Beyond the call of Duty

This blog has served way beyond its primary purpose.

Now, everytime a friend comes to me, tells me that they are getting married and asks for my help one way or another, I end up leading them to my blog. I just realized that this blog really held my hand while we were planning our wedding and that every marrying couple can relate to what I went through last year. I am just happy to help in any way I can because I know how exciting yet time-consuming planning a wedding is. I empathize to all those who want to have the best of everything and for those who just want to get it over and done with. Whichever situation you're in, I wish you all the luck.

So Norvin, Eva, Lucille, Taray... much luck to your weddings! And yes, I am just here if you need anything.

Gift season ain't over!

Before we left the US, I sent our invitations to people here who wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding. I sent them the invite along with our questionnaire and a Christmas card. Killing three birds with one stone, if you know what I mean. We are so glad to have some of them still send in their replies along with their Wedding gifts. Just today we got 2 - one from Jeremy, Joen's officemate and friend and the other from Gelyn, my classmate from elementary to college.

It's nice to feel thought of. Of course, the wedding picture compliments still come a'flowin' =)

** Come to think of it, Oona still her gift in SanFo. Hahaha

The Cake Room

After having a little over an hour of rest in the bridal suite with the make-up crew, the harem, ma and pa and a little later, Jones and Ate Joyce, Joen and I made it to the Baltic Room for our much anticipated Reception. When we got there, we were told by Tisha to wait 10 more minutes, which was fine. We went up to the lobby and chatted a bit with the Bitches who were on their way down. Anyway, as we were about to enter the room, Teody was frantically looking for the room keys as he was supposed to pop the big confetti upon our entrance. Haha. Things still went well with our bubbled welcome as both kids and adults met our entry with bubbles and smiles. I knew the minute we were in that it was going to be a fun night.

To start off, Tisha reluctantly agreed to host the reception with Kuya JJ now that Sam confirmed there was no float from Ormoc before 11 pm that night. Too bad because I made a deal with Tisha long ago that in OUR wedding, she was NOT going to host. I just wanted her to sit down, look pretty and enjoy her food. But such was not the case the night of our wedding. It wasn't like I had a choice. She knew almost everyone important and she had read the program with Sam. Good thing Kuya JJ was ok to co-host with her so she wouldn't feel so alone on the podium. MUCH THANKS, HIJA! MUCH THANKS, KUYA! Going back to how the night started,
Amy's doxology was hair-raising especially on the part when she transitioned towards the "Amen." She really does have a beautiful voice. The food was very good even though I didn't eat very much. We knew almost everyone in the room, which I'm told, is rare in weddings. We took pics of us in each table and we were able to thank the people there for going despite the Typhoon Signal no. 1. Ate Joyce's tagalog song number with John got whistles! Haha. Tito Roy and the choir's song numbers were delivered wholeheartedly and well-practiced and for that, we really appreciated it. The Love Story c/o Kuya JJ was off the script (Eyes pop!) but it was much better because he used his own words based on his "observation" (kuno). An Obsessive Compulsive and a Carefree person, he says, are who make up our marriage. You don't say... Hehe.

A Video of the Harem before and AFTER Joen snagged me was put together by Leg and it made me cry. It made me realize just how much I miss my best friends who have become like family to me all these years. Haaayyy. Further, videos of our Pre-nuptial shots and of our Childhood to Engagement pictures were looped in the Widescreen. It was our first time to have seen the pre-nuptial pictures taken by Tabong, Dave and Charles Buenaconsejo and so were excited to view them. Joen and I formed a little affiliation with the Buenaconsejos while we were in Cebu because it was fun working with them, especially Charles who has an eccentric eye for the camera. The flowers were very pleasing to the eye as well because they weren't too loud or overbearing to the whole decor theme. Much love to the punctual and professional Eddie Dinapo who was a delight to meet with. The cake was a surprise treat, that's for sure! First of all, we had no idea it was going to be that big. Haha! I knew it was going to have a 14-inch base but the rest of the layers really WOW'd us. People commented on the cake a lot and I'm very proud of the design we chose and of the pics we had displayed beside it, which were of our grandparents, both alive and dead. The cute "Laughing couple" caketopper fell and chipped the nose of the bride, according to Tisha. Too bad but it hardly hurt the cake's overall appeal. I gave the caketopper to her for HER wedding. Hehe.

