Wedding Prep: Florists in Dangwa

Searching for florists in Dangwa is easy since flower shops are everywhere. The good thing is that many of them are expert when it comes to weddings. One thing that you should not forget when you go to Dangwa is the presence of fixers. Avoid them like the plague. Read my first blog post about Dangwa to read how we dealt with a suspected fixer.

It was afternoon when we visited Dangwa. We rode a Blumentritt-bound jeep across Quiapo Church and paid the minimum fare. We got down when our jeep crossed Lacson Avenue and noticed the flower shops at the side streets.

My Beloved Wife and her friend searching for Dangwa florists.

We visited around 5 flower shops that day. Of the 5, we met only one florist who is masungit and didn't want to talk to us. That florist, who I will call Mrs. CMP, just handed out a flyer and shooed us away. I don't know if her style worked with other couples but it certainly didn't work on us.

We visited Ms. Nida Emy's shop after our escape from the fixer. Unlike Mrs. CMP, she talked to us nicely (and warned us of Dangwa fixers). This was her offer: bride's bouquet – 800 pesos (white and pink local roses), mini-bouquet for maid of honor and 3 bridesmaids – 1,600 pesos, corsage for 7 ninangs – 245 pesos, boutonniere for 7 ninongs – 175 pesos, baskets of flowers for 4 flower girls – 600 pesos, boutonniere for the best man and 3 grooms men – 100 pesos. We didn't avail of her package but since she treated us well, Ms. Nida Emy deserves a shout out. Contact her at mobile numbers 0928-399-0803 and 0915-921-5185.

Flowers for sale by Ms. Nida. I think these flowers are for funerals.

The next flower shop that we visited is Myra's Flower Shop at Stall # 30 (mobile phone no. 0921-410-2187). She offered 5,000-peso package with 300 pesos delivery charge. Her offer includes the bride, groom, maid of honor, 3 bridesmaids, 5 ninongs, 5 ninangs, and 4 flower girls. She offered free petals, throw bouquet, and offertory basket.

The last flower shop that we visited is May Flower Shop at Stall # 12 (telephone nos. 475-6254 & 475-6253, and mobile phone no. 0921-767-5999). I was impressed when I entered their flower shop because of the sheer number of beautiful flowers.

The shop owners, Raffy and May, treated us well and answered all our questions courteously. They gave My Beloved Wife time to look at their album. They also gave good suggestions after listening to our requirements.

My Beloved Wife, at that time, wanted a pink and lavender motif for our wedding. So, the package that Raffy and May offered followed that motif. They offered 5,000-pesos package with 500 pesos delivery charge. Their package include the bride, groom, maid of honor, 3 bridesmaids, 4 flower girls, 5 ninongs, 5 ninangs, 2 fathers, 2 mothers, best man, and three groomsmen. Also included are centerpiece flowers for 10 tables for the wedding reception.

May Flower Shop's offer is the best that we got that day. However, we did not avail of their services because we chose the florist recommended by a friend.

So, that's ends my blog post about our adventure in Dangwa. Some important lessons that I want to share to soon-to-be-wed couples are the following:

1. Never deal with Dangwa fixers. They may offer low prices but their service might be disappoint you, that is if they show up and deliver what they promised.

2. Leave the flower shop if you notice that the florist (or their minions) is not treating you courteously. It is an obvious sign that they will be a problem because they're already rude while you're still a prospective client. Think of how ruder will they get if they already have your money.

3. Never hesitate to ask questions. Squeeze as much details as you want. It is your wedding and prospective florists must prove that they can make your Big Day beautiful.

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Wedding Prep blog series chronicles our adventures as we prepared for the Big Day. I hope that these blog posts help those who are preparing for their wedding day.
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Wedding Prep: Fixer Surprise in Dangwa

It seems like weddings will never be beautiful without flowers. Some artistic chaps can make a flower-less weddings but that will take additional effort and (maybe) money. Nothing beats the simplicity and beauty of flowers.

With this in mind, My Beloved Wife and I went to Dangwa to search for a florist who will decorate the restaurant where we will have our wedding reception.

Dangwa is an area of flower shops located at the intersection of Laong Laan and Dimasalang Roads. The place was named Dangwa because of the terminal of Dangwa Bus Company located in the area. The bus company has buses coming from Benguet which are the area where flowers are grown. Thus, Dangwa became the “bagsakan” of flowers.

Dangwa is popular because flowers are sold here at low prices as compared to to flower shops located in other parts of Metro Manila. In fact, even the flower shops in other parts of the Metro get their flowers from Dangwa.

I thought that everything will go smooth during our trip to Dangwa. Unfortunately, the very first person that we talked to was very aggressive. He showed us his booklet of flower decorations and told us to choose what we want. He even started jotting flower packages and prices on a piece of paper.

Dangwa - beware of fixers that lurk here.

He offered 3,000-peso package for the groom's boutonniere; bride's bouquet (white roses with lavender and pink flowers); corsage for the maid of honor, 3 bridesmaids, 2 mothers, and 5 ninangs; and boutonniere for 5 ninongs and 2 fathers. He was very quick because he immediately told us to pay 50% down payment to avail his offer.

I was actually amazed by the very low price. Fortunately, My Beloved Wife was not overwhlemed by that man's shock-and-awe tactics. We refused his offer and we quickly walked away from him.

I was thankful that we refused the 3,000-peso offer because it is possible that that person was a fixer. Other florists in Dangwa alerted us of their presence in the area. As I remember correctly, that man dealed with us on the street. Legitimate florists deal with prospective clients inside their store.

So, to all soon-to-be-wed couples who will be going to Dangwa, I urge you to ignore these fixers. Deal with legitimate florists inside their shops.

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Information about Dangwa was obtained from Dangwa article in Wikipedia.

Wedding Prep blog series chronicles our adventures as we prepared for the Big Day. I hope that these blog posts help those who are preparing for their wedding day.
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