My fiance and I waited for nine years for the big event.  It was my pa who gave me the ultimatum to get married last year, OR ELSE.  He even referred me to his newlyfound highschool batchmates as ninongs for my wedding. Even if he can’t move much, he made sure that every decision I made re my wedding was feasible enough.  Because of him, my wedding was shot by his close cousin, my uncle Chito Vecina, and the pictures were heavenly.  If I postponed my wedding a few months longer, he wouldn’t have had the chance to escort me to the altar…

My kenkoy papa & ate taking me to the altar (photo by Chito Vecina - www.chitovecina.net)

My pa, Alejandro Vecina Santos,  has led a challenging life.  He was born with polio and being born in a family of photographers & artists, he wasn’t given the encouragement he needed.  He told me how heartbroken he was that his father and some uncles made him feel that he can’t learn to shoot or draw.  Still he did just the opposite and taught himself  thru observation, patience, and lots of practice.  He would watch an uncle draw charcoal portraits or watch his dad (who was a society photographer for the now defunct broadsheet Philippine Herald).  Some uncles offered words of encouragement and some art tips that was a very big thing for him to go on.  “Ayokong makilala ako na, ah si Alex, yung me polio? Gusto ko, sabihin nilang, ah si Alex, yung nagdodrowing.”  I think papa lived his whole life with that mantra on his head

Their luck turned for the worse when his father died.  He was forced to quit school and after a few years worked so diligently, not only to make ends meet, but to prove to his bosses that he’s comparable if not more hardworking than his colleagues.  He’s been thru a lot of hell and some scars on his body were proof of that.  His disability didn’t stop him and ate lita from working hard to give us a good life and a good education.   Still, he remained the Alex that everyone in the family knew him as, a FUNNYMAN.   He would make any mundane talk into guffaws of laughter when he’s dropped his bomb.  He was the life of the party, he always was in my eyes.

My childhood was like any others,’ except I guess that it has an exorbitant share of clowning around.  My mother died early when I was 9 (the biggest blow to him), but he filled up the space and made sure that we always had fun in everything we do.  “Punta tayo rustans, ” “Bili tayo tangke” “Kain tayo Jollibee,” he’s the type of dad who has his own share of toys at home and would only let us watch cartoons, action and comedy. He would ask me, “carla kunin mo si thea sa baba para may kalaro ako, …. sige naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…” I am the person I am now, my beliefs, my hobbies, my livelihood, largely through his influence, and who’s complaining?  I’ve known my father long enough to know that he’s far from perfect with so many flaws and has made some mistakes, but he is the best father for me, and no man of decent stature or normal set of limbs would serve as a better father for me.

Papa, Tito Chito Vecina, my husband Noril & I

Ok readers, so I’m supposed to write about my wedding (and this IS a wedding blog), and not about my dad. Well to sum it up in a few words, my wedding has been, like my dad, far from perfect, but like my dad also, the happiest thing that has happened in my life.   The suppliers were great and awesome (watch out for my supplier reviews & detailed wedding summary), everyone I think was happy in my wedding, and I married the man of my dreams, at last.  In the midst of it all, papa was laughing his heart out with his family, his relatives and friends. I know that somehow, seeing me married made him very happy.  This was in August 7th, 2010.

Barely a few months after, on December 17, while we were out shooting a wedding, my father, alone in the house, collapsed due to a stroke.   My bro and hubby took him to a nearby hospital; he died 2 days after, surrounded by his family and friends, while wearing headphones listening to his favorite apo singing.  He wore a smile even during his wake.  My heart still cries for him.

Papa & Me (pix by www.chitovecina.net)

The last months of his life were God’s gift for him.  He discovered his long-lost highschool batchmates and I would take him to meetings/parties on a regular basis.  He would talk, laugh and sing with his buddies nonstop.  Newfound old friends.  After years of isolation, a well-awaited family reconciliation which I know was emotionally rewarding for him took place, and he was present in every family reunion thereafter. My lola, titos ,titas, and the younger ones love him for all that he is.  His family, Ate Lita, Ate Emely, Kuya Marlo, Dar, Jen, Noril and I, love and miss him sorely and painfully wished he never left.  That plus the magic of facebook, skype, photoshop and torrent downloads made him complete .  He couldn’t have been happier…. I was always with him thru the last 2 years of his life, taking him to parties, concerts, shows, malls.  I was his walking cane, his butler, his assistant.

To wedding prep couples, pls bear in mind that in the middle of all the minute details and hullabaloos, don’t forget to look into the bigger picture.  Say thank you to your mom and dad (and mean it , on or off screen) They deserve it.

