An encounter with Martha Stewart

A Martha Stewart bridal fair, that is.

It was the first ever Martha Stewart bridal fair in Manila so this was something I really didn't want to miss.

So off I went to the World Trade Center Tent Pavillion -- yes, to my surprise, there was such a location right beside the World Trade Center Exhibit building. The tent, if used as a wedding venue could probably fit a thousand guests.

Above, the registration area with white roses and white-painted wooden birdcages set the mood for the fair inside the tent.

Below, a detailed shot of the roses and ribbons on the wrought iron tables and chairs on display at the foyer.

Below, a larger-than-life print of the 2^nd issue of the Martha Stewart Philippines magazine from Summit Media. Guests could purchase a copy and they would be entitled to free entrance to the fair.
Pre-registered online guests can also enter for free.

Anticipating that this particular bridal fair would be the Queen of all bridal fairs, inspired by Martha Stewart, the wedding guru herself, I would have to say I left the fair a bit wanting.

Why?

Let me first praise the organizers by saying that it did have elements of what a Martha Stewart wedding fair would be as I imagined -- dainty tones of simple white and tiffany blue here and there, no pompous and crass decors, aisles that were not suffocating and a roster of exhibitors whom you would not normally come across in other bridal fairs -- Rajo Laurel, Margarita Fores, Aranaz, among others.

However, the number of exhibitors were really too few. The choices were too limited for a bride looking for more possibilities in realizing her vision of a perfect wedding (unless her vision was just that of the expected--- designer gown, hotel reception, popular cake maker and photographer, ordinary souvenirs).

There were less than 10 exhibitors per "wedding category" and not even all the categories were covered. Some of the exhibitors were also the in-house wedding vendors of the hotels already present at the fair which didn't really leave much vendors to choose from. I would even say that the wedding directory of the Martha Stewart Philippines magazine would be a better resource for the list of potential wedding vendors if you truly want to make a very informed (and later on a heartfelt) decision once you've narrowed down your wedding vendors not by default (or their lack of presence in a bridal fair), but because you truly went out of your way to seek them out and meet with them personally. After all, that's what bridal fairs are all about.

A dainty centerpiece of white flowerettes and ribbons by Pido.

Getting hitched hair-free

It's been almost five years since I was a waxing virgin.

Since my wedding gown was a tube top and all my sisters’ gowns were sleeveless, it goes without saying that we should have hairless underarms on my wedding day.

And so, four years ago, we all went for the first time to the spa to have our underarms waxed a few days before the wedding. We were all curious how this waxing thing was done and if it really hurt like hell. We also wanted to know if it really was better than shaving – that it won't grow back thick and coarse.

I volunteered first – being the sister with the highest tolerance for pain. The spa used hot wax for the underarms and I felt the gooey-warm-sticky purple blob on my skin just a few seconds before the hair was pulled. My first reaction was “yeeeeeoooooowwww!!” My older sister even looked at where the wax was pulled from and screamed, “Ugh! There’s blood!” Of course, the “blood” was just little spots where the hair used to be and contrary to my sister’s reaction, the blood wasn’t a lot.

We did notice though that weeks after the waxing, our underarms were still hair-free and when the hair finally grew back, it was thinner and softer and there were no stubbles that were usually present after shaving.

Although most spas and even salons offer waxing services, there's only one waxing salon that I know of that offers waxing, and waxing only.

