L E G E N D
5+ the
best
$ 1 – 9,999
5 –
excellent
$$ 10,000 – 24,999
4 –
good
$$$ 25,000 – 49,999
3 –
satisfactory $$$$
50,000 – 99,999
2 – needs
improvement
$$$$$ 100,000 – 249,999
1 –
fail
$$$$$$ 250,000 and above
Venue: Balai Taal
Booking:
3 days, 2 nights (inclusive of two gardens, use of two houses plus use of
ceremony garden)
Cost:
$$$$$
Rating:
5+ (Highly Recommended)
During
Preps:
Booking Balai Taal for us is like booking a temporary
vacation place. Whenever we find ourselves in Tagaytay, we always make it a
point to visit Balai Taal and Sir Nelson Blanco. Balai Taal is beautiful even
without a set up. It is easy to do wedding preparations at Balai Taal despite
the distance (Arnold lives in Makati and I live in Laguna) because it is a
private place. So if we decide to go on a weekday, we have the place all to
ourselves. On weekends, we have to get permission first from Sir Nelson before
we can visit the place.
Since all wedding activities will happen in only one place,
Arnold and I had to familiarize ourselves with Balai Taal. Take note we have NO
COORDINATOR.
The Ceremony Venue (photos courtesy of jotan23.wordpress.com)
Sir Nelson gave us a team to help us in whatever need. If I
am not mistaken, 6 people (excluding Sir Nelson and the security guards) were
tasked to supervise the 2 houses and the activities going on in the three
gardens.
Balai Taal transformed from just being landscaped gardens to
being a beautiful ceremony and garden reception.
The Ceremony Garden
The Reception
The view from my room (the third floor upper garden house) was just breathtaking. While it was mostly cloudy that day, we had a clear view of the Taal Volcano. I had a good sleep but I woke up early. I took my time enjoying the view, lounging around the room and the mini lobby that separates the two rooms until Val Villarin arrived at about 7:30 am. He was so early!
Ceremony
Set Up (Garden 4 with the gazebo)
Balai Taal has the perfect set up for an intimate garden
wedding ceremony. It has a gazebo which can house your strings if you have one.
BUT if you use it, it has an additional P5,000 feeL It has a dramatic
semi-spiral stair entrance which I think I maximized fully! It was captured
perfectly in the SDE by Cinemaworks!
Wish:
However, I say intimate, because the aisle created in the garden was a little
bit cramped for my almost 160 guests. Only two people can walk comfortably
along the aisle. Three people walking and its cramped already. Arnold and I
both had our parents walk the aisle with us and it was a little cramped.
The ceremony garden is full of greens!:) You don’t need to
have an elaborate flower set up to beautify the place. Burst of palettes can
actually do the trick J
I love what Kar did to create the aisle, the wooden twigs with crystal drops,
the crawling branches, the moss covered aisle with white lamps and purple
flower arrangements were just wonderful! I want more actually! :)
The Altar Set Up
“I DO”
Reception
Set Up (Gardens 2 and 3 fronting the two houses)
Balai Taal became more beautiful when it was set up with
Tentworld’s tents, K by Cunanan’s beautiful table arrangements and Rejectkrew’s
amazing mood lights. I will review in detail K by Cunanan’s set up in the
sylist/caterer review.
For me, the very elegant tents of Tentworld are more fitting
to the gardens than the clear tents--not to mention that they are cheaper.
Again, you need not have an elaborate set up, you just need Elmer of Rejectkrew
and Kar of K by Cunanan.
I like how Kar designed the couple’s table, the VIP table, all
the guest tables, the cake table, and the photo op couch.
Wish:
I wish I had more time to do the table rounds so that I get to see for myself
the beautiful table set ups. I remember Kar telling me that each table has a
different set up. Now I can only see them in picturesL
I love how Sir Nelson surprised us with the use of dance
panels FOR FREE! Haha I just love that man. He told us he usually asks for
payment for the use of the wooden panels but he directed his men to put up the
panels and podium in the ceremony and reception area for free!
The Dance Panels
After
the Wedding:
Balai Taal is the perfect restful haven to reminisce the
beautiful wedding event that happened the day before. Did I say it has a five
star accommodation? It became a treat after the tiring day. And because the big
rooms have their own TV and DVD players, the first thing we did was to put on
our SDE by Cinemaworks! We watched it until we were lulled to sleep! Since we
booked Balai Taal from Thursday until Saturday, Sir Nelson did not accept any
booking for that weekend. So instead of the usual check out of after lunch, we
were made to stay until 5pm of SaturdayJ The whole family (both sides) rested very well. It
was bonding time for both our families and relatives. We just took off a little
early to have our mini-moon at Summit Ridge and Discovery Suites. (I will have
a separate supplier review of our mini-moon.)
Wish:
I wish we just had our mini-moon at Balai Taal instead of Summit RidgeL
Nelson
Blanco
Let me review this man. This gentleman entertained two
not-yet engaged-couple in June 2009 for a complete ocular of the WHOLE place
even without any assurance of booking an event. During the 2009 ocular, he
already gave suppliers who already had an event at Balai Taal which to his
observations did exceptionally well.
When we booked Balai Taal, he was more than willing to
entertain and accommodate our questions and concerns about the place. He gave
assurance that everything will be well on the day of the event.
During the wedding day itself, he was present from the start
of the day until the last supplier finished packing up. He not only witnessed
the wedding itself but he made sure everything was running smoothly especially
when it comes to the use of the facilities of the gardens, houses and parking
areas. He opened up the owner’s resthouse to the VIPs as a waiting area before
the start of the wedding ceremony. He
made sure that no late comers can interrupt the wedding ceremony by closing all
entrances once the ceremony started. He made sure security guards direct our
guests to the parking and main entrance. He also made sure that the houses were
secured and locked during the wedding ceremony. When things were left at the
registration table, he was quick to put them aside and made sure they were
returned to us the day after.
He observes suppliers carefully and criticizes those
suppliers who deliver poorly. He was quick to point out to Tentworld the
patched up tents to which we were oblivious until he pointed it to us. It was
not obvious actually. He is like the extension of the bride and the groom
because his goal in supervising the event is to make sure the Balai Taal
wedding will be a success in the eyes of the guests. He puts value in suppliers
and couples who can bring out the best in Balai Taal.
His only comment about our wedding: it ended early. By 11:00
pm, all guests and suppliers were out of Balai Taal already (except K by
Cunanan and Tentworld). He was actually happy about it because he was able to
sleep early J
TIP:
Have an Ocular. Meet Sir Nelson. Book early.
Pros:
Only one venue for wedding preps, ceremony (for Christian
Wedding) and reception. Accommodates immediate family relatives and bridal
entourage. Five star room accommodation. Complete kitchen facilities. No limit
for ingress and egress. Wedding set up can be a day before the wedding day so
less stressful on the wedding itself. No corkage. Good security. Ample parking
space. Good team on the day of the wedding. One event only policy. Bride and
Groom can relax the day before and after the wedding. Beautiful backdrop for
photo ops. The best unblocked view of Taal while having your wedding ceremony
and reception. Balai Taal can easily be described as one of the best garden
wedding receptions in the Philippines.
Cons:
Costly. But come to think of it, you actually did not spend
too much, compared to some of the venues in Makati and Manila where you have 5
hour use of the place including ingress and egress for P100K+++.
Venue does not include tents, lights and sounds and
catering.
No comments:
Post a Comment