Papa, I hope this reaches you somehow.  Miss na miss pa rin kita no matter how hard I try to act tough, MAHAL NA MAHAL KA NAMIN and we will always wish that you were here with us, your family, siblings, pamangkins, apo/future apos, cousins, friends, will miss your jokes and patutsadas.  I will always look up to the terrace to try to see you, will wait to hear you call my name in the morning, or wait for a phonecall telling me to bring home merienda. Sobrang malungkot pag wala ka.. THANK YOU for everything papa.

So if you’re one of those prep couples who’re still clueless on what to proliferate on your special day,  you might want to try out Krispe’ Scents by Nirvana. For P5,500, you can get 100 pcs of 10ml bottle perfume

giveaways of their version perfume.

You can choose up to five (5) scents from their versions of top of the line brands such as:

Bulgari
Acqua di Gio – Armani
Dark Blue – Hugo Boss
Miracle – Lancome
Armani Code
Polo Sport – Ralph Lauren
Eclat – Lanvin
Incanto Charm
and more…

Based from personal experience, (Ibought Clinique Happy for Men–for me hehe) their scents can last up to 5 hours on your skin, at kasing amoy tlaga nung orig kaya you won’t go wrong with this one

Heidi Inoturan – Forte, Krispe’s founder, offers 10% off for the first 35 customers to avail of the offer.

For inquiries and reservations, text or call 0915-8583787 / 09207637955. You can also email her at alone2nit@gmail.com.  Her Facebook page coming soon so watch out for it.

+PREPARATION VENUE – GREAT EASTERN / BALUYOT / GRAND VILLA / VILLA MONICA / ALTA GUIA
Some list, eh? It will hugely depend on the church and reception we choose, can’t go too far off or we might end up late.  All these are very affordable choices, but Great Eastern is still a no. 1  here. Alta Guia have good photo ops, but like Baluyot and Grand Villa, rooms can get a lil crowded.  Beggars can’t be choosers

+ CATERING – MADEL’S CUISINE
No doubt on this one.  If I won’t end up in Aberdeen or Oxford, I’ll definitely book with Ms Anj. We’ve been working alongside them for quite a while and no food tastings needed for me.  Their setup is heavenly, and the food is well, downright superb.  The best part, they’re arguably the most affordable. Take it from me; from a girl who attends receptions almost on a weekly basis,  I’ll say mam madel’s food flies off the radar from the usual food offerings.  Finally, I wouldn’t have realized what a great deal they were until I started canvassing for me own wedding.

You can visit their site at madelscuisine.multiply.com but you can contact ms anj for updates coz the last brochure i got from them are more updated.

+ CAKE – Red Ribbon / Catering
Red Ribbon has beautiful cakes as low as 3.5k. Still wondering if cupcake tree is the way to go… at least 7k, sigh…

jeremiah and joyce and their beautiful wedding cupcake tree - who's your cake supplier?! huhu

+ RINGS – Binondo / Noril’s Sis
So far I’ve been hearing Suarez, Goldenhills, etc. but can’t cope with budget. You can get tempted with their 0% offerings, but Binondo rings still come out cheapest.  Seen them as cute at 4k, but will have to ask an expert to come with us to make sure.  Heard Jim Quiao, Ocampo, RS Fine Art but haven’t canvassed there yet.  Noril’s sister Chichi told his bro she can get a pair for us at KSA, yaayy!! sana sana!!

+ FLOWERS – …..
Bakit sa tinagal tagal ko bilang photographer ay hindi man lang ako ngtanung tanong na pinakamainam na flowers supplier? Urg… Bulaklakan ng Maynila has a 6k or 7k package I think. Avengoza has a 5k – 9k package but haven’t checked again.  Haven’t been to dangwa yet, so…

+GOWNS
Been to divisoria and messed around tabora’t ilaya and basically it’s 3.5k – 7k.  congratulations if you’re sexy unlike me, which means pasadya, extra tela, extra dough. i was hoping to rent my gown instead but found out it’s gonna amount to 2k so what the heck.  But some divi gowns end up as disasters so only get those who’re subok na by others.  Ms Anj’s contact Ate Tet has made beautiful gowns at rockbottom prices…hmmm…

+SOUVENIRS – DIVISORIA
If you have the time and the determination, you can do these DIY.  Divisoria is the way to go, they’re scattered all over the place. The norms are snow balls, figurines, gel candles,and those paperform-watchamacallit giveaways.  But if you’re straining for more choices, I found a corner lot near Juan Luna plaza that offers a lot more.  There’s also a stall in Pasilio 16 2nd floor divisoria mall that has cute choices.  Meron din sa Tutuban mall kaya you just have to look around. My ideas so far are:

