Quite biased here because she made my wedding gown, but Richie Ortega-Torres is THE BEST when it…read morecomes to bridal gowns (and evening other gowns and dresses). Based on my personal experience, I loved her from my first appointment with her for my wedding gown. I didn't even bother looking elsewhere because I knew that she would make the perfect dress for me. Richie listened to what I said, browsed through my pegs and listened to my concerns about my gown. She had a few suggestions for me, but she never pushed for anything that I wasn't so sure about. Just from her sketch alone, I knew I had made the right decision of getting her, and as my first fitting came along, I was even more thrilled. There were only some minor changes to be done with my gown, all of which she and her girls handled immediately. With just 3 fittings, I was a happy bride-to-be and I can definitely say that I slept peacefully the night before my wedding as the gown was already set-up in my hotel room. Until this day, 1 and a half year later, I still look at my gown from time to time to admire how well-made it was. She lacing, the beading and the stitches were made to perfection and I can only hope that I can someday give it to my future daughter to wear on her wedding day.

At first Richie suggested me to look around here in CA.. I went to five bridal shops and I found a…read morefew dresses I like, but I wanted more of a Filipino design.. She was very responsive to my texts, concerns,questions, and pictures which I sent via cellphone. She was very honest. I love her responses. Then I told her that one dress I really love it and it has a very LOW back dress which wasn't my type at all. She quickly offered to make a similar dress with a covered back! She saved my life! Once she made a baseline fitting, she sent it to my cousin who flew here in CA and then my cousin brought it back to her in Makati. Then my ninang brought my final dress over here on time. Thank you Richie for making my beautiful dress! I'll never forget it!

Aside from our Economic Mission, we were also on a mission to buy some wedding goodies. My cousins…read morealready pre-visited this place and took us here to buy supplies such as coins, rosary, veil, etc... Located in the SM mall on the 5th level is this tiny store. What I expected was a large store full of good, but this place is a hole in the wall with about 4 aisles of jam packed wedding stuff. I think it was a little too much for my fiancee so he patiently waited outside the store as I began making my selections. There are about 5 employees for this tiny store, and at times you feel kind of claustrophobic since the aisles are quite small to maneuver. By and large, we bought about $300 worth of wedding "stuff" and it's really good quality! Some of the items we purchased were: veil, coins, rosary, unity candles, sponsor candles, coin box, ring box, guest book, bible, and garter. The materials were pretty solid and not flimsy or cheap looking. We were happy to get those items squared away as it's one less item to worry about for our wedding!

From the owner: The Wedding Library's Bridal Fair is the country's most beloved bridal fair series held every…read moreFebruary and May. Meet over 350 wedding suppliers all under one roof and Win P100,000 for booking any supplier during our 3-day event!

Being the designated driver of my girlfriend on Friday nights, she dragged me to go to the…read moreApartment 8 Design House, because she heard from a friend that they really had good deals for off-the-rack dresses. Without having any other choice, I went with her to look for this place. It wasn't difficult to find the place because of our familiarity with the area, and the house that greeted us was pretty impressive. We had to ring the doorbell to be let in, and the place really felt like a design house (I don't exactly know what to expect, coming from a guy, but I guess in my head, this is what a design house should look like). The dresses on the walls were arranged well, and even the dressing rooms were fashioned after something you would see in fitting scenes on TV. In the back room, you could see the design staff was working hard, looking through the latest trends and coming up with fresh designs for dresses. I still couldn't tell the differences between most designs, or what was or wasn't trending, but I'm pretty sure that Apartment 8 deserves a lot more recognition.

I've seen a lot of Apartment 8 Clothing with their very active Instagram account…read more Not only do they make unique pieces od clothing, they also the dress with Kim Chiu being their favorite star to dress. While I've visited their Greenhills branch, I was told that their main store along Scout Borromeo offered a better selection of choices. Since I was looking for a gown to wear as a wedding guest, I decided to check them out. It was a quite Thursday afternoon and I was pretty sure they we're expecting any guests. The lights were closed, the aircon was turned off and the guard was a little shocked to see me there. But everyone hurriedly went to their places and accommodated me well. Unfortunately, they offer limited sizes which meant dresses were a lot snug on me. If I wanted a particular design, I had to ask for them to custom make if which was out of my budget. Anyhow, they do really good designs with unique patterns and nice tela.

