Elite Food Menu for Special Occasions

In whatever occasion, FOOD has always been a constant highlight of any event. This is the part of the party where people will truly enjoy. Good food and good company of friends and family make every occasion the best of all celebrations. It is important that Food is the first and foremost priority when throwing a party.

When it comes to wedding banquet food, some couples can be very picky according to their guest list. But most events serve food that are widely accepted according to the location and culture of people. Different culture have different food choices. To give you an idea on how to choose your wedding menu, follow these simple tips:

• Build your guest list. When inviting people for your wedding, you can ask for their food preferences. Ask them if they are allergic to something or if they have diet restrictions. This holds true especially to advance aged guests and guests with frail health.
• Go General. If you don't want to go the hassle of waiting for reply from people, you can go for generally safe and acceptable food menu. Usually, safe choices are fish, vegetables and meat recipes.Other high protein such as lobsters, prawns, crabs are allergy triggerring food choices.
• Go with the Theme. Some events have strict theme concepts that even food menu choices are related to it. For example, a wedding with beach theme could use a food menu consistent with salt and fresh water creatures. Stone crabs are one of the most popular delicacies when it comes to seafood along with large prawns and lobsters all related to under-the-sea and beach themes. For the sake of sensitive people, you can also serve fish recipes as well.
• Balanced Menu. A balanced menu consists of an appetizer, main course, soup, dessert and drink. You can follow this structure or you can also add as many food choices as you can if you want the guests to have their fill during the event.

The Unusual Delicacies

Weddings are usually not the best time to serve recipes with shells especially when it consists of crabs, but to be able to do so is a privilege of the elite. Some events, even formal weddings, serve seafood delicacies but less the shells. This will make guests enjoy the sumptuous taste of prawns, lobsters and crabs without the hassle of soiling their hands from removing the shells from its meat. Other caterings and hotel restaurants most especially high end five star food services have their waiters remove the shells for the guests. People love the taste of crab meat because of its softness, texture and a plethora of pleasurable palate sensation that meets the choosy tongue.


In the USA, Canada and as well as in other countries worldwide, seafood is for the privileged few especially when it comes to rare seafood creatures such as large stone crabs, large prawns and the very elite lobsters. These seafood ensemble would usually cost higher but they are more patronized because of their fulfilling taste that surely satisfies every hungry palate.

If you are living in USA and Canada, you can actually enjoy the best of the ocean can offer with Florida's finest stone crabs supplier - the Uber Stone Crabs. Go to uberstonecrabs.com website and check out their choices for stone crabs at very reasonable prices. You can place your order and receive next day delivery assuring freshness and high grade premium quality stone crabs that you and you family and guests can enjoy for your meals or for special occasions.

Uber Stone Crabs offers stone crabs according to Colossal (1-2 Claws per pound), Jumbo (3-4 Claws per pound), Large (5-6 Claws per pound), and Medium (6+ Claws per pound). Visit their website today and talk to their live online help from their very friendly customer service staff.

Stone crabs are best for family and friends gathering, dinner parties and even ordinary little celebrations just for two. Make simple achievements  and good news worth celebrating with the right kind of elite food choices such as stone crabs and many more!

The Marriage Proposal: Steps on How-to

Weddings are not anymore the sole highlight of orchestrated efforts these days. Men are giving more thought on how to propose to their girlfriend - either intimate or with a flash mob, but always wanting to document everything especially using real time video documentation. Soon to wed couples also give more time in their Engagement Shoot frantically conceptualizing their dresses, make up, location, props and costumes. Although it all leads to the wedding day, preparing for it has never been more hectic.










The Marriage Proposal: Asking her to marry you and getting that "Yes" you deserve

The digital age has given everyone power to create their own movies. The help of friends and family make proposals more exciting and emotional at the same time. If you want to make your marriage proposal unforgettable, well recorded and making sure of getting the 'yes', you can opt for the following suggestions:

• Before buying that ring and possibly draining all your savings to it, you must first get to know your girlfriend's thoughts and feelings about marriage. Talk to her in a casual conversation and find out if what she wants for your relationship 5 years from now, ask if she wants to have kids in the future and what kind house she wants. Just because she is very much in love with you and you have been together for quite some time doesn't guarantee that she would want to spend forever with you anytime soon.  Research on her goals and find out if she's ready to settle down. You would know she would want that family when she gives you hints on having a house together, raising a family with you, and anything that signals FOREVER is a good sign.

