Aside from the usual exhibit booths of wedding suppliers, there will also be a series of talks by experts and some big names in the wedding industry soon-to-wed couples will surely appreciate. From being a “perfect” hostess to tips on diamond buying, the series of talks will run by the hour in the afternoon of the fair dates. There will also be a fashion show featuring the collection of Federick Peralta on Saturday at 6PM, while Sunday’s activities will culminate with a raffle where attendees can get a chance to win prizes from exhibitors and sponsors, and a trip for two to the United States.

To be part of this bridal fair, simply present a copy of the March 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines or by registering online to get free entrance.

Recently, Blue Water Day Spa opened its first spa movie theater in Ortigas Avenue. This trendy new spa can accommodate 55 people at a given time, equipped with a Spa Theater, Couple’s Rooms, Common Rooms, Locker Rooms, and a Sauna. The Spa Theater, by itself, can accommodate 28 people at the same time.

A bridal shower might be a common thing for something like this—gather 27 of your girlfriends and party the night away at this unique new venue. The theater has High Definition cinema projectors with Dolby Sorround 7.1 sound (and plays the latest BlueRay releases), making you feel like you’re inside a real movie theater. While your maid-of-honor is belting out “I will always love you” on videoke or the girls are crying their way through a stack of chick-flicks, you can have Foot Reflex (With Back and Shoulder massage) and Foot Scrub done—the only treatments available at the spa theater. Which, I think, makes this spa theater really different from all the usual offerings of the Blue Water Day Spa in Ortigas.

Since the only treatments available at the spa theater are those that don’t require you to take off your clothes—something I’m sure you wouldn’t mind doing in front of all your girlfriends since all of you are girls anyway—the spa theater can cater to events for the whole family.

How about having your Despedida de Soltera at the Bue Water Day Spa theater?

Imagine having your “Farewell to spinsterhood / single-hood” at a spa theater. Despedida de Soltera is usually attended by the groom and the bride’s family and entourage. If you don’t have that many people in your crew, why not give them a relaxing treat? This wedding tradition is usually held a week before the wedding day—a day at the spa theater would be a great way to relax after all the months of tedious preparations. And since you have an entire theater to yourself, you can even show home videos from both sides of the family—an intimate bonding session where you can relive childhood memories, relax, and get to know each other better before becoming part of each other’s families come wedding day.

For more information about the Spa Theater at Blue Water Day Spa, you can visit Francis’ blog post. He also has more photos there.

Here’s good news to all lovers and friends, South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) has announced its Valentines promo – Manila-Boracay-Manila and Manila – Busuanga – Manila Buy 1, Take 2 promo or a Manila-Batanes-Manila Buy 1, Take 1 promo which may be booked only at The 16th Travel Tour Expo- “TRAVEL IN STYLE” 2009 on February 6, 7 and 8 at SEAIR Booths 85 & 95, SMX Convention Center, Seashell Lane, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

For only PhP 14,344 (”I love you very much”), travelers could spend a romantic getaway at the island paradise of Boracay or Coron on a Buy 1, Take 2 promo or at picturesque Batanes on a Buy 1, Take 1 promo.

The airline uses a fleet of Dornier 328 and LET 410 aircraft for the flights to Boracay. The Dornier 328 is a state-of-the-art 32-seater twin engine turboprop aircraft which allows SEAIR to fly its passengers from Manila to Caticlan in only 35 minutes — the fastest flight to Boracay offered by a local airline. Dornier 328s are also used for the Batanes flights, which assures passengers of the fastest flights to this northern paradise at only 1 hour and 20 minutes. The airline has the most number of flights to Boracay.

SEAIR is the nation’s second-oldest airline and has flown almost 3 million passengers to 11 local destinations including Busuanga, Puerto Princesa, Romblon, Clark , Zamboanga , Jolo, and Tawi-tawi. In November 2008, SEAIR launched its first international flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia .

For inquiries and reservations, please call SEAIR at (632)8490100 or book online at www.flyseair.com. The SEAIR ticketing office is located at the La O’ Centre Bldg.1000 Arnaiz Ave. cor. Makati Ave. Makati City , Philippines . For packages please call SEAIR Leisure Escape Packages at (632) 8437308.

