Friday, July 20, 2007

Levels Of Difficulty

Each gown we make has a certain level of difficulty. We’ve found a way to measure it so we can incorporate it when we compute the cost.

But this is one level of difficulty that i won’t be able to measure ....

Met up with a mom and a bride a few days ago. And the conversation went like this

Me : hello po, good afternoon po.

Mom : (looked at me from head to toe) ...ah. .wala ka ba mga gowns dito, yung mga gawa mo?

Me : ay meron pong kaunti, yung mga gowns na ready for pick up, tsaka some pictures po of previous gowns we’ve done. We don’t really make gowns that are not meant for someone. (mental note – finish those samples for display!)

Mom : uhhmm patingin ha (went to the rack and inspected everything) even those that are meant for fittings, she even went to the fitting room to check on the gowns. Niko was there with an entourage and both of them gasped when she peeked without even knocking.

Bride : mom, look at these pics o! Gaganda ng gowns nya talaga!

Mom : o sige, patingin. Hmmmmm anong tela yan? Maganda yan. Patingin pa ng iba.

Me : ah pina silk po (hay salamat! Mukhang okay naman pala)

Bride : ganda sya gumawa ng pina mommy no? Parang gusto ko nga rin pina eh. Kaya lang mahal yata, gumagawa ka rin ba ng hindi pina? pina lang ba ang kaya mong gawin? Ganda ka rin ba gawa ng hindi pina? Kasi sabi nila magaling ka daw eh, pero parang sa pina lang? ....

Mom : oo nga, sabi nila magaling ka daw, pero la ka naman samples, sige patingin ako ng iba mo pang gawa.

Me : (grrrrrr... ) ah gumagawa rin po kami ng hindi mga pina, marami rami rin po yun. . ah how did you find out about us?

Mom : eh ito kasi anak ko, yung barkada nya ,ang hilig sa computer, internet – internet, ayun, nakita ka nila. Tapos yung friend ng friend nya, kaw daw gumawa, (mentioned the name of the bride) kita ko nga, ganda naman... eh magkano ba yun?! Di yun pina, ayaw ko ng pina eh, pang-matanda!....Yung maganda bagsak, malambot lang.

Me : ay pina cocoon po yun. Wag na po yung price nung gown nya, di ko po kasi binibigay yung presyo ng gown ng brides ko eh. Baka po kasi magalit yung bride. . .Sketch po muna ako? Kasi po we don’t have fix prices, we compute po based on the design. Upo po muna tayo? Kanina pa po tayo naghahabulan eh, heheheh

.... do you have any picture of your preference? Para more or less, i’ll have an idea of what you want?

Bride : eh sabi nila magaling ka daw eh, kaw na mag-isip.

Me : eheheheh (sapakin ko kaya to?) in a jokingly manner – ehhehe sino ba nagsabi nun, masakal!

Okay po sige, san ang wedding, you want a long train ba? Si ___ kasi haba train nya eh.

Mom : oo gusto ko mahaba, madaming beads ha.

Me : gulp.. okay po, so hindi po pina no?

Mom : oo hindi, pangit pina eh, pang matanda!!

Went to the rack again and pulled one train, ...

Mom : “ eto ganda to! Ganito, ganito gusto ko! Ganda oh, dami ng beads o, ang kintab kintab”
“ uy, uy uy tulungan mo ko!” . (She signalled to Niko who was then passing by. She pulled the train hard that some beads got stuck on the hanger). “ Wait lang po.. ako na po” - Niko

Me : eh pina po yan eh . .

Mom : ay ayaw ko nyan! di maganda! Baka naman pina lang kaya mo ha! Gusto ko yung kay Claudine, ganun gusto ko! Puti....

Me : ay biglang pumangit? Hehehe Niko, pakilabas mo nga yung gowns na hindi pina.

Looking at the pictures on my laptop . . : eto eto eto maganda oh, hindi pina!! Pero maganda! (pointing at two brides wearing Italian Satin and Mikado Silk), ayan ayan, maganda! Pero gusto ko mas madaming beads dyan ha, puro Swarovski!! Addressing her daughter – wag ka mag-pina! Pangit!

