REAL WEDDING: { ODIN & TINA }

Odin & Tina were already booked with another venue, but they've always wanted to have a garden wedding (and by 'garden' we mean an open-air venue). They discovered The Mango Farm and decided to transfer. Needless to say (but we're still saying it), Tina eventually became a Vatel Manila bride and we think the sunflowers really went well with their chosen theme! They're a beautiful couple, young, happy and very much in love! :-)

In this post, Tina talks about her preps, her favorite moments, & gives tips to future brides:
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How did you two meet?
We were HS classmates.
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Our favorite memory of the day was:

Exchange of vows, and the walk to the altar and seeing my guy in tears.
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Our favorite detail(s) of the wedding was/were:

(This question's too hard!) The UP-inspired cake topper, the sunflowers, entourage flowers and petals for the recessional being delivered in baskets, the (to us) unconventional invitations, seating of the guests and VIPs (sponsors with their husband/wife, us with our parents), the couch on the stage/platform, the lanterns, black as the main color, short dresses, uniform shoes for the girls, my mom's jewelries, balloons instead of flowers on the cars, the food with hints of "Bicol" (our hometown): pili and coconut milk, mango in some of the dishes (our favorite and hey we're at The Mango Farm!).
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Tell us about finding your wedding dress.
Had several gown inspirations and had a detail or two from each put into my own. Basta I didn't want a ball gown but with my built I couldn't be in a body-hugging or skin-clinging dress so [we] came up with the semi-mermaid semi-ball gown. The design was actually a work in progress up to the point when the gown was finished. Glad [that] I had such a patient couturier!
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Anything D-I-Y for your wedding?

The misalettes.
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Tell us about your photographer.
We had Kenneth and Jeff of Niceprint as photographers. Nice guys, very patient. Haven't seen the photos yet so we just hope they're as sharp about details and moments. They seemed to be as we watched them on the day of the wedding. Don't know if they were able to eat pa nga because we didn't miss them in any of the moments.
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Tell us about your caterer.
To have K. by Cunanan as [our] caterer, we thought, was an impossibility because we thought we couldn't afford them, but they were nice enough to put together a beautiful and reasonably priced menu. The food was great! The guests complimented it a lot. The styling was fab!
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What was the design inspiration for your wedding?

The movie, UP. Being about going after a lovers' dreams, the colors and feel: light, playful, fun but full of charming, even profound sentiments.
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Why a garden wedding?

To us it's dreamy and laid back; we wanted an informal setting for the guests.
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What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
Sticking to the budget. =p---

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Tips to brides-to-be?

1. Let things go.
2. Choose the best suppliers.
3. Don't hesitate to elaborate and repeat your likes and dislike to suppliers.
4. List down every shot (photos) you want taken, discuss them with your photographers, show samples.
5. Make your reception program short; make sure there'd be audience participation; have prizes for games.
6. Don't fear having frienemies together. Who knows, your wedding could be the avenue for reconciliation, but make sure guests are seated where they'd be have the most fun.
7. Remember that it's not what you have; it's who you know. One of my Ninangs lent us a Benz for the bridal car and my Tito, being in the military, even had a lieutenant drive me to the wedding! One of yours could give you the same favor or more.
8. Trust God for funny miracles, always =)

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All photos courtesy of Ms. Charisse Santillan-Tinio of Nice Print Photography.
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SUPPLIERS//

Preps: Legend Villas
Wedding / Reception: The Mango Farm
Photographer: Nice Print Photography
Caterer: K. by Cunanan Catering
Cake: Cake Concepts by Maite Gregorio
Entourage Flowers: Vatel Manila
Ceremony Setup: Vatel Manila

PHOTOGRAPHER FOCUS: { JAJA SAMANIEGO }

It was one of those dreary rainy afternoons, but Jaja Samaniego's coverage of our August 22 wedding was like sunshine coming through the gray clouds.

Vatel Manila chats with Ms. Samaniego on her style & thoughts as a photographer:

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What led you to a life pursuing images?

Part of growing up is my fondness for film, fashion magazines and MTV. I love looking at how colors, textures, shapes and other elements combine together to create meaningful images. As a visual person, I wanted to create a concrete image of my ideas. I tried drawing and painting but unfortunately I wasn't good at it.

The idea of photography came to me when I wanted my drawings to look as realistic as possible. Back in college, I had my very first black-and-white photography class. From then on, I was hooked. I started borrowing my friend's camera every time I go home to my province just so I can take pictures of the locals. My Dad finally got me my first dLSR and I just wanted to make the most of it. So that was the start.
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Tell us about your nature as a photographer.

