THE 83RD NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION (NCAA) OPENING CEREMONY

At last work on the NCAA is OVERRRRR!!! Months of meetings, preparations and 3 trips to Paete, Laguna after, we can all rest now and sleep our worries away.

We were contracted to make a logo balloon for Jose Rizal University, rotating shields for Letran, hand-held crosses for the University of Perpetual Help-Rizal, 2 fabric screens for La Salle, and one huge, huge black fabric cover for the NCAA dragon (so as not to spoil the surprise). And oh, yeah. A 3000-pieces balloon drop as well. Whew!

The NCAA fever is unmistakable. Students cheered wildly for their home teams.

The floor before the opening ceremonies.

The UPHR dancers make a dramatic pose with our wooden crosses.

The shields we made take center stage as Letran takes to the floor. These shields can rotate 360 degrees using a special mechanism attached to the handle.

The balloon-bomb we made for JRU figure prominently during the closing performance. We were also in charge of the 3,000-pieces balloon drop.

The NCAA dragon meets our balloon. We were also in-charge of the pyrotechnics that make up the dragon's fiery breath.

All's well that ends well! Thanks to Direks Chito Miguel and Mij Santos for this project!

VATEL MANILA TAKES A BREATHER

At last, all three weddings for June are finally over, each increasing in - never mind. On second thought, I only want to remember the happy thoughts that came with these grand events at the Mango Farm.

Next week, we move on to something totally un-wedding like but not something alien to us - services outsourcing. We are proud to say that we are the props supplier of the 83rd National Collegiate Atlhletics Association (NCAA) opening on the 23rd at 12 noon.

From shields rotating at 360 degress to a 3,000-balloon drop, Vatel Manila has been working with the NCAA production group as the opening date nears.

On the 24th, we leave for the Lion City for a well-deserved rest.

See you all next time and thanks for the happy memories!

FELICIANO - SANTOS (JUNE 17, 2007)

This was my last wedding for June. It closes the triumvirate of grand ceremonies that made June my banner month for 2007. It rained twice that day - once in the morning, and before the wedding ceremony itself delaying it a bit by a few minutes. All throughout, the sun was shining! Parang nangungutya, tsk.

Rain and sun together. What a conundrum indeed.

The wedding ceremony setup by Vatel Manila. Everything was so beautiful and lush after the rain! And the sun was just about setting so there was a warm afterglow to the set.

Chair detail. Chocolate looks good!

The bouquet that got thrown away. The throw-away bouquet was composed of Sweet Williams, random pink Astromerias, golden rods and eucalyptus leaves.

Flowers for the entourage by Vatel Manila. The color motifs are baby pink and dark chocolate.

The bridal bouquet. Those are old rose-colored cymbidiums with white carnations base, accentuated by berries and pink tassels and crystal brooch at the handle.

Table setup by Avengoza Catering.


Duc in altum! The bride defies the weather and launches into the deep.

After all the stress of having to deal with an uncooperative weather, it still boiled down to a day that will be remembered forever. Happines forever, Joy and Kat!

Note: Last two photos by Micheal Santos of TMF

STOP WORRYING AND CALL US!

Cymbidiums and carnations make for wonderful partners in a main bridal bouquet, don't you agree? Now, the luxurious things in life are within your reach. No more budget-busting entourage flowers! Talk to us.

CUTENESS!

Why settle with the boring? Vatel Manila made use of these desserts lately that were finger-licking good. A poor copy of a much better version for those in the know, but the taste was just as good.

GOLOY-TAN (JUNE 15, 2007)

First, the lessons. For every demanding bride, there's an accomodating stylist. The latter, that's me. Too accomodating, in fact. I think it is my major flaw as a businessman. I want to please, I want to push things farther, go the extra mile even if I'm working on a tight budget.

My friends always tease me to open a charitable foundation. I am seriously considering.

From the beginning I knew Jelo was no ordinary bride. She had ideas she wanted to become a reality. For every meeting, new things came up. The changes and updates were almost - to my mind - interminable, but I saw it all as a challenge. I pored over magazines to find out how her ideas were done by others in the past and how I can make it look different.

It started with the bouquet. It is the first work that brides see from their florist/stylist. For Jelo, I created a mix of green cymbidiums & green carnations. She wanted something green from the start, and in a shower fashion. I think it came out pretty well. Her throw-away bouquet was made of Sweet Williams and bright pink astromerias and had a polipodium wrap. Her entourage carried a motley (and happy) mix of blue agapanthus africanus (also known as Lily of the Nile) ringed by white roses and yellow carnations and tied in lilac ribbons, the latter being her main color motif.

My florists were very happy with my choices. They are very quiet workers, but I can sense that they know it's for a special client.

Because of weather uncertainties, we resorted to doing the ceremony under a tent. Two tents were used for this setup. A request was made to cover the ceiling to hide the metal beams. Consider it done as evidenced in these photos. The crew finished it in 4 hours and it's our first time to do it. By the way, it didn't rain.


Flower girls sat on the altar disguised as angels. By the way, the officiating minister is the bride's father. :-)




I have to admit it's my first time to use Malaysian mums in a setup. The closest Malaysian mums got to any of my projects is when I employ them for the signature Vatel Manila flower balls which you can view in our past events.

We have nothing against mums, really. For volume, like in this setup, they are excellent choices. To repeat the flowers from the entourage, white and blue Lilies of the Nile were also used on the aisle. The tent posts were stringed with Tivoli lights, capped with palm leaves to make them look like palm trees, and wrapped in sheer fabric.


I didn't have the chance to get capiz chandeliers (I will next time) so I used what was already available in the Farm. To make it a bit exciting, I added palm leaves. Presto, a tropical beach wedding feel in a snap!


Personal touch. I found two cherubims in a flea market in Cagayan de Oro during an annual visit there, and here is one of them in their first public appearance. Incidentally, the couple's first names are Angelo and Angela.

It was a tiring day, to put it mildy. We put up with the demands with aplomb and we survived to tell the tale. After this, I bet we can already deal with just about anybody! *laughs*

Thank you, Jelo and Gelo, for entrusting to us one of the greatest days of your lives!