Diary of a Mad Bride

Suppliers Rating

2008-04-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Future Brides,

As inspired by the Weddings at Work forum, I cooked up my Supplier Ratings to help future brides out there. And without further ado...here they are:

Photographer - David Hanson (www.davidhansonphotographer.com)

Two thumbs up. I have nothing negative to say about David. He arrives on time, he turns over the pictures on time, and he keeps his promises. And he's a VERY TALENTED photographer. He works well with rich, hard wood and lush greens. He's also very good with wedding details. But the foremost reason why we booked him is because, David Hanson takes wonderful candid photos. His photos reflect warmth and happiness, they show the true emotions of the guests and bride and groom during the wedding. He balances stylish shots with the "real" shots. So wonderful! (a big plus, David Hanson does not charge an arm and a leg!)

Check out our online slideshow, done by David Hanson:

http://www.davidhansonphotographer.com/alec-myrha/

And our engagement photos, available on our multiply account, maidapaypay.multiply.com

Videographer - Mayad Studios (www.mayadstudios.com)

Raphael may be my cousin, but I'm not the only one ranting and raving about them. The onsite video that they did for us was and still is, the talk of the town! Mayad Studios is a group of young people with fresh ideas, they are passionate 22 yr olds who are unstoppable at creativity and originality. They are the best! Don't hesitate to get them!

Here's our onsite video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DVZM1cVs2U

After watching the video, would you still say that I'm a subjective relative? :-)

me and cousin raphael

Reception and Wedding Preparations - Discovery Country Suites

Talk about well-trained staff! These guys are gonna give you their life if they have to! Discovery Country Suites is so...PERFECT. We arrived there early as our bridal car (our ever-reliable white Honda city...our baby since alec and i started dating) was coding on March 14, and we had to pass by Makati so we had to leave before 7am. Our check in time at Oxford Suites was at 2PM, but the guys there saw how tired we looked, they made us sleep and bathe in the Andalucia until we could check in our very own suite. Tell me, could you get that kind of service at other hotels?

Discovery Country Suites is one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. The venue is picture-perfect, it exudes warmth and is very cozy for our guests, the food is beyond delicious and the service...well, excellent is an understatement.

The food was superb, as shown in our multiply account. Everybody said that was one of the best 7-course meals they've ever tasted in weddings ;-) naks, naks, tooting horns! hehe.

Photos of our Food

AC Barrios, the resident manager, exceeded my expectations. I can't stop raving about Discovery Country Suites! Clearly, the perfect choice for intimate Tagaytay weddings!

More pictures of our Reception Venue.

Ceremony Venue - Our Lady of Grace, St Joseph's Sanctuary

When Alec and I first went there, Alec went to the altar and screamed at the top of his lungs (and with pounding fists too), "This is it!". Yes, it really was.

Our Lady of Grace is a picturesque sanctuary, complete with geese and ducks swimming in a pond, featuring a beautiful small white chapel that boasts of Balinese doors and wood carvings at the altar. It has rich dark wood everywhere and it emits a feeling of lightness, a feeling of closeness to God. It's the perfect choice for small weddings.

Our Lady of Grace on March 15, 2008

My mom and my brother by the Balinese door

me walking towards the altar

There's just one little catch. Catholic couples are not allowed to get married there. That's why Alec and I had to get married at a catholic Church two weeks before March 15 before we could get married again (or should I say renew our vows) at the Sanctuary.

Also, it might be important to note that Our Lady of Grace administration is very strict. Some of our suppliers complained of how they were treated poorly by the Sanctuary's personnel. Some of our guests were not allowed to enter because they were late!

More Pictures of the Ceremony Venue

On The Day Wedding Coordinator - A Magical Event (amagicalevent.multiply.com)

Marj Dizon was the first OTD we met up with, and Alec and I liked her right away! Marj is not your trying-hard-to-be-close coordinator. She's very organized and professional and your constant communication with her is what's going to make you realize that yes, she may seem distant at first, but now you're like the bestest friends in the world! hahahaha. very reliable, you can call her anytime (of course with limitations, she has a personal life too, you know -- but
it's up to you to be considerate, coz she doesn't seem to know how to say no to her brides! :-) ). Thanks Marj, I hope my friends will get you, they will not be disappointed!

That's me and ever-reliable Marj (making sure I don't trip! hee hee!)

Make Up - Tonnet Chua (www.tonettchua.com)

I don't know how to describe my make up on our wedding day, so I will probably just wrap it up in one word: Perfect. I looked fresh despite not being able to sleep the night before. I felt so radiant and happy! Tonnet saved my day ;-)

my make-up up close

I love Tonnet (he also did my sister's make up when she g ot married, that's how I knew him)! Our wedding day was his birthday but he still accepted our booking. He was the first supplier who arrived, complete with his team of pretty make up and hair artists. They did all the make up really well, the hair very nice and pretty, he was the perfect complement to the perfect venue, the perfect weather, the perfect photographer and videographer, and the perfect coordinator! Thank you so much Tonnet! You are heaven-sent to all brides!

