My Black and White Affair: The Suit and the Gown - Divisoria Gowns and Suits Review

I know I am kinda late for my reviews regarding my wedding suppliers but I just want to share where my husband got his suit and my wedding gown. 

Aside from the wedding venue, what made my head spin were the wedding gown and the groom's suit.

I really did not want to spend a lot on a dress that I will wear only for a few hours. So I had two options: 

a. Rent a gown 
b. Buy a gown from the ever-famous Divisoria. 


Together with my bestfriend, Mr. Google, I did some research to check out which option was better. I also tried calling several shops just to check out all the possibilities. Here's what I found out: 


Pros of renting a wedding gown and a suit: 
1. Designs - the designs are just amazing :) The wedding gowns looked like they were made by famous designers. Of course most shops copied designs from the internet but honestly, the wedding gowns look pretty. Same goes to the suit. 

2. No need to dry clean, the shop will do that for you. 



Cons: 
1. First, I thought it was cheaper to buy a gown in Divisoria but I was wrong. The price of renting a gown is just the same as buying a gown in Divisoria. The price would range around PhP6,000 - 9,000 depending on the design and availability. 

2. I knew I will be having problems with the sizes of the wedding gowns. Some shops didn't have my size :( 

3. Obviously, I don't get to keep the wedding gown and the suit. 


I decided to go for OPTION 2. One month and two weeks before the wedding, my husband and I rushed to Divisoria to check out the wedding gowns.


The 168 Mall Experience 

So finally, we arrived at 168 Mall to check out some gowns. I was advised to go to Tabora and Ilaya streets for cheaper wedding gowns but because my husband really hates waiting, shopping and walking through a battalion of people under the heat of the sun , we decided to go to 168 Mall. 

Credits to: http://www.whereinmanila.com/168-mall

I couldn't take photos at that time because my mind was sooooooo occupied with the preparations. 

The bridal section is located at the 4th floor and there's another bridal section that was about to open at the 6th floor. 

Here are some tips that I can share for those who will be going there for the first time:
1. Always take your time. As soon as you get to the bridal section of the mall, a lot of salesladies, seamstress and shop owners will approach you and tell you to check out their gowns. Most of them will really do their best to convince you to buy their gowns. BE PATIENT. There are a lot of other stores that you can check out. 

2. Ask for a calling card. Once you have checked out their gowns and find something you might be interested in, ask for a calling card so that you will remember where you will find that shop. 

Here are some of the calling cards I collected. 

3. Ready-made gowns are PhP3,000-PhP5,0000 cheaper than made-to-order gowns. Ready-made gowns are the gowns that are already on display. The one that I got was a ready-made gown and you won't believe how much I got it. :) 

4. Haggle. Haggle. Also, ask for freebies. Ask if the accessories such as cord, veil, pillows, tiara, etc will be included. Some shops will be willing to give those stuff for free if you just know how to haggle. :)


5. Prices will soar high during these months: JUNE, NOVEMBER, and DECEMBER. I got this info from all the shops that I've been to in the bridal section.


6. If you will have your gown made, you have to allot at least two months for them to finish the gown. When we were there, we could hear some customers shouting in frustration because either their wedding gowns were not yet done or the size/design were wrong. :( 


7. Before you take photos, ask the shop owners first. Some stores do not allow taking of photos. 



The Gown and the Suit

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to choose a gown at the bridal section located at the fourth floor. My budget was PhP6,000-7,000 for the gown but most of the gowns that I liked had a pricey tag - from PhP10,000-PhP12,000. I was more after the PRICE of the gown. There were actually gowns ranging P3500 to P6500 but I really didn't like the design or the cloth. My husband was already complaining because we kept on walking and looking but I still couldn't find a CHEAP wedding gown that I like. 

We decided to check out the 6th floor of 168 Mall. That time, the whole floor wasn't completely open and only 5-6 stores were open. The 6th floor was being made into another bridal section. 

Then I saw this ball gown with a black belt (my theme for the wedding was black and white so it really caught my attention). It didn't have any beads, crystals or other stuff embedded which I totally love.

