Messages like this from the sweetest brides on the planet always inspire me and my sisters. Thank you for your loving trust and confidence in us.

Dear Nona, Malou and Ada:

Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for all your work and attention in designing my wedding gown. After not seeing my groom for 3 days before the wedding, his jaw dropped in awe upon seeing me in my beautiful gown. I can’t even count the number of compliments I received from my guests, in admiration of your work. The beadwork alone is a work of art. your creation has not only given me the extra confidence I needed onmy wedding day, but has made this day the happiest day of my life.

I will definitely refer future brides to entrust their designing needs to you.
- VICKI (Bing) BITANGA
Los Angeles, CA

Hello Malou! Thanks for creating a wonderful gown for me. Everyone says my wedding gown is beautiful.

- EMMYLOU FRANCO - Germany

Dear Malou,

My titas and tito are your neighbors at 16 Sct. Yabardolaza cor Sct. De Guia and 150 Sct Ybardolaza. In May. My titas Bing and Tess de Guzman requested that you help design an updated version of my lola’s ecru hued Maria Clara wedding gown. With that as a directive, I sent over some measurements, a dress and a long sleeved shirt that fit me well. They also took along my lolo and lola’s wedding photo. The gown arrived on Sun, 15 June and I was married on Sat, 21 June. It was gorgeous.

Everyone in Singapore marveled at the beauty of the gown and your design on my wedding day. “ Look at the beadwork!” This could only have done in the Philippines!” – I still get these comments when my wedding album is shown to guests who attended and friends who missed my wedding.

My husband was very surprised, as I had been planning a trip up from Singapore to select a design and get myself measured properly, but SARS prevented that.

The cathedral train also took many breaths away. The church in which I was wed had a series of staircases and a mighty long aisle, by Singapore standards, to showcase the train. The detachable train was also delight. I was able to do a quick outfit change in seconds for the high-tea reception held after mass.

Thank you so much.

I will be in Manila from 18 to 22 Nov visiting my relatives and would love to meet you in person, even if it’s just to pop by and say hello. How ironic that I’ve had so many month-long stints in Manila, staying with my relatives and never walked into your shop!

In the meantime, most of my wedding pictures are online at http://sg.photos.yahoo.com/carolinedeguzman

Best regards,

CAROLINE DE GUZMAN
Singapore

P/s My mom’s kimona was also designed by you.

For my gown, I made sure It will be a woman-designer so I can relate better and get exactly what I want. Well, actually I did and I have no regrets. I chose Malou Castillejos to design my gown. Hearing all the adulations of everyone in my wedding, I know I made the right choice. It was one major decision that every bride in my situation will ever make. So be very careful whom to choose. Our family respects our age-old traditions to the bone and I must tell you, I was never allowed to fit my wedding gown before the wedding and I never did. With my very petite body and with no fittings at all, I never imagined my gown would fit me so well. It was so perfect ! Thanks to Malou.
- JANE SAPITAN-DIMEN - Singapore

To our delight, there was one company amongst those that I sent emails to who had been very supportive in giving ideas even without any assurance from us that we are really getting them. C & C Creative Concepts Co. is a gem. Aside from having a very nice and informative website, it was the only site that gave replies to my inquiries and gave me a tremendous amount of ideas for our wedding even without asking for it. It was on the same site that we met Malou Castillejos, C & C’s in-house designer. She seemed very good so we decided to get her for Cielo’s gown and our entourage’s.

To make the long story short, we decided to leave the rest of the preparations to C & C. We felt confident with them. We have established rapport with its owners: Nona, Malou and Ada. They are fun, accommodating and very friendly. Best of all, they are very professional and trustworthy.

The wedding took place and it turned out to be a really fabulous wedding celebration. Our entire guests were so happy and we received nothing but positive feedbacks from the food to the gowns, from the caterers to the coordinators, from the beautiful wedding set-up to the romantic atmosphere. Words could not express how we both felt that day. Wow! Believe it or not, we would like to go back to that experience!

BHONG & CIELO DE GUZMAN
London

Despite of the fact that Diana and I were working in the UK we felt that we were in good hands with C&C. We were confident because we knew that there was somebody there preparing our wedding up to the last detail. All we had to do was check our e-mails for the updates and reports that they were giving us with regard to the preparations. We were always assured by C&C when problems arose with regard to deadlines especially with regard to the fitting of the clothes. We never felt worried at any time.

