Fruit Display

I want something like this:

This would be perfect for our farm or even picnic theme.

Or this:

Or even this:

Balai Isabel--A Potential Venue... Not!

I once had the chance to join in our company's Performance Assessment which was held at Club Balai Isabel. It is a residential resort right on the shores of Taal Lake, with vast grounds, its own pools, cafe, and even a church within its premises! 

During our stay, I found the grounds to be perfect for an outdoor wedding and the facilities and accommodation to be satisfactory. Food was so-so though so an outside caterer may be necessary.  

It was a bit popular as a wedding venue so I included it in our list of to-see venues. However, life got in the way (as usual) and plans of ocular visits were postponed. Plus, we got distracted with other venues nearer our place.

Then, just last week, an officemate passed me a 2-page write-up on Balai Isabel. Wondering why, I quickly ran through the article and was shocked to read about a theft that happened recently in the place! During a wedding! And victims were guests of the couple. What a heartbreak! With the rates they charge, safety and security should be a priority.

What's even sadder is no matter what the management of Balai Isabel will do, the horror the robbery caused may forever mar the memory of the wedding. So, that concludes our consideration of Balai Isabel for our wedding. Defintely a no.

Our group was probably lucky to have not experienced theft during our stay. This may also be just an isolated case. Still, I'd rather not risk our wedding. 

Anyway, here's the  article for your own appreciation. 

Experiencing Majayjay Bed and Breakfast

Finally got to visit Majayjay BnB!

And since it would probably get us 4 hours one-way, we thought it best to stay the night and experience what this BnB has to offer. We originally planned on going last February 8 but since it would be little sis and mom's birthday the following week, we decided to move our visit and spend Valentine's weekend there. So, come February 13, we crammed all our bags, fruits, a cake (which we didn't really like by the way) and all six of us including Baby Y in our ever reliable Alto. Car-stuffing or not, we were so ready for our road trip slash overnight getaway slash birthday celebration slash Valentine's date slash ocular inspection.

Long, winding roads and 5 hours later, we finally reached our destination. Check in was a breeze. Fortunately, the owner, Ms. Encar (yes, a celebrity and widow of columnist Minyong Ordonez) was there to greet us and showed us our Kubo cottage.

Kubo cottage, yep, that's right! And it wasn't a surprise that this was their most requested/popular room.

The cottage houses five for P5,000 and that comes with buffet breakfast for 5 as well. It can accommodate more. I think even for a group of 10, the cottage will still be roomy. You will need to pay P500 additional for every person in excess of 5. There was no airconditioning but it got very cool at night so it was not really an issue.The cottage has its own living room, kitchen, and restroom. The bedroom is surrounded by screen to keep mosquitoes from getting inside the sleeping area.

But our favorite part of the cottage was the view. Imagine waking up to this every morning. And can you see that little brook below? You can actually hear the rippling of the water all the way to the cottage.

Rye started taking photos the next morning after we had our fill from the buffet breakfast. As seen in photos from the BnB's site, the garden would make a perfect setting for the reception and even the ceremony. It was even more charming in person.

The garden was divided by the steps and that lovely arc. I was thinking one side of the garden could be arranged for the ceremony while the other half for the reception.

Good thing about the place  was there will be little to no need for decoration. The greens, flowers, and the backdrop of Mt. Banahaw will do the trick.

See that arc?

I really think it's gorgeous. The white flowers are perfect to make the ceremony right on that spot. I can picture Rye and I exchanging vows under it.

Overall, we loved the place.

Since it was a BnB, we won't need hotel accommodations for the family or other guests who may want to come the night before or even stay the night of the wedding. I also liked that Ms. Encar has no issues on which caterer we want. No corkage fees either. Yey!

This was perfect for the farm theme that we are aiming for. And the best part of all was the brook just below the Kubo cottage. Oh well, the "trek" down the slope was a bit challenging but it was all worth it.

We were thinking our guests may want to experience this too. At least those who will decide to come earlier. We can even set up a photo booth here. I mean, it's not everyday that you get to attend a wedding that comes with a brook, right? Pools and beaches have been more common so this will definitely be a refreshing change.

Oh, we're all sooo excited already! We would have booked the place then but we still had to settle the date (again) and find a caterer who won't charge us an arm and a leg for its out-of-town services, unless we can find a good caterer within Laguna. Ms. Encar suggested Chef Mau Catering which is based in Liliw, Laguna. Will need to write about it in a separate post though.

The real downside? Travel time.

We have managed to identify three routes (so far) but all three take an average of 3-4 hours travel time. Guests definitely need private transportation to get to the area. And we are not sure yet who among our guests will be willing to spend 8 hours travel to and from the place plus another 2 hours maybe for the wedding itself.

On a brighter note, the distance will help us streamline our guest list. But I'm afraid the final list might get too short. It would still be more fun if a lot of our friends and family could join and celebrate with us.