Ever After Begins Today

01.18.14: Highlights of Our Wedding Day

2014-03-12T18:47:00.000+08:00

We're nearing our 2nd month mark as husband and wife and I still haven't posted our wedding day story. Since our day went on in a blur, I'll just recount the moments which I consider as highlights of our special day.

My day started really early. I planned to wake up by 7am but I guess my mind was already up in the clouds the night before because I forgot that our ninang Janis will arrive from Singapore on Saturday dawn and will head straight to the hotel we're staying. And so at 6am of Jan18, a call from the hotel front desk woke me to say that I have a guest downstairs. After ninang Janis fitted her dress (which she just saw for the 1st time), we just chatted for a bit and decided to nap for a few more minutes.
By 7:30, my cousin/MOH who's also staying at the hotel called for breakfast. And so my mom and cousin/bridesmaid went down to meet them and leaving ninang Janis to catch some snooze. We had a good meal but I wasn't able to eat much. As we were leaving Corniche, we saw Adrin's parents and youngest sister waiting for their turn to be seated.
Once back in our room, I fixed my stuff a bit and proceeded to take a bath. I was torn on wearing my prep dress because I'm not sure if the neckline of my dress will be a "sagabal" when I had my hair and make up done. It was 9:15am and I was ready for the suppliers to come at this point.

My prep dress. This was the photo I posted on Instagram on our wedding day.

First supplier arrived by 9:30am, and I was so surprised because it was Hana, my talented gown designer! The night before, they already delivered the gown at the hotel and set it up for pictorial. Since they are not needed until the time I change into my gown, they whiled their time at the restaurants near the hotel.

My gown as delivered by Hana the night before

After Hana and her angels left the room, April and Manny came. They were surprised to see me in a bath robe and went on apologizing for arriving early. I just told them off that I was actually happy to see them there really early. They went on to shoot our wedding and personal accessories. :)
In 10mins, Abby and the rest of the KTG team arrived. As my lead coordinator, Abby initiated the turnover. I explained to her all the boxes I prepared with all our accessories and program materials. I also gave her instructions for the jams, wines, and beers. Most importantly, I gave her the envelopes containing final payments to our suppliers. To ensure completeness, each item was checked against the list I sent her a day before.

The boxes I transitioned to KTG team

Right after Abby and I completed the transition of responsibilities and materials, Mama Val's team arrived -- this is around 10am already. They started working on my mom and cousins, then soon after Mama Val himself arrived. As soon as he setup his work area, he went right into the business of making me exceptionally beautiful that day.

Mama Val doing my hair

While my hair is being done, Ms. Janet of Scenta Creations arrived with her assistants and I was so so happy with all the arrangements she did for the entire entourage especially my bouquet.

Flowers for my girls and for the moms

Hair and makeup was completed by 11:30am so I then changed to my prep dress and just observed my family and friends.

With my mom and Adrin's mom

Bridesmaid Joy and MOH Lianne

By noon, I was asked my one of the KTG girls to eat my lunch in a corner while everyone else is busy with their own tasks (makeup, picture, etc). It coincided with the arrival of Sir Mel and his team from Ariel Javelosa Photography.
After eating, Mama Val did a quick retouch on my make up. This is when Airin, Adrin's sister, came into the room and gave me Adrin's letter and gift. Reading only into the first line of his letter and I'm already in tears. Haha. And the gift, an iPad Mini with Retina display! Yey!

Airin delivering Adrin's letter and gift to me

Reading Adrin's letter

As soon as Mama Val did the last sweep of his brush on my face, I was whisked away by our photographers to do some portrait and detail shots. More pictorial followed with me wearing my accessories, my dress and my shoes. And of course the group shots with my family and entourage. It was a bit tiring and I got conscious doing all those poses with everyone watching your every move. I now understand how celebrities feel and yes, it's not an easy job. :)

Removing the dress from the body form

My MOH buttoning up my dress

Pictorial

Pictorial again

The time to leave the hotel came. Angel, my sweet assistant was with me in the bridal car and I can sense that she's assessing how I was feeling. She engaged me into small talk probably to entertain and calm me down. And before I know it, we're at the church already and I can see our family and friends looking their best for our special day.

Going down Diamond Hotel's staircase

As time ticked by, I got nervous to finally face THE DOOR. Yes, it's probably the best moment that will make you feel nervous. Standing outside the church and waiting for it to open is the point where you'll realize that there's really no turning back. Hehe.

Standing in front of San Agustin's magnificent doors

It slowly swung open and I started seeing the altar, the pews, and next our guests. I started walking and I can hear our Abby telling me to walk slower. And so I did try doing the "step-close-step-close" method but it felt awkward so I switched back to the normal stride. I can see my Mom waiting for me along the nave and I can also see the guests excitedly peering over to the point that they blocked the view from Adrin. Haha.

Bridal march

The mass went like a blur. We just went with the flow and before we know it, Adrin was already given the permission to kiss me.

Our nuptial mass at San Agustin Church

Drinking the blessed wine

Married now! See the ring on my right hand? :)

With our parents

Making our way to the door

As planned, we had our pictorial at The Ruins inside the church's seminary. We included our entourage for some photos and then they left us for our postnup shoot. We had almost and hour to shoot and by the time we left, the sun has fully set.

