Most of us dream of a stress free and enjoyable wedding, we want our big day to be memorable for everyone. We want it to be perfect. That is just what happened on our wedding, last June 3, 2016 at Puka Beach Boracay.  Everything was flawless, it’s a dream come true.

This post is to give our review of our wedding suppliers. The photos are from our official photographer LOVETRAIN STUDIOS.

WEDDING ORGANIZER: NOT JUST A BOX EVENTS

http://notjustaboxevents.com/

One of the most important aspects of an out of town wedding especially a Boracay wedding is finding the perfect wedding organizer. They will be the one to assist you every step of the way and coordinate with the local suppliers to save your precious time and make your wedding preparation stress-free.

During our initial search we looked into 3 different Boracay wedding organizers. According to several wedding blogs, the most famous in Boracay is Boracay Weddings by Amanda Tirol, website: http://boracayweddings.com.ph/

But with fame comes the price and when we inquired, her price is over our allotted budget so we decided to look for other suppliers.

We also emailed Bells and Blooms: http://boracaybellsnblooms.com.ph/

and Not Just a Box Events about different types of organizing plans.

We decided on booking Not Just a Box Events because of several things,

1. They replied quickly and enthusiastically on all my initial inquiry emails ( I have lots of question but they tried to answer all of them)
2. They have lots of positive reviews
3. And they have special deal if we book them and Boracay EcoVillage/ Puka Beach at the same time!

Perfection!

NJAB made everything flawless, from the email exchanges, initial meeting, follow up meetings and follow up calls (lots and lots of calls).

I love that they are always very accommodating and calm. I think it also has something to do with them being Ilonggo so they always sound very “malambing”.

After we booked them, they handled almost everything. We don’t have to think on what was missing because they can “detect” it for us. They have a more than complete list of “things to have and things to do” on a wedding.  You just need to tell them what you like and what is the budget and they will find it for you, they also offer plenty of suggestions in case you need them.

They booked and coordinated with all of the Boracay based suppliers for us, photographer, videographer, pastor, hotel, flowers, makeup artist and wedding host. They even followed up on the suppliers that we personally booked:  giveaways, wedding dresses, band and made sure that everything is in order.

On the wedding week, they called us about the status of everything so we don’t have to worry about anything.

They managed all the suppliers, took care of all the visitors and treat me and my husband like royalties all day. Our wedding host Mr. Aldene Duyag who is also a member of NJAB did a very good job in keeping the reception program flawless and entertaining. Some of our very close friends (you know how close friends bash one another right?) feed backed that our wedding receptions is one of the longest they’ve attended but they enjoyed it. Part of it is because of our lively host who made sure there is never a dull moment during the program.

Everything is a breeze because of NJAB.

We just love them and so thankful that they are very organized and efficient. We can’t have it any other way. So if you are planning a Boracay Wedding, I highly recommend NOT JUST A BOX team.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

PHOTOGRAPHER: LOVETRAIN STUDIOS

http://lovetrainstudios.com/blog/

Me and my husband both dabble into photography so this is one of the most difficult choices to make. While looking for the perfect photographer, we visited several Boracay based photographer websites (there’s plenty) but we chose Lovetrain because we were attracted to their style. While browsing their website, their shots, the colors,  everything speaks to us.

Lovetrain photographers are very professional, easy to work with and best on what they do. We’ve had a “pre-nuptial” photo session months before the wedding, had specific requests about it because we want it to be unique and they accommodated all our requests.

During the pre-nup and wedding photo sessions they made sure that we are comfortable, we told them that we want the photos to show our personalities, natural, fun, less directed photos and they did not disappoint. They captured all the right moments!

Wedding photos here: http://lovetrainstudios.com/blog/maya-philip-boracay-wedding-photography.html/

Verdict: Highly Recommended

VIDEOGRAPHER: TEAM RSTUDIO

https://teamrstudio.com/

Team RStudio, like Lovetrain also got our attention because of their style. We watched maybe hundreds of wedding videos before we decided to book them. We personally think that R Studio’s works are comparable to famous videographers works. The best thing about them, they are not as expensive as the famous ones.

During the wedding their team arrived on time, worked quietly, filming every precious moment without interfering the natural flow of things. They also did “less directed” shots as per our request. The result? One of the most awesome SDE’s you’ll ever watch (OK I’ll admit we’re a little biased here). But if you know us personally, you know that we are not pleased easily. 😉

Watch our wedding Same Day Edit video and see for yourself: https://vimeo.com/169409939

Verdict: Highly recommended

ENTOURAGE BOUQUETS: LGE Wedding and Event Stylist

https://web.facebook.com/lgeiloilowedding/

LGE prepared our entourage’s flowers, as per NJAB’s recommendation we booked them because of positive reviews. They are fast and easy to deal with, we sent our requests, they sent quotation, modified according to our feedbacks and they delivered fresh beautiful flowers on the day of the wedding. Their rates are also more affordable than some suppliers in Boracay.