Straight from their website, Lay-bare says this about the kind of cold wax that they use:

"At Lay Bare, we use cold sugar wax jelly made of sugar, kalamansi, and honey only. These natural ingredients have bleaching, exfoliating, and moisturizing properties. Since there is no heating involved, you never have to risk getting burned or be concerned that the wax would stick to your skin. Sugar wax is water-soluble so it is easy to clean up with just water. With continued waxing you may expect your skin to be lighter and smoother, while hair re-growth finer and sparser"

After you register for the first time at Lay-bare, they will give you a loyalty card. Every visit earns you a stamp and after your 5th visit, your bill will be minus P100. On your 10th visit, there will be a P200 discount. :-)


I've tried three of Lay-bare's branches and I must say, the newer branches have add-ons/amenities that the older branches did not. For example, the Don Antonio branch's cubicle partitions are made out of wood, not thick curtains. Their salon towels and bed covers are now Lay-bare branded, no longer generic. The music that they play during your waxing session is piped in, not from a radio at the receiving area -- they even had mini-flatscreens in each cubicle where I watched Rihanna and Mariah Carey in concert (well, separate concerts, that is). This is a nice distraction to take your mind off the pain. Haha!


What is consistent though is the never-overbearing service, the comfortable waxing beds (at some point, I fell asleep while my legs were being waxed!) and the general interiors sporting the popular wedding motif colors two years ago -- mint and rose.

For those who haven't tried Lay-bare, the waxing procedure goes like this:

1) your waxer preps your skin by dusting baby powder on the areas to be waxed.
2) she gets the wax and repeatedly pulls at it with her fingers like taffy until the consistency is enough to make your hair stick to the wax
3) she starts waxing (and yes, it will hurt a bit if it's your first time, but some friends have sworn falling asleep while having a brazilian!)
4) they put anti-itch cream on the waxed area
5) you're ready to face the world hair-free (in some body parts, that is)

Yep, that simple.

And so, even if I still cringe at times when I have my legs, underarms and bikini area waxed, it is indeed worth the pain. And great for honeymoon! :-P


Visit their site at http://www.lay-bare.com/ and find a branch nearest you. Enjoy the summer hair-free!

Arrive in style!

For most grooms-to-be, the highlight of being in a bridal fair is seeing the bridal cars (or maybe it comes in second to the food-tasting). Haha.

Brides-to-be might be so engrossed in the cakes, flowers, jewelry, gowns and delightful souvenirs, but boys will be boys and most would rather spend time looking at the bridal cars after an overload of "girly" things at the fair.

Being the not-so-particular-about-the-car bride that I was, I simply wanted an elegant car whose engine and airconditioning wouldn't conk out on me on my way to the church and reception. The car didn't even have to be white since my wedding gown was red. I even asked my florist to omit the bridal car wedding flowers and I asked for something in exchange but my cousin who helped me find a car for my special day insisted that there should be flowers on the car -- so off he went to get flowers for the hood. Sweet, no?

Above is a charming vintage car that would be perfect for the turn-of-the-century kind of wedding, or if you want to have a gangster-kind of feel for your wedding. It goes without saying that you should only use this during the colder months (when it's not raining), unless you're comfortable having your make-up melt and your perfectly coiffed hair windblown along with your veil. Not.

If you're the Lara Croft type, this stretch Hummer may be your type. But seriously, I'd rather have the groom and his posse ride this to the church. The grooms deserve to ride in style as much as the brides, don't they?

Must be my love for vintage that made me look at this Cadillac the longest. Won't it just be perfect while mom and dad take you to church? Sigh.

If you're a Herbie fan, this might be the perfect car for you. If you know members of the Volkswagen Club of the Philippines, maybe you can have a cute convoy of bugs on your way to the wedding!

And for the traditionally elegant bride with a playful streak, this white Chrysler could be the perfect mode of transport -- with a Mickey and Minnie bride and groom on the hood (or a Hello Kitty or a Snoopy or whatever favorite stuffed toy you may have). :-)

Whatever your car choice will be, make sure you won't be late for the ceremony!

I went to a bridal fair, now what?

After oooh-ing and aaah-ing, almost suffering a stiff neck from looking left and right at all the wedding vendors in this month's bridal fairs, and collecting all the flyers of potential suppliers who may be your partner in realizing a dream wedding day come true, what happens next?

It's time to make the cut.

