Before we finally decided that we'll have our wedding in a garden in Antipolo, we thought at first we were sure about having a beach wedding in Batangas, and then it changed to a garden wedding in Tagaytay.  I know, we were so undecided seven months before our wedding.  But believe me there's a good reason behind this indecisiveness.

During our wedding venue search which included, online research, email or call coordination, and actual venue ocular trips, the main deciding factor was if it will answer YES to this question "Will it fit our wedding budget?"  It was a NO to our first preference for a beach wedding and another NO to our second option to have a Tagaytay garden wedding.  But we still want a feeling of out-of-town-ish kind of wedding.  We thought Antipolo was a perfect venue for that.

To help soon-to-be-weds out there, who are considering Antipolo as their garden venue, you may conveniently refer to this list of Antipolo garden venues we considered or checked out:

L' Aquinum Garden
Charlemagne Street, Kingsville Executive Village,  Marcos Highway, Antipolo, Rizal
Contact Person: Dan Napa 09277497879 or Meg Tuazon @ 09173167517
Email: LAgardenevents@gmail.com.
Check their Facebook page and their garden rates, photos, catering partners, and updated schedule here: www.antipoloeventvenues.weebly.com

I put this first on my list because this is where we had our Intimate Rustic Themed Garden Wedding.  What I liked about this venue is that you book the whole garden AND an option to get the open tiled space or closed and air-conditioned tent for your reception.  There's also a small air-conditioned room inside the open space which you could use for storage or make-up retouches or for putting little kids to sleep.  It's not too far from Metro Manila, it's easy to locate as well.  It's about 15-30 mins away from Eastwood (where my pre-wedding preps took place).  There's an enclosed parking space for the guests and a separate entrance at the back of the garden for the suppliers.  The package comes with one (1) Free day for pre-nup photography session if you wish. Another bonus is, their garden rate includes free use of their sound system.  The garden is perfect for an intimate affair, it's not too big and not too small.  We were lucky that during our booking, they had a promo which saved us Php5,000.00.  The whole garden plus your option for the reception venue (open area or air-conditioned tent) cost Php 25,000.00.

L' Orchard Garden
105 Camelot St., Kingsville Court, Mambugan, Antipolo, Rizal
Tel. No: 6825779
Email: l.orchard@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/l.orchardgarden

Just right beside The Mango Farm is where you'll find L' Orchard Garden.  The receptionist we talked to during our ocular visit said that the owners of The Mango Farm and L' Orchard are siblings.  L' Orchard is a smaller garden compared to its neighboring garden venue.  It offers four venues depending on the size of your wedding or reception.  Venues: Pool Area (50 - 100 pax), La Carmen is air-conditioned (100 - 150 pax), L' Pavillion (150 - 350 pax), and L' Lagoon is the garden area (100 - 250 pax).  They have different rates in the morning and evening, the latter being a bit more pricey.   You may use the venue for four (4) hours for day and six (6) hours for night.  There's also ample parking space for the guests, free use of 1 furnished room for touch-ups, preps or storage, and lights and sound system use.  There's also an option to get a packages which already includes wedding ceremony set-up with flower arrangements, full-serviced buffet (with menu choices) for guests, table set-ups and decors, wedding reception rituals (doves, wine, cake), bridal car, program host, and LCD projector and screen.  Their venue-only rate starts from Php 30,000 (day rate for 50-100 pax) and their packaged rate starts from Php 120,000 (day rate for 100pax).
276 San Jose Ext., Brgy. San Isidro, 1870 Antipolo, Philippines
Mobile: 0917 891 2208
Email: info@jardindemiramar.com
Website: http://www.jardindemiramar.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JardinDeMiramarAntipolo/

There are a total of 11 venues inside Jardin de Miramar depending on the number of guests you wish to invite.  They have venues which could accommodate as little as 60pax to as big as 300 pax in attendance.  These are their venues: Estacion (150 pax), Boat-themed garden (100 pax), Intramuros (70 pax), Paradiso (250 pax), Pergola (60 pax), Plaza (150 pax), Prado (150 pax), Terraza (120 pax), Sevilla (200 pax), Ylang-Ylang (150 pax), and Isla (300 pax).  At that time, I was inquiring about their venues that would just be enough for a 70 pax attendance.  I was given the Ylang-Ylang venue package rate which included catering services and use of the venue for P98,000.00 only. There were inclusions in this package which are deductible from the package.  They also offer venue-only rate.  For the Ylang-Ylang venue (accommodates 150 pax), the rate was Php 23,630.  There were other smaller venues which you could also check and they offer them for as low as Php 16.700 (Pergola, 60 pax), Estacion, Prado and Galera (100 - 150 pax) for only P17,850.00 for 4 hours of Day use on a weekend.  Booking a venue also includes parking for your guests, basic sound system and electricity use, and use of their lounge (for wedding preps/storage).
Alpadi Estates
Sumulong High-Way, Antipolo Rizal (before reaching Padi's Point Antipolo)
Tel. Number: (02) 571.6608
Email: alpadi.estate@gmail.com
Website: http://alpadi.blogspot.com/

Every ocular visit in Alpadi Estate should be scheduled.  When we went there, it was being renovated so we weren't able to go around much.  It was a long and steep drive going to the venue where ceremonies and receptions are held.  You'll get vintage feels when you enter the estate because of tall and aged trees and old but well-maintained structures.  Parking is no problem for guests.  If you reserve the place, you get to use the whole garden and the ancestral house (for wedding preps and storage).  There are no other inclusions like basic sound system, ventilator, gen-set, and the other important items for use in a garden/open area event.  Photos below from Alpadi Estates Facebook Page
Wedding Venue Search and Ocular Visit Tips:

1. Research First.  No one wants to go to war without weapons as they say.  Make sure, you do your assignment by knowing which places would make it to you and your soon-to-be-hubby's shortlist.  Usually, considerations are budget, accessibility of location, parking, package inclusions, and good review from others.
2. Set an appointment.  Once you've listed venues, call each one to set an appointment.  It's important to set an appointment so that the account manager could allot enough time to tour you around the venue, discuss the packages and inclusions and answer all your inquiries without rush.
3. Fix your itinerary based on location.  If you're setting one whole day for an ocular visit, make sure you fix the itinerary so you and hubby would know where to go first.  This will save you time, gas or transportation allowance.  You could either go to the farthest first or nearest first.  You must consider the time and traffic situation as well.
4. Get as much information you need (especially rates and inclusions) during visit.  When you're there talking to the account manager/executive, get as much information as you can and make sure to take down notes.  I personally have a wedding notebook where I jot down everthing during our wedding preps months.  Ask inclusions of the rates to save you from hiring another supplier, which they could already provide.  Ask if they have packages and compare the cost of getting their packages or hiring separate suppliers for your wedding needs.  It would also be better if you ask for the venue's floor plan if available.
5. Take photos.  It's important to take photos during the ocular so that if you've decided on the venue, you'll have a visual reference why you chose it in the first place.  The photos will also be your future supplier's visual reference on where to put the registration area, where to set up the arc, where to put the buffet table, cake table, etc.
6. Decide fast and book immediately.  We know how good venues get fully-booked immediately.  So once you've decided on the venue, call them quick, reserve the date of your preference, and pay the reservation fee.  This will tick one important item in your wedding preparation list and remove a big chunk of worry for you and soon-to-be-hubby! :)