Our entire entourage at San Agustin's Ruins

Our journey to Grandview was fairly quick that when we arrived there, our guests are still having fun at the cocktails area. We went straight to the holding area and met with Abby and Darlene to update us on the happenings. Mama Val came in for our retouch and my 2nd hairstyle. Jomar, the captain waiter assigned for our event served us with dinner since we still have a few minutes to eat. We even managed to practice our dance before being called for our grand entrance.

This was displayed on our registration table

Our escort cards and giveaways :)

Our office mate Ashley, being assisted by KTG girl Arbee

Ethel, another office mate, searching for her escort card

As we entered the hall, everyone was smiling and cheering us on. Darlene prompted for our first dance which was a medley of 3 songs. It started slow with the waltz, then picked up some beat with boogie, and was capped by an upbeat Whoops Kiri. The last part was a surprise for everyone and they were cheering us because we're no dancers and you won't see us performing in front of a crowd on a normal basis.

Doing our waltz

Then boogie

And finally Whoops Kiri

The buffet table was opened and we had the usual pictorial with each table. While they eat, we also munched on some sweets and just savored that small window of quiet moment for us.
The program rolled as planned -- dinner, epic name that tune game, roses and garters throwing..we witnessed everyone having fun and laughing their hearts out. There were moments where Adrin and I would just look around, observe everyone and everything, and make that mental picture of how our wedding unraveled.

Name That Tune game

With the winning table for Name That Tune

With the single ladies

Adrin with the single gentlemen

Roses and Garters game

Winners of our Instagram game

MOH and Best Man gave their speeches. My MOH researched a bit on what to say and quoted some famous lines about marriage while Adrin's best man recalled that memorable instance we had in Shijuku, Japan last year.

The MOH's speech and Best Man's toast

Our SDE was finally shown and we're so happy of the short film made for our special day. It captured a lot of moments and faces and was really a good summary of our special day. =)
We ended the program by saying our thank you messages and inuman/kwentuhan soon followed. Booze was consumed and we drank whatever each shot that was handed to us by our guests. They ensured that we had a good time and got drunk. Haha!

A shot with P&G colleagues

Enjoying our mobile bar

So that's it, a rundown of what transpired during our special day. I will never get tired recounting each moment because it brings back the warm, light, and happy feeling of that entire day. A sure way to put a smile across my face. =)

Our Special Day in 5 Minutes :)

2014-02-05T19:05:00.001+08:00

First off, apologies for neglecting this blog for several weeks now. As you may know from our wedding ticker, Adrin and I finally tied the knot. It has been a pretty perfect day for us and all that we can recall about it is the joy and love that we felt. :)

I know I still owe you the rundown of events for that day, and I'd like to request for a bit more time since our days after the wedding has been quite a whirlwind. Supplier ratings is also at the top of my blog priorities and these will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

For now, allow me to share with you our special day through our Same-Day-Edit video by Ariel Javelosa Photography. Hope you like it. :)

Enlisting Ourselves at SM Gift Registry

2014-01-03T01:18:00.000+08:00

Thinking that not all of our guests frequents/lives near Rustan's, we decided to also enlist with SM's gift registry. Unlike Rustan's, SM accommodates registries not only for weddings, but also for birthdays, baptisms, etc. Each event is assigned a specific number to each event and clients will be created an online account where one can track his/her events and see the wishlist chosen.

We got our event kit (contains the invitation inserts and discount coupons) from SM Megamall when we went there one time, but due to the on-going 3-day sale at the time, they could not accommodate us to make rounds and build our list. We were told that we can do the picking anytime and in any other SM store. This is an advantage for us since we rarely visit Megamall and would most likely be visiting SM Makati of MOA next.

And I was right, because a week after that, Adrin and I decided to check out SM Makati and do some window shopping for our registrty. We skipped some of the categories we already covered with Rustan's but still ensured we had duplicates of the common household items so we can also provide a cheaper alternative to our guests.

After about an hour of making rounds on the vast Home section of SM Makati, we completed our second gift registry. We bade the staff goodbye and continued on to our next agenda that day. Registering with SM is also an easy breezy experience and it's worth checking out for every occasion that will come along. =)

Coming Soon - Adrin & Tine [01.18.14]

2014-01-02T01:00:00.000+08:00

Our Stationery Suite

2014-01-01T16:00:00.002+08:00

Making our own invitations pushed Adrin to learn creating designs and layouts in the computer. Before all these madness, both of us have zero skills and knowledge in that department. Because of ~~pressure~~ his perseverance, he was able to completely layout our invites and the other print outs we need for the wedding. Here, I show you the rest of our stationeries ready for printing.

Misalette Cover

Menu Card

Table Number - VIP

Table Number - Guests

Note Cards

Aren't they lacey and dainty? I'm just one proud fiancee! =)

Prenup Supplier Rating #5: Pan de Amerikana Katipunan

2013-12-29T20:23:00.001+08:00

Happy holidays! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break. As for me, it's the usual downtime of the year filled with get togethers and catching-up and, much to my chagrin, eating!!! Bingeing and over indulgence this season is not for me, as I must exert effort not to add to my poundage to avoid any rework and panic dieting weeks before the wedding. Hoho!

For today, I'll be sharing our experience with Pan de Amerikana when we decided last minute to have our prenup in their Katipunan branch. This humble bread shop, with its main branch located in Marikina, is noted for its quirky upside down shop.

