Wedding Entertainment

The following map shows the easiest routes from several churches in Metro Manila to The Mango Farm in Antipolo. Maybe instead of printing a map for each and every guest invited to your wedding reception, you can show a link, and from there, your guests will definitely find it easier to get to the reception. After all, it is Google Maps.

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But that is only one of your worries. The most common thing in all wedding receptions is the entertainment for the party – after all, the reception is supposed to be a celebration. Some weddings are events to be remembered, while some are undistinguished in the season of weddings, especially if you and your friends are in the marrying ages. Wedding entertainment is what makes it memorable, but there is a trick to it, as in everything else.

A Formal Occasion After All

First and foremost, remember that it is a formal occasion. People do not come in barongs and dressed up to the nines just to let their hair down at the drop of a hat. However, especially if your guests are really close to your hearts, they will want to go all out in the celebration, which means that your guests have to be wooed into the party. Formal gatherings frown on such things, but if your wedding entertainment is successful, a wedding reception can go on deep into the night in honest to goodness celebration of the newlywed couple.

Often the maid of honor or the best man arranges the events for the wedding reception. The formal part of the wedding entertainment varies from photo slide shows, a short video montage of the romantic history of the couple or several speeches from the guests of honor – but this is not the important part. It is the transition from the formal to the informal that makes wedding entertainment worth the cost. But how it happens is the mystery.

Incoming — Mango Farm Wedding Entertainment

Taking Your Guests into Account

Look at the average age of your guests. To legitimately party varies across generations. And it follows reasonably that those are the standards by which you choose your wedding band. A fun look at the industry is The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler – with the eighties as the backdrop. Present wedding singers and bands may not be as dedicated, but the gist is there. Follow what your guests like, and you give your wedding entertainment bonanza more chances to succeed.

It could be ballroom dancing. Dancing may even be avoided, if most of your guests are into serious drinking – an open bar may have everything you need. Remember that your guests may not be as close to each other as they are to you, and they all need a little help to know each other, so that they can truly celebrate your wedding day the way they want to celebrate it.

More Mango Farm Wedding Entertainment

The Venue, of Course

One of the requirements of a venue that can be flexible for entertainment is the size. Dancing may be futile if you only have a couple of square meters for your dance floor. But here is where The Mango Farm shines – with 2.5 hectares, you really can’t go wrong with this kind of reception venue.

When the audience participates

Farm Weddings

For couples planning to get married in church in Metro Manila, the reception is part of the puzzle. One cannot very well plan to get married in any of the churches in the Diocese of Antipolo and reasonably plan the reception in Makati. The travel time to and from the church, then to Makati would discourage most if not all your wedding guests. And it is the same thing the other way around — getting married in Manila Cathedral would limit you to indoor reception venues within a one hour traveling time limit from the church — any more and you would be asking too much of your guests.

A Way Around the Limitation

To get married in a church outside your parish, you need special permission from your parish church. Put this along with your certification of singleness, the publishing of the marriage bans in both the parishes of the bride and groom, among other paperwork needed to get married. This way, your celebration after the wedding is not limited to an hour of travel time from your parish church — you can choose the church for your wedding. Then your indoor reception venue of choice can be more convenient to all concerned.

If you wish to celebrate at The Mango Farm, keep this in mind. If your parish is located in the Diocese of Antipolo, you are in luck — the Mango Farm will definitely be in your range. Going north or northwest of the Mango Farm, you can reach as far as churches in Tandang Sora, near or around Quezon Circle, and probably as far as Cubao. You can see a list of churches in the respective dioceses. This really is the limit of the Mango Farm scope, if you think of your wedding guests’ travel time and comfort. Just remember that you need permission from your parish to get married elsewhere.

Weddings Outside the Church  

For civil weddings, the procedure is much simpler compared to a church wedding, if you want to get married outside church. For example, if you are on a boat, the captain has the authority to perform the ceremony. For Catholic marriages outside church, you may have to jump through several hoops to get what you want — which is the reason garden weddings are rarely done. Choosing a civil wedding may not hold the same awe of history and ritual as a Catholic church wedding, but it is still legally binding. One workaround is to have the wedding ritual in private, and the garden wedding simply as a repeat performance and reconfirmation of your wedding vows before your wedding guests. This does take away some excitement, though, but it works. If you want to know more about this, ask the Mango Farm management for more information.

Your Indoor Reception Venue of Choice

The point is that you are not limited to your respective parishes if you want to get married. IF either the bride or groom is not even Catholic, a civil ceremony will do just fine. And being free from the constraints of the venue leaves you free to choose where you want to hold the real celebration — at The Mango Farm, if you should choose to do so.

