This suppliers’ ratings is long overdue. However, I am still writing this as my thank you to our suppliers who made our dream wedding a reality. This is also for the w@w community where I got so many tips and for the brides-to-be/grooms-to-be who are on their wedding preparations stage right now.

Enjoy reading!

CHURCH
Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish
7440 Bernardino St.
Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City
Contact Person:
Albert/Inday
Tel # 896-8444
Rating: A++++++++++

Before the wedding:
I’ve seen this church so many times in movies. And everytime, I marvel at how beautiful the church is. From outside, it would seem like it is a very big church but once you get inside, you’ll realize that it’s actually small. It was perfect for the intimate wedding that we wanted. However, they wouldn’t accept bookings of more than 1 year in advance. And since we booked Coconut Palace months earlier, I had to call NSDG up every week until they finally opened their books for 2007 reservations. I told Clarence that I was willing to give up our slot at the Coconut Palace if there would be a conflict with the dates at NSDG. Luckily, we were able to get both NSDG and CP.

The people at NSDG are very nice. We didn’t have any problems with them at all. There were times at the start of the preps that I was really makulit with Inday because I couldn’t make up my mind on the time slot I wanted. What Inday did was reserve the 2 slots for me. I never requested her to do this. I just found out when I went to the church to confirm the booking and pay the reservation fee. When I asked her why, she replied, “Kasi alam ko magbabago pa isip mo e.”

Albert was really nice too. And so was the priest who interviewed us. Anyway, we had 2 or 3 revisions on our missalette, so I know that they’re really reading it.

Most of our guests where unfamiliar with the church. However, after our wedding, tandang-tanda na nila. They would even recommend NSDG to others who’re planning to get married.

During:
Though they had rules regarding the age of the flower girls (must be 5 years old), the church coordinators did not prevent our flower girls from walking. We had 5 flower girls and 3 of those where in the age of 3 years old.

After:
We had no hassle getting our marriage contract at the church.

All pictures by Dino Lara.

The facade of the church.

The interior of the church.

The altar.

OFFICIATING PRIEST
Fr. Adrian Magnait
Rating: A++++++++++

Before:
Fr. Adrian is our parish priest in Malabon.

At first, we didn’t feel the need to get our own priest. But now that our wedding is over, we’re very glad that my cousin suggested that we request Fr. Adrian to officate our wedding.

We’re really thankful that Fr. Adrian accepted our invitation. He had a very hectic schedule that day but he still came to the church very early. I asked our coordinator to advise his staff that there might be traffic in Edsa because of the road repair works being by the MMDA. Because of this, he was at the church by 3:00pm. Nakakahiya nga kay Fr. Adrian but the didn’t mind.

When we met with him before the wedding, he told us to give him the missalette in advance and to have his copy printed using big fonts. He also told us to practice our vows so that we’ll not be at a lost during the wedding ceremony.

During:
The ceremony was very solemn. Fr. Adrian’s approached to the ceremony was very personalized. He was able to capture the audience’s attention by his very clear voice, good diction, and his very engaging sermon.

After:
Every time we would see Fr. Adrian, he would remind us to pray every 4pm and ask God to bless our marriage.

RECEPTION VENUE
Coconut Palace
CCP Complex,
Roxas Blvd.
Manila
Contact Person:
Mabel Ferrer
Tel # 832-0223 or 831-1756
Rating: A++++++++++

Before:
We initially wanted to hold our reception at The Loft in Rockwell. The Loft would have been a perfect venue since it was indoors, and only a few minutes’ drive from NSDG. Unfortunately, when I inquired in 2006, they were no longer accepting reservations for 2007. We were told that the whole place will be renovated and they couldn’t commit on a date when the new venue will be available.

So we had no other choice but to look for another venue. Hotels were out of the question because we found them quite expensive. We were left with Intramuros. I’ve always loved the walled city of Intramuros. But the place wasn’t as appealing to Clarence as it was to me. I’ve read about the Coconut Palace in W@W but it didn’t cross my mind to suggest the place to Clarence. I don’t know why, basta out of the picture sya lagi.

Anyway, one time, while we were driving around CCP, I asked Clarence what he thinks of Coconut Palace. He dismissed it right away telling me, “Mahal dun. Dun nagpaparty si Imelda Marcos e. “ Since I felt that we were running out of options, I still decided to research on Coconut Palace. I then found out that it was not as expensive as what we thought.

So after reading several reviews, I called them up to ask for their available dates for January. Only 2 dates for January saturdays were left and we chose January 27. Good thing that Josiah’s is one of their accredited caterers. Josiah’s was the first supplier that we booked because of their free chocolate fountain promo.

When we went to Coconut Palace to pay our reservation fee, we were amazed by what we saw. First time naming pareho to see Coconut Palace e. We immediately felt that we made the right decision. The place is so beautiful even without much styling.

During:
With Josiah’s wonderful set up, the place even turned up more beautiful. I can’t imagine a more romantic place by the sea. It was really perfect for our sunset pictorial. At the back, near the breakwater, Ms. Mabel advised us to put luminaries so that it won’t look bare. The effect was beautiful. Yun lang dinagdag namin. No additional lights, no additional flowers, and no additional decors. Allergic kasi kami sa additional costs.

We were lucky that the weather turned out fine. It was not cold and it was not windy. Pag windy kasi, you cannot use the chocolate fountains. As a precaution na rin, we asked Josiah’s to set up the dessert buffet tables near the covered area. I also chose tall centerpieces. So buti talaga and di windy.

Parking was not a problem either. The restrooms were clean.

We were glad too that we chose Coconut Palace because it was the best place to have fireworks.

After:
I don’t remember the exact cost that we spent on Coconut Palace. But I don’t think they charged us extra for bringing in Chamdor for the wine-toasting. Everything went perfectly well.