Two Confirms For Today!!!

Last thought before I go to sleep. (Yup, I've been slaving away on wedding preps for the past 3 days)

I want to express my happiness that two suppliers confirmed for me today.

1) We're going to have the ceremony in the view deck of Josephine Restaurant (Initially we planned to have the ceremony and reception in the Parasol Garden. But since the view deck is available on our wedding date and our budget can accomodate, we decided to get the view deck as well)
2) We'll be having Missy as our emcee for the reception. Yey!!!

So now, I have to make the payment to Missy and when I go home, additional deposit for Josephine Restaurant.

By the way, we've been scouting for invites suppliers and music ensemble. Hmmm.. Busy busy busy.

Game Plan for Marriage License & CCF Requirements

I have been stressed out these past few days thinking how am I going to manage these two. I was actually scared that everything would be ready for our wedding, except that we couldn't find a pastor to perform the ceremony and we couldn't get a marriage license. Crazy ideas coming from a crazy B2B. Haha.

Yesterday, I asked Joy to do a pep talk for me (I badly needed it) So he told me, CCF has about 10 pastors. I shouldn't worry that no one, as in no one at all will be available for our wedding. Okay.. He has a point.

So now, I'm thinking, what would be my game plan in obtaining the requirements for these two? The most important things are the authenticated birth certificate and CENOMAR. I have prepared the app forms and the authorization letters. When Farizza goes home for the Holidays, I will ask her to bring the docs home. Either she requests the docs for me or Gretel does. Hehe. Thank God for my sister and my cousin.

And then, I will have to call Fifi to follow up what's next for us and how do we schedule a pastor for our wedding. Hay.. Sorry kung magulo. Kasi magulo talaga yun utak ko.

It's Time to Look for the Invites

Preparing the wedding invites is a bit difficult for me since both me and Joy are based overseas. It would have been so easy to go to Recto, select a design that we like, haggle, finalize the deal and wait while the drafts are being prepared.

So now, I'm browsing the internet for invites suppliers who have a website and who are capable of coordinating everything while I'm away. I managed to find three and have sent an email to them. Let's see who responds well :)

Impress Prints by Calliope Printing
Printlane
Printdivas

A Little Less Than 3 Months To Go!!!

Yesterday I realized, 3 months to go until our BIG DAY!!! I can't help but feel overwhelmed with the things that we still have to do. Whew!!

1) CCF requirements and book a pastor
2) marriage license requirements (nso birth certificate, cenomar, barangay clearance)
3) wedding rings
4) complete measurements for the entourage
5) first fitting (For Me)
6) invites
7) souvenirs
8) emcee
9) choir
10) payment for Atty Salcedo
11) finalize details with Josephines

Things I have accomplished:
1) Venue for ceremony and reception (Josephines - 50% paid)
2) Photographer (Jayson Arquiza - DP paid)
3) OTD and videographer (DNDC and Jezreel - RF paid)
4) HMUA (Chichi - RF paid)
5) Flowers (RCJC - RF paid)
6) Wedding preps accomodations (Atty Salcedo - pencil booked)
7) Bridal and entourage gowns (Beth Saraza - DP paid)

Measurements for Entourage Gowns: Almost There!!!

A few weeks ago, our entourage had their measurements taken for their attire for our wedding.

Here are what the ladies of the entourage will be we wearing:

Mother of the Bride



Lola of the Bride

MOH

Secondary Sponsors

Bridesmaids

JR Bridesmaids

The following still have to have their measurements taken: Joy, Joy's Lola, Far (SS), Christine (SS), Fati (BM), Christian (ring bearer) barong, MM (FG)

Brainstorming For Our Entourage Gowns

This blog is definitely becoming a therapy for me!

Parang pakiramdam ko there's so much to do for our wedding, pero hindi ko naman masabi kung alin at kung pano ko sila gagawin. Anyway, just want to post some brainstorming ideas for our Entou gowns.

We've almost finalized our entourage. And we're trying to set a date for their measurements to be taken. Tentaively... Nov 7 (Saturday) for Joy's family and Nov 21 (Saturday) for my family.

