Church Update v2

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Dear Online Diary,

This is not going to be easy. Unfortunately, the date we wanted is not available anymore. It’s sad, but true. Ms. Miles gave it to another couple for some reasons. Now we have to plan and get another date to celebrate our wedding. Despite this unfortunate event, I have faith that everything is going to be just fine.

Anyway, we had the chance to attend the Bridal and Debut fair held in Glorietta Activity Center last week. There were few booths, most of which are services that offer photography and video editing, catering, bridal gowns and wedding rings. We saw booths of Golden Hills, Italianni's, TGIF, Niceprint Photography, SanFo Treats, and Flowers Way just to name a few. It was not as extravagant as the Martha Stewart fair but we got a chance to sit down with some of the suppliers and talk about their offer. I almost booked one of the florists because they offered us a great deal. Thank God I reminded myself that there will be more fairs to come and it’ll be good to see more and then choose the best. =D

X.O.X.O.,

The Dangwa Adventure

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Dear Online Diary,

Dangwa is considered as the metro’s flower paradise. According to many, it is where you can find all kinds of flowers and floral arrangements. We’ve been hearing a lot of good stuff about Dangwa but never had the chance (until last Saturday, that is) to visit the place in person as it’s a little bit far from where we are.

To see is to believe, as they say, so last Saturday morning, H2B and I braved the metro traffic to visit the city’s flower paradise. From LRT Tayuman station, we walked towards the Metrobank where we rode a jeepney going to Lardizabal Lacson St. where Dangwa can be found.

It’s true. There were flowers along the street in different colors and kind. There were pink and white star gazers, different colors of Malaysian mums, gerberas, yellow and white calla lily, and all kinds of roses beautifully arranged in bouquets. Oh I forgot the names of some of the flowers but never would I forget how fascinating they are. B2Bs on a tight budget will be delighted to know that these floral arrangements are very affordable. It ranges from P5000.00 for a simple entourage package to only P15,000.00 for a grand package.

{assorted version of malaysian mums and gerberas}

As soon as we got the feel of it, we started to do our mission – which is to find a florist for our entourage and church. Our first stop was Mhira’s flower shop. Jun-jun, who attended to our needs and answered our entire question, was very friendly. However, the package he offered is almost the same package that we can get from a supplier near our area.

It’s awesome that we learned some technical terms such as boutonniere (for the groom, fathers and male entourage), hotdog lace (aisle), hand tied possies (for female members of entourage) and corsage (for mothers and female sponsors). What disappoints us was the fact that most of the owners do not want to give us a quote after they found out that our wedding will be next year. Some were rude which was really irritating. A stall owner even gave us a quotation of P30,000 for church decor only. A little stiff considering that it’s Dangwa, where flower prices are usually inexpensive.

X.O.X.O.,

Being a W@Wie

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Dear Online Diary,

These past few days, I’ve been learning a lot of things about wedding and marriage through online browsing and of course, wedding books and magazines published for young brides like me. This is a very welcoming treat for us who never experience such important event before.

Bookstores around the metro offer a huge array of published books about wedding preparation. For only P125.00, I got The Filipino Wedding Marriage Guide which helps budding brides out there to plan their dream wedding, start their lives together with their husband and live happily ever after. (Ok. That last statement sounds cheesy, but I can’t help it. hehe) This book is very informative and it promises to resolve wedding jitters in any way. I even found tables to help me manage the entire wedding ensemble from the first planning day to the event itself. I read this whenever I’m on the road or when a computer is not available.

Wedding magazines such as Martha Stewart Weddings and Wedding Essentials have guides that brides will surely love. More often than not, these magazines contain Do-It-Yourself projects which will help brides not only to stay within their budget but to add personal touch to their wedding. I love their bridal gowns and wedding cakes catalog, list of tips and wedding ideas to stage your wedding day in your own personal way.

My favorite part of being a bride-to-be is the fact that there are a number of online communities for girls like me. These communities, like Weddingsatwork.com is a website dedicated to brides-to-be and all the people involved in preparing a wonderful wedding. I didn’t know the importance of a wedding day before today and being a W@Wie opened my eyes and kind of inspires me in preparing my own special wedding day. The website offers all the help a bride can get about suppliers, wedding events, legal matters as well as true to life stories of co-W@Wies who published their own wedding experiences. Getting the best suppliers according to your preference is very important (as fellow W@Wie mentioned) and where could you possibly get the best deal? Of course at W@W! I’m fairly new to this community but I’ve learned so much and I love it. =D



X.O.X.O.,

Church and Theme Update v1

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Dear Online Diary,

I just got off the phone with Ms. Miles of St. Joseph Parish Church, more commonly known as Bamboo Organ Parish Church in Las Piñas City. So far, everything’s falling into place because the date we wanted is still available. I have high hopes (and cross fingers, too) that we are going to get the date that we wanted and seal the deal with the parishioners. Since childhood, I dreamt of celebrating my wedding day on this church, which is very close to my heart because this is the same church where my parents exchanged their vows on August 1983.

