"Two is Better Than One"

I so like the song. Will just repost the lyrics:

Two Is Better Than One lyrics
Songwriters: Johnson, Martin; Swift, Taylor;

Featuring: Taylor Swift

I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, hey
You know this could be something

'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing

So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one

But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one

I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes, the way you say
You make it hard for breathing

'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing

That maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one

But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one

I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, hey

Maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one

There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone

And I'm thinking, ooh
I can't live without you
'Cause baby, two
Is better than one

There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I figured out with all that's said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one

Might play this song in our song list during reception. The only problem is, I am hiring the string quartet and only one vocals is included. Hmmm.. perhaps I'll just give a cd to Sensitivity crew to play this along with other playlist I have in mind.

Wedding Gown Inspirations

Since we started planning the wedding, I immediately searched the internet for possible gown designs. I know for a fact that I will have a hard time looking for a wedding gown especially I am more on the petite side. Its hard to achieve a "tall and slim" look and its either you need a miracle gown or hire an expensive couturier who will solve the problem. I want a gown that will complement my body type yet exudes elegance and of course something comfortable to wear without the hefty price tag. I want to share my gown inspirations.Though I know some of them, di bagay sa akin but still, I want to list it here to cheer me up when I'm down.

So nice the gowns noh? Actually, I have lots of gown inspirations especially from local designers but I won't post all of them baka mawalan na ng space! Hahaha.  If only I was blessed with model-like body, I can choose whatever gown designs I like, look for a gown maker to create my gown and voila! I can get married anytime. hehehe. Maybe, I will have just to tell my couture what I like and incorporate that in my bridal gown. Let's see. I have so much faith and trust in my couture I am confident I will look like a princess on my wedding day.

Suppliers booking.. Almost done!

With one year to go I had to look at my list and check which suppliers I haven't booked yet. Then upon scanning the list, I got so delighted that we almost booked all of our suppliers. Yey: Here's the list so far:

Church (Mt Carmel) - 50% paid

Reception (The Glass Garden) - 50 paid

Caterer (K By Cunanan Catering) - Reservation paid

Photographer ( Nelwin Uy) - Reservation paid

Videographer (MG Digital) - Reservation paid

Bridal Gown (Cecilio Abad) - 50% paid

Entourage Gowns (Jheff Fashion House) - 20% paid

Wedding Rings (Matus Jewellery) - 30% paid

HMUA (Jesy Alto) - Reservation paid

Florist (Vatel Manila) - 20% paid

Lights and Sounds (Sensitivity) - 50% paid

Bridal Accessories (Princessweds) - Reservation paid

Bridal Shoes (Perfect Match)- Reservation paid

Invitation - (Print Divas) - Reservation paid

Coordinator (Jhets & Rhona) - Reservation paid

Wedding Cake (Alex Franco) - No reservation required; booked the date

Strings ( Serenata Strings) - 20% paid

Whew! I am so relieved that I have booked early. This is what I am missing:

Bridal car - thinking if we should get one but choosing between JCA or Don Roberts

Souvenirs - I am eyeing Papelmelroti for this. Will book next year.

Ento souvenirs - I don't have idea what shall I give them.

Save the date, misalette,thank you tags maker - I might hire my talented officemate for this.

My endless Semi-DIY - don't know if I can do all of this (Votive candles, entourage bracelets)

I think I already mentioned this on my previous post. It really pays well if you booked early. You get to book the supplier you are eyeing for. You have lots of time to bond with them to establish that rapport which you need during the wedding. (You want exceptional service right? then  start meeting your suppliers so you can get to know them more). 

The only thing I have to pay attention to right now are suppliers payment which I plan to finish by march next year.

A year from now..

I just realized that exactly the same day next year, I will wear my dream wedding gown, be prepped up by Jesy Alto, suppliers and entourage inside my hotel room all in chaos. Photographers will start clicking away to document our wedding preps. Don waiting at the altar. Church pews filled with friends and families who love us. That closed door entrance at Mount Carmel. My bridal walk. Exchange of vows. Cute flowergirls. Naughty ring bearers/coin bearers. Sumptuous food at the Glass Garden. Elegant styling by K by Cunanan Catering.Hayy..Can't wait for my wedding next year!! Wedding preps.. Bring it on!

