August 10 (Thursday) – We had our meeting with our AE, MeAnne Antonio of Edsa Shang. We also made our 50% downpayemnt for us to be protected from the agreed minimum revenue requirement. Grabe, we’re caught off guard with the sudden increase they have this year. Imagine, from 300K minimum revenue requirement to 400K. And since our wedding will be on December, another increase pa ule iyon. Kaya when Me-Ann gave us the total package for 490K, hala! Halos muntik na kaming himatayin. Kaya super react agad kami ni Rain. Because we have 150 guests and hindi naman kami mag-invite ng 300 pax noh. Pang 300 – 400 pax na yata ung price na un e. So what she did was just recomputed everything. She gave us nalang P370K net including cocktails na rin good for 100 pax. We change also from P1,400++ per head to P1,600++ per head.

Appetizers
Sweet potato salad with marinated shrimps and chive flowers
Waldorf salad with walnuts
Assorted greens and dressing with condiments
Crispy beef with hot basil and sesame seeds
Fresh spring rolls with green mango and bean sprouts
Banana flower salad with spicy minced pork in sesame dressing
Squid fish salad in sweet chili sauce

Soup
Cream of broccoli with toasted almonds

Carving
New Zealan Angus Sirloin

Main Course
Penne pasta alfredo style
Bacon wrapped prok fillet
Tiger prawns braised in palm sugar
Malaysian style white pomfret fillet
Assorted garden vegetables
Chicken strips with shitake mushroom
Rice croquettes
Herbed buttered rice

Desserts
Chocolate truffle cake
Caramel mousse with passion fruits
Assorted fresh fruit platter
Warm mango crepes
Mousse au chocolate
Meringues vermicelli’s nougat parfait
Cream cheese cake

Coffee and Tea

However, we’ll schedule our food tasting by October na para if they’re still changes, medyo hindi nagmamadali.

Then, we also discuss the cocktails. Wala talagang choice about this. It’s very uncomfortable naman daw for our guests to loiter inside the hotel. Our ceremony will end around 4pm and we still have 1-2 hours waiting time before dinner. So, we opted to get cocktails na nga. Ang kulet nga because may theme pa kaming East meets West hehehe! =p We’ll serve sioplets, siomai, nuts, chips and fruit punch for the drinks.

Here’s the hotel package inclusions (as discussed):

Ice Carving (not decided with the design yet; to be advised)
At the Entrance w/ stunco lights
Flowers (undecided yet)

Pre-wedding Cocktails (4pm)
Beverage arrangement: preordering 100 servings of fruit punch (station set-up/ passed around)
Nuts and chips; set up on saucers for all cocktail tables
Assorted sioplets and siomai
Set up 6 cocktails tables at the foyer
Iced water station with glasses set up around

Crew Meal (good for 11pax)
Chicken adobo
Mixed vegetables
Plain rice
Fruit salad

Set-up (Garden Ballroom)
Halfmoon Table for the bride & groom
Presidential table for 50 persons (principal sponsors)
Oval presidential table for 50 persons
Round tables as VIP table for __ persons each
Buffet stations
Table for cake
Table for gifts
Dancefloor (4x5m)
Doors to be closed prior to couple’s arrival
Red carpet from the presidential table to the cake table
Stage for the band (The Sentimental Groove)
Round tables of 10’s as regular table
Round tables of 12’s as regular table
Reception table for __ persons, manning c/o coordinator
Table numbers with stand
5pc. Easel stand for the photo galley
Enlarged layout at the entrance
Directory of reserved tables at the entrance
Pictorial room (to be advised)

Audio Visual
Aircon
Rostrum Microphone
3 Microphone floor and stand
Motorised Screen (Garden Ballroom 1 & 4)

Beverage Arrangement
To serve 1 servings / round of iced tea / fruit punch
To bring in 10 bottles of wine w/o corkage fee
To provide (1) bottle of sparkling wine for couple’s toasting (part of the package)

Linens (to be advised)
Table cloth for the presidential table
Table cloth for the VIP table
Table cloth for the regular table
Beige long seat covers
Doves in a box (to be endorsed to Concierge, pick up by 12nn)
Skirting
Table napkin
Cake table skirting

