Sharing: A Meeting with Emman Ocampo, Gown Designer

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Dear Online Diary,

Prelude:

I first met Emman at the Weddings and Debuts 2010 bridal fair at the Mega last February 12th-14th. H2B and I noticed how intricate his wedding gowns are. I remember he was offering me something (a souvenir, if I remembered it correctly) other than his bridal gown when we passed by their booth. I took his brochure and walked away because his gowns looked pricey to me.

{Emman's booth at the Weddings & Debut 2010 bridal fair (photos courtesy of Emman)}

After a couple of days, I received a follow-up email from Emman about his gowns and services. This is what suppliers from the fair usually do. They get our email addresses for their records and follow-up on us and see if we missed out on something. Anyway, I was desperately looking for a designer who can work within our budget especially after the designer I was supposed to meet at the fair failed to find time to entertain us. She was either talking to another client or out of the fair premises, taking care of her daughter (or son). Oh well, so much for that. Emman and I exhanged email and text messages, became friends in Facebook and set to meet in his office today (Saturday).

Before the meeting, I turned to my fellow W@Wies if they can give feedbacks about Emman. It so happened that some of them, like me, set a meeting with him. That means I was not the only one who noticed his gowns at the fair. Ok. I’ll hold my horses. W@Wies have this code that whatever is in the forum, stays within the forum. :)

... and so, it’s Saturday!

I woke up early, prettify, put on my most comfortable dress and called H2B. We’re on our way as early as 8:50 am (our appointment was at 10:30 am) yet we were late for about 10 minutes. Thank God Emman was cool with that. He was actually cool the whole time we’re at his shop.

The shop is cozy. In fact, some of his works are on display. After a short introduction, we went to business. I showed him my gown inspiration and explained some things that I like to include. He showed me the different kinds of fabrics that we could use and throw in some suggestions. While we were talking, he was sketching a gown based on my gown inspiration and taking a note or two. Cool, right?

{Business as usual: Emman and yours truly while discussing the gown design that I like}

{Emman is sketching the gown while we are talking about the design}

We had some light moments, too. He showed us some more samples of his past works. He’s 10 years in the wedding industry but is just starting to go all out, particularly by joining bridal fairs. In fact, the bridal fair at the Mega was his first bridal fair yet his gowns attracted a handful of clients. I was surprised to know that the gowns he has on display at the fair weren't costly at all. I call that magic. You know, making something look pricey when it isn't pricey at all.

{Smile for the Camera: Emman Ocampo and yours truly}

In summary, here are the things that I like about him and our first meeting:

- He’s young and very talented. He has loads of fresh ideas.

- He’s professional and polite. He knows what he’s saying.

- He can work within our budget and ammendable with all my requests.

- He’s dedicated to his works.

- He’s not pushy. In fact, he's very friendly and easy to talk to. He even showed us the gown, which his aunt will wear at the wedding of one of their relatives.

- He presented a clear time line.

- He will personally take care of me (and my gown) on our Big Day.

- He LOVES my gown.

The last bullet is a plus. He loves my gown and it somehow gives me an assurance that he’ll make my gown (and me) beautiful on our Big Day.

PS:
Photos at the shop were taken by H2B. :)

X.O.X.O.,

The Errand: Document Requirements

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Dear Online Diary,

H2B and I had a very busy day yesterday. We went to two government agencies to settle some important documents needed in completing some major requirements prior to our wedding.

It was such a perfect plan, we will go straight to the main office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Carriedo so we can get it within the same day and go straight to the nearest National Statistic Office to get our birth certificate. We thought we can pull it through.

First Target: NBI Clearance

We prefer to visit the main office so we can immediately get the clearance. Satellite offices might take a week before we can get the result. H2B took a leave and as early as 7:00 am, we were on the road towards Carriedo where the main office of NBI is (was) located. And so we thought. We were surprised to learn that it was relocated to a certain Victory Center Mall in Caloocan “for more convenience”. Good gracious. Mind you, we’re from Paranaque and we have to travel all the way to Caloocan to get an NBI clearance at the same day ha.

Thank God there’s an LRT station nearby, we were able to get to the place in no time. I guess it wasn't one of the busy days at NBI because it can be overflowing with people at times. So after a couple of running and falling in line, we were out of their office with our clearance.

{That's H2B's copy. I always find the picture on the clearance funny. It never failed to show the stress one was experiencing during the whole process. Certainly, H2B is not that hideous in person. ^___^}

Next Target: Birth Certificate from NSO

The problem started here. We do not know where to find the main branch of the National Statistic Office (NSO) where we could get our birth certificate. All we know is that it’s somewhere in Quezon City. It was such an adventure. I can’t even remember how we found an MRT station, got in the train and get off at the Kamuning station. From there, we rode a jeepney that took us to the NSO office. I couldn’t remember how many strangers we approached to ask for direction but we’re both glad that all of them helped us tremendously.

