Arvin and Leah's WEDblog

Finally... Saying YES To Life

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:27:00 +0000

We're officially married!

The feeling is inexplicable and unbelievable!

Some of the unofficial pics..

We want to thank everyone who made our wedding so wonderful! Our parents, families, relatives and friends and of course, our BEAUTIFUL Team, namely:

Niko for Veluz - I really love you.. You really made me beautiful! Everyone loved my gown!

Mimi + Karl - We love the onsite! Thanks for capturing the moments! We enjoyed our shoots!

Threelogy - Bong, you really rock (as said by Arvin)! You caught him off-guard! And the onsite.. incomparable!

DNDC - Dindi and the girls, thanks for the patience and help!

Lanie Acedillo - Thanks for making us beautiful and radiant.. I felt like a real bride! And I loved my hair (c/o Nora)

Tet Uy - We love the reception set-up! We were in awe! The flowers and my bouquet are so lovely!

Ms. Ritz - You're a good find! My bridesmaids, SS, FGs, sister and mothers were so elegant!

Mherlyn and Josiah's - Thank you for the yummy food! Mherlyn, you're the best AE ever!

Sensitivity -You really set the mood on fire! hehee.. and Meanne, thanks for everything!

TSG - Thanks for bringing the house down with your music and repertoire! Love it love it!

Mitzi - Everyone were in shocked when they saw us dance! Couldn't believe we could dance like that!

Invites

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Here is the sneak-peek of the final lay-out of our invites. Unfortunately, it's not yet printed (and only 1 month to go). We just wish that we can get them by next week. We had some few mishaps during the process of finalizing them (no available ribbon when it's supposed to have, not so friendly AE), but hopefully everything will turn out right.

So Little Time...

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:28:00 +0000

But too many things to do.. haay..
As of this moment, I only have 41 days left before 12.21.08!
I need more time to finalize things, but I'm in this part of the world where I couldn't do anything but sigh..

The honeymoon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:40:00 +0000

I'm here at the PAL ticket office in Makati at the moment. I'm waiting for my turn at the counter (which is taking too darn long if you ask me). We've made our decision and chose to have our honeymoon in Palawan - in Dos Palmas! Hehe. Hopefully, we can avoid getting kidnapped by terrorists or having some freak fatal nightmares. We're planning to stay there for 3 nights, see the underground river, do some sight-seeing, and island-hopping. Who knows? We might even get to squeeze in some quality one-on-one time with each other. Hehe

Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Our wedding inspirations..

ReceptionHair
Wedding gownBouquet

Arvin & Leah, 09.19.08

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Photographers: M+K
Location: Bonifacio High Street and La Mesa Ecopark
Hair and Make-up: Karen and Joel of The Makeup Studio Team

Here are some of the shots.
Take your pick...

It's OUT

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:31:00 +0000

The prenup pics are out! Yeyyy!!
We just can't wait.. to see them all!

"I'm so excited.. and I just can't hide it..
I know.. I know.. I know.. I know.."

Who is The Right One for Me?

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Glossary: HMUA - "Hair and Make-Up Artist" (which I've learned through being a W@Wie)

I've been to a lot of make-up trials lately, and I never thought to be this hard. Well for me, in my case... =D

Since our wedding is on the hot month, most of the sought-after make-up artists have already been booked months or even years ago, much to my dismay and surprise. And while on my first few months of wedding preparation, I didn't consider HMUA as a major supplier. Basically, the reason is, I don't wear make-up in my everyday life. A little powder there, lip gloss here.. that's it. My sister and sister-in-law who got married had theirs from the not-so-well-known make-up artists (we knew them, of course). Believe it or not, I've been through five (yes, you read it right) different hands just to find the right one for me. Some of the recaps and short stories:

Trial One (T1)
He's good, one of the famous in the wedding industry. The first time I saw him and his works, I told myself.. this is it. I really liked my hair since they were able to do what I really wanted. It was so easy after all, I booked and paid him. But I got scared (of myself after the trial or him.. haha), don't ask why. Or maybe because, we didn't hit it off. After a few days, I decided to back out since I looked matured and nose looked bigger (ahhaa.. true ito.. malaki na nga, mas lalo pa), but not until I found the right one (which is the start of my long journey =D). Trial Two (T2)
I learned of her through one of the posts in W@W. Once I received her package, I emailed her back and set an appointment with her. When I saw her, hmm.. she looks more like a bride than me.. (insecure ang lola mo.. ahuhu). I said to myself "Di kaya sya pagkamalang bride at ako ay isang dakilang alalay". Anyways, moving forward, she's more approachable as compared to T1, kikay and madaldal talaga. And I really like her personality, she's so cool and no pretensions... hehe.. Kaso medyo na-shock ako, kasi ang gulo ng room kung san sya nagta-trial, it's seen in one of the pics below. I almost booked her, however, when I summarized my look, very natural talaga, as if I have no make-up on, which is parang wala naman talaga. My lashes are sabog-sabog, my lips dried up after a while and lipstick's gone, and my skin was oily in 2 hours. Although, I really liked her, it was still a NO for me (hirap ko paligayahin 'no?). Not really, I'm kinda a Little Miss Perfect lang naman. My thought is, if I'm going to pay naman, why not choose those who can give you what you really deserve and what you want.
Trial 3 (T3)
I had my trial again after 4 months. Naku, I really cried on my T3. Not because they did a bad job, but because they really made me happy and satisfied. Plus, both the make-up and hair artists are so fun to talk to, no dull and awkward moments. We even shared our story with them (our relationship, career, interests and everything). They even shared theirs, too. They're so mabait, maybe because of their strong convictions in their faith and beliefs. Kwento sila nang kwento, kami naman tawa lang nang tawa. As if we knew each other before. I was going to book them on the day of my trial, however, we didn't bring any extra money for the reservation fee. So I've decided to book them the following day at the wedding fair since we will be going there anyway. However, they already warned us that since that was the first day of the fair, they might get booked on our day and they can't guarantee the slot for us because they're not accepting pencil booking. So I thought, the chances were so odd for them to get booked on our day.. hmm.. (talaga lang ah). I planned to text in the afternoon telling that we will be getting them, but unfortunately I forgot.. hay.. ewan ba.. The following morning, while on our way to the fair, I texted the MUA that we'll be booking them na. When I received her reply, she told me that they were already booked! I was really devastated, since I really really loved what they did to me.. my look, my hair (oh my.. yan talaga ang gusto ko!), everything! I took a deep breath and cried.. huhuhu.. and accepted it with a sigh.
Trial 4 (T4)
A week after T3, went to another. She was nice, known also in the group. Most of her brides speaks highly of her and and her works. We travelled so early just to get to her soo far awaaay place. Though I really liked her, her make-up didn't. My skin could no longer absorb the make-up anymore. Me too wasn't sure why. It was the first time that happened to me. It looked too cakey on me, which was quite surprising since I know some of the brides really blended well with her colors.. hmm.. Maybe it's not meant to be.
Trial 5 (T5)
At last, this is it! When still looking, I said to myself, no matter what happened, this will be the last. I was already tired, my skin was drying up due to various chemicals that I was wearing every week. I'm already hearing the HMUA's name and been reading some articles about her, but I didn't try to contact her before. When I met her, she's very softspoken but accommodating. She looks sosyal to me, but down-to-earth naman pala. She has nice sets of make-up and lights. Her hands are too light and gentle, I almost fell asleep (I think nakatulog na nga ata.. haha) when she was putting on the eye make-up. She has an assistant who's doing the hair (though I love the hair, di nasunod yung gusto ko.. mapag-uusapan naman 'to.. hehe). I loved my make-up and I knew then, she's definitely the one for me (dapat lang kasi dami ko na nagastos for trial pa lang.. ;P).

Our Babies

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:07:00 +0000

They came to our lives 14 1/2 months ago. They were so cute, like sweet little angels. hehee..

Months later you can see they're already blooming. We really love their eyes, smiles, and everything about them.

We saw every stages of their growth. From their first tooth, to their first word and 'til the time they were able to walk. You'll forget your problems the moment you see them and they, smile at you.

Chloe is cheerful, she loves to laugh and sing. Chelsea is charming, she loves to hug and dance. Both of them makes us happy.

They're two of our flower girls. And we can't wait to see them walk down the aisle in their own gowns.
I really love them, of course, they're my nieces. c",)

Updates! Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Whew! It's good to be back here.. 'been to a lot of work and pressure lately.. hehee..

