More pledges!

More people are bringing in their pledges. YEY!!! These are very much appreciated. My groovy Auntie Pyr is taking care of the dippings for the chocolate fountain. Strawberries, Crackers, Brownie squares, banana slices, and other stuff. I'm not sure if this will be a solo role for Auntie Pyr but for now, I'm glad she's taking care of it. See, she's that type of Aunt who is so updated, so into the IN, groovy and ageless and she loves me to bits! She's a keeper, eh? Hehe. Oh, and she's Dimples' mother. The artistic streak never leaks, what can I say. She even plans to color coordinate Baby Zaiid's stroller to Dimples' outfit. Can't wait to see that! Thanks so much, Auntie! Mwah mwah! Love you too.

Mama and Papa will also be taking care of the wine. Red and Sparkling required. I don't know if any other type of hard liquor is going to be brought in but I would want everyone to enjoy everything sober. *Hint hint*

Thanks for everything, peepols!!

To have our cake...

... and eat it too! Sandra Lim is making our cake and she is famous for making the most sophisticated cakes in Cebu. Tisha wanted us to move forward with this already so after viewing thousands and thousands of cake for weeks, we had started to get tired. US and UK magazines feature cakes that are smaller than what we want(guest lists here rarely go beyond 100) and we wanted to find that one cake we could just show to Tisha and Sandra and tell them, "Here it is. This is what we want. Follow that." But we had no such luck. Tisha sent me pictures of several of Sandra's works. They were all very nice and sophisticated but most of them were too tall, too high, and too ornamented and that's fine, if you are that type of couple who wants everything big and bloomy. But Joen and I aren't. We are two equally simple people who want things elegant and classy, but at the same time describe who we really are. A lot of cakes really really look good on paper but if you know us and you take one look at these cakes, you will never see us in there. That's something we don't want to happen.

That was why we decided to design our own cake. One of the pictures Tisha sent us gave us an idea on the size we would ideally want for our cake. This was the cake for a silver wedding anniversary she organized (attached). I then got a piece of paper and started drawing. I came up with two designs and showed them to Joen. He gave his input so I did some changes here and there. But the one thing I really like about our cake is that we are trading height for meaning. See, we are inscribing the lyrics of our first dance on the cake and that is... just... so.. US. Hehe. I forwarded the idea to our families and they loved it.

Moreover, Joen had originally wanted to have light blue fondant with chocolate accents. I have always wanted it the other way round but I just gave in to Joen's wishes. Turns out Tisha and I thought alike (Sistazzz!) so Joen says to me, "Go ahead with it. I am outvoted." (Told you he was very easy to deal with, hehe.) Tisha also assured me that the flowers on the cake will be like the actual flowers we will be using. So that should be good.

So here's what I made. I showed these to Tisha and she's ok with it. Very doable indeed. Don't worry, this is a far cry to the end product. I'm sure Sandra will use really really nice flowers and have the absolute perfect fondant to go. Tisha mentioned marble as the cake but I'm not sure. Joen would NOT want the cake to be chocolate and that's ok. As long as the fondant is chocolate-y looking then it should be fine.

Shoe, fly! Don't bother me!

Yesterday, Saturday, Joen and I went to Oakview to check out their shoe stores. I have been on the prowl for the perfect bridal shoes for weeks now since I have to wear it already by the time my gown gets altered next Saturday, Sept 2. My mindset was to go to as many places as possible, online including, and narrow down choices to three and finally buy it within the week. I've been to the Westroads mall and no luck there. I had wanted to check DSW first even but Oakview was nearer to us so there.

We entered Dillard's and of course, I gravitated to my favorite spot with all the Antonio Melanis while Hoen trailed behind me trying to look for something interesting to emasculate his lonely soul. It only took me a minute to find this shoe, this abandoned shoe placed right behind another pretty shoe (but it was red). I took one look at it and immediately I knew it was IT. It was soo pretty and very... shall I say "bride-y!" I looked at the back and it said, "6 1/2." Great. I tried the right pair on, FERPECT. I went to the cashier and asked exactly what color it was and if I could get away with wearing an ivory/champagne gown with it. The cashier said it was "Bone." I wasn't too pleased to hear that knowing that BONE was not what I was looking for. But I tried the left pair anyway and man, did they fit even better! (In the US, I encounter more "loose left foot" problems than in Pinas). I walked in them, jumped, skipped, tiptoed and twirled in them. They loved my feet and my feet adored these shoes. Melanis have always been very comfortable and even more so today. I was willing to just have it reserved for a few days while we circled the block but even Joen liked it. No, LOVED it! He loved them so much he wanted us to get them right away! Haha! I was happy to oblige, excited to place the Melanis beside my gown and assess the color effect.

Now THIS was my problem!
"The pearl might go with the ivory but the edging is champagne."
"But the gown is long so people would hardly see the shoe."
"Oh, but the pictures! What if I go wrong with the pictures?"
" Sus, who cares really about the bride's shoes? Nobody'll see them. "

Joen is convinced that they go well together. I emailed Tisha, my dear friend, my loving coordinator who happens to be a shoe horse since the age of 5 (not kidding). She says that although it's hard to judge over photos, it should be ok. And that if things go wrong, we buy shoes in Cebu. And that who cares really? She's probably right and I'm slowly beginning to think that it'll be okay.