Anyway, when we arrived at the NSO office, it was such a nightmare. The place was streaming with people waiting for their names to be called. It was pretty stressful. No thanks to the hot weather that day. I really thought we could get our birth certificates within that day but nope, we did not. We were asked to go back the next day at 7:00 am. Nope, they do not rush orders. Sigh.

After all the shennanegans, we went home with our NBI clearance but without our birth certificates. we were told that we could get it within a month so we chose to get it on March 15th (tentative date) depending on our availability.

At least, we’re moving along. Next target is to get our passports for our trip outside the country later this year.



PS:
I will be meeting two designers this weekend so this is much, much more exciting. I can’t wait to share it with you.

X.O.X.O.,

Official Monogram

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Dear Online Diary,

Fresh from the oven, I’d like to share our official monogram created using the ever reliable Photoshop. You may notice that it’s not one of the options that we had before (see it here). This is because we realized that we want to host a more relaxed wedding and stay away from being too formal.

Without further ado, here it is:

{Our Contemporary Monogram bearing our nicknames, Elo & Eyz and "A", which is the first letter of H2B's last name}

You'll see this monogram on our invites and other stationery, in this blog and our WedSite, as well as on our photo souvenir. :)

X.O.X.O.,

Eight Months To Go: It's Time To Get Lucky

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Dear Online Diary,

OMG.

I can’t even start how to express my feelings upon seeing that we only have eight months to go before the Big Day. We’ve booked some of the major suppliers for our wedding, still raising additional funds for our wedding budget and researching (read: studying) for things that can make our day even more memorable.

We’re scheduled to book our caterer, bridal gown and lights/sound system supplier by the end of February or early March. After which, I’ll focus on my DIYs and minor suppliers as well as follow-ups on our booked suppliers.

It’s been a stressful yet satisfying preparation. H2B and I have been blessed with free trips outside the country and lucky to get some of the best wedding suppliers for half of their prizes through the W@W auction. Being a W@Wie is such a blessing. I gain friends – both fellow brides and wedding suppliers who we greet every bridal fair that we’re attending. We’re thankful and hoping that the blessing will continue to come upon us throughout our journey. I have a whole chapter ready to tell our grand children in the future or the experience to lend a hand when it’s my friends or sister’s turn to wed. It’s great when we have a certain way to express our creativity and do something that we love (for a change, if I may add).

And now, to commemorate the 8th-month mark left for us to prepare before the big day, I’d like to share (for a limited time) our WedSite (wedding website) hosted by mywedding.com. Of course, it’s a work in progress but it will give you an idea on how our wedding will turn out as well as little knick knacks on where we are right now. I hope you’ll enjoy browsing through our piece of the WWW (world wide web). Please do not forget to leave some love by signing our guestbook. It’s the last link on the left panel of the WedSite.

{A screenshot of our Wedsite: view it here}

X.O.X.O.,

Romantic Bridesmaid Dresses

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Dear Online Diary,

The search for the gowns of our female entourage is over. I have found the perfect inspiration from Bari Jay collection. I want my girls’ gown to be romantic so we will stay away from stiff styles. Here’s a sneak peek:

{Source: Bari Jay}

I'm excited for my girls. I'm sure they're going to look pretty and chic. :)

X.O.X.O.,

A Blessed Valentine Weekend

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Dear Online Diary,

H2B and I usually celebrate the Heart’s day with a candle-lit dinner but this year was different. We attended two bridal fairs (yes, two bridal fairs were simultaneously scheduled last weekend) with high hopes that we will finally meet the suppliers of our dreams.

Our first stop was the Getting Married Bridal Fair at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. We saw the booth of some of the most sought after wedding suppliers like Fol Rana and Joey Boquiren. I got a quote from some of the wedding gown designers at the fair including Merlene Marcelo and Charlie Dela Cruz. The fair was dominated by caterers and photographers all of which offer great wedding packages. It was a brief yet fun visit.

We took our brunch at The Grill Boy (aka Pupung’s). It’s our favorite stop at SM MOA because they offer the best Filipino cuisine, the very reason why it’s a bit crowded when we arrived. While we were waiting for our meals, H2B did not waste time in excusing himself for a while. I thought he was going to the loo but he came back with the familiar i-love-you red roses. He’s been giving me the same kind of roses since our first Valentine’s Day so it feels like one of our Heart’s Day traditions. :)

After our sumptuous and enjoyable meal, we went straight to SM Megamall to attend yet another bridal fair. It was organized by The Wedding Library promptly called Weddings and Debuts 2010. We enjoyed this fair as it has loads of wedding suppliers, state-of-the-art appliances from Philips and colorful Kiddie Party suppliers. We were able to meet some of my fellow W@Wies (special mention to sis Cha ni Dave, sis Fei & Stan and sis Me-I & Edong) and stopped by the W@W booth where we met Ms. Benz and her cute daughter Kiteh.