Anyways, for the past months that we didn't write anything were the times that we did some wedding preparations. Once I got back, we've attended the bridal fair at the Megatrade sometime in July, I think. We didn't book any suppliers then. hehe... Much to our disappointment since we've been scouting for florists, bands, etc..

Well, here are some updates:

1. We went to Dangwa to meet Lawrence of Angel of Hearts, unfortunately he was not there. We've met his assistant, but did not come up with the final decision yet. We've met a couple of florists and stylists actually during the month of August, about four.. hehee.. We liked their work/idea however, we're in a tight budget and we don't think we can afford a Php150K styling for just one night! =D

2. We met Juancho and Meanne of Sensitivity a few days after, got a good deal from them. Still haven't decided yet, but after a week, we've confirmed that we're going to get them. We haven't made a reservation until the Themes and Motiffs fair came. hehee.. So that was September (a month after our confirmation) Good thing they are easy to talk with. Lights and sounds booked!

3. We attended the sample live session of TSG. We thought it was a full band set-up. Well, kinda disappointing, but since they have this promo and we heard some of them sing. Then it's a GO for us. hehe.. We booked them within a week and availed their promo for W@Wies! Yey!

4. We also booked BaiCapture during the bridal fair. We were looking for a cheaper alternative for photo booths and we found them. They gave us a great discount too since we also booked WINK for our invites during the previous fair. hehee... Sayang din ang Php500!

5. For the hair and makeup, we actually went to PICC mainly to book Karen Reyes and Joel Estrelles of The Makeup Team. However, due to some surprising and depressing circumstances (more about it later..huhu..), they're already taken on 12.21.08!!! And there's nothing we can do about it.

6. A week later, went to another HMU for another trial (which, for the record was my 4th!). She's really nice however, the makeup didn't look good on me. ehhe... So again.. no makeup and Php800 poorer (good thing the hair artist was not there).

7. Kinda depressed a few days later since I have to really find a good HMU. If you may not know, I'm going to change my previously booked HMUA since I find the makeup too bold for me. Although, I know the artist is really good and has lots of clients, but it was then I realized that even if the supplier is soo popular and talented, if it doesn't fit you then don't go for it. Maybe it depends on the bride.. hehee.. (bridezilla attack!!!)

8. A week after the 4th trial, Sunday at 1pm, I set up another appointment with a prospect. Lanie is accommodating even if their Salon is inside the Manila Polo Club. Although quite softspoken, I still see her as a very nice person. I really love the no makeup look(will share the pics soon). Just to ensure, I asked if there are someone else asking for her service on the same date. Fortunately none! But of course, I learned my lesson well and I have to decide sooner. I made a reservation the following day. Although I must say I have to change the hair since it's not the way I wanted it to be and the color of foundation. But overall, I love my look! hehee..

Within 3 months (July - September), we were able to book the lights and sounds, band, photo booth and hmua, but still NO florist/event stylist... Awwww...

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:31:00 +0000

Leah's on her way back from their team building cum outing. Sitting here in starbucks waiting for her, sipping on my pomegranate peach frappucino, makes me think, again how much I missed her in the past few weeks that she was in UK. I'm just glad she's back. Hopefully, we can arrange everything for the wedding before she leaves for the UK again (in October, I think).

We passed with flying colors!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Hehe.

Well, we like to think that that we did anyway. The questions the priest asked ranged from the serious ("Have you ever been married?"), to the mundane ("What's your father's name?"), to the absurdly obvious ("Are you a Catholic?"). All in all, the interrogation went well, and despite the fact that we were told again that they would only allow liturgical or religious songs to be played during the mass, we feel good knowing we accomplished another step towards actually getting married.

Leah is with her officemates now at their teambuilding. As for me, I'm going to have to give the church in Pateros a visit later, to get copies of our baptismal and confirmation certificates. Hopefully, I can get it right away since the St. Therese office church has been bugging me about these documents.

Pre-Pre-nuptial interview!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Leah's back!

She arrived here in Manila Tuesday night, fresh from her short visit to her siblings in Dubai. Still reeling from jet lag and the time shift, we're now here at St. Therese for the pre-nuptial interview. I was surprised to find out the priest would be interviewing us separately. Leah got to go first so here I am, outside looking at the fantastic windows of the church, like the one shown here. Still don't know what the interview is going to be like. I'll post more on this later, after my turn.

