CATERER: k by cunanan (www.kbycunanancatering.com)
CONTACT PERSON: kaye cunanan
WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR: a caterer willing to provide customized, american-style breakfast
FIRST IMPRESSION: elegant. beyond our budget.
HOW AND WHY WE CHOSE HER: for economical reasons, we were not looking for a “name” caterer. we felt like they charge too highly and that there were many other less-known caterers who can give the same service at a more affordable cost. the search for that less-known caterer who can meet our requirement led to our longest search for a supplier. more than 2 months and 2 unsatisfactory prospective caterers later, we have yet to find a caterer. using a similar strategy used in supplier hunting, we sent an email blast to every caterer we can contact… be it a “name” caterer or not. several caterers replied but either:
a) they couldn’t provide a customized menu
b) they couldn’t match their menu to our theme. then we received a reply from k by cunanan.
this one was different because:
a) it wasn’t generic as all the others were. it was long and personalized complete with comments, suggestions, follow-up questions and even emoticons.
b) it had a menu that was highly customized and fitted perfectly to our theme.
c) the mail was not from an account executive… it was from the owner, kaye.
a few email exchanges later, we met kaye at the expo and by simply talking to her, how young, vibrant and full of fresh ideas she was, we knew we found the one. the clincher, she was able to propose a package that was within our budget… a budget that most couldn’t meet.
HOW SHE DELIVERED: a lot of people have been saying that we won’t be able to eat at our wedding. we didn’t want to belive that because we really wanted to eat… especially after our food-tasting with kaye. eh, ang sarap-sarap naman kasi ng food. kaya naman we had no worries din with regards to food going into the wedding. we just knew that it is the least of our concerns. and true enough… it was really was. guest after guest was raving how yummy and delicious the food was. hindi lang yun, kakaiba ang ni-handa ni kaye… not the usual menu you would see in a wedding. guests were even asking kung san daw ang restaurant ni kaye kasi gus2 nila magpunta kasi nga ang sarap. hehe. sori, no restaurants… just catering. sobrang sarap lang talaga. π
here’s another thing, we didn’t have an event stylist. bakit? eh kasi ang “standard” setup ni kaye ay setup na ng event stylist. ganun ka-elegant, classy at stylish. quoting from my previous posting documenting our wedding day:
upon arrival at bella vista, i immediately went up the upper garden and my jaw dropped upon seeing the setup. ang galing talaga ni kaye. i had to stop for a second just to appreciate it all. if only there were less things to do, i would’ve just stood there…
ganun ka-ganda. and this was just “standard” setup. sya din nag-setup ng ceremony namin at ang galing-galing talaga. and kaye was able to do all of these kasi she was at the venue as early as 3 am… and she stayed until the latter part of the reception. truly, she handles an account from conceptualization until the actual wedding day. that’s personalized service. π
setup before arrival of guests (photo by mik guillen)
from left to right: 1) principal sponsors table setup 2) juice bowl (photos by kaye cunanan)
SIDE KWENTO: when one goes to weddings, caterers are praised for the taste of their food and sometimes from the reception setup. kaye got praised for both… and even more. checkout this interesting remark from our guest:
“grabe, ang sarap ng food… may restaurant ba sila? ang galing ni kaye. atsaka, ang tissue… grabe. ang ganda. hindi yung cheap na tissue, ha…”
now, that has got to be a first. ang tissue paper ay mapapansin ng guest. sabagay, kahit ako napansin ko din, eh. sayang nga d ako nakapag-uwi. hehe. not surprise kasi ganun talaga si kaye. everything from food, to setup, to utensils down to the tissue paper… everything excellent. π
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PERSON: stlylish, youthful
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT: classy, personalized, yummy
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“the best ang handa…” – guest
“they worked very hard… her things (pertaining to plates, spoons, forks… etc.) are very nice…” – fellow supplier
“ay, sige i’ll stay. kakaiba food nila, eh. na-excite naman ako sa food…” – fellow supplier (upon knowing that our caterer is k by cunanan)
RECOMMENDED FOR: couples who want a highly-personalized, customized, non-commercial, elegant reception without a need for an event stylist and food that is surely delicious but not ordinary.