We will be requesting our entourage to pay for their gowns. Php 800 to 900 for adults and Php 500 ata for the kids. I have asked my sister, Farizza to select a gown design for the secondary sponsors. I will be asking Joy's mama to choose the design for maid of honor (Princess, Joy's sister) and JR bridesmains (Nina and EJ, Joy's sisters). I have to choose designs for the bridesmaids. FG designs are to be done by me and Farizza.

Yun lang naman. Hay. Good night! Monday na naman bukas..

Introducing... Our Entourage...

BEST MAN - Edwin

MAID OF HONOR - Princess

CANDLE - Jay & Far
VEIL - Gino & Christine
CORD - Aaron & Gretel

GROOMSMEN
Malcolm
Jayvonn
BRIDESMAIDS
Fatz
Faith

JR GROOMSMEN
Cerjohn
__________
JR BRIDESMAIDS
Nina
EJ

BIBLE BEARER - Clian
COIN BEARER - _________
RING BEARER - Christian Johanna

FLOWER GIRLS
Em em
Johanna


** We're still missing 1 JR groomsman and coin bearer. I have to remind Joy..

A Little Over Four Months To Go

Can you believe it?! Parang kelan lang pakiramdam ko it's going to take forever for our wedding day to final arrive. Tapos itong malapit na nagkukumahog naman ako.. Actually nagkukumahog is not the term kasi nga I'm doing nothing! Ewan ko ba. Napaka erratic ng kasipagan ko sa pag-aayos ng wedding details. Kaya eto ako ngayon panic mode at overwhelmed sa mga kailangan pa namin gawin. I just want to run through the list. Para na rin marelease ko ang tension. Hehe.

1) make arrangements for a pastor
2) requirements for our marriage license (nso birth certificate, barangay clearance and cenomar)
3) wedding rings
4) scout for entourage gown designs
5) arrange entourage's measurement to be taken for the gowns
6) deposit kay beth saraza
7) inform the ninong and ninangs (i think three more couples to go)
8) invitations
9) souvenirs
10) emcee **optional, depending on the budget
11) choir **optional, depending on the budget

And The Best Bouquet Is...

By overwhelming response, bouquet number 1 is the hot pick!
Email ko na si Ate Cora :)

Flower Picking for the Bridal Bouquet

After finalizing the deal with RCJC, it's time to choose the design for my bouquet.

As one of my W@Wie sister suggested, we'll have white roses, with a touch of blue and then we'll just put chocolate brown accents to comply with our motif. I'm going to request Ate Cora to use chocolate brown ribbon to tie all the bouquets (What a lovely contrast)


BOUQUET NO. 1
I liked the simple charm of the bouquet right from the first time I saw this picture




BOUQUET NO. 2
H2B liked this kasi litaw na litaw daw yun color na blue.
I think my mother also likes this bouquet.




BOUQUET NO. 3





BOUQUET NO. 4

RCJC Flowers: It's a Deal!

Yesterday, through a telephone call, I have finalized my deal with Ate Cora of RCJC. Here's a list of the flowers we will be getting for our entourage:

1 bridal bouquet (white roses, paper roses, fillers and accents)
1 MOH (gerbera, carnations, roses)
3 bridesmaids
2 jr bridesmaids (flower balls)
3 female SS (wrist corsage)
5 female PS (bouquet consist of roses, gerbera/mums)
2 mothers (bouquet consist of roses, gerbera, carnations)
2 FG (headdresses and basket of flowers)
1 bouquet for the bridal car

**free throwing bouquet and petals

Wanted: All Things Tiffany Blue!

Tuwing makikipag-usap kami sa mga suppliers or friends, palagi nilang tinatanong, anong color motif namin. Ako naman sasabihin ko Tiffany Blue. Ha? Ano raw? Para hindi na tayo malito ipopost ko na dito yun isang inspiration board na naresearch ko.

Ang motif sa wedding namin ay Tiffany Blue (or Robins Egg Blue), cream and brown.

