Preparing for our wedding could be the happiest thing that we've done together. We argued many times, we got exhausted, we faced disappointments, but still I believe counting the days until the wedding day, is the most exciting. The day was not perfect. But I think it's not about perfecting it. Rather, It's about knowing that in the future, when we get old, we will look back at those moments and smile.
And since this is very special, I'd like to share a post-review of our suppliers, and contacts during the event. This is to help other couples who are on the phase of preparing their special day.
Here is the Post-Review for
Glisten Concepts:
We were so happy that we did not have to look for various suppliers when we met her. It made our job so much easier. But we also encountered problems along the way. Ms. Meg of Glisten Concepts proved to be a wedding expert and she helped us in our wedding planning. What I liked about Glisten Concepts is their payment scheme. Ms. Meg offered us to pay in installment every time we had our meeting, instead of paying the whole amount at one time. This makes paying lighter on our pocket. They also gave us free Unlimited International Luxury Fusion Buffet at Ace Hotel c/o Metrodeal, which we enjoyed after the wedding.
Glisten Concepts, from Binan Laguna, provides full packages for Weddings, Birthdays, and other events. Below are the services we were able to book from them, together of course, with the reviews:
1. Wedding Coordination
Actually, the wedding coordination was provided by Glisten concepts as part of the wedding package we availed from them.
We meet once a month to discuss the progress of the event. She promised to provide us with one Bridal Manager, two church coordinators, and herself as over-all in-charge. But during the event itself where we needed her help the most, her presence was barely felt. She was not even present at the reception. Ms. Gie (Bridal Manager) was there to assist me throughout the day. And I must commend her for that. She came early during the wedding preps and did not leave the event until she made sure that I am all set to go home. Ms. Meg appeared at the church and was able to greet me before the ceremony started. She also helped the whole entourage line up during procession. But that was it, the over-all event manager. The other assistants did their best to open the church doors.
2. Invitations
We did our own wedding invitations. It was supposed to be part of the wedding package but we cancelled it and asked for Ms. Meg to give us back the money allotted for the invitations since we were not satisfied with the samples. I was told each invitation was worth 65 pesos. That's not cheap. I described the invitation I wanted very clearly. I even made my own lay-out. All they have to do is print and assemble them. I did not request for an extravagant invitation. It was a plain white, single fold invitation with an insert to put in the pages. But the sample they sent me was made as if the printer is running low in ink. The paper was blue instead of the white I clearly stated. I was asking for another sample that matched my request, but they said there would be an additional charge. So we just decided to create our own.
She gave us back our money. 1,500 pesos. I know that is not how much the invitations are supposed to be because if an invitation is worth 65 pesos each, then that would only be around 23 pieces.
3. Photographer
Dax and Kokoi
Photography was another inclusion in the wedding package we got from Glisten Concepts. I've seen Dax's and Kokoi's works from the internet and from their portfolio. We liked their style so we decided to hire both of them.
Dax was also our photographer during the Pre-Nup session provided by Glisten Concepts for free. I loved the result of our pre-nup! Dax even made an MTV style video of our pre-nup.
Kokoi was the additional photographer we got for the wedding day. We've known each other even before Ms. Meg introduced him because he was the photographer during one family event which happened recently before our wedding. I know how Kokoi works that is why we agreed to hire him as well.
But during the wedding day, Kokoi was not there. Instead, another photographer named Vhanz (I'm really not sure) took his place. He is actually a good photographer. I loved his shots. But it doesn't change the fact that He was not the photographer we booked. Any bride would definitely worry with this happening during the wedding day.
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| Kakulitan caught on Cam |
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| at the altar |
4. Videographer
Sir Jun
From the beginning, Ms. Meg has been convincing us about having Sir Jun as our videographer. I can remember being presented with raw video clips and edited videos they said was done by Sir Jun. They were decent and I was not looking for high definition, international standard kind of video for our wedding. Anyway, we only paid a small amount for it. In other words, we were convinced. Ms. Meg told us that Sir Jun is a great videographer, so we agreed to book.
During the wedding, Sir Jun was NOT there. Instead another man, holding a mini-cam, took his place. I repeat, a mini-cam. At first, I thought, it was just the first part of the videography and the bigger camera or Sir Jun himself would pop up from somewhere. But none of that happened. The man with the mini-cam continued to cover the whole event. I almost cried.
Of course I was disappointed. The quality of the video was very poor. We paid additional for video editing during our last meeting before the wedding because Ms. Meg said that the video editor was "malupit". And Maybe she was right. Malupit.
