Certified Bridechilla ♥♥♥

DIY: Our Wedding Guestbook in the Making

2012-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Summer. Hello March. 2 months to go!!! This is it.

The official wedding countdown starts right now. I’m getting more nervous each day and quite paranoid with the checklist I have right now. What if the checklist I have right now is incomplete? Gee, I think I am turning in to a BRIDEZILLA already! :D ahaha! With only 2 months to go, Mark and I are already stretching ourselves to finish our DIY’s. We are almost done with putting names on our invitations, and I have also started working on our DIY Guestbook.

Instead of having it printed out on a normal guestbook and inspired by Jolina’s wedding invitations (ehehe), Mark and I decided to have it DIY’ed. Not only because it’s more cost-effective, but it would also serve our bonding time together.

We bought the blank guestbook from PAPEMELROTI, and some scrapbook materials in NBS. As per the pictures we are going to use on the guestbook, we had some of our prenup pictures printed from Tronix. (3.50 per piece) Due to my excitement, I lost track of the pictures I saved on my USB, and printed out more than 180 photos. Now I am wondering what we are going to do with the extra prints. :D

Here’s the sample prototype:D I have only started doing the lay out for the guestbook. I can no longer wait to ornate it with the scrapbook materials.

I must say that we were able to accomplish a lot of things yesterday. Documents, shopping for DIY,s and at the same time, we pigged out! :D hihi!

Wedding Preparations: Berjaya Manila Hotel

2012-02-27T10:14:00.001-08:00

The moment we booked our hotel for the reception, Mark and I decided to get the Honeymoon package on their wedding packages. However, after checking the rooms that are inclusive on their packages - everything had changed and we decided to shed and invest more peso power for our hotel room accommodation. Being an internet savvy bride to be, I found great deals online but quite hesitant to buy groupons since I have heard and read a lot of negative reviews from these fad websites.

Good thing, a friend of mine, recommended this reputable website (which I also confirmed from the hotel that they do accept bookings from this website) and I was able to book their LIMITED early bird rates. Though the taxes are not published on their website, the total charges we are going to incur are still way much lower as compared to their original rates.

Website: www.booking.com

Unlike other websites, booking.com doesn’t charge your credit card right away. You will only be billed on the day of your check in.

Here are the pictures of the rooms we were able to book thru Booking.com

Hotel Name: Berjaya Manila Hotel

We booked 2 Deluxe Rooms (one for my family, then for h2b's family) - for wedding preps

Then 1 Suite for the night after the wedding. ♥

If you may notice, both of these rooms are almost the the same. The only difference is that the Suite has a separate living room, and of course, bigger. The rooms are quite promising and I must say the rooms we were able to book are quite enough for our families.

Deluxe

Studio Suite

2 months to go

2012-02-27T09:52:00.003-08:00

2 months, yes, 2 months to go and I’ll be Mrs. Alcantara already! Can’t wait for that day, but with all the excitement that h2b and I feel right now, we’re also nervous at the same time. Good thing we started early with the wedding preps, and we’re not cramming that much. With only a couple of days left, here are the tasks we need to accomplish before the month of March ends. H2b and I are targeting to be on relaxed mode already by the month of April. (keeping our fingers crossed!)

*Claim our marriage license

*Distribute invitations

*Confirm RSVP (now this is the hardest part) we all know that there are guests who do not know how to confirm.

*Arrange Seat plan

*meet with suppliers

*DIY guestbook

*Print all the prints? :D (I’m not sure with the term though, but I am referring to the thank you cards, misalette, wedding tags and the like

*Confirm layout with suppliers (photobooth, wine labels)

I couldn’t believe that the wedding preps we started last year are now turning into reality. ;)

Helpful tips for Pre-nuptial session

2012-02-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

I can say that I’ve been a camera enthusiast ever since the evolution of camera cellphones. I love taking pictures of special events & places and I make sure that I get to take a picture of myself too during these significant events.

Little did I know that having a pre-nuptial pictorial session is not that easy as compared to the normal picture taking. I am not used to in posing in front of other people most especially that this is just not a snip snap posing, but your photographer needs to capture something worth showing to other people, and be printed out on a guestbook and album. WE have to think of poses that would match our personality and theme.