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MAKEUP ARTIST: lanie acedillo (www.lanieacedillo.com)
CONTACT PERSON: lanie acedillo
WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR: fresh, “no makeup” look
FIRST IMPRESSION: makeup artist for models
HOW AND WHY WE CHOSE HER: we met lanie at a time we were not yet seriously looking for a makeup artist. we were at the wedding expo at wala lang, we thought na since andun na din sila, why not check out the different makeup artists there. pero noong andun na kami sa area ng mga makeup artists parang bigla kaming nahiya mag-approach sa kanila. hehe. kaya isa-isa namin nilampasan mga booths nila hanggang umabot kami sa dulo where a big poster caught our attention at napatigil kami. and there was a lady seated and she smiled at us and since sincere naman smile nya, napa-upo 2loy kami. hehe. and that lady was lanie. usap-usap sila ni selle and one thing i noticed, besides na magaling sya mag-makeup (based sa mga pinakitang pics ng previous clients) is click sila agad ni selle. important kasi yun kasi before the actual wedding ceremony, c lanie ang makakasama ni selle.
fresh makeup + ok sila ni selle + expo promo = book lanie. π
HOW SHE DELIVERED: 6:30 am ang aming wedding. lanie and her team had 8 heads lined-up for makeup. call time nya was 2 am and they were there even before, ready na sila by 2 am and they were able to finish all on time. about the makeup, i guess fol’s pics say it all. madami talaga na-ganda-han… kahit yung mga hindi naka-attend at pics lang ang nakita. even the entourage members na makeup-an ni lanie… instant fans. besides her excellence in makeup artistry, selle kept saying na lanie was so nice… at she kept reminding selle to always smile especially during the times na magulo dahil marami pa kelangan gawin at ayusin.
another thing, lanie was always ready for retouch. kahit after the ceremony… after the post-ceremony pictorials, she was still there para sa retouch. note, no extra charge to, ha.
SIDE KWENTO: our flower girl is probably the pinaka-makulit na bata sa buong mundo. hehe. pero napaka-patient ni lanie kahit sobrang kulit nga habang makeup-an. sabi nga ni selle, mukhang nag-enjoy naman si lanie kasi nga tuwang-tuwa sya sa kakikayan ng flower girl namin na every touch ni lanie ng brush sa eyelid at sa cheek, titingin naman si flower girl sa mirror to check kung ano itsura. π
trial makeup at capelli salon (photo by dyoks)
from left to right: 1) lanie with our flower girl, francine 2) lanie applying final touches (photos by fol rana jr)
BONUS SIDE KWENTO: there were 3 of them in the team, 2 girls (lanie + nora) and 1 guy (joji). take note that joji is a straight guy. in lanie’s salon, there are 2 guys… both straight. π
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PERSON: friendly, down-to-earth
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT: fresh, distinct
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“gusto ko yang makeup mo…” – guest
“ang galing ni lanie…” – entourage member
“i like her makeup… different from the usual wedding makeup.” – fellow supplier
RECOMMENDED FOR: brides who want a makeup artist who will become your friend, walang arte and give you fresh and natural makeup that will surely make you “the prettiest of them all.”.
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ENTOURAGE ACCOMODATIONS: light of the world formation and retreat center
CONTACT PERSON: tita cora
WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR: budget-friendly, within the vicinity accomodations
FIRST IMPRESSION: relaxing.
HOW AND WHY WE CHOSE THEM: since we have an early morning wedding, we wanted those who have parts in the wedding to be in tagaytay already the night before. eh, medyo madami-dami kasi sila so we wanted sana an affordable yet maganda na place. syempre, mahal pag sa hotel pa, dba eh kaso wala naman kami masyado alam sa tagaytay na iba pa. good thing deedee, the owner of our wedding venue, suggested light of the world.
light of the world is a retreat center hence, it is very quiet and spacious. perfect for accomodations talaga. to top it all off, the rates were very affordable to begin with tapos tita cora even gave us an additional discount. π very warm din si tita cora kaya alam namin our guests will be well taken cared of.
HOW THEY DELIVERED: we went to light of the world the afternoon before our wedding at inaantay na kami ni tita cora. as usual, she was very accomodating. our guests who will stayed there did not arrive all at the same time. magkakaiba talaga ng oras. but yet, dinner was all ready for them… kahit na iba-iba time nila pagdating. some even got to chat with tita cora and they experienced her warmth… and, of course, as they said, her delicious dinner. π
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PERSON: warm, hospitable
WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT: quiet, cozy
RECOMMENDED FOR: anyone who wants quiet accomodations with warm personnel.
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ENTOURAGE FLOWERS: flowers of may (www.flowersofmay.com)
CONTACT PERSON: rose
WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR: budget-friendly flowers that could deliver at a very early call time
FIRST IMPRESSION: very knowledgeable and experienced florist
HOW AND WHY WE CHOSE THEM: after looking around we found out that most florists have the same price range. hindi naman masyado nagkakaiba. we were just particularly concerned about our early call time requirement plus nasa tagaytay pa kami. flowers of may is tagaytay-based hence delivery time will not be a problem. at since ok namna kausap si rose at kaya nila gawin yung mga request namin kaya sila na. π
HOW THEY DELIVERED: the flowers arrived at around 4 am. isa lang naman sa flowers ang tiningnan namin… yung bridal bouquet. 3 dozen white tulips and it didn’t look bulky nor heavy. just like what we wanted. due to the frenzy of preps, we didn’t get to admire the other bouquets anymore. hehe.
