My Beloved and I are starting to get busy for our wedding preparations. We already booked the church (located somewhere in Pasay) and the photographer/videographer. We also did our first visit to Divisoria to hunt for a good but affordable seamstress for her gown, my suit and the entourage's attire. We found one very eager seamstress but we still didn't book her yet. We still want to scour the Divisoria for a better deal.
Another thing we worry about is in finding the venue for our reception. I read in some wedding sites that the bulk of wedding budget goes to the reception expenses that include reception venue, food and miscellaneous items like lights and music.
Our search for the reception venue brought us to The Venue, located within the Two E-com Center of SM Mall of Asia (MoA) complex.
Another thing we worry about is in finding the venue for our reception. I read in some wedding sites that the bulk of wedding budget goes to the reception expenses that include reception venue, food and miscellaneous items like lights and music.
Our search for the reception venue brought us to The Venue, located within the Two E-com Center of SM Mall of Asia (MoA) complex.
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| (Source: SM Land website) |
My Beloved wanted to check The Venue out because she liked its brown stairs going up the Prism Plaza. I believe that she plans to have our photos taken, together with our families and friends, on those stairs.
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| (Source: Greenhushbie19) |
The fountain on Prism Plaza is good for photos too.
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| (Source: Philippine Wedding Scenes) |
The stairs and the fountains are good but the best view that The Venue offers is the famed Manila Sunset. SM MoA was strategically placed to have a very good view of the setting sun.
The Venue offers two halls for rent. Hall 1 can accommodate 180 guests (banquet arrangement) while Hall 2 can accommodate 100 guests (banquet arrangement).
The Venue offers two halls for rent. Hall 1 can accommodate 180 guests (banquet arrangement) while Hall 2 can accommodate 100 guests (banquet arrangement).
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| (Source: Mix Meetings) |
It was our first time to inquire for our wedding venue and my jaw dropped when I heard the prices. The Venue's marketing staff told us that the weekend rates for Hall 1 is 39,200 pesos and for Hall 2 is 33,000. The rates already include taxes.
That's not the end of it. I still have to pay 20,000 pesos as security deposit. Sound system and other add-ons are not included in the rates. We have to pay 5,500 pesos to have the basic sound system.
The Venue also recommends us to hire one of their accredited caterers. We may hire non-accredited caterers but we must pay the venue corkage fee of 20% of the total catering price.
The location of the venue is truly great because it offers a great view of Manila Bay. The bad news is that The Venue admin prohibit anyone, who wants to have a good view of the sea, to step on their lawn.
I was shocked with the cost of renting a venue for the reception of the wedding. Actually, I'm shocked of the cost of everything.
Young couples are complaining that it is expensive to get married nowadays. I agree. I experienced it firsthand.
My Beloved and I know that we don't need an expensive wedding. What we need is the Sacrament of Matrimony. Other aspects of our wedding, aside from the ceremony in the church, are just add-ons and not really needed. That is why I like what I read from an invitation card sent to me by Ate Diana:
That's not the end of it. I still have to pay 20,000 pesos as security deposit. Sound system and other add-ons are not included in the rates. We have to pay 5,500 pesos to have the basic sound system.
The Venue also recommends us to hire one of their accredited caterers. We may hire non-accredited caterers but we must pay the venue corkage fee of 20% of the total catering price.
The location of the venue is truly great because it offers a great view of Manila Bay. The bad news is that The Venue admin prohibit anyone, who wants to have a good view of the sea, to step on their lawn.
I was shocked with the cost of renting a venue for the reception of the wedding. Actually, I'm shocked of the cost of everything.
Young couples are complaining that it is expensive to get married nowadays. I agree. I experienced it firsthand.
My Beloved and I know that we don't need an expensive wedding. What we need is the Sacrament of Matrimony. Other aspects of our wedding, aside from the ceremony in the church, are just add-ons and not really needed. That is why I like what I read from an invitation card sent to me by Ate Diana:
“The reception will be a simple lunch plus a toast and a couple of songs. It will be short and sweet – no fuss no frills! We want the wedding ceremony to be the highlight of the occasion. Also, we're sure that we'd all be quite tired by then, so we hope to give everyone a chance to rest as soon as possible.”
This is in the invitation card of Ate Diana's friend. I like it because it convinced me more to make our wedding as simple as we could. I believe that we could have a wedding that is not expensive but classy.
It is very unlikely that we choose The Venue as the reception for our wedding so our search is still on.
~ ADDENDUM ~
Contact Details for SM MoA's The Venue
The Venue can be contacted through the following means:
Cellular Nos: 09174573232 / 09174573234
Email: thevenueprismplaza@gmail.com
