And the Wedding Preparations Continue...

Okay, since JP might be checking on our wedding site I might as well update it. Grabe.... less than 9 8 months till our big day and I am still inconsistent with posting hahaha! I think as the day goes by with the preps this site will get updated more. Will be posting my friend's DIY on our cords and pictures of the pamumulong or pamamanhikan on the 17th.

Wedding planning and more so, wedding blogging took a back seat way too much from a six month project I was involve with. But God is good and I have a new job now at IRRI, which hopefully will not be as tasking as my previous job. I need to start my DIY on the fabric flowers and plan our ceremony already.

But first... PAMAMANHIKAN hihihi! Excited much!:)

Till the 17th!:)

Happiness in Littlest of Things

Just wanted to share my happiness in finding out that our confirmed back-up photographer will still be available for our wedding in spite of asking him for a meet-up and subsequent placing of deposit in March of this year which never did materialize till now. I was so hesitant to write him a follow-up for fear of being rejected but I of course have to ask. It is a damn-you-do-damn-you-don't situation and it got me worried there a bit.

For one, I don't want another back-up photographer, I want him. He takes candid photos the best among those who fit our budget and he really sound nice in his emails and I put premium on that. Email exchanges are a form of glimpse to who the person is behind the letter. I just had that gut feel we will click with him.

Felt like sharing this because as much as we share our rants to suppliers, I feel it is more worthy to highlight the positive side of encountering suppliers that are very much customer oriented. Give praise where it is needed so to speak and happiness in littlest of things is what should really matter. In wedding preparations, I believe it to be the most important of all, to be grateful for those pockets of sunshine in a rather stormy and grueling preparations.

So I write about how I feel blessed knowing we still have our original back-up photographer on the team. Check his portfolio out:  

http://randellliwanag.wordpress.com/

Happiness!!!

Reception Idea: Light Bulbs

I have come across a blog that reported on this wedding inspiration I have and instantly thought of having it for our wedding. You all know by now that we want the vintage feeling for our wedding. We want it laid back and a no-frills event wherein everyone will feel at home and loved as well with a certain nostalgia. As days pass by, I am slowly seeing it clearly the details I want for our wedding. And for the reception, I thought of using... LIGHT BULBS as our primary lighting of choice. I was never partial to mood lights... NEVER! I don't want too much lighting that frankly, gets the whole place warm anyway and our venue us open air. I want simple, clear lighting with may be some floor lights for the couple's table. And I want light bulbs like the ones they have in American movies for roof top parties, think 500 days of Summer and Julie and Julia (or was it Julia and Julie heeheehee!), check this pictures I lifted from the internet:

This will be so nice in Rosemont!

Rosemont's patio is quite similar to this in the photo <3

Will love to use coke bottles for this.<3

Looks really nice.:) I want this kind of lighting and I am crossing my fingers that our booked light and sounds supplier can provide us with this. I am hoping and praying.<3 It will give our wedding that vintage touch in this department.

Wedding Preps Lull

We are having a lull period.:(

At the time when I am supposed to be getting on the details of the wedding. I guess when very important things in life comes first like job responsibilities, family issues and such, wedding preparations get the back seat. More so if you decide to be on a long engagement like us. We have no problems so far on our budget, God is blessing us in ways He intends for our wedding financial breakthrough. It is the time to seat down and attend to the wedding details that we have neglected so far. You can tell from the lack of posts in our wedding blog that we are both busy.

But it is already less than a year into the wedding preparations and action must be done.

May be I should do a to-do-list like I do in my work. Then may be I would be inspired and excited to really make time for the wedding preps. I need to start on my DIY as well and get suppliers for our invitations and back-up photographer. So here goes...

TO-DO-WEDDING-PREPS-LIST:

1. Update MS Excel file of wedding budget and deposit wedding money contribution to wedding money account.
2. Make down payment to caterer.
3. Asses budget and suppliers overall; see what suppliers are still needed.
4. Finalize list of wedding entourage and principal sponsor.
5. Inform wedding entourage of roles.
6. Trip to Divisoria for wedding cord and fabric flower DIY.
7. Diet and exercise. :)
8. Look for our supplier's contract.

I need to really manage my time to include the wedding preparations on weekends and wedding detailing on some weeknights. I REALLY NEED TOO!!! I have a lot of plans and I guess amidst the busy schedule, time management is always the key to really do a lot of things. I AM DETERMINED!

Mabilis na lang isang taon diba?:)

When Parents Get Excited for Your Wedding

Okay, breathe in... breathe out.... one year count down fast approaching... busy, busy, BUSY work schedule preventing you from wedding planning... too many wedding details to attend to... budgeting and savings to fill up... after wedding plans... wwwoooooohhhhhhoooooo WE ARE REALLY GETTING MARRIED!!!

And to top it of... EXCITED AND EAGER PARENTS <hyperventilating> BREATH IN BREATH OUT!!!<3

I just had a conversation with my family most especially with my Dad and it made me realize, our wedding plans are actually becoming a very serious matter with our families now. On the 21st of this month by next year, Jp and I will exchange vows in front of our closes family and friends in Tagaytay. It is exciting and becoming nerve wracking as days pass by.

At the start of our wedding plans, Jp and I settled that we will be shouldering all the wedding expenses. My father gave his blessing when we first asked permission to marry from my family that it is okay if we do not invite the whole clan for the wedding since we cannot afford it.

That was October last year, tonight was a different matter altogther <hyperventilating yet again>.