The fun parts were indeed fun. Watching my girlfriends bend over for NOTHING, except for Daphne's case, was very entertaining to me!! They were worried about their cleavagevilles and their dresses but what the hell. As the song goes, "It's my party and I'll LAUGH if I want to.. LAUGH if I want to... LAUGH if I want to!"I had planned to throw it to Daphne but I had hoped she would be at the far side of the group. Unfortunately, she was near me so I had to hit her butt with the bouquet to prove a point! Bwahaha! Sorry Daphens. The Musical Chair game's losers were MY classmates in St. Ben, An and Raymond. Tsk tsk. Sayang. I would've wanted total strangers going at it but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Glad to have finally met An's Fil-Am boyfriend though who was a good sport as An raised the garter up Raymond's leg. Or was he? (Didn't mean to start something guys ok?) Speaking of Raymond, his speech during the toast was baseless, as far as Joen was concerned. But not to me!! I know who HE was talking about. Tisha and I went to school with her and we were friends with her! Haha. Poor Joen... =)

Our first dance was very nice. When Tisha announced "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star as one of our songs, I heard a few gasps. Well, it is one of my favorite songs. Joen and I enjoyed being in each other's arms while dancing to the slow song but when "Happy Together" by the Turtles came on, we enjoyed swinging and winging it! The confetti, which Teody had the hardest time popping, (not in Leg's case, ha!) embellished our pics of the dance. We had fun watching the kids gather the confetti pieces in their arms and throwing it at us or in the air. Megan, Jaja, Juancho and Nino did the rounds in making sure we had bits of paper in our hair. Hehe. Then the round robin dance with the parents began with "C'est si Bon" and a little jazz filled the room. It was all smiles as Papa, Daddy and Joen took turns dancing with Mama, Mommy and myself. But I loved it the most when the rest of the married couples joined us in dancing to "You are the Sunshine of my Life" by Stevie Wonder. I saw the Taylors, the Allegos, the Saniels, but more interestingly, Tito Resil and Tita Sally Mojares! I saw when Tito Resil wanted to sit right back in his chair but I beckoned them to join the group. So so glad they obliged. Hehe. I could see that the couples really enjoyed the dance. Those couples who didn't join in were swinging their hips on their chairs nonetheless. I mean, who couldn't with that classic song? Then it was time for Joen and I to sing while my Mom played the organ. We chose "When I fall in love" simply because it is just one of the loveliest classic love songs ever AND it was a song Joen could sing without much effort. And we nailed it! Joen got a lot of kudos for his "brave" performance. I love my hubby, he's such a sport!

The Chicken Dance... now that was interesting. It was the most uncoordinated but the most fun chicken dance I've ever done. The adults joined in, the circle's rotation was chaotic and Megan was in the restroom when the music was on. However, watching the adults do the dance from a distance, especially my Mom, was fun to watch. Then came the Cha-cha Slide. Right before it came on, Beaver approaches me and mouths to me that she's leaving. I gave her a rather Hitler-y order to "STAY AND DANCE!" and that, she did. The Cha-cha Slide was indeed fun as most of those in the dance floor hadn't tried dancing to it yet so they were still surprised at the switches made by the DJ. The part that went, "Reverse! Reverse!" was my favorite because people didn't know which way to turn! Haha. Anyway, more dancing followed after Joen and I gave our Thank you speech. Ate Debra and Ate Joyce might as well have been in a wacky-off because they took turns flooring us with their kinky dance moves. Hehe.

We were able to talk to almost everyone and as we said goodbye to some of them, we got a lot of comments like, "Lingawa sa inyong reception uy" or "Lingawa ninyong duha uy" or "Very nice wedding. Intimate kaayo" or "Who made your flowers?" or "Ikaw ra akong bride na-ilhan nga nag-ilis sa reception" or "Nice dress!" and "Nindota sa inyong cake uy!" Even Bernardo Flores' team, whom I begged to stay longer than they were supposed to, gave us props for a very candidly fun reception. That truly made us proud.

The night ended around midnight and as Joen and I went through some of the filled out questionnaires and money envelope and greeting cards, we couldn't believe it was all over. We were exhausted since Day 1 and we lacked sleep but the fun we had that night made it all worth it. Thanks to everyone who backed us up all the way from the start of this wedding planning. Tisha for coordinating, hosting and for giving us really good vendors, our parents for sharing their efforts in making sure things were taken care of in Cebu, our families, especially our siblings who were willing to become servants before and during the day, our helpers who joined forces in the assembly of the favors and making sure the chocolate fountain worked, Indira for agreeing to become lector at the last minute, Leg, Doogie, Rexy and Teody for becoming Tisha's eyes, ears and legs, our vendors (Papicture, Bernardo Flores, the Buenconsejos, Jonel and Eddie Dinapo) for delivering more than we expected, my Auntie Pyr for taking care of the chocolate fountain dippings, Dimples for sketching the questionnaire, the Bitches for offering, our readers, my uncle Wendell who was our officiating Priest, those who performed during the reception, and everyone who helped out in one way or the other, behind the scenes. Much thanks to you.