The Foodie Tablescape

Good cooking is all it takes for Filipinos to appreciate good food. A fresh banana leaf for a table and plates, and servings of lechon, adobo, menudo or any other ulam, plus generous servings of steaming rice already makes for a meal one can sit on comfortably. A place to sit down, maybe raise a foot on a seat for support, and good company – and that is what you need for starters.

As your tastes become more elaborate, the tablescapes gradually change. As the meal or celebration becomes more specific, ingredients are added, colors lift the mood, candles and lighting add dimensions that add more than flavor to your palate. The dining experience can be as simple or as complex as it can be.

The Basic Elements of Tablescapes

Some people think of tablescapes as harmony, and it is true. Colors should not clash, centerpieces should enhance and not deter the celebration, and so on and so forth. Other people prefer to imagine tablescape levels, where each level from the tabletop is an added experience to the participant, But all in all, the elements one cannot do without are simple. A plate, a spoon and a fork, or at least, utensils. These are the basic elements, but after that, anything goes, whether it is for harmony or by the level.

There are rules for setting the utensils, but these can be broken. A flower arrangement can be as high as one pleases, as long as the intent is clear, such as in wedding tablescapes. Round or square tables also contribute to the arrangement – a circular arrangement will be hard put to blend well with edges. A candle may be perfect for most occasions, but bright lighting can reduce the most exquisite candlestick to table clutter. Even the manner of folding napkins is part of the dining experience. It is all a matter of taste and intent.

The Mango Farm Tables

The Mango Farm is an outdoor reception venue located in Antipolo, around 30 minutes from the borders of Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. In an all natural landscape, the 250 odd mango trees, already decades old, grace the venue, though for indoor occasions, the Glass Pavilion inside the walls of the farm does not lack in ant way in terms of ambiance.

Mango Farm tablescapes that emphasize harmony are enhanced further in this setting. Take a look at vatelmanila.com for more examples– or even the official blog of The Mango Farm. The Sunken Garden of the Mango Farm adds depth to the venue, very much the same way the levels on the table add a richness to the dining experience. Imagine the Mango Farm as one huge tablescape, and your table reflecting the selfsame image.

Your Dining Pleasure

But whether it is a simple banana leaf on a grassy knoll in the Sunken Garden or fine dining at the Mango Farm Pavilion, the whole point of the enterprise is good food, good company, and a cause for celebration. That is all you really need. Anything else is an added bonus, though sometimes, that is what it takes to surprise you.

The Mango Farm as an Indoor Reception Venue

The Mango Farm is a huge sprawling estate in Antipolo, located just around 20 minutes from Ateneo de Manila in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. The farm is known for its odd two hundred and fifty almost half a century-old mango trees scattered all over the property. The most common assumption is that the Farm is an outdoor reception venue, quite understandable because it is, after all, a farm. However, it has also been recently carefully developed to an indoor reception venue as well, evolving to please more clients in the holding of wedding receptions, family reunions and other Filipino causes for celebration.

The Limitations of an Outdoor Party Venue

Mother Nature’s ambiance is pretty hard to match, especially with the Mango Farm. From the well-kept grass, the gnarled trees, the rolling slopes – imagine the farm at night, far enough from the city lights. That is a sight to see. During the day, a vast area where the kids can safely play is a relief to the adults who are, after all, a part of the celebration. But the problem with planning an outdoor celebration will always be the weather. As long as the weather permits it, the party goes on. If not, then the party grinds to a stop.

A view of the Mango Farm outdoors

The Advantage of the Mango Farm as an Indoor Reception Venue

So the company fixed this limitation with a simple addition – an indoor reception hall. Every bit as grand as a five star hotel function room, with glass walls for easy viewing. The main advantage during fair weather is one can simply walk out into the farm and appreciate the outdoors in day or night, whenever the celebration is. In inclement weather, the safety of the hall ensures that the party goes on without a fuss.

In other words, the farm is both an outdoor and indoor reception venue. Don’t let the name mislead you – the farm has both indoor and outdoor advantages. If the event you are planning has to be outdoors, an indoor reception venue can easily be arranged if the weather does not cooperate with the celebration. Simply talk with the management for such an arrangement, and alternatives can easily be accommodated. If you are looking for an indoor party, a wide outdoor expanse is just as available – all you do is step outside.

A view of the Mango Farm indoors

From Outdoors to Indoors

Few other indoor venues can make such a claim. The best other venues can offer is a simulated outdoors environment in a limited space, which is probably the best one can do within Quezon City, Manila or Marikina. But the Mango Farm is already outdoors, but with a small portion of the property built to be an indoor reception venue too. The venue begins with the natural landscape of mango trees, with the option of a fully air-conditioned hall that comes fully equipped with all the amenities of a luxury hotel venue. See more pictures of the venue at the Mango Farm blog.

At the very least, the Mango Farm deserves a look-see before you start hunting for other indoor venues. You may just want to come back for your party after the tour.

Mango Farm indoor dining