And yes, you are already being recommended to friends and relatives :-)

me and tonnett

Florist - Sunday cabagay (kablooms.multiply.com)

Sunday is very amiable, and very well-mannered. He also creates beautiful bouquets! Our only disappointment is Sunday was not able to deliver the agreed flower arrangements for the chapel. We brought him to the Sanctuary months before the wedding so that he could study the place and take measurements of the pews if necessary. I guess Sunday didn't do his homework because the look we wanted was not achieved at all.

the look that we were after

the real thing (major and only disappointment)

Alec and I felt bad because we really like Sunday, we feel like he's already our friend. After the wedding, we called Sunday and asked him what happened. He said something was wrong with
the ribbons (like it was sliding off or something). I just felt disappointed because he told us that the pew flowers were going to be pre-fabricated so we shouldn't worry. I guess his team was not able to finish the flowers, they tried to finish it at the chapel. too bad time was not on their side :-( so anyway, we talked to Sunday and he offered us a refund. we took his offer because alec and i felt it was just the fair thing to do!

In fairness to Sunday though, the entourage flowers were fantastic:

flowers for entourage

my bouquet

Musicians - Marga Reyes and company (09209239586)

Marga is our sweetest supplier. She was prompt with replies and is very accommodating. And super galing!!!! She and her violinist friend are uber-talented musicians. Of course, they're both from the UP College of Music, after all ;-) Thanks Marga for everything!

LCD Projector and Sounds - Carlo Dizon (seguesounds.multiply.com)

I just gave the instructions to Carlo, and he didn't bother me one bit...but everything turned out perfect! The LCD worked perfectly, the sound system was fantastic. I couldn't have chosen a better supplier :-)

A big plus: you'll laugh your heart out sa mga jokes ni carlo! hahaha!

Wedding Dress and Entourage Dresses

They were all made in Lumban, Laguna by Merlita Casedo (Tita Merly as we call her - 09173261773). Tita Merly is my husband's relative so she gave us an exaggeratedly low price for the embroidered Piña dress. It's so ridiculously cheap that you will never guess how much my dress costs haha.

dress details

train details

the dress during the last fitting in Lumban, Laguna

embroidery up-close

The design of the dress was inspired by one of the dresses in Oscar dela Renta's 2007 bridal collection. I found a picture of the dress in InStyle magazine and brought it to Lumban. I had them copy some of the details in the embroidery. We just used Piña instead of tulle.

the Oscar dela Renta inspiration

My sister and I designed the dresses for the members of the female entourage. We wanted it to be really simple but to stand out in pictures. We bought French taffeta in cerulean blue for the skirt, gold shantung for the belt, and off-white brocade for the top. Had them all made in Lumban for P450 per dress. Total cost of each dress is P900.

dress of the entourage

female entourage

entourage dress from the back

Bridal Car

We didn't rent one because Alec and I wanted "Baby", our reliable 1999 white Honda city to have a part in our wedding. "Baby", after all, has been our car since we started dating. It's also inside "Baby", when Alec professed his undying love for me! Hehe :-P

Cake

Didn't get one, Alec and I find wedding cakes unnecessary. We treated our guests with a dessert buffet instead.

Shoes

Bought my shoes from Milani for P750, at 50% off! (originally P1,500)

Giveaways

My sister-in-law bought shawls from China for P60 each and gave the shawl giveaways to us as her wedding gift. We bought boxes from national bookstore for P2.75 each, blue gift wrappers from national bookstore for P5.00 each (four boxes per wrapper -- they were on sale), and the ribbons from national bookstore for P1.50 per yard. Total giveaway cost: About P65.00 (we only spent P5.00 since the shawls are free).

We gave microfibre throws for our Principal Sponsors, Triceratop Stuffed toys for the bearers, chenille slippers for the readers and friends who offered free services - choir, emcee, etc , Fino leatherware for the male entourage, and Piña fans with Narra handle for the members of the female entourage.

binky, my friend holding the stuffed toy

chenille slippers

fino leatherware

the embroidered fans

Stationery

We bought our invitations from Gourdo's and just printed on it ourselves. We then had a gold clay seal made at The Write Impression in Makati.

We printed our own menu cards and misalette covers.

monogrammed menu cards and gift tags

monogrammed misalette covers

wax seal

the P20 invites

Seating Mints

I designed the wrappers in Photoshop and had them printed digitally.

(photo credit: Mitz Logarta)

INGREDIENTS: a spoonful of love, a sprinkle of magic, a dash of hope, a cup of respect, a slice of commitment, a drop of kindness and patience and a daily dose of endless hugs and kisses!

First Dance

We hired Donde (09187568164). He's fantastic! We love him :-)

We hope our Suppier's Rating helped you. May you have a happy wedding!

View our wedding photos here: maidapaypay.multiply.com

Solemnity of St Joseph

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

My three wedding errands for today were:

1) Remind Tita Merle to send Yuri's and She's dresses, the ceremony veil and the ceremony cord through Tito Flor.

2) Call the musician for the revised Entourage processional music.

3) Contact Fr. JP Villanueva regarding the ceremony on March 15.

The third errand gave me one of the best spiritual revelations I've ever had.

When I called Fr. JP to discuss the details of the ceremony, Fr. JP informed me that March 15 is a day of sorrow, as it is exactly the week before Black Saturday. He asked me if I was sure I want to get married on that day, as it is not very usual for Catholic couples to choose such days. Officially, it does not fall on Holy Week. But it already marks the start of the peak of the Lenten season (the day after, March 16 is Palm Sunday). For celebrations, you can choose any other day, but the days that fall on the week of Christ's suffering.