- ALVIC & DIANA ALON
United Kingdom

My most important concern was my wedding gown. All my anxieties about my dress faded away in a snap of a finger when Malou sent me a message through my cellphone that my wedding gown was already finished weeks before our wedding. I hurriedly went back to the Philippines ( good fortune that Hong Kong is just an hour away) to check on my gown. And just like a dream, It was so beautiful and just what I wished for and more. Malou did a very wonderful job with my gown.

Now, three years after our wedding, those who have witnessed our Special Day still remember it with so much joy and fondness. They tell us how much they enjoyed it, how unique and romantic it was, and just what beautiful wedding we had. Hearing all these things always remind us of the people who made everything possible – our families and friends for the inspiration they gave us, and Nona, Malou, and Ada for putting everything together and making our Dream Wedding come true.
- ALICE SADIE - Hongkong

ALICE SADIE
Hongkong

Why do I love my gown? Let me count the ways…1. Malou Castillejos made the perfectgown for me. It’s exactly what I wanted. Simple yet elegant! The drama is all when I walked down the aisle.

2. It fits me well. I’m a petitie person. So it’s not easy for me to buy clothes that will look good on me.

3. I told Malou what I wanted…blah!blah!blah! She just listened and made suggestions (mind you…she didn’t demand on her ideas).4. I felt so good in my gown. I just loved it.
- AILEEN CHUA-CO Quezon City, Philippines

I chose Malou Castillejos to design my gown and that of my entourage. Glen actually wanted me to wear a conservative gown with long sleeves and turtle neck. But on our wedding day, I wore a low-back bustier gown that Malou designed for me. I never went wrong…Glenn admired me without end on my beautiful wedding dress.
- CILLA RUIZ, Manila

by Nona Castillejos-Clemente / C & C Creative Concepts

10 years ago, planning a wedding was so much more different than planning a wedding these days. In recent years, it has become too overwhelming for a bride to plan a wedding for such short period of time especially here in the Philippines where most weddings are organized way in advance as many Catholic churches, gardens, ceremony sites, and reception venues get booked pretty fast like one to two years before the wedding date. So by booking early, couples get to choose the best venues and the best vendors. And best of all, couples are relieved of the stress that goes with the overwhelming requirements of planning a wedding.

So with the clock ticking, many couples are still asking,  is it possible to plan a wedding in 6 months or less? Can it still be done? Well, absolutely, Yes!

Planning a wedding when you are chasing time can be twice the fun as planning it 1 to 2 years ahead.  The only difference is you now have less time to plan, less time to research and less time to book the most suitable suppliers for your budget and specific requirements. But with a clear vision of what you want to achieve given the limited time to prepare everything and an open mind to accept the challenges and compromises that can go with planning a wedding in less time, then everything else should fall into place and your dream wedding realized soon enough.

So now let’s start planning your Dream Wedding as we count the days to your Big Day!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

When planning a wedding or any event, you have to have a checklist of the items that you need to do, book and accomplish.

• Get a journal and an organizer. – This is where you have to jot down all the things that you have to prepare for your wedding; where you’ll keep contracts, payment receipts, business cards, suppliers’ information, magazine clippings, fabric swatches, etc.
• Set a date – Be realistic when choosing a date. You are only a few months away from the wedding so chances are your preferred dates are already taken by this time. So setting a feasible date and having an alternate one in case your preferred date is already taken is important.
• Set your budget  – no matter how simple or grand you want your wedding to be, set a budget.
• Hire a Wedding Coordinator – to save you from the stress of scouting for available venues and vendors with your budget and preferences, hiring a wedding coordinator to help you in the selection and budgeting process can be a wise decision in the end.

If your budget is tight, consider getting the help of people you know has the same taste and interest as you. Make sure that the person you are getting (be it your mom or a friend or your sister) will not dictate and impose on what they like and want for your wedding ruining your chances of personalizing your wedding and making you stressed out in the end. Let this opportunity be a fun and enjoyable bonding for you and the people assisting you.

