Ocular of Pearl Garden HOtel...

Valentine's day... me and Christian never had a date date during Valentines in our close-to-6 years together but yesterday we went to Adriatico, Malate to check out the Pearl Garden Hotel that we were talking about last week. Eventhough we booked Hizon's already we are looking for an alternative venue that will be cost efficient. We found this one. We originally wanted somewhere in Malate since we want to go drinking after the reception. I dared myself to go a bar in my wedding gown!

I have exchanging emails and text messages even phone calls with Arleen, one of their sales people. She is really prompt and not to mention patient in answering all my inquiries. So when we got to the hotel, I immediately went to the front desk and look for her. Christian joked that we should have stayed at the coffee shop at the lobby instead of going to the Starbucks at CCP! We were asked to go to the Sales Office on the 3rd floor. While waiting we browsed through the pictures of the set up and it is not bad. Decent and somewhat formal. Christian was nodding his head while looking at it and kept of saying ok... (pwede!).... Arleen then accompanied us to see the hall on the 10th floor... and it was alright... it was clean, looks like new.. and spacious for our less than 100 guests! Plus the photo booth will fit in as well. Nice!

I then asked the series of questions like the presidential tables, the rooms that they have... one more point that they gained from us is that they have an executive suite.. sadly we cannot see it since they are fully booked since it is Valentine's day! LOL! They can provide a package for the suppliers' meal if it will be for 30 heads... I can also take away some amenities and be deducted on our total package price. Parking stubs will be provided for the guests so they won't have to pay for the parking space. It is going to be a good one. The package that they have is really inexpensive! It is a good deal.

Some of the decorations that they have set up.

Zen feeling to the venue!

The couple's area.. we saw something better from the photo album at their sales office.

Table set up... we need to do something about that table cloth... and the napkins as well.

Really spacious... 12 persons per table.

Hallway leading to the elevator

Me talking to Arlene... Christian just got trigger happy with the camera!

Christian said that the venue is good for him. I told him that we should make the downpayment already and he said that we can do it this week! Sweet! About the taste of their food... no food tasting until 50% of the package is paid for but we tried their restaurant on the 2nd floor... the story on it on my next blog.

in search of a new home... my angst against my landlady!

Some things are too good to last...

We need to vacate our current home. We really love it since it is cozy and big enough for the two of us. The rent is quite high for two individuals like us but the space that we have compensates for the rent that we pay monthly. We stuck with it since we have the privacy that we want. But then, some things are not made to last specially if you are just renting. Our landlady told us that she and her family wanted to move in the space that we are renting due to the recent infamous Ondoy storm! She said that they got flooded in Malabon... In my mind, isn't Malabon always flooded?!?!? Well, she keeps on saying that it is not sure yet since she needs to get the funds to build the proper house for her and her family. She already went to our place with an architect and some of her relatives. I know she has the right to do that but she will not give us a definite date when she wants us out. She keeps on saying that she will give us two months to move out and we can use our deposit to pay for the months that we are looking for a new space. We told her that we don't want to stay for two months since we want to use the deposit to move to a new place.

After she informed us that we need to move soon, me and Christian started to search for a new place. We found one but lost it since the $$@#$@#g landlady will not reply to my text messages about when can we get the deposit! We have to call her to inquire and when we checked out the place again the signage is already gone! Bummer!!!! She then called us up begging us to stay until January 15, 2010 since she will have a hard time looking for a tenant that will rent out the place in two months! Imagine barely 3 months before our wedding... Saying that it will not be very near our wedding date! Whatthaf.#$!!!! Well, we then decided to give it a chance since we love the place too much and it is really hard to look for a decent place around our area.

But today!!!! GRRRRR!!!! I am still fuming thinking about it! Our landlady went again to check the place out and said to give her until the weekend to decide if she is really sure! I just nodded... After she left, I told Christian that maybe we should really look for a place and just leave before the 15th! I no longer have patience to wait for the decision of the landlady. I don't care if she will not have any income for two months. We bought a buy & sell magazine and we were able to look at some places and found one that we actually like! We are now in the process of paying for the deposit... When we informed our landlady, she called us up and said... "didn't I tell you to give me a week to decide?" OMG.. Here we go again! I told her we paid the downpayment already even if we have not just to close the discussion!

Now we are in the process of moving house! I guess it is part of the wedding rituals but it should happen after the wedding... We just did it first before saying the I Dos.

In search of a church and reception venue

After we pencil booked the date of our wedding with the caterer yesterday, we went off to Our Lady of Consolation Parish (OLCP)to check the church as well as the Bulwagang Recoletos for the reception venue. I was able to browsed on the net the night before about the venue and it looks decent for a good wedding reception. In the end, when we got there I felt good about the church and the place is really quiet and it brings out any kind of solemnity one wants. The church is a just right to fit a number of guests, not a small chapel that we wanted but it is definitely smaller than Malate Church.

We went to the parish office to inquire about their wedding rites package and it costs Php 16,000.00 inclusive of everything even the electricity charge. Lucky for us, there was a wedding on the site when we got there. We were able to see the set of the church for a wedding. It looks plain and simple just the way we want it. The flowers are nice as well and it is all pretty. Good thing that the church is well-lit even if the door will be closed because of the tall glass windows on both sides of the church.

After inquiring with the parish church, we went to the next building where the Bulwagang Recoletos is standing. It looks really ok from the outside and when we got in, they are setting up for a wedding reception. The venue is not bad, but the ceiling is quite low for me but then it is really clean and intimate. We took pictures of the place. Christian said that he gives the place a check on our list if he is going to be asked. He is saying that it is near our place, near to his relatives and friends. The rate of the rental is not bad too.

In the end, we are still looking around... still not decided on where to get married...

You can check other photos in the below.

There was an ongoing wedding when we arrived at the church. This was the set up being prepared by the caterer in one of the halls at the Bulwagang Recoletos. I am not a big fan of the color orange!!!

The outside garden of the Bulwagan is really nice.

I like how the altar looks but not really keen of the purple walls. It looks like purple yam cake.