Skills and Crafts

I have been soooo focused on my business lately that I regret to miss out on few blog posts I intended to write. I haven't even started on my 2013 blog redesign and full-year marketing plan yet, which I have been planning to do for so long already. Do not worry though because I do not have any intentions of parking the Clueless Mrs. anytime soon- or ever- coz believe it or not, this blog, which started as a personal journal-sort of thing- is one of the things that actually keeps me going. It's my gravel path, my roadmap, my compass, my constellation, my northern star on where I want to go and what I need to do next. 

Nevertheless, I am so proud of myself for accomplishing a lot of things on the days I was MIA (Missing in Action) because I was able to secure 90% of all the legal requirements and permits needed for my business, and oh boy, *kudos kudos*pat on the back* for me coz this is the most legit of a business I have ever gone. From DTI, Barangay, to Mayor permits, name it. *phew* Special thanks to my dad for being my handsome driver and tutor on how to go around city hall.

I have also launched my new website www.fairytaleweddingsnevents.com you definitely MUST check out (not sure if online hypnosis can work but *with a very low mala-fortune teller voice* - go... to... www.fairytaleweddingsnevents.com....... after you read this post...) *crossing fingers now* (And oh, *back to low voice* ...and book me as your wedding coordinator soon...)

Anyhow, I'm particularly proud of this website because everything was specially designed by MOI. And seriously, photoshop editing up until the wee hours of the morning is no joke! I even tried (with bloody nose for five days) fixing my own domain, which I have frustratingly failed at 5x. Lucky for me, I have my last resort SOS tech support, my sis' boyfie, and after 10 minutes... *voila* it's finally fixed. *clap for skills*

What else have I made myself busy with? hmm... Mostly preparing for the very first bridal fair I will join on February 15-17 - the Weddings & Debuts 2013 Bridal Fair, organized by the Wedding Library, which will be held at the Megatrade Hall SM Megamall. Aside from the permits I have 90% secured already, we're talking about booth design, flyers, calling cards, service agreements, and the to do list goes on. And since I'm on a veeeeeeery tight budget, I have to make a lot of stuff, including my website, on my own from conceptualization, design and production. Total DIY crafty things!

Another thing, or shall I say skill, that I'm also proud about is how I managed to save and learn something new from this experience. Like, making homemade notepads! In my case, service agreements. Here's how I did it, and I'm sure you're gonna love this. 

The key ingredient? - Padding Glue (aka Padding Compound)

If you wanna go all out DIY, there's also a recipe I found for a DIY Padding Compound here but if you're lazy like me, just buy a ready-to-use one which can be found in Bookstores or Office Supplies Stores. It's a bit difficult to find actually but if you pray for it hard enough, you'll find one. *haha* 

Step 1 - Print out and gather the papers you want to bind. 

Step 2 - Align your paper in a straight edge and bind them with clips. 

For better results, (I just discovered this) place a ruler on top of the paper along the straight edge and another ruler at the bottom along the same straight edge before binding both sides with clips to hold the papers firmly together. (source)

Step 3 - Apply the Padding Glue with a paint brush. 

Step 4 - Make sure the whole edge is fully coated and allow to dry for roughly 10 minutes. Apply 2-3 more coats for better results and allow to dry.

Step 5 - Remove the clips and you're DONE!

Tip: you can also add a card board paper as backing for a firmer pad.

Price Tags?

Padding Glue P70.00, Powerbooks, Greenbelt 3

100 pcs. Short Typewriting Multi-Purpose Paper P55.00, Office Warehouse

100 pcs. Colored Short Bond Paper Moods P97.00, Powerbooks, Greenbelt 3

Paint Brush P25.00, available at any hardware stores.

So, don't throw away those scratch papers just yet. Instead, turn them into notepads you can use for your doodles, phone messages, or even playtime pads for your kids. *sigh* *I can already feel Mother Earth smiling back*

xoxo,

The Clueless Mrs.

PS- Show me some love guys, leave a comment if this is useful.

Fairytale Weddings

While everyone is contemplating if they were naughty or nice this year, I'm already planning for the biggest event in my life next year. Pop that thought bubble of yours because I'm not talking about getting pregnant yet but achieving a milestone for my current baby, my thriving events coordination biz, Fairytale Weddings and Events! 

Mark your calendars, ladies and gents, because I will be at the Weddings & Debuts 2013 Bridal Fair, organized by the Wedding Library, to be held from February 15,16 to 17 at Megatrade Halls 1, 2 & 3, SM Megamall.

