Monday, September 22, 2008

Daily Report: Of Cokes and Cocktails

It was out to Basamanggas Resort again to do the final planning for the wedding. This time, we brought along the wedding planners. So it was Epril and myself, Epril's mother and Aunty Puring, four people from the wedding planner, and two people from the resort.

We walked around the different areas of the hotel where the wedding would be held: The ceremony itself, cocktail hour, the reception, and then off to the nearby park where we will be having the local celebrity radio deejay (with an opening band playing oldies dance music) put on an outdoor nightclub which the whole village can enjoy.

Basically it was Epril and I walking around pointing out the general layout of things ("some tables here, put the bar here") and little nitpicks ("can you get that waterfall working?").

We then went to the restaurant and ordered all of the little fingerfoods that would be served during cocktails (shrimp, calamari, tempura, and cheese sticks), and then the wedding planners and hotel managers set about figuring the numbers.

It was then, I think, that the wedding planners realized that the cost of the wedding they were putting on, and the price which they charged me for it were much closer together than they were happy with. It was when I started rattling off a list of sodas to bring up to the cocktail hour (150 cokes, a case of Diet Coke, soda water, tonic water...) that they stopped me and said, "You never mentioned that you would need sodas."

So basically because the wedding planners' profit margin got too low, I now have to shell out $100 to pay for the soda at the cocktail hour. Also, I didn't plan for enough chairs and tables at the concert in the park, so in order to double that number, I have to pay out another $20 for that. It's just annoying more than anything. Mostly now I'm just nervous that when the wedding rolls around, I'll be hit with all kinds of "but you didn't ask" surprises: "Excuse me, but why is everybody drinking beer out of bottles and soda out of cans?" "Because you didn't say you wanted glasses."

3 comments:

TheMindFantastic said...

Granted its important to be specific, but then the idea of a wedding planner was to help make sure mistakes like that don't happen, and to avoid the headaches and hassle for the people who are actually getting married and thus stressed out as it is. But its a different country and different prevailing attitudes towards how things are done.

Chief said...

Jil

If you do not mind can I suggest something? Most traditional weddings are rather...dull. Have you thought of a theme wedding? I can think of nothing more entertaining then a Star Wars theme wedding. You would have to be Darth Vader, Epril would of course be Princess Lei (wearing the slave costume from Return of the Jedi). You would need to rent a midget to play Yoda. All the guests would dress up as their favorite Star Wars character with the exception of Vader (you), Princess Lei (Epril) and Ewoks (I hate ewoks). The wedding ceremony would culminate into you killing all your best men using varyies forms of the force, then picking up Princess Lei and walking her out of the church as if you were taking her to the death star for interrogation. All the while playing the Star Wars theme song as your wedding march. Freaking awesome. All in all it would be a most unforgettable day.

I know if I get married again that is how I would do it. Granted...probably will be hard to find a partner who will do that, but I am really not looking anyway....win/win for me :)

Bottom line: 1. It is not a party without a midget.
2. With all the planning and spending (of your money) many people forget to...have fun on their wedding day. Jil, Have fun on your wedding day!!!
3. Wow, have you seen that Sarah Palin can pack a stadium just like Obama...I bet the Obama camp is getting nervous (actually we do not need to bet...they are getting nervous now that they realize the Presidency will not be handed to Obama - he has to fight for it).

Chief

Jil Wrinkle said...

Chief,

Good thought that. I'd obviously go for a Star Trek wedding though. Cheaper costumes.

TMF,

I agree. It probably would have been a good thing to remind them of that when they were bitching about having to buy 4 cases of soda.