vendors' rates are increasing...

Irvin and I thought that preparing our wedding one year ahead will give as a hassle-free wedding, we were wrong. One "big" disadvantage is that suppliers/vendors will tend to increase their rates/fees for the next year. It’s either we pay now to avail of the old rate or pay later with the new rate. I’m not even sure if blocking off the dates would mean we have to pay in full or if partial payment will do. I feel like we don’t have enough time to scout for other suppliers considering that there’s only 2 months left before the year ends.

So far, we have only reserved San Agustin (ceremony), Fr. Blanco’s and Makati Skyline (reception) and Veluz (bridal gown). Makati Skyline has already increased their rates from P550 to P600 per head. Geez! That’s a big increase! We want to book a photographer/videographer as early as now but we’re still having a hard time choosing. We have only alloted P50k for that but most of the good ones charge more than what we can afford. Right now, we’re considering Mimi Abesamis and John Mateos Ong. Irvin just needs to see how their magnetic album looks like. He has seen that of Ariel Javelosa’s and he finds it really nice. The thing is he's so expensive, and we’re not even sure if he’ll be the one to cover our wedding considering his tight schedule. Mimi and John, however, don’t include blow-up portraits in their packages. They said based on experience, couples prefer different designs so they advise their clients to have their own portrait done, that way it'll be a lot cheaper and more importantly, we have the freehand in choosing what type of materials to be used, in other words, you'll get your money's worth than that of a free portrait. By the way, John is giving the pre-nuptial pictorials for free, but only if we book within the year.

There are still a lot of things to worry about. To sum it up, planning for the wedding is really fun and exciting but stressful at the same time. Haay… - faye