From among the flyers, you must (in some cases, painfully) sift through the pile and pick your 3 top potential suppliers for each wedding requirement based on your vision, budget and agreement with your groom-to-be. If you want to be more organized, you can draw a table of your suppliers indicating each of their pros and cons.


If your wedding is at least 6 months from your bridal fair visit, you still have enough time to decide on the supplier who best meets your requirements. Meet with your top 3 suppliers (separately of course!) so you can discuss your vision, what you want and don't want, what your limitations are, what their provisions are, and other details of your wedding. If they have packages, you may want to haggle or discuss options in case some of the inclusions are items which you feel are things that you don't need.


If you are lucky enough to find them in the next bridal fair, book them on the spot to get a discount! Haha. Seriously, think of the 1st bridal fair as the first time you'll meet your potential suppliers, your first meeting as your way of testing the chemistry between you and the suppliers and the next bridal fair to seal the deal.

Remember that even if your wedding day may be the ultimate expression of your commitment with your loved one, some wedding vendors simply see it as business so choosing wisely is key.

While major discounts or exchange deals are next to impossible (unless you're a celebrity, perhaps), it won't hurt to negotiate with your wedding vendors for little freebies or a change in your package inclusions.

Some other tips in negotiating with wedding vendors are the following (if you like shopping, then think of it as if you were shopping for the perfect vendor):

1) Window shop - during the wedding fair, find out what each vendor offers for the same price range, and use this as leverage. (Note: Do not impolitely compare one vendor with the other by saying things like "Vendor A has the same cost but has a better package"). Ask about the details in the packages that they offer, inquire if they have extras that you can avail of in place of items in the packages that you may not have use for. For example, you might not want to avail of the doves or butterflies as part of a catering package, how about additional flowers for the presidential table, in exchange?

2) Be open and stick to your limit at the same time - when most brides start out planning their wedding, they usually start looking at pretty pictures of weddings and put together a vision for their own wedding. Then reality (budget concerns) sets in. Wedding vendors should be able to help you realize (maybe most, not all) elements of your vision. The truly helpful vendors will try to find solutions to what you want with your budget so be open to what they might suggest. There are however, pushy vendors that might want to sell you something that you don't really need so you must also be firm in saying "No, thanks."

3) Be indifferent - for those who are experts at haggling and bluffing, having an "indifferent aura" while you negotiate with your vendor also works. You need the vendor to believe that if they can not meet your request, you can always walk away so if they really want your business, they will usually oblige before you do so.

Well, I'm off to another bridal fair this weekend. See you there!

'Tis the season to be fair

Let the bridal fair wars begin!

Every year, bridal fair organizers and their respective exhibitors seem determined to out do themselves (or each other) to entice brides-to-be in availing of their wedding services. This year, I expect the scenario in bridal fairs won't be any different and I will make sure I see their marketing strategies in action for myself. These are moments when I can't decide between wishing I was just going to get married (because I want to try new and creative wedding vendors) or thanking the heavens that I don't have to go through the process of being torn between vendors again. Hahaha.

If your schedule permits, I encourage you to check out two of the most sought-after, most awaited bridal fairs in Manila: The Wedding Expo and the Martha Stewart Wedding Fair this March. Got the following info from their print ads and websites:

Wedding Expo Philippines- The Biggest, Most Comprehensive, and Longest Running Wedding Fair in the Country. March 7-8 10am-8pm at the PICC Forum, CCP Complex. For more info, visit http://www.themesandmotifs.com/ or call (632) 409.2555 or (632) 232.3893

Martha Stewart Weddings Bridal Fair debuts in March 2009
Happening on the 28th and 29th of March 2009 at the World Trade Center’s East Pavilion Tent, this exclusive event will provide brides-to-be with exceptional sources of inspiration to help them create the wedding of their dreams. Stylishly arranged displays of gowns, invites, stationery, photographs, wedding cakes, reception decor, table settings, souvenirs and more are sure to inspire both bride and groom to create a wedding truly unique to their personalities. Check out http://www.summitmedia.com.ph/mswbridalfair

See you there!