{The "traditional" i-love-you red roses, W@W Bride's Yellow Pages, W@W pin, W@W Ten-Ten-Ten keychain, the accomplished Bride Visit Card and the Weddings & Debuts 2010 Bridal Fair suppliers directory}

After a short tate-a-tate and scoring some freebies from Ms. Benz, we roamed around the venue to browse through the suppliers, particularly looking for those courteous (some of them are funny) guys who'll stamp my Bride’s Ticket for the fair’s grand raffle draw. (Note: I was at the fair last Fri, Feb 12--rather alone—to talk to some designers.)

{Accomplished Bridal Visit Card: Had to blur our last names for security purposes}

The fair was somewhat organized, save to the announcement of winners, which was an hour delayed from the posted time. They made one of the winning couples staged a mini-proposal before claiming their prize. It was cute and entertaining. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay for the latter part of the announcement because it was getting late.

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Yesterday, I received a call from Winnie of The Wedding Library informing me that we won the grand prize. She made some verification and yes, it’s valid and official. We got ourselves a round-trip tickets for 3D/2N vacation to the island paradise of Mauritius sponsored by Air Mauritius. H2B got the same call, even relaying to Winnie what happened during the announcement of winners (particularly how the winning H2B proposed to his W2B). Honeymoon trips are excluded from our wedding budget so it was such a blessing (thank you Bro). Thank you to The Wedding Library and Air Mauritius for this wonderful prize. We will surely keep in touch. :)

{The Mauritius Island Paradise}

X.O.X.O.,

Food Tasting with Ma Del’s Cuisine

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Dear Online Diary,

A little background:

It takes forever before we could find the “it” caterer. Gosh, I can’t believe that it’s more or less seven months to go but we have yet to find the caterer that would help us feed our guests. :)

I’ve made several calls and email messages to some of the qualified caterers for several months now. Of all the caterers I’ve talked to, Miss Anj of Ma Del’s is the sweetest. She would answer my inquiries be it through text, email or through their multiply site.

I found out about their services through the raves of fellow W@Wies who got their services. They raved about their food, their personalized set-up and hands-on approach not to mention, they have affordable packages that fit our budget perfectly.
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After several exchange of messages and a phone call, we set up the date for food tasting. Easy, right? No pretensions or excuses.

I decided to bring Mama Betty and Ninang (to-be) Fely with me as they have more experienced taste palette than anyone else I know. So off we went to the meeting place. Miss Anj was talking to another client when we arrived but she let us taste the food samples so we won’t get bored… and then our eyes sparked!

{Food samples: Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy, Chicken Flambe, Pork Gallantina with Egg Dressing, Fettuccine Italiana and Buco Pandan Jello... Note: This picture was taken after we "attacked" the samples.}

When she talked to us about their company, that’s when I knew that she’s the daughter of the owner. Her mom cooks the food, which explains the home-made style. As much as possible, they only accept one wedding a day as she personally has to be there on the event to oversee the reception service and set-up. She’s the one who styles the venue according to what was agreed upon.

{Smile for the camera: Miss Anj and yours truly. I think my smile gave away my happiness.}

In summary, these are the things that I like about the whole experience:
- They serve delicious food.
- They got awesome packages, all of which are customizable.
- Miss Anj is easy to deal with. She’s super sweet. She made a great rapport with us, especially with Mama.
- We can personalize the venue set-up according to our motif and theme.
- She’ll visit the venue to come up with a floor plan. A caterer and an event stylist in one (yey!).
- Amendable to all my wishes, including another sofa set for the couple.
- Lots of freebies including a Chocolate fountain (promo only but we are eligible. yey!).
- They offer discounts to W@W tag holder (another yey!).

What’s keeping us from booking them? H2B wants to meet with Miss Anj. If everything went well, the deal is done (cross-fingers). I will definitely keep you posted. :)

X.O.X.O.,

DIY: Table Numbers

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Dear Online Diary,

It’s official. Photoshop is every bride’s best friend when it comes to creating stationery for the wedding.

I'm no different. H2B has tons of picture files. He has pictures about nature, people and places. I selected a few pictures that tells a story about us & our wedding theme, which is nature photography (mind you, it was such a challenging task as there are so many beautiful pictures).

Once I have all the pictures, I created a damask background in Photoshop, threw in some elegant fonts, downloaded pretty swirl brushes and then added one of the pictures as the focal point. Want to see the finished product? Here are some of our finished table numbers:

{Table Numbers featuring H2B's photos}

That's all for now. As for the checklist, Table Numbers = Checked!

X.O.X.O.,

Checklist: Fabulous February

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Dear Online Diary,

It’s the first day of the love month which only means Valentine’s Day gifts are the main focus of every mall in the metro. Who says gift giving is only popular during holiday season? hehehe

I took advantage of the mall-wide sale to score gifts to be used for our wedding. You may be asking, gifts for whom? Nope. I’ll keep mum to surprise everyone but here’s a sneak peek:

{something to remember us by}

For the meantime, enjoy your dates and Happy Valentine's Day planning! :)

X.O.X.O.,