Honestly, I was never that excited when e-session planning took its place, but as the day of the e-session gets nearer and nearer, I experienced a lot of tension looking for tips and suggestions from other bride to be’s.

Looking at the prenup pictures we have right now, I can truly say that it really showed what’s US in our relationship. Happy, Wacky, Sweet, Loving. Mind you, we had a lot of wacky and candid shots, and there were only handful of pa-sweet shots. It was not an easy pictorial most especially that my h2b is a super camera shy. Thank you KikongManlalarawan for capturing the happy moments during the session! ♥

So here are my tips if you’re going to have a pre-nuptial pictorial

Research about possible prenuptial venue, that would suit your theme. In our case, we chose Philippine Airforce Museum not just because it matched our peg, but the venue rate is also affordable.

Research for some poses. Tell your photographer what you want to happen, and what he needs to capture during the pictorial. You must have a very good client-supplier relationship with your PV. Take it from me, it’s not easy posing in front of someone whom you barely now. Also, they get to see the raw shots first, before the client. Haha. (define candid shot faces. Haha! ). Good thing, my PV is my friend, so I felt comfortable working with him).

That's KikongManlalarawan

Check for possible outfits, and do not bring a lot of clothes during the pictorial. Maximum of 4 outfits would do. During our pictorial, h2b and I brought a lot of outfits. Decide what accessories to bring that would match your outfit. Do not mix and match during the pre-nup session day itself. It would eat too much of your time! (that’s what happened to us) hahaha!

If you are going to DIY your props, make sure you do it a week in advance.

Prepare you attire the night before. Make sure you make list of things to bring. That way, you won’t miss anything.

Be on the venue, 2-3 hours before the start time of your pictorial. If you are going to fix your hair and do the make up on the venue, remember, it’s not an easy task to do. Most especially most pre-nup venues do not have a dedicated place for prepping up. In our case, my hair and makeup artist curled my hair for more than 2 hours, and had my makeup done for 30 minutes. So make sure you prepare your own schedule of “things” to do on the venue. We were supposed to start at exactly 1PM, but the session started at half past two.

Bring water and pain reliever during the pre-nup session. Based on my experience, I had a major headache and left with no choice to endure it just for the sake of good shots. Ahehe. Staying under the broad sunlight can really cause a major headache + it rained a bit during our e-session.

Take a good rest, and sleep well the night before the e-session.

Bring a good friend who can be there to support you.

. . During the pictorial, don’t tire yourself too much. Take a rest if you want to. :D The pictorial itself is already tiring, so don’t double your burden.

Lastly, enjoy the day! Make sure to have wacky shots. It will really set up the mood for a good pictorial.

PS. Even if there are some undesirable candid shots, I still consider 'em as one of the best shots! ♥

DIY - Accordion Pinwheels for our Table Names

2012-02-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks contemplating what design to use for our table names, I finally found an inspiration from one of my favorite wedding blogs! I always wanted to have something that would look as if it’s also an additional centerpiece for our guests table. Thank you RuffledBlog for presenting so much ideas to internet savvy and budgeted brides – and I am so happy to find a unique and “cute” way to DIY our table names.

This is really easy to do, most especially that I used to make paper fans when I was still a lil girl. Doing this wouldn't really hurt your pockets most especially that you can use old books/ magazines instead of specialty papers.

Since I have been very excited when I saw this online, I created 2 accordion pinwheels as the prototype. I tore 5 pages from my wedding magazine. Hehe :D (Sorry, I didn't have the time to cut the edges to make it look better) :D

The Pinwheel on the left has smaller folds, while the pinwheel on the right has the bigger folds. I find the small folds much better.

