prep talk

"A certain day in October
I clearly remember
We were blessed to be
in that cool summer place"

Those lines made up the first stanza of the song I personally wrote to Benz for our wedding. Our story as a couple started during our college sem-break we spent in Baguio back in '92. Pretty long time ago but let's not dwell on that.

I don't know if it has something to do with the climate, but the City of Pines indeed has a very romantic feel to it. There's no escaping it. It's in every corner of Burnham! Even our local filmmakers choose Baguio as an ideal setting for their romantic movies (darn, the place is getting popular even for horror flicks!) My point is, like Paris to the rest of the world, Baguio is our own 'city of lovers' here in 'Pinas. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the city is also now gaining ground as an alternative wedding destination in the country.

We attended a garden wedding at Club John Hay's Bell Amphitheater last year and the sight was truly breathtaking. We have also been privileged to be invited to the first ever bridal fair held in the city a couple of years back and the ideas of the Baguio-based wedding suppliers were nothing like we've seen in Manila so far. There were Ifugao/Ethnic-inspired gowns, cakes accented with peanut brittle and Everlasting, and of course, fresh blooms abound! We won't be surprised if the locals will eventually create a tastefully-designed bridal bouquet out of freshly harvested Broccolis and Cauliflowers. Or maybe, they already have!

Real brides talk

Since the brides are essentially the real experts in wedding planning, we've asked two W@Wies (WeddingsAtWork.com members) to answer some questions regarding their Baguio wedding. Ann Salvador (to marry Perry Rosales) is already deep into planning for their big day on 2006. On the other hand, Laura Dizon-Magat (married to Jonathan) had her wedding there in 2004. Let's hear what they've got to say about their 'One Pine Day' so that other couples considering Baguio may be guided by the wedding wisdom they'll impart.

Q: What made you choose Baguio as your wedding destination?

ANN: Baguio City always has its romantic appeal to me since I was a child. Every girl, I think, dreams of being Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. When I saw Baguio City for the first time (I was nine years old, I think), I thought of it as the "Fairyland" of the Philippines, minus the castles, of course.

It's a little girl's dream-come-true for me to be married in Baguio. So when Perry & I decided to get married, there was only one place I thought of holding a perfect wedding - Baguio.

LAU: Jo & I chose Baguio for the sentimental reasons it has for us. Since we were kids, our parents bring us to Baguio every year for our annual church activities. We also had summer camps there during our teenage years. That's why our close family and friends can associate us with the place.

Q: What are the pros and cons of having a wedding in Baguio?

ANN:  Pros

• Nature is your setting. It's the most inexpensive décor! Only a few can imitate the art of Nature. We have this splendid backdrop of trees and flowers.

• Flowers from Baguio are cheaper than in Manila. Not to mention, they're fresher too!

• If you think about Baguio, you can't deny the lingering smell of romance.

• Most of our suppliers will be coming from Baguio and their price ranges and skills are competitive with those from Manila.

Cons

• If you're not from Baguio, you might spend enormous amount of money on accommodations for your family and some guests. Or, most of your visitors coming from Manila or further, might not join the celebration because of this.

• We'll be having a garden ceremony and along with this is the risk that it might rain on the big day itself.

LAU:  Pros

• We could say that our guests were 'quality' friends. These people attended our wedding despite the distance and difficulty it caused them just to be there to attend.

• Since 100% of our guests are from Manila, everyone had a great time attending a wedding and still get to go tour the city and, of course, do some shopping!

• The weather was perfect! Our guests had adopted with the ambience Baguio has given them.

• The venue rental is so much reasonable (cheap).

• The locals were easy to talk to and deal with. They were very much accommodating since they were not bound much by rules and paperworks.

Cons

• It was so tiring and financially exhausting to go to and fro during our preparation of the wedding.

• Our guestlist was cut in half (hmm... well, there is something good in that!).

• My grandma wasn't able to make it since she couldn't travel that far anymore.

• Since we had no relatives in Baguio to assist us, it was kind of difficult to follow-up on some details with the local suppliers. We later had a contact person from Baguio to help us with that.

Q: What tips can you share with other couples planning for a Baguio wedding?

ANN: Start the wedding planning and preparation early. Tell your guests at least six months or even a year before to save-the-date (like in my case, my family and relatives live overseas) regarding your wedding venue. This will give them enough time to plan their leave from work, should the wedding take place during Sundays or weekdays.

LAU: Hire a very good wedding planner to deal with the overall stuff and still have a contact person in Baguio to do errands and details.

We planned our wedding for almost a year and we had difficulty reserving the ceremony and reception venues since it was too early for them to accept reservations. Unlike in Manila, you need to book really early especially if it's a popular venue. We had to follow-up every two weeks just to check if the venues are open for reservations already.

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prep talkback: Send comments and queries to P.O. Box 233, Greenhills, San Juan City 1502 or email: mail@WeddingsAtWork.com.

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