Wedding In The Philippines | Filipino Weddings | Wedding in the Sky in Tagaytay City

Top 10 essentials for a home wedding

by Wedding In The Sky on 04/11/2013 - 03:50 pm |

Permission
You may have dreamed of getting wed in your grandparents' country cottage garden since you were a little girl, but the most important consideration to make is your grandparents' opinions. Of course they want you to have your dream wedding, but it's their property and they have the final say. Try dropping hints to get an initial reaction, which, if it isn't a great one, then leave the idea be so as not to put them under any pressure.
Catering
It would be quite the challenge to try to be 100 per cent self-sufficient for your wedding day, so try not to tick every box and instead be realistic. You are allowed to cut corners – there are so many options now that it would be a shame not to utilise some of them. One of the biggest reliefs would be to hire caterers. Let them think about the ingredients, preparing the dishes and supplying the crockery and cutlery, and you can just worry about choosing and devouring the dishes. They will clear up the mess too – phew! A small price to pay for zero stress. Hiring either a wedding planner, professional cleaning service or gardener on top of your wedding entertainment isn't necessarily excessive either – just smart!
Facilities
Do you really want 50+ guests traipsing up and down your stairs and using your bathroom? It may be sparkling at the start of the reception, but come 11pm you'll wish you'd kept the door locked. Consider hiring some posh portaloos' instead. Ignore those visions of building sites and music festivals – there's a whole different breed of portaloos more fitting to weddings that look like the facilities you would find inside a hotel, but just happen to be temporary. Other must-haves include a generator for the lights and sound system, chair and table hire and even temporary carpet or flooring to be laid on top of the existing floor surface.
Gazebo
Just because the guests aren't inside the house, it doesn't make your wedding any less personal or special. If your garden is big enough, then hiring a gazebo or tent is the perfect option for a home wedding as it accommodates more guests than you could fit indoors and it is an opportunity to be a tad more creative and free with your wedding decorations and theme as it's a blank canvas. Coloured drapes, fairy lights and a disco floor can all be possible with an outside gazebo. If you have your heart set on the wedding being inside, then you need to trim, trim, trim that guest list so you're not all treading on one another's feet.
Stash the valuables
Of course you trust your guests, but to keep your mind at ease (brides need minimal things to worry about) then safely store away any valuable or irreplaceable house items. Whether it's artwork from your three year old nephew, a vase your grandmother gave to you or your family photographs, it's better to be safe than sorry. Spilling wine or accidentally knocking something over takes just seconds but the mess may never be cleared up.
Prepare the space
If y ...

How nature makes for an ideal wedding...

by Wedding In The Sky on 04/01/2013 - 01:18 pm |

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Tags: Wedding Destinations, Wedding Ideas

WHY RENT a hotel ballroom in the city for a few short hours when, at a fraction of the cost, you can have a whole village exclusively to yourselves and your guests for an entire evening in cool, picturesque Tagaytay?

Mike and Cathy Turvill, the husband-and-wife team behind Nurture Spa Village, know the situation well.

In their desire to provide today’s couples with a better, more cost-effective alternative, they have repositioned their one hectare destination spa featuring a hotel, swimming pool, campsite, nature trail, several open-air function rooms and huge manicured garden into a dream venue for weddings, renewals and even debuts.

Apart from the exclusive use of the entire venue, a typical wedding package (P200, 000 on weekends; P175, 000 on weekdays) includes a buffet spread for 100 people, free massage and overnight stay for the couple during wedding night.

“The good thing about us,” says Cathy “is everything can be discussed. We’re very flexible.”

Since the venue’s hotel can accommodate up to 40 people, the couple can book rooms for their respective families and special guests, including principal and secondary sponsors.

And what better way to do it than to spend it in a beautiful, safe, secure, and relaxed setting with ample parking space?

“Since a good number of our employees also live within the barangay, we have the entire barangay watching over us, especially during big events.” says Cathy.

Exclusivity means the couple and their guests have the entire venue all to themselves. Having set a cut-off time, Nurture Spa Village, which primarily attends to booked as well as walk-in spa clients the entire year, will attend exclusively to the couple and their guests the entire evening of the wedding.

Since effectively repositioning the place with the addition of the Salo pavilion almost three years ago, the Turvills have hosted closed to 60 weddings. Many of the clients are either walk-ins or have heard of Nurture Spa Village in magazines and on its website.

Mike, a British chemist working for a multinational company in Southeast Asia, met Cathy a little over a decade ago. Cathy, who was then recovering from a divorce, took a respite from work and poured all her energies into putting up a spa.