• After making sure that she is ready for a lifetime with you, then you can scout for an engagement ring. This is the tricky part. You must know her ring finger size. If she is fond with accessories, it can be easy to just get one of her fancy rings, bring it to a jewelry shop and have the jeweler get the size. But if she has no fancy to rings, you can ask help from her best friends, mother, or sister to get her ring size for you. If you want to really do it your own, you will have to risk devising a way to get a hold of her hand and measure it without raising suspicion from her. For engagement ring designs, you can opt for vintage, unique non-diamond or your family heirloom ring. Just make sure you have the right fit and right budget for it. If she is the practical type, the price of the ring would not matter.

• Conceptualize your proposal. Imagine if she would want a flash mob proposal, in front of family and friends or just an intimate marriage proposal between the two of you. 

• Document your marriage proposal. Ask your friends, brother, sister, family to help you with the marriage proposal so that they can be your production staff and camera men. 
• Location, location and location. The location is very important because it determines how she'd respond to your marriage proposal. If there are too many people, she might feel embarrassed. If it's too private, your crew might have a hard time recording the scene unless you hire a professional photography and videography team. 

• When the right day has come, learn to relax if you can. Think of it as just another casual date so you can act as normally as possible. 

• Perfect moment. The perfect moment is when you feel that you have already made her so comfortable that she doesn't have a clue that you are going to bend down on your knees and ask her to marry you!

Most of all, be ready for her "Yes" and make sure that your crew has got it all rolling in the background to capture that perfect moment of pure bliss between the two of you. Enjoy the feeling and enjoy the moment. 

Watch her excitement to start planning for your wedding too. If you are the type who wants to things to be preserved properly, you definitely need a full services wedding planner to assist you in planning and getting the suppliers that will help you achieve your desired goal in having a perfectly well planned and preserved highlight of your story of new beginnings.

Non Traditional Engagement Rings

Diamonds have been so overly commercialized that it has gained a lot of popularity and fame  when it comes to wedding and engagement jewelry. While diamonds are beautiful stones, there are still many non traditional engagement rings that are equally worthy to drool over and fall in love head over heels with especially for women. When you are thinking of a unique engagement ring that's not as expensive and as general as diamond, here are non traditional engagement rings to choose from:





Sapphire Engagement Ring.  This has been widely publicized as Prince William gave her mother's (Princess Diana) heirloom sapphire ring to Kate as their engagement ring. This fabulous and sophisticated pacific blue stone has been known to the Greeks as "The Stone of Destiny" since it has been associated to clarity of the mind and perception.










Amethyst Engagement Ring. This purple beauty is known to protect the wearer from fearful and guilty feelings. It is also associated with wisdom and has healing properties with the problems of the blood and breathing.













Opal Engagement Ring. Often associated as the stone of great achievements, stone of hope and the ring of the gods, this magnificent stone has been formed a million of years ago. It has very powerful healing properties that soothes erratic emotions and gives you courage.

Peridot Engagement Ring. This ring has its first discovery in Egypt thousands of years ago. It has been mentioned in the bible and ancient manuscripts and considered holy. It is associated with purity and morality. It looks like emerald with its green color but it has lighter hue than emerald gemstone.








These are just some of the many ideas for non traditional engagement ring available. There are many more gemstones used to make non-diamond engagement rings. You may also want to give her gemstone of her birth month. With different meanings associated with the gemstone, you can pick out the one that will truly fit her personality. A little research about her will do a great wonder and will make the proposal more meaningful since you put in more effort into making every detail fit. Remember that love is all about your action. The more you show it in your actions, the more love you have for her.

Halloween Themed Wedding Ideas

I know it is still the month of July but I am very much fascinated with Halloween Themed Wedding Ideas. I think it's a very interesting, contradicting and out-of-the-usual theme for a wedding. Halloween is associated with death and the life after death and to incorporate it to a wedding which is associated with new life and new beginnings is a whole new unprecedented way to correlate two seemingly opposite idealogy.


I did a little research on some photos of Halloween themed wedding ideas and found these photos. Would you rock this wedding theme? Most photo inspirations showed black and orange colors as the most popular Halloween theme wedding ideas. I should say BLACK and RED are more "eery" color combination than any other color in the color wheel. Black is strongly related to unknown, darkness, and the other side of goodness while Red is associated with blood, gore and oozing things.

Surprisingly, below are some photos I grabbed from one of the websites that feature local Pinoy celebrity rock singer Jay Contreras and his wife Sarah Abad. Their very unique and quirky pre-nuptial photoshoot took place in a cemetery and they both donned white mermaid wedding dresses!

They incorporated black and red wedding motif that made the whole halloween theme wedding ideas rock on!