I then realize, when you get married, it is not only you and your husband/bride who gets excited but your parents, family and friends as well. And when parents get excited, you get confuse and do not know if it is a good thing or not.

It is a good thing because you know they are full on their support of your wedding. It will be better if they contribute to the wedding funds and it will best if they pay for everything hahaha! But seriously, parents getting excited about your wedding is a good sign.

Of course there are the cons to it. One is they would want to invite the whole barangay or even the whole of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (depends on where you are) to your wedding, even that long, long, long lost cousin of your aunty's husband's cousin's cousin from nowhere just as not to dishonor them. They would want to change EVERYTHING you have planned and using blackmail or threat to make you do what they want. Parents will act as if we are mere toddlers, not knowing what to do, just to "help" out on our wedding. Worst, we feel guilty when we do not follow them.

But in spite of these, when parents get excited for your wedding, they add the necessary spice to a rather gruelling task of wedding planning. It may not be welcomed at all times, but it will tug your heart here and there knowing they simply want the best for you. Like they always did.

And remember, you will be a parent someday. As much as you would swear not to do the same thing, believe me you will. Might as well start on earning those karma points.:)

Negaversary

Wooohhhhoooo!

Our Daisy Path says it will be over a month till our NEGAVERSARY.

Nega-what?! You may ask? Well there is this thing called a one year countdown till a couple gets married and an anniversary was named after it. Why they call it NEGA, I have no idea. But the prospect of getting into the one year mark excites and scares me of the gigantic task ahead of me. For one, I haven't gotten over any DIY project I have in mind. I need to nail the flower fabric bouquets the least and the additional souvenirs I will give the guests. I need to learn time management because I switched jobs this year and it is a more demanding one than my previous job.

I need to go over our suppliers list one more time and contact my OTD regarding the things they need from us for the wedding and also to seek advice on what needs to be done first.

Pamamnhikan is also due soon!:) Our families think it is too early but I want this to be done and over with. One year is a very short time for wedding preparations. We started in October last year and time flew fast we are onto the one year countdown!!! I need to a lot a day for me to fix all our wedding lists (guests!, budget, things to do) and the wedding details I want, although this last one I might be downsizing on a bit.

I need to go over my list of things to do before I get hitched and sadly traveling solo did not push through this month as I switched jobs and did not have the time to go to Dumagete anymore. I did go to a new province on a business trip though.

There are a lot but the prospect of marring Jp melts my worries away. Day after day, as I get to know him more and more even if almost six years have passed since we became together, amazes me and makes me realize I am right in agreeing to marry Jp.:)

Having A Baby

No... I am far from it hahaha!:)

I visited an Ob-gyne for some concerns over my hormonal problem. I was diagnosed clinically of Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome in 2006 but the symptoms of this hormonal problem seems to have started way back high school. It is one of the causes for infertility and difficulty in conceiving.

For those who do not know what PCOS is, this condition leads to follicles growing in the ovaries that should have matured to one egg but instead does not due to imbalance of hormones. Normal women would release one egg every month and if not fertilize then mensturation will follow. In my case, no egg matures at all. This condition seems to be more evident in female members of families with a history of diabetes or in obese women. I am in fact clinically diagnosed as obese type 1 (Asian standards) but some PCOS women may be thin as well. Overall, a transrectal or transvaginal ultrasound will be the determinant if a woman has PCOS or not.

Why am I writing this in my wedding blog? Well it got me thinking of the next step after marriage which is raising a family.

I am quite surprised of my ob-gyne's reaction that I am "hurrying" on getting pregnant if I would get married by the age of 29. It seems to be the normal reaction I always get from ob-gyne doctors I have been to before but I do not really comprehend why there is a need to tell me that. It is almost, always done in good nature though and I am aware of the risk factors of late pregnancy in both women and the child plus add to that my condition which makes it difficult to begin with.

But really?! Do I need to know that? I mean, is it not now a norm in society and the medical field for women to get married late and have babies late and still produce healthy babies. Not only do I hear it from doctors, but family and friends seem to have the same opinion as well. Like time is running out on me hahaha! And frankly, I am getting more worried as years pass by.

I almost got myself thinking why JP and I have a long engagement and not just get married civilly and have babies.  Why not?

Then it hit me. Raising a kid is a lifetime choice that you have to at least be physically, mentally, emotionally and a bit financially prepared for. Having a baby changes everything. It makes your life turn 360 degrees more than getting married will. You are now responsible to feeding a child, fending for them, raising them and being responsible for what they would become in society and what they will contribute in the future. It is far more different than just owning a pet or tending to a plant. A child is like you and me, a full human being.

I have seen the struggles of my friends who are new parents. I understand that you will never be fully prepared in all aspects in raising a kid. In fact, JP said that he will only be prepared if our child is there otherwise, he would always think he is ill-equipped to be a Dad. But I want to feel for myself that whatever problems and challenges that will come, I am willing to handle. A baby is cute until it cries, whines, poops and all that... I AM NOT READY YET FOR IT!:)

So I figure, if I decide to get pregnant by the age of 30 and I am saying now that I will, no one can ever affect me. I rather have a child at a time that I am quite sure the least that I can be responsible for him/her than be half-bake about the whole idea just because I am getting older or I have a hormonal problems.

I have faith in God that He will provide.

Someday I will be a mommy but for now, I am okay where I am and nobody needs to tell me otherwise. :)

Veil Inspirations

I have always wanted to wear a MANTILLA veil eversince I imagined myself getting married.

