Wedding 101: Church Hunt in Malabon

Two months to go and finally, we will walk the aisle.

But before the glorious day comes, laborious and stressful days, weeks and months of preparation for the big day are ought to be expected .

So I decided to share my wedding preparation journey as a semi-DIY bride and give my honest reviews to my suppliers.

Anyway, we started the church hunt last July 2017, and reserved our slot for our April 2018 wedding.

First Pit Stop: Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

Pureza St. Tugatog, Malabon City

Since this is the nearest to both our houses, we were able to secure a slot and decided to avail the “Special Wedding” amounting to P5000 with the following inclusions: 2 pairs of sponsors, mass, fresh flowers, carpet and linens.

If you’re working on a budget, you may have the “Ordinary Wedding”, with the following inclusions: 2 pairs of sponsors, mass, no choir (CD / tape of wedding march, linens and artificial flowers.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES are as follows:

Additional sponsor: P250

Use of electricity: 300

Choir: 500

So, when I computed the expenses, here’s our breakdown:

Special       – P5,000 (P500 downpayment)

Sponsor     – P  750 (for additional 3 pairs)

Electricity – P  300

Choir         – P   500

TOTAL:        P6,550

I did the reservation last July 2017 since I thought it is cheaper than my dream church in Victoneta or San Bartolome (details below).

Fast forward, March 2018, while we were on the process of completing our church requirements, the parish office secretary informed us that the inclusions has changed.

She started asking for our florist and I said that we have none since I didn’t bother to get one because of our personalized paper bouquets since the fresh flowers are part of the inclusions of the supposedly “special wedding” package.

She mentioned that since there will be a 10AM wedding, they will no longer remove the flowers but we will have to pay an additional amount to them which makes it more questionable, because first, the 10AM wedding paid for the florists, why would we give the money to the secretary?

Second, shouldn’t we follow what is written on the inclusions the moment we had the reservation? And if ever there are recent changes, shouldn’t it be applied on the wedding reservations prior to the said changes?

I honestly felt disappointed since churches don’t usually give contracts, just acknowledgement receipts for the reservation payments, etc.

Mental note: Ask for a contract next time, since they themselves are not reliable enough to follow what was agreed upon. #theyarehumansafterall

This made me decide to look for other churches that might be available.

Here are the other options:

Second Pit Stop: San Roque Cathedral Parish

A. Mabini St. Caloocan City

So far, this has the best offer in the area.

Marriage stipend / fee costs P5000 with the following inclusions: nuptial mass, sponsors (no limit), wedding coordinator inside the church, red carpet, artificial flowers, white veil along aisle, all lights turned on.

Additional, wedding singer -P600.

Unfortunately, our chosen wedding date is already fully booked. I hope I discovered this church sooner. 😥

Third Pit Stop: San Bartolome Church

 Bayan, Malabon City

Price ranges from P6,500 to whooping P15,500, inclusions as indicated on above picture.

One of the most expensive churches in Malabon area and I didn’t ask for the date’s availability because I don’t think it is wise for us to spend P15.5k for a church ceremony. Jek always says that what matters is me, him, and the presiding priest to bless our marriage.

Other church option, my dream church: Our Lady of Victory Chapel, Victoneta Victoneta Subdivision, Potrero, Malabon City

Photo Courtesy of my good friend, Clara Joyce 🙂

You probably have seen this church in several teleseryes on tv, which is why it comes with a hefty price tag of P15k to P20k (depending on the chosen wedding month), mass and decorations not yet included.

Again, it is way beyond our budget so I didn’t bother inquiring about its availability. (Let the dream stays as a dream)

I hope to search for more churches within the area for brides like me who is looking for practical and simple celebrations within budget. Hope this helps and more updates soon. 😊

Updates:

St. Gabriel Parish Church,

Caloocan City ( but Malabon is a few steps away 🙂 )

Wedding Rites:              P10,000

Floral Arrangements:  P  2,000

Choir:                              P     500

The church is fully air-conditioned and advisable for small, intimate weddings.😊

Zoey.ph Rings Customer Review ✩★✩RECENT UPDATES✩★✩

After the much-awaited Jek’s proposal, we went ahead and planned our wedding. We are working on a small budget so we agreed on having a simple yet memorable wedding with our closest relatives and friends.