Bride : gusto ko kasi yung makinang talaga at pagdating ng reception mag-iiba na ha

Niko butting in . . . ay ok po, gumagawa rin kami ng mirror ball!! Transformers pala naman ang gusto Tita eh.... Niko stood beside me while sketching.

Niko : O ang ganda nyan, hindi po yan pina! Mikado ba tita? Sandali kukuha ko ng Mikado . .

After presenting two sketches which they both liked, thankfully. I presented the fabrics and discussed the embellishment Gave them the price . .

Mom : ang mahal!! Eh mabuti pa ibaba mo ang presyo mo.

Me : ehehe, ayan po talaga eh. Kasi sabi nyo po gusto nyo ng maraming beads di ba? Ang dami po nyan!

Bride : mom, gusto ko sya talaga eh, ganda naman talaga di ba?

Me : (wag na, please please) uy thank you po

Mom : o sige na, magkano na? Magkano na? Mura lang gusto ko! Bawasan mo yan ng 30 thousand!

Me : gasp!ay naku tita! . . eh, ano po ang babawasan ko? Tanggalin ko na po ba yung train?

Mom : wala ka ng ibabawas! Presyo lang!

Me: eh tita hindi naman po pwede yun.. yan po talaga ang presyo eh. (Juice ko! Ano ba ito!)

Mom : naku naman, ang mahal mahal eh, bawasan mo na (this time, it was a sweeter tone)

Me : Tita, pag-isipan nyo po muna, di naman po tayo nagmamadali eh.. Yan po talaga ang presyo kung ganyan po kadaming embellishments ang gusto ninyo. Gusto nyo po babawasan ko yung embellishment. Maganda pa rin naman po yun. Tsaka para po di rin masyadong mabigat.

Bride and Mom : eh maganda yan eh!

Me : ay thank you po, sige po pag-isipan nyo po muna. Tawagan nyo na lang po ako kung ok na tayo.

Mom : basta tatawad pa ako! Lahat ikaw na gagawa! Bigyan mo ako ng package price!

Niko who was hiding from afar,wide-eyed, was vigorously shaking his head. .

Me : okay po tita, tawagan nyo na lang po ako...

Mom : babalik kami ha, bawasan mo presyo mo. Sabi nila magaling ka eh. Kaw na ang gusto ko! Sige, galingan mo!

And they left.

And they left me dumbstruck.

Juice ko! Help!

50 comments:

d3nd3n said...

ay ganun? so parang ayaw ko na yata mag-pina kasi pangit daw. bwahahahaha! ano bah! sana nakasabay ko sila para masaya. :) winner ang hirit ni niko. transformer na may mirror ball. :)

i emailed you po. mukhang very busy ang beauty ka lola.

Anonymous said...

haha, panalo yung mirror ball hirit ni niko! :P

Faye said...

asusmaryosep! gusto mo ako SUMAPAK?! dios ko day ano yun nakikipag-tawaran sa divisoria! ang demanding nya ha! at excuse me! ano'ng pangit ang pina? helloooo... grrrr!!!

uy tumawad ata ako before pero di naman ganyan kalala!

Unknown said...

haha, ayos hirit ni niko ha?! Transformers! shuks Veluz, the things u have to go through, di bale, lunok ka na lang :) naku, pina pa naman ako, patay! pang matanda pala un! hehe....
K lang yan, labs ka nman nmen eh :)

marie
1.6.8

Tin-Tin said...

kelan kaya ulit ang punta ng mga yan? txt moko para masapak ko! hahaha! pang matanda pala ng pina ha... igawa mo na lang ng cocoon... as in plain cocoon lang! hahaha! mahadera ha! kainis! =)

panalo tlaga si niko humirit! i looove it! =)

Anonymous said...

mirror ball! transformers! WE LOVE YOU NIKO!!!

veluz said...

hahahaha!!

hi girls!
buti na lang meron akong Niko no?
ayaw ngang bumaba ang kilay ng bakla eh, naka-alis na sila, nanlalaki pa ang mata ni Niko! pag nagkataon daw walang soles ang shoes nya, puro pako lang! hahaha!

