While many are dreaming of a beach wedding, there were us
who fantasized about tying the knot on top of a mountain. Me and my now-husband
Jim Bryan met neither in an ordinary place nor casual circumstances. We met
under the canopies of gigantic trees at the summit of one of the mountains in
Laguna. This was the very reason why we hoped to exchange our “I Dos” some place
up above - That didn't happen.
Although I initially thought that only us and us alone have the right to decide about our wedding, it is inevitable that along the way
there are things/people that you have to consider. Since we both grew up in a
culture of close family ties, we had to think through if our family and friends
will be able to witness our grand union if we held it on a mountain top. With
this dilemma in our hands, we decided to go with the second best, someplace more
accessible but still with high elevation just so we can get that win-win
situation. We ended up having our wedding in Tagaytay.
I want to share with you all the happiness, love, and
experiences we went through from preparation to actual wedding but I think that's really not important and you won’t and don't care anyway. So, this article was written to
provide you not with ladidas but more so with important details and things that you must be aware of if
you plan to have a Tagaytay Wedding.
Read ahead. I will be brief. Promise.
WHAT YOU MUST HAVE
Read ahead. I will be brief. Promise.
WHAT YOU MUST HAVE
·
Time – if your location is some place in Metro
Manila or father, you have to set aside ample time for your Tagaytay visit. Location hunt
(church and reception) will eat a lot of your precious while. If you are
working full-time, ready yourself as most of your off days/weekends will be spent roaming around your
wedding location. If you are thinking of setting your foot in Tagaytay for just once or
thrice, forget about getting married there.
·
Car – Unless you want to look like a garbage at
the end of the day after every ocular and location visit, then go ahead and try
commuting.
·
Money – We have the most affordable suppliers
(or so we claim) but our initial budget which was 250k was tripled, so yeah, be
prepared. This Tagaytay Wedding is not emotionally and physically
draining but pocket and wallet straining as well. It's gonna be worth it, don't you worry.
CHURCHES TO CHOOSE FROM
I am trying to help you by saving your time. Provided
below is already a shortlisted version.
CHAPEL ON THE HILL – This is where we got
married. It’s just a small chapel with a circular floor plan accentuated by a
labyrinth pattern and can accommodate 100-150 guests. This chapel has a
360-degree view of the serene and green environment through its glass
walls/windows. We chose this because of it's name! Well, if we cannot have our wedding on the mountain, why not on hill right? Besides, the overlooking majestic view of
Mt. Batulao makes everything perfect!
CONTACT DETAILS
Mary Help of Christians House of Spirituality
Don Bosco Batulao
c/o Tagaytay Post Office,
4120 Tagaytay City Philippines
Telefax No. (632) 743-5614 ** Mobile No’s. 0926-6163301 |
0906 - 8144474
Email: info@donboscobatulao.orgParish
Office Hours: Monday to Sunday (8:00AM to 4:00PM)
FEES AND INCLUSIONS
PHP 12,000 - use of chapel
PHP 5,000 – Compulsory donation to the parish
CALERUEGA / TRANSFIGURATION CHAPEL– This is
a beautiful chapel with calming environment and beautiful landscape. The only
reason why we did not choose this is because the place is kinda “overused”.
Most, if not all, of our friends have been or planning to get married here. We
want some place different.
CONTACT DETAILS
Caleruega’s Transfiguration Chapel
Brgy. Kaylaway,
Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas
Phone: (043) 706-0348 / 0921-830-4226 / 0921-270-9890
FEES AND INCLUSIONS
PHP 15,000 - use of chapel
** This place also has aircon reception venues that you
might to consider renting to get rid of the hassle of travelling after your
wedding ceremony. See rates provided below:
· · Plaza de Aza & Tuktok (Roofdeck) - PhP
40,000 – can accommodate 200 persons and can be outfitted with tents.
·
Veritas Hall - PhP 30,000 – can accomodate 200
persons. Additional charge of PHP 7,500 for aircon use.
·
Gazekubo - PhP 25,000 - can accomodate 60 persons. Additional charge
of PHP 7,500 for aircon use.
SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA – This church is
actually our very first option. It’s spacious and has an impressive
architectural design. There is also a very nice place beside it which is best
for reception. Only our wedding day, June 13, coincide with the feast of their
patron San Antonio de Padua, so there we failed to get it.
 |
CONTACT DETAILS
San Antonio de Padua
Pooc, Silang, Cavite
Phone: (+63 46) 414.1891
Parish Office Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (8:00AM to 5:00PM)
FEES AND INCLUSIONS
PHP 2,500 if either of the bride or groom is a parishioner,
PHP5,500 if either bride or groom is from Cavite, PHP 10,000 for
non-parishioners and non-residents of Cavite
WEDDING RECEPTIONS
BEATRIZ GARDEN
Venue Rate: PHP45, 000 (no time limit)
Pros:
·
You can use the venue for preparations even a
day before your wedding and you can stay overnight without having to worry
about extra hour charges.