Cecilio Abad has been around for a while, but has only recently gained waves of new clients for…read morewedding entourage gowns. My girlfriend is part of a friend's entourage, and was asked to go to his store to get measured for her gown. I, of course, was assigned the role of her designated driver. We had a bit of difficulty looking for the place as they didn't have any notable signage outside. We got there at 9AM; the whole ride from her house to the place, I kept complaining about how it was too early to be up for a fitting on a Saturday morning. I really should learn that my girlfriend is always right. After around 5 minutes of getting inside, a parade of clients arrived. My girlfriend, being there early, was assisted first by the very friendly staff and they kept joking and talking her through her fitting. We were in and out in 20 minutes. My girlfriend was quite happy with her design and couldn't stop rubbing in my face, making sure that I knew that we needed to arrive early.

Being someone who loves weddings and used to write for a popular wedding website, Cecilio Abad has…read morebeen a name I have been hearing for the longest time. I've seen his work but I have never really seen him working in action. So I excitedly accompanied my mom to her first fitting for her gown for my sister's wedding. And yes, my mom was the only one who had a Cecilio Abad gown on. We treat her like a queen. Cecilio Abad's shop was very unassuming from the outside. Once inside, you'll soon realize how masterpieces are really made. 'Cecil' was on top of every little detail that is made inside his shop, he designs, cuts, tucks, stretches and sews himself. He is really the master of his pieces of art and I was amused by his work. My mom used to rave over and over again how comfortable his gowns were compared to other gowns she's used to wearing in the past Can't wait to have my own Cecilio Abad gown made.

What's a dude doing in a lingerie store, you ask? Well, for sure I wasn't there for myself. But as…read moreI write this, I have a friend who's about to get married civilly and he doesn't want to blow his and his fiancée's budget on an expensive gown. Nosing in and around Starmall EDSA-Shaw, I chanced upon this tiny shop selling women's undies. It's called Creem Lingerie. I swear, I wasn't lured in by the colorful, vibrant thingies hanging on the racks. I mean, being a married guy kinda makes me, uhm, knowledgeable and unmindful of women's underwear. Rather, what caught my eye was the row of white wedding gowns hanging by the wall. And I immediately remembered my abovementioned friend. I entered the boutique to check out the gowns. They all looked new and made of good quality fabric. Best of all, they were all reasonably priced - I know because when my wife and I got married, the price of her gown bore a huge hole in our budget. Indeed, if you are tight on cash or you simply do not want to spend big money on something that will only be worn once, then the gowns here at Creem Lingerie are good for the job. Lastly (and I'm going to say this just because I accidentally saw the price tags after I checked the gowns), Creem Lingerie has very affordable women's underwear. Some of them go as low as PHP 150.00 and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. This boutique is a must-visit when you're in Starmall EDSA-Shaw and if you're a woman, of course.

We went here to buy the accessories for Carlo's groomsmen. It's a bridal shop where they sell RTW…read moregowns for only Php2,500 to Php8,500. This is the place for the budget savvy bride. Plus, you need your haggling powers here! I was able to buy 10 suspenders and 10 bowties for only Php1,400 (USD29.53). Yes, the bundle technique works here. Don't be shy to say that you have a set budget and, if they like you enough, they will give in to your price. Go here on a weekday. Less people means they offer bigger discounts! :)

I first met Hilque when he was still working for another designer. He was very accommodating and…read moregracious, and I almost instantly took a (platonic) liking to him. He has innate style and talent, which is no wonder why a few years after meeting him, he took the leap, went to London to take formal classes, and went on his own. I recently had to have a dress made because I was to attend a friend's wedding. This at at time when I do not have any exercise and have started growing a "lump" in my midsection. I also am not fond of wearing sleeveless or tube dresses, so it limits the available styles for me. What's great ablut going to Hilque is that he will be brutally honest with you as to what works for your body structure and what doesn't, plus what style will accentuate your assets and hide your body's flaws. Needless to say, despite the 5 working days he had to produce the dress, it turned out very well and I even got complements as to how the color and the bagsak of the dress flattered my body.