I reasoned to Fr. JP that we are actually getting married on March 1 anyway, and that the one on March 15 is actually just a renewal of our vows (this is another story worthy of another blog entry). I tried to sound rational rather than fearful, but the fact is that I was already troubled inside. I felt bad about celebrating our love on the day Catholic Christians are supposed to grieve.

I continued to ask Fr. JP about the details of the ceremony. I discovered that the Readings and Gospel on that day were sorrowful, indeed. It made me feel worse.

I thanked Fr. JP (who is very likable and friendly), put the phone down, and prayed to God to say sorry for holding a celebration on a day when we are supposed to do penance. Then I did what I had to do: I fixed things that needed fixing (apparently, the ceremony repertoire had to be altered).

I called our dynamic duet, Mon and Eyps (both my friends from Ateneo), and our musicians to inform them that we have to revise our ceremony repertoire. No more Gloria, no more Alleluia. Those are not being sung during Lent. I had to hold the bad news for a while from Alec. He was stressed enough at work.

At about 8:00PM, I got a text from Fr. JP, "and surprise...March 15 is Solemnity of Saint Joseph." I texted back, "I hope this is not bad news anymore :) ". Fr JP called me up, explaining to me that The Solemnity of St Joseph is a celebration, a feast! Every year, it is usually celebrated on the 19th of March, but this year, the year of 2008 (the first year when it is moved to an earlier date -- wikipedia ), the Solemnity of St Joseph was moved to March 15. Quoting Wikipedia:

"From 2008 onwards, if St Joseph's Day falls during Holy Week, it is moved to the next earlier available date, usually the Saturday before Holy Week. This change was announced by the Congregation for Divine Worship in Notitiae March-April, 2006 (475-476, page 96). The idea was to avoid the "traffic jam" that would occur under the old rules if both St Joseph's Day and the Annunciation had to be moved to the first available date after Easter Week."

And guess what (good news to our guests), "Because March 19 always falls during Lent, St. Joseph's Day feasts often have no meat, even though—because the feast day is classed as a solemnity—abstinence from meat is not required according to Canon law, even if it falls on a Friday."

Can you imagine the happiness I felt when Fr. JP broke the news? I nearly cried. Fr. JP said that this is a great blessing, getting married on The Solemnity of St Joseph. And yes I agree! How much greater could it get to be guided by the graces of the father of Jesus Christ? The ideal husband and father (which I feel, was my dad, and who Alec will become)? What's more, as it is one of the major celebrations of the Catholic traditions, despite it falling on Lent, we can sing Gloria and Alleluia! And celebrate our day of love, one hundred percent. We still have to alter a few things though, now we HAVE to have a misalette (we originally didn't want one -- as my personal advocacy is saving Mother Earth and I personally believe that misalettes are wasted paper) since it is a huge mass celebration, and we now have wonderful wonderful wonderful Readings and Gospel (read the Readings and Gospel on March 15 2008). Changes yes, but WONDERFUL changes! Now our wedding mass/ceremony is much bigger, more beautiful and blessed, and the most important thing of all...is truly a celebration of FAMILY and LOVE.

But the story doesn't end here. Fr. JP and I continued to talk about the celebration, and the blessing of having March 15 as the Solemnity of St. Joseph. He made me realize that oh my, the name of the place where we are getting married, the very serene private chapel of Gourmet Cafe, is called The St. Joseph Sanctuary. And that Fr. JP's name is actually Joseph. And that the parish in Marikina where we are also getting married on March 1 is called the St. Joseph the Worker the Parish. And that my parish in Iloilo is also named St. Joseph the Worker Parish. I don't know about you, but I feel that this is no longer a coincidence. For me, God has shown me a miracle today. I know that He has blessed Alec and I with love, and that this marriage is already blessed by the Grace of God and the great love of St. Joseph. That God has blessed us with Fr. JP..that is, Fr. Joseph, to celebrate this great miracle on March 15 2008.

Thank you Papa, I know that you helped to make this happen (because you lived the life of a good person, alam kong malakas ka kay Lord).

Thank you Fr. JP Villanueva, I know that you will most probably not be able to read this, but if you ever do, I want you to know that you are truly a grace from God.

Thank you, St. Joseph.

Thank you, God.

Our Engagement Photos

2008-02-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Finally! Our engagement photos are here! Our photographer, Mr David Hanson , is extremely talented. We don't look gloomy even though it was raining nonstop that day! Shots were taken inside Alec's house. The beautiful interiors are designed by his very creative dad. Here are some photos from the shoot:

Playful Pogi

Laughter is the best medicine

Interiors by Alec's dad

With Mongo, Yuri's (Alec's sister) uber-cute Labrador

Invitations

2007-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

My invitations are done! I just bought the blank invites from Gourdo's (can be purchased at wiltonprint.com directly), the gold board from National Bookstore and the seal from The Write Impression (http://www.thewrite-impression.com/). Printed out the invites ourselves using a laser printer and voila! Clean wedding invites :-) Total cost: P20/piece :-)

Entourage's Dress Part II

2007-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's the second fix to the dress. My jurassic camera was not able to capture the three colors of the dress correctly so this picture doesn't do justice to the dress at all. I'd like to think that the Entourage's dress is really nice :-) indulge me as I am like any mother to her child, or any bride-to-be to her wedding: likes to praise her own. Except for the sleeves part, I'm having that fixed again. here goes:

Return of the Mad Bride

2007-12-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

back back back from the UK! Scotland was absolutely beautiful!

today the fixed bridesmaid dress will arrive. i'm so excited!