Save The Date for the Grandest & Most Prestigious Wedding Fair of 2009:

WEDDING EXPO PHILIPPINES – March 2009
(7 – 8 March 2009, The PICC Forum, CCP Complex)
5,000 sqm Wedding Wonderland….
1,001 Fine Wedding Ideas…
300 plus Wedding Suppliers…
ONE AWESOME EVENT!!!

For free admission, you must pre-register on their site.

There will be a wedding and debut fair starting today, 27 September 2008 till tomorrow, 28 September 2008 at the Megatrade Hall 3, 5th floor, Building B in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Though I would still recommend searching in the internet for wedding suppliers and combing through wedding digests/directories, wedding fairs can also be a good way to find suppliers—especially those with busy schedules.

Suppliers for basically everything you need for your wedding will be in one location, and you can ask them them everything you need to know. You probably won’t need pre-quotation meetings like those we usually have to go through when inquiring from a supplier through the net (of course, you have to be sure they’re for real). Suppliers at wedding fairs may also give special promos and discounts to clients who would book on the spot.

I’m not saying that you should rely entirely on suppliers you’ll find in wedding fairs. A budget-conscious bride should always look for the best deals possible. After all, there will be a limited number of options in a wedding fair regardless how comprehensive their service offers are. It’s still best to do research, but I honestly don’t see any reason why shouldn’t take a look. Who knows? You might actually get a good deal from a supplier you’ll find at a wedding fair. I found my wedding cake artist in one

With expected showers and usual rain problems, would you still have your wedding during the rainy season? I honestly don’t see why you shouldn’t.

So how do you make the most out of this otherwise “gloomy” weather? Simple. Have a “rain-themed” wedding!

Rainy color motif
Choose a color that would remind your guests of the rainy season… Blue is usually a good bet. You can have it in blue-green or aqua, but that could give the impression of a “summery” feel. Dark hues of blue with tinges of gray are better bets. Blue-gray, or navy blue probably—something that would remind your guests of rain clouds and showers.

Rain-themed decors
It’s usually the little things that make a big difference when it comes to decorations. Pay attention to the things that are usually ignored: table decors, flower arrangement accents, wine holder, cake cutter, etc. Other than a dark or grayish blue color motif, you can always add little accents such as tiny umbrellas. You can also add raindrop cut-outs, stick them on a clear nylon string, and hang them on the ceiling—making your guests feel it’s raining inside without getting wet.

Matching invitations and souvenirs
Invitations and souvenirs are actually two of the important design aspects of a wedding. Invitations set the mood of your wedding—it gives your guests an idea what to expect on your wedding day. The wording and the overall design (not just the color, but graphics and font usage as well) of your invitation can make or break your invitation’s outcome, so make sure to sit down with your invitations designer for a custom-made rain-themed design.

If invitations give a “preview” of your wedding, souvenirs remind your guests of your wedding in the years to come. To make a lasting impression of your rain-themed wedding, choose souvenirs that would really remind your guests of the rainy season which you based your theme on. Soaps, chocolates, key chains, figurines, and glass art shaped like rain and clouds or umbrellas are some ideas. You can also get miniature umbrellas (toy umbrellas) as souvenirs (I think they sell these in Divisoria at toy stores, I just don’t know where exactly). If you got a little extra cash, you can always go for a real usable umbrella like those corporate giveaways we usually get from insurance and bank companies during Christmas. You can hire somebody else to make an umbrella design for you if you aren’t confident with your design skills—if it’s too tacky or has your picture printed on it, your guests might not use it and that would defeat the umbrella’s purpose

There are probably more things you can do with a rain-themed wedding than these things I mentioned. Let your creativity run wild—you might come up with more and better ideas for this theme.

Although rain-themed weddings are fun to plan especially in the decorations department, there are also some basic things you need to take note of.

Don’t forget that rains are usually an inconvenience to people, if not a hazard. Rainy season in the Philippines usually equate to clogged drains, flood, and roof leaks—not to mention the awful traffic that usually result from flooded streets. As such, you must also take into consideration the comfort and convenience of your guests.

Carefully select your Church and reception venues, make sure that the street where these are located don’t get flooded. Ask neighboring establishments or homeowners if there are floods there, or that going to the venues will require your guests to go through floods. This is important when planning a wedding during the rainy season—you wouldn’t want to burden your guests with floods or broken-down cars because of the floods.