• Start your Guest List – narrow down your list as the total no. of guests will account for how much food you have to serve. The food is one major  item that will affect your overall budget. By scaling down the size of your guests, you can save extra thousands for upgrading the menu and other essentials for your wedding.
• Select and reserve your Ceremony and Reception Sites –

When you don’t have a wedding planner by your side to assist you with all the details of planning a wedding, you have to know a few guidelines when choosing your ceremony and reception sites:

CEREMONY SITE

In choosing one, consider the following:

-         Formality of your Wedding

-         The time and month of the year

-         The number of Guests

-         Your Religion

Ask Church Guidelines and Restrictions regarding the following:

-         Photo and Video

-         Music

-         Decorations

-         Candles

-         Rice or Petal-tossing

HOW TO SAVE MONEY:

• If you are getting married under a non-Catholic religion and wedding rites are allowed outside the church, have your ceremony at the same facility as your reception to save a second rental fee.
• Ask if there is another wedding that day and share the cost of floral decorations with that couple if they also wish to decorate the place. You may agree with the other couple to keep the floral decorations in the church white so whatever motif you both have will not be affected.
• At a garden wedding, the caterer can provide extra chairs to seat your guests during the religious rites without extra cost. Make sure this provision is included in your Caterer’s Contract

RECEPTION VENUE

This will account for most part of your budget. In choosing your reception venue, consider your number of guests and the amount of money you’re willing to throw for your reception. Also, consider the following:

-         SIZE OF ROOM

-         FOOD SELECTION

-         DECORATIONS

-         CORKAGE FEES

-         AMENITIES

-         PARKING

-         HANDICAPPED FACILITIES (if you have handicapped guests)

-         RESTRICTIONS

OPTIONS: Hotels, Club House, Restaurants, Parks, Gardens, Museums, Yachts, Private Homes, Halls

RECEPTION SITE: the space size of the venue you will choose will depend on the number of guests you are inviting to your wedding and the approximate number of guaranteed people who are actually attending.

Other considerations would be its availability, rental price, formality of your wedding and its distance from the ceremony site (if different).

Some reception sites charge only for the rental of the place and have accredited caterers to choose from. Most venues of this type are parks, clubhouses, gardens, and village halls.

Reception sites such as hotels and restaurants have their own catering facilities and as such would charge you on a per person fee which already include a set of amenities such as the food and complete party necessities.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY:

1. Try as much as possible to limit the number of your guests since your reception accounts for most part of your budget.
2. Consider having a Breakfast Wedding or a Brunch. It’s less costly and easier to manage than a formal evening dinner.

• If you have the space at your own house, consider holding your reception there and just hire a caterer. However, make sure there’s a space where your guests can park and a proper permit (if necessary) has been requested from your village home association.  Consider providing temporary sticker (or day sticker) for all your guests to show the village guards so they won’t have to be stopped at the Guard House creating a long queue of cars at the gate.
• Guarantee only  85 to 90 percent of your final guest count to your caterer or Banquet Coordinator (if you feel that some of your guests are unsure of attending). Most reception sites provide a 10% allowance or extra food anyway.  Should your guests do not show up, you will have extra savings.  If they do show up, your caterer should have enough for everyone and will just charge you on a per head basis if needed.
• Select food that are not expensive and too time-consuming to prepare.
• Beverages add to your expense. Consider serving punch, wine or non-alcoholic drinks only. Also, host the first-round of drinks only, then go on a Cash Basis. This means that the waiters or servers should politely inform the guests that the next drink is already on cash basis (should there be any request for a second round).

3 Types of Bar Set-ups

Cash Bar – the first round of drinks is free. The second round will be charged to your guests as they request.

Open Bar – drinks are free flowing and guests can order as they want. The final bill including all the drinks ordered by your guests will be charged to you.

Hosted Bar – limited Open Bar. A certain time and price per head has been pre-agreed with the venue. Drinks ordered after the allotted schedule of serving will be charged to the guests as they request.  This is advisable only  if you know that your guests are wine drinkers. If they are not, this is not a good option as you might end up paying more as the price per head has been pre-set.

1. If you are not serving free flowing drinks, avoid serving salty foods such as potato chips, nuts, pretzels, or hams. These foods will make your guests thirstier and will tend to drink more.
2. Check for any Corkage Fee that your reception site may imposed for any food or drinks you will be bringing in other than those of the venue.