I do have a few regrets that day. I wish the typhoon hadn't happened so a lot of our counted guests would've made it. I wish all the Harem Moms could've were around that night but Tita Emy had to take care of Isa and Tita Cathet was stranded. I wish Chime was able to join us in the dance floor instead of doing the rounds with our relatives and coordinating with the waiters after the event. I wish my brother didn't have an emergency in the office so that he could've enjoyed the reception more. I wish a lot more things to have happened that day but they were all beyond our control. Sickness may not be an Act of God but not the weather. That wass something nobody could have done anything about. And besides, we still had one hell of a party and everybody enjoyed it and that's what really matters!

C'EST FINI! C'EST SI BON!

Pic 1: Our centerpieces
Pic 2: Our bubbled entrance
Pic 3: That cake sure was thick!
Pic 4: Kiss-on-demand
Pic 5: Us at the Vendors' table
Pic 6: An placing the garter higher up Raymond's leg
Pic 7: Bend over, girls!!!
Pic 8: The couples hoard the floor
Pic 9: Pinaka-walay klaro nga chicken dance
Pic 10: The Cha-cha slide
Pic 11: Jaja, Megan and Chime surround the chocolate fountain
Pic 12: Floor shot
Pic 13: Our beverage napkin and kiss bell

DEE THAY

It was a Saturday, our wedding day was. December 30. The roads were a bit clear yet people were still in Holiday spirits. I was set to wake up at around 8 pm yet something told me to check my phone at 7:30 AM. There was a text from Sam. It went something like that, "Maude, I'm so sorry. I'm stranded here in Ormoc .. da da da... and if I catch this other trip, I'll get there by 5 PM pa."

P A N I C M O D E R E D A L E R T P A N I C M O D E R E D A L E R T

Then I sneezed. 5 times. And you know what they say when you sneeze more than 4 times. It means you are coming down with a cold or a flu or your allergies are triggered. Great, just great. On our wedding day, I get sick. Then I thought of my friend, Tonette Yapha, who had sore eyes on her wedding day. Nah... mine should be ok. Nothing compared to that. Now, back to the Lector and Emcee absence problem.

I then dialed my good friend, Indira, and told her of my situation. With nary a qualm or a negative reaction, she agreed to be my emergency lector. TUNKS GOD for friends like Indira! A few hours later after we had our buffet breakfast at the hotel and after we had transferred our stuff from the room to the Bridal Suite, I saw on TV that there was a scheduled Typhoon in the Visayas Region and the ENTIRE COUNTRY was on Tropical Depression. JUST GREAT! I remember hearing about rainy days and weddings and that they're supposed to mean abundance. A good excuse? Maybe.

The first person to arrive was the adorable Eddie Dinapo who had a huge box filled with our flowers. I looked at each of them. He got them all right! He got my ideas right! I could've kissed the dude but he was in a hurry to check the Recep room so off he went. Then Bernardo arrived together with John and Jessie. Then Leg and Doogie so Bernardo got busy. Then Tabong, Dave and Charles. Then Yaul, Mamay and Marilyn. Then Mama arrived with Papa and Jones. Followed by Chime, Mommy, Daddy and Megan. Then Buttwipe, Ching, Che and Teody. By 11 am, the room was abuzz with hair dryers, laughter, phone calls, medical emergencies and food. Pictures were taken from every possible (and even ugly) angle. Jown Florido texted. She can't go because she was having one of her infamous migraines! Good thing Sarah can replace her as the proxy OF the Proxy.

Everyone had lunch over McDonald's chicken which we consumed in less than 10 minutes because we had to go, go, go. Dress-up pics of Joen and Papa were taken after Tabong took shots of the rings, the favors and pretty much all the wedding goodies on display. I started dressing up at around 2 pm. Joen was coordinating with everybody regarding the transportation while I tried to float my way to the lobby on my way to the Bridal Limo. PAUSE. Deither Ocampo was there. Now, I'm not much of a local showbiz fan but I do have a thick face so I called out, "Deither Ocampo?? I'm the bride. My name is Maude. Can I have a picture taken with you?" The poor guy had to oblige as Megan, Mama, Doogie and Buttwipe flocked to his midst. Haha!