UK!

2007-12-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

greetings from Scotland! the land of William Wallace :-P won't be able to update my wedding blog for a while because i seldom get connection.

I went to the Marks and Spencer along Princes St on our first day in Scotland and what are the odds, they don't have a stationery department in Edinburgh! phooey! so I have to scrounge for that diamante wedding planner in London instead. darn darn. (i didn't see any M&S in Glasgow :-( )

on the upside, Alec and I was able to go visit Loch Lomond. i know, out of topic. but it's beautiful can't resist blogging about it. hee hee.

Somebody's Inspiration Board

2007-11-26T07:45:00.003-08:00

Oh Look! Somebody has the same color palette as ours! from http://www.stylemepretty.com/:

cerulean blue and orange-y gold. and the embroidery too! eek!

Repertoire

2007-11-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

We're coming up with one! Stay tuned!

Wedding Planner

2007-11-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was window-shopping online at www.marksandspencer.com to check out stuff that I could buy when I go to the UK next week when I chanced upon this wedding planner:

From Marks and Spencer dot com:

"An elegant planner with diamanté detail which has all the necessary checklists leading up to and including your big day.

Includes: month by month checklist, pages to record wardrobe, ceremony and reception details, essential diary countdown and notes pages, plastic wallets for storing fabric swatches etc. Costs 7GBP"

For less than P700, I call this a steal! Can't wait to get my hands on this!

The Write Impression

2007-11-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Alec and I went to The Write Impression this morning to see the mock-up of our envelope seals. Too bad I wasn't able to take a picture.

Alec HATED the mock-ups. To quote him, "it looks like somebody spat on our invites." Trust a guy to say such comments. Anyway, since this is not just MY wedding, it's OUR wedding, I had to give in to my husband-to-be. Anyway, it was easy giving in because I myself was not uber-ly impressed with the seals too.

So Alec and I looked for more samples and we finally found one that suits our taste. It's a classic rectangular gold, goldleaf in color. yun nga lang, our invites are ivory and gold, it looks like we're holding a golden anniversary celebration, haha!

Will post na lang when I get the seals na. Excited na kami ni Alec to distribute the invites!

Inspiration II

2007-11-23T02:37:00.000-08:00

How cute are these candy pin-ups? (image from martha stewart weddings)

or these bride and groom chocolate-covered strawberries? (from strawberrydreamsph.multiply.com)

On the Day Wedding Coordinator

2007-11-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

So, like I said, Alec and I decided to book "A Magical Event". They're actually the first On the Day Wedding Coordinator that we met, but we both felt comfortable towards them right away so we decided to get them.

Marjorie Dizon was very professional. She and her husband, Carlo, arrived at the meeting venue early. She started out by explaining what they do as coordinators, and what's included in the package. She was too professional at first, it took time for us to warm up. When we finally did, Alec and I felt that the "chemistry" was genuine, that it wasn't the usual client-customer faker relationship. So we decided to get them right away.

We'll see how they will actually perform as OTD coordinators. Will keep you posted :-)

On the Day Wedding Coordinator

2007-11-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

alec and i found one!

Marjorie Dizon of "A Magical Event"

http://amagicalevent.multiply.com/

Bridesmaid's Dress

2007-11-22T08:24:00.001-08:00

this is not yet final. it's just a mock-up, but our mananahi already used the fabric we are going to use. i was thinking of making the neckline more closed, and obviously the skirt to be longer, has to be floor-length.

the bridesmaids dresses

2007-11-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

i got the first bridesmaid dress today, but Curl hasn't tried it on yet.

I'm excited! wheeee! will post pics of how it looks like ;-)

Centerpiece Inspiration 1

2007-11-20T03:10:00.000-08:00

Pew Flowers

2007-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with what the stylist did to Donald Trump's wedding, and my florist will try to copy this! I love Sunday!

Musicians

2007-11-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh!

alec and i were so shocked when we got the rates for the quartet! P24,000 for a Tagaytay wedding, as opposed to P12,000 if we're holding it in Manila. these people are extorting us.

on a lighter note, Isi Miranda (our violinist) was really understanding. for an Out of Town wedding, we'll just pay P8,000 for a duet, that's violin and keyboards. they'll play at the ceremony and the reception. yay! happy happy!

(i just wrote something and started with "I" again, I should really start writing in the "we" mode...the "I" has to go real soon). We're planning to meet with Marj Dizon of A Magical Event soon. We're thinking of getting her for our On the Day coordination.

everything's so expensive! grabe! after I get married I swear I'll put up a business that has something to do with the wedding industry. it seems very lucrative.

**************

we already paid Sunday Cabagay to be our florist. this is his website:

http://kablooms.multiply.com

bouquets that I showed him, as inspiration:

Panic Mode Part II

2007-11-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know what else to panic about because it seems like I have a supplier for everything that I need for our wedding already...but yes, I am still panicking.

***

My chosen OTD is no longer available on March 15, so she said she's going to refer another one.

***

I'm meeting our violinist tomorrow in Megamall, and our Chapel coordinator in the afternoon at Club Filipino.

***

Meeting with Sunday, our florist, on Sunday ;-) (http://kablooms.multiply.com)

***

Hand-made seals' mock up are ready for viewing on Monday. yay!