W@W Auction Goodies

Yey! I already got my two-toned unity coins which I won from the w@w auction last week. Super ako na-excite because its my first "wedding related item". More than a year before the wedding I already have my unity coins and they are soo lovely... Ms Benz is so kind she included the w@w commemorative coin (not sure if yun tawag dun) and the w@w Wedding Primer. Here's my goodies..

W@W Ten-ten-te10 coin

Unity Coins

Super nice talaga the w@w unity coins. I just need an elegant arrhae holder n lang to hold the pretty coins.  I just need to keep it for a while lang. I always look at it kasi eh.hehehe.  I could have just bought it anytime next year but these coins are extra special for me since I won it in the w@w auction. The experience of the auction is priceless. ..

W@W Auction Experience

I have been a member of W@W since 2008 but more of a lurker lang.I have been reading about w@w auction every year but never dared to join since I am not getting married then. I don't have any idea how it works, what will happen after, the suppliers who participated and things like that. In fact, I have never joined any auction before.

When we started with the wedding preps and I visit w@w yahoo groups more often to get suppliers feedbacks from w@wies, Ms Benz announced that they are launching the 2010 w@w auction. That's when I got interested in joining. I registered, saw the list of the goodies at stake, and started to choose which I will make a bid on. Having been able to book majority of my suppliers already (P/V, Caterer,HMUA,Coord,Strings etc). I just looked for pre-wedding items mostly since these are the things I still lack on my list. I placed a bid on 3 goodies:

* w@w unity coins

*prenup hmua

* Wedding gown (wouldnt divulge which one I placed a bid on.. This requires a separate post. hehehe)

The first three days, I am the highest bidder on the items I placed a bid on. Numbers and list of bidders are not moving so I thought I am a sure winner already and started to get giddy and excited about the items I will get. hahaha. Well I was wrong.  An hour before the auction ends, competition started to get stiff. A lot of w@wies are bidding already. I am having a hard time connecting to the website. Those names I have not seen in the list of bidders for the past few days, actually became active bidders!

Thanfully, I was chatting with sis Jen (she also placed a bid on some items and we were both monitoring the status of our bids..) otherwise, I might have gone crazy already. I got so nervous talaga. I didn't know that the feeling is so intense especially during the last few minutes. I remembered placing a bid on three unity coins kasi lagi ako nao-outbid. Good thing isa lang ang natira sa unity coins where I placed my bid otherwise I will have lots of unity coins. hahahaa. Super tutok talaga ako I am not talking to anybody in the house because the auction required my full attention. When the auction ended, para akong nabunutan ng tinik sa dibdib hahahaha. But sad to say, I lost on the prenup airbrush item. Super like ko pa naman yun. On the other hand, I still won the two-toned unity coin and a bridal gown. Woo hoo!! Super happy talaga ako. I waited for Ms. Benz email confirming I really did won in the auction. Whew! two things off my list already. One of which is a major one --  the bridal gown.

I really enjoyed the w@w auction. I got my wedding items at a very good deal. I will really treasure the experience since I know this auction will be the first and last that I will be joining so its really a memorable one for me. For future brides out there, you should join the w@w auction. Super saya and who knows, you might score fabulous items at a very good price.

Non- Wedding Post: My 2011 Belle De Jour Planner

This is gonna be my first Belle de Jour Planner. If I weren't getting married I will not get one because I am not really fond of planners.  I just rely on my phone's calendar function to remind me of things I need to do. I was never a fan of the prestigious Starbucks planner so whenever I buy coffee, my points/sticker goes to my officemates and friends who are fan of this. 

So when the wedding planning thing started, I cannot put all my future tasks on my phone's calendar along with notes from suppliers. Because of that, I decided I badly need one to organize my schedules such as meeting with suppliers, gown fittings, food tasting activities etc. 

