Supplier Rating 6: Hearts & Bells Cake Artistry

Wedding Cake, Cupcakes and Mini-Cakes

Peso Power = 8, 164.00 (Includes a Php 3,000 GC won through the W@W auction)

Rating: 9

During the wedding preps, Hearts & Bells was at the top of our list as we did not want a traditional wedding cake, and they did not let us down.

We Have Our Cake... And We'll Eat It Too

Yesterday was the opening of the two-day Wedding Expo in SMX. We were not able to attend due to a friend's wedding. So today, despite having a bad stomach, we braved the day and proceeded with the expo.

I made an itinerary for today's activities, what to do before going to the expo and what we'll be focusing while inside the expo.

First on our list is our attempt to have Antel's signature on the waiver we made. Since you all might have read our "situation", this is the only remedy we were able to come up with for us not to not pay the additional 12%. Fortunately, Antel signed the waiver, and we advised them that as soon as we get Queensland's signature we will be able to make the deposit to secure the venue for our event.

With smiles, we left Antel and headed off to SMX.

Upon arriving, and getting our name tags, we immediately proceeded to our scheduled FT with VS&F Catering. Two reasons why I made the reservation: (1) Since we are still looking for alternative caterers, I figured it is the best time to grab a free FT, and discuss their services; and (2) it's free lunch - doesn't anyone want that? Haha!

Our name tags and goodies from Themes & Motiff

During the FT, the food was good and tasty. Also, Joan - the AE in-charge of us, was very accommodating and open. It was very tempting to book them right then and there, but the amount they offer is way beyond our budget. So we told her, that we needed some time to review the packages, and we'll give her a call.

Sorry, no pictures during the FT.

After the gourmet lunch that we had, we proceeded with the second item on my list. The CAKES!

Initially, we wanted to have a grand cake, but after a delightful news from one of my co-W@Wies, we then

decided to have a simple cake and would not spend as much with something the guests might not enjoy and would only be for "display purposes" after the cutting of the cake ceremony. After all, we'll have the topper that we want and it'll be our personal keepsake.

So that limited our choices to two suppliers - Sweet Solutions and Hearts and Bells.

We talked first with Sweet Solutions, and asked for quotations for the cake we had in mind. Their offer was only a 10% discount and waiver of delivery fees. Unfortunately after computations, it was still above the budget we had - and this is the one I wanted to stick with the budget. So we moved on to our next choice.

Hearts and Bells' designs were something I loved from the start. So getting to their booth, we immediately picked one of their flyers and noticed the their cake + mini cakes + cupcakes was still on-going. This again will fall into our "strategic move" category. We discussed to whom the mini cakes and cupcakes will be for since we already have a little souvenir in mind. Plus, we asked about the delivery fees which will not be waived during the expo. After computations (I know we're both accountants, so bear with us), Hearts and Bells will still exceed our cake budget, but with the added cakes in the package, we'll be able to replace a few other details and hopefully save on these replacements. So we talked again with Ruth (who was very nice to talk to by the way), and asked a few more questions.

After another little discussion with Ron, we decided to book Hearts and Bells, since according to Ron "Wala ka naman ibang gustong supplier for the cake. So ano pa hinihintay mo?" - He knew me well! Hahaha! We instantly booked them and paid the initial deposit.

Third Supplier Booked: Hearts and Bells

After booking them, and remembering that one of my Sissies at W@W will be making our topper, I felt really really as in uber excited about our cake. :D

Still excited,

First Booking: Deal or No Deal???

Okay. So we're engaged, and we just celebrated our First Anniversary yesterday. We haven't actually moved on from the bliss of the first year celebration and its cheesyness, but we're now going into full speed and focus for the upcoming wedding.

Automatically, I signed us up for different bridal fairs that will be held within the year, and first quarter of next year. After which, I quickly jumped into looking for photographers and videographers as they will definitely be one of the major suppliers and buys that we need to decide on. For weeks, I was able to research and choose a few photo/video suppliers that I thought would fit our budget, and our needs.

With us signed up for the Bridal Fair, and with only the Photo/Video Supplier in our checklist (aside from a little window shopping for other wedding essentials), we went to NBC Tent in hope to book one of the suppliers in my list - I wouldn't mention who it was anymore. Upon arriving at the venue, which by the way we were really at exactly 10 am, we immediately looked for that supplier's booth, and asked questions after questions. Since, the price was a bit high for us, we proceeded to the next one on our list, and so on.

First timers attending Bridal Fairs - and we're labeled as GUESTS! ;)

Until, while we were just going around the place, a certain gentleman, sales-talked his way into my attention, and I started paying attention to the package details and its price range. CGM Studios was the name of the supplier. I haven;t researched anything about them, so I was a bit hesiatant to pay attention, and after the much talk, I immediately walked after Ron and asked if we could go for lunch already to discuss all the offerings we heard. And during lunch that I realized that all the while I was listening to the gentleman offering their photo/video packages, he was looking into other suppliers in the venue. So I then discussed what I remember from the sales-talk and realized that their package fits our budget, and the needs as well.

So, right after lunch, we went back to NBC Tent, and he discussed a few items with CGM and looked over their albums and on-site which was available for viewing at the event. Ron was immediately convinced by them, but I was having second thoughts since I never heard of them, and because I wanted the other photo/video supplier.

We went outside for a while, and after a needed pros and cons discussion, Ron's pick won the debate. We then went back inside and instantly book them for our wedding. It was such a good feeling though I was really anxious having known nothing about them (I know, I'm a bit of a control-freak). It was truly a high to book a supplier for an event that we are really excited about! :)

So there. Coming out of the NBC Tent for the nth time, we now have a Photo/Video supplier - CGM Studios. :))

First Supplier Booked: CGM Studios

Cheers!