Love+Laughter+Beer=US!:)

Since Jp has been extra good these past few days, I am inspired to write our story in lieu of tradition hihihi!:)

Our story can be summed up with this equation: LOVE+LAUGHTER+BEER=US :P

How come?

Well, it all started one rainy evening in the outskirts of Dapitan. You see, JP and I met in law school. He was a member of a fraternity were my good friend (and soon-to-be Maid of Honor) was a member of their counterpart sorority. On that particular evening, I accompanied my friend to wait for someone when some of her fraternity brothers called on her from a bar in Dapitan. I was having a major case of PMS and the fact that my friend was earlier ranting on them about some issue has pretty much have me not wanting to hang around with them. But my friend insisted, so I was left with no choice.

When we went inside, my friend introduced me to her fraternity brothers. I was in no mood to socialize and they must have noticed it since I was not even smiling or talking with them much. One of my friend's fraternity brothers asked me why and being the transparent person that I am, I told them that I was having PMS on that day (so they would at least back off from me hehehe!) when this one guy suddenly made a joke on something about PMS. I was trying so hard to resist this guy's corny jokes but he was damn too funny for me.

That's when I met JP. :)

He was the funny guy among the group. He never had that much of an impact when we we're introduced, but somehow when he made me laugh, he left an impression. And what an impression it was, because days after that, I instantly knew I had a major crush on him. And my soon-to-be MOH noticed it. I was trying to deny it but my soon-to-be MOH knew how I felt. And you know what she did? SHE SET US UP.:)

That one night was followed by numerous nights of laugh trips and drinking sessions. Believe it or not, we bonded on those drinking sessions and got to know each other more through that. We were getting pretty close as friends but you know how it is when alcohol is involved, it gets complicated.

And complicated it got for us. Before Jp, the only relationship I had were psuedo ones. Needless to say, I got scarred and broken by those. I was giving up on being the meantime girl when Jp came into my life. When things were getting a lot complicated, I gave myself an ultimatum. And I intend to let Jp know about it.

I guess for his part, he was scared too. Having a committment is scary. We were nearing the boarder and I guess he was not sure if he wanted to jump the gun. But I do not want to enter a pseudo-relationship once more. I do not want the uncertainty of things.

So when we finally had a time to talk at another friend's house, I knew I needed to ask him the question about us. Yes, it was me who asked THE QUESTION. As to put it in his own words, "ako ang nangligaw". And I was shocked he said yes. At that faithful day on October 21, 2005, we became US.

I was his first committed relationship.

And we do not regret the decision we had on that day. We have weathered enough storm to finally convince ourselves we ought to be together in this lifetime. I cannot believe that his guy who made me laugh on that faithful night in Dapitan is still making me laugh after all these years. He was always there when I need him. When I decided to quit law school altogether, he supported me even if it meant we will be heading off a  different direction in our careers. We have been through some tough tests and we are glad we made it each time. It helps that God is at our center.

Now we are facing a knew challenge for us. A friend once told me that there are no forevers and we do believe that too. That friend also said that we only have a lifetime to share a togetherness with someone and I am forever thankful to have found Jp as my other half.

A new beginning awaits us in July 21, 2012 and I cannot wait for us to be together in this lifetime.

Wedding Supplier: Daniel Lei Studios

There are only three things we believe we can splurge on as a couple. That is the venue, the food and the photo/video coverage. As I have said at the start of our wedding preparations, we are on a budget and that our goal is to look for the best supplier at the price we are willing and able to pay.

Photo/video coverage is very important to us. After everything is done with our wedding, the only memories that will stay are those moments captured in film. Our main requirement is for our photogs to be able to capture as much candid moments as possible with an edgy touch. We hate mushy poses and would want more wacky shots hehehe! Traditional wedding photography is not really our thing.