I am going to put bamboo skewers at the back so we can put it inside the flower vases. Take a look at the sample below: Photo grabbed thru ruffledblog.com

DIY - Bottled water labels

2012-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Ever since I found out that the price of bottled water near our place is to some extent affordable, I already thought of doing DIY bottled water on our big day. Though this is not a 100% great idea for my DIY’s (most especially that this is not an OOT wedding), it never stopped me from doing the water labels, just in case this impression would take place! There are a lot of editable templates you can download on the Internet, and what I came up with using the template I found online! :D

My mom suggested that we can buy 30 pcs. of bottled water and give it to our guests after the ceremony. But then again, how can we be so sure if the guests are really thirsty right after the ceremony, most especially that the actual wedding rites won't even last for more than an hour. ☻

Editable templates can be found in: http://ruffledblog.com

Can't get enough of monograms

2012-02-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Even if H2b and I already have our official monogram, I just can't stop myself playing with colors and create labels and designs from one of the useful sites I have googled a couple of months ago. With the leisure of time I have for tonight's work, here are some labels I have created! ♥

Bridal Entourage Gowns - Checked!

2012-02-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, two of my bridesmaids together with my mom and my little sister had their first fitting already. We were really happy with the designs they made for us and it really has a touch of vintage! I was able to get H2b’s attire as well ( too early! ahaha) and I can pretty tell that he really looked good when he fitted early this morning. The suit, suits him very well! ♥♥♥

With the permission of my two bridesmaids, I am going to share the design of their cocktail dresses. ;) The drawing is really cute. :D Gee, I can no longer wait to see the finished product!

BM1

BM2

My Engagement Ring ♥

2012-02-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while going back to my old pictures on my mobile, I saw a couple of old files that made me smile and reminisce the early stages of our wedding preparation. In less 100 days, I am already going to marry my other half and my best friend. I just couldn't thank enough! ♥

Look! My engagement ring looks exactly as the E-ring on the Metro Weddings Magazine!

That's me! flaunting my E-ring. haha! The day he proposed to me. ♥♥♥

Marriage license application in Las Pinas

2012-02-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, H2b and I already filed an application for our marriage license.Even if there were some problems with my documents everything went really smoothly as expected. I was too worried for the past few days, since my mom’s maiden name was misspelled, and I can no longer afford to file and get another copy CENOMAR and wait for another 7 days :D I was informed by the lady who assisted us during the application what matters most is that my name reflected as Single, and not yet married. ;) Mind you, the whole application process went really fast, except filling out the application forms. I volunteered myself to fill out all the forms, except the interview sheet since h2b’s penmanship isn’t that good. I wouldn’t want the person in-charge of typing the license get a hard time reading the forms; so I thought of writing all the information by myself.

While filling out the form ♥

After 38minutes of writing, (yes, 30 minutes) we immediately submitted the forms to the civil registration, and we were interviewed on the spot too. Don’t worry, the interview isn’t like a normal job interview, but I was really surprised when they only asked us 2 questions. “Buhay pa ba ang magulang nyo?”.

We were able to do and accomplish all the requisites in time, and our licenses are expected to be released on the 27th of February! Thank God! We were able to file the most important document for our big day!

For those who are curious about filing an application of marriage license in Las Pinas, here are the documents you ought to bring:

Photocopy of birth certificate (bride and groom); Yes they do accept photocopies! (1 copy)

Photocopy of CENOMAR (bride and groom) – (1 copy)

Consent of parents; if applicable – but in our case, since we’re on the right age already, consent or advice is no longer needed. Haha!

And lastly, bring your own pen!

***Both parties must be present upon filing of marriage of license. Release of license will be 10 days after filing and submitting all documents.

Wedding Invitations = Checked! ♥

2012-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

After several days of spending time and revising with our wedding invitation layout, I am proud to present the actual sample of our wedding invitations.

This is one big part of our DIY for the wedding! It’s such a great feeling to see something “cute” and hear compliments from other people about a hard work. The layout I have printed in black and white and nth time of revisions has turned into actuality! H2b and I couldn’t believe I was able to do this design on my own, even with seeking professional help, but rather moral support from my friends. Weeh!

Our Pre- nup Teaser

2012-02-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

I have been an avid fan of Save the Date and Wedding Videos Teaser even before Mark proposed to me. However, since I have watched a lot of videos already, it became a challenge for me to depict what concept we would like to have on our wedding teaser.

So just before we had our engagement session last January 28, I told KikongManlalarawan, that the shots and clips he should create must be quirky and fun. It shouldn’t be the typical sweet and mushy but should have a lot of candid video snippets on behind the scenes of our Engagement Photo shoot Session.