Anyway, here are a few pics. Sorry, these pics were taken in our kitchen which is the only white-lighted area in our apartment.

Choo$ing the right Word$

Joen and I decided before that we should make it clear on our reception card that we are unable to accept gifts in kind because we will be flying back to the US a week after the wedding. So earlier this year, I asked my dear friend Joan Florido to come up with the right text to put in the card. This was what she came up with.

"We are honored to have you share in our love and happiness, and will look back at your presence on this day fondly as we bring back with us all the good wishes, thoughtful gifts and unforgettable memories when we go back to the United States shortly after our wedding."

This was ok until Joen and I revisited this issue last week. This was what we came up with:

"We are unable to receive gifts in kind as we are immediately going back to the US after the wedding. We will look back at your presence on this day fondly as we bring back with us all the good wishes, thoughtful gifts and unforgettable memories. Thank you."

Again, I went to Jown for help and told her that Joen wanted the text to be more specific in case, and it happens often, guests don't "get it." So this was what Joan came up with, in jest of course:

"We are unable to receive gift$ in kind a$ we are immediately going back to the U$ after the wedding. We will look back at your pre$ence on thi$ day fondly a$ we bring back with u$ all the good wishe$, thoughtful gift$ and unforgettable memorie$. Thank you"

HAHAHA!! I love Joan! SPOT ON!

I LOVE YOU, DIMPLES!!!!

Here is a work of jeeenyuz. My cousin, Dimples, is an artist-slash-magician. I asked her to work on that Guest Questionnaire I had and look at the outcome. This just made our day (after hours of settling venue transfer, see previous entry). I LOVE YOU GOVINDA JAKOSALEM TRAZO leadsinger of MOOD, TORI AMOS fanatic, wife and mother GODIVA GODESS!! Mwah! Mwah! MMMMWah!!!


* Revised 4 times. THIS is the final-est. =)

Unconditional Support...

is invaluable. Priceless. And just this week, very much appreciated. My sister, Chime, and my brother, Kuya, have just pledged to support our wedding through cash "donations". YEY!! Love you, guys! Mwah mwah mwah!!

Did not FORGET

We are now done having our one-on-one (or more like, one-or-two) with Fr. Forget!(Pronounced FOR-zhay) For those of you who don't know, Joen and I were to fulfill all the pre-wedding Eucharistic Obligations here in Omaha. This obligation included taking a 156-question Survey categorized into different aspects of the marriage-- financial, spiritual, sexual, family background-related, etc. Every inconsistent answer between the two of us was to be discussed and elaborated on in the presence of a priest. Our priest of choice was Fr. Tim Forget of the St. Leo Parish. It was easy choosing because he really is our favorite priest- young-ish, funny and knows pop culture. So for 3 days within over a month, we would go to his office at the Parish and cover each inconsistently answered question. We did this one hour at a time and our third and last session ended last Monday, August 21. Fr. Forget facilitates very well and does not intervene in our discourse. He gives his guidance and enlightens us from time to time on the key areas Joen and I need to work on as individuals and as a couple. Our sessions with him were very much enjoyed.

The only thing we need to do now is to go to this Engagement Encounter weekend which is scheduled for October 6-8. It's sort of our version of the Discovery Weekend. After that's done, the parish will furnish a certificate of sorts addressed to the Redemptorist Church in Cebu. The Pre-Marriage Preparation here is very much different and in a lot of ways, more structured compared to what we have in the Phils. Hopefully, we would adapt the same program to nforce into , at least in some ways, those engaged couples the commitment that marriage entails.

Caked out

I have never looked at these many wedding cakes before! What happened was that since we are in the US, we are limited to the Wedding Magazines and References that are showcased here. Case in point, our Wedding Cake. For a very long time now, Joen and I have decided that we will have a fondant cake. Check. We also decided that the number of tiers on our cake should only be 3. Check. Basing on these magazines and websites that I've mentioned, the sizes of these cakes were usually quite small, probably something good for 30 - 50 people only, because US weddings don't usually have cakes that go that high or big unless you're a celebrity. So all the while we thought that we were going to have the same sized cake.

Until last night when Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss sent me pictures of some of the cakes our cake supplier, Sandra Lim, has done. I felt stupid! Of course the cake would have to be big enough to feed our 150 guests! Hahaha! (One more proof that I really have never been the wedding person). Yes, we make a cute pair of ignoramuses. Hehe.

So now, our immediate mission is to find our perfect cake! We don't want something too big, too high, too decorated and too... inedible looking? You know those cakes that look too fancy you don't even want to touch them? We don't want those. We want something pleasing to both the eyes and ESPECIALLY to the palate.

I guess back to flipping through magazines and clicking on websites like crazy.

(I just pity my Mom who won't be able to "Have her cake and eat it too" as the adage goes.)