Original location for our pictorial is at Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, but we had to change locations due to the gloomy weather that greeted our morning. Good thing Pan de Amerikana Katipunan was available that day.

Photo Credit: Panoramio

Rating Scale: 1 - 10 (10 being the highest)

Service: Prenup Venue

Peso Power: Free (You must eat at their place though)

Rating: 7

Pros:

Highly accommodating. We checked with the shop just freaking 2 hours before the shoot and we were so lucky that they don't have a scheduled shoot that day and so we were approved with our request.
Budget friendly. No fees to pay for a shoot. They just request the couple and suppliers to dine at their shop.
Affordable food. Yes this is counted because this is part of the requirement for any pictorial request.
Interesting outdoor structure. This will be a good backdrop for a shot from across the street. Sadly we weren't able to do that since it was raining that day.

Cons:

Katipunan branch is small and limited. This is quite a disadvantage because it directly affects any photo shoot.
Quirkiness indoors is not so apparent and hard to capture in photos as most of it (the quirkiness) are hanging from the ceiling -- or should I say floor? Hehe.
The place is quite dark for a pictorial.

Despite all these, Pan de Amerikana still saved us from rescheduling the shoot once more.

Countdown: 1 month!

2013-12-18T23:30:00.000+08:00

And we're onto our last streeeeetch! Last month to finish everything before we reach the culmination of everything that we've been doing the past 2 years. I'm feeling strained more and more mainly because of the sudden spike of workload this month. Tons of things to deliver with so little time. I'm eagerly anticipating my break from work as the wedding will also serve as a much awaited breather for me.

Excitement for the wedding itself hasn't kicked in yet but I'm looking forward to feeling warm, giddy, and kilig all over. Haha. Enough of this non-sense! Let's now talk business and see our completion rate against last months's task list.

~~Send-out all invitations~~ - In progress. Most have been released already but some are still waiting for Christmas reunions to come so they can be delivered to the respective recipients. :)
~~Complete processing of marriage license~~ - DONE. We finally have our license! Yipee!
Update Darlene's program workbook
~~Compile photos for AVP presentations~~ - DONE. Photos for Prenup AVP has been sent to Darlene while the Growing Up photos will be shared to Ariel Javelosa soon.
~~Create our missals~~ - DONE. Layout completed and just waiting to finalize some contents before we proceed with the printing.
Complete our wedding day accessories
~~Pick-up my wedding shoes~~ - DONE. I love how my shoes turned out!
~~Complete layouts for stationery~~ - DONE. Adrin did a great job completing all this.
Label/pack our giveaways - In progress. I already commissioned my trusted bridesmaid to put the twines on our small jams. Packing for other giveaways or tokens haven't started yet.
Finish DIY Signage
Entourage dress fitting and delivery - In Progress. Almost all of our entourage have completed fitting their dresses save for our two flower girls. This will be completed within the week. Actual delivery of the dress will be on January.
Delivery of barongs to male entourage - In Progress. Some have been delivered already while others are still waiting for the reunions to happen. :)
Another meeting with KTG
Finalize song list
Shop for house fixtures - DONE. BUT this is a work in progress while the construction is still on-going.

Uh oh. Lots of items not striked out. But as Adrin would always tell me, fret not because looks like we're still in good shape since we also managed to accomplish these other items.

Complete Rustan's and SM Bridal Registry
Order for custom hangers
Receive our cake toppers and clay giveaways
Picked-up the jams
Final detailing with florist

Oh how I badly wish everything will be completed a week before the wedding. May the list below be a comprehensive guide of all the things we need to complete.

Finalize Darlene's program workbook
Complete our wedding day accessories
Complete packing of giveaways/tokens
Finish DIY signage
Deliver all barongs and dresses
Handover meeting to KTG
Finalize song list
Submit all church requirements
Finalize guest list
Finalize headcount of suppliers on the day
Book crew meals for lunch
Print misalettes
Buy offertory item (gift basket, mompo wine, host)
Buy wine and beer
Buy prizes for games
Final gown fitting
Prepare for our first dance
Pack all items for the wedding
Buy items needed for house construction

Okay, I should stop here as it's becoming a bit daunting already. More energy for us please!

Prenup Supplier Rating #4: Chasing Tales Photography

2013-12-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

Do you still remember the free prenup shoot we won months back? Well, we had the actual shoot last October with Chasing Tales Photography. Initial location is at Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife but we veered away from it due to bad weather that day. Quick thinking and action led us to Pan de Amerikana at Katipunan. We booked the place a few hours before our actual shoot time and thankfully they can accommodate us.

Chasing Tales got there shortly ahead of us and quickly setup their equipment upon our arrival. They are a bunch of friends from school who finished mutimedia arts and decided to setup a photography outfit after. We're surprised to know that Wale, our main contact, is actually a girl. Haha. She came with ER (male), the other photographer, and Maricris as their assistant.

Rating Scale: 1 - 10 (10 being the highest)

Service: Prenup Pictorial

Peso Power: Free!!!

Rating: 7

Pros:

Contact person (Wale) is very easy to talk to.
Flexible and quick to adapt to sudden change in plans
Able to make good use of the limited venue we have. Each nook and cranny was maximized.
They provided their own transportation.
They are perfectly OK waiting in between shoots.
They take good "emo" shots.
Aside from "emo" shots, they also take good details shots.
Good presentation. They took time to wrap the DVD of photos creatively with a nice tag!