Long Distance Relationship

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Sorry for the really long absence. It's been a really hard month for both of us since we had to endure being apart for the first time. I know. I know. Most of you will tell me, "Look who's talking?" I know spent a lot of time in Cebu but it was only for weeks at a time, and it was still in the Philippines. Now, its Leah's turn to go on travel and as you must have read in the last post, its in bloooody U.K.!!! Hehe. She's been there since last month, staying there for one whole month, going home for just a week, and now she's back there. We both have been missing each other so you can just imagine how much we made most of her one week hiatus here before returning to Newcastle. For most of the week, I took her to work, and I picked her up after. We went to some suppliers, at least, to as many as our schedule could allow. I left home early, and went home late. It was really tiring but was worth every minute. Now, she's almost two weeks there and I wake up every day feeling like something's missing. We remain in contact through text, calls, and YM, but its different compared to actually spending time with each other. She'll still be there for a couple more weeks and I'll know I'll be missing her every second. Right now, all I do is work, go to the gym, and prepare for our wedding (or as much as she'll let me handle). I can't wait to see her next month.

London, Here I Come!

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:27:00 +0000

I came to Newcastle on May 15. The following day, with the jet lag and all, I went to the office. Then 1 hour after midnight, we rode a bus for the 7-hour travel heading to London.

Based on the weather forecast, London will be rainy and cloudy on Saturday and sunny on Sunday. And guess what, it's pretty accurate... It's freaking cold on Saturday since the weather is not good. But love the sunny Sunday! Here are some pictures.. enjoy!

Trying My Best Shot

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Working in one of the prestigious Companies have numerous perks. One of these is sending their employees for a business trip.

When I learned that I'll be assigned to a new assignment, I was hesitant. Hesitant 'cause I didn't know what it will be and it all started like this...

On our way home, my manager once asked me if I'd be comfortable if I'd start my work hours at 1 p.m. (1-10pm shift). Then I said to myself before I could utter something to her, "What?! We only have 2-hour difference with my customers so why would I care suffer my normal work life." At first, I told her it might be difficult for me to change my shift since I live quite far from the office. But hey of course, she told me to think things over... Hmmmm...

And then came another interaction with my manager, and then I told her firmly that "No, I'd still want my original shift yadda yadda yadda..". But then to my surprise, she told me that there is a plan to move me to a later shift because of the new assignment, for the European markets. So right then and there, I changed my mind without blinking an eye and told her I'll accept it and don't mind what I said initially. ehheee..

And it's the start, my work life begins to change. I'll be going to Newcastle for a business trip for a series of work transitions. It's a priviledge... which I'm not sure I'm worthy of. But I know, it's worth proving to everybody that I can do it.

Currently, I'm in UK.. sulking in my hotel room trying my best shot.

On-the-Day Coordination

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:28:00 +0000

A Coordinator is one of the last suppliers we've booked so far. As of now, we (or should I say, Leah) have been doing everything - looking and choosing suppliers, haggling for bargains, keeping an eye out for bridal fairs, and of course, booking (ah, I think I helped a little here. Hehe.) - but Leah knew that for us to enjoy the big day itself, the event needs to be as worry free for us as much as possible. So, despite my initial refusal (I was thinking, "Why pay someone for something that you can do just as well from where we would be in the wedding, which is in the thick of things?"), we contacted Leah's choice and setup a meeting with their representative. Again, we had to travel all the way to Quezon City, this time in Trinoma, to meet with Dindi of DNDC. We met at one of the cafes inside the mall, and agreed upon the terms. Dindi was really professional and yet was really easy to get along with and I felt sure that our special day would be in good hands with her seeing to everything from the sidelines. We booked her and also asked for some recommendations on other suppliers we have yet to book. She was really helpful, and we ended the meeting feeling a little more confident about the sure success of our Big Day.

Invites

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:50:00 +0000

Early last month, we got to attend another bridal fair, or in this case, a wedding expo! This time, we didn't really have any particular plan - we're not there to officially meet with any supplier or really have plans to book anybody. We did think though that it would be a good idea to just look around, see if anything catches our eye. We thought maybe we can get our hands on another good deal.