Mantilla veils came from Spain and is traditionally worn by women going to church. For me, it looks so elegant and vintage. It illuminates the face of the bride rather than hiding it. I feel that it frames the face more and focuses the attention of the guests to how the bride looks on her wedding rather than them looking at the dress itself. Here are some pictures of a mantilla veil:

Just like Mandy Moore's character wore in A Walk To Remember :)

I really love anything with lace trimming in it. I was really decided to have a mantilla veil when I stumbled upon this:



BRIDAL LACE CAPS!<3

Now I am torn. :(

Both are vintage in style and both will deliver the look I want for myself when I walk down the aisle. The bridal lace caps are a bit ahead in my book since only a few brides in the Philippines had used it (I am guessing) and it will be a nice break from the monotony of bridal veils.

I still have over 14 more months to figure out what I want. :)

Enriching My Personality~ A Little Break from the Wedding Preps :)

***I chance upon this contest at Jane's blog and decided to join in. The question you have to answer is this: "What makes John Robert Power’s Personality Development Workshop the best thing to do today?” I immediately gather the guts to submit an entry and pray hard that I win it.;) You may visit her blog here about the contest: http://www.janedchua.com/2011/05/09/power-up-your-potential-at-john-robert-powers-contest/#comments or hook her up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Between-Bites/181753655196538 and Twitter: http://twitter.com/betweenbites

You see, if you were to ask my family and my closes friends what they think about my personality and appearance, they would only say one thing: “MAGANDA NAMAN YAN SI KRYSTLE, WAG LANG YAN KIKILOS AT MAGSASALITA”

You might be thinking why they have the same comment, well it is because I am not your typical girl. I talk way too loud, I dress way too casually and if the situation does not call for it, I am boyish and laidback. Add to it that I am 28 years old already. It never bothered me before. In my mind, I take pride in the fact that I am your what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of gal. But things changed when I started building a career for myself.

Taken from my 27th bday but basically this is what I wear in the office... EVERYDAY;P

I admit though that in spite of my confidence, inside me is a girl who is very self-conscious of her outside appearance. Maybe that is also the reason why I do not know how to react properly to certain situations by way of social graces and to dress and speak appropriately. I do not have problems asserting myself with people but I do have a problem with HOW I assert myself. It is not enough that you have the confidence to know what you want, when you want it and what to do about getting what you want.  I realize that you also need to know HOW to get the things you want for yourself.

In starting out with my career in assisting in international development projects, I quickly learned that dynamism must also be countered with proper self-imaging if I want to get somewhere. One thing I learned is that, first impression in a work environment propels you to better work opportunities. I do not want my colleagues in this profession that I am aiming for to say the exact same thing my family and closes friends have about my personality and appearance. In fact, I want for them to stop saying it altogether.

And for this reason and for today, I highly feel that it is very important for me to attend the John Robert Powers’ Personality Development Workshop. I have a dream for my career. I want to make my dream a reality, even if it means that I need to add up to my confidence the necessary skills to project a better image of myself. I am my own “brand manager”, so to speak and how I project my confidence in my appearance, social graces and the way I speak will bring me closer to what I want for my career in the future.

And grace as I walk down the aisle next year would definitely be a plus!:)

Do-It-Yourself List

I am onto lists lately.:)

A friend of mine asked me to accompany her this coming Saturday to Divisoria because she needs help in buying souvenirs for her kid sister's birthday party next month. I gladly said yes in joining her to Divisoria because it is a perfect time for me to canvass for wedding detail related stuff. As I have mentioned here before, I am now on the wedding details. I figured going to Divisoria (and pulling my friend to go to Quiapo as well) will help me ease into doing the DIYs I have in mind for the wedding.

I want to keep things very personalize and having a long engagement (Daisy path says we have 1 year 3 months 1 week and 1 day till our wedding day) enabled me to DIY a lot of things piece by piece. I will start of by buying my tools for the DIYs and doing our wedding cord. There are over a hundred wedding DIY sites on the internet and I have my fellow W@W ies to help me out just in case I need it. So here are a list of, hopefully, our DIYs for our wedding that you would see here in our wedsite from time to time unfolding. I will employ the help of a crafty friend and some craftsman in my hometown with these DIYs:

Paper:

1.     Save-the-Date Ecard

2.    Ceremony Program

3.    Map to Rosemont

4.   Escort Cards-slash-Thank You Card (2-in-1)

5.    Gift tags for the PS souvenir

6.    Reception Rules

Souvenir:

1.     PS souvenir basket or bag

2.    Guests souvenir pillows

3.    Box for cream puff

4.   Female Entourage Cloth Flower bouquet

5.    Ninang ‘s cloth flower wrist boquet

6.    Male entourage pinwheel or cloth flower boutonniere

7.    Flower Girl baskets and head band or pin

Reception Details:

1.     Pompoms

2.    Pinwheels

3.    Couple's Gallery Table

4.   Cake topper (initials made out of yarn)

5.     Kissing bells

6.    Signboards (made out of wood or cloth)

7.    Wishing Boards (with painted trees for thumb mark)

8.     Photo Booth backdrop (not the standard tarpaulin type)

Ceremony:

1.     Wedding Cord

2.    Unity Candle

3.    Ring/Coin Bearer Pillows

It looks a lot hahaha!:) I will make time for this though. Everyone should make time to contribute a little DIY in their wedding. I know I can rely to Maja for the reception but I like to see some of my own creation also. For once I will put into reality my artistic vision.