Cons:

The poses they were asking us to do were limited and all too common.
Wale and ER need to articulate better what they're asking their subjects to do.
We received the photos later than their committed date.
Post processed photos were too dark for our liking and are not natural looking at all.
A portion of the raw photos in the DVD we received were corrupted. :(

With that, I leave you with some photos from our engagement shoot.

DIY #5: Place Cards for the Important Folks

2013-12-15T12:21:00.000+08:00

We finished another DIY recently, and this happened to be the place cards for our VIPs. Scrap portions of our invitation boards were used together with the excess lace. I'll skip the talking and just share with you our finished DIYs. :)

W@W's 2013 Christmas Party

2013-12-09T00:51:00.001+08:00

More than two weeks ago, we attended another party of WeddingsAtWork. This time, it's the annual Christmas party which is usually sponsored by the different suppliers in the wedding industry. It was held at the newly opened Blue Leaf Filipinas and was catered by Josiah's Catering.

This year's theme is Backyard Party and everyone was asked to dress in pastel colors. We left the office fairly early to avoid the terrible Friday rush hour and arrived at the venue pretty much on time. Our w@w friends were already there when we arrived and they've already arranged our table decor/centerpiece.

The party took a while to commence and so we whiled our time checking out the different stations all over the place.

We also took some pictures and had ourselves photographed by the official photographers of the event --Pictratto and Mezarc Buslon Fotografie.

To the delight of the w@wies, lots of wedding items have been spontaneously given away by the suppliers who are in attendance. This consumed a great time of the program, but we didn't mind much since the free items makes our co-w@wies truly loco! Even our good friend Nat was able to win herself a pair of custom shoes c/o Jazel Sy. Woohoo!

As for me and Adrin, we took home a turbo broiler which I've been eyeing even before the program started. It also came with a fruit cake and a g-string as minor giveaways. Haha.

One of the most awaited highlights of the party is the awarding of the community's Top 10 suppliers of the year, and the most coveted Supplier of the Year award. We were so proud that four of our trusted suppliers are nominated this year. In the end, K by Cunanan emerged victorious among the lot.

What a fun party it was! I sure hope to take part in the next one even if we're already married by then. =)

DIY Invites Update #7: Up for Distribution

2013-12-02T01:57:00.000+08:00

Finally, after working on our invites for almost 9 months (we sourced our papers around March of this year), our wedding invitations are all done! Wooohooo! It's a major accomplishment for us because it's our biggest and most laborious DIY project. Not only that, we also met our target deadline for their completion. Happiness!

Here's a breakdown for the cost of materials for our invitations.

If we take out the cost of the tools we bought from Lasting Impression, our cost will be slashed by almost 50%. Not bad for a pocketfold invite such as ours. =)

More than the cost though, the greater factor for this project is the manual labor that we had to do. We pulled several overnighters just to make good progress each time. In the end, all our efforts are so worth it. We loved how our invitations turned out and we wouldn't have done it any other way. =)

Read the rest of the DIY Invites series here :
Update #1 - Star Paper Trip
Update #2 - DIY Tools from Lasting Impression
Update #3 - The Perfect Envelopes
Update #4 - The Pocketfolds
Update #5 - Final Mock-up
Update #6 - They're Almost Ready

Pseudo-Shopping at Rustan's Weddings and Beyond

2013-12-01T23:30:00.000+08:00

Some weeks back, ze fiance and I finally decided to enlist ourselves at Rustan's bridal registry. We went to their store at Alabang Town Center one Saturday to check on the process and eventually register ourselves. We were ushered to their small office at the Home section and entertained for our agenda.

Upon telling them that we'd like to have a gift registry with them, we were asked to fill-out a one-pager information sheet. With this, we have the following benefits:

Choose the items that we want to receive as wedding presents.
Be able to return items we do not like or double items received, and replace them with the ones we prefer.
Free delivery for gifts that will be left with them by our guests.

To let our guests know that we're enlisted in their program, they gave us the Rustan's Weddings and Beyond invitation inserts.

What's left of the 100pcs. we received. We actually only need 80pcs.

Elegantly designed information card

Aside from that, we also received several discount coupons just because we joined their program.

2 discount cards at Rustan's Home

Discount and Upgrade card for Bellevue Manila's Hotel and Restaurants

6 discount cards for Maidenform items at Rustan's

Lots of perks right? We were also entitled for 1 raffle for a trip to USA c/o their partner United Airlines. I wish we get to take that prize! Haha!

It was also good timing for us because a store attendant can immediately assist us at that moment to select items and build our registry. But before the actual pseudo-shopping, we were provide a checklist so we can pre-select the store sections we want to choose from. This makes selection more efficient as it already limits the areas to be visited.

Adrin and I enjoyed making rounds through their displays and would lightly argue on which items to pick. Haha. Our attendant is ever alert on items we're eyeing and made sure that these items are encoded using their hand scanner. She also makes suggestions at times so we get the most value-for-money item that they sell. It took us more than an hour to complete our list and we're more than happy with our decision to have a registry. It will make the first few weeks and months of our married life a lot simpler because we just might receive some of the basic things we need. =)

Adrin's Hangers from Hangers by Hannah

2013-11-29T00:19:00.000+08:00

We need wooden hanger for the fiance's barong. I don't want to settle for the plain ones and have long been waiting for the perfect reason to get the ones with custom wires. Now is the perfect time to commission for those very fun looking hangers from Hangers by Hannah.