PRIMARY SPONSORS
- good ol’ wine, wooden kalesa (yangco bldg), gel candle on lamp, incense set, large antique lamp with gel, round flask with gel n potpourri, glass candle holders, fortune plants
GUESTS
- fortune plants, chocolates with personalized wrapper, incense on tubes, incense on box, gel candles, chimes

<SINAMAY WRAPPERS, BOODLE BOTTLES, SCROLL BARS are scattered all over TABORA so happy DIY!!>

INVITE – DIY
Planning on a 3.25″x8″ invite with a full color cover and 3 one-color receding pages for wedding details, entourage list, and location map). For one invite, would only need one long scented board (to be laser printed or powder-copied), to be cut up into three.  The full color cover, I can take a risk with a color printer with a clean head or gonna have it printed at Xprint (smudge free and waterproof, imprenta feel), 100pesos for a fullcolor 12×18 print, shud fit a couple of covers there. envelope n lng   Design can be done on Photoshop (and yes, you can also do it on Word).

PhotoVid – …
That’s the hard part. My whole photo-vid team is included in the entourage ^&#&%^&&!!!.  Would have to hire extras for service only. Still lookin’..

Not sure if this info would help you guys or confuse you more.  Congratulations to all you guys, and oh, wish me luck!! If you have any tips, oohh please let me know!! thanks for the read!

For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –

Even before that, i’ve already messed around in divisoria and at some wedding fairs trying to find the best deals on prospective suppliers.  I already have a couple in mind but s.o.p. dictates I should look around for comparisons anyway.  Now i’m on my wits’ end trying to decide where my venues should be. The very first things you should handle are venues, but now I can’t even assert on a church and reception.  So far my choices are these:

ALTA GUIA – STA. ANA CHURCH (TAGUIG) – ALTA GUIA / LAKEVIEW / VILLA GLORIA
My in-laws’ choice.  Though Sta. Ana – Taguig is a fine church (which also reminds me of my childhood church, Sta Ana Church – Manila), this combination means a 20k difference compared to my other choices.  The fact that there’s no major road near the venues is gonna give my non-Taguig guests difficulty reaching it; that bothers me the most.
Pros: Large parking space, near my h2b’s residence, photo op spots beside the church
Cons: 20k price difference, traffic possibilities on way to church, church and reception locations tricky to find for non-locale, going from church to reception a hassle to those with no private transport

archdiocesan shrine of santa ana - taguig (gilbert and lorna)

GREAT EASTERN HOTEL – OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE – GREAT EASTERN
I was never really considering this option since Great Eastern has earned quite a reputation, but when I started canvassing, I found that they ARE the cheapest option, even cheaper than catering. And the food IS good, no problem with that.  It is not the handsomest of hotels, of course, but with a tight budget, I’m tempted.  And like other hotel wedding packages, you get free hotel stay, bridal car, and venue included in the package. Lots of fees I overlooked though.
Our Lady of Guadalupe on the other hand, is my 90% choice a couple of months ago.  Aside from ventilation, this venue is perfect enough for me.  A block or two away from EDSA.

Pros: The cheapest option: you can have a 100pax reception with venue for give or take 40k, plus car and prep venue. Very accessible to any party; near Ayala, Mandaluyong, EDSA, Buendia.
Cons: Floral and table setup too simple. Extra 8k for extra floral setup, 3.5k or so for decent sound system, function room dependent on your budget, corkage fees for cake, sound, photovid, etc.  Shoot…

baluyot mansion ain't a bad choice (feat handsome groom sir dick)

BALUYOT/GRAND VILLA/GREAT EASTERN – MATER DOLOROSA – MAKATI PARK
For the first time, me and my noril have found a consensus!! He finds this setup acceptable.  Though Mater Dolorosa has zero percent outdoor photo-op, the fact that it’s a midway venue between Taguig and Makati is a plus. An airconditioned church is of course a plus for a groom who wishes to don a coat and tie. Makati Park is a steal and I can’t find the heart to let go of it.  Best of all, it’s a bit easy to find being near the intersection of C5, JP Rizal, Kalayaan. Some guests can even ride a PUJ to and from the church.
Pros: Accessible to both parties.  Easy ride to many guests.  Makati Park lots of parking space and security. Mater Dolorosa very comfortable if airconditioned.
Cons: Our 2nd most expensive option (urgghhh aircon aircon!!); no photo ops outside church, limited parking space at Mater Dolorosa, might be forced to pay 2 timeslots at Makati park if reception is after lunch. (Catering will allowed into the pavilion at 1pm.)