It was a long way off, and was held inside the PICC. We got in free of charge however, since we pre-registered online for the event. We went in and confirmed what we've come to expect during these events. Rows and rows of booths from more or less, the same group of suppliers. Though lucrative, the local wedding industry has turned out to be a very small world. Except for the odd new player, most have already been in the business for quite sometime.

The venue was big but quaint - an airconditioned tent. In the past, we used to get swamped with fliers and brochures from the participating suppliers, but by this time, we learned to say no, especially to suppliers we have already booked. This also made it easier for us, since we just walked past booths of caterers, reception venues, and photo and video suppliers.

It was no surprise then that we ended up taking our time inside booths of invitation suppliers. We got to looking and I guess Leah really planned to book one then because she started asking me which design I liked at which booth and she really fell in love with some designs on display. A new supplier did stand out, however, not only for its unique and eye-catching designs, but also because of its fairly reasonable rates and...a discount if booked on the spot! Hehe. Of course, everybody was offering discounts then but this supplier has a fresh, crisp new look to its invites. We also learned that the company is actually a spinoff of one of the better printers on exhibit, although at a slightly more reasonable price range.

With a catchy name like "Written in Ink", or just simply "WinK", we thought we may have found what we were looking for. We browsed through its catalog of designs (most of which haven't seen print yet. That's how new the supplier was.), and liked what we saw. We knew it was a big risk, booking a supplier sa new sa this but we were also impressed by the sample invites. We know we could always asked for revisions if there's something we don't like. Still undecided on the design (we were told that new designs are coming up before the middle of this year), we decided to book the supplier and choose the design later on.

You can visit their website here. In the meantime, we hope you guys watch out for our invites. We hope you like them when they come out. Maybe it can give you an idea how special our big day is, and decide to attend it no matter what!

Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:11:00 +0000

Just as with videos, we scoured the worldwide web (and wedding forums) for the best the industry has to offer. Just as with the previous post, we kept telling ourselves that it would be better to pay a little extra than have to feel sorry for ourselves with our second-rate pictures and videos. We managed to contact a lot of the leading photographers, but most have been booked already or has some conditions we couldn’t agree to or lack something in the offered packages. Fortunately, Leah came across an article about a photographer-couple who has won the Supplier of the Year award at last year’s W@W awards – Mimi and Karl. We browsed their blog and reviewed their pictures and decided to email them. When we got their reply with their package and rates, we were once again pleasantly surprised to find out that they are still available for our wedding date. Since we have questions regarding the packages, and Leah felt like we should meet them first before booking (it’s extremely important to us that we can act naturally around them, otherwise we’d look really stiff in the photos), we scheduled a meeting with them on the nearest possible date. We were still afraid somebody might book the date before us.

On the evening of the meeting (we had no choice but to schedule the meeting after office hours); we took a taxi to – Surprise! Surprise! – Quezon City again where their office is located. When we got to the address, we almost thought we got it wrong. The building in front of us was too dark. We were pretty sure no one could be waiting for us there, and we saw no sign announcing their office. We did, however, checked the building’s name one more time and there was no mistake, this really was their building. We asked the security guard we saw standing outside of the open establishments in the ground floor of the building and he pointed us toward a set of stairs in the side of the building. We slowly climbed the stairs, and with every step, became surer that we got the wrong building. It was so quiet. Then we thought, what do we expect, it was actually late and most offices would be close if not totally abandoned. We got to their unit or room and tentatively pressed the door bell attached beside the door.

We were again surprised when another door not too far along the corridor opened and Mimi came out. She led us inside the room with the doorbell and we were pleasantly amazed to see how cozy the room looks from the inside. It was so cozy it didn’t look like it belonged to the same building we just climbed at all. Hehe.. Very soon, Karl joined us and we discussed the packages, all the while looking at some of their finished products. We asked a lot of questions and they tried their best to explain everything. (I was totally clueless.) After sometime, we still couldn’t decide on what package to take so they advised us to just book us for them for our wedding date for just the “labor”, if we really want to, just so that they can block the date for us, then we’ll just talk about the package sometime in the future, when we’ve decided. We agreed and book them there. We also got to talking a bit and I found out they were both from UP, like I am. I also learned that what initially started out as a hobby became a too expensive hobby and they decided to make it pay. And I guess it really worked out well for them (looking at the albums.. WOW!). After all, they did win the Supplier of the Year award, for which I congratulated them, to Leah’s chagrin. He he

We still haven’t decided on the package but very happy that at least, we have another supplier booked for the BIG day.