I also strongly suggest to do away with a garden wedding. Yes, I know it’s romantic. Who wouldn’t want to get married under the stars and surrounded with nature? If it rains (which would probably be likely), you won’t be able to see much of those stars—and everybody will get wet. Just imagine your entourage and guests threading in mud! I’m sure they wouldn’t want your wedding to ruin their formal clothes

If you really want your wedding in a garden setting (admittedly, it does add to the rain design concept), make sure to rent a tent that would provide shelter to your guests. You can also rent flooring if the garden venue you chose doesn’t have a paved flooring (rain can make the ground extremely muddy). Make sure that going to and from the tables are also covered for the convenience of your guests.

Another option would be getting an indoor venue with a garden setting. If budget isn’t a problem, you can get Fernwood Gardens, The Glass Garden, or Fernbrook Gardens. These venues have the advantage of being fully covered (usually fully air-conditioned), but at the same time, have the garden feel that adds a more romantic setting for a wedding. You can also try gazebo-type of venues such as The Oasis’s The Pavillion or Gazebo Royale’s Phoenix Avenue, which are basically set outdoors but has fully-covered areas.

The trick here is to make the most out of an otherwise inconvenient situation. It’s a bummer going out during the rainy season, but you can make it worth your guests’ time and effort—just make sure that they would actually enjoy the rains (your wedding) and not get pissed by it (floods).

Congratulations to all July brides!

We all know how difficult it is to plan a wedding. The easiest way out is probably to just hire a wedding planner to do all the legwork, but I’ve always been a hands-on type of person. I don’t want to be limited to what a wedding planner tells me and just do things on my own. But as I have said in my post about wedding planners, hiring or not hiring one will really just depend on you—and the time you have.

I was lucky to have the time to plan my own wedding. That’s one of the perks of running your own home-based company—you have the luxury of scheduling your work hours, and the hours you’d like to spend planning your wedding. I did my research on the Web, and just called up and met those I even considered getting. My husband and I also visited bridal shows and expos just to be sure we’re getting the best deals possible. It doesn’t hurt to canvass as much as possible, but the thing is, it can be quite tiring.

What if you can “visit” bridal shows and expos online?

I think that’s the concept behind Online Bridal Shows. You get to save on gas and parking expenses, not to mention the exhaustion from walking through booths and booths of vendors. Another thing I hate about expos are the annoying sales people trying to get me interested in their products or services—I prefer to look at what they offer at my own time. Online Bridal Shows gives you that freedom; you don’t need to listen to sales talk unless you wanted to—you click only those you choose to hear.

To run Online Bridal Shows, you will need to download a 3D software from their website. There’s also a listing of the participating vendors within a specific area, which lets you know which to download and look for within the 3D bridal show environment.

This is actually quite an innovative idea, if you ask me. Even Bridal Shows are going virtual, explored through the comfort of your own home. Most of us might still want to see the real thing, but for others who do not have the luxury of time but would like to play a big part in the planning of their wedding without relying on somebody else to do it, Online Bridal Shows offer great convenience.

Visit the Online Bridal Shows website for more details. You can even share your own bridal story or participate in the message board discussions. Unfortunately for my Filipino readers here in the Philippines (and me), Online Bridal Shows only have US or UK-based vendors. So if you’re living in the US or the UK, you might want to give this service a try. Philippine-based brides-to-be might want to take a look too… There are also tangible wedding products offered in the Online Bridal Show (you can always ask a relative to purchase a wedding product for you and bring it along with their luggage or pay for international delivery). Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll consider having Online Bridal Shows here in the Philippines

SEAIR has been providing the longest-running uninterrupted service to Busuanga, and now provides the fastest flights with its Dornier 328 aircraft.

So how do you join? All you have to do is tell us why you want to go to Busuanga via SEAIR, by Friday, 20 June 2008, at 8:00 p.m. You can use your personal blog, Multiply, Friendster, or any other social networking site, or any website for that matter for as long as your entry has a link to the SEAIR website. The entry which best captures the attention of our judges will get the 6 gift certificates!

To let us know you joined this contest, post the link of your entry as a comment in SEAIR starts 35-minute flights to Northern Palawan Like the previous raffle, make sure you place your full name in the name field since you will need a valid ID to claim the tickets if you win. The winner will be notified by e-mail so make sure you double check your e-mail address before submitting your comment. Tickets will be valid from now until 15 October 2008. Good luck!