Since my fiance is an avid fan of Lord of the Rings, we decided to buy our rings from the only supplier we can find: Zoey.ph.

Together with my maid of honor Chri, we went to SM Marikina to see the rings in person. I tell you, we were never disappointed.

Trying to figure out which one is better…

Errrrrr, really difficult since both are suuupppeeer pretty. ❤

Sent the photos to jek and finally settled on the black wedding rings (black is the new gold! Haha)

BTW, we also tried out several engagement rings and they are gorg! Look at this brilliant halo ruby engagement rings that we tried!

After we have decided, I happily placed the order online.

Maybe I was on a trance while processing the order so I didn’t notice that there is an additional tax and delivery charge (which is kind of surprising because they indicated in the website that delivery is free of charge).

Then surprised to see this

Note: There is NO cancel button, in case you suddenly change your mind.

After few days, I received the package and again for the 2nd time, I was surprised.

Three rings crammed in one jewelry box!

I immediately texted Ms. Angie about the package and she responded pretty fast.

Fortunately, they admitted that each ring must have an individual jewelry box, therefore, they will be delivering the missing boxes as soon as possible. And they did the next day! 🙂

All in all, I am impressed with the after-sales transaction / concerns, the COD (Cash On Delivery) feature and most of all, the lifetime warranty, although they warned me not to engrave anything on the rings because it will void the warranty.

Our wedding rings. ❤

As of the moment, this is all we can say for now since the wedding will be next year. Stay tune for updates for a more accurate review on the said products.

Note: This is NOT a sponsored review.

✩★✩Updates:✩★✩

After three months since the purchase (October 2017), I sent a message to Zoey.ph to inquire about a possible replacement because of size issues.

I knew I was at fault so I really didn’t expect much about the said request eventhough we haven’t used the rings yet because our wedding will be on April 2018.

But what surprised me was the sudden changes about the warranty. 😭

They NO longer offer a lifetime warranty which made me feel disappointed because this is one of the reasons why we bought the ring.

I am not sure whether this violates the prior agreement upon the purchase of the product, but this is not a good sign for consumers like me especially they promised a “lifetime warranty to ensure overall customer satisfaction”.

After two months (December 2017), Chri sent me a message and informed me that the brilliant halo ruby engagement ring she purchased lost some of its stones.

She rarely uses the ring because she wanted to use it for special occasions only. This made her even more disappointed with the quality given that it comes with a hefty price tag (plus tax!).

The actual photo she sent in my messenger.

Fast forward July 2018, I checked their website and found out that their ring prices dropped and still, no warranty.

Also, I received several negative feedback from their previous customers. (check the comment section)

Impression: If you are about to purchase from this online store, you might want to reconsider due to the products’ warranty.

✩★✩RECENT UPDATE✩★✩

As of September 21, 2018

Just recently, Zoey.ph has reached out to me via messenger expressing their apology for the miscommunication to my size replacement request.

Apparently, they have read this blog entry and saw my dismay to their products. They offered a replacement for my friend’s engagement ring (free of charge) and offered a free necklace as their way of saying sorry.

Note: Screenshots taken from the actual conversation

After sending my shipping info last Monday night, the package arrived this Wednesday afternoon via courier.

And when I opened the package,

Voila!

They are gorg! ❤

POST SCRIPT:

I am quite pleased that the management did something to replace my friend’s damaged ring and to include a free item to make up with customers like us to ensure a sense of satisfaction. I felt that at least they are listening to us and uses feedback to improve their service.

P.P.S. Good things come to those people who do good and do things with integrity. Keep it up Zoey.ph. 😊