Kudos to team KikongManlalarawan for doing what Mark and I really wanted! Even if we only had 3 hours photoshoot session, you guys were still able to capture some of the most memorable parts during the shoot! ♥

Venue: Philippine Airforce Museum, Villamor Airbase
Music: Fresh Feeling by Eels (Instrumental)

HMUA: MV Balo

Kat and Mark 05.26.2012 Wedding Teaser from bloggingb2b on Vimeo.

We are "MINT" to be ♥

2012-02-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

Mark is into mints and it has been a part of his daily routine to take mints before going to work (to freshen up his breath while talking to me. ) haha, so I thought of adding some mints on our table as an additional centerpiece.

Last year, during the first few months of our wedding preps, I have seen a lot of styles how to use mint candies as a wedding favor. Unfortunately, the rates are unbelievably expensive which I do not find quite practical anymore. Due to my frustration, I planned to do a DIY and emailed a couple of suppliers who are selling tin cans. Much to my surprise, the tin cans are not that expensive, but if I am going to add the costs of mints plus the materials I am going to use for the DIY, it would sum up and even higher to the actual prize of mint favors I have scouted online.

As luck would have it, I was able to find an alternative way how to pack the candies. I would have to let go of the tin cans and stick to the inexpensive way of course.

I bought 20 mini baskets (1 basket per table - each guest will get their own pack of mints of course); in one of the famous warehouses here in the country: D and 3 dozens of Tic Tac mints. 2 yards of ribbon and here are humble the results:

(Of course, the Mint to be Tags that I used below is just again, a prototype:D )

DIY - Wedding Matches

2012-02-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I started making our wedding matches. Ever since I found out that buying wedding matches from bridal shops are not practical (99 pesos for 2 matchboxes); I promised myself that I will do our own wedding matches for the wedding, and spend the most inexpensive way for this wedding paraphernalia.

After our marriage counseling last February 1 at Don Bosco, H2b and I finally had the chance to buy some DIY materials for the wedding ceremony. We were able to buy some goodies from NBS and we were also able to buy mini baskets and mints as a part of our DIY’s for the reception. I am still clueless how to pack the mints; but I already have an idea how it would look like. :D

So let me share the prototype I did for the wedding matchboxes. I am going to revise these boxes a few weeks before the wedding.

Damask wrapper: 12.50

Scrapbook material (flowers: 12pcs): 20.00

Commando Matchbox (8 pcs) : (yes commando! ): 14.00

Gluestick: Existing

Total Peso Power: 46.50

That's half the price based on the wedding matches I have seen from the Wedding Library. I can even make 8 wedding matches if I want to. haha! ♥

Snapshots from Engagement Photo shoot

2012-01-30T05:44:00.000-08:00

Finally, after a few months of anticipation, we already had our E-session/ Pre-nuptial pictorial last Saturday! ♥ It was such a stressful, tiring yet successful pictorial. Even if it rained few minutes after we started the pictorial, the weather cooperated! Here are some pictures that my cousin took behind-the-scenes. I'm still waiting the official pictures from my photographer though. ♥

Preparing :)

SOLE- mate! ♥ (check out what Mark's holding ;) )

The action star pose! ♥

Adrian, thanks for not letting me fall! :) Sitting at the airplane's wing is not that easy. :D

The battered boyfriend! ;)

Checking the pictures from my photographer ;)

Mark and I really hate planking. So what we did is we "Planked" to show that we are ready to face/embrace hatred. LOL. ehehe

With my two lovely friends! ;)

Say Yes to the Prenup dresses! ♥

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, before sleeping, h2b and I prepared the clothes we are going to wear for our engagement photo shoot. During the first few months of our preparation stage for this pictorial, we were too uneasy where to start, knowing that we have to shed a couple of bucks just to buy the clothes we need to wear for the prenuptial pictorial. A simple shirt would do, and a little touch of make-up I suppose; but since we both wanted to exude a “vintage” feel on the pictures, we ought to wear something vintage to match up the theme.