The Philippine traditional weddings are still widely preferred by most couples to wed. With the strong influence of religion in the country, not many people would deviate from what is acceptable and normal. Still, I would love to be part of a very wacky, tacky and mind blowing wedding creation.

Halloween themed wedding ideas are unique but I am very sure there are other ideas more far fetch and ingenious than that!

I may be posting more about not your usual wedding ideas here soon.

Tete-a-tete!

First of JULY

It's the first of JULY 2013 and it signals the first day of the second half of the year. It is usually these times that people start booking for their Christmas affairs and other special occasions which will be happening in the - BER months.


So what's up with today is that my blog has a new domain name. It changed from leahjacobeweddings.blogspot.com to my official domain name of  leahjacobeweddings.com.


I have always wanted to have a personal domain name and once more the year 2013 has delivered the dream! I am every eccentric to write more relevant topics about weddings in the Philippines to help more and more couples particularly those who want to have their weddings held in General Santos City, the city of future promises.


This Month of July will be jampacked with lots surprises from yours truly because I just love giving away freebies!


Topics will be more focused on helping people in their budget including tips on how to save on their wedding budget and event planning budget. The influx of people searching for wedding costs in the Philippines have been tremendous so I am writing more about these topics!


Thank you readers for stumbling upon my humble blog. I hope I can be more of help in my blogposts in the coming days and months!

If you have suggestions and comments, feel free to email me anytime at leahjacobe@gmail.com or leave your comments here. I will be prompt in addressing all your concerns!


Cheers to new beginnings!

"Every event deserves exceptional execution without excess expense."

Pre-Nuptial Photoshoot Checklist

In these modern days, weddings have become more creative and artistic. Prenup Shoot has gained a lot of attention including setting up and styling a prenup pictorial session.

More and more couples take this chance to become their own celebrities and models in their engagement pictorial session. Sadly, most couples do not consider prenup stylists to assist them in their engagement photoshoot.

A prenup stylist is someone who is very creative in providing prenup props and ideas for pictorial shoot. He/she provides the couple with the props they want to incorporate in their photoshoot. Sometimes, photographers and videographers provide the props but wedding planners/coordinators are now becoming pre nup stylist themselves as their experience in weddings are great advantage in designing and styling prenup also. Wedding set up decorators are also experts in setting up a photoshoot concept.

When seeking the assistance of prenup/engagement stylists, you must bear to mind to have everything included in their package to cut the hassles of contacting too many suppliers.


PRENUP STYLING PACKAGE and SERVICES usually includes one or more of the following:

• - provide prenup concepts, ideas and location suggestions
• - provide prenup props and set arrangements according to agreed concepts
• - provide make-up artist during the day
• - provide prenup attires and apparel fitting suitable for the prenup theme
• - provide meals for the couple and crew
• - contact the transportation to be used 

When I was planning the wedding of Brett and Daisy, both are living in Australia, so I had to get creative on how they want their engagement photoshoot will look like. I produced everything you can see in the picture below including their attire.

During my sister's engagement shoot, she wanted to have an indoor set up with lots of balloons and so this was what we did with the photoshoot set up and the suspended balloons were a timing shoot while we, the coordinators, threw the balloons on the air and exited sideways to prevent ourselves from being captured on camera:

By hiring prenup stylists, you can free yourself from the stress of having to bring the props all by yourself and contacting the transpo and the photographers and providing meals for the team. You will only focus on your poses and your smiles during the entire photoshoot while the coordinators will take care of everything else.

Need more ideas for your prenup shoot? Contact me anytime at 0949 770 28 29

Wedding Planner Consultation Services ONLY

It's the last day of June 2017 and so our promo ends. Regular pricing is now up for those who want to avail the Full Wedding Planning Services. Thank you to all who viewed and was curious about the promotion.

Anyway, for the frugal brides and grooms, sometimes all they want is guidance on what to do with their wedding planning but don't know where to go or where to begin their planning process.

Good news for those who want to get professional wedding planning consult but not entirely letting the wedding planner do all the job, Leah Jacobe Weddings is now offering 

WEDDING PLANNING CONSULTATION SERVICES ONLY.

What benefits you can get from this?

• Full Wedding Planning Concepts
• - choosing a theme, color, motif
• - advice on the right bridal dress and groom outfit
• - what decoration to put in the church and reception
• - what are the best cake designs
• - how to choose souvenirs and giveaways
• - how to choose a photographer and videographer
• - things to do in specific timeline
• - advice on wedding day coordination
• - ideas on wedding honeymoon
• - program creation
• - wedding timeline
• - 24/7 online communication through text, email and social networks for two weeks time
• - many more...