Peachy said...

hello veluz.. peachy to.. kamusat naman. buhay pa pala ang blog mo. actually buhay pa din ako .. kamusta naman ang gown ko jan?? LOL.. uy sorry at di ko na nakuha.. dont worry, pwamis puntahan ko para maka musta ko naman. hihihi! dami chika! nag uumapaw! wasnt able to text u coz i have a new number na. will get ur number sa W@W.

uy, teka, grabe naman tumawad yan.. 30K?.. bakit hindi pa nya hiningi ung gown? yun bang tipong libre na lang.. hahaha! pati ung mirror ball, libre na rin ni niko..

il text u.. promise yan! dun ko kunin sa quirino ha.. thanks.. nobela na ito.. :)

Peachy said...

inggit din ako sa brides mo. seksi! naku, ganyan ako dati, taba ko na :) si erika may nail spa na sa greenhills ( chika pa talaga ako eh)..

ito na ,.. seriously, gaganda talaga ng gowns mo! galing galing talaga. kaya lang sana may pics din ng shoes ;) alam mo naman, shoe addict pa din ako.

see you soon! good luck in everything :) regards to niko

Anonymous said...

hi! i'm a "fan" of your works, but i can't afford it kaya patingin-tingin nalang ako sa blog mo=)

grabe naman yang prospective client mo! unsolicited advice, i-doble mo price mo para di ka nila ma-afford... hehe... obviously, they liked the gowns that they saw, but the mom's claiming pangit etc para makatawad pa sya...

ganda talaga ng gowns mo=) pag nakaipon na ako, sana you can do my gown pag silver wedding anniv ko na (matagal-tagal pa yun coz ikakasal palang ako hehe)

great duo talaga kayo ni niko...

=ayi

frecklesspeckles said...

excuse me... paki sabi dun sa nanay bagay sa kanya ang pina! pang matanda ha... iniimagine ko nga na abot noo na ang kilay ninyong dalawa ni niko. sabihin mo sa kanya kapag less 30K yun price, train lang ang makukuha niya... wala yun gown! At sorry ha, plastic bag nalang at bakya ang kasama dun. *LOL* buti pala cute si dex kaya labs niyo pa rin siya kahit pilosopo sya tumawad. HAHA...

flowerdrumsong said...

Wow, the nerve! Can't you actually tell them that you're super booked already so you won't have to deal with them!?!? (might be a lie but I'd rather nip it in the bud - that sounds like a real stinky situation if you go ahead with it.) Niko - ganda na hirit mo - nagets kaya nung nanay?

Anonymous said...

ms.v , babaan mo na! 30K lang naman ang tinatawad e. bwahahaha

autumn said...

was i that bad? bwahahahaha :-P

veluz said...

peachy!!!!

punta tayo sa nail spa ni erika!! na-excite naman ako dun! sige sa susunod magpo-post ako puro shoes lang, sa yo ko dedicate hahaha!

hi ayi!

thanks for dropping by, balik ka ha and enjoy your preps! :-)

wanda,
sabi nga ni Niko - anuvah! hindi na lang hiningi ang gown! hahahah
cute si dex no! kaya kahit makulit okay lang :-)

weng,
na-miss ko bigla ang taray mo!! hahahaha

bong,
feeling ko kaya tumatawad kasi kayo ang gusto i-book eh! kunin ba sa akin ang pang-onsite hahahah!

lagot ka!

autumn,
uy di naman!! ... you were worse! hahahahahah ;-) miss you autumn :-)

Unknown said...

mama v, pwedeng kwentuhan mo kmi kung may follow up pa ung mag-ina? hahahah.. kakaaliw un transformers at mirror ball, go niko! buti na lang malakas ang pigil powers nyo, aja!

Anonymous said...

Ate V! Gawin mo pina parin yung gown pero wag mo tanggalin yung MATA!!!! HAHAHAHA! :)

CJ

Anonymous said...

hi veluz! buti na lang, nd pina ang gown ko! hahaha! dapat sinabi mo sa knila na ung asking price nila e pang peticoat lang. bili na lang sila sa divi, mahahassle ka pa! tsk tsk...

tell them, they get what they pay for. hmpf!

panalo si mirror ball =D

Unknown said...

Ms. V!

Hahaha! Panalo ang bride na yan! Ang saya-saya! Hahaha! Mura lang naman yung tawad. Sa 30K, makakakuha na siya ng coordinator at makeup artist! Hahaha!