***

Leaving for the UK on 28 Nov! waaaaaaaaahhh!!!!

Panicking yet excited!

Music Mess

2007-11-14T08:14:00.001-08:00

We're scheduled to meet with our violinist tomorrow evening, but when I texted to confirm the meeting, our violinist informed me that she was going to come from Sucat and if we could just meet up on Friday night instead, since she'll be in UP anyway. I didn't really see it as a problem so I said okay, until she asked me if we could meet up near UP because it's difficult to commute to where I work.

It's fine, her reason is valid, but it's not very impressive customer service. We're trying to meet up on Saturday night instead somewhere accessible for both her and me.

Not a very good first impression but I hope when we finally meet up with her she'll change my mind.

Oh, we're having a string quartet in our wedding! yay!

Accommodations

2007-11-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

Yay! We've finalized the rooms on March 15!

we still have one extra room though, the Andalucia Suite. any takers?

Our Chapel

2007-11-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

On the Day Wedding Coordinator

2007-11-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

I don't have one yet!

I'm looking for an On The Day Wedding Coordinator that:

1) Can execute my plans tastefully, tactfully and beautifully.

2) Is organized

3) Exceeds expectations

4) Easy to talk to

5) Professional

6) Dresses appropriately for the event

If you know of a group that satisfies this list, do let me know :-)

Photographer

2007-11-11T23:00:00.003-08:00

www.davidhansonphotographer.com

Invites and Prices

2007-11-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

They say that in weddings, the Invitation can make or break your guests' first impression of what your celebration is going to look like. So the ribbons matter, and the skyrocketing P200 letterpress prices matter. But in reality, do they really?

I went to check on invitation prices and oh my god was I shocked to my bones. The simplest (and ugliest) ones were selling for P50 a piece. Others are at P300 per piece and the decent, not so expensive ones (yet not very pretty) are selling for P160 and up. That's my lunch allowance, down the drain :-(

It was such a blessing that Alec's mom is fond of going to Gourdo's once in a while and found these uber-chic ready-to-print-on wedding invites at P10/piece. Man was I relieved. That, to me, is how much an invite should cost. I did add a clay seal though that costs about P12 a piece, which is fine because it adds a little bit of funk to a very classic, ivory-colored invite.

I got the clay seals from: www.thewrite-impression.com.

I will post the invite picture here as soon as we have completed assembling it.

I'm so excited!

The Menu

2007-11-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

AMUSE BOUCHE

SALAD

Organic Arugula Salad with Parmesan flakes and Warm Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

SOUP
Potato and Chive Veloute

FISH
Grilled Snapper and Tiger Prawns with Rustic Tomato Spaghetti and Saffron Veloute

SORBET
Calamansi Sorbet

MAIN COURSE
Australian beef tenderloin with pommery mash and green peppercorn sauce

DESSERT

Season Fruits
Chocolate Marquise
Assorted Panna Cota

Chef: David Pardo de Ayala of Discovery Country Suites

view pictures of the menu here.

Theme, Dress and Shoes

2007-11-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

November! Oh time flies so fast!

We had our entourage dress measurement last Sunday and I would like to think that everyone had a blast. We're having my dress and my entourage's dresses made in Lumban, because Alec's dad is from there and it's the capital of embroidery in the Philippines.

The Theme and Color Motif

Our wedding theme is Country Vintage. And the picture above is the inspiration for the colors we have chosen, Cerulean blue and rust orange-gold. (I wanted green but Alec, being a true Blue Atenean, threatened to dye everybody's gown blue if our color theme is green :-P )

The Dress

I got the inspiration for my dress from one of Oscar de la Renta's bridal collections. I just had a few details tweaked. Instead of tulle, my dressmaker will use Piña cocoon, as Lumban dressmakers are better at handling Piña fabrics than tulle. And I personally believe that pina will give this dress a nice texture, more than tulle ever will.

The dress will be fully embroidered.

The Entourage's DressesThis is the inspiration for my bridesmaids' and secondary sponsors' dresses. The skirt will be in cerulean blue with a wide gold belt and off-white brocade top.

The Shoes

My shoes will look similar to this. It will be custom-made in Liliw, Laguna; this time, a town famous for shoe-making :-)

i'm back!

2007-05-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

wow it's been a while!

i woke up two nights ago panicking. i realised we only have nine months left before That Day. phoooey!!!!

we already have a reception venue and a chapel. we'll get married in Our Lady of Grace in Tagaytay. it's a small chapel at the back of Gourmet's Cafe. it's a little "hidden" but it is a part of its charm as a retreat place.

we also already have a videographer. of course nothing beats Mayad Studios ;-)

we're still deciding on our photographer. i'm still researching on my make-up. wedding gown is to be started this month, because of its detailed embroidery we need lots of time for it. we have a guest list already. entourage is also already done. so far, so good.

will update again soon, i'm sleepy already! =)

My Venue

2007-03-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

So it's official. Country Discovery Suites.

www.discoverycountrysuites.com.

venue and videographer

2007-01-09T02:48:00.000-08:00

the original venue was Peninsula de Punta Fuego for the wedding rites, and Terrazas de Punta Fuego for the reception. (www.puntafuego.com)

(left picture: the chapel in Peninsula de Punta Fuego, bottom left: the gazebo overlooking the sea at Peninsula).

asking about wedding packages was not really easy, we had to call them several times before they finally sent the document (email became snail mail! i swear!). the package at first glance is not that expensive, you can have a reception for as low as PhP75,000 for the first 50 guests. For our number we would spend about PhP120k for reception. Not bad. But looking at their menu, the price is so NOT worth it (though I'm sure you can have the menu tweaked), so my Fiance and I thought of bringing in extra food for the guests, maybe a chocolate fountain and lechon. after taking into consideration the other factors, we crunched numbers and we were surprised that the total amount was so high it reached the ceiling. what we haven't considered were corkage fees and accommodations. Corkage fees suck!