It's a challenge I am willing to take.

Getting-Hitched Bucket List

I have been reading a lot of travel blogs lately. And I think I do read a lot of it... way a lot! Because now it got me thinking, do I still have a lot of things to do that I would want to do before Jp and I get married? Would I regret not doing these things before settling down?

It's not about having a cold feet. No, that is too early and it might not happen at all. I will marry Jp and I am definitely sure I want to enter the married life. I guess it is just normal to ask questions if as a person I have accomplished at least majority of the things I would want while I am still single.

Once you get married, your life changes. You no longer think of only yourself but you worry of another persons well being, his thoughts and opinion about things as well. I do not have a problem with Jp though in this department. He is the most mature and open minded person this free spirited girl needs. I think what he likes in me the most is my want for freedom and that also reflects the freedom I give him in our relationship. But of course I am fully aware of the big changes marriage brings. You cannot stay single forever.

Which brings me back to the subject of travel and of all the things I would want to do for myself on my bucket list.

If there is one thing I would love to do over and over again in my life, that is to travel the world and I am glad that Jp wants the very same thing. But given his work as a lawyer, his time is limited unlike mine. As much as WE would want to carry backpacks and roam around the world, we cannot. Money I guess is one problem but what bears more weight is the TIME constraints. As much as Jp would love to see the world, he loves his career too. He is driven by that passion to work at his career. It is his nature. I know he would not really say no to me when I yearn to travel even if we are married but of course if I leave him to do so, it will only break my heart.

So after reading one travel blog from another and realizing I have enough personal money to roam around the remaining parts of South East Asia I haven't been to and possibly India, it got me thinking... do I still have things that I would want to do before getting married and having a family with Jp?

Which got me to list I few things I want to cross out before I get married on my Getting-Hitched Bucket List. This list contains only a few doable things given the 1 year and 3mos time frame I have before we get married. Here are the things on my list:

1. TRAVEL ALONE
2. ORGANIZE A CHARITY TO MY NAME
3. DO VOLUNTEER WORK FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
4. HAVE A WORK OF MINE PRINTED IN A BROADSHEET

It seems to be a pretty short list but pretty doable.

And as I am ending this post, I realize, I have done a lot of things in my life that my list only contains 5 items which my heart truly desire. I have gone to Bacolod, one of the ultimate places I must go before I die next to Batanes and India. I have climbed a small mountain. I have jumped on a river from a 10ft high wall. I have rode numerous adventure rides. Drink myself drunk. Got my heartbroken. Fall madly in love with Jp. Seen several sunsets and sunrise. Mesmerized at a few of God's wonder. Spritually found myself. Got lost in a city and a country. Worked a mosh pit. Had a poem printed. Act on stage and the list goes on and on. I have enough experience already in my book for me to regret anything. I have done a lot of things except one...

That is to marry the man I love. To marry my bestfriend and start a whole new life with him full of adventures and misadventures. That would be the last number on my getting-hitched bucket list:

5. TO MARRY JP :)

Hairstyle Inspiration

I don't like hair spray. As much as I can avoid being sprayed a whole can of it on my hair, I would. It stings your eyes, you can taste it from the spraying and taking it of your hair requires too much shampooing and conditioning. I don't like how it smells, how it makes me feel hot and how it looks too made up when used for a hairstyle. But of course I am the bride and I want to look my prettiest on that day also.

Having said that and taking the advice of JP's bestfriend's wife (hi May!), I would not want a "stiff" hairstyle for my wedding. Like my dress, I want it to be light, soft and because we are talking about hair here, curly. I have a natural wavy hair that curls at the end especially when I grow it long. I used to have a classmate when I tried law school who just twirls my curls during class out of nowhere hahaha! So I shall use my hair to the fullest.

Here are my inspirations:

Always wanted a side bun... a messy side bun. It's simple and very vintage.

This is how I wanted it to look at the back.



Contemplating if I would have the messy bun side swept for the reception or...



...have it just laid down like this.

I am contemplating about my veil now. I really wanted to have a mantilla veil but I also saw a cap veil that looks so beautiful, so I do not know now or rather I am not sure which is which hairstyle for ceremony and reception.

Hmmmmm maybe I should let Ms. Irene decide on this one.

Flower Inspiration

Since I am on a roll with the wedding details, for the flowers to be used for our ceremony and reception, I want to use only white and green colored flowers. For me, the white and green colored flowers represents spring, the season for new beginnings. And because the wedding is our step towards a new beginning in our lives and as a couple, here are the flowers I would want to have for our wedding:



GREEN FLOWERS from left to right; top to bottom: ROSES, CARNATIONS, BUTTONS and ANASTASIA (SPIDER) Flowers




WHITE FLOWERS from left to right; top to bottom: ALSTOMERIA, CASABLANCAS, ROSES, MALAYSIAN MUMS and CREMON Flowers

 

As per my reception decor inspirations, these flowers will be strategically placed through out the tables in a tin can with some bottles and candle holders for the centerpieces.

I will let Maja play with my idea. She does great flower arrangement.



Details, Details and Lots of Nerve-Wracking Wedding Details!

I am half way done booking suppliers and it is only April, 2011 hehehe!:)

A lot of people have asked and reacted as to why I was booking too early. In the tradition of Filipino weddings, preparations can take only 2-3 months before the wedding. So, imagine the surprise on people's faces when they hear me talking about the venue, caterer and other suppliers we booked. In their head they were all thinking for sure, "Atat naman ata itong si Krystle, masyado excited" hehehe!:)

There are two things though why I am booking early, one is for the PRICE LOCKS because we are on a tight budget and second, WEDDING DETAILS.

