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.

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. :)

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.

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.:)

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.:)

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 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.