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Showing posts with label caterer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label caterer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
10 days before the big day...
After flying for 16 hours (12 from Chicago to Narita, 4 from Narita to Manila) and 4 hours in lay over time in Japan, we were finally home! Ahhh, the chaotic airport and the humidity just welcomes you with open arms. My entire family (Tatay, Nanay, Chai and Carlo) and Mama picked us up from the airport. It was almost 12 midnight when we left the airport and it took us about an hour drive from NAIA 1 to Dasma.
I requested for Cecille's Beef Kaldereta and Chopsuey for my dinner that night, and divulge on it with glee when we got home. Topher went to their home at night, that's fine with me since I know how sabik they are with his company. He hasn't been home for 3 years. After dinner, I'm off to bed.
So, technically my vacation started on June 1st, 10 days before the wedding. That day, we were scheduled to meet with Boy Kastner Santos, our entourage couturier and Lace Tan of K by Cunanan, our caterer. I would be meeting Tito Boy in the morning to bring in my dress to be altered, it's way too long and then meet Lace in the afternoon. We picked up Mama and Kisses before heading to Tito Boy since they will be fitting their dresses as well.
At around 10:30am we were at Tito Boy's shop and I had the my dress fitted for him to see how long it needs to be altered at the hem. I brought the shoes that I would be wearing on our wedding day, to be sure that the length will be perfect. That same day, we took home all of the secondary sponsors' dresses. I was told by Tito Boy that all of the dresses will be ready on June 7th, even my dress. The only dresses that we were worried about are my Ninang Lolit's dress and one of the secondary sponsor's dress, they were both overseas and they only gave the measurements online.
My meeting with Lace is at 2pm. We picked up Topher and Papa from their house and dropped off Kisses. To said that there was hell of a traffic going to Quezon City would be an understatement. Then we had to stop to ask for directions going to Kaye's address since my Tatay is not all familiar with their village, we did get as far as Ateneo though.
5 minutes before 2 PM, we finally reached and found Kaye's house. There were several cars parked at the front. When we got in, we were led to a beautiful indoor patio where most of the food-tasting and meetings are on-going. We were led by a helpful waiter to our table.
I received an email from Lace a few hours before our flight home, she was asking for pictures and ideas for the mock-up table setup. I remember telling her that I want to see hydrangeas in silver pail, lamps, linen in our motif and a few other flowers. Nothing too stiff.
We were then served with our chosen menu. This will be the 1st time that we will be having a food taste with them, the initial one was attended by Topher's 3 sisters. So I was both excited and nervous about the food. Remember that both our set of parents are with us that day which makes it even more nerve-wracking. What if they didn't like the food?!
We were first served soup and then appetizers. Remember that we went straight here after our meeting with Tito Boy and we didn't stop for lunch, so we were really famished at 2pm. We all enjoyed the Broccoli and Cheese Soup. It was a bit cheesier than the broccoli and cheddar soup that I got accustomed to having at Panera Bread here in the US. Nonetheless, it was good.
The appetizers that were served are: Hoisin Chicken Wrap, Bruschetta with Roasted Eggplant, Peppers and Feta Cheese and Fried Spinach and Feta Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce. We kept all of them for the official menu. I specially love the Hoisin Chicken Wrap. Yummy!
The Oriental Chicken Salad was served next and it was in a cute martini glass. It was a bit saltier that the usual Asian Chicken Salad that I love at Panera Bread, but we loved it still.
We were served the main entree; Carrot Rice, Grilled Red Snapper, Lapu-lapu and Japanese Rolled Chicken. I love the Carrot Rice, it was unexpectedly delicious. I asked them which of the fish dish to keep, Red Snapper or Lapu-lapu. It was unanimous with the Red Snapper. Everything was sooo good that we asked for 2nd servings of the Carrot Rice.
Topher chose the pasta dish. He looooves seafood in his pasta. We all liked it as well, however we replace the sauce with marinara, instead of pesto with the thought that more guests would have preferred it. But it in itself was already delicious.
We didn't get a chance to took pictures of the beef dishes that was served to us: Roast Beef Ribs with mashed potatoes and the Osso Bucco. Both were really really delish but we went with the Roast Beef and we were glad to know that it would be served in a carving station.
