It is important for me as a Bride to look (almost) perfect on my wedding day and for it to happen, there are things to consider and one of those are the Bridal Gown.
When I got engaged, I spent a lot of time watching Bridal TV series and it includes all about bridal gowns like "Say Yes To The Dress", "Perfect Wedding Dress" and "Something Borrowed, Something New" to have an idea which style will complement my body type.
I already have this style in mind... but I'm not sure if it fits in our budget.
Somehow, we felt the pain of planning our wedding (in Philippines) while we're both here in the Middle East. We don't know which to purchase here and which to purchase in Philippines and one of the issues is the gown. Initially, we decided to purchase the bridal gown here in UAE so as early as beginning of year 2014, with the help of my bridesmaids and friends, we started looking for a bridal couturier and the best style I've seen is the work of Michael Cinco but it is way too beyond our budget so unfortunately, we cannot get his service. Also, there's an issue, I have a chubby figure and I do tend to gain weight fast (especially if I'm stressed!). We will go back to Philippines 3 weeks before the wedding and no one can guarantee that my size in 3 weeks of staying in Philippines will still be the same size as what I will be having on the big day. What if I gained weight? who will be the one to alter the gown? what if there will be minor adjustment/s on the day itself? Lots of questions bothering me so we decided to consider looking for some options in Philippines.
It's already given that Filipinos are naturally born talented. There are lots of well-known designers/ couturiers in Philippines but expensive as well. Personally, I don't want to spend beyond hundreds for my wedding gown knowing that somehow, there will still be talented Filipino designers who can create a gown within budget. It doesn't mean that expensive is equivalent to stunning or gorgeous... it still depends on how you carry yourself as a bride and how happy/ inspired you are as your inner self will definitely reflect. Also, it depends on the designer on how she can visualize yourself in your dream bridal gown to check if that certain style will complement your body, give ideas and opinion without maximizing your budget... that kind of couturier is the one we are looking for.
While browsing the internet, I saw an FB bridal page named Carla Ignacio Bridal Collection and Beyond which one of my friends liked. I checked it and started liking her collection. She also deals with overseas brides like me so I decided to contact her and she really does respond promptly. After several emails and phone calls, I know that she is the one! Her very accommodating approach, the cheerful voice and her being herself every time we we're talking made me decide to confirm and signed the contract. She will be the one to do my Bridal gown and the Entourage as well.
When we went back to Philippines last February 2014, we we're able to finally meet her personally in Eastwood, QC. She was with her supportive husband and I was really surprised to know that they are staying in Pampanga though her family has shops in Greenhills and Market Market. Driving couple of hours to meet us really touched my heart but when she showed us all the sample fabrics and different shade of colors to choose from, sample bead work for the bridal gown and sample fabric for the veil... Revianne, our Wedding Planner and I were amazed. She's really well prepared! She showed me some of her designs and I can confirm... never regret a thing in choosing her.
In September 2014, we went back again to Philippines to finalize everything and almost gave her a heart attack when we asked her if she can make the 2 entourage gowns and Mother of the Groom gown as we need to bring it with us to UK. We really didn't expect anything from her knowing that she only has less than 2 weeks to purchase the fabric and make it but once again, she amazed us when she contacted us a week later asking where we could meet to give the gowns. They have some meetings to attend so they might as well give us the gowns rather than them travelling again. We met them in Tiendecitas and we're really happy upon seeing the gowns. The color combination was amazing, the style is exactly the one we discussed and even if it is rush, still the quality of the work is well polished.
Now that I already saw the quality of her work and her attitude towards handling unavoidable circumstances or let's say demanding requests of difficult client/s (lol), I can no longer wait to see the outcome of my Bridal Gown/s!
In September 2014, we went back again to Philippines to finalize everything and almost gave her a heart attack when we asked her if she can make the 2 entourage gowns and Mother of the Groom gown as we need to bring it with us to UK. We really didn't expect anything from her knowing that she only has less than 2 weeks to purchase the fabric and make it but once again, she amazed us when she contacted us a week later asking where we could meet to give the gowns. They have some meetings to attend so they might as well give us the gowns rather than them travelling again. We met them in Tiendecitas and we're really happy upon seeing the gowns. The color combination was amazing, the style is exactly the one we discussed and even if it is rush, still the quality of the work is well polished.
Now that I already saw the quality of her work and her attitude towards handling unavoidable circumstances or let's say demanding requests of difficult client/s (lol), I can no longer wait to see the outcome of my Bridal Gown/s!
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