Anyway the new venue is still a little far away but we're kind of sure we're gonna get it this time. It's a small place that can only accommodate 80 guests but it has the best view and the best menu line-up I have seen so far. I am still torn between having a buffet or a sit-down dinner but more or less we're gonna have the latter. although dessert's definitely gonna be buffet (it will rain desserts in MY wedding reception).

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My cousin Raphael put up a videography company in Iloilo called Mayad Studios. Now I have videographer, for free! (di ba raph? :-P).

To check out their latest wedding video, click this:

http://alvin5k.multiply.com/video/item/36

my sister wrote about the engagement dinner

2007-01-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

since my sister wrote about the dinner at el cirkulo...i'll just redirect you guys to her blog so you could see that night's pictures:

http://oodlesofgoodles.com/blog/2007/01/06/back-in-the-blogging-loop/

Engagement Dinner...finally!

2006-12-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Whew! Engagement dinner finally came, and we all sat down and talked . Okay, honestly?

Nobody really talked about the wedding, because we were all laughing our hearts out over my two uber-cute nephews who were both running amok around the lounge, chasing each other. Save for the moments when my older nephew would innocently "ruin" the Lao Lianben abstracts, we were all merrily entertained by the two hobbits who had so much energy to spend on replays and replays of boom tarats tarats. It was a night to remember.

My Fiance and I agree that the night was a blast, the food was PERFECT, everybody loved the menu I had lined up for the eve.

Everybody had nice little chits and chats, my Fiance announced our big (bang-ful!) news that the venue is to be moved to another location...(a secret place in the meantime -- i know i know this wedding is still so secret). Theme has been changed because of venue change.

I'll post pictures of the Engagement Dinner soon.

argh!

2006-12-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

i don't know where to start! a lot of people tell me to start with the venue, but that's kind of taken care of already. My Fiance and i already have an idea of where we want to hold it, except for the fact that we haven't booked it yet.

requirements for booking:

1 letter of intent
2 letters from endorsers (the venue is a members-only place and we need one endorser per 20 guests)
3 P20k non-refundable, non-rebookable, non-transferable one-time reservation/booking fee.

as to when we're nailing the booking, we haven't decided on that yet. My Fiance is convincing me to do it in January, but 25 out of 31 days in January he'll be out of town. So I guess we'll be doing this in February, hopefully nobody will book the exact same venue on the exact same date. Sigh.

Dec 27

2006-12-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

okay, it's lurking around the corner. 27th is coming too fast.

i'm kind of panicking because i'm a seasoned host (i hope you sense the sarcasm), and I'm not sure if everything's in place already. i mean, i want this night to be puuuurrrfect because 'tis the dinner when families from both sides are complete and will finally see each other. The Brother and The Sister-in-Law and The Nephew and The Mom are all flying in.

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i double-checked everything: Cirkulo (www.elcirkulo.com) and the menu, check. Menu cards, check. I ditched the snickers cake from Mocha Blends, called up Delize instead for this scrumptious Pistachio Sansrival (photo source: http://dessertcomesfirst.blogspot.com or to read the article about this yummy dessert, visit this link):

so dessert, check. i hope everything will be okay because i personally organised and arranged everything for this night.

The Theme Part II

2006-12-11T21:48:00.001-08:00

My Sister just informed me that she has another brilliant theme idea! I don't know what it is yet, though. I'll keep you posted.

The Engagement Dinner II

2006-12-10T04:16:00.000-08:00

I was talking to our OJT the other day and she told me that Ebizu in Eastwood has an Eat-All-You-Can grill buffet every Mondays-Thursdays. The set up is like Shabu-shabu, you grill your own food in front of you, but the grill is smoke-less so you don't end up smelling like your neighborhood barbecue-man (not that I have anything against barbecue smells...in fact, i love the smell of barbecue...only when i'm hungry). So anyway, the price is not bad for an EAYC grill. It's P495 per head + tax so it'd end up something like P600 per head. Like I said, NOT BAD. It got me thinking, maybe I should hold my engagement dinner instead at Ebizu. I don't think my guests will starve because it's EAYC, and it's quite near to where my fiance's family lives. AND MOST OF ALL, we're gonna save a lot! Woohoo!

So last Saturday, My Sister, Brother-in-Law, Fiance and I had lunch at Pasto Eastwood and hung out at Starbucks (I don't really like *bucks, but my sister only needed two stamps to get their posh planner, so it was just okay with me -- i really really think Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is so much better!). My brother-in-law had Toffee Nut therefore my sister only needed one more stamp. I told her I couldn't take anymore caffeine (eventhough it's Toffe Nut Latte) so I could just buy the coffee and she could drink it, but apparently that was what she was thinking too. She ended up getting an Iced Mocha for the price of a Toffee Nut Latte. Sheesh. But at least she was happy she got her planner.