Today is My Unlucky Day

Nag-MC ako today dahil masakit tyan ko. Nagtyaga ko maglakad papunta MRT at sumakay papuntang Pasir Ris. Only to find out expired na pala yun medicard ko (at hindi ko pa nakukuha yun renewal) wala p naman akong cash. So umalis na lang ako. Pobreng bata.

Sinubukan ko pumunta s clinic malapit s min pero cash lang din sila.

Habang naglalakad ako pauwi nakarinig ako ng crunch. Pag tingin ko nakaapak ako ng snail! Huhu. Sabi nga ni Joy kinuha na sya ni Lord through me.

Eto pa malupit. Ginagawa yun elevator sa block namin. Ayos! Nagstairs ako hanggang eight floor..

Action Items From My Pinas Vacation

1) Pay downpayment to Ms Beth Saraza (c/o Joy's mom)
2) Finalize entourage and schedule their fitting
3) Inform the ninongs/ninangs
4) Finalize deal with Atty Salcedo. Pay 8,000 fee for 1 night
5) Decide if we're getting RCJC for the flowers

Updates From My Pinas Vacation

I just got back from Pinas. Thank God for everything we have accomplished so far!

We went to Divi and met with our gown supplier, Beth Saraza. She will be doing my bridal gown and entourage gown. I looove the design of my gown and pasok pa sa budget. ;) She already took my measurements and we'll probably schedule our first fitting on December. Time to finalize our entourage and schedule their fittings..

The pamamanhikan was held last Sunday. Maraming food and everything went smoothly. We get to discuss some wedding details with our family and close relatives.

We went to Tagaytay on Monday. We went to Canyon Woods to checkout Atty Salcedo's house. It's a three-storey, 6-bed room house. Very nice and spacious. Joy wanted to get it for our wedding day preps. Good deal for 8k per night, for 15 pax (will post pics later)

We also visited Ate Cora of RCJC. She quoted us 9,750 for the package we wanted. This might still increase because we still need to finalize the entourage.

Finally we had our prenup on Wednesday. Chichi did my vintage HMU. We also got to meet the Arquiza's who turned out to be very nice and easy to work with :) the only two things that were frustrating during the prenup was that it rained and I forgot the bubbles for our props! Damn!

That's it for now..

Hooray!!!

(Let's just take some break from the wedding preps)

Hooray for back to back championships in the SFC Sportsfest! We won gold in the womens doubles badminton event yesterday and gold again in the womens volleyball event today :) I dedicate these champions to the Lord, for giving me the skills and for His faithfulness. Secondly I dedicate this to my Papa. Someone who encouraged me to develop myself in sports. He would have been proud if he was here with us. I trully miss him. Lastly, I dedicate this to Joy. He is my inspiration. For his love and understanding. To God and to the two men in my life.

Things to do for my September Vacation

WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR:
- venue, paid reservation fee
- OTD coordinator, paid reservation fee
- Videographer, paid reservation fee
- Photographer, paid reservation fee
- HMUA, reservation fee to be paid this coming week

THINGS TO DO WHEN I GO HOME:
- ocular at Josephines. Pay 50% deposit. Food tasting. Talk to cake supplier and florist for the table setup
- checkout accomodations for bridal prep and hotel included in the package
- go to Divi and scout for bridal and entourage gown supplier
- Prenup photoshoot :)
- Pamamanhikan :)
- Facial :)

THINGS TO PREPARE:
- pang down sa Josephines
- table setup
- cake design
- choices for preps accomodation
- bridal and entourage gown design
- concept for the prenup photoshoot
- guest list, entourage list and sponsors list

The Search For the Perfect Wedding Ring

I've been looking at wedding rings for quite some time now. The criteria in choosing are 1) either yellow gold or two-tone 2) gusto ko may diamonds, ayoko ng isa lang. Diamonds nga e. Hehe 3) kailangan identical ang rings namin ni Joy 4) kailangan within our budget 5) kung pwede sana bagay sa engagement ring ko