Dealing with BDJ peeps is hassle free. I just emailed my details, waited for their instructions about the payment and after 2-3 business days, it has been delivered to our home. They do not have shipping fees by the way ( well, that was the time when I got my planner.. still have to double check though). The planner itself is really pretty. Parang nakakapanghinayang na sulatan. It comes with free coupons as well which I plan to use in the future. Its a complete planner in my opinion. Just what an OC bride like me needed. Here's my BDJ Planner:

So nice the cover right? you will love it even more when you see what's inside. I suggest my fellow brides to get this one as well. I haven't really used it yet but I already written down my gown fitting schedule, supplier payment schedule and of course, my wedding day!

Mt Carmel...

Believe it or not, I am almost 80% finished on booking my wedding suppliers when I booked the church? Yup, you read it right. For normal brides, it will be church-reception first before other suppliers, my case is different. I booked photographer first then reception, cause I think I can book any church within the vicinity. I am not that picky about the church for as long as they are lenient with processing of documents and with the precana and canonical interview since hubby is working overseas and will be coming home a week before the wedding.

I inquired with various churches but they gave me a tight schedule and I just know we can't meet that schedule. I was actually booked with one church but I have to cancel the booking since they couldn't explain the requirements well in our case ( we are inter-faith marriage by the way). 

The best option that I have based on feedbacks from w@w, is the Mount Carmel church. Aside from the long aisle, having a closed door entrace, and top view shot of my bridal walk - this actually got all the things I am looking for a church. Though a bit far from my reception, I believe we can figure out a way on how to avoid traffic which is our major dilemma for this.  I could'nt say that dealing with them is entirely a breeze but at least they are organized and explained to me everything. Told me in the first meeting that I have to get clearance from Chancery of Cubao before I can book. 

The church is also inside New Manila so you will literally feel that you own the place all by yourself, no "usi" and unofficial photographers taking pictures. So after a lot of careful thinking, I went ahead and booked the church after getting the clearance from the chancery of course.  Here are some photos of the church:

Haba ng aisle. Na-excite tuloy me sa bridal march ko. hahaha. We are booked nga pala for the 3:30pm time slot. We might get our own priest but we still have to confirm that as well.

You are invited!!

Invites play an important role in a wedding or any other event for that matter. It is a prelude to what the event is all about. Its what your guests will rely on the details of your wedding - - time, date, place.

For our wedding, I decided to choose an invitation which is not the usual type. I want my invites to be different. Something my guests will remember because of its uniqueness. Since Print Divas offers a wide variety of invites to choose from, I will not have a headache (I hope) choosing which designs would fit my theme. They have divanized invites which I am really eyeing for. 

Here are some of the samples:

 Pretty right? Though I am thinking of putting the blings on my own since the divanized invites are like Php100.00 ++ a piece which is out of my budget. I might request for the invites to be ready 3 months before the wedding so that I can divanized all of it.

I am still working on our Save the Date Invites.. Hopefully I could distribute it to some of our guests before November ends.

Entourage Gowns ... Check!

Looking for an entourage gown maker is not easy. Especially if you are working on a budget like me. Ento gowns is not one of my top priorities, thus, I have to find a good,reliable yet affordable gown maker for my entourage. Someone who could execute the designs that I want for my ento and someone who works fast as 3 of my ento are based abroad ( Secondary sponsor, flower girl and bridesmaid) and will be coming perhaps a week before the wedding.

I searched in w@w  for like around 1 straight week and devoted my time just scouting the net for possible gown maker within my range. Good thing I raised my concern to my coordinator, she suggested I try Jheff Fashion House. I decided to take a look at their multiply site and I must say, I'm quite impressed with their gown designs. I am already eyeing Divisoria since some of my w@w sisses have found reliable gown designers there but since I saw Jheff's works, I decided to give it a shot and email them the ento gowns I like and ask for a quote.