·
Has air-conditioned rooms (PHP3, 000 – PHP3, 500
per room) that can be used for preparations and are perfect for guests who want
to stay and relax.
·
You can bring your own catering service without
having to pay corkage.
·
The place is large enough to accommodate big
crowd of around 500-700 people.
Cons:
·
Unlikely location. Some of our guests weren’t
able to find the place thus they decided to go home right after the church
ceremony.
·
The large place can pose as a problem when
setting up lights and sounds. If your wedding reception is at night, make sure
there will be enough lights and you have a good sound system in order to create
buzz and make the place alive and animated.
·
No enough parking space.
SONYA’S GARDEN
Venue Rate: PHP10, 000 (4 hours) plus PHP5, 000 per hour
of extension
 |
| One of the wedding reception venues |
Pros:
·
They offer in-house catering so you no longer
have to worry about food.
·
Complimentary overnight stay for couples with a
minimum of 100 guests.
Cons:
·
Additional charge for sound system (PHP7, 000
for small venue and PHP9000 for large venue).
·
Expensive corkage fee.
·
No enough parking space.
·
The place looks so crowded. This is the primary
reason why scratched it off our list.
VILLE SOMMET
Venue Rate: PHP150, 000 (4 hours only although there’s a
2 hours free allotted for ingress)
·
They offer in-house catering so you no longer
have to worry about food.
·
Big parking space.
·
Beautiful, fab, and serene location.
Cons:
·
They have only 4 accredited caterers to choose
from. You cannot bring your own.
·
Expensive.
HACIENDA ISABELLA
Venue Rate: We failed to get the exact amount as we just
walked-in and no one from the people there seems to know exactly what was
happening and why were we there. Based
on my readings online, renting this place costs around PHP150,000 (+ 12% VAT).
For a reception venue this ugly, I don’t know why it is that expensive.
Pros:
·
The place is so big that it can accommodate up
to a thousand guests.
Cons:
·
Too far from the highway. Difficult to find.
·
The place looks old, weary; rotten even.
Although they are doing some kind of renovation when we went there, so maybe it
looks better this time.
·
Not worth the price and travel.
(** to follow 3 pending reception venues)
(** to follow 3 pending reception venues)
SUPPLIERS
I will only provide you with the list of the best. Those
I did not include here are not worth mentioning. Saves us both some precious time,
yeah?
JACKIE FLORES OF MAJICA MAKE-OVER – ohhhh, people of MAJICA can really do magic! They are
superb when it comes to bringing out the best in you. They can definitely deliver; even exceed your expectations. Check their work here. You can also play the video below to see her other amazing works.
If you’re the bride and really want to look like a
goddess on your big day, you will never go wrong with Jackie’s team. Word of
advice (this I learn from Jackie herself): Do not stress out yourself before and during your wedding day because
no matter how great your HMU artists are, they will not be able to cover up the
ugly aura that reflects from within you. And did you know that when you are
under stress your skin becomes acidic and make-up might end up looking
“cakey”? So there, do not become a freakin annoying bridezilla!!! Chill. (Contact Number: 0927-203-1079)
GLADYS PUNZALAN OF
EXTRA ESPECIAL EVENTS – book her if you want to have life on your rather
boring reception program. She’s awesome and can handle dead time pretty well.
No dead air. Our guests are not as participative as expected but she and her
team handled the night pretty well. (Contact Number: 0915-276-1330)
ANNA CHUA OF MY PINKWASABI – See this personalized cake?
It’s not just pretty, it’s also
heavenly yummy! No wonder she was chosen to be one of the suppliers during the
bridal shower of Marianne Rivera and has also been featured in Pop Talk. Need I say more? Book her!
 |
| The mini figures are: The bride and the groom (in outdoor activities) and our adorable chow, Waway :) |
JEROME FRANCISCO
OF INDEMAND WEDDING FILMS – If you are looking for a group that can
sacrifice enough time, exert too much effort to reach perfection, and give
their best to reach the desired quality of output, you can count on Jerome’s
team. See it for yourself, check our Save the Date Video.
Yes, they climbed all the way to the summit
of Mt. Palay-Palay in Pico de Loro just so we can come up with that awesome production. The only
drawback with Indemand Wedding Films now is the delay of delivering the wedding
highlights. It has been five months since our wedding but we still do not have
a copy of our wedding video. That’s understandable though since they are
handling a lot of clients this time. Anyway, their promise is 6 months before
they can deliver the wedding highlights video, we have yet to wait another
month. For sure they will not let me down. (Right, Jerome?) :D
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