back to my senses

When things get a bit too out of hand, you turn to your best girlfriends for support, encouragement and wake-up calls.

Marge, maid of honor: Isipin mo na lang Kat na no wedding is perfect =) So ganun talaga buhay.

George, secondary sponsor: Alam naman natin, through experience, na hindi pwedeng perfect mga plans natin, may sasablay at sasablay talaga jan.

Mayen, mother of the bride: Sya hayae* na.

It may be Murphy's Law in the works, but that's what defensive design aka obsessive preparation is for. Hahaha.

All is good. I'm happy and excited and looking forward to W-day! Bring it on!

_________________________________
*Hayae is a shortened version of "hayaan mo." Replacing the last syllable with e is common in Batangas Tagalog. Another example is "pumarine" (pumarito) as in "pumarine ka nga!"

sad, but only for a moment

A dear friend just told me she won't be able to make it to our wedding. Was really saddened by the news. Aside from the fact that she's supposed to sing at the dinner party, she's really a close friend and among those who saw Reden and I evolve from friends to more than friends. Oh well. We completely understand, but we'll miss you S.

*****

After getting a message from S, one of our secondary sponsors sent an IM to Reden. He also won't be able to attend the wedding because he needs to look after his dad who is severely ill. How can we compete with that? Now the hunt for a proxy is on.

*****

It's sad when people you really want to be there with you on your special day can't make it, while relatives, some of whom you haven't seen for ages and you don't even like, will be there for the buffet and the gossip.

Weddings sure are bittersweet.

distracted

...by the wedding I am! I can't work because I can't think of anything but the wedding! It has gotten a bit more difficult to sleep as well. Everything's just starting to sink in!

I'm thankful that I have a reliable coordinator back home who's ironing out the kinks for us. When we go home in two weeks, there will only be minor, minor details to attend to. I'm also glad that my MOH and mom are helping me out.

I spent the weekend conceptualizing and laying out the favor cards and the souvenir program. If only I could be as focused and engrossed here at the office.

Still have a video to edit and a seating plan to draft. Oh, and the bling. I have to buy the bling!

two musicals and a wedding

We bought our tickets to Avenue Q last night. We're watching the matinee show on November 1. Wag naman sana kami dalawin ng mga spirits ng mga ninuno namin.

We're also planning to purchase tickets for Cinderella. It might be our only chance to see Lea Salonga on stage kaya go go go kami! We're watching with some friends so it should be fun.

Has anyone of you Manila peeps seen either one of these shows?

*****

There are only 44 days left till the fiesta! Although we have taken care of the big stuff, there are still quite a lot of details we have yet to finalize. Here are our have-yet-to-do's before we say our i-do's:

Buy guestbook (SM)
Layout map for invitations
Send invitations
Layout and print place cards
Create love story AVP
Buy bling-bling!
Finalize headcount
Begin seating plan
Write speech for reception
Have final dress fitting
Confirm details with caterer
Notify caterer of final guest and vendor count
Break in wedding shoes
Finalize seating plan
Arrange transportation and accommodations for guests

All these can be done!

I had a weird dream again last night. It was our wedding day but we forgot about it! We only remembered it was December 6, the day of our wedding, around 5:30pm eh the ceremony daw was 6pm. We made it to the church on time though. Kumpleto ang entourage pero nalimutan daw ng lahat ng suppliers namin and our coordinator is nowhere to be found. Hahaha.

Ewan ko ba kung san galing yan, hindi naman ako stressed sa preps.

pre-nup photos yet again

From Almin.

another astig set of photos

this time from Reinier.

yeba!

You can see more at Eugene's Multiply.

great in'ernet find

I found an amazing site today on the in'ernet: ETSY! It's a site for sellers and buyers of handmade items. I haven't browsed through the shops yet but I found a ceramic ring holder from Paloma's Nest we could use for our wedding. Mimi of M+K used one at their wedding and it's just so pretty! I was so excited I ordered right away. Can't wait for it to arrive at our doorstep!

I'd probably be bawling by now

If I were not in the office. In the past couple of hours, I've been watching wedding videos at Jason Magbanua and Threelogy's sites and I swear, each one just makes my eyes water! Just proves that all weddings are beautiful and your suppliers just gotta be talented enough to capture it. So to future brides, don't stress! Whatever happens, your wedding will be beautiful. Siempre, I'm sure ours will too!