We were to get 5 desserts for the dessert bar. At the food taste, we were served with the panna cotta, chocolate mousse, white chocolate decadence and banofee. We took the chocolate mousse off the menu, I find it too bitter. We replaced it with chocolate decadence and mixed fruit compote.While we were having desserts, Lace and I talked about the detailing, guests' tables and layouts. I'm glad that we got to cover everything that day.
We dropped off Topher, Mama and Papa in Espana before heading home. They decided to visit Gardini's for Papa's suit and to buy him a white dress shirt too.
It was a tiring but fulfilling day. We still have a lot to do and a ton of suppliers to meet before the big day, but it's pretty exciting as well. I won't let stress eat me up!
Hanging in there,
I requested for Cecille's Beef Kaldereta and Chopsuey for my dinner that night, and divulge on it with glee when we got home. Topher went to their home at night, that's fine with me since I know how sabik they are with his company. He hasn't been home for 3 years. After dinner, I'm off to bed.
So, technically my vacation started on June 1st, 10 days before the wedding. That day, we were scheduled to meet with Boy Kastner Santos, our entourage couturier and Lace Tan of K by Cunanan, our caterer. I would be meeting Tito Boy in the morning to bring in my dress to be altered, it's way too long and then meet Lace in the afternoon. We picked up Mama and Kisses before heading to Tito Boy since they will be fitting their dresses as well.
At around 10:30am we were at Tito Boy's shop and I had the my dress fitted for him to see how long it needs to be altered at the hem. I brought the shoes that I would be wearing on our wedding day, to be sure that the length will be perfect. That same day, we took home all of the secondary sponsors' dresses. I was told by Tito Boy that all of the dresses will be ready on June 7th, even my dress. The only dresses that we were worried about are my Ninang Lolit's dress and one of the secondary sponsor's dress, they were both overseas and they only gave the measurements online.
My meeting with Lace is at 2pm. We picked up Topher and Papa from their house and dropped off Kisses. To said that there was hell of a traffic going to Quezon City would be an understatement. Then we had to stop to ask for directions going to Kaye's address since my Tatay is not all familiar with their village, we did get as far as Ateneo though.
5 minutes before 2 PM, we finally reached and found Kaye's house. There were several cars parked at the front. When we got in, we were led to a beautiful indoor patio where most of the food-tasting and meetings are on-going. We were led by a helpful waiter to our table.
 |
| our mock-up table |
We were then served with our chosen menu. This will be the 1st time that we will be having a food taste with them, the initial one was attended by Topher's 3 sisters. So I was both excited and nervous about the food. Remember that both our set of parents are with us that day which makes it even more nerve-wracking. What if they didn't like the food?!
 |
| Broccoli and Cheese Soup |
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| hoisin chicken wrap, bruschetta and fried ravioli |
The appetizers that were served are: Hoisin Chicken Wrap, Bruschetta with Roasted Eggplant, Peppers and Feta Cheese and Fried Spinach and Feta Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce. We kept all of them for the official menu. I specially love the Hoisin Chicken Wrap. Yummy!
 |
| oriental chicken salad |
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| carrot rice, grilled red snapper, lapu-lapu and japanese rolled chicken |
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| seafood pasta in pesto sauce |
We didn't get a chance to took pictures of the beef dishes that was served to us: Roast Beef Ribs with mashed potatoes and the Osso Bucco. Both were really really delish but we went with the Roast Beef and we were glad to know that it would be served in a carving station.
 |
| panna cotta, chocolate mousse and banofee |
 |
| white chocolate decadence |
We dropped off Topher, Mama and Papa in Espana before heading home. They decided to visit Gardini's for Papa's suit and to buy him a white dress shirt too.
It was a tiring but fulfilling day. We still have a lot to do and a ton of suppliers to meet before the big day, but it's pretty exciting as well. I won't let stress eat me up!
Hanging in there,
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
cake buffet!
Yep, you read it right. *grin* We're having a cake buffet! Imagine, 8 to 10 of our favorite cakes at our wedding. I can't think of anything sweeter. I love desserts! Cakes and ice cream are my favorites, and I have a competition in Topher. He loves his sweets too! It's really hard for us to say no when there are desserts serve at the table.