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“ate selle, gus2 ko yung bouquet mo.” – guest
RECOMMENDED FOR: couples who will be wed at tagaytay.
[groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 1
[groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 3
Hi there,
Wow! This website of yours is super helpful. I hired a wedding planner but I guess this website has given me everything I need to know.
Any chance you can give me Lanie’s contact details plus her rate? I am planning to do my wedding in Tagaytay as well next year.
Another thing I’m interested in is the contact details of Tita Cora. Any chance you can tell me the rate as well if you can still remember.
Many thanks…
Yen
wow, really nice set-up! ganda ganda! by the way, may utang pa si selle na wedding pics niyo. i still haven’t seen your pictures. remind ko lang. π hehe!
hi peejay,
dyoks naman to. π
i-email ka daw ni selle mamaya. looks like it’s a start of yet another looooong email exchange. π
k cunanan’s set-up is really lovely. very personalized and fitting of the site/wedding/theme.
lovely π
hi, i’m peejay’s friend and sabi niya i-check ko daw itong site niyo since tagaytay din kayo π enjoy ako sa blog niyo π grabe sarap naman at tapos na kayo, i’m still enjoying every part of wedding preps. may i ask yung quotation sa inyo ng flowers of may? pati kung ano ang inclusive, paki send nalang through my email ha. thanks! π Enjoy married life, God bless.. β₯
hi aion,
thanks for dropping by. how sweet of peejay to recommend our site. π
we’ll email you the package flower of may gave us, ha.
enjoy your preps. masaya yan. π
hi,
favor naman. please send me packages you got for your venue, caterer, make up, photo/video. dreaming of a tagaytay wedding, kung kaya ng budget.
thanks
Hi Selle and Dyoks!
Its me again, Sharon… May i know the contact numbers of light of the world formation and retreat center? I wanted to have all the entourage and immediate families to be there in tagaytay the night before the wedding and I am currently looking for affordable accommodations. I would really appreciate it if you can give me Tita Cora’s number.
Thanks for all the help…
By the way, we might book Josephine’s for our reception. Any feedback about them? My fiance and I were there last Saturday and we just fell in love with the view. Expert na expert kayo sa mga suppliers so I want to know what you think π
Regards,
Sharon
[…] shot at the infinity pool. (timed photo by dyoks) . that basically covers our suppliers. we really felt that God led us to the BEST suppliers (with a few exceptions). as we look back, it was easy to see how God made ways for us to find our suppliers. speaking of suppliers, God is the supplier of all suppliers. He was the one who gave us the wedding we’ll always cherish. to Him goes all the glory. a special shoutout to bob, fol, kaye and lanie… with what they did in our wedding and the way they treated us, they have made us their lifetime fans. to the siytangco’s, tita cora and nelson… the air is really cool in tagaytay but their hearts are the warmest one will ever meet. to all who are still in the process of preparing for their wedding and those who will soon be preparing for their wedding… enjoy this phase in your lives. to the grooms-to-be, i recommend that you be active and really be involved in the preparations. wouldn’t it be nice if you relieve her of stress by taking part in the preps? that’s all. may madaldal din palang groom, no? [groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 1 [groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 2 […]
[…] [groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 2 [groom speaks] talking about our suppliers part 3 […]
hi selle & dyoks,
first of all, congrats! i came across your site and honestly, this is very helpful! my fiance and i are to wed sometime this year, and this blog of yours is so informative, i cant stop clicking links! π
for all the beautiful things in the wedding, not being rude, can you give me a ballpark amt of everything you’ve spent? cos i really have no idea.
hope i don’t come off as a rude stranger. i am just admiring everything you’ve done for you wedding π
thanks and best wishes!
Hello Selle and Dyoks,
May i know the location of light of the world formation and retreat center? I have browsed and searched it on the net but no results for the exact address/location of the retreat center. I will be having my wedding too in tagaytay next year and most of my relatives and entourage will be coming from abroad i thought of finding the right place that is budget friendly. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and Godbless!
Kind Regards,
Chisse
Your feedbacks are really helpful! I’m also planning to get K for my wedding reception and after reading your blog, I am more than convinced=)
hi selle and dyoks.
I was surfing the net when suddenly I got a glimpse of your website and then that was the time I cant help reading your wedding blog. I’ts so informative and very nice. feeling ko nga i was there witnessing your wedding before. Favor lang naman do you still have the number of tita cora for the light of the world retreat house. the rest ng suppliers I can look up na lang sa internet kahiya naman kasi sa yo kasi 2 yrs na yun baka di mo na remember. thanks and goodluck sa inyo.
louisa