And we sooo looove their works.. the details, the candid shots, the drama, which will definitely depict the story of our wedding (by leah).

Again, the link to their site is somewhere here, so check them out and you'll surely agree that we made the best decision.

‘Till the next post, guys!

Video

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:02:00 +0000

We enjoy taking pictures, especially of ourselves. We also know how important photos and videos can be during special events. In the whirlwind of events that accompany special occasions like weddings, we believe we need pictures so we can always go back and relive moments that would be forever be lost if not captured at just the right time. Ever since the early stages of planning, we decided that, for photos and videos, we can’t go with anything but the best. We know we wouldn’t forgive ourselves if 10 or 20 years from now, we’d be staring at mediocre pictures of our wedding. So we made sure, and after extensive research (and lots of hours spent watching on-site videos) we decided on a trio of videographers, aptly named Threelogy.

Leah first inquired through email, and upon receiving their reply, I got hold of their contact number. I immediately called up their office and managed to talk to a staff. She gave me Jon’s number. I immediately called him up and was elated to learn that we can still book them for 12.21.08! (By this time, it’s become my ultimate fear for every supplier we decide to approach – that we’re too late.) I tried to talk them into pencil booking us for the said date but he stuck to their policy and said we have to drop by their office to reserve the date. I informed Leah about this and after confirming at their office on how much we need to pay for the reservation fee, I braced myself for the trip to their office the next day, which is in Quezon City. I went to QC as a student so I know how grueling the trip can be. Given a choice, I would not have chosen to go all the way there to reserve for a couple of videographers, but Leah seems very keen on hiring these guys so, and I’m on my day off so I had no excuse.

The next day, I relived the good ole days of yore, and took the MRT to Quezon Avenue, and from there, got on a jeepney to Philcoa. I went to the nearest tricycle terminal I could see and asked if they know how to get to the address I got from Threelogy’s website. It took me two more tries, I think, until to get to the right terminal. I paid for a special trip; otherwise I’d have to wait for other passengers who are going my way. When the tricycle dropped me off, I managed to get myself lost by walking around, only to find Threelogy’s office right where I started my foolish wandering.

Inside, one of their staff (a lady whose name I forgot, shame on me), let me watched a couple more videos – more on-site videos and a sample of a full-finished product, as well as some raw footage. I was impressed and called up Leah to tell her this was good enough for me. Before signing, I also got to talk to Bong, because Leah wanted me to ask about their HD-DVD options. Too bad we deemed it too expensive, but at least I got to confirm with Bong that he’ll personally be there on our wedding to prepare the on-site video that we signed up for. After discussing with Leah again and deciding on the package, I filled up the necessary forms and paid the reservation fee. Woohoo!

Looking at the Threelogy's onsite and sample wedding vids, I will definitely risk going to the long roads of QC. hehee.. No wonder, as early as December last year, Leah is addicted into finding the right song for our AVP.

Next up: Photos!

The Food

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:32:00 +0000

If there’s one thing I love about getting married, it’s the chance to get my hands on some really tasty food…for free! You see, right after the church and the venue for the reception, a soon-to-be-wed couple must then deal with the following questions: (1)” How many guests am I going to invite?” and (2) “Just what am I going to feed them?”

Some pretty tough questions, considering a meal for a single guest can amount to no less than five hundred pesos each, and that’s not even the best of the lot. You have to take time to list you’re prospective guests and make sure they are the type of people who would really attend your wedding when they say they will, otherwise, seats will just go to waste. I can’t help but look at all the empty seats in some weddings we attended and feel sorry for the couple, not just because they have to pay for these unused seats, but also because these seats were reserved for people the couple deemed important enough to invite to the most important day in their lives and they did not even bother showing up. There used to be a time when I would attend events like weddings and debuts and pay no attention to the amount of planning and logistics behind it, but that time is no more. Now, I can’t help but appreciate being invited to such occasions.

