A few days ago, I met my good friend Philip Encarnacion of RichGold Weddings in a dinner hosted by a common friend. Philip was in his usual vivacious mood as he talked about his “baby” — RichGold Weddings.
RichGold Weddings, which was established in early 2011, is one of the leading caterers in the country today. Having been invited to numerous weddings either as a guest or as a ninong, I asked Philip what makes up for a great wedding. “Weddings at all times should be seamless. With all the traditions and superstitions that come with it, details should be checked not once, not twice but every inch of the way. When all these are fully complied, your wedding is ideal. As to catering, good food and ambiance are two critical points to consider,” he said.
Philip shared why he decided to set up a catering business. “We have been in the food business for 10 years now. We started with stores in the mall food court until we decided to set up a premium brand that is RichGold Weddings. I am a lover of good food and unique service. I would go to new restaurants to check the food and the uniqueness of the service and the place.”
He recently went to Dubai for a bridal caravan. While there, another business opportunity struck him when he met an OFW who was busy personally planning her wedding set at the end of the year in Manila. Since she is miles away from home, the bride-to-be relies heavily on a blog site and portal for her dream wedding. She would get suppliers and communicate with them via e-mail as soon she sees anything interesting on the site.
RichGold Weddings saw the need to help ease the burden of our OFWs who are preparing for their weddings. Philip remarked, “I thought of helping them by hooking them up with reputable wedding coordinators as part of their catering package to ease the difficulty they are experiencing in preparing for their dream wedding away from home.”
Joining forces with Wedding Planner partners, they assist our kababayan who are abroad in planning their weddings. Philip explained, “We analyzed the problems as OFWs narrated them and we saw the solution, Wedding Coordinators. It is essential to planning a wedding considering the busy work schedules overseas. A wedding planner and their trusted caterers and suppliers will make life easier.”
RichGold Weddings has a list of highly-reputable wedding coordinators/planners in the metro. “Our partner coordinators are people we have worked with in the past who we find to be very reliable,” Philip added.
The partnership is an exclusive package for OFW workers where an extensive line of services can be availed at very reasonable rates.
Philip explained, “Preparing your wedding from abroad is very difficult. An OFW needs a point person to assist him/her in coordinating all wedding requirements. These wedding professionals link them with suppliers and give them very sound advice. You only get married once and you don’t do this every day. You need to be guided by a professional planner.”
How can someone plan a wedding with a planner that he/she has never met? The groom or bride-to-be can regularly chat through Skype with the wedding planner. With the reliable Internet, there is faster and easier communication. There are regular e-mails with the wedding planner who always reverts to them with what can and cannot be achieved.
For details on getting married and preparing it overseas, visit Facebook.com/richgoldweddings, e-mail inquiry@richgoldweddings.com or call 415-6887.