Too bad I lost the link to this online quiz which “determines” if you’re turning to be a Bridezilla or not. But, as we all know, stress can really trigger the monster in all of us. And planning your wedding, can be really stressful. I can’t tell you if you’re already becoming a Bridezilla, but here are some things that might help you not to turn into one

Respect other’s suggestions and opinions
True, it’s your wedding. But you should remember that it’s not just about you, and it’s also a gathering of sorts. You must learn to listen to other’s suggestions and opinions too. Because of the stress, there might be some things that you missed out that others see. They’re not trying to overshadow you, control you, or ruin your wedding plans—they’re just trying to help. There’s no need to be Bridezilla and snap at just about anybody who tries to help. You’re lucky someone cared about you enough to help you know. Besides, they’re only suggestions—you just need to listen, you don’t necessarily have to do it if you don’t want to.

Make up your mind
This is a common Bridezilla thing that I have to admit I also had been guilty of: you must learn to make up your mind when deciding on things. For example, you’ve already decided on a specific custom invitation design. Make it final. Before you even decide on anything, make sure you didn’t decide in haste. You can’t just say, “I’ve decided on this design,” then change your mind later on. Imagine the hassle you will give your supplier. Remember, stuff like that requires raw materials. You can’t just change your mind in the middle of production.

There are times when brides hire freelancers to design their wedding stuff. I’ve heard some complaints from my friends who are freelance wedding suppliers about Bridezillas demanding for changes in the middle of production. Just because they aren’t big companies doesn’t mean you can abuse them. Be considerate. Imagine if the same was done to you. Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean you can hassle anyone and everyone for your “perfect” wedding. Make sure you’ve already reviewed all of your other options before giving your suppliers your final decision.

Learn to compromise
Most of the time, grooms-to-be just let the women do the choosing of wedding stuff and suppliers. My husband himself didn’t want to think about the wedding details and left it up to me, although there were times that he took an active part in the decision-making—especially on things that could possibly affect him directly like the cake flavor and the design of his Barong Tagalog. But sometimes, there are grooms-to-be who would like to be part of the decision-making.

Arguments usually arise especially when the bride and the groom have different tastes. Sometimes these arguments could get so bad that a wedding is at risk of getting called of. The trick here is to not let things get worse. You and your groom-to-be should learn how to compromise. Find a middle ground where you both can be happy with. Some guys may let you have your way just to avoid another argument, but that’s not healthy. You’re not the only one taking vows—your groom-to-be would be too, so you must lower your pride and find a compromise. Remember, it’s not always about you and you alone. It’s about both of you.

Make room for errors
As much as you’d like your wedding to be perfect, you must make room for errors. There are unavoidable things that could happen—technical difficulties on equipment, sudden unavailable materials, etc. You must set your mind that these can happen, and be open to these possibilities. You’ll only add stress to yourself if you keep on wanting things to be perfect.

Is your wedding about how perfect your cake is or it is about you and your man? Don’t forget why you’re getting married in the first place. Sometimes everything just won’t be as “perfect” as you dreamed it to be. But that day would be the day you get married. Perfecting the little wedding details shouldn’t be the source of your happiness, but exchanging vows with the man you’d be spending the rest of your life with should be.

Weddings aren’t about perfect wedding details, it’s about celebrating the love between you and your man.

Find time to relax
The main reason most brides turn out to be Bridezilla is because of the stress the wedding planning brings (ie. “I’m not sure if we’ll have enough money to pay for all these”), or even just the idea of getting married itself. That’s pretty understandable. After all, things change when you get married. It’s ok to be stressed or scared… Just don’t let the stress or fear get the best of you.

Take the time to relax. Read a book. Take a day trip to Tagaytay just to enjoy the scenery. Pamper yourself in a spa. Just do something that will temporarily take your mind off the wedding. Besides, you wouldn’t want to look like a haggard old woman on your wedding day, would you?

These are just some of the more practical ways not be the next Bridezilla. Well, those are the things I know of anyway. If you got ideas on how not to be a bitchy bride (aka Bridezilla), do share!

Photos and graphic borrowed from Ivan Henares

SEAIR has a special promo you might want to check out. For a discounted price, you can get a round-trip air fare to Baler, Aurora (Manila-Baler-Manila) for four days and three nights that already includes daily breakfasts, round-trip airport transfers, and half-day surfing lessons.

You can download the Baler Package Rate Sheet here, or go visit the SEAIR website for more details.