Baby's Breath: Perfect for the Kuripot Bride

Baby Y's baptism will be tomorrow and we are all sooooo excited!!!

Lots of items have not been crossed out of our to-do list yet and we have tons of errands to run this afternoon. I am just waiting for TitaBa as I write this piece so she can drive me to Dangwa after a quick lunch. We intend to buy Baby's Breath for the centerpieces. Why? Primarily because I learned they come in real cheap. About P80-100 per bundle! Yup, that cheap!

Naturally, I am considering Baby's Breath for my wedding, both for the bouquet and centerpieces. Or maybe even for the aisle! And if they, indeed, cost this low, that would allow us room for creativity, as budget wouldn't be much of an issue.

For the wedding, I am digging arrangements like these:

For my bouquet, I wouldn't mind holding something like these:

And since I prefer sunflowers, it will be nice to carry a bouquet similar to these:

Simple but classy. And that vibrant splash of yellow will be perfect for the picnic wedding Rye and I are envisioning. 

I am not artistic. But I have friends who are and my sister is, too. It's such a relief knowing they can always DIY my bouquet for me! I have yet to inquire about flower arrangement rates from suppliers but they can eat a good chunk off our wedding pie. Being able to source cheap but good flowers will definitely be a blessing.  

Note: All photos were taken from Pinterest. Forgive me if I cannot credit the photo owners or those who pinned above photos.

Venue Hunt: Aquaboy Resort and Parks & Wildlife

Pardon my lack of consistency but, really, I have been very busy with work and Baby Yo I could not find time to update my posts. Not to mention we are also prepping for Baby Yo's baptism and all the DIY projects my sister wants to undertake.

Anyway, this will just be a quick quick post about the venues we've been to these past weeks.

Aquaboy Resort
This is a private resort located in Zabarte, Fairview. However, it has been opened to the public so there were a lot of guests when we did our ocular. There was nothing really special about the place. There was just a pool, a conference hall, and some rooms which we didn't bother checking anymore. What I liked though was the vast open grounds that would have been perfect for a picnic barbecue themed event.

Published rates were at P30,000 which practically allows you exclusive use of the resort. However, I felt like the place was not being maintained well. The area near the pool smelled strongly of chlorine. Or maybe this was due to the number of visitors they had that day. Plus, the location was really far.

Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife
Since we want a picnic-themed wedding, a park seemed ideal. Now, this park is located in QC and could be accessed from North Avenue or Quezon Avenue. It is very near where we live and if the wedding could be held here, that would really be convenient for us.

So, I called to inquire about the rates and what venues were for rent. I was giddy with excitement when I learned that the Fishing Village could be rented for the whole day for only P1,700! Great deal, right? Even if it was just an open area which would mean having to rent industrial fans, costs will still be within our budget. I was already thinking of all the money we could save if we get a venue as affordable as this one. But of course, we had to see the place first.

When we went there, I immediately knew it wouldn't do. Open air, so heat and insects will be a major concern. Industrial fans won't do. Too much inconvenience. The concrete slats of the flooring were also not heels-friendly. We were also told that the park closes at 5pm. Party could last until 6pm only. Clearly, the cheap price tag was not enough for us to book the place.

On the way back to the car, we passed by Bulwagang Ninoy--three-floor structure with a roof deck and an area overlooking the man-made lake of the park. A potential venue, I thought. Unfortunately, it was not for rent.

Venue Hunt for a Picnic-Themed Wedding

Rye and I are aiming for a farm-style wedding but farms will most definitely be outside Manila. The thing with out-of-town venues is the added costs which I am not so keen on including in the budget. The next option then is to settle for garden venues or resort-type places within Metro Manila. I am somehow appeased with the thought that instead of a farm-style wedding, we will just have a picnic-themed event.

For the coming weekend, we have arranged to do an ocular of the following venues:

• Parks & Wildlife in Quezon City, which is very near our place of residence; 
•  Makati Parks since I’ve read a  few blogs suggesting it as a viable wedding venue;
• La Mesa Ecopark in Fairview
• Aquaboy Resort, Fairview
• Maria Luisa Events Place, Novaliches

Venue Hunt: Sitio de Amor

Sitio de Amor is a multi-hectare farm resort in San Pablo, Laguna lovingly designed and built by owners Jorge and Amor. We haven’t been to the farm but I am so rooting for the treehouse and infinity pool I saw on their website.

Photo credits to Sitio de Amor's website

Photo credits to Sitio de Amor's website

The place has a well-manicured lawn. I can already picture the arrangement for the ceremony on a cool December afternoon, just a few moments before sunset. Or an early dinner affair around this infinity pool.

And then, there’s this pavilion with wooden tables and chairs that will just be perfect for the picnic theme reception that we are planning to pursue.