Anyway, when Leah and I decided to look for a supplier, we came across invitations to free food tasting events. Now, with the word “free” and “food” together in one sentence, it’s no wonder such notices were eye-catching. After calling the host supplier and confirming that all we have to do is show up, we saved the date, so to speak, and attended it with our good friend, Andrea. When we got to the venue, we signed a short information sheet, and proceeded to a nearby table. We didn’t even have to present any proof that we’re soon to be married. I always wondered about this, because with that kind of setup, any enterprising (read: unscrupulous) individuals can just drop by and have a go at the mouth-watering array of food available. Of course, most of the time after or during the meals, you have to listen to the caterer’s representative’s sales pitch, which I don’t really mind since that’s really one of the reasons I came there for. Usually they’ll give you a copy of their packages and then that’s that.

After that we went to one or two more food tasting events and found out that there are two ways of doing it. Either you help yourself to their buffet table or they just serve you a whole plateful of different samplings of their food. I enjoyed all this food with tasty but it took us some time to decide on what to get.

Then, Leah was invited to a wedding of one of her officemates and she was really impressed with the food, the service and emcee. After asking around, she found out the caterer was none other than Josiah’s Catering. We called up the supplier and found out they are still available for December 21. We wanted to book them right then but decided to wait until the upcoming bridal fair when they told us they’ll be participating. So we crossed our fingers and hope that they are still available for booking on our wedding day when fair day comes.

When we attended the fair and found out that we can still book them, we were elated. But when they told us about the freebies we’ll be getting for booking them during the fair, we were ecstatic! We got the dessert bar for free. We got tiffany chairs. And some other free stuff I couldn’t remember for the love of me. We even got to choose our emcee, and we decided on Ms. Marge Dizon, since she got good reviews in wedding forums.

We have yet to decide on the menu and we still need to attend another food tasting for to try out our choices, but hopefully, we made the right decision in booking Josiah’s and that our guest would think so too, on a full stomach!

The Church

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:32:00 +0000

When we started planning for the wedding, we decided that we should prioritize booking the major stuffs first. After booking the Blue Leaf, we set our eyes to finding the perfect church for us. This is really important to us and we know that we won’t settle for just any other church. Our parents first suggested we made use of either of our town’s church but we wanted something better. Thus began our search for the church.

The first thing we had to do was choose the date for our wedding. Leah always wanted to choose a date that’s both auspicious and at the same time, symbolic. However, more important considerations, Leah’s siblings living abroad, and when they can go home for the wedding, must be taken into account. After a lot of initial deliberations and brain storming, we decided that the best time for our wedding would be sometime in December! Why? Well, because first of all, it’s the perfect time for Leah’s brother and sisters to return here and enjoy the holiday with the rest of the family, and next, we could take advantage of the long break to enjoy our first few days as a married couple together. We felt it was a perfect idea, who would think of getting married a few days before Christmas?

As it happens, almost everybody!

Before planning for the wedding, we thought June was the so-called “wedding month”. It turns out that we were right. We just didn’t know that December was actually the super-wedding month! More couples actually choose to get married in the last month of the year, for the same reasons that we have, and also because it’s the coldest part of the year! Just the same, we decided to set wedding for December 14, 2008.

With this in mind, we suddenly realized that we could be in trouble for not booking the church in the first place. And we were not mistaken. Almost all of the churches we considered for booking were either booked or had already been reserved. Take note, this was November of last year, and famous churches like the sought-after Manila Cathedral had already been reserved until the early part of 2009! We also tried churches like San Agustin, Santuario de San Antonio, Nuestra Senora de Gracia, etc., but they were either reserved or they do not allow non-parishioners to use them for weddings during the weekend.

We were starting to grow restless, and thinking: Did we run out of churches? Well, the good ones at least? Oh no! Leah started to go into panic-mode. I tried to reassure her that we’ll eventually find a church, but it was Leah herself who will finally eradicate our worries. Feverishly searching the world-wide web as well as magazines for a solution to our predicament, she came across a relatively new church located in the area of the old Villamor Airbase. In fact, it was so new, that very few people have actually heard of it, even in wedding forums. It’s called the National Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. I immediately called up the church and talked to Father Ernie. I reserved the wedding for December 14, 2008, and immediately informed Leah. After some discussions, Leah informed me that there may be a conflict with her work schedule for that date and we may have to reconsider. With no choice, we decided to book the Silk Pavilion for the next week, December 21, and also moved our reservation for St. Therese to the same date.