Each hanger costs Php400 and can accommodate upto 30 characters. Normal lead time for each order is 1 week from payment confirmation, but these lovelies arrived earlier than expected date. They came neatly wrapped and safeguarded to avoid any damage while in transit.

If you're also interested for these hangers, please reach the supplier through the details provided below. =)

Hangers by Hannah

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Shoes to Keep Us From Cold Feet :)

2013-11-27T23:48:00.000+08:00

Our wedding shoes are here! It was two weeks ago when we bought Adrin's shoes from Bradford. We chose to buy his shoes from that store because it would look better if Adrin will still stand taller than me after I wear my 4-inch heels. His shoes will give him additional height for about 2.5 inches.

As for me, I already claimed the custom shoes that I ordered from Faire La Fete last Saturday. They're oh so pretty and looks exactly how I imagined it. Goes very much in line with our wedding theme and gives my tootsies that perfect fit.

Look at that personalized insole!

I was supposed to get them on the same day we bought Adrin's shoes but I had to wait for a week further because of the incorrect name that was initially place on the insole.

His name became ALDRIN! Haha. | Source: Faire La Fete

And given the maarte me, I long planned to put sticker decals on our shoes. I was able to source cute ones from eBay, and here they are, already mounted to their rightful place. So cheesy! =)

The Jams Are Here!

2013-11-20T19:33:00.002+08:00

It was two weeks ago when I placed my order of jams from The Fruit Garden. Pierre, the French owner, told me that the goods will be ready the following week. So last weekend, Adrin and I went to their commissary to pick-up our giveaways.

Here they are, waiting to be packed and/or labelled.

The Gift Sets for our Principal Sponsors

Mango Lavender, Strawberry Banana, and Mango Spices

200 personal servings of Mango Lavender

For our guests :)

The Fruit Garden

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Countdown: 2 months!

2013-11-18T11:00:00.002+08:00

I can't believe that it has been 30days already since I last posted a checkpoint entry. To say that we've been busy is a grave understatement. I was overwhelmed with the list I created last month that it caused me some panic. Work is uncooperative and just proved to be as demanding as how I predicted it to be. Even this blog has been somewhat neglected that updating it more often is now one of my priorities. Haha. But enough of the ranting, and let's get into the business. =)

Let's see what we've accomplished the past 30 days.

~~Complete wedding documents~~ - DONE. We've secured our baptismal and confirmation certificates.
Layout for other stationery - In Progress. Adrin was able to complete the table numbers, and needs to work on the others still.
Complete Darlene’s program workbook
~~Complete Pre-Cana Seminar and Canonical Interview~~ - DONE. We completed it over the weekend!
~~Print invitations~~ - DONE. A portion of our invites will be released today! Weeee.
Create our missals
~~Detailing with Josiah’s~~ - DONE. We just have minor follow-up items left.
~~Detailing with Scenta Creations~~ - DONE
~~Buy wedding shoes for Adrin~~ - DONE
Complete our wedding day accessories
~~Order Fruit Garden giveaways~~ - DONE. Orders received too!
Finish DIY signage
~~Book vans for transportation provision~~ - DONE
~~Secure a building permit~~ - DONE. Adrin worked really hard to get this as soon as we can.
~~Start house construction work~~ - DONE. Work has started and we hope for it to be completed before our wedding. :)

Ten tasks completed out of fifteen. Not bad. Completing the building permit and starting the house construction took a great amount of our time that it bumped-off some of the planned wedding tasks. BUT we do not mind because it's equally important.

I'm sure next month will be more demanding, so I need an organized list of things to accomplish.

Send-out all invitations
Complete processing of marriage license
Update Darlene's program workbook
Compile photos for AVP presentations
Create our missals
Complete our wedding day accessories
Pick-up my wedding shoes
Complete layouts for stationery
Label/pack our giveaways
Finish DIY Signage
Entourage dress fitting and delivery
Delivery of barongs to male entourage
Another meeting with KTG
Finalize song list
Shop for house fixtures

I'll stop here for now. I hope we get to complete all of those and more in the next 30 days. We can do this! =)

DIY Invites Update #6: They're Almost Ready

2013-11-10T23:18:00.003+08:00

For the past weeks, Adrin and I have been intermittently working on our invitations. We're just a little over two months now from the big day, and invitations must be sent out by first week of December. Printing and cutting has been completed, together with the mounting of the main invite on the pocketfolds.

Two weeks ago we were able to buy the entire amount of lace we need, and I've sewn (did it all by hand by the way) them into bands already. This weekend has again been very productive. Neat sets of invites have been filed and tucked. Yes, all seventy of them. Wooohooo!

As of today, there are only two more items lacking before we get to send them out.

- Monogram print/cut-outs

- Envelope labels

Twenty days left to complete those two! December 1 is delivery/shipping out date, but I'm very positive that we can do it earlier than that. =)

Countdown: 3 months!

2013-10-18T01:18:00.002+08:00

We’re past our 100 days countdown, and today we only have 3 months left. We've been busiest the past weeks and panic is kicking in. I've been warned, but I didn't think that things would be this craaazy!