Guys, you know who you are, thank you so much for letting us borrow some of your clothes!!! =) Now, since we have a lot of clothes to choose from, we’re now having a hard time which one to wear. Hehe. ;)

Here are some of the pictures we took while we tried to mix and match the attires they lent us. ;)

Oh, it has been a part of my frustration to wear a dress, so I would like to take this opportunity to wear 3 dresses on our E- session. Haha! This is the first time I am going to post solo pictures of h2b and myself. hehe. :D

Wedding gown ;)

A real vintage dress - ♥ This was given to me by H2b's mom

Cocktail dresses for our Secondary Sponsors ♥

2012-01-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since Mark and I planned for the wedding, I have been very serious looking for ways how to trim down our wedding expenses as much as possible. I never get tired looking for other choices and computing how much we are saving for every penny that gets out of our project-wedding savings.

Being an uber-practical budgeted bride-to-be, I can truly say that I am already a fully-pledged lover of clearance and super sale in shopping malls! That’s what h2b and I usually do, every time we need to buy something for our wedding. We only go to the malls, 2 to 3 days after our payday, just to find great deals. That’s what we actually did for our wedding rings and most of our wedding accessories, and just two-weeks ago; we bought cocktail dresses for our secondary sponsors during one of the most awaited sale of every shopper – the YEAR ENDER SALE!!! =)

Thankfully, we were able to find three dresses with same designs from the racks of Viola dresses; designed by Anne Bichelmeir.

Simple, elegant and I must say, reasonably priced! Since Don Bosco enforces church attire decorum, we're going to buy shawls for our lovely secondary sponsors, who also happen to be my H2b's sister! ♥

Please note that the brown brooch below is not included; the brooch is a part of our DIY's. ☻

Thoughts about our upcoming E- Session

2012-01-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

For the past few months, I wasn’t that really into our engagement photo shoot. However, as the pictorial day gets nearer and nearer, I am already starting to feel giddy, and cannot organize my thoughts which inspiration to follow – since my thinking cap is sharing too much ideas.

I always wanted to have a colorful yet “vintageous” photo shoot, that’s why we opted to have our pictorial at Philippine Air force Museum. Looking and searching for props to bring during the pictorial is not an easy task to do, but thank you to the ever reliable Internet, and I was able to find some pegs and mood board to fit in the theme that I want to happen. I am not that sure if my photographer would be able to pull off the ideas I have in mind, but I made sure that he knows very well the inspirations I have in mind – and I want to have a colorful, happy, vintage look on the pictures. Would that be possible? Hopefully yes!

I can no longer wait to wear the REAL wedding gown and other dresses that our good ol’ friends lent us for this pictorial. For the record, Mark and I didn’t have to buy our E-Session attires, since our friends are kind enough to lend us all these things! Thank you so much boys and gels.

As soon as the e-session is already done, I'd share some snippets and highlights during the photoshoot. – I am still not sure if everything goes well as the way I envision it, but there’s one thing for sure that I do not want to happen during our e-session day, and that is to RAIN! :D

This picture was taken last year during our ocular visit in PAF. The girl in stripes is my MOH, while the girl wearing black is one of my bridesmaids ♥

Wedding documents are Almost Complete ♥

2012-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Roughly 4 months to go, and we’re getting there already! I am very happy to say, that our documents are almost complete and we were able to secure some of the most difficult church documents to obtain. (The confirmation and baptismal certificate). I have heard some stories from previous couples that one of their partners had to undergo the sacrament of confirmation again, since their certificates are nowhere to be found on the church records. Fortunately, Mark and I didn’t experience this tight spot most especially that undergoing the sacrament of confirmation again really takes a lot of time. I can still remember the time I had my confirmation way back 2003, I had to attend the church’s seminar for 3 consecutive Sundays. Good thing there are churches here in the Metro that offers stress-free confirmation – to the extent that you can get your certificate of confirmation on the spot.

Aside from the 2 major certificates we were able to secure from our parishes, we were able to get the reply forms for our marriage banns already! Once we get the CENOMARs we have requested from SM Business Centers, our next pace would be application for MARRIAGE LICENSE. Woot woot!