People we should never forget

All four of my grandparents have passed away, the last one being my Lola Cering, who passed away 2 years ago. Joen's maternal grandparents are still alive (and kicking like 20-year-olds too) while he lost his paternal Lolo and Lola many many years ago. We want them to be a part of our wedding in spirit and that is why I suggested to Mommy and Mama that we place pictures of them by the Wedding Cake table. Moreover, I have also asked Mommy and Mama to set aside a picture of their wedding for us to place by the Wedding Cake Table. If all these pictures can be made into sepia shots, so much the better.

YEY!!

My second cousin, Dimples, is always reliable when it comes to executing anything artsy, fartsy and anything else that rhymes with it. I have just asked her to "work on" the Guest Questionnaire by making it look much much betterer than that embarassing draft I made. As useless, she is excited about being given an "assignment"! So excited that she refuses to share with me her thoughts. She says it's a secret. Here we go. Haha! But I trust her completely and I haven't seen an ugly output from her.

Anyway, I'm just glad to be surrounded by family and friends who constantly support us. Can't wait for the FINAL look of the Guest Questionnaire. I'm sure it'll be lovely! Thanks, Dimps! Mwah mwah mmmwah!

The Fountain of Hope

During the earliest parts of this year's planning, Tisha had mentioned to me that she might be able to give me a Chocolate Fountain for free. I was ecstatic! I see a lot of chocolate fountains here wherever I go and that would've been the most appropriate thing to have in the wedding- it's fun, it's spectacular and of course, it's chocolate-y. The stupid thing is that I totally forgot about this so that last night when my good friend Beaver told me that her friend who just got married had chocolate fondue, I instantly remembered about that fountain Tisha had told me about. So she and I chatted (we've been doing a lot of that recently) and turns out she won't be able to arrange for it since the chocolate fountain, being not so popular yet in Cebu, needs to be rented from Manila and it costs like P20K a month. WHOAH. Tisha said that her July client bought a fountain themselves here in the US and took it with them in their trip. What's better, it cost only about $50. So I went online and in 5 minutes' time, found these really cheap yet cute chocolate fountains. It actually costs as low as $30 but the question is, are we still able to transport it from the US to Cebu? We already have so much to carry here as it is. Looking at the thing, it sure makes for a rather bulky baggage. 2 options to think of. First, I wrote to my friend Maybelline and asked her if she had her own chocolate fountain, being the hostess extraordinaire that she is. If so, I could just rent it from her and take care of the chocolate and dippings. If not, maybe she knows someone who has one? Secondly, if my brother-in-law indeed pushes through with coming over to the US, maybe we can ask him the favor of including it in his luggage. But he still isn't sure yet so we have to wait for confirmation. For now, we would want to go around some stores and check the appliance out ourselves. There are a lot of cheap ones around and it sure would pay to check them out. In the meantime, I hope I hear from May. Here's a pic of what I found online.

Another oops

Olga asked me for the number of Narciso and Charles Buenaconsejo so I revisited my files on our Photography package. And there I saw the contract which we have been furnished last April 24, 2006 yet. Yikes! I totally forgot about this one! Good thing I looked into my photog folder again and saw the document. I texted Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss right away and I was so relieved to know that there was no real urgency just yet. Phew! Close one. I hate missing out on details like this. I guess I have learned my lesson.

Hoen and I have this file called "Schedule of Expenses" and in that file are major expenses for the wedding which are further categorized as either Credit Card or Cash purchases. Those contracts that require a down payment first are good for us because at least, we'll have less amounts to work out for when we're actually there.

Ack!

Sometimes I regret looking at wedding stuff online because I see something I like and oh... the confusion that comes afterward. For example, I was bent on narrowing down my options for my reception dress but Tisha, being one of my Godiva Maids, wanted me to forward to her some images I had of the Maids Dresses. So aside from the first batch of pics which I've stored for months, I went online to look for dresses for HER. Of course, I ended up looking for something for (thumb pointing to self). So aside from this Sarah Jessica unlayered balloon dress and this light blue satin dress I found from Alvina Valeta, here are two other dresses I found at Watters and Watters.

This first one is actually very girly. Very... UNmaude. But I like how and where all the embellishments (if they are INDEED embellishments) and patterns fall and are placed on the dress. I'll probaly have the tube version of this and trust Bernardo with the accents. Oh and of course, it would be light blue instead of the tan. The choc brown remains.

This fourth one I found at Watter and Watters as well. I don't know how but I seem to have had an eye for those patterns today. They look like thick threads of spanish ropes twisted on top of the fabric, don't they? Again, it would be light blue and choc brown. I saw tons of stuff online but my bodice is shorter so I need to get something that will make my body look longer. Also, I've been seeing some progress in my tummy since I've been doing 600 abs a day. Hopefully, this will make me and my body look better in a satin dress. (You know how it is with satin. A tiny bulge can look humongous with how the light hits the fabric so have to be careful else, I'd look pregnant).

When I'll be able to decide? I don't know. When I'm supposed to decide? SOON! Keep you posted.