I-refer mo nga sa Threelogy para matuwa sina Bong at CJ!

:)

Clarice

veluz said...

korek ka dyan cj!

as in pati dahon ng pina, ikakabit ko .... sa veil! hehehe

binigay ko talaga number nila Bong, Clarice! makaganti naman! hahahah! naghahanap nga ng coord eh, hmmmm sino bang kaaway ko?

hi che!
di ko nasabi eh, na-shock kasi ako :-( takot pa naman ako sa mga mommies. :-(

hi aslee!
sige update kita, eto lang yata ang pag hindi nag-book, magpa-party ako! hehehe

Lea L. Atacador said...

Hi V!! Lea Atacador here... di ko naman cguro referal yung mag ina ksi lahat ng nakakita ng piña gown ko loved it!!! Hay V! pwede bang tumangi ng customer??? kakainis naman yun!!

Please tell niko hello from us...

NTW, I gave birth na to a healthy baby boy.. :)

hope to see you soon... :)

Orange Git said...

Hi! I've been a quiet reader pero di ko kinaya ang mother and daughter tandem na ito! Kakaloka. Sana magpagawa na lang sila sa friendly neighborhood mananahi, dun mura.

Now that I'm here, I just want to say I love your gowns. At contrary to what that mom kept repeating, hindi pang matanda ang piña! If ever I get married, dapat Veluz ang gown ko ;) at gusto ko may piña! hehe. i told my friends na nga na if they have to eat McDo sa wedding ko para lang magka Veluz gown ako, I will do it.

You're one fabulous designer!

veluz said...

halu ms. leang maganda!!

uy na-miss ko naman ang fashionistang bride ko!! at smoking partner ko hehehe how are you! sino kamukha baby? kakatuwa naman! so na-endure mo ba walang yosi nung buntis ka? heheheh anything for the baby, i'm sure :-)

hope you and your baby are well, please say hi to Francis ha :-)

veluz said...

hahahaha!! love na kita bigla orange git! :-)

i'm overwhelmed by your comment, thank you thank you po :-) keep on visiting ha and i hope you get married soon :-)

i'm sure super ganda ng wedding mo, may mascot eh! hahahah joke lang po :-) tc!

Anonymous said...

hi veluz!

grabe, nakakaasar yung mag-inang iyon! how ignorant can the mom get?! i hope you don't have to deal with them anymore.

regards to niko and your family. :)

Peachy said...

hey,

i will see you soon and i have something for you! naku, dapat may gift din ako kay niko dear :)

il check ur celfone number at the site or ask ko pala si erika...

thanks;)

Anonymous said...

bwahahahaha halos mamatay ako sa kakatawa! the best talaga si niko!kakaloka ang mother...ms. v, hindi kaya taga wow mali yun?! hahaha :) gosh, does that mean na tumatanda na nga din talaga ako? super love ko ang pina gowns eh! hehe :)

ingats...see you soon!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Candy :) said...

excuse me?! ano daw yun? hehe. ms v. good luck po! hahaha...

ms v, i never looked for any other designer because of one gown that i saw... it was a pina silk gown (con-con's) when i saw that gown, i knew that you had to do my gown!!! wala nang iba! "sabi nila galing mo daw e" hahaha

FX, Rx, Mx and MLE said...

Hi Veluz! Grabe, dami nag-react dun sa bride and mom story mo ha! dapat talaga gumawa ka ng libro full of anecdotes hehehe. naaalala ko pa yung mga sari-saring kuwento mo tuwing may fitting ako hehehe.

Waaaahhhh natatawa pa rin ako sa hirit on the pina! Ang saya kaya ng pina cocoon gown that you made for me :)))))). Si Mama nga nag-pina din --- ang galing galing mo nga eh! Did you know that Mama will wear the same gown for Sharon Buenaventura's wedding in LA? Di ko na nasubaybayan --- hope all is going well with Shawie's and your long distance fittings! Malapit na!

FX and I are doing well, eto pa rin ako sniper sa wedding sites ninyo nila Mimi and Jody. Talagang may wedding hangover - pero di pa rin tapos yung pagpili ng wedding photos, at pagsulat ng testimonial sa W@W (laki na ng kasalanan ko!).