One happy THEY in May

These photos, which I asked permission to grab from Facebook were entitled "One Happy Day in May." I beg to differ because as anyone can see from the photos , it wasn't the day that was happy, it was "they". Hahaha.

That's Jeryc, college classmate-default navigator and adventure seeking cohort-partner in pursuing our respective passions when we were in our twenties-favorite photographer and friend and his obvious-from-the-pictures-blushing bride (who I still haven't met in person), Ley.

Far from the overbearing beaded gowns and towering cakes, this happy day was an intimate gathering of family and friends, because well, love couldn't wait. :-) Take away all the usual wedding frou-frou and you still end up with the essentials -- the happy couple and what binds them together --- insanity, er, love. :-)

After saying "I do" at the City Hall, off to Casa Armas in Malate the happy couple and their family went to wine on some Schramsberg and dine on paella, roast chicken, fresh spanish anchovies, callos, and well, knowing Jeryc, great conversation was the centerpiece.

Look at that cute cake.

Ah, l'amour.

Can't wait to meet the indigo bride. :-) To Jeryc and Ley, may happy theys, er, I mean days be abundant in your married life!

And Jeryc, make sure she'll always be one happy Ley forever and a day. :-)

Enchanted

photo from etonline.com

Last December 20, hubby and I attended the wedding of one of his colleagues at the Peninsula Manila. Being the uber busy couple that we were, we didn't have enough time to buy our wedding gift and our wedding garb. Having nothing new to wear (as I seriously gained so much weight, I had to find a dress to hide my girth), I settled for a mini-dress from BySi (which was on sale!).

We bought our gift on the day of the wedding and decided to just send the gift post-celebration to the couple (the gift-wrapping was taking so long because of the holiday rush). Hubby had to have his pants altered in 45 minutes while I had my nails done. Talk about pressure in attending a wedding.

Since we were in QC, and pre-Christmas traffic was hell, we unfortunately did not make it to the ceremony but arrived during the reception. We tried, we really did. :-(

As soon as we arrived at the Peninsula, we greeted the couple and settled into our seats to enjoy the buffet. I've hosted a wedding and attended numerous functions at the Rigodon ballroom but I had not been there for a long time so I relished the wedding decorations that night. Aside from the drapes and the chandeliers, the right lighting could really enhance the appearance of the room. The prevailing motif was plum and berry so the magenta and blue lights really complemented the color scheme.


Here's a photo of the cake:

What I really liked about this particular wedding was that for the first dance, they played one of my favorite Disney movie love songs, "So Close," the love theme for the semi-animated film, Enchanted. Loved that movie.

I was telling my unmarried sister that maybe, when she gets married, she can wear a gown similar to the fluffy, puffy dress that the lead character wore in the movie and her entourage can wear the blue and white dress that the character "made" from the curtains. haha.

Here's a photo of me and hubby after the wedding, still undoubtedly enchanted with each other. :-P


Happy New Year!

Confessions of a chocoholic

Hi. My name is Meleen and I'm a chocoholic.

No, seriously.

When I was working in Advertising, I handled Hershey's as one of my accounts. When I first met the Client, they had a fishbowl filled with mini Hershey's chocolates on the table during our meeting. I told the Client I was a chocoholic. He just gave a polite smile, maybe thinking that I was just patronizing him. Ten minutes into the meeting, I had already gobbled seven mini- chocolate bars and was unwrapping my eighth bar. With an unbelieving look, he told me "wow, you are a chocoholic!." Told ya.

But I wrote to share about my new chocolate find. Classic Confections in Greenbelt 5.

Ever since I started working in Quezon City four years ago, I've really been out of touch with anything and everything in Makati. Not that I miss Makati that much -- the awful traffic and all -- awful is such an understatement. I keep telling people that if I probably add up the time I spent going to and from work in Makati for nine years, I must've wasted my life in traffic for at least 6 months.