Entourage File

I made this file of all those included in the Entourage, their nicknames and their pictures. This is for Tisha and her assistants to be able to identify the important people in the wedding and to be able to call out to them to take their positions without much bother. I was looking for pictures of these people earlier and I just realized how few pictures there are of people facing front. They're always facing the side, exposing only one side of their face or making faces. Or.. in most cases, their faces were too small to be recognized. It took me 2 hours to finish the file and I still have 5 people to go. Will need help from my Mom and Mama in helping me fill out the photo-less ones.

Alteration Shmalteration

I scheduled my gown alteration today. Saturday, September 2 at 11 am. Before going there, I am to bring my own bustier, slip and shoes. The bustier and slip I have decided to get in Cebu so that I don't have to travel with more items. I already have a lot ordered from here as it is. I can just bring my 2-inch high shoes because that's most likely the height I'm going for. 2 1/2 the highest. I'll take pictures then. =)

Oops... back-up, back-up

Two oops for today. First, turns out my parents weren't big fans of "The Prayer" being our Bridal March. They just told me today that it's been a very common wedding march and that it might be too long for the actual procession even if my wedding will be held at the Redemptorist's Church. I had wanted Ave Maria but they said it's common too. Also, that was the song played when Papa's mother died. So scratch that. Secondly, I just realized today that the bridal shoes I've been determined to buy are 3 1/2 inches. No WAY I'm wearing a 3 1/2-inch heeled shoe that day. I can't walk that hight and with a gown at that. Nuh-uh. Ever since I purchased my gown, I have carried it straight to the closet, untouched for months. Today, while looking at bridal shoes (see previous entry), I had to take it out and take a look at it for the first time since it's been there to help me decide which shoes to buy. I've been through this before and now, I have to do it all over again.

So I guess it's time to rethink these two objects of my wedding.

Making it up

Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss has been at the hospital for a week and so the wedding planning has been coursed through her assistant, Ching. She just printed out those unreplied emails I forwarded to her for her to send to Tisha. I worry for my dear friend and organizer's health but I guess things have to move forward with the wedding since it's 4 months away. We text a lot so that helps. =)

For now, I have asked Doogie to ask Wenwen Zaspa for his rate for hair and make-up for the bride and the two mothers. The rest of the entourage- the Godiva Maids, Lady Ghirardelli and the Hershey Girls will be taken care of Bernardo, Tisha's suki. I hope Wenwen's rate is good as Doogie vouches for his craft.

I am lucky

to have a hubby who makes wedding planning a walk in the park. What happens is that I am tinkering away on the pc or on stacks of magazines, looking for ideas, vendors, links, images and what not. As soon as I find something I like, I save it in a file along with all the other potential ideas. Then, I show them to Hoen- the images, the budget, how it goes with everything else and all I need is his Yes or No. If he gives me a No, that really means a No. I mean, this is OUR wedding so everything should be OUR decision. A YES from him means he really likes it. I then do more research on how to order, how long it would take to order, shelf life, etc. That's about it. I guess that's why we have gotten a lot of things done sooner than we thought we would because aside from the fact that I love getting things done soonest, I have a partner who is so easy to confer with.

I have heard of bridezillas and brides-to-be who can't seem to make simple decisions or who KEEP on changing their minds every five minutes. I also know of some brides who don't want to plan with their partners because they have a concept all their own and are afraid to bring it up with their fiances becaude of the budget or the fanciness of the whole thing. There are also those whose decisions are very much dictated by their friends. Like their friends literally discourage them from doing what they want simply because they find it inconvenient. Hello... it's THEIR wedding. Back-off and stop trying to stir your influence. Leave them alone, for chrissakes. Anyway, these couples-to-be should know that taking time is different from wasting time.

So I am just proud of how fluid this whole thing has been so far. Let's hope it stays this way until we've marched and all the cake's gone and all we can think of is celebrating the Holidays with family and friends. *crossing fingers and eyes*

Swing your hips and clap your hands...

... to the beat of luuuv. For our beach wedding last year, I compiled some of the best wedding songs ever. And for those who don't know me well, music is just about as important to me as the air I breathe. It was a hodge podge of the most groovy oldies to the familiar contemporaries. But I don't know, I'm just partial to old songs because they are just so pure, crisp and simple. Take Billie Holiday for example. She didn't need those saxophones and pianos, she could carry the weight of the song all by herself. She makes me wish I were living on a treehouse overlooking the ocean. I can listen to her in my sleep. Barry White makes me want to dance while brushing my teeth. The Turtles songs are the most melodic and singable while Frank Sinatra... well, Old Blue Eyes is just on a league all his own. George Harrison is my excuse whenever I forget to pray every night. Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Heatwave, Van Morrison, The Beatles, Roberta Flack.. I can go on and on. And I haven't even covered Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, The Byrds and other artists yet. A dash of acid jazz, dance, 70s funk will make it more memorable.

One thing I learned about choosing your wedding music. You may like a lot of songs but if your guests won't enjoy it, the whole place will be dull. I was glad to see people singing to our songs, humming and dancing to it. I plan to have the same thing happen on our Church Wedding. And with all the song numbers planned and the Cha-cha slide, I'm confident people will be having fun.

