ONE CEBU EXPO at the CICC from Aug. 7-16, 2009

The One Cebu Expo, which runs from August 7 to 16, 2009 at the Cebu International Convention Center, includes wedding suppliers such as:

PHOTOGRAPHY
- Rolando Pascua
- Dondon Colinares

VIDEOGRAPHY
- Digital Minds

PHOTO BOOTHS
- Partypics
- Foto-Booth
- Red Cube

CAKES
- Cake Couture by Trina Ang

MUSICIANS
- Stringed Ensemble

This is by no means a complete list, just one based on the flyers and cards that I collected. Anyway, do check out the One Cebu Expo for yourself. Aside from the wedding suppliers, there are beautiful bags, fashion jewelry, furniture, items for the house, and all sorts of trinkets that you might even consider turning into wedding favors. ^_^

a sumilon wedding

A prenuptial shoot.

A beach wedding.

A honeymoon.

Whatever your excuse, you really have to visit Sumilon Island.

HOW TO GET THERE:

1. Board a bus to Bangcogon, Oslob, where the mainland office of the Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort is located.

2. The resort's pumpboat will bring you to the island.

................................ BOAT SCHEDULES ................................

........... Mainland - Sumilon ........... Sumilon - Mainland ......

....................... 9 AM ................................... 10 AM .................

....................... 11 AM ................................. 12 NN ..................

....................... 1 PM ................................... 3 PM ....................

....................... 4 PM ................................... 5 PM ....................

For inquiries / reservations, you can email jin@bluewater.com.ph or sumilon@bluewater.com.ph or reservations@sumilonbluewater.com.ph.

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DAY TOUR

Weekdays - P1500

Weekends - P2000

INCLUSIONS

--------------------

1. Set lunch

2. Roundtrip boat transfer (Bangcogon-Sumilon VV)

3. Island activities (kayaking, snorkeling, trekking)

4. 15 minutes use of sail boat

5. Afternoon snacks (weekends only)

* For kids age 4-11, you only pay half the regular price.

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OVERNIGHT STAY

P8,500 / room / night (twin sharing)

INCLUSIONS

---------------------

1. Overnight accommodation in a deluxe room

2. Fullboard meals for 2 (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

3. Roundtrip Boat Transfers

4. Island activities (kayaking, trekking and snorkeling)

* The room can accommodate up to 4 adults.

* Children can stay overnight for free but will not be given an extra bed / meals.

choosing a motif

*
When I was a kid, I had a box of Crayola with 64 colors -- the one with the sharpener in the bottom -- and that's how I learned of such colors as periwinkle and cornflower and raw sienna. Now their crayons even have such crazy (and may I say, ridiculous) names as Fuzzy Wuzzy, Piggy Pink and Unmellow Yellow.

photo by asterisco

The wide variety of colors from which to choose a motif can sometimes be overwhelming. And sometimes you have a color in mind but you have no idea what it's called. After all, there's a thin line separating, say, lilac from lavender, or saffron from tangerine yellow.

So if you need help with your colors, do check out Wikipedia's List of Colors. Colors are sorted both alphabetically and by shades. There's even a Tagalog version -- you'll be amazed that there are such colors as patay-patayan (caput mortuum) and mahiyaing-rosas (carnation pink) and bughaw-sanggol (I mean, seriously!).

photo by rippe

Before, you could ask a bride-to-be what her motif was, and she would give such simple answers as "pink" or "green." Now we live in a world of Mountbatten pink and asparagus. Still, it should make wedding planning a bit more fun.

Just remember, if you do decide on something like wisteria, send a swatch with your invitations!

wedding photography -- from the perspective of the one behind the lens

A photographer shares his insights on choosing the right photographer.

"Finding the right wedding photographer for your big day is an important part of your wedding and preparation. A wedding photographer will work closely with the bride and groom before and especially during the wedding day. For this reason, it’s important to feel comfortable and confident with your photographer so he/she can capture your special moments."

READ THE FULL STORY

dream invites, letterpress style

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Wedding invitations create an important first impression on your guests. They are glimpses into the coming wedding -- will it be formal, fun, classic, contemporary? -- as well as glimpses into the couple's tastes and preferences.

The trend in invitations these days is letterpress printing, made popular by such suppliers as Bella Figura and Elum. Here are samples of their to-die-for works of art:

Printemps by Bella Figura

Garland by Elum

Urbanity by Bella Figura

Clearly, invitations of this quality don't come cheap. Ordering a hundred sets at Bella Figura, for example, will cost as much as an entire wedding here in the Philippines -- and that doesn't include shipping!