Urggh… any tips?? I’m dying to get them!! Will keep you guys posted. Ciao!

If Nuestra Señora de Gracia or Guadalupe Parish is too hot to your liking, you might as well check this one out for size. Located along JP Rizal Extension, a few minutes away from Makati Park, and a few blocks away from C5 Road – Kalayaan extension, it isn’t too hard to access.  Parking can be an issue, there’s just enough parking space for about 5 cars maybe, the rest will have to park on the road. For the same reason, no facade pictorials possible either, sorry. But like I said, you can overlook these if you want yourself and your guests totally at ease at the comfort of a fully airconditioned church.  If the groom plans to wear a suit instead of a barong, and you’re planning to get wed amidst a summer heat, this is definitely a plus.

Ceremony rates are pretty reasonable also. As of August 2009, rates are as follows:  For 5k, ceremony, carpet, artificial flowers on the aisle are included. For 7.5k, package includes carpet, flowers, choir, candle, and use of electricity. You can also have all these with airconditioning for 12,000.  Not too bad in my opinion!

Mater Dolorosa has a wide but not too long marching aisle, no choir loft, and a moderately-sized interior.  What it can boast of, though, is its glass-stained doors, which creates a wonderful atmosphere to the place.  You can ask them to open the main glass-stained door for a more dramatic bridal entrance

How about photo shoots of the bride & groom , you might ask. Well, let’s hope you have a good prep or reception venue for that, coz you won’t get too much here.  Mater Dolorosa doesn’t have a large parking space or garden for outdoor shots.  You can however, get interior shots; you can have some good ones with those colorful glass doors

Overall, this is a good choice for a ceremony venue.  It’s reasonably-priced, quite accessible, and aircon option definitely makes it a thumbs up!

Click here to see a sample of a Mater Dolorosa Parish wedding

Contact details:
MATER DOLOROSA PARISH
19th Ave., East Rembo, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines,
Telephone No: (632) 757-5704

Budget Factor:  Bang for your buck!  Rates range from 5k to 12k

Shutter Factor/Atmosphere:  Moderately-sized church, with well-lit interior, beautiful glass-stained doors.  Not conducive for outdoor photo shoots

Possible Prep Venues:
Baluyot Mansion
Villa Monica Pateros
Grand Villa Clubhouse – Pateros

Possible Reception Venues:
Makati Park
Marigold Pavilion
Villa Monica Pateros

Note: I only included proximal and affordable venues here; posh establishments not included.

–For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –

Okay laugh at me, I know the usual spending budget for weddings today are 150-180k, but a stingy spinster like me have other priorities When my h2b finally dropped the bomb on his parents, I was struck again to kingdom come.  Of course they would find spending a 100k just for a day highly impractical.  Improbable… So here I am on the quest of the below 100k wedding budget   The way things are going, I guess I might as well give up my dream church wedding and settle on a civil ceremony after all.

But until the time I succeed in splicing my budget, it wouldn’t hurt to dream Cutting this short, here are some shutterbride tips on choosing your church which can help you cut down on your budget and enable you to relish your I do’s on the altar.

+ Neighborhood churches are cheaper. Yes, we are all aiming for Manila Cathedral and San Agustin, but even I have to give up my Nuestra Señora in Guadalupe because nowadays the extra 6k I can save can go a long way.  If you have a neighborhood church that is easily accesible and is not too far from your preferred reception area, then good for you.

+ Aim for the ceremony package with flowers and choir included. Never mind if the aisle flowers are plastic, most won’t notice.  Strings are delightful but if you can’t afford it, the good ol’ church choir will do.

+ Churches with reception areas will save on transpo fees for your guests as well as travel time. Some of these churches are Mount Carmel Church with adjoining Father Horan Hall, Nuestra Señora de Gracia with Garden de Monasterio, San Ildefonso with Rizzato Hall, Our Lady of Consolation Church in QC with its Bulwagang Recoletos, Christ the King QC with its Function Hall, St. Pancratius and the greens of Paco Park (or Old Swiss Garden if you prefer it cheaper), to name some.

+ Choose a nearby prep and reception area. Leave the hotel very early or choose a nearby hotel to prepare.

+ If possible,  choose a church with good ambient light (and many open doors for better ventilation).  Best churches I’ve seen with good ambient light are Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (beeauutiful glass stained windows) in Parañaque and Our Lady of Consolation in Mira-Nila Subdivision, QC.   Iba pa rin ang maraming ambient light, it keeps your guests awake, provides a better atmosphere and photos come out more beautiful.