Hair to the Throne

To viel or not to veil. I still haven't decided yet. Somehow, I am not so sure I'd be comfortable wearing a veil on my head but at the same time, it goes with gown. Oh but it might be hot and I might be itching all over. I also like the idea of just exposing my neck and back in case it gets really humid. A chance maybe to spruce up my hair with some pins and other pieces here and there? I still don't know. I'm up for a trial on the hair and make-up when I get there. BUT... but but, ifever I decide to wear a veil, I have to buy it here because it has to match my gown. Ngerrr. I hate this part. I guess we'll know when my gown gets altered next month.

In the meantime, here's something simple I found online.

Ze Cock

I love "Father of the Bride." What's more, I loved Martin Short as the French wedding planner. "Ze cock" for "The cake." Hehe. Looking for a cake design was not that hard because we pretty much knew what we liked to have. Chocolate, of course, with some light blue on them. This one I fell in love with and I asked Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss if the price was going to be sky-high if they followed every bit of it, save the pink of course. She said this cake design is considered complicated and that it might be very expensive. However, she is going to ask whatsthestoresname to come up with a design for me which might be close to this one. I was all for it. Still waiting for the design. Hope it's as regal and yummy looking as this one:

I am also getting the cake topper here as Tisha said there are no unique or funny cake toppers in Cebu. Here are my choices:




Aren't they cute? Still haven't decided which one to get yet. As usual. Hehe.

Sientate, por favor

Seat placement is somewhat important and that is why after consulting Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss, I came up with our own Hall arrangement as well as the Seating arrangement for the VIPs. Tisha modified it a bit and this is what we came up with.


No word yet on this being final but I'm hoping this is it 'coz I kinda like it. =)

In the words of Nancy Sinatra...

"These Boots are made for Walkin' and that's just what they'll do." I'm really talking about my bridal shoes but I just couldn't help but include the song here in this entry. After all, come to think of it, those shoes ARE just made for walking and nothing else.

I have browsed through stores in my search for the perfect bridal shoe and of course, I still haven't decided yet and I better and like, soon, since I'm going to have to wear them by the time of the alteration. Here are a few of what I've liked so far.

The first one's actually my favorite. Where I found it? I forget. Better believe it. I'll be looking at website after website searching for this one again. The second one is from Nina. I actually found this at Younkers just two days ago. I liked the look of it, very bridal indeed, but just not sure about the crystals. Oh and, they only had the size 6. The third one is so-so. Not really into it, just like the fourth one, but I figured since I'll be doubletiming on my search for the perfect shoe again (it's been MONTHS since I've had these images!), might as well remind me of those I had already saved. Hehe.


*Half an hour after posting of this entry, I found the link of the first shoe. Might need to get them reeeeal soon. Hehe. *

Why settle for a Guest Book...

... when you can have a Guest Questionnaire? I wanted to do away with the whole traditional Guest Book signing because, come on, it really is boring. I wanted something unique (no, not a platter) and something Hoen and I can appreciate. So I did some research on several wedding websites and came up with something- the Guest Questionnaire. I looked into it and this is how it works. Guests will be given a sheet of paper to answer during the reception. This sheet of paper will be placed on top of the table on each of the guest's placement (since it's going to be a buffet dindin, no plates will be placed on the table). Several ballpens and pencils will be placed on the tables. Questions will include the ff. questions:

1) Are they two peas in a pod or did opposites attract?
2) Your Predictions
Birthyear of first child
Number of children
Names of children
3) Draw your own picture of the Bride and Groom
4) How do you know Joen or Maude?
5) What are your comments about the Ceremony and the Reception?
6) Where do you see them in ten years?
7) And advice for the newlyweds?
You should ...
8) Your special Wish for Us

This is how it just might look like. Did this by myself and I'm not done with this yet.

*Note: Some of these questions are my brainchild..ren*

And the search is still on...

... for my reception dress. I have already conferred with Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss that I might just have to let Bernardo make my Recep dress. Since I will have my gown alteration first week of Sept, I will just have to ask the David's crew to take measurements for me to email to Tisha. Now... what design to go for. As usual, and yawn if you want to, I want something simple and lightweight. I mean, the reason why I wanted another dress for the reception is so I could dance and move and walk and jump and do anything without having to drag my gown with me.

I've been looking at websites, magazines, but I haven't seen one that I really like so far. I remember seeing the Garnier Nutrisse ad of Sarah Jessica Parker slipping out of her fabulous dress to dye her hair anew. I just LOVED that dress! I had to wait in front of the tv for the ad to come out and that was usually during Who wants to be a Millionaire, the Ellen Degeneres Show and the daily SATC reruns. I would sit there, wait for it, then click click click my cam away. Check how uncouth the pic looks. Haha!

Here's another one I like too. I was thinking of following everything in it except make everything black in that dress chocolate brown. Not sure how it's going to look but... ngerr.

