For the detailing with Hizon's, I was almost clueless so Apple's tips (based on her detailing experience) that she had posted at W @W was really helpful. I'd be posting here the details that you would have to decide on during detailing so other would-be brides wouldn't be so overwhelmed.
Our coordinator, Ricci had made the necessary arrangements with Drew (our planner) regarding the food tasting and detailing. I haven't met Drew before we had our detailing. We only corresponded thru texts and he is prompt in replying to my queries. Anyway, Drew was very helpful during our detailing last July 5. In the morning, he sent me a text that he had ask their chef to prepare their bestsellers so we could try them and see which dishes we want for our menu. Nice :)
1) Only the main courses were served for the food tasting so we had to choose the menu for our appetizers. We were asked to choose five appetizers that would comprise our appetizer bar.
2) You will also be asked:
○ What beverage will they serve during cocktails? The (refillable*) drinks will only be served during the lunch/ dinner proper so if you want to serve juice, you'd have to provide the (powdered) juice and they'd just prepare (not sure about this) and serve them to your guests.
○ If you have chocolate fondue, you have to choose if you want white, brown or pink chocolate.
4) Discuss with your fiance (or whoever your companion) what you like in each dish. People have different palates so it's always ok to have another opinion :)
5) If you like one dish but would rather have a different sauce or add other condiments, ask your planner if they could accommodate your request.
Details are also needed for the cake, dove, registration, souvenier and gifts tables and chairs to be used. (Yes, ganun kadaming detalye ang kelangan :P). As Apple mentioned, it will be helpful if you have pegs of the look you want or you could choose from their setup gallery.
7) If you'll be getting their cake, ask if the cake details could be customized to suit your motif. For our cake, I specified the color of the body, drape and the flower decor.
8) For their hotel accommodation freebie, you could use it even after the wedding especially if you have already booked your preps venue or if you other hotel preference. Check though if you still have to shell out some additional cash - we were advised that we will be paying additional 2K if we wanted Bayview hotel. You just have to give them a two-week's notice once you decide to use your accommodation freebie.
9) Offsetting is one way to negotiate items :)
So there, I hope that this would somehow help other brides out there in this crazy, crazy world of wedding preps.
By the way, ask your coordinator if they could come with you during your detailing especially if they have experience already with your reception venue and/or had already worked with your caterer before. Our detailing went a bit smoother since Ricci and Drew both had experienced with Casa Blanca and were able to provide suggestions that would enhance the look of the venue while still maintaining cohesiveness to our theme. Ricci was also able to help us 'haggle' since he had worked with Hizon's numerous times already.
Now we're done with the detailing, we'll be tackling our invites next :)
♥ G
*Images from Hizon's Catering blog