Haggle.. haggle and haggle more... we both compromised with the final amount for 13 people (excluding PS). Their shop is conveniently located in the middle of Antipolo and Pasig: Cainta - - my entourage from Antipolo and my in-laws from Pasig will not have problems with the place since the shop is inside a subdivision.  I paid the downpayment and scheduled a meeting with ate Ana mid-November just for me to see their shop and some of their sample gowns. Ate Ana is very easy to deal with. She's very accommodating and she shares ideas on how to cut cost and even suggested gown designs for my ento. By the way, here's the gown inspirations for my entourage:

Bridesmaid dress

Maid of Honor

Secondary Sponsors

Flower girls

 I still don't have designs for the mom's gowns since I will let them choose their designs. According to ate Ana, its best to choose a design which has the same fabric material for all the gowns. In my case, I decided to have the gowns in Chiffon material but we will have to discuss that in detail as when I visited the shop, there's a client with her ento scheduled for measurement. I just went there to see some samples and I have a 2pm appointment that day.  We will discuss some other time. I might request as well to put some bling studded brooch to match my jewel-themed wedding.

On Wedding Colors

I found out that its very hard to choose wedding colors/palette. Have to consider lots of things . I want green but then my reception is full of greens already so I don't want my entourage na mag-match sa decors ng reception ko. I want blue and yellow sana but Nane and Jen, my brother-in-law had that wedding motif so scrape from my list na rin sha. All I am left with are othe colors which I do not how to pull off.  Since our wedding falls before the christmas season, I want to incorporate shades of red. I just love the color red. It signifies power and love. Still thinking if I add yellow (mango shade) for contrast.  

I was searching for websites which shows different combination of colors and I came upon http://www.mypersonalartist.com/blog/. And I found this:

I just want lang the darkest color has more reddish accent pa because the darkest color on the palette is more of purple-red. I want wine red shade. Any suggestions?

Caterer - Check!

Yey! At last. I am a K by Cunanan bride. Booking early really pays off as I know that this caterer gets booked kaagad because of their personalized service. yummy food and with them, you don't need to hire an event stylist as their "basic" styling is already equivalent to upgraded styling with other caterers. So me, happy!

I was choosing between K and Josiah's but after much thorough research, I decided it will be practical if I book K by Cunanan since my wedding theme is simple elegance/jewels. Add to that, the menu is really kakaiba so I want to treat my guests na rin of something different yet satisfying food that they will remember. Here are some of K by Cunanan's menu taken from different websites and food tasting experience of other brides na rin... Can't remember which sites though..:)

Hoisin Chicken Wrap

Carrot Rice

 Haay.. can't wait for my food tasting this Thursday. Hopefully my menu choices are all masarap so that I won't change anymore. One thing is for sure, non negotiable ko ang Grilled pepper-crusted tenderloin steak, mashed potato cakes, creamed spinach. :)

Will post another food entry once we're done with the initial food tasting with K.

Videographer - Booked na rin

I am so relieved being able to finally book our videographer. I love watching onsite videos. Mervin's work included. Good thing he is still available on our wedding day. I like his style - unobtrusive. He won numerous international awards din so plus factor yun. We have yet to meet pa so that I could tell them my preferred onsite video song. I am confident they can deliver. Kami kasi ni hubby we love watching movies, tv series and the like. If only my dream videog is affordable. :( But anyways, I know that MG will definitely capture the most important wedding highlights. Will have to meet him as well to establish rapport n rin.

Wedding Rings.... Check

I have no other jeweller in mind to make our wedding rings but Matus. First, it was where my hubby got my engagement ring. Second,they are very easy to deal with. Here's the specs of our rings: 

His:5mm semi-dome band 14k white gold in bright finish 

Hers: 0.05 ct. brilliant cut diamonds Clarity grade VS Color Grade: G 14k White Gold

 

The quality of the rings Matus offers are really exceptional. Maganda ang quality ng diamonds. I know that for a fact since sa kanila rin nanggaling ang e-ring ko. Belle is really accomodating and really suggests ways on how to cut the cost by customizing the rings to fit the couple's budget. Since maliit lang naman ang ring finger ko, my wedding ring will somehow be a sort of eternity ring na rin since the diamonds will cover half of the ring finger already so yung dream ko na mala-Tiffany na eternity ring is baka pwede ma-execute.

