasn't done that time. When we dropped by last January, it was already furnished. Their clubhouse's function hall was spacious, and could easily fit 200 pax. They do one booking at a time, so it was great since all I have to do is pay the downpayment to block the event. If ever I will hire stylists, they have all the time to prettify the place since we'll be the only ones to use the lone function room for the day.
We were able to tour the huge clubhouse albeit very briefly since it was already way past office hours when we arrived. Here are some of the pics:
Some cars were parked in the driveway, so I took a side shot of the clubhouse.
Here's a shot of the basketball court inside the clubhouse complex.
This is the interior of the lone function hall of the clubhouse. It is housed at the ground floor, so it's very convenient for the caterers. It's simple but elegant. More importantly, it can house as many as 200 guests.
It was such a big blessing that my brother is affiliated with DMCI Homes. That will probably make transacting with DMCI easier. All we need to hurdle, in case we want to use this venue, is to get our formal letter approved by the management. For renting the venue for four hours, we just need to pay Php 8,000 for a morning affair, or Php 10,000 for an evening affair. And the best thing about MP III is that there are no corkage fees whatsoever. Thank you, Lord!!!!!!
There you have it. Our first-ever wedding prep activity is over. I can't wait for the next one this February. :-)