First Impressions

Of course, we still wanted to see the church for ourselves. As soon as our schedule permitted it, we went to the church and saw it for the first time. Our first impression is that it’s orange. You see, it’s a really big orange church topped with a blue dome built on top of what appears to be a small hill (there’s a steep rise that one has to climb to enter the church). Except for the not-so-common colour, the Shrine was in fact quite impressive. As an attendant opened the massive doors, we get our first glimpse of the Shrine’s interior. And we loved it. Despite the large appearance of the church, the aisle, which will be of special interest to the bride, is not too long and not too short but was just right. Along the length of the church, one can view the beautiful glass windows set to depict highlights of the life the saint to which the Shrine owes its name to. It has a high ceiling that’s sparse but only made to emphasize the beauty of the scenes depicted under the domed ceiling. The altar is simple but beautiful, and I’m sure with the proper lighting, it would appear magical.

And that is how we booked our church.

The Venue

noreply@blogger.com (LHA) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:50:00 +0000

I was so excited that we looked for the venue first before the church. My choice is to have a garden/outdoor-feel reception, but wasn't able to find the perfect place here in Manila.

The first one we visited with Andrea was The Fernbrook Gardens in November 2007. But at that time, it was still being constructed. Based on what we saw, we couldn't decide to book it.

Then based on W@W supplier's directory, we saw the ad of The Blue Leaf. We went straight to the place (McKinley Hill, Taguig City) from Alabang. The first time we saw it.. wow! It looks very promising, though it's new. The place is very elegant.. very sosyal.. hehe.., since it's being located inside the McKinley village. We were welcomed by Abbey. And Abbey was so accommodating. She assisted us with our queries and helped us look around the place.

We also visited The Glass Garden but unfortunately, they did not meet our standards.. haha.. Mainly because of the person who assisted us, who I no longer remember the name. She's not a good marketer, she didn't know how to sell her products/service well as compared to Abbey (biased? of course, not!). Then weeks after, we went to Fernwood Garden for a sponsored free food-tasting of Center Table. We really enjoyed the perks of getting married. Free food.. what else can you ask for?

We've been to different wedding venues after that, I even suggested Arvin to have a Tagaytay-wedding instead. Well, based on my feasibility study, it will be quite cheaper since the number of guests are limited plus the sceneries are perfect for the photo and video shoots. However, since we want to share the special event with our families and relatives and having them travel from North to South is such a big deal for them, then we decided to just hold the wedding here in Manila.

Arvin and Andrea's choice is Blue Leaf. Arvin and I made a few discussions about it, and yeah, I finally gave in. Actually, the place is really nice and cozy, has an outside zen garden and the environment looks safe and secure. We booked the Silk Pavilion and it's one of the best decisions we've made so far.

12.21.08

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:00 +0000

What''s with the date?

October 16 is our Anniversary. During our engagement preps/discussions, we really wanted our DATE on the same day of our Anniversary. However, it always falls on a weekday. The only day it will be a weekend (Saturday) is in 2010! Hmm.. I don't think we can wait another 2 years for that.

Since December is the merriest (or marry-est?) month of the year, the best time to celebrate with families, we opted to have it on that month instead. Thinking of the wedding date is not an easy part since this will be the day you'll be celebrating all your life. I initially planned the 12th, but since it's a Friday, I bet not all guests could attend. We wanted a weekend, but I can't get the 20th since it's my parent's wedding Anniversary. So we decided to have it on the 14th (Sunday), unfortunately, our primary choices for the church are no longer available. And then came a decision to have it on the 21st! I tried to justify with Arvin the reasons I chose the latter;

a) It's a weekend
b) It falls before Christmas, so my siblings living abroad can go home for my wedding and spend their holidays with us
c) If you re-arrange 12 (for December), it will be 21, which coincides with the infinity symbol of 8 (for 2008) (haha.. this is the best ever.. I think I'm the only who understands it..)

So that's it. December 21, 2008 it is! I like it better using 12.21.08 (and now you know why.. for emphasis.. haha c",o )

Leah

It's A Date!!! 12.21.08

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Finally!!!

Yes, you read it right, we are tying the KNOT! After 8 long fruitful and memorable years, we can now say it's all worth it.

This will be our first post in our wedsite/blog, exactly 9 months before the BIG DAY! Feel free to enjoy and empathize with our stories, experiences and lots of hullabaloos ( hahaa)..

- Arvin & Leah