But I digress.

Just a few weeks ago, one of my sisters and I visited Classic Confections. I've heard so much about CC in several food blogs so I decided to do some sister bonding and get some cocoa rush at the same time. I admit, I was a bit disappointed when I found out that CC only served desserts. I hadn't had dinner yet but since I was already there and didn't want to move to another location, I opted to just have cookies and coffee while my sister opted for some Hot Chocolate.

I wasn't able to taste my sister's hot chocolate but from the look on her face when she first sipped from her delicate little cup, it was a drink worth going back for. The cookies were ok, not too sweet and just the right fudgy-crumbly feel.

While waiting for my cookies, what also caught my attention were the sugar cookies on display. I decided to buy the flipflop design for our youngest sister and a soccer ball cookie for my son. But because my son decided to postpone eating the cookie the next day, his dad beat him to it. Awww.


Since I had read so much about CC's Nono's Chocolate Oblivion, I bought a petite version to try at home. One of these days, I'll try Meline's Chocolate Cake as well -- just because its name sounds like mine. Haha.

Aside from cookies, CC also offers mini cupcakes and other chocolate-covered goodies wrapped in plastic bags or pretty golden tin cans.

If you have a chocolate-themed wedding or would just like to give away something to munch on rather than a keepsake that might just be one of those "dust-gatherers," you might want to visit Classic Confections and take a look at goodies that you might like as your souvenirs. A little chocolate never hurt anyone...uh, unless you're allergic to chocolate. I'm so glad I'm not!

Wedding dash

I haven't been playing computer games in a quite a while. My sister told me that there's an updated version of Wedding Dash, a cute game about a wedding planner/coordinator. This is the "cousin" of the famous Diner Dash where a waitress, Flo tries to serve several types of characters.


Of course, this one's just a game, but imagine all the game challenges happening in a real wedding --- I don't think there'll be wedding coordinator left in this world, unless you're a masochist. Imagine rowdy, drunk or demanding guests that you'll have to manage, or dogs and bees at a wedding, how about a cake that keeps wanting to tip over?

The fun part of course is deciding on the type of cake, flowers, food and honeymoon destination of the couple based on their preference. Like most wedding-related things, I love this game!

Magazine magnet

Wedding magazines, that is.

From my last count, I think I have around 30 books and magazines about weddings, maybe more. Magazines with wedding cakes, dresses, souvenirs, flowers. I never really intended to collect them, but ask any collector, that's how collections usually start. You buy one and you get hooked.

Now why do I keep buying wedding magazines if I already got married four years ago? And don't these magazines print the same thing for every issue -- gowns, veils, make-up, etc.?

I guess I just really like peeking into other people's weddings. I like looking at ceremony and reception set-ups. Everything's usually frilly and light and romantic -- even if the theme was goth or the colors used were darker than the cliche pastel palettes, love permeates through the photos and even goth can make you all giddy. :-)

Also, unlike new restaurants that I can easily visit or movies I can watch when I feel like it, I really don't think I can go to weddings everyday or even every year. I'm not a politician or a celebrity or goodness me, is there such a thing as a wedding critic whom people would like to invite to their wedding? Almost all of my first cousins and my closest friends are already married and it will be quite a while until the next batch of cousins start getting married. So, I resort to buying wedding magazines or when I'm not overly busy, I drop by wedding fairs. :-)

Posted here are the latest wedding inspirations I bought. Of course, nothing beats the sheer delight that a Martha Stewart Wedding magazine brings. I can gush all day looking at the pretty pictures. Martha's really great with details. Also, compared to our local magazines which have a gazillion ads -- yes, I know, there wouldn't be a magazine if not for the ads -- Martha's wedding magazines really bring out new ideas.