My first bridal experience - Kasalan 2010

Yup. I have attended the bridal fair held at Megamall last weekend. Sad to say, mejo disappointing because wala mashado suppliers in the fair. The fair was dominated by photography/videography suppliers. Konti lang from other area. Well anyway, I understand naman why kasi most of the suppliers were present during the much bigger bridal fair held at the PICC last month. Anyway, ok lang because I was able to book our wedding invitation supplier and my wedding accessories supplier. hehehe. I wasn't really planning on booking another supplier since my main agenda was to hand over the signed contract to Mari (Perfectmatch), my shoe maker. Since yung location ng booth nila was in the middle, syempre ang dami kong dinanaan. hehehe. That's where I found Printdivas. I am so impressed sa mga invite sample nila kasi super dami choices. Not unlike sa ibang suppliers na very limited yung design and those naman na mejo ok were out of my budget. What caught my attention was this booklet invite na sobrang cute, its not big nor too small - tama lang size nya. I also like the fact that since booklet sha, all that a guest should know is in there na. Not unlike the usual invites na 3 separate pages na you might be worried na mawala yung isang piece or something. hehehe. So I paid the reservation fee and will finalize details once I have completed my entourage line up.

Partypics - hehehe. wala talga ako plan to book them this early since I know they regularly join wedding fair and give generous discounts pero ewan ko ba, after reading good feedback kasi from w@w mejo kampante ako na if I get them e magiging ok din service nila. They also use DSLR camera so plus point yun. hehehe.So yun, I booked them na nga and took advantage of the Php 7,500 promo for 3 hours Standard Setup. (the original price of standard setup costs Php8,500 for 2 hours only) so not bad di ba? :)

Next supplier I was able to book was Princessweds. Magkatabi lang kasi sila ng booth ng Perfectmatch eh so advantage yun. Actually, I really plan to book princessweds early next year for my accessories pero siguro its time na rin talaga for me to book them now.  Plus the 10% discount pa. Here's what I will be getting from her:

-Pearl and crystal wedding cord
-Customized bible (she will be using the fabric that will be used on my gown)
-2 Customized wedding pillows ( she will use the same fabric din from my gown)
-Hair Vine ( di ko talga plan mag-book nito but when I saw sis Julie's hairvine sobrang natuwa ako and gusto ko rin magkaron ng ganun since we are jewel-themed wedding.)
-Customized arrhae case

Last on my list was to have trial makeup from one of the HMUA suppliers. I actually had one with Joel Miguel group. Sorry, la ako picture eh. boo.. hehehe. They use high end products and galing talga ng makeup artist who prepped me up. ang dami tuloy napapatingin sa makeup ko. hahaha. One girl nga even said gayahin yung makeup sa akin eh. I felt so pretty that time but sad to say, I really have my eyes set on Jesy Alto. parang no matter what I will really get her to do my hair and makeup. :)

Hopefully next month meron ulit bridal fair pero since I have booked almost 60% of my suppliers, malamang its more on I want to see more samples from them.

Wedding Cake - Booked

When I first started being aware of wedding suppliers and who's the best in their respective fields, I already knew I want Alex Franco to make our wedding cake. Being a cake lover that I am, I will not settle for anything less when it comes to my wedding cake. Hubby doesn't really mind actually and approved of my splurge for my wedding cake. I first tasted alex franco's cake during the wedding of ate Vi in Manila Peninsula way back 2006. Tiff brought some left-over cakes and let us taste the cake. The moment I got a taste of the cream and the caramel sauce, I was speechless really. hehehe. Ever since di ko na talga makalimutan lasa nya grabe. It was nothing compared to the cakes I have tasted when I lived in Dubai. The closest cake that I can compare to Alex's cake was the Mango Bravo from Conti's which happens to be their best seller by the way - IMO.

