Not Quite Perfect

In a previous post I talked about how everything seemed to forming nicely.. in my mind. The dream was that, we would have a wedding on the beach front and the reception at the Ocean Pavilion at the Shangri-la in Cebu.

Unfortunately, I got an email from the coordinator at the Shangri-la that told me that they don't do wedding on the beach. Something along the lines that their beach closes early and anyone in a bikini can walk through our ceremony.

UGGGGGHHHHH! I was so down in the dumps after reading that email. The beach ceremony is the thing we will not compromise on the wedding. Something tiny and intimate is what we wanted on the beach. Like this:

Anyways, so after a day of being down in the dumps, I started emailing other locations to get some ideas. Of course I let my potential planner in on it, so maybe, even before we sign anything she can think about how to make this happen.

Here are some ideas:

1. Ceremony and Venue at a different location. I got some quotes from other resorts in Cebu. So far, the ones that are the most reasonable (priced and looking) include: Maribago Bluewater  and the Hilton.

They both seem to be able to do a beach front ceremony. Maribago and Hilton also does a beach front ceremony, but from the Hilton I actual requested a quote for their restaurant as a reception venue:

I wanted something indoor/outdoor, like the Ocean Pavilion, and in case of rain. The both major downside in both of these locations is the food! Do people really NOT want Filipino food in the Philippines? Its a European menu and that's exactly the opposite of what we want. So we'll have to work around trying to get a caterer if we do it here too. I haven't even asked if THAT's possible. And that is something we're also not flexible on. Note: Shangri-La DOES have a very yummy sounding Filipino buffet menu.

Also, Regina did not speak highly of the Hilton. I can understand by looking even their pictures. It looks like it needs some renos and redecorating. The rooms are nice but is it classy enough for a wedding.

The other option, which I hope is super possible is:

2. Beach Ceremony at a different location, Reception back at the Shangri-la.

I was thinking that maybe we could the beach ceremony at the Microtel that Regina had talked about in her blog. It is a few kilometers from the Shangri-la, is newly built, has a beach front and the accommodations is affordable at the equivalent to about $65CDN/night. We were actually following Regina's lead and going to have our Out Of Towners (i.e. all of our guests) stay here, so to have the ceremony here would make it so easy for everyone! Check out her blog for her personal pictures of the place, its perfect.

Do I really need to explain why a reception at the Shangri-la will still be perfect?

1. No bad reviews of service or location.

2. Amazing Filipino buffet offering.

3. Beautiful location. The Ocean Pavilion is an indoor location that can spill outdoor, giving us the freedom of both, but also a backup indoor location that will work if the weather does not cooperate.

4. Somewhat affordable.

So lets hope we can work something out so that this works, because frankly, I don't know what to do if it doesn't!