My friend's wedding ♥

2012-01-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was able to witness two lovely couples exchanged their vows in front of God and their loved ones. It was such a great feeling to see someone unfold the real meaning of Love – most especially these days that a lot of marriages are falling apart.

The moment I saw my friend marched the aisle to meet her husband to be (now her husband na) on super lovely wedding gown, I almost cried and can really feel the happiness in her eyes. It was one of the best weddings I have seen so far–nothing really beats an intimate and simple wedding. I am really glad that everything went well and no destructions happened on her most awaited day. I am really happy for my friend, most especially I know some of the most stressful moments she had during her wedding preps.

So to you Di, and to her hubby Karl, congratulations and best wishes to both of you! Just like what the priest said during the homily, marriages are not made in heaven. And if the time comes you feel something’s wrong with your marriage, please bear in mind that I am just here, to remind you guys, what happened on January 17, 2012. I will and always be thankful that I was able to witness your wedding ceremony. Again, congratulations and I am looking forward to see your cute babies!!!

P.S.: Right after Di's wedding ceremony and party I felt more and excited and can no longer wait for my own wedding! Oh, I just can’t wait to exchange vows with my husband to be! ;) LOVE IS REALLY IN THE AIR THIS YEAR 2012!!! ♥

With my fellow 2012 Brides ♥ Aileen who's getting married on March, Michelle on Feb, Me on May while Joyce on December ♥

While waiting for the ceremony to start

Hotel Room for Wedding Preparations at Berjaya Manila Hotel - Checked!

2012-01-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, after work hours, H2b and I got the chance to do an ocular visit to the rooms we have booked for our wedding preps.

I booked this hotel way back the last quarter of 2011 but only got the chance to visit their show room last weekend. Honestly, I only based my judgment by looking at the pictures posted on their website, and I must say the pictures on their page were really promising. We all know that some pictures look more beautiful as compared to ‘real’ life; but that never stopped me from booking the hotel since I was able to get a huge discount by booking the rooms online.

When the attendant showed us the rooms last Saturday, h2b and I were very glad that we had the chance to avail this promo discount. The rooms were beautiful and clean, and the place really looks cozy.

We booked 2 deluxe room for wedding preparations, and 1 suite room for the night after the wedding. ;)

Sharing some pictures! :)

Hotel restaurant

Deluxe Premiere

My camera shy husband to be and I.

After checking the rooms, we went straight ahead to St. John Bosco to submit our missalette. Unfortunately, Ms. Ging, the super kind lady who’s assigned to wedding inquiries wasn’t there, so we had to leave the copy to someone else. I am still keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that the missalette gets approved right away, so we can go ahead and make copies already.

I just can't stop taking pictures of SJB's lovely altar! :D

Parking ;)

Afterwards, we went to SM Sucat to request copies of Cenomar. Fortunately, there was a season sale in SM, so we were able to buy cocktail dresses for our Secondary Sponsors! I’ll share the pictures once uploaded. :D

DIY: Our wedding missalette

2012-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I started doing the layout for our missalette since h2b and I are going to Don Bosco tomorrow morning to check if the revised wordings would be approved. Doing the layout is not an easy task and it surely needs a lot of patience. I didn’t know that printing papers back to back can be very tricky, most especially that you need to figure out which page comes first. You're lucky if you have a supplier who's going to do the layout for you, but at times like this (now that we're crunching our budget for the wedding. hehe) I'd rather spend hours bugging myself than to pay 70.00 per set of missalette. Knowing that after the ceremony, guests wouldn’t even keep this “script” after the wedding. Little did I know that doing the layout shouldn’t be arranged in order, but rather, how the pages would turn out once you open and flip every pages of the missalette.