So when its time for me to choose my wedding cake supplier, I immediately texted sir Alex and ask for his availability on our date. Luckily he said yes. Right then and there I told him to blocked his calendar off for our event. You see, he doesn't require any downpayment or reservation fee whatsoever. Everything will be paid on the wedding day itself. Plus, he meets his clients beforehand to instruct them how to properly cut the cake. Syempre nga naman the cake is beautiful and talagang pinaghirapang gawin that's why he wants the couple to do it right din. Another factor pa, he gives a sample cake during the client meetup to help the couple choose the right flavor. O d ba? pre-wedding pa lang winner na ang customer service. :)

We met sometime in October can't remember the date though at Robinsons Pioneer. He was already there at the meeting place (kakahiya late ako). Grabe, sir Alex is very detail oriented talaga. As what I have mentioned above, he really teaches his client on how to properly cut the cake with matching tools pa yun, knife, plate, fork and an improvise cake made of styro which is the same size of the actual piece of cake. I just have to learn all of these things by myself as hubby is not here - - meaning I have to do the cake cutting, serving and teaching hubby as well on his duties during the cutting ceremony.  He is very full of ideas on how to dress up the cake table. Upon knowing our motif he suggested on how to make the cake table bongga. We are getting the 5 layer cake which will look like similar to this:

By the way, here's the actual sample cake he gave me and they are right, it is sooo yummmmyyy:

 

 I can't wait to taste the actual cake on our wedding. We want our guests to enjoy the cake as well that is why we are serving the cake to our guests. One year to go..

My bridal Shoes... booked!

I think its very uncommon for brides to actually book her wedding shoes before booking the church. Hahaha. But thats me. I need to figure out how will I be able to reach my groom come wedding day. To think I only stand below 5 ft. and my husband is 5"10.Malaking goodluck talga sa akin. I was browsing the net on the possible design of my wedding shoes. For one I don't want closed shoes. I want sandals with bling-blings. I found this design which I soo love:

Nice right? I know I will never be able to get this because One, they don't have it here in the Phils. Second, they don't have my size. I  need to find a reliable wedding shoe supplier who can customize the design I want. Thru gt, I was able to find Perfect Match. They reply fast and was kind enough to tell me if the design I want is doable or not. The above picture is not acually my first choice but since they told me they cannot execute the first one, this one comes next in line. I paid the deposit and I guess my next dealing with them will be sometime around May next year. Hopefully they will be able to copy the designer shoes I want. 

Additional note: I was able to meet Mari last Kasalan bridal fair held at the Megamall and she is really nice.   She let me try some of the shoes they have on display so she could visualize how the sandals will fit on me and if I have any issues regarding the comfort of the shoes. I tell you, their shoes are really comfortable. I think I was wearing the shoes with the highest heel size but I was able to jump pa so just imagine how comfy the shoes are. It also important that the shoes you wear on your big day offers comfort coz you will be walking around and mingling with you guests so dapat di lang pang "tiis-ganda" ang porma d ba? like at the end of the day your feet are swollen na.But, these are all pre-wedding experiences. I have yet to judge the final product next year if they really met my expectations.

My wedding flowers.. Check again..

I am more o f a lurker in w@w. I post very seldom and I just browse around for suppliers ratings and do some research on suppliers. When I was browsing for a result on my recent research about flower arrangement,I came across Vatel Manila. Actually, flowers do not come on my top priority but I would also like to have a nice bridal bouquet. I don;t want to spend so much on this as I thought the flowers will actually tilt say.,after a couple of hours yet I don't want to sacrifice the quality of the flowers. I got a lot of hits for Vatel Manila so I visited his website to check his samples. I thought he must really be expensive by judging on how he made the bouquets of his brides. But I still decided to email him and jnts so I know he must be really busy.  2 days have past and I am ready to email another flower supplier when Dylan told me that he could already accommodate me! Imagine my happiness upon knowing that. I Immediately sent the pegs I want and he emailed me back the quotation for my entire bridal entourage. Surprisingly, he's not that expensive as compared to what I initially thought. He is still in my price range so grabe talga happiness ko nun. I immediately paid the deposit just to lock him in. I am so happy kasi talagang the service contract he sent me had flower guide pa of the flowers he will be using for my bouquet. Well, i don't know if other florist do that pero with Dylan, talagang its there as if you can already imagine the bouquet on your wedding day. hehehe.I might ask for a mock up of my bouquet even if magbayad na ako but we'll see. I trust Dylan naman eh based from his previous work and satisfied clients. Here's my flower selection for my bridal bouquet:

Here's a sample of Dylan's masterpiece. (Taken from his FB account...I have yet to tell Dylan I am posting some of his work in my blog for reference.. hope he doesn't mind though...:) )

I am sooo excited on what he's gonna do for my bouquet.  All I know is that there will be roses and tulips and some other type of flower I haven't heard before. yay.