• For your Service Providers, ask the hotel or your caterer what meal alternative they can provide and where they can eat.  You don’t really have to feed them the same  meal as your guests. An extra small  room may also be provided for them so they don’t mix with your guests. But if you have enough on the Buffet Table and you’re willing to welcome them in your feast, inform your Service Providers before the function so they know when and where to take their meals.

Note: If you have a wedding coordinator, it is his or her job to inform the suppliers when and where to take their meals. It is important to know what your suppliers require for the crew meals as some will request for served food during the event while others will just request for a certain amount per head times the number of persons in their team to avoid troubling the couple of worrying about where and when they should eat.

• Reception venues and/or your caterer usually have wedding packages that already include decorations for the place. Check this out in advance. You may also look at some pictures of their past weddings with the same type of decorations so you would have an idea. If you are opting to get a separate designer or set decorator or a florist for your wedding venue, advise the hotel or your caterer and check where you can trade-in the decorations that are part of their package.

There are several ideas on how you can transform your reception venue into something really wonderful. Your wedding coordinator and your florist should be able to suggest to you some ideas that are not very expensive depending on the theme of your wedding. If you don’t have a wedding coordinator, consider browsing local wedding magazines (as the flowers they use here for pictorials are most likely available in the Philippines) rather than taking inspiration from foreign magazines.

• Ribbons on the chairs add a certain touch of elegance and can accentuate the overall look of your reception site. Check out from the hotel or your caterer if they can provide such at no extra cost.  Most caterers now provide tiffany chairs as part of their catering package. These chairs are elegant-looking enough that ribbons may no longer be necessary.
• Prepare to give the customary gratuity to your caterer, waiters or servers. The average is 10% of your food and beverage bill. Some caterers or reception sites already have these included in their fees (Service Charge). Please check the cost up front before you sign the contract with your caterer or reception site.
• Check out the Parking facilities and if there are  fees for Valet Parking. Ask for complimentary parking passes from the Hotel or Caterer. In choosing a venue, this should be one of your main considerations. If there are no parking spaces available for your guests, your guests might just leave in disappointment. Also, check out handicapped facilities if you have handicapped guests.
• Announce your Wedding Date to your Guests – as soon as you have a wedding date, start spreading the good news to your guests. This way, you don’t surprise them with an invitation card much closer to the wedding date where they might not be able to prepare for a vacation leave or cancel appointments at short notice. It is always best to inform guests ahead of time so they can block the date on their calendars.
• Create a wedding website if you can to speed up the announcement to all your guests – this is a very good way of informing guests about the wedding. It is also a way of telling your love story, how you met, the proposal, your color motif, your bridal entourage, the venue, date and time of the wedding.. This is also a good platform for RSVP replies.
• Book the following:

-          Officiant

-          Food and Beverage/ Caterer

-          Wedding Cake

-          Rentals (tent/ tables/ chairs/ etc)

-          Couple and Guest Transportation

-          Light, sound and AV Equipment

-          Photography

-          Videography

-          Music & Entertainment

-          Hair and Make-up

-          Cocktails

-          Invitations & Envelopes

-          Misalettes

-          Giveaways with Favor Tags

-          Thank you Cards

-          Flower Requirements & Decorations

-          Bridal Gown & Accessories

-          Groomswear

-          Entourage Ensemble

-          Wedding Rings

-          Guestbook

-          Gifts for Parents & Sponsors

-          Professional Emcee or Host

-          Hotel Accommodation

• Submit all legal and necessary requirements to your church. – the Philippines is a pre-dominantly Catholic country so it is not surprising to have most weddings held in Catholic churches in this country. There are a number of paper works that you have to submit prior to the wedding. Plus you’ll have to attend pre-wedding seminars and canonical interviews. Ask your church about the necessary requirements you have to submit and prepare them as soon as possible.
• Send out invitations and ask coordinator (or your families if you have no wedding coordinator) to help you out in following-up the RSVP replies from guests. It is however a pity that Filipinos are still not used to sending replies back to the couple whether they are attending or not. So it is best to follow-up by calling them up one by one. No matter what their response will be, consider it and account it for the quantity of food you are ordering.
• Arrange for fittings – whether you are ordering from a designer or getting your clothes off the rack, make sure you have fitted your gown (same goes for your groom and the entire entourage ensemble). You would not want to wear an ill-fitting gown to your wedding.

