A Little Bit of Everything: FT and Venue #3

Last week, during the long weekend of Aug 18th to 21st, we were able to set a meeting with Lancaster and Queensland Catering Services (QCS). All went well, now we just needed the Lancaster to be blocked off for our date by the developers, and then we could pay the down payment. That was until this morning.

You see, our schedule for the day was simple - go to Lancaster for a 10am meeting to finally reserve the Leighton Hall lobby, and then go to QCS for the food tasting later in the afternoon. But, as always, nothing seems to follow the plans.

When we got to Lancaster, we were able to talk to another person aside from the lady that assisted us last week. Talking to him, he was able to show us and give us a clearer picture of how much of the lobby we could use since the wedding will be on a Saturday noon. He motioned that there will be some allowance of 1 meter here and there. By the time he was finished, I just wanted to walk away from there. There's nothing left for us to occupy but the middle part! Uhmm, hello??? WE HAVE 200 GUESTS!!! I looked at Ron in dismay of what just happened, and his reaction wasn't far from mine. Politely, we just said that we'll wait for their confirmation of our date - since this wasn't confirmed yet with the developers, then we left.

Immediately, we talked about our last option (at the moment), Antel's Clubhouse. We considered this before Lancaster, but the price range was a bit far from what we could spend. But this time, we both knew we need to adjust at some point. So we went to Antel and inquired about their ballroom. The rates were fixed, whether we knew a lot owner or not, so we agreed to choose the venue above other needs. We then pencil blocked the venue, and the lady assisting us gave us the list of their accredited suppliers. We noted that QCS is one of their accredited caterers, and we were relieved knowing we will not be paying any corkage fees. With smile, and a lot of hope, we left the place.

By lunch time, we were waiting for my parents since they agreed to attend the food tasting offered by QCS. While waiting, Ron and I discussed how we will revise the budget we had. Feeling stressed, we took our minds off from the wedding by shopping! Haha! By the way, Ron shopped more than I did! :P

Before 4 in the afternoon, we arrived at Ysabel's Garden in Las Pinas where QCS held their weekly food tasting. Before the food were served, Ms. Belen (AE) approached us, and having talked to her last week, we mentioned the change in venue.

Upon the mention of Antel, she immediately brought up that they will be charging additional costs for the venue. Surprised, we asked how much and what for. Apparently, it is for the corkage fees that they will be paying Antel. So, needless to say, we ended up having to discuss and debate over as to why we need to pay them an additional of 12% - yes that's right... 12%. Frustrated, we almost wanted to leave the place, but realized that we were there to judge their food. And somehow, we could still be able to talk to Antel before booking any one of them.

The heat of the discussion simmered down as the food came. All four of us, enjoyed all the food laid out for us. As the title suggests, we had a little bit of everything. My mom even jokingly asked how come there was no rice served, it could have been dinner already. The only disappointment we had was that there were no desserts available for the food tasting. My mom took notes of the food we liked, and the ones we could choose as back up. We then scan through the packages' menu and was delighted to know that most of the food we liked are part of the choices. So my mom did the honors of choosing the menu. Good thing we brought her with us, her and my dad are both too picky when it comes to food. So by having them choose the menu for the wedding, we'll be able to avoid certain criticisms that could make the day a bit stressful. Haha! :D

Sorry, we took pictures too late :P

After the food tasting, we told Ms. Belen that we'll need to talk with Antel first before we could book them for the wedding, and she advised us to do the same as well.

Leaving Ysabel's Garden, we were satisfied with the food and the price, even with the styling that comes with the package. All in all, we were smiling as we knew we found our caterer! Good food, affordable prices, and elegant styling. :)

Stomach full,

Finally... A YES from my H2B! :D

For weeks now, I've been undecided whether we need a coordinator for the wedding or not. I have asked Ron about this since the beginning, and he was firm that we do not need one and that we can handle all the details needed. Given his answer, I asked the other person, whose opinions I value the most - My Mom, and her immediate response was nothing far from Ron's. Defeated, I gave up my battle and settled for a no-coordinator wedding.

But knowing the slightly control-freak that I am, I knew I wouldn't settle with their answers. So I researched a bit, and came to a conclusion that it will be a lot easier to hire an On-The-Day Coordinator than to have our families and friends slaved off for our wedding. With this argument, Ron was still firm on his decisions, or so he thought!

A few weeks ago, we attended a wedding. It was a small and private wedding. They had no coordinators, but the program went well. I knew this was a time to point out things that I wanted for our own wedding, but not at the expense of the newly weds - so I knew I had to be sensitive, and strategic as well.

At last! I found my sensitive and strategic move when we saw a couple of our friends, who are invited as guests to the event. They acted as the "bouncers" and was sitting at the entrance of the reception area, and was not able to watch or enjoy the program. I was about to point it out when Ron brought it up before me saying, "Tingnan mo, mas gusto ko yung guests natin na guests talaga para mag-enjoy sa wedding natin. (Look, I prefer our guests to be treated as guests to enjoy our wedding as well)". That's when I saw my rainbow! Haha! I immediately jumped into it and brought up the coordinator topic. He was quiet and did not say much except for a "We'll see.".

So, I played my strategies and asked around for coordinator rates and details. Until I was able to collect packages and rates from various OTD suppliers. I was able to narrow it down to two before I showed it to Ron - which by the way, he had no idea that I was already arranging meet-ups with. Sneaky, I know, but what the heck - it's for our wedding! Haha! :))

So earlier today, we had our meeting with one of the OTD I have chosen. Meeting Cha and Abby of KTG Events was so much fun and not a dull moment with these ladies. They were detailed as well when they asked us about our wedding details, and they were very supportive with the ones we have no idea yet, or are still looking for. Take note, we haven't booked them yet, and still they were helping us out already! :) Also, I felt really comfortable with them, and that was #1 on my list for our OTD. So with all the chit-chat going on, I knew I found our OTD, and I can tell that Ron was comfortable with them as well.

But because Ron and I agreed to meet the two OTD first before booking anyone, I knew I had to do something. I typed "Bee, book na natin sila. Pleassse :D! (Bee, let's book them already. Pleassse :D!)" on my phone and showed it to him under the table. He then teased me about it right in front of the two ladies. Telling them of our little arrangement prior to the meeting, and I knew right then and there was my magical moment. As the title says, FINALLY! A YES FROM H2B! :D Hahaha! He agreed to hire them, and we paid the initial deposit as well. Finally, we have KTG as our OTD, and that means one less stress on our wedding day.

Second Supplier Booked: KTG Events

PS: Sorry, as we have no pictures of the ladies.

Happy Bride-to-be,