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.,