I have written before in this blog that I am artistic visually, but I lack the patience to execute my visions and come up with an output on them. Asides from the budget, I wanted a long period of time in order for me to have the "courage" to go over the detailing part of the wedding. I used to think that when you get your dress, caterer, officiant, photo/video coverer and your groom, you can get married. As easy as eating pie!:)

But oh no... that is not the case. If you are on a budget and you want a personalized wedding, then you must be willing to do-it-yourself on a lot of things and embrace the wedding details needed. I do not have a dream wedding but I have always wanted an intimate and personal one. I won't say simple anymore, from the looks of it, it won't be.;P

So now, I am onto the nerve wracking wedding details!!! Thank God I have my bestfriend with me who have good taste and can execute such good taste. One of my bridesmaid is good in craft and I shall employ her skills for such. I am listing down our DIYs and oh my, research after reseach and after research, the list just keeps getting longer and longer. NAKAKALOKA!!!:)

For now, I will keep on doing my research and compile my inspirations for the details to the wedding. I know I have to sort them out and I have to stop researching before our one-year countdown this July. This May, I will ask my bestfriend and my crafty bridesmaid to accompany me to Divisoria and Quiapo to buy supplies for our DIYs and to scout for wholesale suppliers. I shall start early because the details I want for my wedding requires cutting, sewing, pasting, glue-sticking and painting hahaha!:P

I can do this!!! With the grace of God and my love ones, Jp and I will have an intimate and personalize wedding we always wanted.:)

Updates

Wow, APRIL na next week!!!:)

Then May, then June and yes... JULY.:) Our one year countdown to be culminated by the "pamumulong" or better known as "pamamanhikan".:)

I am getting excited about the whole thing. Time seems to fly so quick when you are enjoying every minute of the wedding preparations. We are not only preparing financially (we still need to save up on the payment for the expenses hehehe!), but also physically (diet and exercise) and most importantly, spiritually. Above all, it is that personal relationship we have with Jesus and God that we need to nurture the most in our individual lives and as a couple.

Since we are on a tight budget, we have booked early to avail of the precious PRICE LOCKS. From the looks of gas and other prices hiking up, it would not be a surprise that suppliers will hike up their prices the second half of this year most probably. So we are done in booking our MAJOR suppliers and will be moving on with focusing on the wedding details and saving up. Here are the major suppliers we have booked:

1. VENUE: Rosemont Gardens-DP already paid
2. P/V: Daniel Lei Studios- DP already paid
3. CATERER: Passion Cooks- DP to be paid on March 28
4. L/S and PROJECTOR SCREEN: MetroMix- DP already paid
5. SOUVENIR: Wacky Shots Photobooth- DP already paid
6. OTD Coordinator: Events Memoir-DP already paid
7. BACK-UP PHOTOGRAPHER: Randell Liwanag-DP to be paid in April
8. HMUA: Irene Manigo-DP already paid

The only suppliers left to be booked are the following:

1. GOWN/BARONG Suppliers
2. HMUA for Entourage
3. HOUSE and TRANSPORTATION for JP's family in Tagaytay
4. RINGS
5. PS/ENTOURAGE SOUVENIRS
6. PASTOR
7. BACK-UP TENTS
8. ENTOURAGE FLOWERS
9. HONEYMOON- eyeing either CDO-CAMIGUIN, CORON or CARAGA :)

That's it for us. We do not need to have any band or strings or cake. They are nice-to-haves which we will only be getting if we have extra money for. The PS/ENTOURAGE gifts, I might DIY. I am thinking also of making some pillows for our guests to take home. Maybe by June, my bestfriend and I will go to Divisoria and Quiapo to hunt for supplies for our initial DIYs. I would write a whole new post about it after I update my posts for the other suppliers.

So the research for suppliers stops here. We will be shifting to doing DIYs and getting ideas for it. :) Detailing is a task I would not really want to spend so much time obsessing about and I hope I do not. I rather be obessesd with preparing for marriage than this. It is a good thing we have booked major suppliers as early as now, we have time to focus on ourselves and our relationship.

More posts to come.

Summer is here BTW!:)

Inching Our Way Closer To God

Yesterday marked the beginning of the lenten season.

So for today, let me tell you something of my relationship with Jp and our relationship with God. Eversince we have been together, we have agreed to put God at the center of our relationship. In whatever possible way we can, we always pray to God about us.

And since we started preparing for our wedding, we somewhat realize how we should strengthen our faith more. Wedding preparations and more so, marriage itself will be full of difficult moments we have to overcome just as it is full of  happiness and new adventures. We realize or actually, I realize that our faith in God would help us in those difficult times. It helps to have a strong faith in God and in all things good. It makes someone a better person. Well it should be most of the times.:)

For now, we are going to buy devotional bibles so we may learn the word of God in our hearts. We promised to attend a church and I would continue to attend mass on my own time.:) We also agreed to pay tithes to the needy as our way of honoring God and I am sure along the way we would start a prayer ritual.

It is an exciting process for me.

Our own way of discovering new things about ourselves and our relationship through God.