Reception.. Check!

Ok. After booking the photographer, I moved on and started venue hunting na rin. I initially wanted my reception to be held somewhere near manila bay for a sunset wedding effect sana. We also thought of having our reception in a hotel but after requesting the latest wedding packages that hotels around the vicinity offers, we need to think  of another plan. I wanted Coconut Palace sana but then our wedding date falls on a month where the weather is still unpredictable. We cannot risk having it outside then rent some tents for plan B. No offensement to those having it on an open space, its just that for us talagang we don't want to panic about the weather.  So I want to have a garden feeling type of setup but rainfree.I have a couple of indoor garden venues in mind:

- Fernwoods
-Fernbrooks
-Gazebo Royale
-Glass Garden

Here are some of the pics of the Glass Garden from different website and sources .(sorry I forgot so I cannot credit the one who took the photos)

 

I am also very particular about the CR.  I want it to be always clean and mabango. 

 Among the four, I am eyeing the glass garden since I am from Antipolo and Don is from Pasig. So location wise, this has the advantage. The only downside is, there are limited churches to choose from but that's another topic. heehhe. So going back, I have emailed glass garden to inquire. Again, good thing our date was still open for reservation. I did not think twice and booked it without paying a visit first. I trusted their AE, Katrina, on what she thinks is best for us. We chose the Diamond Garden. Actually, the Diamond and Emerald are just the same size and same specs. Its just that I learned from a w@wie that if you want to hold your reception at noon, better have it in the Diamond. Also, this garden is very accessible to the guest as it is near the gate so madali sha makita.  When I went there for an ocular. I knew I did the right thing of booking them. From the manong guard up to the AE (Katrina) herself, they were all courteous and very accommodating. She toured me around the vicinity and explained what happens during a wedding. She even suggested several caterers who delivers very well during wedding functions. The events hall is beautiful by itself. What more if we spruce it up by adding some swags and mood lighting effects. hmmmm.. I can already see the look on my guests faces when they see the place. hahaha. (crossing my fingers). Till next update.:)

Photographer - Check!

Our top priorities for our wedding are photographer/ videographer as we believe that this is what will be left for us after the wedding rites are over. We want to reminisce time and time again that special day for both of us. We want to share it to our next generation. hahaha. (Drama ko)... Way back 2008 pa lang I have already joined w@w. There I discovered a lot of very good P/V and one that caught my attention was Dino Lara. Grabe I constantly check his website to see weddings he had covered. But sad to say, when I started planning for our wedding, he is really out of our budget. So again, I had to let go. Good thing because there are lots of equally good photographers out there and one of them is Nelwin Uy. I like his style. Very creative and his candid shots look amazing. I checked his portfolio and liked it very much so I decided to text him to inquire as I thought good photographers get booked easily. 

I must have been very lucky because he is still available on my wedding date. He replies fast and he's got good feedbacks in w@w. My coordinator also recommended him when I told them I am searching for one. I have yet to schedule a meeting with him but I know his schedule is so full especially this coming December. I just want to see his album samples. Importante kasi yun for me. Not only what you see in the website. I'm thinking of upgrading our package after the wedding though from package B to Fully Loaded.

Tips from Sheng

As a bride-to-be, I took down notes of the things that I think are helpful for  achieving a stress-free wedding. Here are some of my tips that I do in my wedding preps. The outcome is good if you follow certain tips.Hope it inspires other brides-to-be.Happy reading!