For months now, I've been going back and forth about the wedding cake, and well about many things about the wedding. At first, I just want a cupcake tower, then I learned that everyone is doing that. Birthdays, baptismal or anniversaries, the cupcakes are always present. I wanted our wedding to be different. One option is getting Joy San Gabriel for her mini-cakes, one that she's famous for. But then again, the price is an issue for me. It's possible that we'll have to spend around 15k (or more) for the cake, and honestly that's a bit too much even if my Nanay wants to pay for it.
Then I read LA's post about one of her nice-to-haves, a cake buffet. At the time that I was reading her post, I thought, what a great idea. But I didn't really think much into it. I still went to back to thinking and searching for the cake. And then, BOOOM! It hit me, a cake buffet is really briliant, beyond briliant idea. It's inexpensive, it would look nice on the table not to mention we're sure the cakes are yummy. So the next step before dreaming of my cake buffet is to ask Lace (of K by Cunanan) if they have cake stands. Bless them, they do! Lace is really nice to provide a picture of the cake stands. She also ask that we note how many we'll need by the time of contract signing.
We can now decide on the cakes that we wanted for the buffet. They also have to be available near our place, easier for use to buy them a day before the wedding. Here are our choices:
This list makes nine mouth-watering cakes. We would probably add another cake or two and call it a day. As much as I wanted to have all chocolate cakes for the buffet, I have to keep in mind that not all loves chocolate as much as we do, so the choices have to be diverse.
I'm soooo excited just thinking about the cakes and what they would look like come wedding day. Happiness!!
For months now, I've been going back and forth about the wedding cake, and well about many things about the wedding. At first, I just want a cupcake tower, then I learned that everyone is doing that. Birthdays, baptismal or anniversaries, the cupcakes are always present. I wanted our wedding to be different. One option is getting Joy San Gabriel for her mini-cakes, one that she's famous for. But then again, the price is an issue for me. It's possible that we'll have to spend around 15k (or more) for the cake, and honestly that's a bit too much even if my Nanay wants to pay for it.
Then I read LA's post about one of her nice-to-haves, a cake buffet. At the time that I was reading her post, I thought, what a great idea. But I didn't really think much into it. I still went to back to thinking and searching for the cake. And then, BOOOM! It hit me, a cake buffet is really briliant, beyond briliant idea. It's inexpensive, it would look nice on the table not to mention we're sure the cakes are yummy. So the next step before dreaming of my cake buffet is to ask Lace (of K by Cunanan) if they have cake stands. Bless them, they do! Lace is really nice to provide a picture of the cake stands. She also ask that we note how many we'll need by the time of contract signing.
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| (cake stands from K by Cunanan) |
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| (Conti's Mango Bravo; photo from practicalpinaybride.blogspot.com) |
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| (Conti's Oreo Cheesecake; photo from Flickr) |
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| (Sugarhouse's Almond Sans Rival; photo from shootfirsteatlater.com) |
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| (Red Ribbon's Smores; photo from ybabie.blogspot.com) |
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| (Red Ribbon's Choco Fudge Cake; photo from certifiedfoodies.com) |
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| (Conti's Blueberry Cheesecake; photo from whatimlovingnow.blogspot.com) |
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| (Conti's Choco Overload; photo from yedylicious.blogspot.com) |
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| (Conti's Mango Cream Cake; photo from yedylicious.blogspot.com) |
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| (Red Ribbon's Ube Cake; photo from dessertcomesfirst.com) |
I'm soooo excited just thinking about the cakes and what they would look like come wedding day. Happiness!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
wedding updates
According to The Knot.com reminder, we have 421 days before the wedding. Yup, that's only 421 days before June 11, 2011. So what have we accomplished so far? We'll we have the major suppliers already booked! Yey for us! And they are as follows:
The Church. I think I've blogged before that the church was the first one that we have booked. We'll be having the wedding ceremony at the Transfiguration Chapel in Caleruega. We got the 3pm slot, which I think is the ideal time for a wedding. The wedding party gets to prepare without waking up too early, and the guest can enjoy the reception dinner even until 9-10pm and still have plenty of time to head home.