From 1,800 square meters, the area grew to one hectare, as the couple bought adjacent land. Prior to the expansion, the couple traveled extensively aboard to research and experience for themselves what some of the world’s best spas had to offer.

Cathy even found time to study at Harvard and Train as a therapist just enough for her to know how to run the business. The spa’s pool of therapists, who each had to spend at least 30 hours of hands-on training before being allowed to attend to clients, were trained by professionals.

The Turvills are building four more &ldq ...

My Dream Wedding Reception at Hardin ...

by Wedding In The Sky on 03/25/2013 - 05:08 pm |

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Tags: Tourist Attractions, Wedding Destinations

When you pass by thru the gates of Hardin ni Maria, and as you enter it, you will think that it is just one of those gardens you’ve seen. That’s what I thought for my first sight in their place at the internet. But as I walk to the garden, I feel a different kind of excitement; the place is not so ordinary. The name speaks for itself, Hardin because of the very spacious garden that they have. It has a unique charm, a romantic vibe and a “wow” effect for a soon to be bride like me. They have a Zen-inspired gazebo and a Koi pond on the other side of the lawn. The garden has different kinds of trees and flowers that make the place more admirable. It also has romantic trellises perfect for pre-nuptial pictures. I feel like this place is a never ending garden because as I keep on walking, all I can see is the splendid terrain. This venue will soon be one of the most popular wedding destinations, because besides the huge garden, where you can have your ceremony and reception, they also have an indoor dining hall and a bridal suite.

Why would I choose Hardin ni Maria for my wedding reception? The location is very convenient, few minutes away both from Sta.Rosa and Tagaytay. It is also near the beautiful Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and San Antonio de Padua Parish. It’s private, beautiful and close to nature. The fresh breath of air and the uniqueness of the place are also factors. There are nearby hotels for my guests. And as a budgeted bride, I also consider the very competitive price of their venue. With no doubt, I will book my wedding at Hardin ni Maria.

-Jamie, a 2013 bride..

The big day beauty countdown

by Wedding In The Sky on 02/16/2013 - 02:42 pm |

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Tag: Wedding Ideas

From facials to fake tan, brides need to plan ahead to look their very best. As you prepare for your wedding, use our expert beauty calendar to make your pre-wedding routine easier and more successful.

9 - 12 months to go…Expert nail technician Claire McAndrew (www.medusahair.co.uk) advises brides to start strengthening their nails with a protein-rich diet and vitamin D, slathering hands and feet in moisturiser every night before bed. She also recommends rubbing solar oil into nails and cuticles daily to avoid rough or split skin.Hairdresser Leo Bancroft (www.leobancroft.com), suggests using a nourishing hair treatment once a week, wrapping a warm towel around your hair after applying the masque and leaving it to work for 15 minutes.Facial guru Georgia Louise says that now is the time to have any non-surgical treatments to tackle pigmentation, spots or soften fine facial lines: ‘Chemical peels and derma-rolling treatments require up to three sessions and it takes up to six months to see significant changes,’ she advises.Let naturally thick brows start to grow now, so they can be waxed or threaded closer to the wedding. If your eyebrows are sparse, consider a boosting treatment.
6 – 8 months to go…Leo says colour is just as important as your hairstyle, so if you’re thinking of drastically changing or lightening your hair, book two or three appointments now (six to eight weeks apart) to get your perfect shade in time for the wedding.If you can’t afford regular spa facials, Georgia recommends doing your own. Start by cleansing and then massaging your face and neck for thirty seconds with a facial scrub. Open your pores by steaming your face for a minute or two over a bowl of hot water. Then apply a face masque suited to your skin type and leave for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with cool water to tighten pores before applying toner and massaging your moisturiser into skin to encourage new cell growth and circulation.If you want to permanently remove unwanted facial hair before the big day, Georgia points out that IPL and laser treatment require up to six sessions over an eight month period, costing around £30 per session.To help you relax, Georgia recommends a full body massage. ‘You’re halfway through the most stressful period and need to reward yourself,’ she says.
2 - 5 months to go…Now the wedding is getting closer, Claire says a regular spa manicure will soften hands and add moisture and shine to your nails. If you’re considering nail extensions, have a trial run so you get used to them.The Ministry of Waxing (www.ministryofwaxing.com) says that ‘waxing virgins’ - or brides who have had a long break from waxing - should start treatment around three months before the big day.If you want a spray tan, Rachael Stone from Tantruth (www.tantruth.co.uk) urges brides-to-be to research good, local salons. ‘It’s important to know and trust them,&rs ...