Photo credits to Sitio de Amor's website

Photo credits to Sitio de Amor's website

I am not sure if I mentioned it previously but I prefer benches over Tiffany chairs. This set-up is just perfect for what I have in mind.

Photo credits to Sitio de Amor's website

Package:

When I inquired about the rates, my heart sank… P60,000 for venue alone. Plus out of town fee of suppliers, our transportation cost, accommodation and food expenses. That seems like P100,000 additional for all these. I don’t think I am willing to spend that much. The guests may not also be amenable to traveling all the way to San Pablo. Sigh… Another sigh… 

Rye's Thoughts
Too far and too pricey. He did like the pavilion though.

My Thoughts
I so want something like this... But I am not willing to let go of an additional P100K for the venue... I wish Manila is hiding a gem like this. I definitely need to continue searching for venues.

Verdict:
Mrs. Amor seemed like a sweet lady as we spoke over the phone but at this point it wouldn’t be wise to spend so much on venue alone. We might try visiting the place for a short vacation though.

Food Taste Date Reloaded Part 2: Manila Catering and CVJ Catering

Manila Catering

This is the same group behind FISH, Our Kitchen, and Azaya Resort so I expected a bit more from them given their background in the industry.

I was searching for to-go food for the baptismal party of Baby Yo when I chanced upon Manila Catering and decided to attend their Food Tasting event at the Gazebo Royale last Sunday. We live very near the venue so I also invited my two sisters K and G to come along, to which they excitedly agreed of course. I was excited for them too as it was their first food tasting event.

We got to the venue a little after lunch time and K and G were eager to start off with the food tasting as they haven’t eaten yet… only to be disappointed after. This was my plate. Forgive the plating, a little messy I know. But I wouldn’t have minded had the food tasted good. Sad to say, nothing excited my palate. 

                From pasta, clockwise: Penne in Pomodoro, Carbonara, Korean Beef Stew, Beef Curry, Pork belly,                    Chicken Teriyaki, Baked Chicken

If I really had to choose, the chicken teriyaki would have to be the best dish on this lot. I got only a very small portion, it doesn't even seem visible on my plate. I know my messy plating is to blame for that. Anyway, nothing tasted really special and I thought the dishes were just glorified carinderia meals. Definitely not the type I will serve on my wedding. Most were too salty for my liking. Forgive me if I sound mean, but I'm just trying to describe the taste as honestly as I can.

There was also a salad bar but I was running low on tummy space so I decided to skip that part. Desserts were fruit tarts, mini silvana balls, and choco mousse. All tasted fine, with the mousse being extra sweet for my liking.  

Drinks came in two flavors: dalandan and four seasons. They also have mocktails and we got to try all three: Mango, Watermelon, and Citrus. Of the three, I enjoyed only the citrus variant. The other two tasted strongly of powdered juice with slices of lime or watermelon mixed in.

Package:

Their highest package was priced at P930/head plus VAT. This already includes a 3-layer cake, doves, bridal car or emcee, wine, tables, chairs, linens, centrepieces, and basic styling. 

Rye's Thoughts:
He enjoyed the citrus mocktail but he wasn't paying P930 for that alone. 

My Thoughts:
Price-wise, they are cheaper than Shekinah. The problem is, I wasn’t that excited with their dishes. My sisters weren’t also. We couldn’t remember a single dish we seriously enjoyed.

We also didn't connect with our AE. He was able to address most of our concerns but there was just something that felt off. It didn't take long for us to decide Manila Catering wasn't for us. After the meeting with our AE, we hurried off to our next destination.

Verdict:

Not for us

CVJ Catering

We were actually scheduled for an ocular of Light of Love events place but CVJ happened to have a food tasting event at the time so we were invited to sample their dishes as well. We came in a little before 3pm and the event was about to close so some dishes were no longer available, much to the dismay of my sister G. She said we should have just visited Light of Love first instead of Manila Catering. 

Having been to two food tasting events already, I was no longer keen on trying more dishes. CVJ was also not among our options. But since we were already there and our AE was still not available for discussion, I got myself small portions of the remaining dishes.

Service was already slow. Maybe because the event was drawing to a close already and they were exhausted by the time we came. I was a bit turned off though. Imagine some waiters sleeping on the buffet spread during your event. This was just a food tasting event. I’m sure an actual wedding will even be more demanding. If this was how their servers worked, CVJ is definitely off the list.

As to taste, I couldn’t comment much except that none of those I tried caught my attention. My sister G who loves to eat didn’t enjoy the dishes either. We liked the iced tea though. It tasted like pineapple juice was mixed in. desserts came in a number of pastel-colored sponge cakes, cake pops, and silvannas. The colors were cute but that’s just it. Nothing really tickled my fancy.

I didn’t get their rates anymore.