So, after this super dreary task, I am happy and satisfied with the results! Once our church approves our missalette (readings, sayings and the like), I’d immediately reproduce these copies inexpensively. Once approved, all I have to do is to instruct the Xerox Company to photocopy the respective pages back to back and provide them the ordering of the pages. We are only going to spend 15 pesos per set of missalette and that's a great way to save on our printing costs. I can even produce many missalettes or even provide 1 copy per guests if I want to. hehe (which I wouldn't do anyway since I am only planning to print 30 of these)

One of my wedding coordinators told me that I can just provide her the materials and she’d print these for free; but I am quite shy to do this, since printing this for free would mean restrictions. I couldn’t demand the missalette to be printed at an earlier time; most especially that she’s doing this for me as a favor. I wanted to finish things way ahead of time, and I don’t want to pressure her just because of this missalette. Besides, she has done a lot of things and favors for Mark and I already. =) I just couldn’t thank her enough for being so nice and being so considerate every time I ask her numerous questions about some of our wedding suppliers.

For those who are still not aware what missalette is, this is the wedding program or rather what I consider the script that the priest, couple, commentator and the guests would read during the wedding ceremony. This may be arranged as a booklet or can even be produced as a leaflet. =) So if you’re still clueless if this is a must for a wedding ceremony, the answer would be a BIG YES! Without this, the readers, couple, guests, and even the priest wouldn't know when it’s their turn to speak already. (Unless they really do pay attention the entire wedding ceremony) So as early as now, it’s much better to prepare and do the lay out way ahead of time. Doing this task is way too tiresome. (Take it from a bride to be DIY princess wanna-be) ☻

Here are some sample pictures I've grabbed online. Credits also posted below. ♥ I'll share ours once our church approves it ♥

http://nelpamwedding.com/id19.html

http://simplymaan.blogspot.com/2010/10/missalette-template.html

Offbeat accessories for our wedding

2012-01-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Few months ago, I’ve already said cheerio to traditional wedding accessories, and decided to go for unconventional accessories instead. I can still remember H2b was doubtful with my ideas, thinking that the church wouldn’t let us march if we use these accessories. As far as I am concern, there are no rules with the type of accessories we can use on our wedding day. Couples can tend to be creative to the nth power, and they can opt to be unique whenever they want to – granted that it doesn’t hurt, insult and affect the usual norm.

I have started with beaded bouquets, crystal boutonnieres, flower girls not carrying flowers but rather teddy bears (so how do I call them right now?) down to unique pens. And just yesterday I spent almost half of my day checking substitutes for our other wedding paraphernalia’s.

The last time Mark and I shopped for wedding accessories, I almost bought a ring and arrhae pillow, but Mark disagreed to do so, since he wasn’t open to the idea with pillows that has a teddy bear on it. He said that this is fairly awkward to see our bearers to bringing pillows with teddy bears on it. Being open with his suggestions, I just agreed, but still silently look for other possible options.

Thank you to the Internet, and it never stopped providing so many ideas for every budgeted bride. Unfortunately, not all options available on the internet can be sourced out here in the country, and most of these adorable suggestions can only be purchased with the bridal stores in US (if I’m not mistaken) So the only solution here is to check for possible resources and scout for something similar with the “inspirations” I have seen online.

So here are the inspirations I’ve seen online, and 100% wholeheartedly apply on our wedding day.

Inspiration number 1:

The box

http://morgannhilldesigns.blogspot.com/2010/09/with-this-ring-i-thee-wed-rustic.html

This box will replace the usual shiny white pillow that ring bearers carry as they walk down the aisle. I find the pillow quite “gasgas” already and opted to replace it with something unique that would secure the mock wedding rings. :D

If you have an antique jewelry box, you can use it, but just like in my case, I am going to source this “something similar” in Papemelroti. They are several decoupage wooden boxes for and you can have it customized. Good thing they do not have a minimum order for the box I have chosen! :D Here’s a glimpse of how it looks like.

http://www.papemelroti.com/21-115.jpg

Inspiration number 2: The book

Aside from the decoupage box, I am also thinking of getting a book just like the picture shown above. Thank you again to Papemelroti, and they are selling a wooden book like this! :) Just a little bit expensive as compared to the wooden box. This costs 249.00. (still not bad eh?).

