[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Since the holidays had just passed, we couldn\u2019t help but wonder what it\u2019s like for wedding suppliers to work on Christmas or New Year\u2019s eve\/day?<\/p>\n

You might be surprised to find out that some weddings are held on these most important dates of the holiday season but it\u2019s not common, that\u2019s why we were curious how it was for them. <\/p>\n

So we asked. And we received some really interesting answers from them too. Let us share with you a glimpse of a wedding supplier\u2019s life during the holidays!
\n[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_image type=”none” src=”http:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Different stories from different folks<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ones we talked to each had a different take on their experiences. Photographer Mimi Abesamis said that everyone at the wedding was so relaxed even when it was raining hard that day, including the bride who wasn\u2019t worried about her wedding being delayed by an hour. \u201cShe was the only one getting married in the chapel that day anyway,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Noel Salazar, a photographers, also said that although he missed joining his family\u2019s Christmas Eve dinner, the couple who got married made them all feel welcome and fed them well. <\/p>\n

He also pointed out that there was no traffic going home from Tagaytay where the wedding was held. \u201cAs we were on our way home, there was no traffic, no toll fees…things that normally happen only during Christmas Eve.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

But not all weddings during the holiday season turn out to be as pleasant. One coordinator felt the pressure from wedding guests who kept asking what time the ceremony was going to end. \u201c(From the) point of view of the couple, it was just an ordinary day given they belong to a religious denomination that does not celebrate Christmas, but sa point of view of the guests, you see they are reluctant and just wanted to be with their families. They kept asking if the program was going to be long.\u201d
\n<\/em>[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_image type=”none” src=”http:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]The Family Factor<\/strong><\/p>\n

What about their families? Did they mind being away from their families? <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt frustrated and remorseful that I accepted what was supposed to be time spent for family,\u201d<\/em> coordinator Berlyn Yap admits about her experience. From thereon, she had been declining work from December 20 and only resumes on January 5 so she can celebrate the season with her family. <\/p>\n

Liza Alviedo, also a wedding coordinator, shares the same sentiment. \u201cFelt guilty sa family, because we still had so many family gatherings and activities that was cut short because I needed to be in Manila… Felt inggit (envious) also seeing families together sa lobby lounge Ng Manila Pen (where the event was).”
\n<\/em>
\nShe continues, \u201cI will never do it again… Family muna talaga, young pa ang kids, they need to feel the importance of choosing family first.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, photographer Noel Salazar says that he wasn\u2019t married when he accepted work on New Year\u2019s Eve. \u201cI lived in Ortigas that time, and the wedding was in EDSA Shang, so lapit lang (the venue was near my place). Pero kung medyo malayo, maybe magsecond thoughts ako (But if it\u2019s far, I will have second thoughts about accepting). Tsaka hindi na ako papayagan ng asawa ko (Also, my wife will not allow me),\u201d<\/em> he laughs.<\/p>\n

Photographer Ayvih Delos Reyes said they didn\u2019t mind accepting work on Christmas day of 2011 because they didn\u2019t miss anything anyway. <\/p>\n

She explains, \u201cWe didn’t miss any of the festivities naman the night before so okay lang and our staff are not drinkers so no one’s hung over. Puyat lang (We lacked sleep).\u201d
\n<\/em>
\nNoel Salazar agrees that it depends on the time of the wedding. \u201cI wouldn’t mind, IF say, it was a morning wedding of Dec. 24.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Others think otherwise.<\/p>\n

“Thinking about it,”<\/em> says wedding coordinator Teena Barretto, “December 24, 25, 31, January 1 lang ang pahinga ‘pag December (December 24, 25, 31, January 1 are the only rest days). I’d give those days to myself. Now that I have a family, I really limit December bookings na.”<\/em>[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_image type=”none” src=”http:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Do wedding suppliers charge extra on holidays?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mimi Abesamis said that their Christmas day experience was unplanned. They did not expect their client to agree to them charging extra when a fellow supplier asked them if they were willing to cover a wedding on Christmas day. \u201cThe client was willing, so there, our first Christmas Day wedding booking.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

According to Teena Barretto, \u201cAt that time, (the standard was) base rate plus out-of-town fee plus holiday surcharge. I wasn\u2019t able to do double rate because of the affinity.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Teena\u2019s client, the mother of the bride, was referred to her by a very good friend of hers.<\/p>\n

Ayvih Delos Reyes said that their client doubled their rate. <\/p>\n

Berlyn Yap, though, didn\u2019t charge a higher rate. Neither did Noel Salazar. \u201cFor me walang logic to charge more just \u2018cause it’s peak season or Christmas. It’s the supplier’s choice naman to accept or not. Although syempre, kung mamimigay ng pamasko yung client, hindi naman ako tatanggi, haha (but of course, if the client is generous, I will not refuse)!\u201d
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI was actually blindsided. Client booked na blank day pa in January, according to her she has yet to finalize but she just wants to book me na para sure (to be sure),\u201d<\/em> Liza Alviedo reasons. \u201cI actually charged extra when client revealed na January 1, kasi double pay ang staff (the staff was paid double).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mimi Abesamis experienced her Christmas day work at a time she didn\u2019t have kids yet. \u201cWe probably won\u2019t be doing it again now, unless the price is right, haha!”<\/em> she jokes.<\/p>\n

[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_image type=”none” src=”http:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_blockquote cite=”Noel Salazar, Photographer” type=”left”]\u201cAs we were on our way home, there was no traffic, no toll fees…things that normally happen only during Christmas Eve.\u201d[\/x_blockquote][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_image type=”none” src=”http:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]More than the fee<\/strong><\/p>\n

We asked our suppliers the difference between covering a wedding on Christmas or New Year compared to regular days and most of them didn\u2019t think anything was particularly different.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn’t feel like the couple or the guests minded that it was New Year. It was just like a “normal” wedding day. It was a Chinese wedding of around 500 guests, maybe more and the ballroom was full,\u201d <\/em>says Ayvih Delos Reyes.<\/p>\n

For Teena Barretto however, \u201cWell, guests either attended to party the night away or for attendance checking only then fly na. I had guests coming in and out. There were guests arriving for the countdown party, and other guests leaving right after dinner to make it to their family gathering.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe groom specifically wanted a photo with the Christmas tree,\u201d<\/em> says Noel Salazar, then adds, \u201cWhat’s nice is that I think I was able to have a bond with the other members of the team, because parang just for that one night, kami-kami lang ang “magpamilya” na magkakasama pauwi sa van (For one night, we were like a family sharing the same van on our way home).\u201d<\/em>[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]All photos by Paul Vincent Photography.<\/a>[\/x_text][\/x_column][\/x_row][\/x_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1\/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Since the holidays had just passed, we couldn\u2019t help but wonder what it\u2019s like for wedding suppliers to work on Christmas or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":13571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,81],"tags":[175,174,176],"class_list":["post-13543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-featured","tag-christmas-wedding","tag-holiday-weddings","tag-new-years-eve-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingsatwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}