When I asked the lady how much was it, she said it was for sale for PhP 5,000!!!!!
That was amazing! She said that if we wanted to include the wedding ceremony accessories like cord, veil, pillows etc., we had to add another PhP3,000. Not bad. 

I tried the wedding gown on and it didn't exactly fit on the waist. I had to lose 2-3 inches for the gown to fit perfectly. I still had one month to go before the wedding and I was optimistic to lose weight.

Without any hesitation, the gown was sold to me. :) I still couldn't believe that the gown was worth PhP 5,000! 

And this is what the gown looks like: 

  

My husband's suit was also a good buy. We found a shop that makes good suits. I am not good at men's clothes but according to my husband, the way they sew the coat, the fitting, and the cloth used were all perfect. Would you believe that we bought his 5-piece suit for only PhP5,500? Yes, a 5-piece suit (coat, vest, pants, tie, and the trousers) costs PhP5,500. 

The Entourage

I also bought the dresses for my bridesmaids at 168 Mall. I had them made from the from where my husband also got his suit. When I saw this dress, I immediately asked for the price. They asked for PhP1,500 but I bargained for PhP1,000 (yeah, I am that kuripot). Unfortunately, we ended up on a PhP 1,200 deal. Not bad though. :) 

I didn't like the white belt so I asked them not to include that. TIP: Long gowns / dresses costs a little bit higher than cocktail (short) dresses, around  PhP200-400 difference. 

I preferred my entourage to wear cocktail dresses instead of long gowns not because they are cheaper but because they can still be used again for any simple formal occasion. For me, it's not practical to buy a dress that costs PhP1,000 - PhP 2,000 if you will just use it once. 

My brothers were part of my entourage. I wanted them to wear something that they will be comfortable but doesn't look too formal. I decided to let them just wear white long sleeved polo shirt with suspenders and bow tie. (I was CROSSING my fingers and hoping that the waiters will not wear bow ties that day!). 

Bow ties costs PhP 150/pc in 168 Mall. Suspenders costs PhP250 / pc. Since I was going to buy 6 bow ties and 6 suspenders, I was able to get a discount. I got the bow ties for PhP 100 and the suspenders for PhP 180. It was a deal. The store where I bought the suspenders and bow ties gave me a huge discount because I bought my brothers' polo shirts in their store. 

TIP: Try to look for a store that sells everything that you need. Once you buy a lot from them (especially if you will buy in wholesale), they can chop a big amount from your total bill. Buying in wholesale gives you a right to haggle. 
My script: (Me haggling for the 150-peso bow tie) "Sige na ate, PhP50 na lang kasi bibili naman ako nang anim at bibili pa ako sayo nang 3 polo shirt."  - Too bad the sales lady didn't give in for PhP50. hahaha!


And this is what the dress, the bow tie, and the suspenders look on my entourage! 

My brother preferred to wear black sneakers instead of wearing leather shoes. They looked like hippies but I love it :) 


For the flower girl, I also bought the her gown in 168 Mall and it just cost PhP1,000. I just added a black ribbon around her waist, similar to my gown :) 

For the ring bearer, coin bearer, and bible bearer, I just bought bow ties and suspenders for them. Honestly, the little guys looked cute!

And of course! How could I forget our maid of honor and best man! We didn't have to spend a single peso for their suit and dress. And their outfit just matched our theme :) 

The PESO POWER of DIVISORIA:

This is what we have spent for the gown, suit, bow ties, suspenders, and the cocktail dresses: 

My Gown: PhP 8,000 (wedding gown + the long veil + accesories like the veil, cord, pillows, and that cute little thing were you put the coin)

My Husband's Suit: PhP 5,500

Three cocktail dresses: PhP 3,600

6 pcs. of bow ties: PhP 600

6 pcs. of suspenders: PhP 1,080

Flower girl's Dress: PhP 1,000

Maid of Honor's dress: none

Best Man's Suit: none
_____________________________
TOTAL: PhP 16, 180.00 



I am so glad I went to Divisoria. I was able to save a lot for the suits and gowns. Everything was a good buy. :)