Flower Girl Gown Inspirations

Remember Katherine Heigel's movie "27 Dresses" wherein she played the part of always-the bride's maid-never-the-bride kind of girl, I was once in a similar situation. But instead of bride's maid dressess, my closet was full of flower girl dressess. I was always our family's flower girl from the age of two till I was ten years old. I once counted my flower girl gowns in my closet and I think I had more than 15 of them, excluding those that were already lent to my cousins and never returned to us. In fact, we reminsced who among my father's cousins did I became a flower girl and we discovered that each and every child's wedding of his aunt or uncle, I was once the flower girl.

But you know what, I was the kind of girl who HATED to be a flower girl. I absolutely hated it. I grew up a tomboy and because I cannot say no to my parents yet, I cannot do anything about it. I hated wearing a gown that is too heavy and itchy, not to mention I have to wear stockings or gloves to match and some heavy shoes. I would always cry to Mommy everytime I would feel itchy with the gown's lining or it became too hot for me when I play. Oh and I hated the make up and the hairspray! (I still do as an adult hehehe!:P) I hated the taste of lipstick and when the hair spray sting my eyes.

I must admit though that I love the attention I get when it is my turn to walk down the aisle. I would whine and whine and WHINE some more before the procession, but once I hear the music playing, I would be at my most behave, smiling. So it only means one thing, as a young girl, I hate looking like an adult.

That is why for my flower girls, I would want them to wear something like these gowns/dresses:

They would wear a gown in cotton or linen with a soft lining inside. It must be loose, so they can move around and play in it. I would be providing them cardigans that match their gowns to protect them from the cold. They can wear sandals and not suffer from stockings and uncomfortable shoes. And ABSOLUTELY NO MAKE-UP! My flower girls will be spared from the ickyness of adult make-up and spray net. It will do them good.

For my ring/bible/coin bearers, I would just let them wear a barong for the ceremony and then they can change to their regular clothes after.:)

Kids are kids, so we should let them be.

Entourage Wedding Gown Inspiration

In my line up of entourage, I am in-charge of filling in the girl's line up.:) Since my ladies will be shouldering the expense for their gown, I let them have a free reign on what kind of design they like, so long as they follow these rules:

1. Length of the gown should be: for my matron of honor- floor length and for the bride's maids-knee length and for the secondary sponsors-below the knee respectively
2. Must be light and airy in design.

For reference, here are some of the designs I have envisioned for them to wear:

My ladies must be at their prettiest on my wedding day. So feminine and lady-like.:)

Mother of the Bride/Groom Gown Inspiration

As I am in the wedding attire inspiration streak, let me show you some of the Mother of the Bride/Groom gown inspirations I have lifted from the internet.

Since our wedding will be in Tagaytay, I would love our respective mothers to wear something with sleeves as to keep them warm when the cold Tagaytay weather sets in. Both our mothers are petite (I think Mommy and Tita Dyes are of the same height hihihi!), so we need a kind of fabric that will be light and airy plus a cut the takes away the eyes from the length of the dress and rather focus at the details of the dress. Here are some of the pictures:

Don't they look elegant?:) I am pretty sure our mothers' will look regal on our wedding day.:)

How to Deal With Wedding Preparation Issues

When I told my childhood friends that we are getting married and is starting with our wedding preparations, the advice I got from most of them is: NEVER FIGHT ABOUT THE PREPARATIONS.

It was sort of a warning from some of them because a few had their relationships broken with their partners due to the pressure of wedding preparations. I never quite understand the advice and frankly, I was a bit offended with it because in my mind I was wondering why they think it might happen to us. I mean, why would any couple fight over the preparation of a milestone in their relationship.

I am beginning to understand now what they meant. Wedding preparation are like the litmus paper test for couples in starting the married life. The reason is because reality starts to set-in in their relationship with the idea of spending the rest of their lives with one person and raising a family of their own. Little by little, signs of maturity or immaturity surfaces in handling money and decision-making issues. It either strengthens a couple or yes and sadly, breaks them apart.

I have read and heard a lot of stories of weddings not pushing through because both parties were not able to resolve the issues to their wedding preparations. Usually, it is the inability of one partner to support the other and the feelings of neglect couples by sheer pressure that drives couples to fight during the preparations. So far, for Jp and I, we have yet to  tackle a road block on our relationship based on the wedding preparations. It helps that we have an open communication and that we had the following rules that we follow:


1. "WEDDINGS ARE A GIRL'S THING" ATTITUDE
-I have said it before that Jp and I had a mutual agreement that when it comes to the wedding details, I will be the one to handle it. Not that Jp does not want to participate, it is just that he does not have a clue what to do for the wedding. I know not everyone will agree with my post but for us, this set-up works well. As much as I would want Jp to help me in researching our wedding theme, motif, wedding flowers, cake designs, pre-nup ideas, I know that his personality does not really interest him to do so.

What it simply meant was, if your boyfriend is not into the wedding details, do not force him to participate if not wanted. In our case, I know Jp, if you try to tell him to do something he does not like, he won't do it. The more I whine and nag about it the more conflict it would bring. Men eventually come around when the guilt feeling reels in. You will be surprised that he actually will research on his own. Anyway, I get the free reign on what I want for the wedding without waiting for Jp's contribution.:)

2. MUTUAL AGREEMENT ON THE BUDGET
-We have set a budget for the wedding based on the amount of money we can afford to save. Our agreement is, we will only get a supplier within our given budget and it cannot absolutely exceed regardless how much we want to get the supplier. We cannot afford to jack up our expected savings and just rely on luck for us to come out with our wedding money. In this department, we are helping each other to be rational. Money is a valuable thing to waste and money should never, ever, ever BE AN ISSUE! If it does not fit the budget, it should not be considered.