Register here for FREE entrance

The Wedding Library

For more info, LIKE the Wedding Library's Facebook Page

Hmmm... now, what to offer my lucky couples.?.?. *evil smile*hihihi...*

Anyway, with that, I segue to one of my last pending blogposts for my Love to Wedding Blog series... And that's creating your A-Team to achieve your fairytale dream wedding.

Obviously, the top factor in booking suppliers, is *drum roll please* COST. If only that's the only consideration when choosing suppliers then it would be no brainer to just book with the cheapest suppliers you can find. The wedding industry is really a competitive industry to be in. As a supplier, myself, you cannot just simply offer 80% discount and instantly seal the deal. You'll be surprised to learn that an extra smile or bubbly personality can make a difference. So, what's that X-factor we looked for when we were planning our wedding? Well, I've already shared with you some of the suppliers we booked through Bridal Fairs [here] and here are the actual reasons why.

Josiah's Catering 

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Aside from the fact that they're one of the accredited caterers of our chosen venue, Blue Leaf Events Pavilion, they also have one of the most elaborate event styling and grandest centerpieces I've seen that's conveniently included in their packages, food is really good and definitely more than enough for our 200 initial guest list, and they're very flexible and easy to work with. Booking them is absolutely worth our every centavo. 

Tip for Brides: Your coordinator might be able to give you a better floor layout that Josiah's can easily follow, so don't panic. Give them a visual peg, if possible, to get the exact outcome you expect. Book the tiffany/ sorrento chairs way in advance because they might run out if too many weddings are happening on the same day as your wedding.

Vignette Photography

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I simply fell in LOVE with infrared photography. So, when I got engaged, there was no other option for me but Vignette Photography specially since they are THE pioneer in infrared photography in the country. Oh, and JM agreed.

This is one of Bogs' winning photos in one of the
prestigious photography competitions in the county.
That's not me and I cannot hide my envy. *hmp*

Tip for Brides: Photography is one of the things you should highly invest on for your wedding. When booking, do not settle with the cheapest package, if you can afford it. Make sure that the Owner/ Main Photographer will be the one who will be there to shoot your. That's the name you are paying for anyway. 

Oh, also, it would be good to give your photographer a shot list too if you're planning to have your wedding featured on newspapers, magazines, or on bridalbook.ph to make sure that you have the shots of the wedding details you want to highlight. 

Designer Weddings

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Choosing our wedding coordinator was actually one of the hardest parts in planning our wedding. You might find that weird but if you think about it... You will be entrusting your wedding, which will only happen ONCE in your life (if you're lucky) to a complete stranger. And, my OC standards were very very high. #1 She has to be good looking or cute at the least *haha... am I mean?* Don't take me wrong, there's actually a reason for that. I do not want to get mad and it's probably a lil more difficult to get mad on someone cute. Diba? #2 She has to match my OC-ness that means she has to be really organized. #3 She has to answer my very important question that I ask all potential wedding coordinators with flying colors! ei. What should be a bride's watch-out in wedding planning, may it be in the church or venue I booked, tips, etc? 

So, why Designer Weddings? We actually first met Franki at the same Bridal Fair I will be joining next year, the Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair, way back 2011. I have met few other wedding coordinators too prior to finally booking Franki but what sets Franki apart is {she's pretty *hihi*} her bubbly personality. She knows her craft, she's very carinyosa and she's a very straight to the point kind of gal. Her rate was actually beyond our intended budget but we loved her so much to let her go. *haha* *drama*

Oh, that girl in the LBD is Franki :)

Franki is actually one of my inspirations why I started Fairytale Weddings & Events. Her amazement (of course this is self-proclaimed) on my OC-ness on everything made me think that yeah, I can actually do this...

Tip for Brides: Aside from my 3 considerations when choosing your coordinator as I mentioned above, go with the one you have the most rapport with. #chemistry

Glam PH (Color Artistry by Mitch Camaclang)

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Here's another girl that I find very inspiring as well. She isn't just a make up artist, she's also the creative director of Glam Philippines, a stylist, a fashion designer, a shoe designer and an entrepreneur as well. Talk about multi-tasking, right? Booking her was actually one of our impulsive bookings because their promo at the Weddings & Debuts 2011 Bridal Fair (P10,000 for Bride Airbrush MU + 6 Traditional MU) was absolutely hard to resist. Her experience and works do not disappoint as well. She's the first Filipina Make Up Artist to be featured in Wikipedia's VERIFIED Article under the category of Make Up Artist and she has done a lot of commercials and print ads as well with the likes of John Lloyd Cruz, Phil Younghusband, Anne Curtis and more!