Sa ngayon I'm considering 4 choices. We have a quotation from Matus. There's one I like in Lee Hwa (26 diamonds ata yun na .01) nasa SGD 1,800 yun price ng pair. Then there are two rings I like at Love & Co. Yun isa nakita ko siya sa magazine and na love at first sight na ko. Unique ang design nya na tadtad din ng diamonds. Hehe. Nasa SGD 1,800 din. Tapos yun last yun bagay sa engagement ring ko. 5 diamonds naman sya. Nasa SGD 1,200 yun price nya. What I like about Love & Co pwede ka magpacustomize ng yellow gold na rings for SGD 40 per ring. Nice :)

Siguro hintayin ko si Joy pumunta dito para makita din nya and makapagdecide siya kung anong gusto nya. For the meantime, babalik balikan ko na lang at susulyapan yun mga dream wedding rings ko!

Chichi Sotomil Is My HMUA

Thanks to all those who gave feedback about my trial hair and makeup sessions. After discussing thoroughly with Joy and thinking about it myself, I decided to book Chichi. Clap! Clap! Clap!

Una, I liked the rapport that we had. I find her easy to talk to and funny. Pangalawa, joy and i liked the quality of her work and it stayed on for a long time. Pangatlo, her rates are very reasonable.

I emailed her the other night to confirm my booking. Fingers crossed, we'll be able to iron out some tiny queries then I'm going to pay the reservation na.

Hay grabe. Nakahinga ko ng malalim. Kasi antagal din naming nagscout for HMUA. I wanted a really good artist kasi gusto ko maganda talaga ang makeup ko sa wedding ko. At the same time gusto ko ng makeup artist na reasonable naman ang rates. Si Chichi na yun :) I'm so happy!

My Trial Hair and Makeup Sessions

Help me choose who's going to make me more beautiful (ahehehe) for my wedding.

I requested for a natural and fresh look since my wedding is in the morning. I liked both makeup. But I wasn't very satisfied with the hairstyle. My fault din kasi I wasn't prepared. would have been better if I did research and brought samples of hairstyles I like. Tip to B2Bs, do your research and come prepared during your trial sessions. Buti na lang they are accomodating and they told me I can consult pa naman on what hairstyle I like for my wedding day

PRINCESS MISA HERNANDEZ




(makeup after 5 hours)



CHICHI SOTOMIL




(at daylight)


(makeup after 8 hours)

Something New

Some time ago in the past, in the not so distant past, she would ask me to give her love letters. Now, she has gone more 'techie' and asked me to post something in our blog. :P

Sometimes my baby forgets what I say/email/text to her so I'm putting some of the things here. I told her we can both take care of her family and my family if she comes home -- another argument for her to come here, hehehe. You can hit me next time when you come here for a visit. mwah. :)

Let me tell you some things that I got from the magazine your mom gave me last weekend. This was also taken from the book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHRISTIAN WEDDING VOWS by H. Norman Wright:

I love the little girl in you who is so playful and enjoys each moment. I love the woman that you are, who is understanding and offers love and affection without conditions.

As your friend I will make time for us to listen and talk. I will let go of tomorrow and enjoy the moment that we have, allowing the little boy in me to come out and play.

I pray that you will find comfort in my arms all the rest of our days.

Las Pinas City Civil Registry Marriage License Requirements

i got this from a w@wie. Apparently each city/municipality might have different requirements. Requirements can also vary depending on the age of the couple. Why? I don't know..
 
COUPLE 25 yrs old ++
.. authenticated birth certificate ng lalaki at babae, mula sa National Statistics Office; at
.. certificate of no marriage (Cenomar) para sa magkabilang partido, galing din ng NSO.
Barangay Residence cartificate

COUPLES 21-25 y/o
.. authenticated birth certificate ng babae at lalaki mula sa NSO;
.. certificate of no marriage mula sa NSO;
.. parental advice

PROCESS
·         If you have the above mentioned requirements, fill up the application form for marriage license at the civil registry office.
·         The processing should only take you ten working days for the publication or posting (often at the bulletin board within the municipal hall), this is to check if a third party will appeal.
·         Before the release of the marriage license, you need to attend the family planning seminar at pre-marriage counseling sa DSWD. In Las Piñas, it’s every Thursday from 8:00 am until 12:00 noon and at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the pre-marriage counseling.
The two seminars will award certificates as proof of attendance which you will present at the civil registrar’s office before the release of your license. The license is valid for 120 days anywhere in the Philippines.