3. IF IT IS A NICE-TO-HAVE, WE SHOULD PAY FOR IT ON OUR OWN
-Example, I want a back-up photographer and he does not. Since we agreed it is just something nice-to-have then I would be paying for it myself. It translates to less arguments for us.


4. MUTUALLY DECIDE ON GETTING A SUPPLIER
-What I do is I research on a supplier. Once I have short listed a couple, I would send to Jp all the links of their website and packages then we decide both on the supplier we want the most. It pays that we have the same taste.


5. AND LASTLY, OFFER OUR CONCERNS AND DECISIONS TO GOD
-When we do get to a point that we sense we would have an issue in our wedding preps, we have agreed to always pray to the Lord for guidance. If we cannot handle it, we will let God.

Wedding preparations should always bring the best in the couple and not destroy them. After all, the decision to get married is based on the fact that the relationship has reached the point of stability for issues to be confronted and solved. These things work well for us and I hope some of you can pick a thing or two that you can apply on your own.

Groom Barong Inspirations

One thing with Jp, he hates an extreme weather.

His ideal weather is lukewarm, not too cold and not too hot. Because we are getting married in Tagaytay, hot weather is not a problem. But since our reception will be at night and it will be in a rainy month of July, my biggest concern is what kind of attire he would wear.

Ever since I started to envision our wedding, the idea of a Western suit for Jp's attire did not cross my mind. Why wear a Western suit when you will be getting married in a tropical country like ours? You are in the Philippines might as well wear the national costume right? At least to my mind that is my question and opinion. So a barong tagalog is always the groom attire's choice and that of the entourage and even the guests. Of course when we decided to wed in Tagaytay I thought about it for a second. I mean, most barong are thin and flimsy. It scares me to think that Jp will request to wear a jacket be it a formal one and of course I don't want him getting uncomfortable during the whole time, so I went on the internet in search for barong styles until I found this, a BARONG SUIT:

It is thicker than a normal barong but still made from pinya and jusi fabric with matching embroidery. I always wanted him to wear a Chinese collared barong for our wedding. I find him POGI in it.:) I will let our fathers wear the same kind and may be our respective brothers as well.

Who would have thought that such innovation exists. Just perfect to make my groom at his handsomest on our wedding day.:)

DISCLAIMER: Owners of all photos used are acknowledge by the author. The author does not claim the photos to be hers.

Wedding Gown Inspirations

I am an old soul.

I have always been fascinated with anything vintage. In college, I use to hoard vintage dresses and wore them with pride. My friends' call my look the NORA AUNOR look and would always refer to my clothes as Nora Dresses hahaha!:) Somehow it defined who I am and I have kept that in my character minus the vintage clothes of course (we all have to grow up somehow;P) but the fascination continued.

Of course it is but natural that I would want a vintage theme for our wedding. Moreso, I want a vintage inspired dress for my wedding gown. My wedding gown is the least of my worries but I would want for it to have a certain look. The fabric should be light and flowy with minimal or no beadings at all and it has to have some sleeves. And please, for the love of all things good, NO SHINY FABRIC!:) I am "allergic" to that hahaha!;P

So below are the inspirations for my wedding gown design:

This one's from the Martha Stewart website. I stumbled upon it way back 2009 and has kept a printed copy in black and white in my office planner, just to have for future reference. Turns out it will be the source of my major inspiration. I want LACE, LACE, LACE for my wedding gown and that the neckline plus back be V-shaped. I am partial to a V-shape neckline as it highlights my assest the most which is my shoulder blades.

The cut is similar to this one although everything must be in lace. It would also be an empire cut with an A-line skirt. Must be empire cut since my stomach is my problem area hihihi!:)

I just love the lace used in this one!:)

This one comes very close to the final outcome of my wedding gown I envision.:) For my something old, I will use the brooch my Lola Lagring onwed. She has passed on and I love her dearly and I want to honor her by wearing that brooch close to my heart when I walk down the aisle. I know, even if she did not show, she approves of Jp.:)

So there you go. I think our family designer can work his way around my inspirations.

DISCLAIMER: Owners of all photos used are acknowledge by the author. The author does not claim the photos to be hers.

Candy Buffet Inspiration Board

Our wedding details are slowly building itself up. Ours is not new to many but one that represents who we really are. As much as I would want ours to be unique in its theme, I do not have the time to really conceptualize one to the core. So I borrow inspirations here and abroad and my contribution is to tailor fit to our personalities the themes and ideas we have borrowed. That in its way would hopefully make our wedding unique.

One of those ideas I am leaning on are candy buffets. They somewhat fit our light and bubbly personalities. Since it is vintage, I am on a look out for candies of our childhood that I am sure our guests would appreciate. I have a few in mind as to what kind I would get. Here is my inspiration board:

Sweetsy!:)

The only problem with this concept, I came from a diabetic family hahaha!:) It's no joke that both my parents are diabetic and has a sweet tooth, so I have to devise a way too keep them away from this buffet spread.

My next task is to find a tutorial on how to make give away bags.:)

DISCLAIMER: Owners of all photos used are acknowledge by the author. The author does not claim the photos to be hers.