Discuss your preferred style and fabric with your designer. Ask how many fittings you will have to get the perfect fit of your gown. Ask how long it will take for your gown to finish. When your designer gives you a schedule of fittings, try to make it to avoid delays in finishing your gown. Designers usually have timetables to follow.

If it is in your custom or still following traditions such as not trying on the bridal gown before the wedding, inform your designer right away. Some designers may just request you to try your gown lining or your gown’s pattern instead of the wedding gown itself.

TIP: December and January are the busiest months of weddings in the Philippines. If you are getting married in these months, make sure your designer can finish your gown in time for your wedding. Indicate this in your contract with the designer.

• Talk to your florist and discuss your floral requirements.

When trying to think of an idea, choose materials that are not expensive. Also, check out the flowers that are available or are in season during the time of your wedding.

The centerpiece for the presidential table or your head table should have a larger arrangement than the other tables. You must also consider the height of your centerpiece to make sure that it does not block or hinder conversation among your guests seated across from each other.

• You may choose the color of your flowers to match the motif of your wedding.

• Announce wedding rehearsal date to everyone involved – If you are planning a wedding rehearsal, schedule it around lunch time a day before the wedding. This is a good time for everyone to meet and have an idea on what your attendants and bridal entourage are assigned to do during the wedding day.
• Discuss program with your Program Host – hire a professional host if you can and discuss the flow of the program with him or her a few days before the wedding.
• Discuss music requirements and song requests with your musicians – make a list and discuss with your musicians.
• Finalize guest count with caterer one week before the wedding – by this time, you should already have a clearer idea on how many people will be attending your wedding. Discuss the final count with your caterer so they know how much to prepare.
• Have a trial make-up – this is a must. Do not trust any make-up artist without having a trial make-up with him or her. What is good with another bride may not be good for you. Choose someone that you are comfortable with.
• Book your facial and body spa and pedicure one week before the wedding – if you are planning a facial and body spa prior to the wedding, do not schedule it too close to the wedding date as the exfoliation from the spa treatment might leave your skin reddish. Do not do your pedicure one day before the wedding as toe nails can tend to swell up right after a pedicure. You would not want to walk down the aisle on barefoot.
• Have your manicure at a salon one day before your wedding – unlike spa treatments, it is advised that you do this one day before the wedding. Have your pedicure polished by a top coat.
• Endorse to your wedding coordinator (or your trusted person) all the contracts and balance payments for your suppliers in individual envelopes for easy distribution on the day of the wedding. You would not want to be the one distributing envelopes to your suppliers on this day. Make the endorsement one day before the wedding so you can free yourself from any more worries of the following day.

In less than 6 months, you have prepared a beautiful wedding. Enjoy the memories of this day!

by Nona Castillejos-Clemente, C & C Creative Concepts

This article appeared in Wedding Planner Magazine Premier Issue

Below is a video of a wedding that was planned in only 2 months:

Rich Mae + Ralf from imacron on Vimeo.

It was 1999 when we first opened our doors to brides looking for affordable wedding packages. Back then, there were very few one-stop bridal shops. My sisters and I decided to offer Gown Packages with coordination services, invitations and giveaways. We thought this will help couples save time in looking for these things as was my older sister’s dilemna when she was planning her wedding a year earlier.

As there were no shops offering the same (or none that we know of during those days), we don’t know if we were doing it right or wrong. We have very little money to begin with plus we have no model company to follow. It was a long shot but with the support of our parents especially our mom, we crossed the bridge. We joined our first Bridal Exhibit at Rituals Bridal Fair at Dusit Hotel in Makati (organized by World Exhibitions and Conventions Inc or WORLDEXCO), and we were surprised to get tons of inquiries for complete packages. Our exhibit display was a major hit with just one wedding gown, a few invitation cards and bridal bouquets by Tecson Flowers. The media covered us – TV, magazine and newspapers. The buzz went around about a small bridal shop in Quezon City. That’s where and when we met the father and mother of Philippine Online Wedding Networks, oh yeah, Papa John and Mama Benz Rana of www.weddingsatwork.com . They introduced the word “ONLINE” to us. They signed us for a free inclusion in their website (we don’t even know what a website is during those times : (  but it sure got us known in the outer parts of the earth. That was awesome!!!! To this amazing couple, we can’t thank them enough for bringing us to the world. (we have so many more happy side stories about them but that will be for another long blogging..he he he! ).