Hair and Make Up Trial Sessions

On with the preps..

I'm glad I finally scheduled trial hair and make up sessions with two artists I have shortlisted. I have scheduled a trial with Chichi Sotomil and I'm waiting for Princess Misa's confirmation for my sched :) I will definitely post the pics of the trials here.

In Memoriam Rizalino R. Cuenca (1957-2009)

The day after my last post before this, my father passed away. Need I say more? Until now, sadness is a constant companion. Remembering happy memories shared with my Papa. I always picture in my mind the last moments we were together. The last time I held his hands, kissed his forehead and the last time I looked at him.

It's been more than a month now. Life, as well as our wedding preps still go on. Much like life, it does go on, but our wedding preps changed so much.

Firstly, we had to change our wedding date. From Dec 8, 2009 to Mar 8, 2010. It was not an easy decision. But believe me, it had to be done.

Secondly, from the grand and fabulous wedding, we have to redirect our plans to a simple, yet lovingly prepared wedding. Given the situation, I don't have the heart to have a grand and fabulous wedding.

Now, I realize that it's not how grand the wedding is. It's the fact that it's a union of two people who love each other and who will stand beside each other through thick and thin. It's my Papa's wedding gift. He made me realize what's important in a wedding. It's the marrriage.

Papa wherever you are, we miss you so much. I thank you for everything. Don't feel sad that you're not able to go to my wedding. You are always with us in our hearts. We love you.

From 150 to 50

(Habang nakahiga at nagpapahangin sa picnic grounds dito sa east coast park naisip kong magblog dahil may libre namang internet. Why not?)

Dala ng mga pangyayari nitong April, naisip namin ni Joy na kailangan namin ng matinding budget cut s aming wedding. Nung venue sana yun papalitan namin. Pero emote naman ako dahil love ko na nga ang Josephines. Na-imagine ko na ang sarili kong nagpapapicture na ang background ay yun Taal Lake. Dahil maintindihin naman si Joy sige go Tagaytay pa rin kami.

Naisip na lang naman magcut sa guest list. From 150, 50 na lang ang guest namin. Stirctly family and close friends. Sniff. Sniff.

Accomplishments and Action Plans

Suppliers Booked:

1) Reception Venue - Josephine Restaurant, Tagaytay
2) OTD Wedding Coordinator - DNDC
3) Onsite Video - Jezreel
4) Photographer - Redefine Weddings (Jayson Arquiza)

Things to Do:

1) Guest List
2) Principal Sponsors
3) Entourage
4) We need to finalize the theme!

Priority Suppliers to be Booked:

1) Emcee - to finalize booking with Missy (reservation fee to be paid end of the month?)
2) HMUA - still scouting.. I was hoping to have a trial session when I go home in May
3) Rings - there's this design I like in Lee Hwa. I couldn't find a picture online :( I want a yellow gold or two-tone ring. We might have it made by a friend of Joy's mom since it's cheaper
4) Gown - not really a priority in terms of budget. when I go home in May we will visit the Divi supplier who made the gown for the wedding of Joy's relatives

Wedding Photographer - Check!

Paul Vincent
Nelwin Uy
Jeff and Lisa
Jayson Arquiza

These are just some of the wedding photographers we shortlisted. We spent hours and hours looking at their websites, scouting their works, identifying their techniques. I would have booked them all. Cause they were all great! But of course, we needed to get someone with good quality work and is within our budget.