The Reception Venue. After countless hours of research and even making a list of the possible reception venues, we finally have a venue! It's the Moon Garden. I admit, I do have my reservations about the place at first since (1) it's far from the church. Moon Garden is situated near the Tagaytay Rotonda. (2) The place have a tendency to scatter the guests since it's not one huge hall. However, after my family did an ocular visit on the place, they said that it's the perfect place. It's just right to accommodate our 150 guests.
The Caterer. I've been dead set on getting K by Cunanan since the very beginning. I admit, I did check other caterers' package but K stood out from the rest. I must admit that the food and style totally won me. Our AE, Lace was also very nice and accommodating. I guess she's used to brides being makulit. :)
The Photographer. Topher is particularly picky with the photos. He likes lively and crisp photos. When we saw Mimi+Karl's website, he immediately liked it. However, it's way too pricey. I considered getting their just services, but we still find it expensive. It was then that we learned about Redsheep. Although they are still fairly new to the business, all I've read are great feebacks about them. And true enough, they are really easy to deal with. I initially inquire to get both their photo and video services, however, Guj informed me that if we get the them as photo and video, he'll be handling the video and Puy would be the main photograher. I had no issues with that, it's just too bad that Guj will be visiting here in US by June 2011. He was kind and honest enough to inform me immediately so that I can find other options. With this, we are officially a Redsheep RAW couple.
The Videographer. This one is still not booked. I know, i know, but it's been hard to find one that is good and won't charge atrociously. SDE (Same Day Edit) are all the rage right now, and I figured, what the hell, we want one too! We've already have a short-list of the suppliers which we are looking into (read: video, oh video) when we learned about NextGen through w@w. I've inquired about their services and they all seemed really nice. I've heard nothing but good reviews regarding their services and we love their SDEs as well. I'm just waiting for their reply and this one may be it!
The Wedding Gown. Before I was thinking of having the dress done back home, then I realized, why should I not grab the chance to try on gowns first and then decide if I really want to have it done in Manila. Right? I have the option to buy the dress straight from the bridal salons if I've chosen otherwise. I know I'm lucky that I have the option to choose, most brides in back home, they use these gowns as inspirations and I get to see and try on the real thing. Anyway, I'm schedule to go for a wedding shopping trip this Sunday and I'll be telling everything about it after!
As per the checklist that I have and from the tips that I've read from wedding forums, these are the major things that we should accomplish asap. I'm happy that we are making progress 421 days before the wedding! Yay!
The Wedding Gown. Before I was thinking of having the dress done back home, then I realized, why should I not grab the chance to try on gowns first and then decide if I really want to have it done in Manila. Right? I have the option to buy the dress straight from the bridal salons if I've chosen otherwise. I know I'm lucky that I have the option to choose, most brides in back home, they use these gowns as inspirations and I get to see and try on the real thing. Anyway, I'm schedule to go for a wedding shopping trip this Sunday and I'll be telling everything about it after!
As per the checklist that I have and from the tips that I've read from wedding forums, these are the major things that we should accomplish asap. I'm happy that we are making progress 421 days before the wedding! Yay!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
a bride... again
Yes, I'm a bride again. And yes, we are getting married again! (insert BIG smile here) I actually revived this blog for the purpose of writing and expressing rants, thoughts, ideas and feeling with the preparations. I had a glimpse experience of the love-hate feeling of wedding preparations when we had our civil wedding last June 09, 2008. This time I know that the wedding preparations will be more extensive, crucial, exciting, nerve-wracking and gratifying. It's a huge project that I know most women love to take on.
When the topic of wedding preparations came, we started with the basics. When and Where. When. We have both agreed on that it will be sometime next year (2011) since we still have to save for it and at the same time, he would still need to finish his doctorate degree this year. If it would be up to me, I'd like to have it on our anniversary as bf/gf which luckily falls on a weekend! However, that date is on a rainy month of August. And being in the place that we've chosen, I'm not sure if it will be advisable. So we opted for the next best. The month of our civil wedding. Since our civil wedding date falls on a weekday, we chose the nearest weekend to it. Wedding date will be June 11, 2011. Where. It was like a non-verbal agreement that we will be having it on Tagaytay. Since we are both from Cavite, Tagaytay is the nearest venue and the place has sentimental value for us.
