Gallery by Chele, A Great Intimate Wedding Venue

What makes Gallery by Chele a great intimate wedding venue? 

1) it’s a restaurant — most of the community quarantine declarations give restaurants the chance to operate, albeit at a limited capacity 

2) it’s in BGC so there are several churches that are pretty close by including Santuario de San Antonio, Magallanes/ St. Alphonsus, St. Michael, Nuestra Senora de Gracia, Sacred Heart, and Trinity (Christian Church). My couple in photo below with my coord team after the reception had their ceremony in Magallanes Church. 

3) it has an outdoor area so it’s perfect for those who would rather dine al fresco since it has been deemed safer (this area can double up as ceremony area also) 

Sorry failed to take a photo of the outdoor area but it has lots of fans, it’s L-shaped, and it has several tables. Here’s our photo (hubby and I) at their al fresco area.

4) it has great food that people can’t really have in other restaurants or with other caterers since the menu has been carefully curated & every bite has several ingredients & flavors. Below is the menu card of one of their tasting menus. The collage has some of the food items served. Yup, there are 9 items there are there are still others we were able to taste that aren’t in the collage. 

The kare kare in one bite was surprising. It came to us looking like balls on top of a bowl with pebbles. It also had a bagoong mayo dip which complimented the beef inside the ball & made the taste different yet still one that I could relate to — because of course, who eats kare kare without bagoong, right? 

The salad is memorable and perfect for al fresco dining. It had a pineapple dressing which was so refreshing. 

During the appetizer/bites part of the service, we had 2 seafood items — Uni crisp and the ube taco — then they served this yogurt with berries, honey, and other great stuff. It served to cleanse the palate and prepare for the next onslaught of savory items including the unique takoyaki and the chori burger which I would want 10 of. Haha! 

The mains were octopus that was made with inasal chicken marinade — so it’s something that’s not common yet common as well. The iberico with bokchoy and the tenderloin with swamp cabbage were filling but not enough to make you feel bad and stuffed.

Midway, we had this great charcuterie board. I loved how dense their bread slices were, and the different stuff we could eat with the bread — chorizo, duck, pastrami, pate, jam, mackerel, & picked veggies. 

I know you’re thinking ... why isnt she talking about dessert? Here goes. We had a mango pavlova — perfect for a summer evening and my request, the bibingka cheesecake. Love that they served it as though they were really cooking with coals. 

Oh I just need to post about the chicharon which accompanied the iberico... so light and airy... we got the taste of chicharon without the difficulty of biting and chewing. It was the same great and surprising texture as well when we ate the sliver of chicken skin on the inasal octopus and the vegetables accompanying the mains. Melt in your mouth goodness ❤️

Filipinos need rice, you say? Say no more. They had adobo rice to accompany the tenderloin adobo :) 

Ok I know your mouth is watering... but back to the point of the article, why is gallery by chele a great intimate wedding venue... :) 

5) it has a smaller room which can be booked for the retouch and mini meal of the bride and groom prior to the beginning of the reception program 

Bonus reason: they do sit down service so guests don’t need to stand up and line up with people they hardly know just to get food from the buffet. They can enjoy the program and their meal together. 

An envelope for your mask :)

Their bites/appetizer/cocktail time plate — took a quick photo before they served. 

So if you’re looking for a venue that can also provide a great food experience, check out Gallery by Chele. And if you need an efficient coordinator and/or a classy yet lively emcee, talk to me :) 

What are the groom’s details?

Groom’s have stuff to bring, too. In fact, prior to the wedding, I would advise grooms to go to the mall and fit barongs (2 different collars) and suits, so they can assess which one matches their body structure and skin tone. Then they can confidently book a supplier for their desired attire (suit, tux, or suit barong), and they can also designate what everyone else in the entourage should wear. 

Days leading up to the wedding, the groom should complete his details for the shoot during preps of the wedding day. 

Here are the usual details. Please note that boutonnieres are for suits and tuxedoes. A barong should not have a boutonniere. In case the coordinator doesn’t know where to pin, pls remember it should be on your lapel, not the pocket. 

There you go, you’re all set. Spare the bride the task of packing because you can do it on your own. :) 

Looking for a coordinator/planner or an emcee, talk to me — darlenetansalazar@icloud.com :)

What’s in your bridal bag?

What items should you have in your bridal bag? 

Take a cue from one of my brides, bring your own water tumbler that’s insulated so you can have cold water all the time especially during your post nuptial shoot. (For my brides, don’t worry, your bridal manager will always have a wrapped straw in her bag.) 

Medicines are important especially if you have allergies, migraine, or other conditions that need specific pills. 

You don’t need a lot of make up, just extra lipstick in case there’s a problem and powder or oil blotter. 

Extra shoes are good but better if you can choose comfortable shoes so no need to change and cause the hem of your gown to sweep the floor. 