Here's Papemelroti's wooden book version:

http://www.papemelroti.com/268-1.jpg

Such offbeat, isn’t it? Who would have thought that there are rings inside the “book” unless you open it? ;)

So if you're interested to replace the usual pillow, you can check this link and might help you give a lot of ideas! :) One of my friend's who's getting married this month is using a DIY's flower bed in lieu of the white pillow.

http://realetsyweddings.com/2010/07/alternative-ring-pillows/

As per the arrhae holder, I'm planning to forgo the original arrhae case holder that we bought from wedding library, and thinking of buying something unique too. Or if I couldn't find something extraordinary, might as well have the arrhae bearer hold the arrhae alone ♥

Our Pocket Friendly Suppliers

2012-01-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

Few more sleeps plus a lot of cartwheels, then it’s already our big day. It’s such a great fulfillment that Mark and I were able to pull off these things even without breaking the bank. Thank you very much to our super pocket friendly suppliers - I can no longer wait to provide a major supplier’s review after the wedding day! ♥

For those who are still amazed by the mighty powers we have injected by saving a lot with the wedding expenses, let me share the suppliers we have booked for the past 8 months, whom I know would turn our most-awaited day to be the most memorable milestone of our relationship! We may not have the most accredited suppliers on the wedding industry, but I am confident that everything would turn out perfectly well even if this is an uber-budgeted wedding! ;) (So B2B’s who are having undesirable thoughts planning for your wedding, it’s about time to think and settle your mind that you don’t need to spend that much just to have a memorable wedding. This is your wedding; not someone else’s dream wedding. So don’t be terrified to follow what you really want, and stop pleasing your guests. Besides, this is a union of your love with your H2b. All you have to think that this is your h2b, the MAN up there and your own event.

Don’t stress out about building a fairytale wedding, perfectly crafted, every detail borrowed from somewhere else. Look away from the blogs and magazines. And look within. :) (Excerpt from rebelbride)

Church: St. John Bosco Makati
Strings: Velvet Mood
Invitations: DIY
Table Names & Labels: DIY
Bridal Gown: Rosy's Bridal Shop
Bride's Crystal Bouquet: DIY
Crystal Wedding Cord: DIY
Fascinator: Princess Weds
Bird Cage Veil: Karmie
Crystal Boutonnieres:DIY
Entourage Flowers: Ysabela Florist
Reception Styling: Ysabela Florist
Offertory Flowers: Ysabela Florist
Flower Girls Stuffed Toy: Toy Kingdom (my flower girls are going to carry Teddy bears instead of flowers) ;)
Bridal Car: Zandel's Mini Cooper Rentals
Wedding Rings: My Gold, SM
Photography and Videography: KikongManlalarawan
Same Day Edit: KikongManlalarawan
Wedding Teaser: KikongManlalarawan
Picture AVP: KikongManlalarawan
Principal Sponsors Gift: Rachebeli Wines

Wedding Favors: Mazey's Homemade Cookies
Photobooth: Picsteria
Reception: Great Eastern Hotel, Grand Ballroom
Emcee: Norly Dizon
Hair and Make Up Artist: MV- Balo
Wedding Arrhae: The Wedding Library
Bible: St. Pauls
Pre-Nuptial Venue: Philippine Airforce Museum
Hotel Accomodation for Wedding Preps: Berjaya, Manila Hotel

Pamamanhikan, super checked! ♥

2012-01-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday H2b and I already had the pamamanhikan. To my anticipation, I knew from the very start that our families would really get along with each other. Isn’t it really nice to see two families really jive so well and treat each other so warmly?

I’ve heard a lot of stories from B2b’s and present wives about their so-called monster in laws, but I am pretty glad that I am not on this position. I have loved my future in laws from the very start Mark introduced me to them and treated them as if I am related to them by blood. But the time H2b’s family got the chance to finally meet my mom yesterday, everything significantly changed, and there’s this connection that really made me feel so close to them, and made me realize that I am really really thankful to have them as my future in laws, and love them even more! J Yes, that’s coming from a Bride-to-be. I am just so proud and couldn’t thank them enough. Of course, my mom also likes them, and she keeps on telling how lucky I am to have accommodating and wonderful future in laws. So I guess, this saying is true after all “Mean begets mean and nice begets nice” ;)

Sharing the very few pictures we took from yesterday’s memorable event.

We didn’t discuss much about the wedding most especially that Mark and I are already through with the planning stage. However, we showed them some of our materials that we'll be using on the wedding ceremony.