Her firm, Precious Memoir, started as a favor for a friend before it even became a money-making venture.
Connie Te then was connected with the Ayala Group financial services as a consultant when her friend asked her in 2000 to plan the wedding of her daughter knowing she was fond of organizing parties and events.
“I was often the planner and organizer of different events among friends and even in Ayala Group but I have never done weddings so I was a bit hesitant at first,” she said.
Te was hesitant at first to organize the event but she believed that there was always a first time for everything and planning one of the most important events of her friend’s daughter was already an honor for her.
“So that first wedding started my career as a wedding planner which I am now enjoying as I have realized that it was after all my passion and my source of gratification being able to help the couples and make everything perfect for their special day,” she said.
The first wedding she organized went well. The wedding guests were impressed with her because she was running around in her heels and gown to make the event perfect for the couple.
“It was a big Chinese wedding with 600 guests, some are from Canada as the groom was Canadian. The reception venue was at Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino and everything went perfect as the couples wanted it,” she said.
It was where she met her next clients – the wedding guests who were impressed at how she managed to coordinate a wedding all by herself.
From being the single runner, planner and coordinator, Te now hires four people to help her with making sure every details are met.
For her professional fee alone, Te charges from P20,000 to P40,000 only because being a wedding coordinator is first a passion for her before it is a business.
“I don’t really consider this as a business for me because I’m not at all just about the money. My reason for doing this is just to help create a perfect wedding for the couples who only get married once in their lifetime,” she said.
Te is still connected with the Ayala Group as a consultant as she does wedding coordination on the side.
She said her financial consultancy job was her main source of income while her wedding coordination work was just her way to satisfy her passion to coordinate weddings.
Te said she would always listen to the couples and would take note of how they would like their dream wedding to become when she would coordinate and plan for a wedding.
She would then work with the couple’s budget to give them the best value for every option.
“I ask them how much their budget is and then recommend suppliers for them to choose from and agree on the rates. I don’t have exclusive suppliers because as much as possible I want to have a wide array of options for my clients,” she said.
Te said she had introduced some trends in the industry, which other coordinators had also included in their events such as the choreographed first dance of the couple and the dancing entourage.
“I started the choreographed first dance of the couples which eventually became a fad and coordinators now also do that in some of their wedding events especially when the couple would ask for it,” she said.
“The idea there is to make the whole event lively and the couples love it.”
Te said the “thank yous” from satisfied couples and appreciation of the event from guests were what kept her going to make her work better.
“I feel so happy whenever I see the couples really happy and whenever they come to thank me after the event and even invite me to the baptism of their first born child. That only shows that I have made a mark in their hearts and that they consider me a family. That’s the greatest fullfillment I get from doing all these,” she said.
She said she believed that her passion for organizing wedding events was driving her creativity and she thanked God for her talent.
“I thank the Lord for the God-given talents, skills and abilities which I can use to make a difference in other people’s lives as well as the couples who believed in me that I can make their dream wedding come true.”
Most of her clients are from referrals and those who have attended her events. Te said she believed that she wouldn’t need to advertise or would have a webpage of her “passion” because she wanted to offer her services to those who already knew how she worked and believed in her.
“Nowadays the trend is going towards destination weddings and still I get clients who were referred to me by friends. I have done weddings for a Korean groom and his Chinese bride from Hong Kong who wanted it to be held at the Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa last January,” she said.
She said she would usually handle two weddings in a month so that she would have enough time and not sacrifice the quality of her services for money.