Chime, Mama and Papa rode with me to Church after my reliable maids tipped their toes despite the rain just to avoid getting my gown soaked by the threatening drizzle. As the driver, Raul, drove us to Church, I could not believe that that was it. A year's worth of planning and yet here everybody was, working to make everything work out fine. A few sponsors could not make it because they were stranded in airports and piers. Signal no. 1 was in full swing. Several other guests texted in that the rain either made them sick or made it hard for them to go. Ngerrr. But as Leg constantly reminded me, "Think happy thoughts. Don't stress." So I just let it go. Shit happens anyway. Before I knew it, Ching beckoned me out of the car, carried my gown with me and cued the church door to open before I walked in. All eyes were on me but the only eyes that mattered were Joen and Tabong's. Haha! He already gave me a count earlier so I knew where to stop and pause for pictures. I tried to glide and KICK! my gown as Tisha told me to. I really am not a girly girl for even with my high kicks, I still managed to slip a little. No one noticed I'm sure. Then I was arm-in-arm with my parents, then we were on our way to the front of the church where my groom and his parents await me. The wedding has officially started.

The mass was ok, the homily hit home and the songs took a bit long but I guess with the wedding march, it was supposed to be just fine. The second I saw Indira and that annoyingly pretty smile she has, I felt sooo relieved. I mouthed a THANK YOU to her and she just smiled back. While the mass was going on, Joen and I couldn't help but snicker over Raymond becoming a Best Man-cum-Sacristan. Sige gyud mi ug agik-ik. Before we knew it, the mass was over, we were now, in the eyes of God and Man, HUSBAND and WIFE. WOOHOO!!! We kissed, we hugged, I wiped his lips of lip gloss. We took pictures, we shared kisses, we greeted people then we did our rather casual recessional. Confetti and a pair of doves were waiting for us outside the church. Cameras clicked, everyone was smiling! It was time to grab the doves out of their cages so we did. Someone cried, "Kiss ang doves!" so Hoen and I bent over and kissed the doves. "Dili kamo uy! Ang doves ang maoy ipa-kiss!" AW! Unsa ba! Rexy goes, "Blooper! HAHAHA!" How embarassing but our doves did kiss and we finally released them. We then rode the car together this time sans Chime but with Mama and Papa still.

We went back to the hotel where we rested in the room and took more pictures. We had 2 hours to just lay back so we enjoyed all the free time relaxing. That free time helped a lot because we both lacked sleep and we needed to rewind for the night.

Pic 1: Sniffling but still having fun during the hair/make-up and dress-up
Pic 2: Hoen wiping his shoes
Pic 3: Garland c/o Eddie Dinapo
Pic 4: Papa helping Hoen get dressed
Pic 5: I love this pic of Leg and Doogie eating McDonald's along the hotel corridor!
Pic 6: Hoen's barong
Pic 7: They're all dressed and I'm... well, I'm not
Pic 8: Love this pic of my Mom kicking it with my veil



Pic 9: Hoen with Ma and Pa
Pic 10: Me trying to "own the aisle"
Pic 11: Me with my folks
Pic 12: Us from the back
Pic 13: He got lip gloss all over him!
Pic 14: Indira. The willing emergency lector
Pic 15: The biggest blooper- kissing the doves!

Toward the Nuptials

Most of the Wedding business started on Christmas day.

Saturday, Dec. 23
--> Food Tasting at the Waterfront

Monday, Dec. 25
--> Right after breakfast, the Aller household was geared up for assemblying all the favor boxes and the wishing well together. Mamay Vicky, Marlyn, Yaul, Chime, Mommy, Hoen and I busied ourselves for a few hours getting the boxes and the wishing well good to go.

Tuesday, Dec. 26
--> Lunch with Sam, Tisha, Rexy and Leg regarding Reception Program sequence and Magic Mic Testing. Picking of Lassos for Flowers.
--> 3 PM - Interview with the parish priest at the Redemptorist Church --> 5 PM - Ocular inspection of the Bridal Suite

Wednesday, Dec. 27
--> Sunrise - Prenuptial shots with Tabong and Dave Buenconsejo
--> 11 Am - Meeting with Papicture re Videography
--> 12 noon - Meeting with Jonel re cake
--> 3:30 PM - Continue Prenuptial shots with Tabong and Dave

Thursday, Dec. 28
--> 11 AM - Meeting with Eddie Dinapo re flowers
--> 11:20 AM - Church rehearsal with both parents, Tisha, Leg and Chime
--> 3 PM - Family portrait at Colours Studio Ayala
--> 6 PM - Fitting and Hair/Make-up Trial with Bernardo

