I have honestly dreamed of having an outdoor wedding reception. I love nature, and I love animals, so it’s only natural to want to have my special day in a place that I’m particularly fond of. But, we just couldn’t afford it
Through extensive research and canvassing, my husband then-fiance, Marc, and I determined that a garden reception was just a bit too pricey for us. Outdoor venues in Quezon City are just way too pricey. And the thing is, we wanted our wedding ceremony held at a church which held sentimental memories of my late grandma. That’s our main priority, so we just contended ourselves with an indoor reception. Read more »

For me and my husband (Marc), food tasting was the best part of planning our wedding. Why? Free food, of course! But, as we’ve found it out the hard way, depending your lunch on a food tasting event is bad idea if you have a big appetite.

The food servings given at events like these are only small portions—basically, just enough for you to have an idea of how their food tastes like. And because there are a lot of people going to these events, you won’t be able to see the actual table arrangements (they’ll show you photos of real weddings for those). Sometimes the caterers go all out on decorating their buffet tables (like Josiah’s Catering did on a bridal fair I attended), but there are also times when the setup is just simple (not the real thing in weddings, obviously). Read more »

If you have a sweet tooth like me and my husband, you’d probably want more than the menu choices your caterer will provide you. Caterers usually have set packages for weddings, and the dessert choices are usually very limited. Unless you choose the more expensive wedding packages, you’d probably end up with simple desserts like assorted fruits or buko pandan salad.

The best way for you to spice up the desserts you will serve your guests is to add some of these dessert alternatives. Some of them sound pretty expensive, but really, most aren’t—you just need to get the right supplier Read more »

Imagine yourself attending a wedding where you don’t know anyone except for the bride. Or the groom. Unless you’re extremely friendly by nature (like, you make friends with strangers on a regular basis), it will be very difficult for you to find a place to sit and strike up a conversation with a person you’ve never met before.

The seating arrangement for the wedding reception is one of the more important aspects of planning your wedding, especially when you’re inviting a lot of guests. Unless your wedding is a very intimate celebration (like, only 50 guests or less), it’s necessary for you to have at least a blue print of where guests will sit come the wedding reception. Why am I just talking about wedding receptions? Well, for the simple reason that there won’t be a need for socialization during ceremony itself (you wouldn’t want your guests to be talking amongst themselves while you take your vows, would you?). But during the wedding reception, there is.

Here are some tips on how to plan your wedding reception’s seating arrangement. Read more »

Yeah, I know it’s romantic. You get hitched the same time Zeus and Hera got on with it (seriously, it says in Wikipedia that Valentines’ Day is about the time they got married too). But sentimental stuff aside, it’s really not that practical to get married on Heart’s day.

For one thing, you’re going to be a real torture for your guests: imagine the terrible traffic they’ll have to go through. Couples usually go out on Valentines’ day to celebrate their love, so you can just imagine the frustration you’ll be putting your guests through just to nab a parking space.

Another issue I have with a Valentines’ Day wedding date is the fact that you can’t be sure it would fall on a weekend. Unless you don’t want guests to attend your wedding, it’s better to set the date on a weekend. Like this year, Valentines’ Day falls on a Wednesday (Manila time). It’s the middle of the week, the peak work day for most office-goers. Taking this in mind, your guests will really have to love you that much so they’ll take time off work or school just to attend your wedding. That’s the hassle of having it on a weekday—your guests usually have work or school.

Good luck with the flowers. It’s Hearts’ day. Thoughtful boyfriends and husbands buy their loved ones flowers on that day. It’s either you get charged extra by your supplier for choosing the highest peak of their peak season, or you get lucky and nab a generous supplier who do not mind getting flowers when prices are doubled in the name of love. Flower stylists usually get their supplies early in the morning of the event to keep the flowers fresh (my mom used to run a flower shop). And when they get it on Valentines’ Day, you can be sure that the prices would be doubled—maybe even more. The demand for flowers on that day is high—what did you expect?

But if you’re really bent on having the romantic, fairytale Valentines’ Day wedding, I would really suggest you start booking a church (if you’re Catholic) and a reception venue as early as now. For a wedding next year. I’m not kidding. I may be a total spoilsport when it comes to romantic stuff (God must have forgotten to put a romantic bone in my body before I was born), but most women aren’t. You will definitely have competition with that date, sister. So book early!

Fine. Biases and practical reasoning aside, it would be pretty cute to have the big day on Valentines’ Day. I have my gauge of what romantic is (wedding on Valentines’ Day is an overkill for me), but then, to each his own. If you’re really bent on having it on this day, by all means, go ahead. But you will be in for a wedding planning roller coaster ride—it won’t be easy.

What about you? Would you want to get hitched on Valentines’ Day? Why?