Monday, June 09, 2008 Wedding planners get together By Jenara Regis Newman
TIME was when people got married and it was only the couple or their families and friends who were involved in the preparations for the big event.
Not anymore. Weddings seem to be more complicated, and the bridal couple and/or their families may be too busy to see that everything on the wedding day flows smoothly.
And so wedding planners have to come about and they have formed the Association of Sugbu’s Wedding Planners and Coordinators, Inc. (ASWPC) with: Claire Villaflor of Right Connect, as president; Bong Abela of Concepts and More (vice president); Tisha Sanchez of Bliss Unlimited (secretary).
Rounding up the list are Glia Benedicto of Rent an Angel (assistant secretary); Connie Te of Precious Memoirs (treasurer); Stanz Catalan of Grupo and Boni Almendras of I Do. Events, PROs; and Joey Alberto of Creative Freeway, Ritchie Mendoza of Cebu Events Maker, and Ralyn Sevilla of Ralyn’s Design, directors.
Sun.Star Cebu (SSC): Why have you formed ASWPC?
Claire: We found out that there is Philippine Association of Wedding Planners in Manila and so I called up everyone to find out if we could have one here. It’s a way of professionalizing the industry.
Tisha: It is very hard for us sometimes to justify certain rates for our services. It will be easier with this organization. There is a misconception about this profession that anyone can do it, that it’s easy. For me, it’s something you want to do and love to do. To do with love. It kind of encompasses your whole being, 24/7.
Joey: We do this for living because there is a need for us. It’s good to be organized.
SSC: How and why did you go into wedding planning?
Glia: When it was our own wedding, we experienced stress. From there, we wanted to help, starting with our relatives, friends, until it became a business in 2004.
Stanz: Doing events started as a hobby for me. I used to be employed in the pharmaceutical industry and I would help organize events for doctors – conventions, product launchings and even birthdays. When I began to handle more and more events, I realized I could do it for a living, and quit my job.
SSC: What does wedding planning entail?
Ralyn: It starts with a chat with the clients for what they want for their wedding day. Then I plan, coordinate with clients and suppliers, and on the day of the event, to see that all that I planned is implemented with the florists, photographer, videographer, make-up artist, and reception venue. It could be full event planning, semi-full or just on the day of the event. But arrangements have to be made at least three weeks before.
Boni: Looking for suppliers, negotiating, handling church coordination. Every single step in the program you have to make sure will be followed by everyone involved. It’s hard because not everyone will follow what you tell them to do.
Joey: I always compare myself to a painter to come up with a masterpiece, like a painter with his canvas, brush and paints.
Bong: What makes this nice is that every client is different. We have to be flexible. The personality of the client has to be served.
SSC: What is the most unique wedding you handled?
Ritchie: Easily the wedding of Cebu-based jeweler Miranda Konstantinidou at the Ocean Pavilion of Shangri-la She had not 10 but 600 bridesmaids, all of her workers. I made them dance ballet for the couple.
SSC: What are the rewards of being a wedding planner, in being in this organization?
Connie: That we are still in this business though we do not advertise means we’ve done our job well. It’s a good feeling. We are known through word-of-mouth. Couples we planned wedding for sometimes become like family, informing us of births, inviting us to baptisms and birthdays, and sometimes are even asked to do funerals.
Bong: Three sisters asked me to do their wedding planning one after the other. That made me feel I’m doing a good job.
Tisha: In ASWPC, we feel we are peers. We can rely on each other, help each other.
Bong: I guess the beauty of being in this organization is we can share our joys and disappointments. We can clarify certain things with other members.
Ritchie: We learn from one another.
SSC: What are the plans of the organization?
Claire: We have four major events. We already had one, the holding of a Wedding Planners Fair (in Marriott). We also want to have a training seminar, maybe in August, to professionalize the business including the ethics and values. We hope to sponsor a mass wedding in October or November. Then we have a fifth event, a real wedding for one of us. Tisha’s is in
December.