Oh and don’t be like me: I forgot to bring make up remover on our wedding day. I guess it’s because I don’t really put on make up most of the time — so yeah, good thing my sister-in-law was in the same hotel. 

If you have other ideas, do post them as comments :) 

Need a planner/coordinator or an emcee? Let’s get to know each other. Message me :) 

#theweddingtipsheet #weddingplanner #weddinghost #Darlenetansalazarweddingemcee 

#perfect10weddings

Achieving Maximum Guest Participation during Your Wedding Live Stream

 Ed and Cha experienced 4 ceremony venue changes and 3 reception venue changes. But those did not stop them from having a really heartfelt and fun wedding day a few months ago. Check out the photos of Myio Okamoto Photography (grabbed the one below from him, too).

To date, I think theirs was the wedding with the most participation from zoom guests — at least among those I emceed. 

How did they do it? 

1. They delegated. The maid of honor couldn’t make it, so she was in charge of managing things remotely. She was the one handling our live + virtual trivia game, too. Oh and she also gave a message via zoom. 

2. The best man was also helping to manage things virtually. They had a padlet for guests to leave messages and they had virtual games so they could be kept busy while the bride and groom had their post nup. 

3. They sent food to their guests so these guests could celebrate with them. 

4. Because they had a lot of virtual guests, the maid of honor and best man set up rooms via zoom so group pictures could be more intimate. It simulated the usual group photos done during meal time since only those who knew each other were in the rooms for photos. 

5. The couple had time to interact with virtual guests per room because it was sit down service with several courses for the guests who were physically present, so they had to wait for each course to be served. And yes, they were not a huge number. All were close to the couple so even if our reception length was a bit long, no one left. 

Personally, it also helped that: 

1. The connection was stable. Live streaming service for this day was handled by Hello & Co. Cinema — also their videographer that day. They had a separate team for it. Hilton Manila has a good location with stable signal. 

2. They had a great big screen that was vivid so we could really see the guests and how they were reacting. Their LED wall was from Metrotech Projector. 

3. We had good sound & lighting support from Nine2one Pro Lights and Sounds. No song out of place. All of the virtual guests who were asked to speak were heard properly. 

4. The coord team made sure things would be seamless. Good job Kiss The Girl Events. 

5. We spent time planning every detail of the program. Love that Ed and Cha kept me (their emcee) in the loop the whole time. So it helped me get to know them and be comfortable with them as I emceed their program 🙂 

#Theweddingtipsheet #Weddinghost #darlenetansalazarweddingemcee

Of Wedding Shoots & Pets Part 3

So I promised a three-part series so here goes. Let me address fellow suppliers who will have shoots with dogs & cats. 

I am a furmom of German shepherds, huskies, an English bulldog, a jacktzu, and aspins. I also have persian cats and puspins. 

Here are my top 5 tips: 

1. Let the dog smell you — it’s the way the dog gets to know you. If you are too scared to have this happen, then perhaps, a shoot with dogs is not for you. Photo below shows Kyuubi, my favorite among the dogs of Dog Coach Francis & Irene. This was after I emceed their reception program. 

2. Let the cat come to you. Cats have their own way of dealing with strangers. Definitely though even with their owners, they don’t want to be stroked one too many times or touched when they don’t feel like it. (This is my H & he doesn’t like strangers. Enola, our puspin, doesn’t like being touched but he will rub on his own accord.) 

 

3. Be ready to take candids. These dogs and cats have their own ways of posing. You have to be ready at all times. This is my Kendra. Got this photo as a screenshot of our video together because I couldn’t get her to pose long enough to take a selfie. Below is JJ who suddenly came over carrying a coconut. Third photo shows all 3 boys running after each other. 

4. Bring treats to catch their attention. But do check if these are hypoallergenic and if the owners are ok with you actually giving the treat to the dog/cat. Use it as bait if the dogs/cats have allergies to the ingredients. Look at alex (bulldog), he has allergies so some treats can’t be given to him but can be used to bait him to look at the camera. 

5. If dealing with a German Shepherd mom or dad, do not approach or get too close while holding something that the dog could mistake as a weapon. Do not touch the furmom or furdad as well. The gsd could take it as a threat. Let’s avoid accidents. (This is JJ, and it’s because of him we learned about the stuff in tip #5. He has a warning bark though so nothing untoward happened.) 

Shoots with pets can be fun. The results can even go viral.  

The owners just need to give the photo and video teams as well as the HMUA and stylist’s teams a briefing regarding their pets just so the shoot will proceed smoothly. Oh and yes, owners, do make sure you have a place for pets to rest — away from strangers and stress after the quick shoot. If prone to bloat, don’t give them water or food right away after a rigorous shoot. If all poses though and it’s warm, then water would be fine. 

If you’re having a wedding with dogs and cats & you need a planner or an emcee, talk to me. :)