Since I declared that we've been busy, let’s see how we fared against our targets 3 months back.

~~Free Prenup Shoot with Chasing Tales Photography~~ > DONE
~~Completion of pocketfolds~~ > DONE
~~Layouts for invites~~ > DONE
…and other stationery
~~Production of entourage attires~~ > DONE
Actual detailing with Josiah’s
~~Wedding shoes for me~~ > to be customized by Faire La Fete
Wedding shoes for Adrin
Documents for the wedding > 50% complete (we still lack baptismal and confirmation certificates)
~~Lot hunting~~ > DONE. We purchased a house and lot BUT major renovations are in order.
~~Band for our reception~~ > Crossroads Acoustic

Oh no, I see a few unaccomplished items. I hope the following compensates for the items we missed.

Honeymoon Plans > we booked Miniloc Island Resort by El Nido Resorts
Marriage License Application > requirements already submitted to the city hall
Family Planning Seminar > DONE. Certificate received
Finalized and claimed our wedding rings > We just claimed it last weekend
House Extension and Renovation Plan > this is taking up a lot of our time and effort - we're now working on the requirements for a building permit

For the next 30 days, let's accomplish the following, shall we?

Complete wedding documents
Layout for other stationery
Complete Darlene’s program workbook
Complete Pre-Cana Seminar and Canonical Interview
Print invitations
Create our missals
Detailing with Josiah’s
Detailing with Scenta Creations
Buy wedding shoes for Adrin
Complete our wedding day accessories
Order Fruit Garden giveaways
Finish DIY signage
Book vans for transportation provision
Secure a building permit
Start house construction work

Whoa! What a long list?! And all due within 30 days! So much work to be done. WE.MUST.ENDURE.

Cheers!

Our Wedding Rings Are Here!

2013-10-16T00:31:00.000+08:00

Hooray for today's holiday for we were once again able to dedicate it for our wedding preparations. One of today's agenda was to finally claim our wedding rings. We bought our rings from Goldenhills Jewelry barely a year ago. Two weeks ago, we finalized our ring sizes with them so they can already resize the exact rings that we chose last year. A week later, Adrin received a message from them that our blings are ready and we can pick them up anytime. And so we included that in today's errands. =)

It came in this neat white box.

Which contains this classy wood-like ring box.

Upon opening the box, our wedding treasure will stare you in the face. =)

Design is really simple, just as how we want it. We also chose a design with matte finish on top so any scratch that it will take in the future will not be so visible. A single diamond takes centerstage and gives the matte surface the right hint of sparkle.

I can't wait to see these bands wrapped around our fingers, but for now, I'm keeping them locked safe.

Cheers!

Quoted in The W@W Wedding Primer 2013-2014

2013-10-13T23:00:00.000+08:00

Thursday last week, before heading to work, a delivery arrived at home. I wasn't expecting anything so it did not cross my mind that it's for me. I was quite puzzled when the courier delivery man asked for me. And so I went out to receive the parcel which was sent by an unfamiliar name. I inspected it as I walked back into the house and I was surprised to see the outlines of W@W's newest Wedding Primer! Woohoo! I got a free copy -- meaning, at least 1 of my responses to the questionnaire sent to the entire community was featured in this book.

The W@W Wedding Primer 2013-2014

Let me backtrack a bit. The W@W Wedding Primer is one of the publications released by WeddingsAtWork (W@W). This is a good read for soon-to-weds because it contains checklists and must-know-facts for couples planning their wedding. It also features articles from different wedding suppliers outlining planning tips and supplier interaction etiquette. I have read the last 2 editions of this book and it sure helped Adrin and I kick start our preparations back then.

When Ms. Benz of W@W sent the questionnaire this year for the 2013-2014 Wedding Primer, I was more than happy to send my response because I want to share all our learnings and realizations in our wedding planning journey. Take it as a way of giving back to the community who gave me so much. =)

KILIG. That is the best word to describe how I felt when I saw my responses in print!!! Never did I once imagine that I will see my name in any form of official publication. Well, I guess not only dreams have the power to become a reality. Even those you haven’t even dreamt of as well. =)

For all you soon-to-weds out there, do grab a copy of the latest The W@W Wedding Primer. It’s the best wedding handbook that you can possibly get. Let me give you a glimpse of what I'm talking about by sharing my favorite contributions to this book.

I learned that a wedding...

I wish...

Advice to DIY brides

Advice to a fellow bride...

My top moment during wedding prepartion.

Still on a high,

Honeymoon Plans: See You Miniloc!

2013-10-10T20:52:00.000+08:00

We’re going to El Nido! Yes, you read it right, we’re going local. The fiance and I are heading to El Nido, Palawan for our honeymoon. It was the last week of September when we completed our reservations and payment for our short stay at Miniloc Island Resort. This is one of the luxury destinations operated by El Nido Resorts in Palawan.

Deciding for a honeymoon getaway did not come easy for us. For one, we have not prepared any budget for it. Despite the financial concern, we still dreamt of an extravagant vacation. Adrin first suggested that we could go backpacking in Europe. I’m all for it because Europe is one of my dream destinations. However, pursuing a backpacking trip would mean that we’re constantly on the move as we go around Europe. It also means that we’ll be staying at hostels or other cheap accommodations that we can find. That didn’t match our vision of a relaxing honeymoon, so we scrapped it.