Flowers (to be advised)
Halfmoon flowers
Long & low
VIP table centerpiece
Tall centerpiece – Martini Glass with mirror below
Round and low
Backdrop (ecru gauze with Tivoli lights)
Cake flowers
2 pcs Cake table décor
Cake stage pillar
Bridal car décor c/o bridal car supplier

Bridal Package
- Overnight stay in 1-bedroom Suite with Buffet breakfast for 2 at the Heat
(c/in: Dec 15 c/out: Dec 17)
- Overnight stay in an Executive room (for entourage)
(c/in: Dec 15 c/out: Dec 16)
- Bridal Car (3hours)
(pickup time: 1:35pm hotel main lobby)
(Benz Stretch)
- Guestbook with pen at the registration table

I'm just worried of the room that she gave us. From deluxe, she upgrade it into an Executive Room w/c is kinda small when we made an occular visit last August 1. Veluz already mention this to me when I had my 2nd fitting. Baka nga daw talaga mahirapan ako 'coz I have a long detachable train. So, what we did, we get the Edsa Club. If we'll get an upgrade from Executive to 1-bedroom suite, we'll pay 10K++ per day. The regular cost of the 1-bedroom suite is 16K++ per day without any upgrade un ha. And if I'll get it for 2 days, it'll cost us 32K! Whoa! No way! OA diba??? But if we have the Edsa Card, it'll cost us only for 10,500 for 2 days na in a 1-bedroom suite. So, parang 5K lang siya per night, and nag-cashout namin all in all 17,500K (7k for the card & 10,500 for the 1-bedroom suite) instead of paying 21K just for an upgrade. At least we still get to keep the Executive room for 2nights. What we plan is to give the room for our entou (1 night) and the other night siguro voucher na lang muna. Rain doesn't want to use the room. Sa house nalang daw siya. Additional expense. We'll just sell it nalang siguro pero bahala na! Bahala na si batman! =p

After Edsa Shang, we have our lunch @ CPK. 2nd-day celebration of my birthday daw na kaming dalawa lang..hehehe! Grabe, we had a lot. We ordered salad, pizza, shrimp fettuccini pasta. Whew! Kaming dalawa lang ha? Ang lalaki pa naman ng serving nila. Parang hindi kami kumain ng ilang araw sa na-order namin haha! Paminsan-minsan lang naman e. Birthday ko pa! hehehe! =p Very simple celebration yet very special and memorable one 'coz I got to celebrate my last birthday as a single person! =p

August 13 (Sunday) – Went to Paranaque to visit 2 of our principal sponsors. Initial plan was 4 ninongs/ninangs that day. Para isang puntahan na lang. But due to unexpected circumstances, 2 of which cancelled and re-set na lang in a different day. Good thing at 2 nalang talaga ang napuntahan naming because sobrang hirap pala dahil mabubusg ka ng sobra. Both of them prepared good food for us. The 1st ninang we wen to was in the morning and the 2nd ninong was in the afternoon. Halos walking distance lang ang layo between them (same village e!). Kaya when we left the house of the 1st ninang, we’re full na sobra. Both of them served us rice. Not the typical merienda ha? As in full meal. Kaya when we went to 2nd ninong busog na busog na talaga kami na halos hindi na kami makahinga. Kakahiya naman kase they’re really prepared. Tapos hindi mo man lang gagalawin ang food. Kaya lesson learned, one ninong or ninang at a time. Make it a point na medyo mahaba ang gap in between them. Mabobondat kayo waaaaaaaaaahhh! =p

Auguts 19 (Saturday) – Third day celebration of my birthday. Actually, it’s a double celebration of my birthday and Jeff (my officemate). After shift, the rest of our MX team went to Jeff’s place at Sta. Mesa where they market and cook food. Siyempre, hindi ako nagluto.hehehe! They cooked sinigang na baboy, inihaw na liempo, inihaw na tyilapia, garlic mushrooms, cheese sticks, crispy pata, spaghetti and lots of beer. Everyone had a great time, videoke, kwentuhan, asaran, tawanan and lots of drinking. It was a tiring day. Imagine from work tapos uwi kami ng 6pm na halo. Antok na antok na ako and yet it was a blast. Sarap!