******

We had our pre-nup photo shoot yesterday with three brilliant photographers -- Almin, Eugene and Reinier. Since we didn't have time to shoot our pre-nup back home with our main man (Jason of Imagine Nation), we just asked A, E and R to do it for us, and they did! The shoot was tiring but super fun. We realized it's hard to be a model. Hindi madaling magpose ha! We made up for the pagod by eating at Jumbo Seafood. Ang sarap ng chilli crab tsaka ng cereal prawn!

I'm so excited to see our photos. I'm sure they'll turn out great. Will post them once I have them. =) Thanks A, E and R! We really appreciate you for agreeing to do this. 

Oh, and thanks Nell for being an uber cool PA.

Wedding preps update

This is our fifth day home and so far, we've done everything we should, and we're on schedule! B and I had our measurements taken for our wedding day outfits; we made down payments to the mananahi, the caterer, the hotel, the cake supplier and the bridal car provider; we had our final interview with the priest, and even if we had to memorize the Act of Contrition/Pagsisisi on the spot, pumasa kami. I had my hair and make up trial and met with our OTD coordinator too.

Everything's easy for us because we've decided on the details long before we actually started planning and meeting suppliers. Ang bibilis lang ng meetings namin and laging straight to the point. Madali talaga if you already know what you want and how much you're willing to spend before speaking with any vendor.

I love all my suppliers. The Manila-based ones (WINK, ImagineNation, Threelogy and The Make Up Studio) have really great reviews at W@W. Although they're a bit on the pricey side, the money we'll be paying them is worth the services we'll get. We decided to invest in photo and video kasi ito lang ang makikeep namin talaga until uugod-ugod na kami. The make up kasi siempre we have to look good, and the invites kasi ito ang unang makikita ng guests.

Proud din ako sa mga San Pablo-based suppliers namin. Alam ko ang kalidad ng Gem's Bakeshop (cake) and Kusina Salud (catering) kasi our family has been a suki of both for a couple of years na. Masarap ang cake sa Gem's (mas masarap pa sa Goldilocks). Siya ang gumawa ng cake ko when I turned 18.

Super sarap din ng food sa Kusina Salud. Yung pagkain din ayaw namin tipirin kasi una, we love food. Pangalawa, ito lang ang malamang maaalala ng guests after. Ayaw namin ni Reden na alalahanin pa ang quality ng food kaya dun na kami sa sigurado at paborito namin.

Lola's Fashion House (gown) naman is a favorite of the sosyaleras of San Pablo City. The young women of San Pablo turn to him for gowns, may it be for their debut, wedding or the annual reynahan or sagala. I love Lola kasi he asks you what you want then nagsasuggest kung anong babagay sa'yo, pano iiimprove ang dress etc. Pero in the end, ikaw pa din ang masusunod.

Sir Egay (coordinator) and Ryan (flowers) were both recommended by Lola. Ryan was my friend's florist when she got married last year and maayos naman and super affordable.

Maganda naman ang nakuha kong feedback from the other suppliers about Sir Egay. Okay siya kasi masipag and he knows where to get what, who supplies the best of something etc. Plus, nakakatawad siya sa suppliers at nagagamit din niya ang karisma niya to get what we want. I'm so glad I got him kasi may initiative siya. Ginawa na niya yung missalette namin at program and had a mock up printed already. Maayos naman and all I had to do was edit the text. Meron na din siyang layout para sa reception venue at kailangan ko na lang magassign ng seats at gawin ang place cards! Yey!

Hindi naman ako stressed, unless pera na ang pinapagusapan. Hehehe. Nakakaexcite na nakakatakot harapin ang Excel files namin. Makikita namin ano na yung accomplished pero at the same time, andun din yung mga kailangan pang bayaran at pagipunan. Pero okay lang. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and we want it to be beautiful kasi sabi nga ni Bo Sanchez, it's an investment. Pag tanda namin we'll look back at our wedding day and have smiles on our faces. We'll have stories to tell our kids and our grandchildren pa! At may stunning video and beautiful photos as proof. Bongga!

Just a few more days left. I'll have my fitting with Lola on Saturday while Reden will be getting his barong na (from Lumban). In the meantime, we'll have some R&R, a bit of shopping and a haircut done first.

preparing for marriage

Preparing for a wedding can be challenging and stressful, especially if you're miles from where it's going to be held. It's easy to get lost in all the things that need to be done, the money that needs to be saved, the miles we have to travel, the leaves we have to acquire. And the list just goes on and on. We could get so tied up to making sure all the details of the wedding is perfect that sometimes we lose sight of what really matters--the marriage.