During the course of my research, I found a lot of good photographers and videographers that would fit our requirement. Naturally, it went with the price we have to pay. If budget was not the case, I would book Mangored in a heartbeat. I have been dreaming of having them since 2007. But of course I know that we cannot afford them, so I went on researching and found Redsheep. Let me tell you know that I was really settled on getting Redsheep even if it meant paying only for their photo-only service. I love how Guj was so warm with my inquiries and how his talent focuses on candid shots. But again because of the budget, it meant we have to find a separate videographer. I thought in this area we will be lucky enough to afford a very sought after videographer who happens to be the husband of one of JP's closes college buddies (he's that famous that I would not say his name for their privacy), but yet again, our budget does not permit it. So I still went on researching options that would fit our budget when I found this studio at W@W:

Daniel Lei Studio: www.danielleistudio.blogspot.com

I have read a lot of good reviews in W@W about them enough to be convinced to get their services. Of course it was even more evident that I have found our photo/video supplier when I was floored how their photos looked and how talented they are. They have that balance of traditional wedding poses and candid shots with a very edgy look.

all photos from: www.danielleistudio.blogspot.com

They seem to be the middle ground between Mangored and Redsheep. And don't get me started with their SDE videos. You just have to watch it for yourself. What made me seal the deal with them is when I saw their 2010 rates and that the package they offer FIT OUR BUDGET finally!:) I immediately asked JP to check their website and I was glad he liked them as well. Needless to say, we told his friend we cannot afford their service and placed our downpayment with DLS.

They were our first supplier booked for our wedding.:) One thing though about them, they are very late in replying to your email and text message inquiries, which a lot of their clients have already comment on about. I was to reconsider getting them because I have a short patience, but each time I watch a video of theirs or see a photo they took, I knew I made the right choice. I just know in the end they will deliver. And thank goodness a lot of their clients has attest to this already.

As they say, patience is a virtue I am willing to practice on for DLS.

Wedding Motif: Slate Blue, Olive Green and Silver Grey

At last!:)

We already have a wedding motif, courtesy of myself of course. Jp would not really mind the motif for as long as it has his favorite color in it, BLUE. Well of course if his favorite color will be there, mine should also. Guess what it is? Hahahaha!!! GREEN of course!:)

I initially thought TEAL would be our primary color but I was having a hard time finding secondary colors to tie things up. I wanted a teal, green and yellow motif but our wedding reception would be at dinner time and this combination suits better with a lunch reception. So I went on researching for our color motif.

Then I found the colors SLATE BLUE, OLIVE GREEN and SILVER GREY:



I want SLATE BLUE instead of majolica blue.:)

Both slate blue and olive green will be the primary colors in this motif and gray will tie the two together.

I have not decided yet how it will come into play but I have all the time to figure this out.

I love our wedding motif!:)

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

Groom's Contribution: Pinwheels

From the start of the wedding preparations, I knew that I would be the one calling the shots. Weddings are afterall a girl's thing. So I have pretty much set myself that Jp would not be that involved with the preparations, most especially the wedding details.

The most I have asked of him is to check on the suppliers I want and see if he will agree with me, to check our contracts (it's his job anyway :P) and to subtlely tell me if I am going over board already since we have a budget to follow.

So I was surprised last night when during a random text, he asked me if PINWHEELS can be used for our wedding details. When I instantly read the text, I was smiling ear to ear. I cannot believe that he was actually thinking of our wedding details and have seen a pinwheel in their house when he thought of the idea. What amazes me more is that the pinwheel ties up my romantic vintage theme and the representation of our fun side as a couple. I was having a hard time thinking what would tie the two up, since we really are a fun and wacky couple who does not like a very stiff wedding even if the event is formal.

So pinwheels we will do.:) Here are some of the inspirations I found from various websites:


Pinwheels :)

 I would have to add some pompoms to even things out.

Now we have to finalize our color motiff.

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

Reception Inspiration Board

I am one who is not into details that much.

I am never the OC type who looks at every detail of things. So thinking of a wedding theme for our reception and choosing a motif for our wedding are tasks I am really having a bit of difficulty with. I can visualize things and I am a very artsy and creative person, but somehow I only come with that: VISUALIZATION.

So to get to the "nitty gritty" of things for our wedding details, I will start of with my inspiration board for our reception.