And now this one. The third one. This one really caught my eye. Sarah Jessica Parker wears this very well. She seems to be going up and down those stairs quite breezily and that is just the kind of mobility I want. This might have to be in light blue with a chocolate brown sash on my waist. A flower maybe? I'll leave it up to Bernardo. I also don't want to do the scallop neckline since my boobs are, well, bubbly and jello-y so I'm going for a straight cut. Leg said that for a simple dress like this, a lot of weight goes to the kind of cloth and I totally agree. I hope Bernardo comes up with a really nice fabric to spruce this simple little thing I'll be wearing while dancing the Cha-cha slide. OR... I'm going to have to scrounge for more dress ideas somewhere. Readers... HELP!!!

The Aides of March

Hoen and I are marching the aisle together instead of just me. There really is no point since we're already married. And I would rather have a hand to hold while 200 people are staring at me, scrutinizing (admit it) what I'm wearing, how my hair and make-up are done, my shoes, my walk. At least there's Hoen to share the spotlight with. Hehe.

Deciding the Bridal March theme is tricky. I mean, I am my mother's daughter. And if the songs to be sang in church does not have her approval, I will have to face the possibility of having a long-faced bridal mother lurking in a corner in church and I won't have that. So I researched and researched and finally, I found it. "The Prayer" by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. I love this song, my mom loves this song, Mama loves this song, EVERYONE loves this song! Now, who can sing it? I then thought of Amy, one of the Bitches. She then agreed but was hesitant at the thought of possibly singing it alone. She said she either had to look for a guy to sing it with OR to sing another song. I was ok with it until I spoke with my Mom tonight. Turns out, my uncle, Tito Roy Allego, who is a part of the choir, sings "The Prayer" regularly with one of his students at Cebu Doc. So my Mom is going to ask him if he can do it. If not, my Mom is going to call one of Megan's teachers, Dennis, who just impressed me with his voice the last time I heard him at Royal Oaks. He actually sang "The Prayer" with another female teacher but she's in Dumaguete now. So my Mom is going to have to do some arm twisting. Hehe. I guess Amy is now the third option. But nothing final yet until confirmed.

Talkers are gems

Samantha Lazarte is one of the coolest people I know. She also happens to be one hell of a host, emcee and livewire extraordinaire. I had asked her to be the Lector (for the ceremony) and the reception host. She readily agreed. Even said it would be an honor (hmm, she likes me. She really likes me! Hehe). Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss suggested that she host the recep together with Grease so all the more perfecterer! I have no fear with Sam on the mic. She speaks fluent Visayan, English and even Nordic fairyspeak if spanked on her left butt cheek. She can do impromptu but in this case, I would require for myself, her and Tisha to come up with a program so that everything goes fluidly. I told Tisha that as far as games are concerned, I would like to make one up for the guests (not sayiiiiing) and they'll take care of the rest of the pakulo , unlike what happened on our Civil ceremony where the game portion was planned by me. I trust those two to collaborate well. I have total confidence in them.

I just emailed to Sam the tentative missalette my Mom sent me. I hope she's ok with the format.

More favors

Here are our Luncheon Napkins which contain the text "This day, I will marry my friend" with a foil of a backview of a boy and a girl walking hand in hand on some grassland. The girl is in overalls. Very midwest. Hehe. We will have one luncheon napkin per person. Ordered 200 of these just last month.

Here are 12 disposable cameras to be placed on each guest table. As usual, guests are asked to become random photographers in order for us to get more pictures taken from different angles. These cameras will be left on the main table when the night is overand will be developed by yours truly. I hope y'all take good photos!

The flavor that's inside the favor

Very easy, right? Chocolate brown and light blue. I wish. Although this was a common theme for the year in the US, finding the right favors which really reflected our theme was hard. There were a lot of fancy stuff like candle holders, plate decors, bottle openers, none of which reflected our personalities.

Then, as again, I saw at Jean M this really simple favor box which we can put anything in. By the month of March, we had set our sights on the box and it was pretty easy to fall in love with it, but it took us a while to decide what to put inside the thing. A month after, Hoen found this ad somewhere about customized Hershey's and M&Ms. We checked out the site and we just adored the idea! We thought about how we can possibly transport all that chocolate and we opted to just let it be and get the flight attendant's help when we're on board the plane. It will be winter here but still hot in cebu. How will that be? I guess they will be placed inside the cooler right away and placed in the box the day before the wedding. I can already imagine Yaul, Mamay, Megan and Marilyn helping in getting these into the boxes. Quality time, eh? Hehe.

I had just purchased the customized ribbons last month. I cut them into 28 inches which is enough to cover the box. These ribbons have our names and the date on them. Light blue ribbons with Chocolate Brown foil. I cut around 170 ribbons. Wanted to cut 200 of them for safety but the rest of the ribbons might be used for something else, say, the flowers or whatever. So I'll wait 'til we get there to decide.

Flora and Found-a

Same magazine. InStyle Weddings. That was where I saw the flowers I wanted to have. And being the girlscout that I proclaim to be (should I just name this blog "The Girlscout Bride"?), I took pictures of these magazine images through my newly bought phone. Here they are:

1.) My Pomander bouquet



2) Aisle flowers hung by wrought iron fixtures



3) Flowers for the Godiva Maids and Lady Ghirardelli



4) Reception Ceiling works



By June, I was told by Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss that Lush Blooms will be taking care of my Flowers and that Sheila Ruiz will be sending in sketches of her ideas. She did but she needs to send in more. Hoen and I will just wait for it.