Anyway, I'm talking about coffee shit now when I'm supposed to be talking about my supposed-transfer of engagement dinner venue. I mentioned Ebizu to my sister and my brother-in-law and they all frowned in disapproval. Apparently, non-smoking area is open-air! Geez! Plus the place is cramped so no, no, no. In the end, we're back to Cirkulo.

This is what you get from planning too ahead of time. Apprehensions, doubts, hesitations. All in the name of more time to spend.

wedding blues

2006-12-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

it's not that i'm not excited with the wedding preps, it's just that i feel that the wedding is still TOO far away. i'm not pressured into deciding anything, not pressured into making any reservations, in fact, i don't feel pressured at all.

The Invitation Part I

2006-12-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

My Creative Director/Wedding Coordinator/Matron of Honor aka My Sister and I decided that we'll just be the ones who'll make my wedding invitations. Scrimping on anything that we could scrimp on, we figured I could save on invitation costs if we only bought the materials and make the invitations ourselves. Anyway we have more than a year to create invites.

Here are my top picks:

You don't see my invite here though, because not one of them is apt for my secret theme. Hehe.

Bridal Fear

2006-12-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this won't happen to me because I don't wear thongs.

Origins of Wedding Traditions

2006-12-01T02:33:00.000-08:00

from: http://www.decidio.com/wedding-invitations/wedding-traditions.htm

The circular shape of a wedding ring symbolizes endless love.

The placement of the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand came from the Egyptians, as they believed that the vein in that finger ran directly to the heart.

The wedding tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other on their wedding day stems from the ancient tradition of the bride not showing her face to the groom before the wedding.

Tossing the garter was a medieval tradition in which wedding guests invaded the bridal chamber to steal the bride's stockings for good luck. Grooms would toss the garter to his friends to prevent this from happening.

Using white as the color of the wedding gown is popular today because white was a color of celebration to the ancient Romans.

Tossing the bouquet - centuries ago, wedding guests would tear at the bride's flowers and clothes to share her happiness, so she tossed her bouquet to her guests instead to ensure she got away in one piece.

Groomsmen were friends of the groom that in ancient times were needed when the bride was often captured by force, as the new husband needed allies to help him fend off her family.

The bridal train dates back to the Middle Ages when the higher the bride's social standing, the longer the material she dragged down the aisle.

The bride's veil was originally designed to hide the bride's face and intended to preserve her modesty.

Grain was originally believed to symbolize fertility, so throwing rice over the bridal couple ensured they'd have many children.

Husbands carrying their brides over the threshold after the wedding comes from an old superstition of avoiding any evil spirits that would invade the bride through the soles of her feet when entering the threshold of their new home.

Apprehensions

2006-12-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

Are all the expenses of a wedding celebration actually worth it?

This is the question that I asked myself this morning, following the listing of expenses that me and My Fiance did last night. Can the hundreds of thousands of pesos that you will spend on your Big Day actually pay for the experience and fun?

I told My Fiance this morning that maybe we could just dress up nicely on our wedding day, and get married in a small chapel. I won't wear a wedding gown, just a nice designer dress. He could wear a designer barong, too. Only our immediate family's allowed to attend the wedding rites, no bridesmaids, no ring bearers, none of that. Just immediate family witnessing the exchange of vows. Immediate family can wear anything that they like.

After the small ceremony we could have a small reception right after. Maybe we can have a nice restaurant (such as Chateau 1771) closed down for lunch, just for us. Close friends are invited for this, of course. I tried to calculate everything in my head and for a maximum of 50 guests, we'll only be spending about 100k, and that's already inclusive of Church fees + food. The designer dress and barong won't matter, we can spend for that separately, besides we can still re-use those so they don't really count.

The thought of having a small wedding is tempting, especially for a practical person like me. But early this afternoon I figured why a lot of brides-to-be still opt for a semi-lavish, if not totally lavish wedding: women are naturally inclined to beautiful things, they naturally like to be the center of attention, they are born wedding coordinators, believe it or not. Nothing excites us women more than planning a very lavish event, especially one that will have us as the STAR. Being queen is every woman's dream.

The Date

2006-11-29T23:43:00.001-08:00

You're probably wondering why we chose March 15, 2008 as That Date. Well the reason is pretty common, it's our anniversary date and March 15 happens to be a Saturday in 2008. Other reasons include:

1.) March in numbers is 3, which is a good number because the tail goes up. Three is also a good number in Christianity as it represents the Holy Trinity (hehehe).

2.) The number 15 according to numerology represents LOVE, SEX and MONEY. I guess number 15 pretty much covers everything.

3.) 2008 is a good year as it has lots of zeroes, and has one eight. In feng shui, a date that has lots of circles (0s and 8s) signifies prosperity and peace. The number 8 also signifies infinity.
To a person who isn't superstitious, these things might be insignificant, even funny. But to me and My Fiance, the date of our wedding is just as important as the tastefulness of the food that we will serve on our wedding day, or maybe as important as the name of our child-to-be.

The Theme

2006-11-29T00:15:00.000-08:00

Browsing through piles and piles of wedding magazines is enough to induce a headache. Wedding choices are as wide as the universe, it's so impossible to choose JUST ONE.