August 20 (Sunday) – We had a meeting with Christian Banawa & Kate Fermin of The Sentimental Groove. Finally! Because of schedule conflicts lagi nalang napo-postpone. We had our meeting @ Starbucks, Glorietta. Prior to our meeting, Rain & I had been compiling all the songs we want from Church to Reception.

Church Ceremony
Prelude : Only Time (Enya) / Pachelbel’s Canon In D
Entourage: : Panunumpa (Groom’s Entrance: w/ Voice;

Entourage Entrance: Canon In D)
Bridal Entrance : The Prayer (Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli)

Mass Proper

Alleluia : c/o TSG
Wedding Vows : Theme from “Love Affair”
Offertory : Take & Receive or Tanging Yaman
Holy : (Recite)
Acclamation : (Recite)
Amen : c/o TSG
The Lord’s Prayer : c/o TSG
Lamb Of God : c/o TSG
Communion : Lead Me Lord / Anima Christi / Sayo Lamang
Unity Candle : One Hand, One Heart

Presentation of The Newly Weds : Destiny (Jim Brickman)
Pictorials / Signing of Contract : The Gift (Jim Brickman)
We’ve Only Just Begun (The Carpenters)
Now That I Have You (The Company)
Beginning Today (Agot Isidro)
So It’s You (Raymond Lauchengo)
Forevermore (Side A)
You (The Carpenters)
I Will Always Stay In Love This Way (Nina)
Loving You (Ric Segreto)

Recessional : Umagang Kay Ganda (Side A)

Reception Program

Receiving Of The Guests : The Real Thing (Kalapana)
Till There Was You (Piolo Pascual)
One Fine Day (Nathalie Merchant)
A Love That Will Last (Renee Olstead)
Bridges (Kevyn Lettau)
Perfect (True Faith)
My Cherie Amour (Stevie Wonder)
You Don’t Know Me (Jann Arden)


Entourage : I love You More Today Than Yesterday (S. Staircase)
Principal Sponsors : Knocks Me Off My Feet (Stevie Wonder)
Parents : She (Notting Hill OST)
Couple’s Grand Entrance : Happy Together (The Turtles)
Invocation : __________________

Dinner : Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder)
The Nearness Of You (Norah Jones)
I Won’t Last A Day Without You (Carpenters)
Blue Moon
Unforgettable
Come Fly With Me (Frank Sinatra)
The Way You Look Tonight (Michael Buble)
Swept Away (Christopher Cross)
Nightbird (Kalapana)
Each Day With You (Martin Nievera)

Till There Was You

Home (Michael Buble)

Special Number (sister) : Very Special Love (Maureen McGregor)
: Feels Like Home (Chantal Kreviazuk)

Cake Cutting : What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
Garter Ceremony : Careless Whisper (George Michael)
Calling Of All Single Ladies : You To Me Are Everything (The Real Thing)
Games : Wishin’ & Hopin’ (My Bestfriend’s Wedding OST)
Calling Of The Bachelors : Heart To Heart (Kenny Loggins)
Games : Love Shack (B52’s)

Couples First Dance : That’s All (Rod Stewart)
Money Dance : Moonriver (Henri Mancini)

Finale / Dance : Happy (Square Heads)
: Gonna Get Your Love (S Sense)
: Let’s Groove (Earth, Wind & Fire)
: September (Earth, Wind & Fire)
: Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You
: Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko (VST & Co)
: Sumayaw Sumunod (VST & Co)
: I Love The Night Life
: ButterCup


During the discussion, Ian mentioned the sound system which we didn’t even pay attention. We’re suppose to shoulder din pala the sound system w/c was not even provided by Edsa Shang. Pareho kaming nagulat ni Rain, Edsa Shang’s sound system is not compatible for the band’s requirements. So, what we did we just paid 1000 php reservation fee para sila na bahalang maghanap ng sound system para sila nalang ang kausap namin. Baka mahirapan kase kami pag dalawa pang kausap. At least dapat naman talaga magkasama na un. Para hindi na naming problemahin just in case. I’ll just wait for Ian to email me the inclusion in the sound system. Next meeting will be on Aug 29 (Tuesday).