If I'm not mistaken, long before Wedding Essentials or Metro Weddings, Summit Media was the first local (premium) magazine to come out with a wedding magazine -- Cosmo Bride. This was discontinued after only two years (or was it three?) for reasons unknown to me. But hallelujah, this September, Summit Media will be launching Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines. Here's the write up I got (in verbatim) from the Summit Media site:

Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines to launch in September 2008

The premiere name in wedding magazines is now in the Philippines: Martha Stewart Weddings. Summit Media has scored another coup by being the first publisher to launch Martha Stewart Weddings outside the United States.

Martha Stewart Weddings sets the standard for the bride and groom. The magazine takes the couple from the engagement to the honeymoon, inspiring them to imagine their ideal celebration, then giving them the information and advice they need to bring their vision to life. The magazine will provide the bride and groom all the details they can use to make their wedding day truly their own—from cakes and correspondence to flowers and favors and all the elements in between.

Edited by Tata Mapa and led by Associate Publisher, Tara Santos, the magazine will take the best of the American edition while making it relevant for every Filipino bride. The local edition of Martha Stewart Weddings will include ideas and inspiration that work in the Philippine context.

Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines will be released in September 2008 with a cover price of P295 and will be distributed in bookstores, newsstands and wherever Summit magazines are found nationwide.

Happy, happy, joy, joy! :-)

Lately, Wedding Essentials magazine has been putting more substance to balance the usual mock set-ups and photos of accessories, flowers, gowns, and other wedding paraphernalia. WE usually features charming set-ups to give readers suggestions on how they can make their weddings stand out versus the let's-get-this-over-with-I-really-don't-care-about-the-decor kind of wedding and that's the kind of wedding magazine I like. I usually steer away from the American wedding magazines which are not only doubly expensive than their local counterparts, but have too much of gowns and too little relevant articles that are not that helpful in planning a Filipino wedding.

WE magazine recently featured brides in colorful wedding gowns. Of course, my mind was saying "that was me four years ago" -- I swear, my fashion sense is so futuristic.

One of Wedding Essentials' mock up settings

And so, I shall probably continue my wedding book and magazine collection for as long as I can -- maybe up until I can publish a book or magazine of my own. :-)

*no copyright infringement intended

T for Two

Four years.

It's been four years since I was a bride. Then I turned into a wife. And now a mother of two.

I'm guessing my almost five months of absence in the blog world is already an indication of how hectic work life has been. Hubby and I have just been shuttling in and out of the house to work, sleep, eat, work again. This was why I wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary by going out of town.

I took a leave on our anniversary date and after we dropped off our eldest at school, we took off for Tagaytay. I made reservations at T-house, a quiet, little boutique hotel nestled at the Tagaytay Ridge. If you took the Sta. Rosa road like we did, take a left and you'll see T-house on your left in less than 5 minutes, of driving that is. If you pass by a church, the Ina ng Laging Saklolo, you've missed it. The church and T-house are literally next door neighbors.

I made reservations for lunch -- for two. You could say it was simply serendipitous that since hubby has been recently on a healthy-eating streak, T-house was the perfect choice. We usually celebrate our anniversary at hotel or restaurant buffets because of hubby's insatiable appetite but this year was different. (Although I did bring my Mandarin GCs for a possible buffet dinner too, in case he got hungry later on. Haha.)

So off we went to Tagaytay. To set the mood, hubby was playing some songs from his ipod, songs which were played and sung during our wedding ceremony and reception. Awww.

Fortunately, the traffic was light that day at SLEX and in about an hour and 15 minutes, we arrived at T-house. It was everything the website said it would be. Once you enter, you would want to stay the entire day, or even overnight. Birds were twittering, fountains a-gurgling, the T-house staff moving about -- unhurriedly gardening and spreading out new table cloths for the outdoor tables. It was I like I died and went to stress-free heaven. A momentary escape from the endless clicking of keyboards, tooting of horns and neverending meetings. I've been kidding my officemates recently that my life has become a series of meetings, peppered with oculars and events. Even my gym instructor and massage therapist have been a cause of stress because they've been constantly calling and texting me to book a schedule with them. Talk about pressure.

