BOOKED: Imbitado Events

We could have booked Ayie and her team right from the start even if we haven't met her yet. That's how much trust we have for her team. But the problem is we haven't finalized our date with SBC yet (we still haven't, up until now) so we pencil booked her first to secure our date. We have 1 month to secure the DP but we are so busy the past couple of weeks and we forgot about it. Good thing, I am free yesterday so we paid at BDO.

Paid DP

Wedding Guides

And we are officially an Imbitado couple. :)

Pencil Booked: Imbitado Events

We thought we can pull the wedding off without the help of coordinators. After all, we have friends and cousins who can assist us on the day itself. But w@w help me realize that coordinators can make or break your wedding. We will be spending a huge amount of money and effort for this wedding so might as well invest in a good and reputable coordinator to help us.

We have met a couple of coordinators during the bridal fair in Megamall last November and we (I personally) liked a few. I tried searching for feedbacks in w@w and GT regarding them but no reviews (either good or bad) came up. So I decided to look for other coordinators with good reviews. 

So we bump into Imbitado Events. I have read TONS of reviews about them in w@w and GT and not a single negative one, all are positive and full of praises for Ms. Ayie's team. I decided to shoot her an email and she replies fast (+ point!). Her rates are not the most affordable in the market but I wouldn't mind as long as kampante ako that she will deliver. 

Here's her rates and inclusions:

I discussed this with J and he gives the "go signal" to pencil book them to reserve our date. I told J I wanted to book our coordinator first before booking other suppliers so she can assist us and give feedbacks on our shortlisted suppliers. I want our team to have camaraderie so our wedding will be smooth sailing. We couldn't book her yet as we need to go back to SBC first to confirm our slot. At least we have 1 month before we confirm with Ms. Ayie. Also, J wanted to meet her personally first before finalizing everything. He wanted to know if we will "click". We haven't decided yet if we will get her hosting service as we want to see samples of her hosting skills. She invited us to watch one of her events and then we will decide.

So yesterday, we pencil booked her and she replied with the contract for our perusal.

I am happy that we got to book her (even if it's not final yet) because I trust her and I've read so many good reviews about her and her team. =)

Before I Do Bridal Fair

It was our first time to attend a bridal fair so I don't know what to expect. I just brought a big bag (not to mention big, empty bag) for the flyers. Good thing I brought one as it was filled with soooo many flyers when we finished checking out booths. I didn't know flyers would be THAT heavy when compiled.

We arrived at around 12 noon on the first day of the fair and good thing, walang masyadong tao pa. Since we already pre-register months before the event, we just show the printed tickets and we were given the color-coded wrist tags. White for the bride/groom/debutante and green for companions. J and I were accompanied by my sister and my cousin. When we entered Megatrade Hall 3, medyo nahihiya pa ko to walk around as the exhibitors are sort of expecting you to check their booths and I hate the attentions. But slowly I began to feel at ease na din. I began to ask questions, check albums and portfolios and displays.

Some of the flyers

There were a couple of suppliers that caught our attention and a few whom we are sure to book once we finalized the date. I realized it was a bonus in decision making on how the exhibitors treated the guests.

My favorite exhibitors on this fair

If you are really on a budget, I suggest go to bridal fairs as you can get big discounts and a lot of freebies there. Some are giving away up to 60% discounts. And with the freebies, panalo ka na. We just don't want to decide right away as 1. we haven't finalized the date yet 2. this is our first bridal fair and I don't want to be impulsive 3. I still need to do my research on feedback about my shortlist.

Special shout out to the following suppliers:

RF himself on his booth

RF is one of my dream supplier. His work are really nice and he is easy to talk to. If not for having other options for our photographer, I would have picked him right from the start. And of course, I didn't let this chance pass without having a photo op with him. I just posted it in my FB page.

Filterpan are real-life husband and wife who's passion is to take photos. The wife (I forgot to ask for her name despite our lengthy conversation) is personally talking to guests. I so love their prenup video ala Asyong Salonga style. I am thinking of getting them for our prenup/engagement shoot because they are excited about my concept and I can really see that they can deliver. The other guy tending the photobooth is also nice. He looks snobbish but he says "God Bless po" when we leave their booth and that was really nice.

OMG. Their Classic Lime Margarita is to die for! Super sarap! I'm not really a drinker (even cocktails) but when I tried their sample, it was soooo yummy. Sa sobrang sarap, I forgot to take a pic of it. Haha! Plus their prices are affordable.

Margarush & LSTmobile have the same owner so if I get them both, I will pay for only 1 OOT fee which is good. Plus their packages for the lights & sounds are reasonable naman. Not to mention that they almost have the cheapest OOT fee for Sta. Rosa, Laguna. We will just check their previous works and we'll decide.

They have the nicest flyer. :) So it's a plus point. Another plus point is that they have a wide array of choices depending on your budget. We haven't checked sample of their works so we haven't included them yet on our shortlist.

They both catch my attention. Ruby from FYI events is the first coordinator we have passed during the fair. J and I felt at ease talking to her. She doesn't sound too pa-impress. For Events on Demand, one of the coordinators showed me a checklist that they will let us fill out regarding the event such as supplier's details, who to call for games at the reception, who will give speeches, etc. and they are the only one who showed me that kind of checklist so they caught my attention. I will look into other coords pa din but they're already on my shortlist. Besides, I still have to search for reviews regarding their services.

There were a handful of HMUA exhibitors on this fair and they are all offering trail makeup sessions but after walking around, binalikan ko talaga si Ms. Ria for a trial. I was a bit hesitant at first as there are many bystanders but I felt comfortable with her. I also felt at ease talking to her and walang "hiya" factor. The only thing that kept me from booking her right on the spot is that our date is not final yet. But I really love her work. Once I booked her already, will post my before/after pic for the trial. Julia, her assistant, is really nice and jolly too. I love her team! :)

Last but definitely not the least, Ms. Chelo of Rachebeli Wines. One of the reason why I registered on Before I do is because I want to visit the booth of Rachebeli Wines. Long before we started talking about getting married, I already have them in mind for our PS gifts. Ms. Chelo is so fun and easy to talk to. They are our first booked supplier. Will talk about it on a separate post.

Our "Before I Do" wrist tags

It was a really tiring day. My bag is so heavy from the flyers we have collected and our feet aches from the long hours of walking around. We also commuted from Laguna to Megamall because our car is coding so it was an added burden pa as it's Friday and traffic is terrible but our first bridal fair was a success. I get to meet awesome suppliers, got to personally talk to my preferred suppliers and get the feel of supplier hunting. Will definitely go to more bridal fairs because it is kinda addicting. Haha!