B and I once thought that taking the Marriage Preparation Course is such a chore. We registered for it just so we could get our hands on the certificate required by the church. But, at the end of day one, our attitude was changed. We became interested and was looking forward to the second session.

Each session lasted about four hours and were pretty much the same. Our presenting couple will share personal experiences that had something to do with our topic for the day. Fred and Ruby, our presenting couple, were very open. They shared with us their love story, their struggles, and their mistakes, asking us to not to the same. Reden and I agree that it takes a lot of courage and humility to do that in front of strangers just so you could help them have a married life better than yours. Although their sharing may be a bit boring sometimes, we respect them and appreciate what they do for us. (They even serve us food during the home sessions!)

After the sharing, Fred and Ruby will hand out the Couple Paks. There is a specific Pak for each session. Each Pak discussed three different sections discussing a specific topic. Each section ended with a list of questions that participating couples can answer to help them get to know each other better. Here are examples of the questions we answered: How were problems dealt with in your family? Did your parents have problems handling their emotions?; What does happily married mean to you?; What are the three personal needs that I hope will fulfilled in my marriage?; The thing I like best about your mother is...; What issues have surfaced during your engagement that is a constant source of disagreement between you and your partner?

Reden and I found some questions easy to answer, and some really challenging. Minsan wala kaming maisip, minsan naman a question leads to a serious discussion and meaningful kwentuhan. We both think that if you're serious with the Couple Paks, makakatulong talaga siya. We liked Couple Paks 1 and 2. The third to fifth Paks were a bit too religious and doctrine-based for us.

Although we disagreed with some of the things taught to us during the course, we still learned a lot. Here are some:

- marriage as a sacrament means that we are witnessing for Christ's love together and as a married couple we should serve as an inspiration to others and proof that true love is possible;

- that Reden's perception of me is different from my perception of me and vice versa;

- that sometimes we have to re-evaluate the decisions we have already made;

- that we're really lucky we have great parents and in-laws, and

- that love is a decision you have to make repeatedly.

Aside from that, the MPC made us realize that we are not doing so bad ourselves.

And we're back!

Ambilis lumipas ng nine days namin sa Pinas! Kulang pa ang oras to meet up with all of the people we wanted to see.

I'm so glad (and relieved) that we were able to accomplish a lot of things, like:

1. Find someone to make my gown. Noel "Lola" Villanueva was recommended to mommy by her friend. She was also the one who made my friend Grace's gown last year. Ok naman ang output niya and madali kausap. Lola's assistant, Sherwin, made a sketch of the design for me based on a photo I brought. Inalter lang nila ng kaunti para mas bumagay sa built ko. They'll be getting my measurements daw sa September. (Yey! May time to slim down pa!)

2. Hire a coordinator. I decided to get a coordinator from San Pablo para less hassle. Lola recommended Sir Egay Victorio to me. He is a teacher at a local school in San Pablo but he has been coordinating events for 10 years. Ok naman ang feedback and sa nakita ko, organized naman si Sir Egay. He gave us a list of things to do, a program, text for the missalette etc. Kampante ako at siya ang kinuha ko. Siya pa talaga ang pumupunta sa bahay namin for meetings.

3. Book a florist. Ryan is one of Lola's "girls." He gave me a really good price for flowers sa Cathedral, reception venue at sa entourage. He was also the one who arranged flowers for Grace's wedding.

4. Book a cake supplier. Ms Gem See owns a bakeshop in San Pablo and tinatalo pa siguro niya ang Goldilocks pagdating sa pagsupply ng cakes sa locals. She was also the one who made my 18th birthday cake. Ok naman and sarap. We might also have our edible souvenirs done by her.

5. Book an invitation supplier. I found WINK through the Weddings at Work e-group. B and I went to their shop sa Kamagong and spoke with Daisy. We were so lucky they had a template that matches our motif. Kailangan na lang icustomize ang colors. Ok din and madali kausap.

6. Find a barong supplier. Mommy and Daddy brought us to Lumban, Laguna to find a barong supplier. We stopped at the first shop we saw, Henio's Embroidery. The lady there showed us really nice pina fabric na ang intricate ng embroidery. B chose pina raya, with embroidery at the front and back. Ang ganda na mura pa compared with shops in Makati.