But back to my Zen moment.

Happily, and slowly walking -- gliding is more like it -- through the Zen-inspired pathways, looking above at the fruit bearing trees where T-house gets the harvest for making their own fruit jams, I was living in the moment of tranquility. Darn, I can live like this!

The sofas at the reception area

The dining area - al fresco on the 2nd floor and indoor on the ground level

Entry to the dining room

It was a late lunch so hubby and I went straight to the dining room which was, unlike city restaurants, uncluttered and relaxing. You'd really think time was suddenly slower than usual so you could enjoy your meals properly. Bite, taste, chew, savor. It was like the movie Ratatouille's lead character, Remy the Rat, delightfully relishing every flavor and texture of the food he ate versus my daily "I-just-need-to-eat-now-so-I-can-meet-a-deadline" kind of lunch.

We had two different set lunches so that hubby and I could poke each other's food and taste more for our first visit. In our excitement, or maybe due to hunger, we weren't able to take photos of the first part of the meal, the soup. T-house usually serves four kinds, although one of the flavors, Broccoli and Almond was not available so I had a double dose of the Carrot and Coriander soup. My hubby is not a big fan of mushrooms, except perhaps for Mushroom burger, so I finished his mushroom soup as well. He liked his tomato soup so much that I only managed to grab half a spoon just to taste it.

Next was the salad. I must say I loved the smokey flavor of the grilled vegetables, laced with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Hubby's salad was sweeter, with slivers of dried mangoes and cubes of kesong puti (white cheese).

T-house salad on top, grilled vegetable salad bottom

I was busy taking photos outside the dining area when the main course arrived so I wasn't able to take a picture of hubby's rack of ribs before he dove into the perfectly mashed potatoes. I have very bad photos of my own meal, a fillet of mahi-mahi with a sauce whose name I forgot that camouflaged slices of mushroom and capsicum. Yey! More mushroom for me! Somewhere between tasting hubby's dish and finishing my own, I actually felt full already. Imagine that. Ready for my dessert!

The mahi-mahi. I warned you it was a bad photo. :-P

And there it was, two shot glasses filled with mango and green tea panna cotta.

Mango Panna Cotta & Green Tea Panna Cotta

Banana-langka crumble

Knowing me, I would've finished both flavors as well as hubby's banana-langka crumble which was piping hot enough for the sweetness to slither its way from my tiny spoon to my tongue. Oooh. But alas, I wasn't able to finish dessert. Perhaps the peace I was imbibing from my surroundings was enough to satisfy me. The food had served its purpose of nourishing me. Yet my soul was the one who was yearning for more. A tiny voice was nagging me as our car exited T-house's driveway -- "Do I really need to go back to work tomorrow?"

That's me and hubby with our unica hija, Iya.
Behind us is T-house's display case of homemade fruit jams, bagoong and cookies.

In the car, I was already conniving with hubby to spend New Year's Eve at T-house so I could get the total T-house experience. I gave myself a mental note: Must reserve soon, because December is usually fully booked.

Since Tagaytay weddings have become popular, I would recommend T-house either as a preparation venue for the bridal party and/or where you can have your honeymoon. Complete with a spa, T-house is really the venue that will help you relax as you go through your last minute wedding preps.

You might even want to consider giving away T-house goodies -- fruit jams or cookies or even the treats from the spa like soaps, scrubs, even mosquito repellants.

I wasn't able to inquire whether the next door neighbor (Ina ng Laging Saklolo) accepts weddings, but if they do, you can at least be sure that the bride or groom won't be late for the ceremony. :-)


T House
3195 Calamba Road, Tagaytay City
(046) 4830011, (046) 4830012
0922-8THouse, 09163684918, 09289409954
www.THouseTagaytay.com