Learn more about wedding planner consultation services by personally contacting the wedding planner, Leah Jacobe at leahjacobeweddings@gmail.com

Call or text 0949 770 28 29

=)

Greenleaf Hotel Gensan: An Experience of Luxurious Grandiose

General Santos City is rising. I have seen how this city is trying to cope with the changing times and how its people are becoming more and more attuned with the competition in progressing cities. Malls have been improving and I can truly say that in the two years since I decided to follow my heart in this sleeping dragon, it is gradually steaming off some heat. Soon enough, this dragon will unleash its fury and Gensan will be able to compete with other leading cities in the country, if not the world.

I can say this very positive outlook because I have seen how General Santos city has accommodated growth and expansion over the last decade. A healthy commerce is booming with SM, Robinsons, Gaisano and KCC malls constantly competing each other in the daily business arena. Moreso, the presence of grand hotels in Gensan and inns sprouting suddenly like mushroom is an indication of influx of people visiting and staying in Gensan.



Having said this, just this afternoon, I roamed the city and went grazing to the direction of the newest and grandest hotel in General Santos City, The Greenleaf Hotel Gensan, which is still in completion process and will have its soft opening on the first week of July 2013. Being a wedding planner, I have this habit of checking out best places for wedding in Gensan and function halls for great events and truly I have set foot in one grand luxurious hotel in the heart of General Santos City.




So I walked towards the guard  who was stationed outside the building and courteously greeted and accompanied me to the main entrance of the hotel. Upon entering I was greeted with this modern stylish information desk with its mirror mural wall. The staff spoke fluent English, friendly and courteous attitude with clear diction and intonation. hmmmm.... My first impression, wow, am I still in Gensan?

I was told by the receptionist that I will be entertained by one of the sales staff and there she was a few seconds after, I was introduced to Miss Rhea and she gave me a detailed and well explained tour in the lavish rooms and functions of the hotel.

Facing the front desk area, you will notice on your left this grand cascading royal carpeted stairs that will make you imagine a princess or a bride in full ball gown gloriously descending on the stairs. Such a fancy thought! Surely, this can be one of the best places for wedding in Gensan.

Then just a few steps from the grand stairs is the lounge area where you can have a small chit chat meeting with your business associates or friends. They have a small pantry section by the far end that serves coffee, snacks, and healthy treats.

This is the Delux Twin Room. In this picture, I was given a chance to have a glimpse in their showroom where people are allowed to enter for a tour to see what's inside. From the name itself, TWIN, they have two beds that is large enough to fit for two persons and still has a spacious area for the make up artist photographer and video coverage during wedding day preparations.

 They covered the bed with white sheets to protect the bed from dusts and debris since it is just a showroom at the moment.

Their flat screen wifi ready tv hung steadily on the mirrored walls.

 Their toilet has all the amenities you need: towels, soap, shampoo, and many more.

 The walls have art and built in ref you couldn't see from the photo. Just beside the closet is the ref with lots of finger foods to indulge of course with a price.

 These led lights in the shower room changes color. It turns red when its already warm in temperature, said Miss Rhea.

The toilet with its bathroom wall bamboo designed tiles.











Let's skip to the part where events happen. The photo below is their function room that can accommodate upto 60 persons. It is great for small group seminars and presentations.

 This photo is a snapshot of their grand ballroom that can accommodate upto 500 guests. The very thing that caught my eye is the spiraling design of ceiling led light chandelier crystals! It has so grand effect that you will truly feel very rich and famous being inside the hall and I should say indeed this is one of the best places for wedding in Gensan.

The black rectangular portion is where a very huge LED screen will be installed. It's so huge that it can be used as a backdrop by itself.









Well, as of now, this is all I am going to write about this fabulous hotel. I should say I was one lucky astray wedding planner in Gensan to have stumbled into an experience of luxury hotel grandiose in this tuna capital city. There are still more amenities they offer that I have not mentioned here. Maybe in the future when they professionally ask me to feature them, then I will gladly oblige. I just know that Greenleaf Hotel Gensan will be part of the best places for wedding in Gensan.

You can visit their facebook page here.  You may also get information in their official website here.


I would like to personally thank Miss Rhea for the wonderful, very detailed, very well explained tour inside this luxurious world class hotel. It was such a pleasure to talk to her as she was very easy to understand and very friendly too. I also met other hotel staff that are very professional and courteous too. Indeed, they have been trained well to greet everyone they meet.