My take on photography is daring. I greatly rely on my female instincts especially when shooting weddings in particular. I like elegant, subtle, candid and intimate images - the style that I'm constantly refining and discovering every time I shoot. Knowing that the wedding day is considered a woman’s (the bride's) most special day, I use a good blend of my heart and head when shooting in order for me to capture a myriad of feelings as it happens really fast, and at the same time produce eye-catching portraits that would define the true emotions of people at that point in time.
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What to you is a successful shoot?

It’s a successful shoot if: there’s great people, great food, great weather, great details and most importantly, if I’m able to capture great images!
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Does being female make a difference?

I would say that woman/female instincts could be very helpful when capturing images especially in intimate ceremonies such as weddings and engagements. Love, patience, warmth, care and calmness are just a few characteristics that define our nature as a woman. I find it an edge to be naturally inclined to these emotions for it reflects in my images, too.

With regards to the details and capturing emotions, I think I know a lot of male photographers who are really good at this. Well, there’s a popular saying that says, "Behind every man's success is a woman".
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What tips can you give aspiring photographers?

It’s important to know your camera’s mechanism. Spend time learning exposure and lighting so you won’t rely on Photoshop. It’s also important to have a mentor or someone that can critic and motivate you at the same time.
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What are you looking forward to?
Since I started shooting for Imagine Nation Photography, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people, been to new places and learned a lot of things. I’m really looking forward to discover the world and just do what I love the most which is shooting.
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Tips to couples on their wedding day.

a. Eat before the ceremony.
b. Pray with all the suppliers.
c. Enjoy every minute of it.

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Shot for Imagine Nation Photography with Jay jay Lucas, Carlo Cecilio and Lai De Guzman.


Contact Jaja Samaniego
Email: jaja_samaniego@yahoo.com

E-SESSION: JM + ABBY

Methinks this e-session should gets props for the overall concept (ain't this the coolest?!) & for the couple's sheer guts , grit, & gumption in doing such a shoot. Sure, it's not the over-the-edge kind of thing but it blows one's mind how - in the face of an ever-growing challenge to personalize weddings - they were able to find a place where they could be themselves & have fun at the same time despite the nuances that goes with a photo shoot.

We think it can't get any better than this. :-)

JM & Abby talks to us about their engagement shoot:
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What are the preparations you did for this shoot?

JM: Hahaha! We tried (tried lang) going on a diet. 'Di ata nahalata sa pictures yung effort ko. =)

ABBY: I asked my friends, Clarisse and Yvette, to be our Engagement Stylist and Photoshoot Director. Clarisse was our stylist while Yvette directed the shoot together with our photographer, Mel Cortez. I got the idea of having an engagement stylist and photo shoot director from reading the Vatel Manila blog. Every day kong binubuksan yun site ng Vatel Manila pagdating sa office (oopsss, hope my boss doesn't get to read this!). There I read na meron palang engagement stylist. I told JM "Gusto ko ng ganun, exciting and memorable yun!". Since JM and I were looking into a pocket-friendly shoot, we thought of giving our friends the chance to showcase their talents by "hiring" them for free. =) Super research talaga kaming tatlo. Super write pa kami ng likes and dislikes during the shoot, how to make ourselves comfortable with each other, smile or not to smile and we made a list of things to bring. Parang nagpapalano talaga kami ng shooting ng artista.
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JM: I was tasked to talk to my friend who owns the talyer, coordinate with the photographer, logistics and scheduling. Only now did I realize na ang dami ko pala ginawa, hahaha!

ABBY: JM was too involved with the preparation and even sa wedding plans. Two days before our prenup, it was my birthday and he surprised me with the PILIPINAS shirts from Collezione. Why am I surpised? Because we wanted to buy that shirt for our photoshoot but after going from one branch to another walang size na mag-fit sa kanya (Super rare kasi yung size niya... super rare talaga). Di ko alam he ordered for his size na pala ng sadya weeks ago pa kaya nagulat ako na pareho yung shirt namin.
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Your favorite elements?

JM: The hood of the car with no engine. Friends who saw the picture of us under the hood were asking if it was done through photoshop or was it achieved through editing. Definitely NO! It was a real car with no engine ready to be fixed. Days before the shoot, Abby and I were hoping that there'd be a car with no engine so we can have a shot under the hood. Tadan, meron nga! It was indeed a shot for us to own!

ABBY: Our Chihuahua dog, Yoda. Take a look at all his shots and you will be amazed. Magaling pa siya mag-emote kesa sa amin. Yoda speaks through his eyes since he does not bark. Hindi po siya pipi but for some reason di siya tumatahol. Heard him bark thrice only but that was a long time ago. He’s our baby and being with him during the shoot was really exciting. Yoda, joining the shoot, created a story through his eyes. Sir Mel was able to capture Yoda’s “emote” moments. I super love it!
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How did your photographer make you feel comfortable?