Friday, Dec. 29
--> Lunch with both families to talk about schedule and transpo coordination on the wedding day --> Check-in at the Waterfront
--> Salon date
--> Put chocolates in favor boxes, get all wedding stuff in the room

Food tasting at the Waterfront; Boxes and Wishing Well factory workers; With Leg and Buttwipe at Chester Enterprises; Bridal Suite Ocular Inspection

With both the Morenos and the Allers; The Allers' "Iryal syat"; The Morenos


Vack biew of my hair at Bernardo's; With Buttwipe at Bernardo's boutique; Family meeting at Resto 27; Chocolate box assembly line at the Waterfront; Dinner with Chime; Megan and her hair of ribbons

Before D'DAY

Going back home to Pinas was something Hoen and I have been anticipating for over a year! The wedding was the best excuse but what we really wanted was to spend the Holidays with our friends and family. And that's exactly what happened.

However, the journey towards going home took a lot of hard work and savings. As you all know, wedding planning takes a LOT of work. Luckily for me, I had one of my best friends take half the share of the planning so it wasn't as stressful as people thought it was. Then there came the savings. Every month, we would come up with a scheduled budget for ANYTHING wedding-related then I'd distribute it among those months depending on availability of funds and whatnot. We were pretty good at working this out. Then came the ACTUAL trip. Our legs were Missouri -Denver - LA - Korea - Cebu. NOT a piece of cake at all. We started off taking the 6 am trip on Dec 19th and landed Cebu around 1 am , December 21. The first sign of Murphy? They lost one of our huge luggages- the luggage with a lot of our gifts and wedding stuff. We lived everyday on the clothes we sent through the Balikbayan box and I had NO PAIR OF SHOES to wear. I ended up buying P300 sandals. Hoen and I adjusted well to the weather much to our surprise but it was fun experiencing the things we've lived with for more than 20 years of our lives. Like no running hot water on the faucet, heat and ventilation, dogs that bark through the night, HELPERS!!! Haha. I did not have to think of what to cook for 3 straight weeks!

Also, since we asked Tisha to schedule all our wedding meetings after Christmas, Hoen and I were able to enjoy and experience the Christmas rush in the malls (SM was both a good and bad idea). Since we were the first to arrive, we were able to see Chime arrive, Kuya JJ and family arrive, Jones arrive and finally, Ate Joyce et al (Jones, Ate Joyce and our lost luggage arrived at the same time on the same night. Creepy). Good thing Doogie and Leg were at the Waterfront Mactan Hotel to wait with us, hehe. Anyway, Hoen and I alternated sleeping between our houses-- Mandaue if we want to spend the night with my family and Labangon if with Joen's. Christmas was scheduled via a party at our house in Mandaue so the Morenos and the Cordovas were around. We started with dinner then followed it with the chapel mass at the village and then the gift giving then the Noche Buena then the singing and then the pics taking. It was fun fun fun as Hoen and I played Santa during the gift giving. I like seeing the people's faces light up when they got their gifts. Another highlight was the singing spree. Even though the Allers are a musical bunch, the Morenos want to flaunt it more. So Papa, fluent in Spanish and all like both my parents, sang Spanish songs to his delight. Lingaw! Also JOHN, of all people, braved doing Christmas solos in front of anyone as Ate Joyce watched. He really fell in love with our family and kept saying, "You have a beautiful house and a beautiful family." Awwwww. Mama, Chime and I led the group in blending the voices. Ngilngig!

Spending the Holidays at Pinas meant having a Harem night too. On the 23rd at IT Park's Patio Ecila, we had our gift-giving dinner which I missed last year. They made fun of my gift wrapping because it was so skewed and all over the place, I called it Jetlag wrapping. Aside from the little gifties here and there, I gave three of my best friends shoes and fortunately, they all fit and they all loved it. Wacky photos are a part of every get together and, well, here they are...!

I wonder when we will be celebrating the Holidays in Pinas again. Whenever that may be, I'm sure we'll have a blast again.

Pic 1: Hoen at the beautiful Incheon Airport
Pic 2: John at the back of the pick-up the night they arrived. He held on for dear life!
Pic 3: The Moreno folks at the Waterfront Mactan lobby awaiting Jones and Ate Joyce et al's arrival
Pics 4 - 6: Few pics from the Christmas Party
Pics 7 - 10 : The Harem Christmas Night at IT Park