The wedding video is supposed to be our souvenir. We were looking forward to watch it together with the whole family, But I could not even watch the whole thing. My expectations were high because of the samples I was presented with. This is the most disappointing part of the package.
5. Groom's and Bride's Attire
Groom's attire - Tita Baby's of Cabuyao Laguna
Bride's Attire - Kaisha's of Binan Laguna
The groom and bride's attire was included in the wedding package we got from Glisten Concepts. They offer a complete wedding package for a very low price. Getting a wedding package can really save money, time, and effort. Glisten Concepts has separate suppliers for the Bride's gown and Groom's Barong.
The Groom's Barong Suit looked good although I'd still laugh at those shoulder pads. I was also pleased with the Bride's Gown. I did not liked the satin finish. But they were able to capture the cut and design that I wanted. For the price we paid, the accessories(cord, veil, ring pillow, coin pillow) looked cheap though. I don't even want to post the photos.
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| Groom's Barong |
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| Bride's Gown |
6. Bridal Car
It was a white car and that's all that we requested. The driver was friendly. But we had to ask him to remove the "FOR SALE" sign at the back of the car. I think we can all say that was inappropriate. We had a chat while waiting for the ceremony to start. He shared stories about his family,
para daw mabawasan ang kaba ko. Thanks! He told me that the car is already for sale but his daughter's friend (Ms. Meg, I assume) requested for it to be used during the wedding.
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| Bridal Car, For Sale |
7. Wedding Singer
Ms. Florence
We were all amazed with the voice of Ms. Florence. Guests told us that they would have to glance at the DJ's corner just to check if it is the DJ playing the song or Ms. Florence singing it live. We loved her voice.
8. Host / Emcee
Wendy
If there is one that I would want to change with our wedding, that would be the host. Ms. Meg initially offered us that she would be hosting the event. But she later on changed her mind saying that she would be FOCUSING more on the over-all event management (or not). She introduced us to Wendy.
It seemed to me that what happened was a practice or a training for Wendy during that time. He was more nervous than I was. When he called us (the newly weds) Mr. and Mrs., he announced my last name instead of the groom's. Guests laughed and shouted to correct him. In the middle part of the program, I ask Wendy to read a story I wrote as part of a game. It is about the Groom and I's first date. But he did not give it justice.
Sana Tinagalog ko na lang. Every time, he would pronounce P as F and F as P.
Some guests jokingly asked me after the event if the host was still alive. I could not laugh.
9. Bubble Machine and Party Poppers
I did not request for a bubble machine but Ms. Meg offered it to us for free along with the party poppers. That made us really happy since we could not get the fireworks we wished for because the venue is near a gasoline station. That would be very dangerous.
While finalizing the planning, Ms. Meg told us that there would be no bubble machine. Instead, they would give children bubble blowers and have them make the bubbles as we enter the venue for the reception. She said they do that with their other weddings and it was so cute.
And you guessed that right!
There was no bubble machine.
There were no bubble blowers.
We are totally fine with it. It does not matter. We did not request for bubbles anyway. But it's still not right.
10. Make Up for Bride and Groom
Erick Lo
Sir Erick is a very professional make up artist. He came very early at the preps venue. He started early as well. This made my day more relaxed. I felt really beautiful during the wedding. My friends also noticed the great work Erick has done. We booked for a traditional make up at first but later on decided to upgrade to airbrush. It was a good decision, I believe. The price, though, was higher than we expected.
11. Photobooth
We availed of the photobooth since we wanted our guests to have lots of souvenirs from our wedding. We requested for ref magnets but during the last part of the event, they ran out of magnets and just provided photo standees. I wasn't surprised. Our friends love to pose for pictures. ;P I think everybody enjoyed posing and guests were able to maximize the use of the photobooth.
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| Ms. Gie, Sir Erick, an Ms. Jane of Glisten Concepts |
In Summary
It was a case of overpromise, underdeliver.
Making a deal with Glisten Concepts was the cheapest. It's great for those with tight budget. But after our wedding, I would advise couples to look for separate suppliers rather than get a cheap package.
In the end, it cost us more because we needed to upgrade some services. And worse, we had to settle for poorly executed services. What's worse is that we did not receive any explanation why some of their contacts did not show up. No information (or apology) at all. Yes, photography was good, photobooth was ok, make up is great. But over-all, I was not satisfied. It was stressful watching the host and seeing the photographer and videographer who were not part of our contract with Glisten Concepts.
***Written here are my opinions based on actual incidents and not because I was paid to promote something or otherwise. The purpose of this post is to help people make the right decisions when looking for event suppliers. More reviews of other wedding suppliers coming soon! :) ***