JM and ABBY: Sir Mel Cortez was one of the most enjoyable persons we’ve ever met. He was always asking us [re] what do we see in a scenario, how do we visualize it? Once we had that, he would see it as an opportunity for a new concept and because and we quote ”first time lang may gumawa nito”, so everything was a new scene and not [just in] any ordinary beach, forest, airport, etc. shoot. And what we liked about him was he was anxious to do the same thing that we did. After the shoot under the hood, he positioned himself under the hood also for his own pictorial. How often do you see a photographer getting photographed during his own shoot? That’s wicked and we liked it!
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Why was this location chosen?

JM: The location was actually the last location [we] thought of. The original shoot was in Punta Fuego. We had a fun time there but it was missing some ingredients so another photo shoot was established. Now we were checking the net for shoot sites within Metro Manila and saw a couple like Villamor Airbase, Fort Bonifacio, Makati, but cars came to mind and [there's] no better place [for that] than an auto shop! I tried pulling some strings and it was set. In our opinion, it was the best location for a photo-shoot ever!

ABBY: We finally decided to have it an auto shop because, number 1, we both love cars. We always talk about engines, car models, our dream car, mags, tires, etc. 2nd, it’s JM's dream to have his own auto shop. (Someday we’ll have one too. I’ll support JM on this. Hehehe!) Also, we discussed about having our photo shoot in a location that isn’t common and haven’t been abused photographically. Yung location fit talaga sa story namin, kaming-kami talaga. Our friends, after seeing samples of the photos said “Ang ganda kasi storya niyo talaga”.
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Favorite memory of this day?

JM: Under the hood. My favorite! Unique and astig! Getting under the engine bay of the car was a challenge. I thought I wouldn’t fit, Hahaha! Abby was cheering for me the entire time while I did my best to fit myself under the hood. Luckily and happily, I did! Poor Abby, she has to slide herself in last and there was little space left for her since I occupied most of it. It didn’t end in just one position down there. We did it side by side vertically and shoulder over shoulder horizontally. Whew - EXTRA CHALLENGE!

ABBY: I second the motion! Hehehe!
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Highlight of the shoot:

JM: It was when we were trying to fit ourselves in to the Mini Cooper. As you know size matters and the Mini was a car that speaks for itself. Getting in the car for Abby was a synch. She got in the driver seat while I was in the passenger side. As you see in the picture it looks up close and personal but how was I able to fit in? Well, for a small car, the Mini has exceptionally wide doors that compensates for its miniscule body. I retracted the passenger seat and sat in it but [not without doing] a little contortioning. So what was the highlight? Getting two big people into a matchbox-[sized car]! Now how’s that for a highlight!

ABBY: LOL! While reading JM's answer to this question, hahahaha!
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Tips to other couples on how to prepare for an e-session:

JM: For the guys, involve yourself in the planning process and share your thoughts. Your fiancé will appreciate it if you speak up. It is extremely important that you help your fiancé in planning, executing, coordinating with whoever and most of all, both of you should own this session. It’s not just her day but it’s both yours. It won’t hurt to smile during your photo shoot and enjoy the moment. It only comes once in your life but the experience and the memories will last forever. Oh, one more thing, say “I love you” to her before the shoot starts and during the shoot, smile and say “You look beautiful today”.

ABBY: Research, research, research and do an ocular of the photo shoot location. Write down all the things that you need to bring, the likes and dislikes, sample photos and think about your overall theme or concept. Present the idea to your photographer and do a pre-shoot meeting if possible. Also, it would be great to have an engagement stylist and a photo shoot director (as the saying goes “two heads are better than one”). Allocate a budget for the shoot such as [for the] clothing, makeup, food, emergency money etc. Bring a First Aid kit together with your makeup kit. You’ll never know what will happen during the shoot. Drink plenty of water for a healthier skin and take a good sleep. Pangit sa picture pag puyat plus you need your energy for the photo shoot.


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Location Guide: Fix Stop, Araneta Avenue, Quezon City
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Decisive Moments
Suite 902 Burgundy Place, Katipunan Ave.,
Loyola Heights, Quezon City
The Philippines
Office: (+632)929.9624; (+632)474.5417

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We're featuring engagement session shoots as a prelude to the wedding photos to show our readers how couples prepare for their big day. We also feature the photographers involved as they share with us their thoughts on the shoot. If you want your own e-session to be featured on this blog, get in touch with us! :-)