Helping me stay sane until That Day is my self-appointed Creative Director/Coordinator/Matron of Honor aka My Sister. My Sister and I decided to come up with a theme for the wedding, so we could narrow down my choices. I originally wanted a beach wedding but after browsing through all the magazines, I discovered that having a beach wedding in the Philippines is not so unique after all. A LOT of Filipino couples decide to say their vows on the beach, so I ditched the idea. And since a beach wedding is all i've been raving about since Day 1, dropping this theme made me jump back to square 1. BOO. guess what, i'm back to endless possibilities!

WEDDING CHOICES = A UNIVERSE OF OPTIONS.

Coming up with a theme for a wedding is not easy. There are several questions that you need to answer, like, is the theme appropriate for a wedding? Will the theme offend anyone involved in the wedding (family of the groom, family of the bride)? Etc. So to help us keep the options to a minimum, I thought of what I want the wedding to look like and my fiance's interests. I felt that our theme should reflect at least, our personalities. Here's what I came up with:

Bride-to-be:

- I want my wedding to be giddy but not cheesy, stylish but not expensive.- it (the wedding) has to be unique and FUN

Groom:

- Originally wanted a Lord of the Rings-themed wedding (HELP ME GOD!!!)- likes unique stuff too- likes fantastic and gangster movies- likes battles, wars, and other topics related to testosterone

Hmmmmmm....putting them all together makes me think of James Bond (and well, what with all the commotion on the latest James Bond movie, I'm not surprised). I asked My Sister:

Theme No. 1: How about James Bond? Me and the female entourage can dress up as Bond girls. Fiance and the male entourage can all dress up as Bonds (I don't know what I was thinking, really).

My Sister's reply: "It's okay but it's kind of not appropriate, isn't James Bond a renowned womanizer and commitment-phobe?"
Idea was flushed.

Theme No. 2: To my self: What about Star Wars-inspired? I'm afraid the only character my ring-bearers can assume is Yoda. But I like coming as Padme Amidala though, HAHA.
Okay forget Star Wars.

Theme No. 3: Old Haute Ton Manila. Venue and Reception is Villa Escudero. Instead of Bridal Car there's the good old Kalesa. Hmmmmmmmmm...thinking. What's the groom's interests have to do with it though? K whatever.

Theme No. 4: The Jungle Book. HAHAHAHA! YOU WISH!

After one week of theme-scrounging, we finally found one that's perfect: stylish, simple, unique and fun! What is it? It's definitely not Lord of the Rings.

I'm Finally Engaged!

2006-11-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

BIG NEWS.

My boyfriend of one and a half year finally proposed, and after the happiness on the engagement has trailed off, I am now faced with the overwhelming thought of planning for the you know, That Day.

That Day is tentatively scheduled on the 15th of March, in 2008. We are looking at 80 guests maximum, and venue and reception somewhere a little far from the bustling city. But of course, before all the That Day Details, there's the engagement dinner to plan and execute. I'm very very particular when it comes to details (Virgo at Heart), so a lot of tasting and oculars happened. I started this blog rather late in the Engagement Dinner preparations, so i'll just give you a rundown of what happened:

Our initial plan was to hold it in Italianni's, we were looking at a place where we could spend only about P500 per head, good for 15 people (Engagement Dinner for our immediate family only). Italianni's in Eastwood seemed like the perfect place, not too expensive, quiet on the second floor...but I didn't exactly think of it as perfect because Italianni's is well...Italianni's. It's a little casual for what I am trying to achieve.

Then I remembered Minggoy's. My nephew's baptismal rites reception was held there two years ago and the food was okay, and Twist is only about P500 (net) per head, buffet! But two days later my sister called me up to say that I have to cancel my reservations because they just ate there and yech, that place spells DIZZAZTER.

Exhausted, I shoved the venue for the Engagement Dinner on the side first for more pressing matters like My Work. Last week My Work required me to attend numerous dinners, three in a row to be exact, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We had dinner at Portico in Serendra last Thursday, and the food was okay, the service was TERRIBLE, but i liked their function room on the second floor. The function room was good for 15 people, and its ambience was perfect for family discussions. If only for the function room, i reserved the place. The day after, we had dinner at Cirkulo along Pasay Road. Food was SCRUMPTIOUS!!! And it's PERFECT because they also have a function room good for 15 people. The trade off was the price, we'll end up paying roughly P900 per head, but I don't really care because Cirkulo is exactly the place where I want my Engagement Dinner to be held. So I approached the owner, Malu Gamboa, and reserved a seat for 15. Luckily, despite the place being so full on the 27th of December (70 people already reserved for that day...geez!), I managed to secure the function room. What's more, the owner was so hands-on with helping me pick out my menu for the night, she willingly suggested items on the menu, and carefully opposed me if she thought my orders were a little too...well, excessive. EXCELLENT EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. So there, landslide vote from myself went to Cirkulo.

Here's my menu for the Engagement Dinner:

Appetizers

Croquetas
Hojaldres de Espinacas

Salad

Insalata di Gorgonzola w/ apples and walnuts - change cheese

Main Course

Paella Montana with Portobella Mushrooms
Slow Roasted U.S. Beef Belly
Pan Fried Fillet of Apahap with Lemon Buerre Blanc
Gambas al Ajillo

Dessert
yay! waived corkage fee for my Snickers Cake c/o Mocha Blends :-)