Next, we considered going on an Asian cruise. It will surely be relaxing since we’ll be sailing most of the time and we’ll be arriving to the different ports of call based on the cruise schedule. Not to mention that it’s unique as not all have the means or privilege to go for one. What busted this out is the timing. Our wedding is on January, and that means winter time for the North East Asian countries. Given the chilly season in the northern hemisphere, cruises scheduled around that time are limited to ASEAN countries. These aren’t quite enticing for us so we dropped this option.

The last relaxing option for us would be to hit the beach. And the destinations as so varied. For international -- there’s Bali in Indonesia; Phuket, Krabi, and Ko Phi Phi in Thailand; and the islands of Maldives (yes, we even considered this). And of course, for domestic the choices are also plentiful. Maldives was the top choice but due to budget constraints we rejected it. It became a battle among El Nido, Bali, and Phuket… and as you know, we chose our own. A lot of reviews shared that our very own El Nido beaches are far more beautiful than those of our neighbour countries. That was amped further by the highly positive reviews I got from friends who’ve been there.

Source: El Nido Resorts FB Page

We chose Miniloc because of its proximity to the main attractions of El Nido town. It also offers a tranquil vibe that is not overly extravagant. It’s truly a blessing that we were able to allot funds for it on time (thanks to our bonus =D). We may not have gotten our first room choice (it’s fully booked as early as September), but what’s important is that we’ll see place and its natural wonders. Woohooo! Time to prepare for that ideal beach body! ;P

El Nido Resorts

View Site

Cheers!

Marriage License Application Part 1: Submission of Requirements

2013-10-09T19:13:00.002+08:00

Last September 25, we allotted our morning to start the application process for our marriage license. We chose to get our marriage license from Bacoor since this is also where we'll reside after our wedding. Since the license only has a validity of 120 days from the date of issuance, I made sure to apply only after crossing the 120-day countdown to the big day. In preparation for the application, I secured all requirements outlined on Bacoor city's website.

List of Requirements:

NSO CENOMAR - Requested online and had it delivered via eCensus
Birth Certificate - Requested online and had it delivered via eCensus
Family Planning Seminar - To be scheduled with the local health office after endorsement of the Local Civil Registry
Marriage Counseling - To be scheduled with the church of the wedding
1pc. 2x2 picture - Personal file
Parental Consent for individuals 18 y/o to 20 y/o & 11mos. - Not applicable to us
Parental Advice 21y/o to 24 y/o & 11mos. - Not applicable to us
Certification of legal capacity to marry (foreigner) - Not applicable to us
Photocopy of Passport (foreigner) - Not applicable to us

We arrived at the municipal hall around 11am and went straight to Local Civil Registry. The lady who assisted us asked for our requirements and provided us and application form to fill out. After completing the form, she asked us to photocopy our documents and pay for marriage license processing and family planning seminar. Upon our return, we were asked to check and review the information typed on our application form to ensure that our details indicated are correct. All these were completed in 30mins. Didn't expect it to be that fast! Good job Bacoor city hall!

Processing of our marriage license will start once we've submitted the certificates for family planning and marriage counseling. We attended the family planning seminar the following week and received our certificate. Our marriage counseling is scheduled with San Agustin on November so we still need to wait for it. Good thing, processing of marriage license only takes 11 working days so we should be able to receive it by December. Whew! Busy days! Can we skip all these things and go straight to the wedding please? Haha.

Cheers!

Faire La Fete For My Wedding Shoes

2013-10-09T15:58:00.000+08:00

Buying shoes is always a challenge for me - charge that to the unusual measurements of my tootsies, which are long are slender. Even my toes are longer than that of the common populace. And these feet of mine makes it hard for me to find shoes and sandals that perfectly fit. I normally buy size 5 (USA 35) just so the shoes won’t fall off as I walk even it means sacrificing the comfort of my toes. Size 6 (USA 36) gives my toes that relaxed and outstretched state they deserve, but this size is oftentimes too wide for my entire foot that walking on them is impossible.

A couple of months back, I wore my salmon pink pumps to our corporate event which started mid-afternoon and lasted 'til before midnight. The fun didn't end there as we decided to hang out at a nearby coffee place after seeing a full packed Aracama and Draft. Needless to say, it has been a long day for me. And as I party, my toes were not having the time of their lives. They were hurting like crazy that I was so tempted to take off my shoes and walk back to the car on barefoot.

That incident was the turning point in my search for my wedding shoes. I don’t want to experience that same agony during a very momentous occasion. On my wedding day, I want to enjoy, party, and have a good time without the constant nudge of discomfort on my every move. With that, I started an active research for suppliers of custom made bridal shoes. I shortlisted 3 suppliers, but in the end, I chose Faire La Fete. Of the three, they’re my top choice if I am to visually judge their end products. Good thing their past clients only have good words not only for the shoes, but also for service they received from Stephanie (Faire La Fete’s owner).

Source: Faire La Fete

Faire La Fete is the brain child of Stephanie Castro, daughter of the owners of Gibi Shoes. She works for their family business full time, but is also running this small business on the side. It was 2 weeks ago when Adrin and I met with Stephanie at UCC Coffee along Connecticut St. Greenhills. She has already settled herself in the shop when we arrived. After quick introductions, we got right into business. To better explain to her what I want, I showed her a picture of their own creation and just told her the color modifications I wanted.