7. Hire an emcee. We need an emcee who speaks English well kasi B's brother-in-law is American. Conscious ako sa diction and pronunciation kaya I really wanted someone good na may proven track record. Buti na lang Sir Egay knows someone. Swerte!

8. Have our pre-canonical interview. Nakakatakot ang paring naginterview sa amin ni B. Di ko alam kung style lang yun or ano. Pero ok naman. We'll have our final canonical interview three months before the wedding.

9. Book a caterer. We love Kusina Salud kaya we decided to have our wedding catered by them. Kailangan na lang ifinalize and menu.

Not bad ano? Makakatulog na ako ng mahimbing from now on. =)

Aside from wedding related matters, we had time to spend with our families, to shop (siempre), and to catch up with some friends.

Hay nakakapagod pero fun naman. Going home is always worth the pagod. =)

20 minutes till lunchtime

Here I am at the office, pretending to be working when all that's on my mind is who would be designing my wedding gown. Ha!

I've been trying to finish this report on India's corn, soybean and canola seed market. I started this last week and I still have about 200 words to go. Mabilis nalang yun and my editor extended my deadline pa to tomorrow, 2pm. Alam niyo kapalit? Tanduay. My boss is caucasian and he used to work for the Factory. Small world, huh? But I don't think he knows I know a lot about him na. Notorious kasi siya sa Factory eh. I think he was "let go" because of his attitude.

Anyway, back to my gown.

Just this week I had a dream again. It's the day before our wedding and I apparently forgot to have my gown made. Hahaha. Anubayan. Kaloka. Sana makahanap na ako ng designer!

I checked nga pala sa The Link Wedding dito sa Singapore how much a Vera Wang bridal gown costs. Starting price is S$5,000 (about P150,000). Umaygash. Kenot afford lah. I just thanked the girl I spoke to and hung up. So expensive lah! Ayan ang napala ng bride na ambisyosa. Hahaha.

Hmmm...Bakit kaya di kasali si Monique Lhuillier sa scene na nagmodel ng gowns si Carrie Bradshaw?

Three more days to go!!! Yahooooooo!

good sign

All the three wedding coordinators I e-mailed yesterday are still available on our wedding day! Hay salamat. I only need on-the-day coordination kasi ayoko mangarag sa araw ng aming kasal.

I have to keep my fingers crossed though kasi madami pang pwedeng mangyari until ma-book ko ang isa sa kanila (Lord, nawa'y makuha namin ang coordinator na nararapat sa amin).

wedding nightmares

I've been having recurring dreams about being late for my wedding. The reasons vary. Either na-late ako ng gising, the make-up artist did not arrive on time, or the dress was not delivered on time.

Agit na ako talaga sa wedding preps or rather, the lack of wedding preps!

Anyway, naghanap ako sa internet kung ano meaning ng mga bangungot na ito at ito ang sabi ni Dream Doctor:

You have the “wedding jitters” (which I think you already know) and your dream is about as common as they come!

Lateness in dreams is a metaphor for being unprepared. In your dream, your wedding dress arrives late...Will the dress arrive on time?

In short, your dream is not precognitive, and it does not hold negative portent for your marriage. Rather, it simply reflects your fears at what COULD go wrong.

Hay buti na lang at hindi prophetic ang mga panaginip ko. Hehehe.

Gusto ko nang umuwi ng pinas!

prep update

You're looking at what would probably be the color motif of our wedding. I don't know which neutral tone to use yet but there would definitely be orange/tangerine and magenta/fuschia.

I can't wait to go home. Ang dami pang kailangan gawin and it's just 8 months to go! Kakapraning! We have to talk to prospective florists, pay the downpayment to the caterer, look for a good mananahi, and think about so many things.

So far okay na ang photographer, videographer, makeup artist, reception venue at caterer (although pencil booking pa lang ito). Masaya naman ako sa mga napili namin. And just the other day, sabi ni mommy pwede na daw magpalista sa Cathedral. We just need to pass the required documents. Hopefully, we'll get that out of the way this month.

I've already compiled a lot of photos from the web and from magazines I've bought. I think I already have a clear vision of how I want our wedding to look, feel and taste like, and who should be there. Execution na lang ang kailangan.

At coordinator.