Guess who we got? :) Our wedding will be photographed by none other than-- Jayson Arquiza! Transacting with him was mainly done through emails. He replies within a reasonable time and he's a very nice and humble guy. Judging by email anyway. Hehe. I was so happy when he told me he's available for our wedding date. Once we had the money, I immediately asked Joy to make the deposit. Hehe. Atat! We even got a discount because of our W@W tag.

OTD Wedding Coordinator - Check! (Plus On-site Video Pa!)

On that same vacation to Manila, we scheduled a meeting with Dindi of DNDC. I prepared myself by going over the package she sent me and listing down some questions.

Dindi is a nice person. She's young but upon talking to her, you'll know that she's not lacking experience in the wedding industry. She was able to answer my inquiries and she made helpful suggestions. Take note hindi pa namin siya na-book nito ah?! ;P On that same meeting, Jezreel, who was with Dindi, showed us some of his works. He clicked instantly with Joy. Plus points na agad to ;p We ended the meeting telling Dindi that Joy and I will discuss things first. But deep in my heart, I knew I wanted to get her services.

When we went home, I was pleased that Joy gave me the go signal to get them. Yehey! We're on a roll ;p

Fast Forward - The Wedding Preparations

Setting the date was easy enough for us. We wanted the wedding to be on our anniversary, on his birthday or my birthday.

Fast forward to the wedding preparations. I joined the W@W yahoogroups and I learned that the next step after setting the date is to decide on the wedding venue. Joy and I visited possible wedding venues in Makati, Manila and Intramuros. We couldn't find the perfect place for us. It's either too plain, too old, too expensive, too big, too far, etc.

While surfing the internet, I encountered Josephine Restaurant in Tagaytay. I requested for a list of their packages. Lo and behold, Joy liked the place! Who wouldn't want to get married in Tagaytay? It's such a beautiful place. The venue is beautiful in itself. We wouldn't have to spend too much on styling it. We also felt that the package they offered is value for money.

During one of my vacations in the Philippines, we visited the place and conducted an ocular inspection. We also tried the food. We found both things up to our standards and so we paid the reservation fee already. Yehey!

After booking the venue, that was when I felt that this is it! I'm really getting married. It was a good start to our wedding preparations :)

The view deck has stunning view of the Taal Lake

Nice setup for a garden wedding

The Parasol Garden where the reception will be held

The Proposal

I guess it's just appropriate to start the blog by posting how Joy proposed to me :)

Even before he proposed, we already knew that we are indeed getting married and that we will be getting married on Dec 8, 2009. Just like any girl, I would have wanted a proposal and an engagement ring. But I said to myself, what matters is that we have made the decision to get married. And so I had no idea that he was going to propose when we went on a trip to Pagudpud.

On that particular day, he told me he wants to go swimming in the beach in the afternoon. When we were going to the beach I noticed he brought his bag, which was not small by the way. When I asked him about it, he said he just wanted to secure our things. Okay. While swimming, I noticed he kept glancing at the bag, which was lying at the shore. When we got tired of swimming I told him I wanted to go back to the place we're staying because I wanted to take a shower and clean up. I felt uncomfortable with the sand and the salty water. He told me, we can just go sit somewhere and watch the sunset. Awww. How sweet. So I said okay.

And so we sat on top of a huge rock, watching the waves and chatting. After some time, I told him I wanted to shower cause I was getting really uncomfortable. He told me to wait for a short while. After a few minutes, his tone got serious:

Joy: Natatandaan mo nung first time ka sumama sa dgroup? Sabi ko nun kay Lord, kung pwede akin ka na lang (taking out something from his bag)

Faye: Uhuh

Joy: Natatandaan mo yun plans natin for Dec 8, 2009?

Faye: Uhuh (getting nervous)

Joy: (getting my hands and putting the ring on my finger) Tuloy natin yun ha?

That was it. Simple but really heartfelt. My heart was beating so fast and I was crying.

Later on, we decided to take some pictures. Pardon the quality of the shot and the way we looked (I didn't know he was going to propose that time and so I didn't make any effort on improving my looks ;p)

The beautiful horizon when Joy proposed to me

We took our pics. I was trying to show off my ring ;p