Verdict: Recommended

BAND: SUSH TRIO

https://web.facebook.com/The-Sushband-1652916321694527/

We found Sush Trio from a review of one of NJAB’s previous brides: https://cathbgardner.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/hey-there-future-boracay-brides/

We looked into several recorded performances in facebook, coordinated with them online and they replied right away. We also asked NJAB about their performance on one of their weddings, they had a good feedback so we booked them.

On the wedding reception, they performed some songs from our list (discussed before the wedding) and did their own favorites. They played really good, cool music. They even stayed longer than required and played for some of the visitors who want to sing.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

HMUA- Bride : Fern Quimpo

https://web.facebook.com/makeupbyfernquimpo/?_rdr

NJAB also recommended Fern, we looked into some of his works online and we liked them. On the day of the wedding his team arrived on time, he worked effortlessly. Made me comfortable and asked me what I want. He took care of me from the wedding preparation, before and after wedding photoshoots. He even changed my hairstyle 3 times during that day and did retouches when needed.

He is one of the most booked HMUA in Boracay so we are recommending to book him few months in advance.

Verdict: Highly recommended

HMUA – Entourage: Make up by Fern Quimpo

They are Fern Quimpo’s staff, also recommended by NJAB but we booked them separately since we still have to confirm how many of the entourage are going to avail their service. On the wedding day,  they arrived on time, work fast and professional, no dramas. My bridesmaids are satisfied with them. Just look at the wedding photos and see how pretty my girls are.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

WEDDING VENUE AND CATERER: BORACAY ECO VILLAGE/PUKA BEACH

http://boracayecovillage.net/

Booked for: Wedding preparations, guests accommodation, wedding ceremony and reception venue at Puka Beach Boracay where they are part owner.

Boracay Eco Village is one of our most favorite hotels in Boracay because of several things,

1. They have access to two private beaches Puka Beach and Punta Bunga Beach
2. The location is far from the noisy part of Boracay but they have free shuttle if you want to go to white beach area.
3. They have a big swimming pool, basketball court, pool table.
4. They have a good restaurant, a little expensive but tasty food.
5. The hotel facilities are average, BUT their staff are very warm and helpful

We booked them because we want our ceremony to be in Puka Beach, no question on that. We also want our guests to be able to enjoy the “more quiet” Boracay beach.

During the wedding, the staff made sure that everything is in order, the vehicles are on stand by to transfer guests when needed. The food tasted really good. One minor problem was that during the buffet, it took a while for some guests to be able to eat. I think it has something to do with the food set up (salad choices and sauces at the start of the line). But because they served quite filling and tasty cocktails before the reception, it was not really a problem. Guests commented that they enjoyed the food.We sent our overall feedback after the wedding and it was noted by the hotel.

I’m not sure why their original website is not working but you can also reach them using this link:

http://www.myboracayguide.com/rooms/boracay-hotel-Boracay-Eco-Village-Resort-206

Verdict: Recommended

Wedding Dress, accessories, invitations and giveaways.

The wedding dress, giveaways and invitations were all designed by my groom Philip 🙂

Bride’s Crocheted Bolero and Skirt: Lorelie Defensor

RTW dress: SM

The wedding dress was designed by the groom Philip,  it was modified to suit the RTW dress we bought from SM (yes you read that right). We wanted the dress to be comfortable, beach appropriate and at the same time, stylish enough to match our Chuck Taylor shoes. Our friend and one of our bridesmaids Lorelie who loves to crochet created the beautiful bolero and the elaborate removable skirt. You can check some of her works here: http://ginantsilyo.com/

She crochets as a hobby but sometimes she does commission.

Giveaways: Seven Prints

Philip designed the Tote bags giveaways, we searched for printing companies in Cubao and found Seven prints on google, read positive reviews online so we emailed them. They are easy to deal with and they delivered good quality products on time.

Website: https://sevenprints.wordpress.com/

Verdict: Highly recommended

To all our wedding suppliers, thank you for making our wedding everything we have dreamed of. Thank you for making #mpnity2016 perfect for us and our guests. We will be forever grateful to all of you.  🙂

To all the future Boracay brides, I hope that you find this review helpful. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or direct message me if you have questions about our wedding suppliers. Good luck on your own wedding preparations!