I am proud of myself because...

... it is still the month of April and I had already found my gown! YIPPEE!!! It was quite a surprise actually. Such a surprise that we didn't bring a camera. Hoen took pictures of me in it in his sucky phone camera. So sucky they aren't even worth posting. Anyway, it's very simple in the front, twirly in the back, A-line, ivory, strapless and just plain elegant. I could carry it for two hours with nary a complain. I just have to have the gown cut and bustled instead of having it completely altered. I am to make an appointment with David's Alterations by Sept 1. We purchased the gown by the month of May and I haven't seen it since. It's just in my closet (see pic). I don't even want to try it on until I have it altered.

Like I always say in here, "I just wanted to get it over and bandwidth!" Hey! The thing actually looks like a dumped body bag. Mayhaps the corpse bride is inside? Hehe.

Revenge of the Invits

Hoen and I had already decided long ago that we would have the invitations printed here for the simple reason that we wanted to touch and feel and read the thing for ourselves. If we had it made in Cebu then our parents would have to keep going back and forth, showing the thing to us, editing, showing again, mailing, webcam sessions, all the hassle. We stuck with this decision despite the difference in price.

Ever since the year started, I had been browsing through Bridal Magazines SERIOUSLY for the first time. I went through a few with Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss inside her room but I never paid any attention to anything in it. Just gave a few "ooohhs" and "aaahhs" but that was it. Anyway, one day at Barnes and Noble, I got this InStyle Weddings mag and saw an ad of Jean M. What caught my eye was that they were using the Chocolate Brown and Light Blue colors as their signature ad color for the season. I jotted the URL down and visited the site right away. I was immediately impressed! It got me thinking and conceptualizing about a lot of things... the favors, decors, and of course, the invitation. I became a frequent visitor of the site and before long, I had subscribed to their catalogues. I had gotten catalogues from Invitationsbydawn and other companies as well but I sort of hung on to the ideas of Jean M.

Being the girlscout that I am, I then decided on the lay-out of the invitation. This took me a few days since we were still shaping our entourage list. Tisha sent me a sample invite and I took it from there. The rest, I did by myself. I would consult Hoen and as usual, he would give me his input, leaving us with nothing to argue about. After choosing the lay-out and coming up with my own mock invit,I was a bit concerned about one thing. The US wedding companies are not used to including an entourage list and so I had to pay extra for another sheet. So, on March 23, after sending them the file I made for them to see for themselves how I wanted things laid out and worded, I got a reply from them telling me that yes, they can indeed do all that and they will only charge the same price. No special add-on. I was happy! YES! One less headache. What's more, they sent me a sample of the actual paper and ink and that just appeased me all the more.

*I will just have to take care of the envelopes and the reception cards*

GUESS? List

It is a pain coming up with a Guest list. It WAS a pain coming up with the Guest list. Why? Because you realize you have so many friends you can't invite not because you don't want to but because you can't afford to. "But we were tight!" Right. All that doesn't matter anymore. You want to invite people whom you both know, people who are game, people who are closer to us. Of course, relatives do not necessarily fit into any of those categories. I have cousins whom I have not seen and only heard about. Do we invite them?

This is where our parents come in. We ask them the dreaded question, "Who would YOU want to invite?" My mom, in particular, wanted to invite neighbors, long lost relatives and other people whom I haven't seen nor met but only heard about. My mom is this social butterfly of her time and she really has a lot of friends and I mean, a LOT. What's more, she's a teacher so that's 500 new faces for every year in her life. Mama took more time in coming up with her list because she wasn't sure yet. Anyway, we had our first guest list and we had 170. HOLY CRAP. We did NOT have that number in mind. So I nod (although only on the phone), tell my Mom we'll look into it again as we get near the wedding date and hope for the best outcome.

We are determined to have 150 guests with a possible maximum of 170. I really have no idea how many people will choose to be there but we are expecting crashes (very Filipino), no-shows (still very Filipino) and delayed notifications (the ULTIMATE Filipino trait). We'll never know until what, the day before the wedding? At least, budgetwise, we are prepared for it. Now that we've already paid a 50% downpayment, this shouldn't be much of a headache.