Ingat lagi. Big hug to Niko and you!

Sa binyag ng mga babies, nag-de-design ka ba in pina? :)

Anonymous said...

miss v! kagandahang odha here!!! waahhh, now ko lang nabasa to... ganyan ba ako nun?! cute naman ako tumawad di ba?! hahahahah!!! huy miss ka na ni arnold... favorite ka nun eh!

Anonymous said...

Hi ms Veluz!

Ann here, yung bride na di pa makapag-decide kung alin sa ni-sketch mo for me ang pipiliin ko. pareho maganda e. hehehe...
Ngayon lang ako uli nakapagcheck ng blog mo and whoa! muntik na malaglag panga ko sa mga hirit nung mother&daughter na yun! hahaha!!! oo nga, galing ng hirit ni niko! winner! hehe...
btw, nagpalit ka po cp number? i've been trying to col you kase pero wala e, di ko makontak. try ko na lang siguro sa landline. =) God bless!

Jaja said...

Hi veluz!

I so love your gowns.. sinilip ko lang blog mu ulit (after so long!!!) tapos updated na sya! yey!

naloka ako sa post mu!!!

love ko pina.. anu beee.....

galing ng powers nyo!!! ano na balita after? hehehe... abangan ang susunod na kabanata!

Anonymous said...

hello ulit, now ulit nakadalaa and updated ang blog ha!

natawa naman ako dito...natuloy ba pagbooked sa'yo well goodluck! hehe regards to Niko

Anonymous said...

i was juz surfin d net searchin for good wedding suppliers..den i saw your site..den this blog..kaloka po tong story n to,nanggigil me while reading this!

i love your gowns but im not sure if i can afford to have a veluz wedding gown..sguro pde, pero nkajeans nlng abayz ko :)

seriously po, i fell in luv with your gowns! ms veluz, can u pls send me a quotation (just a rough estimate of d cost) for an affordable wedding gown..cheapest siguro..hehe(slightly beaded with removable train), plus simple gowns for my mom, 3 abays, and 2 flowergirls? (im askin 4 d cheapest but dont wori d me demanding unlike d mom in your blog,hehe..)

i'll b gettin married at oct 18 josephines tagytay but im currently in doha qatar(also my future groom) that is y its so diffcult to search for suppliers..il b in pinas d whole month of june 4 d prpration..

i hope you can help me...

einnelmo@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Ms. V!
im a fan of VELUZgown super! i heard your name thru w@w, dami-dami-daming B2Bs & N@Wies nagsasabi that you're soooo good if not the Best gown maker in our community. super duper love ka ng W@W.

my Church wedding is 3years from now, but next year '2009 will be my civil wedding. sana may budget ako para kaw na rin gawa ng gown ko....haayyy.... finger's cross ;D

anyway, can you email to me if you won't mind the basic price of your gown? let say Mikado (am i right with spelling?) and also Danica Sotto rate? (hehe, buy the Yes Mag & saw that Veluz made her gown) and how about the gown you made Thursday, December 20, 2007 THAT MOMENT - 4? email me at

kc.on2008@yahoo.com or kc04everjc@yahoo.com

hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks & God Bless!

Anonymous said...

Miss V! Miss na kita heheheh I didn't see this entry before. :) Katakot. Nanginig ako sa takot. LOL!

chiechie said...

Hi Veluz!

This was the blog entry that led me to you. hehe. By the way, I have an email for you. ;-)

Chie

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha nakakatuwa naman po yun. sana ma-meet ko din po kayo para sa gown ko, promise di ko po isasama mama ko he he joke!

Unknown said...

Hi Ms. V,

This was entertaining ha, hehehe! I've been hearing good things about your designs. I'll email you and hopefully maka work kita sa gown ko.

Thanks.

Aileen

Kez Cajes said...