+ If you can afford it, choose a church with the aircon option. Believe me, it’s worth it.  Unless you hold it on Nature’s Church Las Piñas or an afternoon wedding in St. Michael in Fort Boni, the airconditioning is manna from heaven for the couple and the guests.  No, it’s not a luxury.  If you’re a March to May couple, I need not explain myself.  If you don’t have a makeup artist to touch you up in church, and if your groom aims to wear a suit and not a barong, go for it.  And yes, August – September weddings can get hot.  A wedding gown is way hotter than it looks I was told.  A few that have this option is St. Pancratius Chapel, Christ the King QC, and Mater Dolorosa in Pembo.

+ Find out the rules of the church before booking them. If they have a choir loft, make sure they’ll let you use it on the wedding day for top shots.  All churches set guidelines which is completely fine, it’s a holy event after all and not a movie, but some churches might be too strict for decent photo ops.  You pay the church and you pay the lens guys so it’s just right that the church people should let them do what they were paid for.

+ Find out first how your officiating minister gives sermons. I shot a church wedding once somewhere in Manila and lo and behold, it was a long-haired priest who was, let’s just say a bit overzealous in his homily.  He slipped out a few swear words and told us how a mother of the bride once walked out because of his speech.  I looked at the guests and a lot were as shocked as I was.  hehe.  The bride told me ganun daw talaga yun at at home na sila.

+ Book early, at least 8months to a year before. If you’re a December bride, never procrastinate on booking ALL your suppliers, esp on your church and reception.  The less in-demand months are June – August, but the rains could give you the hassle.

Most of these are obvious but I’m here to remind you again   Strange that these are tips from someone who hasn’t even chosen her own church yet haha, but hey, they can make or break your big day.  So happy hunting, and good luck to all us!

–For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –

makati park

If you’re (1) a Makati resident and (2) a bride or groom on a budget, then I’m sure this venue is in your reception shortlist;  if not, it definitely should.  Why? For a LOT of reasons. Let me explain each one:

BUDGET
Rate – P6000.  Need I say more? Beat that.. (then again, if you’re a non-Makati resident, they raise it to 12k, brrrr).

LOCATION / PROXIMITY TO WEDDING VENUES
Right along JP Rizal Ext., Makati Park is a few minutes away from EDSA and an easy access from Pateros, Taguig, Mandaluyong, and some parts of Manila.  You can have your pick of nearby churches such as Nuestra Señora de Gracia in Guadalupe, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Mater Dolorosa, St. John of the Cross Makati, Saint Michael Chapel, etc.  You can have preps at EDSA Horizon Hotel, Baluyot Mansion or if you prefer, some hotels in Ayala or those along Makati Avenue – Burgos.

VENUE
For its price, this is absolutely a great deal.
Artist Pavilion – Although the left and right wing structures might give some of your guests a limited view of the presidential table and would be less engaging than those closer to you, you are at no disadvantage here.  The airconditioning is quite cool, you have ample space for the buffet setup and the catering staff, plus the large grounds outside the venue would give any wedding couple complete satisfaction in my view at least hehe..
(You can have another option holding a garden wedding on the other side of the park but I don’t know much info about this yet.)

PARKING
Definetely no problem here, you get a huge parking lot for all your guests and much much room to spare for children to run around.  May security guard pa on the entrance

PHOTO-OPS
You have the whole park for photo opportunities here. Though of course, this is a public park and some park visitors might stare a bit, but who cares!! It’s your big day!

shot taken outside the artist pavilion - makati park

If you have extra cash for a more expensive hotel venue, then good for you!!   But if you’re choosing on saving that extra money for the days, years after your big day, then go ahead and make the most of your being a Makateño!

Click here or here to see a sample of  a Makati Park Wedding.

Contact details:
Makati Parks & Garden
JP Rizal Avenue, West Rembo, Makati City
Phone: +63(02)899-8915

Budget Factor:  Five stars! 6k for a Makati resident, 12k for a non-Makati resident

Shutter Factor:  No problem with this, lots of shooting opportunities.

Atmosphere:  Breezy, peaceful

Possible Church Venues:
Saints Peter and Paul Parish
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine
Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Guad)
Mater Dolorosa Parish
Saint Michael Chapel
St. John of the Cross Parish

Possible Prep Venues:
Edsa Horizon Hotel
Great Eastern Hotel
Baluyot Mansion

Note: I only included proximal venues here

–For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –

Click here to read my review of the Makati Park & Garden.

–For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –

Click here to read my review of Makati Parks & Garden.

–For bride & grooms on a budget looking for  very affordable photo-vid packages, visit www.litzv.com.  Packages starting at 17k, photo-vid service only at 10k. thanks for visiting my shutterbride blog! –