The fitting feat

I am such a girlscout. Within the month of January, I was browsing through wedding sites for ideas on gowns. I got easily turned off by anything that cost more than $1,000 because I could not, for the life of me, stand to spend that much over something I was only going to use for an hour and dispose of forever! I saw this one gown by Allure (and oh, did I love it). Their office in NJ called me to tell me that they were indeed in NJ. They wanted to know when I was going there. I told them July. No way was I going to try on a gown months before D-Day so I had to say goodbye to that gown. Hoen and I felt more secure with getting the gown here so that I can try it out myself and not have to fear the possibility of having retouches by the time we get home in Cebu. Furthermore, I had already decided that I wasn't going to wear my gown to the reception. I wanted to wear something more comfortable so I can dance to my heart's content. But still, I needed a gown. By the third week of January, I was already trying on dresses. Ok, ok. Maybe that isn't too girlscouty but nevertheless, I wanted to be prepared. I wanted the whole gown fitting out of the way (still don't believe I'm not a "grand wedding" person? Hop to another blog, thank you. Hehe) just so I can concentrate on other stuff. In the Philippines, you have to have a gown tailored. If you couldn't afford it, you rented and no, I wasn't renting. Here in the US, you get shown racks and racks of ready-made gowns. Headache? Not as much as I thought it would be. You see, you are assigned a gown coordinator who will go to lengths just to please you and give you all the time in the world to decide. My coordinator was Mary of David's Bridal and she fell in love with me. And she fell in love with Hoen, when she met him. He showed up and she couldn't believe how angelic my hubby's face was. She just wanted to pinch his cheeks. Haha!

Anyway, I had my first gown fitting and it was fun! I already had an idea on what I wanted. Strapless, A-line and NOT white. I was going for Light Blue and Choc Brown after getting my parents' approval but alas. They can only be found in the Prom section. After sifting through said section, I slowly surrendered to the fact that I may have to settle for ivory. It was the closest thing to what I wanted AND the priest wouldn't be shocked. After comparing David's with the other Bridal stores here, their service was the best and their gowns, most affordable without compromising the quality.

Here are a few pics of that fitting. Remember, this was still during the winter. Told you I was a girlscout. *I had chosen the one in the second picture initially but Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss told me that somebody had copied it in Cebu. So I had to let go of it as an option.*

Motif-ation

Anyone who is close to me knows how partial I am to anything Brown. Or Tan, Beigue, Ecru, and some earth colors. I bore people with it. But I can't help it. I actually think (and know) that it looks best on my skin and well, maybe I'm just not as adventurous and playful with colors as other women are. It was only when I had arrived here in the US that I decided to diversify the spectrum of my wardrobe because well, new country, new civil status.... new closet.

Our civil wedding was held at the beach so it was pretty easy to choose our motif. It was Sky blue and Sand beige. I let Hoen pick our colors on his own and he came up with the same thing. This time for the church wedding, it's different. I had to rethink and rethink and rethink about including Brown in the theme. Everytime I thought of it I'd visualize Doogie's yawns or Maggie's smirk. So I took this online test. Two, actually. One from weddingchannel.com and the other from theknot.com, I think. Both came up with the same answers-- Brown with either Blue or Pink. It was a sign. The heavens sympathized with me and it only made it easier for us to decide. I went with Chocolate Brown and Light Blue. Chocolatey Heaven? You bet. I was happy and very content with my decision. Hoen was, too, and we were both comfortable with the thought of being surrounded by mud and sky that one fateful on December this year.

Now that we had a motif, it was pretty easy to decide on the entourage labels and outfit coordination. Here goes:

Couples' Mothers -- Light Blue with Choc Brown Accent
Couples' Fathers -- Light Blue Barong. (They decided on this on their own)
Principal Sponsors -- Light Blue with Choc Brown Accent
Lady Ghirardelli -- Choc Brown with Light Blue Accent
The Godiva Maids -- Choc Brown cocktail-length dresses with Light Blue Accent
Secondary Sponsors -- Long Light Blue dresses with Choc Brown accents
Little Hershey Girls -- Light Blue gown with Choc Brown floral accents
Three Musketeers -- Barong, very easy

Notice the chocolate heaven I was talking about earlier? You bet! Hehe.

Reception venues

My choices were Casino Español, the Marriott, and Marco Polo which had not yet opened by the month of February. It was important that we decide right away where to dine after the ceremony because the wedding month being December is a very, if not, the most eventful month for the whole year. I really like Casino's food but after talking to my cousin who just had her wedding there on how she was having a hard time changing since there was no Bridal Suite. Or on how her relatives dabbed make-up on her inside the car for the same reason. I thought about it and thought about it, and Tisha of WeddingsbyBliss sent us stuff to look at. Menus, price ranges, amenities. It seemed that the Marriott had done this thing for so long that they practically offered more than a few stuff for free, including the cake. Not that I would want it but it only shows their knowledge on running these types of affairs.

So after much emailing back and forth and after Hoen and I sitting down and deciding the budget which would be greatly attributed to the number of guests, we went with the Marriott Hotel. There will be a Bridal Suite for one so that is one hair off my face. I am not so worried anymore about the fact that I know so many people who have had their events held there. I didn't care anymore that I associate the Marriott with work still because when I was still with HPS, I was holding an event there practically every month. I just wanted something simple, accessible, affordable (hence, no to Shang) and familiar ( hence, no to Marco Polo. Had no idea how good or bad they were going to be since they had not yet opened). Month of April, we sent the downpayment over and after about six revisions (believe me, the contract wasn't as crystal clear as I thought it would be), Tisha forwarded to us the final draft the month of May and we gave her our blessing to sign it for us. Yehey!! We finally don't have the place reserved but it was booked. BOOKED AND LOCKED.

Now, on to other things...