Picking the church is not as hard as I though it would be. After reading forums and groups, I've learned that there are more or less 5 churches to choose from. They are:
1. The Transfiguration Chapel in Caleruega
2. Our Lady of Lourdes
3. Chapel on the Hill
4. Ina ng Laging Saklolo
5. San Antonio de Padua
Although the Transiguration Chapel in Caleruega is technically in Batangas (Batulao, to be exact), we still opted for that church. It was very serene and tranquil. We both feel that it was a great place to re-declare our love for one another with Christ as our main witness.
We have already booked the church as it is one of the sought-after churches for couples who wants to get married. Booking early means that I was able to get the date and time that we wanted. After church comes the reception. Several options are available for the reception It can be done on restaurants overlooking the Taal like: Josephine's, Sonya's, Antonio's, Max's, Leslie's, RSM, Taalena etc. Another option is to look for a venue and then hire a caterer. I have my heart set on getting K by Cunanan as our caterer. Although their rates may fall on the mid-upper rates, I love their style and I've read raves about their food. Getting them as caterer means that I won't have to spend on styling the place.
As for the venue, I would loved to get somewhere overlooking Taal but I know that it does not come cheap. I'm thinking that since most of our guests will be coming from Cavite, a view of Taal is not a requirement. At the moment, I have 3 venues in mind. Plaza de Aza, Balay Indang and Moon Garden.
Plaza de Aza
Balay Indang aka Red Ginger Farm
Moon Garden Tagaytay
When the topic of wedding preparations came, we started with the basics. When and Where. When. We have both agreed on that it will be sometime next year (2011) since we still have to save for it and at the same time, he would still need to finish his doctorate degree this year. If it would be up to me, I'd like to have it on our anniversary as bf/gf which luckily falls on a weekend! However, that date is on a rainy month of August. And being in the place that we've chosen, I'm not sure if it will be advisable. So we opted for the next best. The month of our civil wedding. Since our civil wedding date falls on a weekday, we chose the nearest weekend to it. Wedding date will be June 11, 2011. Where. It was like a non-verbal agreement that we will be having it on Tagaytay. Since we are both from Cavite, Tagaytay is the nearest venue and the place has sentimental value for us.
Picking the church is not as hard as I though it would be. After reading forums and groups, I've learned that there are more or less 5 churches to choose from. They are:
1. The Transfiguration Chapel in Caleruega
2. Our Lady of Lourdes
3. Chapel on the Hill
4. Ina ng Laging Saklolo
5. San Antonio de Padua
Although the Transiguration Chapel in Caleruega is technically in Batangas (Batulao, to be exact), we still opted for that church. It was very serene and tranquil. We both feel that it was a great place to re-declare our love for one another with Christ as our main witness.
(Photos grabbed from KbyCunanan)
As for the venue, I would loved to get somewhere overlooking Taal but I know that it does not come cheap. I'm thinking that since most of our guests will be coming from Cavite, a view of Taal is not a requirement. At the moment, I have 3 venues in mind. Plaza de Aza, Balay Indang and Moon Garden.
Plaza de Aza
(photos grabbed from d-cat-dat-got-d-mouse)
(photos grabbed from Andi's Mommy)
Moon Garden Tagaytay
(photos grabbed from 80 breakfast)
From the 3 venues, I would want to have the reception in Balay Indang. I've seen photographs of weddings that were set there and it was truly beautiful. Although I haven't been there yet, it seems like the place was magical. I've asked my parents to visit the place and they said they would this weekend. I'm anxiously waiting for their feedback.
So far, we have only accomplished booking the church. I'll be booking KbyCunanan on the PICC wedding expo on March 13-14. I'll be asking my sister to drop by to make the booking for me. We still have to find a photo/video supplier before the wedding expo. It's best to book suppliers on expos since they can provide the best price possible and gives freebies. I want to finish the major suppliers as early as possible to lock the price and make sure that they will be available on our date. Happy preps to me!
So far, we have only accomplished booking the church. I'll be booking KbyCunanan on the PICC wedding expo on March 13-14. I'll be asking my sister to drop by to make the booking for me. We still have to find a photo/video supplier before the wedding expo. It's best to book suppliers on expos since they can provide the best price possible and gives freebies. I want to finish the major suppliers as early as possible to lock the price and make sure that they will be available on our date. Happy preps to me!
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