I would love to be there for their opening ceremony as I have personally loved the concept of mirror inspired hotel! I sincerely hope I can hold a wedding here soon. Greenleaf Hotel had me at hello earlier today!

How to Pull Off a 60th Birthday Party with Limited Budget

A year has passed before I was able to update my blog about the events I have handled in the past three years. I realized I have stopped featuring my clients events and instead shifted my blog topics to wedding planner advice and tips on weddings. 

This time I am going to write about my mother's 60th Surprise Birthday Party of July 21, 2012.

April 2012

The idea of throwing a party was far fetch since our family has been into a lot of financial struggles and a birthday party with a limited budget was impossible to pull off. So the conversation about mom's 60th birthday was just random and we talked about eating out just with the family.

May 2012

With very few pennies in my pocket, I wanted to give my mother a decent birthday bash and did not know how to come up with a budget. I was still penniless because of my heavy investments in my very infant events and wedding business. So I drafted a budget: Fifteen thousand Philippine Pesos (P15,000). 

June 2012

I didn't exactly know what happened with the world this month, GOD moved the people to seek out for my services. Luckily, I got two events for this month. I saved my salary from my Writing job and my Events business to hit the budget. I planned for a semi-surprise party since I already mentioned to my mom before that I'd take care of everything and did not divulge any information about it anymore.

July 2012

The beginning of this month was all miraculous. I was contacted by a Manila-based Corporate Events specialist, Preconcept Design and Display Works, for a 3 day hosting job for a product launch. I gave them my rate and they agreed immediately. I was so humbled before GOD who provided in such perfect timing with the amount I needed to buy stuff for the party. The event was held on July 17, 18 and 19, 2012 and my mother's birthday fell on a Friday, July 20, so I told her that we'd celebrate it on a Saturday so there'd be no work or class.

July 20

Relatives from afar arrived and they stayed at my uncles house. My mother kept asking me where to get the money, what will happen, how many people are coming and how to throw a birthday party with a limited budget . I just stayed mum about it all.

July 21 - THE 60th BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

8am - I contacted my friends who worked in a restaurant to cook  the food. 

10am - My assistants helped me put up the balloons and decors. My cousins and relatives also helped. My mom also helped in preparing the house. I think she already had an idea that there was going to be a program of some sort. But I kept preparing and told her to relax and not to worry about anything.

5pm - I told my brother to take mom to the hair and make up artist. While mom was with the artist, I instructed him to pick up the Lechon which was also a secret.

6pm -  I contacted mom's coworker to lend us some food warmers and also to be part of the program. The cake from my event cake supplier, Mam Gloria of Sweet Advocate, personally delivered the cake and cupcakes. She had magically stretched out my very little budget for cake and her chocolate moist cake was awesomely tasting good!

7pm - All set. The program I prepared started rolling. So here are some pic mementos of that very Divinely intervened event of the year:

It was a fun-filled love-abode semi-surprise event with family and friends from all over Mindanao to take part in this very special occasion. I must say truly GOD PROVIDES indeed! Before the event, I didn't know where or how I could come up with the funds to spend for a birthday party with a limited budget ! 

Our guest count was 60 guests. I will be breaking the budget accordingly as follows:

• Food and Chef: 3,500
• Lechon: 3,500
• Cake: 1,500
• Tables and Chairs Rental: 200
• Flying Balloons: 300
• Decors: 1,700
• Mom's Dress and Hair and Make-up: 500
• Souvenirs: 800
• Transportation: 200
• Logistics: 300
• Miscellaneous: 1500

TOTAL: 14,000

 The biggest cost cut was the venue. The party was held in our house so there was no venue rental fees. I also did not opt for invitations since it was supposed to be a surprise. I really gave priority to the food since people enjoy a good party because primarily of the food next to program.

But of course, I also sought for sponsors to really trim down the costing:

Tarpaulin - My Brother-in-law
Big Cake - My Cousins
Softdrinks - My Aunt and Uncle
AVP Presentation - Norman James Lindo
Projector - My Friends
Manning and Assist - My Relatives
Transportation - My brother's car
Logistics - My Sister
Food Tray - Mom's Friend

I guess the part where you can save much from throwing an event really boils down to your resources. For the limited budget birthday party like I had, I had to really do the foot work to find ways and means to come up with alternative plan in case the original plan didn't work out. All in all, I should say it was a very successful event because everyone went home happy. That's the measure of a successful event - happy clients and happy guests!

I hope you got something out of this post! For more inquiries on how to plan an event without budget drain, email me at leahjacobeweddings@gmail.com

Happy thoughts only!