Tousled chic side swept bridal beauty by
Mitch Camaclang

Tip for Brides: Have a test make up session with your make up artist. It's additional cost for you but you get a chance to try different looks (if you don't have any look in mind yet) and help you visualize how beautiful you'll look and feel on your wedding day.

Sober Club Mobile Bar

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We met Jen & Ryan of Sober Club at the very first bridal fair we went to after we got engaged and what a fun and uber funny couple they are! After checking out few other mobile bars, we went back to Sober Club because they bring life to the party, literally. They do not just serve but they engage with guests, which made our afterparty more fun and got more people drunk! *hahaha* Ryan's selling point is that he's also a certified nurse so he can assure that the chemistry of his mixes are tried and tested(?) *LOL* I don't know how to explain... 

Grabbed this pic from my cuz-in-law @SolSongco

Tip for Brides: When doing seat assignments, place your friends near the mobile bar. Trust me, they'll  absolutely appreciate it. 

Clip Photobooth

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Why we chose Clip Photobooth is pretty simple. They offer the best packages, lighting is just right and the quality of the photos are superb. *Period.*  

Photo template is one of the Clueless Mrs.'
DIY wedding details

Tip for Brides: Compare. Compare. Compare. Do not just settle with the cheapest. Test all the photobooths available before deciding, based on photo quality, lighting of photos, make sure color skin is close to life, and YOU LOOK GOOD. There's nothing wrong with a lil auto-edit.  

Creative Prints
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Invitations were actually at the bottom of our checklist, at first. We were even considering digital invites instead just to save a little but we realized that invitations actually says a lot about a couple. And sometimes, people's basis on how much or how big their gifts should be... *haha* Since our (my) parents wouldn't also let go of not having physical invitations, we decided to go the traditional way while still inserting a little bit of modernity with a black & white invitation motif. *my parents almost killed me when they saw the b&w invites! hihi*

First came across Creative Prints through Sober Club Mobile Bar's affiliation to My Little Craft- a one stop shop of wedding suppliers located in QC.  After doing some research, I fell in love with their designs because they exude fun, youth and true celebration of a couple's love, with the bride and groom's personalities combined, so we found Creative Prints a perfect fit to our needs. 

Then we met Maita... A super sweet girl who happened to be the sister of a close friend, and also a supplier of my husband's company. She even knows my tito! Small world, indeed. And this played to our advantage because she gave us a discount! *woot woot* What we love about their work, aside from their designs, is the quality of the paper that they use. We like it a bit textured and definitely not thin and flimsy, and Creative Prints made a terrific work on our lovely invites. See for yourselves.

Co-designed by the Clueless Mrs.,
printed by Creative Prints

Tips for Brides: If you have 200 guests, 100 invites are enough. Order your invites no less than four months before your wedding day. It will take about 1 month for design development and production, 1 month for you (if you're busy) to prepare all invites and 2 months to deliver every single one of 'em. Trust me, you won't even finish giving them all away because your schedule will get tighter and tighter as the big day comes nearer.


Sensitivity Lights & Sounds

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Hmmm... this is another easy one. Sensitivity Lights & Sounds is the most recommended lights & sounds supplier we hear from our other suppliers. *exclamation mark! period.*

Tip for Brides: Ask your lights and sounds provider if they've already done an event at your chosen venue and ask if the electrical capability of your venue is enough for your supplier's tech requirement to avoid additional cost on genset. Also, haggle and try to ask for freebies on top of their basic packages.

Enrico Braza's Entertainment Center

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This was actually the last piece of the puzzle in our wedding preparations. What we like about Enrico Braza is #1 Enrico Braza himself will perform at our wedding ceremony, #2 they have really good vocalists, and #3 we got a musical arrangement for my bridal march as a freebie! 

Tip for Brides: Research on the supplier's pieces, the vocalists' portfolio and their repertoire. Some churches, like ours, have a set and strict song list to follow so make sure it matches your supplier's repertoire. 

At the end of the day, the key to a realized fairytale dream wedding is to let go of all  your inhibitions and trust your suppliers. Do not miss out on enjoying every second of your wedding because, trust me, on your special day, it will feel like everything's happening in fast-forward. 

Hope this helps. Don't forget! Feb 15, 16, 17 Weddings & Debuts 2013 Bridal Fair at Megatrade Halls 1, 2 & 3, SM Megamall! See you there!

xoxo,

The Clueless Mrs.