My Peg | Source: Faire La Fete

As soon as she was done taking her notes, she pulled out her foot measurement devices (in different sizes) and began taking measurements of my foot. Her confirmation that my foot size is a bit off from the standard sizes made me feel that I made the right decision. She did not require any advance payment so I just have to make full payment upon the completion of my shoes. Our agreed target delivery date is mid-November so I have enough time to break the shoes in and practice walking on them before the big day. =)

Here are some of my favourite shoes that Faire La Fete created.

Rustic | Source: Faire La Fete

Lace Love | Source: Faire La Fete

Wedge shoes for added comfort
Source: Faire La Fete

Fun and Vibrant. Even the in soles are customized!
Source: Faire La Fete

Ultimate Kikay | Source: Faire La Fete

Glitz and Glamour | Source: Faire La Fete

Sexy Straps | Source: Faire La Fete

Everyday Wear | Source: Faire La Fete

Faire La Fete

Email: fairelafeteshoes@gmail.com

View Site

Cheers!

Corniche by Diamond Hotel - A Post Birthday Dinner

2013-09-30T01:06:00.000+08:00

Day after my birthday, Adrin and I used the complimentary dinner vouchers we received together with our Diamond Indulgence card. We made reservations through our Indulgence Card specialist and learned from her that for the month of August, Corniche has an All American Feast theme. We got to the hotel earlier than our reservation because we also wanted to make advance payment for our hotel room reservations in January.

The wait staff that greeted us at Corniche asked for our vouchers, and then escorted us to our seat. Just like our usual practice in other buffet restaurants, Adrin and I surveyed the spread first.

They have fresh batches of bread and soft rolls which we didn't try.

We also saw their salad station. Nothing special for the selection so we also skipped this.

Next we saw the ham and cold meat station. Adrin sampled these items and he said that they're okay.

I skipped the cold meat because I was more interested on their cold seafood bar. Here, I requested for a few shrimps to be cooked with butter and garlic. There's a little delay for my order and it's not as flavorful as I hoped it to be.

We also passed by the Pasta and Risotto station where Adrin ordered a seafood risotto for sharing.

Our risotto was delivered to our table after a few minutes. It was good as it is and is not short of actual seafood. Our only comment is that the seafood flavor is a bit lacking.

They also have pizzas, but in limited choices.

I decided to have some soup, which I also shared with Adrin. I forgot it's name, but it was good and comforting.

After the soup and dimsum station came the meat carving station. This is one of the dishes that I always look forward to when dining at buffet restaurants. Steak, back ribs, lamb, and turkey are all in display. Of all this, I'm only interested with the roast beef, while Adrin tried all of them.

The steak was cooked medium so it's still juicy and tender. No tugging with knife or gummy texture in the mouth. However, the sauce it was paired with is like an ordinary gravy and not the usual wine reduction sauce. I believe they skipped the wine reduction to cater to a greater number of guests since not all are a fan of it. Adrin enjoyed his lamb and turkey but found the ribs too tough.

As we continued to survey the selection, we saw this small Fajitas section.

Right next to it is the Grill Station where you can order various grilled dishes.

Separated from the continuous counter is the section for Japanese food. The wide selection of Japanese dishes surprised me since they have the usual rolls, tempura and sushi, and also the lesser popular okonomiyaki and other japanese cakes.

For me, the star of this counter would be their sushis and sashimi. Unlike with hotel buffets we've tried, their fish and seafood are clearly fresh and of good quality. It has a very rich color with no hint or traces of being frozen for a long period of time.

I skipped some sections since I'm not interested on those dishes and just decided to have second helping of

my favorites. =)

When it was time for dessert, we just chose the most interesting ones since we do not have room for all the sweets they've prepared. I must say, even the desserts we've tried were good.

All in all, dining at Corniche is a good experience. They have a wide offering of various cuisines and the dishes are actually good. It is comparable to the buffet restaurants operated by the top hotels in the metro. Thank you Diamond Indulgence for this complimentary dinner. Looking forward to our next visit. =)

Cheers!

My Last Birthday as a Miss

2013-09-29T12:45:00.003+08:00

Roughly a month ago, I celebrated my nth birthday which also happened to be my last birthday as a single woman. My day started early as I had scheduled morning meeting. I intended to take that day off, but as always, work got in the way. Lucky for me because despite the busy day at work, I have thoughtful friends and colleagues who prepared small surprises for me.

From P&G Friends:
Red Velvet Cake from Karen's Kitchen

From ERS Colleagues:
Red Ribbon Chocolate Cake & Palabok

My loving fiance also took care of buying dinner for my whole family before picking me up from the office and heading home. As usual, we were greeted by balloons hanging from our ceiling as well as a banner in our dining area. My mom also bought a Peach Walnut cake for me while Adrin bought Black Velvet cake, both of which are from Conti's.

My Bithday Dinner: Bonchon Chicken Wings and Chops, Amber's Palabok & Pichi-Pichi,
Andok's Chicken, Conti's Cakes, and a variety of drinks.

At the end of that day, I felt so loved by all these people around me, and so blesses by God to have all of them in my life. Oh what a simple yet very memorable celebration for me. =)

My Instagram post later that day. I had four birthday cakes!

Cheers!