So going back, our journey was one of those overnight success stories. In 2 years, we were on the cover of Working Woman. We were sooooooo excited, we ordered 400 copies to distribute to our clients, relatives and friends. Why not, the magazine was selling for only P35 during that time ( ha ha ha!).

[Show as slideshow]

We joined several bridal shows thereafter marking our name in the Philippine wedding industry.  Some of the shows that we joined during our early years:

Rituals ’99 at Dusit Hotel Nikko
Bridal Fete ’99 at Shangri-la Hotel Makati
Weddings & Debutante’s Fair ’99 at Westin Philippine Plaza
Precious Moments at Mandarin Oriental
Hail to the Bride at Heritage Hotel
Breathless at Manila Galleria Suites
W at Hotel Intercontinental Hotel
Wedding Celebrations at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel
Debutante’s Fair at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel
Asian Pacific Bridal Summit, Century Park Hotel
Elegant Weddings at New World Hotel
May Kasal sa Forbes at Santuario de San Antonio Reception Hall
Weddings On-a-Budget at Bulwagang Bayani, Marikina City

Perfect Beginnings – SM Megatrade Hall

Kasalan – SM Megatrade Hall

Dream Weddings Top Wedding Suppliers’ Show – World Trade Center
Dream Weddings Magazine Launch – Shangri-la Makati
Bridal Extravaganza – San Jose, California
The Great Bridal Expo – Hilton Hotel, Universal City, Los Angeles
Pinoy Bridal Affair – San Francisco, California

Yup, we have reached as far as California to showcase our products and services. By the grace of the Lord, we made it all the way there.

Praise the Lord!

We have had our share of learnings, mistakes we learned along the way that make us continue to improve even up to this time. It wasn’t all bed of roses for us..Somehow, there were also thorns that hurt us so badly. But I guess, roses won’t be as beautiful without its thorns, don’t you think?

Thank you sooooo much to all our past brides and grooms, debutantes, customers, suppliers, partners, friends, relatives and our family. Most importantly, we give the highest honor to God for allowing us to use our gifts for His greater glory!

RICH MAE & RALF’S DREAM TEAM

Church: Santuario de San Antonio

Reception: Shangri-la Makati

Coordination by Nona Clemente / Team C & C Creative Concepts

Video by Dominic Velasco/  Imacron

Photo by Dino Lara

Hair and Make up by Jeng Flores

Bridal Gown & Entourage by Malou Castillejos

Custom Invitations by The Perfect Invitation

Cake by Angielyn Tan

Hosted by Carl Guzman

Entertainment: The Sentimental Groove

Event Styling: Ariel Penarroyo

[Show as slideshow]

Rich Mae + Ralf Onsite Video

A project of Dream Weddings Philippines.

[Show as slideshow]

Tin and Bimbo celebrated their wedding in Baguio. I’ve grown to love this couple so much so when they asked me to go to Baguio for the wedding, I did not think twice even if it means I will have to hurdle the tiring  same-day trip as I have to go back right away for another wedding the next day. What’s important is that I get to witness Tin and Bimbo’s absolutely Oscar-worth Holywood wedding. Below are some images taken by Mr. Lito Genilo and the Smart Shot Studio Team. (sorry I couldn’t post their onsite video here by Jason Magbanua but you can try checking it out on my Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/maloucastillejosgowns ).

[Show as slideshow]

Congratulations Tin and Bimbo!

Chris and Jack’s Wedding On-site 01.02.10 from Carlo Cecilio on Vimeo.

The Wedding of Chris and Jacklyn
Photo & Video by Imagine Nation/ Carlo Cecilio with Paul Vargas
Nuestra Sra. de Gracia, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati

Note: Audio is not available due to copyright issues from Youtube
SDE Background Music: Breathe by Faith Hill

The Wedding of James Blanco and Tania Creighton
Notre Dame de Vie Chapel, Fernbrook Alabang
Photo by Dino Lara
Video by Jason Magbanua
Coordination by C & C Creative Concepts