In this post, I mentioned my preference for old, historical churches. But if I can’t have it, then I’ll gladly settle for a small chapel. Although this church is by no means a chapel, it’s small enough to exude a feeling of intimacy and serenity. Inside, I instantly noticed it’s stained glass windows complemented by the brass iron doors and an old-fashioned yet uncluttered altar (much to my delight because I don’t like altars that look too crowded).
Actually, we were able to find a suitable venue first before we scouted for the church. We chose San Vincente de Ferrer Parish Church because, apart from its lovely interiors, it is within comfortable distance from the venue (some 15-minute ride). It’s also conveniently located along the national road which makes it accessible to guests, commuting or bringing their own cars.
I may not have my old, historical church or my small chapel, but I knew we found “The One”.
Rating: 2.5/5
We love this church for its simplicity and a chapel-like charm. But I expected a more than simple church setup for our wedding. Certainly something better than this:
We were disappointed, not only because there were very sparse flowers on the aisle and the altar (my coordinator commented that there were more electric fans than flower stands) or at least they could’ve put swags to compensate for the minimal floral arrangement, but also because they asked for our color motif but didn’t consider it when they “scantily” decorated the church. I wish we got their basic package instead and just hired a local florist to beautify the church.
But I give the them good points for having very friendly personnel and for being lenient about certain requests.
We’ve got a handful of local venue choices. But upon setting our first sight on Viewfort Resort, there was this feeling, the “this is it” feeling that almost made me jump for joy. The place is spacious, and the hilly landscape, dotted with trees, reminds me of one area in Tagaytay’s Picnic Grove. We worked our way up the slope to the place where they hold parties and events. Atop the ‘hill’, there’s an open courtyard, a gazebo, a small pool and a guesthouse. There are also room provisions for extra accommodations. But what reeled us in was its reasonable rate. The whole resort can be rented for 12 or 24 hours, unlike other venues where basic rental period only covers a few hours. Although during our correspondence with the resort’s coordinator, we realized that because we’re only interested in the venue rental and won’t avail of the all-in-one wedding package that they are offering, we would end up paying a host of additional fees. But despite these, we knew this is the best we’ve got on our list and decided to stick to it because it was love at first sight.
Rating: 5/5
Love the venue. It perfectly lent itself to our country-style wedding theme. The guesthouse, although a little worn out, was spacious enough for three families. The whole resort is great for photo ops, especially for very artistic photographers.
If you’re planning a wedding in the south (San Pedro-Binan Laguna, Carmona-GMA-DasMa Cavite areas) I highly recommend this place. And get one of the casitas for the bridal room. The rooms at the guesthouse are not very appealing for pictorials.
The only thing that didn’t sit well with me was it’s not a one-event-per-day venue. Someone booked the function hall on the same day as we did and the guests were free to loiter anywhere. We asked some personnel to put up a No Entry sign near the reception area because a lot of our stuff were there.
The place was magical at night time and enchanting at dawn (especially during cold months). It sits on a hill and is overlooking nearby areas (my aunt claimed that you can make out Manila from there). But I would advise against booking the place for noon to late afternoon reception, unless you’re planning to rent tents. The sun can be so unforgiving during these hours.
For pictures, you can check out their site’s gallery or view some of our wedding photos.