Wedding Planning 101: Customer-Supplier Relationship

I am almost done with booking our major suppliers.:) I think I only have three more left on my list and I am done. And our Daisy Path ticker shows we have 16 more months to go hahaha! Well such is the wedding preparation life for couples on a budget like us. You take advantage of the price locks hahaha!:)

Now that I am closer to finishing booking our major suppliers, it made me think of what kind of customer-supplier relationship would I like to establish with my suppliers. It cannot be over emphasized enough that establishing a good working relationship with your suppliers is very important in ensuring a good working environment on your wedding day and days after that. You sure do not want to be stressed out on your wedding day and of course the gauge of every suppliers' service I believe, is the delivery of the output afterwards.

In my readings at W@W, brides and grooms before us have taught us "newbies" that being friends with your set of suppliers help. You can sweet talk your way in getting extra service or discounts. Being friends and having a good working relationship with your supplier brings a lot of good things on your wedding day. There are a lot of stories about couples being surprised by an extra service on the wedding day apart from what is written on the contract simply because the couple and the supplier established a good working relationship.

But on the other side of things, a bad relationship would bring just all negative feelings for the couple and for the supplier itself. I would like to believe that as much as we hear horror stories from couples on a certain supplier, I bet the suppliers' themselves have a lot of horror stories to share as well. I bet there might be a forum as similar as W@W for suppliers where they rant also of their horror customers hahaha! There are always two sides to a story and being that my convictions on fairness dictates I listen to both side, I always take with a grain of salt a negative review on a supplier I got.

Based on my experience in meeting suppliers, I am first drawn to those who response promptly and on a friendlier note to my email. I am your typical Piscean (although with the "new" horoscope they say I am Aries now:P) who always live by my gut feel and if at the first email I get that "this is it" feeling, I will be meeting up with that supplier. So far, in all the suppliers we met, we had a very good feeling about them and that I can sense we can establish a good customer-supplier relationship short of saying that we jive or click.

And in order to take good care of the kind of relationship I am so far having with our suppliers, I am employing the following strategies:

1. Let them have a full reign on how they would execute their services on our wedding based on my inspirations and ideas.
-Of all the suppliers I met, I always tell them, do as you may please with our wedding. Why you may ask? Because the reason why we hired them in the first place is because we believe in their talent. I sure do not know a thing about photos and videos nor styling the reception, so I leave everything to my suppliers. I just would like them to follow my inspiration and theme. I found out the they appreciate this kind of trust that we give them and hopefully this will work well for us in the end.

2. Establish and continue an open communication line with your suppliers.
-Every good relationship is established by an open communication. Since our wedding will be 16 months away and we have booked suppliers as early as now, I am intending that we update our suppliers every once in a while and then drop a "hi or hello" so they would remember us hihihi!:) I believe that we should always tell our suppliers our concerns and not just sit around on it waiting for our concerns to be solve by themselves. If you do not like a particular outcome, let them know. If you feel that their service is taking long, confront them. Of course do everything in the most civil way possible. Just because you are friends with your supplier does not mean that they should be lax also. Just speak up and be heard.:)

3. Feed them well on your wedding day.
-I always believe that people work at their best on a full stomach that is why on the wedding day itself I will feed my "army" with the best food I can buy. Mabubusog tlga sila hihihihi!:)

4. And lastly, APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE.
-Saying thank you is free right? Never be stingy in appreciating your suppliers for all the efforts they have made. As much as they do business with us, what makes them happier is knowing that couples appreciate their talent and their service.

These  are my battle plan in establishing a good relationship with our supplier. So far so good. I am hoping that this will bring us less stress in the future and then "some" of course.:)

Budget Jitters

All couples go through the same thing. Be it that they will be paying for their wedding or sponsors will be a plenty, all couples at one point will have a dilemma about money. This situation can either make or break a couple. It also serves as a pilot test as to how both parties will handle the hard facts of married life they will have to face head on.

I myself have experienced it as early as now. Jp and I are expecting that we would pay for the whole wedding ourselves. As much as we would want family to share some of the expenses, we are not obliging nor expecting them to do so. We figured it is enough for them to have raised us to where we are right now and we felt it is the most responsible thing to do for adults like us. We also share a common view that this wedding planning will be the dry-run for our married life. Might as well know now how we handle our finances.

At the initial stage of our wedding planning, we already determine a budget and we would have to stick with it. We wanted a Tagaytay wedding and of course we know that it will cost us a lot. But when I started researching, I saw how a wedding today has turned into an industry urging couples to get things that were not in existence before. A wedding before simply meant going to the church in a white dress and then eating afterwards. Now you have a video to worry about, a pre-nup pictorial to attend to, a photo booth or mobile bar to rent and the list goes on. Needless to say, we jacked up our projected budget and saw how much we really needed. It will costs us A LOT hahaha!

But being the stingy person I am, I am determined to keep the budget lower than what we have projected. I scouted for the best suppliers within our price range and haggled and got price locks. PRICE LOCKS are a budgeted bride's bestfriend. DIYs is another. To let you in how useful a price lock is, the P/V coverage we got now costs 9k more including OOT fees. That 9k is now alloted to our lights and sound supplier.:)

Of course there are days when I doubt myself for ever wanting this kind of a wedding. With the money we afford to save, we can already have a downpayment for a condominum unit. We can already own a piece of property we can call our own if we opted to take the "simpler" route.

But then again, when the budget jitters sets in, I think of the reason why we are spending this much. We wanted to have a wedding that not only us to remember but also that of our families. We owe it to them. And we owe it to God that is why we are continously praying that God will provide for us the money we need. We are not asking for a lot after all, we are just asking enough to cover some nice things to have in a wedding.

I always believe that money should never be an issue and that God will give us the money we need when we need it.