I revisit this blog after talking to Ms V in a long distance call the other night. Namula kaya ako sa hiya after our conversation. I will be wearing pina cocoon on my wedding day (bahala na kung pang matanda iyon maganda eh!) and of course Ms V designed my gown, i had my first online fitting and it was fun. Gercel sent me samples of fabric and embroidery details/samples. Of course things get really exciting and now i want to see the actual pattern of the embroidery on my wedding gown. its been 3 weeks since i asked for it and i still did not receive any email from Gercel, i thought they forget (note: but at the back of my head sabi ko pattern lang bakeeeettt hindi mascan at email sakin ang dali non). I phoned in to remind and of course i find out that their internet was not working at the moment, sabi ko ay kaya pala. Then, i spoke to Ms V and we discuss more about my gown. There was one bride of her that i quite like the pattern of the embroidery. I express that i want something like hers, and conversation went like this

Ms V: Ayyyy Sweetie your gown will have different pattern because it has to match your dress cut and your body.

Me: Ayyy ano pong ibig ninyong sabihin?

Ms V: Dini draw ko talaga yong embroidery pattern for my brides.

Me: Ayyy hindi ba ninyo yon binibili lang ang pattern tapos ilalapat doon sa dress?

Ms V: Ayy hindi, i really draw it.

Me: Huhh??? Napakalaborious pala nun?

Ms V: It is but it's Fun and I enjoyed doing it.

Ang hiya ko parang gusto kong tumagbo at ewan ang phone nakahung up.I did not realise how laborious those gowns that Ms V create - lalo na pina!

We do admire Ms V's creation and i am not sure if other brides do really realise the LEVELS of DIFFICULTY Ms V and her staff were going through. The art, the effort, and the love they put into in making our dream gown for our special day.

Ang haba na. Thank you po Ms V and now i admire more your works, not just because of its beauty and elegance, the uniqueness of its creation but of course the labor that you put into it! Thank you talaga po and really looking forward to wear your creation ang swerte ko!

Unknown said...

ms v,

i told my mom that magtatanan na lang ako. but ill run away in a Veluz gown!

Anonymous said...

Interesting pieces! Although some of your gowns look too matronly.

The brides look a tad older than their actual age (maybe just in photos), maybe because most of them have fake smiles and are posing for the camera. I don't feel the magic of your gowns. Too bad... Your creations are not given justice.

Jennifer said...

I understand that some people can be unschooled due to poverty but still are noble, proper, 'may hiya sa sarili' and with common sense. But this mom and bride tandem went beyond the bounds of ethics, breeding and common sense. Obviously they have money because they were shopping for wedding gowns (that sadly other less fortunate, but deserving brides don't have the opportunity). But their money cannot by them more 'utak' and 'hiya'. I was feeling furious to read how they have invade other brides' privacy and property by trying out their finished gowns. Kung ako ang shop owner...grrrr...huwag na lang but I admire Veluz and Niko's composure kasi baka kung ako....grrrrr...nevermind I might say some expletives.

Dominic said...

Hi Tita V.. di ko lam if I was going to laugh or get mad... Panalo hirit ni Niko hahaha... "Mirror Ball"...
tsk tsk tsk.. It's always the mom hahaha...
balitaan mo kme pag bumalik...

jothescrapaddict said...

dapat sa mother and bride na yan - magbawas ng bisita para ma afford ang gown -- you cannot drop price para mag tipid ang gown,.. winner talaga ang Marvelous Veluz Gown -- pang show piece in any wedding,.. ang bride dapat ang pinaka maganda,.. feel ko this mother of the bride will even be harder to design for -- magiging motherofthebrideZILLA! hahahaha it was an entertaining afternoon alright!

Jo F. Yap
Sydney

Anonymous said...

Veluz!!! :-) hello, they should just buy a gown from a department store. Kaloka yung mom. God bless you for your patience. And that is why you're the best in the industry - creative genius na, kind and diplomatic pa! Baka hinagis ko yung antique bench mo sa kanila if I were in your place. Looking forward to more beautiful pieces from you in 2011! I miss you! -Jamie Amoranto

Anonymous said...

hello miss veluz, i saw you at ricky reyes last saturday, buti na lang i was watching qtv, pag nagpakasal ako ikaw lang ang choice ko..well on that mag nanay, kala nila your divisoria na pwede tumawad..dun na lang sila magpagawa..hehe

Anonymous said...

Parang sa comedy movie ang mother-daughter na ito at ikaw ang bida! haha!

smother me said...

nkaka bwesit. gusto niya pala na mura lang eh, sana sya nlng ang gumawa ng gown ng anak niya -_- nkakahiya sya, pramis!