I just really hope I will be able to follow my own tips as I go along the way. :)

Collections of ideas for soon to be brides

Tip No. 1

Plan your wedding way ahead of time. I got this suggestion from my co-w@wies and they are absolutely right. There is no time limit in planning your wedding (but there is in implementing them).hehehehe.. This way, you can avoid the "rush hours" of finding a specific supplier and the ever famous"last minute decisions" that could lead you in choosing the wrong team for your wedding. Also, it can give you a lot of free time to decide,or choose your suppliers-to-be, the ones you like and preferred.By having a lot of time to plan, you can organize and conceptualize your dream wedding.

Tip No.2

Buy or borrow wedding magazines and supplier's book. Having at least 1 wedding magazine is already enough for a bride-to-be who wants to have more ideas in conceptualizing her dream wedding. Though the price of magazine is kinda expensive, it will still help you out in your wedding preps. For instance, I bought 2 magazines and 1 supplier book (syempre latest edition ng W@w ). The first one is Wedding Essentials latest edition and 1 Metro Weddings (back issue). I don't need to spend so much on these stuff but I must agree that I got a lot of ideas for my preps. These magazines will give you ideas of  what's hot and what's not in preparing for your wedding. Also, they have images and pictures of beautiful wedding gowns and entourage gowns and where can you get those. This is beneficial especially for those bride-to be- that has limited internet use.

Tip No. 3

Google-it. (Or any search engine you know-web based).I know..I know.. we are in the world of new technologies and gadgets and this one is offering you a hassle-free and effortless way of searching and finding a specific supplier. Since most of us have internet access in the office and more often than not, Google and other search engines are not uhm..blocked, you can take advantage of it and try researching. (Just don't let yourself caught in the act by your boss). Another thing is,well, I think most of the suppliers now have their own website or email address. Use this to inquire and perhaps meet up with a prospect supplier since I believe some suppliers respond to emails quickly. As for me, I was able to inquire the most essential suppliers in the wedding just by email and I've got a response fast. Just maximize the use of these search engines and you will find thousands of ideas from just clicking the link ...

Tip No. 4

Join wedding communities and websites. This is the first thing that I did for the start of my preps.At first, I just have ideas-common ideas to be exact on how and what I like for my own wedding. After joining several sites, (syempre weddingsatwork.com ang very high recommended ko) I am somewhat, enlightened for what I really want in my wedding. I have more options for suppliers,additional ideas especially if you're working on a budget like me. hehehehe..My w@w sisters are very helpful and they are not "madamot" in sharing their ideas and would even give advices, to help you achieve your dream wedding.Don't be hesitant to ask, they are very accomodating. The super ever reliable supplier ratings of the newly weds is a great help for those soon to be's for you can have an idea/knowledge the suppliers you will be getting.And may additional pa, friendships and bondings that occur among the group members. San k pa di ba? :-)

Tip No. 5

Attend bridal fairs. I think this is the most helpful tool when planning a wedding-be it simple or elegant. It will do you no harm if you visit bridal fairs,even if you haven't started on planning your wedding. For me, I have attended a couple of bridal fairs and I can say that by attending this, I have trimmed down my ideas on which suppliers offers great bargain but has quality work. Yeah, supplier websites are beautiful but you really don't know unless you see the actual work.If you're thinking that this is just another waste of money, think twice.If you're a member of the community already, there are announcements naman when and where this event takes place eh. And if you pre-register online, your entrance fee is free!!  Its also a very good place to book suppliers for this is time they offer freebies, you can haggle the price,you can see the actual work and you can decide for yourself. A great way of saving moolah..

Tip No. 6

Learn to  Do-It-Yourself. We all know that planning and preparing for a wedding is not an easy task and can be expensive (for some). So as a practical bride-to-be, one way to cut down on expenses is to DIY (Do-it-yourself). I, for one will have something that I want to do by myself or at least with the help of my family and friends.I am thinking of doing my missalettes, STD,(Save the Date), and some gifts and favors for my guests.Though it can be very tiring and requires a lot of patience and perseverance (which I lack unfortuantely hehehehe..)but at least you can choose the design that you want,you have a lot of options to choose from ad best of all, its economical. This way, you can minimize the cost of your wedding and at the same time, its more personalized.