I am always fascinated with vintage bottles, cans and lamps ever since. When I began planning for our wedding, I only have one theme in mind: ROMANTIC VINTAGE. This translates to anything that is old and with a bit of crystal, pearls and lace here and there. I want shabby chic but not over the top. For our reception, I want to utilize these things:

Vintage Bottles

Vintage Metal Candle Lamps

Vintage Cans

I want these to be prominent in our reception together with a few black and white photos of ourselves. The bottles will be in different shades of light green and light blue (we agreed to use TEAL SLATE BLUE and OLIVE GREEN as our primary colors for the motif), the cans in and silver with perhaps some lace and the lamps in off-white. Flowers would only be limited to green and white to highlight the garden in our venue.


In spite of having a vintage wedding, I want things kept light and classy. I hope the caterer I am eyeing at can deliver this.



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

Being A W@Wie

W@W Logo

In the early days of October last year, Jp and I began talking about our wedding and how we have to save up and prepare for it. Because I am a girl and all girls dream of walking the aisle someday, I excitedly went on the internet and did what every girl would do: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.

I encountered a lot of wedding websites locally. Some where outdated, others offer very little information. Until I stumble upon a little gem called Weddings at Work. At first look, there site may seem to be outdated, but while thinkering around it, I found out that they have a  yahoo groups to which brides-to-be (or grooms-to-be for that matter) can be a member of. I immediately sent an email because I knew that I need an online community who can help to give me an idea how to go about preparing for your wedding. When I was accepted by the moderator, I instantly shot a message to the group about how to plan a wedding. In an instant, someone from the group wrote me an email explaining how to go about the preparations and a few responded to my inquiries. At that point, I knew I have found the right online site to help me.

Let me introduce to you W@W. This online community was started by a couple, Mr. John and Benz Rana who felt that there was a lack of online help for couples out there who are planning a wedding in the Philippines. With the power of the internet slowly being felt in 1998-1999, the couple started the W@W Yahoo Groups were members are free to share wedding preparations, tips, suppliers and ideas among other members. To avoid being just an avenue for marketing for wedding suppliers, only couples who are preparing for their wedding are accepted to the groups and Ms. Benz has a strict policy on giving suppliers rating if the service has not yet commenced. The much awaited threads on the group are the so-called SUPPLIER'S RATING, were couples who are done with their wedding give their feedback on the suppliers they have chosen for their wedding.

But W@W is more than that. Much more.

You see, in the course of wedding preparations, not every time is smooth sailing and a breeze. There will always come a point that frustrations will set in, disappointments will happen and problems will be too difficult to solve. Because there is that sense of commonality in the group on wedding preparations, each and everyone understands how one frustrated member is feeling, thus offering some form of encouragement and help in every little way they can. In a way, the groups has created for members a virtual family and support system who will cheer you up when you are down, be happy for you when you are and help you when in need in your wedding preparations. You get not only the knowledge on how to prepare for your wedding, but at W@W you get an added support in everything you do for your wedding preparations.It makes things a lot easier.

That is why being a  W@Wie (as what we are called) is one of the best things I have ever made in the course of our wedding preparations. I am learning a lot and I am glad that I have my virtual buddies to help me through it. For that, Sir John and Maam Benz are simply AWESOME!:)

I cannot wait to get our W@W tags.

That in itself deserves a different blog altogether.

Updates and Insights

Happy New Year everyone!:) I know it is a bit late and my wedding blog is not that active but things are about to change this year hahaha!:)

The Daisy Path says that we have 1 year, 6 mos and 2 days till our wedding day. It may seem a lot of time for some but for us who is both preparing and saving for the wedding, it seems very short. Then again all those who came ahead of us will tell atest to the fact that no matter how long you prepare there will always be cramming sessions that will come your way. To avoid such, I promise to be very active here in the blogsphere to motivate myself.

So far, we have our venue and photo/video coverage checked. Each deserves a separate post I am intending to do the next few days. We are on to the catering service and food tasting side by side with opening a savings account intended to open a checking account for payments.

Next stop would be the following:

-Monograms
-Wedding theme
-Motiff
-Hair and Make-Up Artist
-On-the-Day Coordinator
-Entourage list
-Ideas for DIY (unity cord, kissing bells, escort/thank you cards, etc.)
-Save-The-Date Ecard

I need a bunch of my girl friends and my bestfriend for this one.

Happy preps everyone!:)