Luckily, we have our own letterpress invitations supplier right here in Cebu. Lynn Mitzi Tan and her sister are creating beautiful invitations of their own, and their prices are a lot friendlier too. Although pricing generally depends on a lot of stuff -- like the number of colors used, the size of the invite, the number of inclusions, et cetera -- Ms. Tan says 1 set would generally cost P130. That includes: 1 main invite, 1 entourage, 1 rsvp, and 1 envelope.

Here's a sample of the Tans' work:

For orders and/or inquiries, you can drop them a line at mitzitan1025@yahoo.com.

An alternative letterpress invitations supplier is Craft Master Invitations, a printer based in Manila, who made the invitations for prominent wedding photographers Mimi + Karl.

Again, prices vary, but according to one of their representatives, a set will cost P178 each if you order 1oo sets of invites, which will consist of a 5"x7" 2-color letterpress main invitation and an envelope. They will accommodate orders for less than a hundred sets, but a premium will be added on the price. Be sure to order the invites at least a month before you will need them: layout proofing will generally take one week, and production will take around 3 weeks. Craft Master Invitations' contact information can be found here.

invest in your wedding photos and video

If you must splurge on your wedding, they say, splurge on a great photographer and videographer. The food will disappear in a flash, and the flowers won't stay fresh forever, but capturing those precious wedding moments on film will enable you to relive them over and over again.

Photographers

A list of photographers with impressive online portfolios appears in a previous post, and I even did a feature on Jacob Maentz, whose amazing nature photos made me want to be a jellyfish. Jacob covered Sheryllyn and Obet's wedding and did a great job. Clive's prenup photos were brilliant, thanks to Rolando Pascua.

Videographers

But what really got me itching to write this post was my latest discovery: the coolest, most heartbreakingly beautiful wedding videos by Mayad Studios. Among the many wedding videos that they posted in their website, my favorite has to be this one:

Rachelle and Johnwin from Mayad Studios on Vimeo.

That wedding videos are no longer corny and typical is the good news. The flip side of the coin: wedding videos such as the one above can carry a hefty price tag. Here are Mayad Studio's rates:

[take a deep breath]

High Definition:
Two (2) Camera Coverage
Same Day Edit video (standard definition)
Two (2) Fully Authored Blu-ray disks of edited video (20 - 30 mins final output)
Three (3) DVD copies of edited video
DVD copy of raw footage
Php 105,000.00

Standard Definition:
Two (2) Camera Coverage
Same Day Edit video
Three (3) Fully Authored DVDs of edited video (20 - 30 mins final output)
DVD copy of raw footage
Php 70,000.00

Add-ons:
Prenuptial Shoot (scenes to be included in your onsite video)
Php 15,000.00
Out of town fees for prenup:
+3,000.00 - outside iloilo city
+5,000.00 - overnight stays / outside panay

Audio Visual Presentation
Your love story told in any way you like, through location shoots, pictures, music, interviews, etc etc….
Php 50,000.00 (+25k for upgrade to HD)

Worth it?

That's something you'll have to decide for yourself.

Guess what those piggy banks are for.

* OTHER WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHERS IN THE SAME LEAGUE INCLUDE: JASON MAGBANUA, THREELOGY, BOB NICOLAS AND WOLFRAM VIRTUALWORKS.

the Family Park -- a pocket-friendly wedding reception alternative

The Family Park is a public park located inside the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) grounds in Nasipit, just a few meters past the Talamban campus of the University of San Carlos. On most days, visitors are charged a minimal entrance fee, but this is waived every first Saturday and first Sunday of the month. Yesterday, as we strolled through the park, we spotted an area beside the "lake" that would make a good wedding reception venue.

The area is actually the spot where delegates to the ASEAN summit "planted" a sculpture of 10 bamboo stems, representing the 10 member countries.

This is the view of the area across the water.

Here's a closer view.

The area is separated from the main park area by a small bridge.

From the bridge, there is a covered walkway leading to the gazebo...

...which is still under construction.

Still, you can add your own finishing touches, such as, hmmm, white drapes to compensate for the gazebo's current lack of a roof.

There is even ample parking space in the grove behind the area.

The water in the manmade lake is a murky sort of green and wouldn't be as lovely to look at as, say, the beach, or even a swimming pool.

But, all things considered, Family Park is a good alternative for people who want an outdoors feel to their reception but who have 3 million cousins and a trillion friends -- like some people I know. Let's face it, the reception is just a couple of hours, and the big bucks you will spend in a more expensive venue could go a long way into your car or house payments. ^_^ Just saying.

IT BEING SUNDAY, THERE WAS NO ONE TO ASK REGARDING CHARGES, AND WHETHER YOUR GUESTS WOULD BE CHARGED ADMISSION AND PARKING FEES, AND WHETHER YOU COULD GET THE ENTIRE PARK MADE EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING. WHEN I FIND OUT, I'LL POST IT HERE. ^_^