Incidentally, in addition to the Vintage Vigan theme idea, we came up with a nature theme as an added choice. It’s more like a garden wedding theme with a twist. Angelo has always been a nature lover. He takes dramatic pictures of the blue sky above, golden sunset, green plants, beautiful horizon, colorful flowers, and thanks to the macro power of his dslr camera, he got pictures of ants and bugs. I’m just happy that he is involved with all the planning. =D

X.O.X.O.,

Souvenir and Wedding Favor Surfing

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Dear Online Diary,

This week, I’ve been busy surfing the net trying to find the best souvenir and favor that would go well with our wedding motif. I had a great time doing this as there’s a huge array of choices at reasonable prices. I even found DIY projects that basically will help us stay within our budget. All it takes is a splash of creativity, determination, and inspiration. =D

There’s a scheduled bridal fair next week on Robinson’s Galleria. Unfortunately, H2B is going to attend a photo contest on the same day and I should be there for moral support. This makes me sad, but I know we are going to have a great time.

X.O.X.O.,

The Proposal: H2B Popped IT!

Dear Online Diary,

Many are wondering how H2B popped the question. The very essence of why we’re preparing this wonderful wedding.

I’ll do the best that I can to relay what he did, his preparations and whatnot, but first, let me give you a little background on our relationship.

We now know each other for quite some time and we got together on the last quarter of 2004. We were office mates back then, as a matter of fact, he was my Quality Analyst. Because he wanted to pursue his programming career and I wanted to get rid of the old boring job, we decided to shift to another industry – he joined the electronics industry as a programmer/system developer while I joined the call center industry.

What’s great about us is that we hold on to each other through thick and thin. He’s my greatest supporter as much as I am to him especially during the challenges that even attempted to break our relationship.

One night while H2B and I were out in a restaurant to celebrate my birthday, he showed me this gorgeous photo album (he’s a photo hobbyist, by the way). There I saw all the pictures he took, literally, throughout our journey together. Every page of the album contains pictures that were taken on our first trip to Baguio, while we were out on a mall or a theme park, while playing badminton, and while leisurely walking on the historical streets of Vigan. Seeing all those photographs made me remember how important this person means to me. On the last few pages, I saw a statement written just like this: “Bhy, you know I’m trembling...” with some other pictures of us together. On the next page, I read “Will you...”. At that moment from across the table, I saw him holding this small red box and his eyes were full of emotion. He opened the box, lovingly hold my hand and said, “Will you marry me?” He then came to me and put the gorgeous diamond ring around my finger. Teary-eyed, I kissed him and I said the sweetest "Yes" I could mustered.

{The stunning engagement ring}

There it goes. We’re finally seriously taking the next chapter of our lives together... Happiness..


X.O.X.O.,

Who Am I?

My fetish includes wedge shoes, hair fascinators, lip gloss, dark yet colorful nail polish and bags. I like floral dresses. It brings the girly-girl in me but I wear a pair of pants most of the time because I like to be comfortable when I run errands (read: shop). And oh, banana choco crepe is my kind of dessert (yum!) even when I am on a certain diet.

I heart challenges but I'm not a big fan of liar and eyeliner (arrgh, I hate, hate liars the most). I love to have fun yet I want to get my beauty sleep most of the time. I think teal is perfect but there's no chance that I am perfect. I'm only human (just like you).

I can be dramatic but in a good way. I love nature. In fact, my dreamland is a field with lots of flowers and green meadow, trees, blue sky, a bit of rain, rainbow and a good ol' house. Yeah, pretty much like in fairy tales. The fact is, I am a simple girl with a simple dream.

I believe in God. I believe in Karma -- good or bad. I believe in justice and freedom to express your right. I believe that most people can change for the better. It's a choice. I believe in the power of LOVE (pls don't sing this phrase).

I am a Modern Offbeat Bride. My dream wedding involves thinking outside the box and discovering things I never knew I can do. I see our wedding preps as an experiment and a project. I love discovering things.

I'm not too keen about following tradition; I imagine our wedding as short but sweet, and done in my dream church. I like ours to be intimate so my marriage with the man I can't live without and God will be witnessed by few special people who are close to our hearts.

I have a secret dream. Errr... I'm not gonna tell it here.

Wait, did I mention that I'm obsessed with weddings (our wedding in particular)? I know that 10.23.2010 will be a Blessed day -- Fun, romantic and memorable. And yes, our wedding is going to be a marriage between Me, H2B and God. ♥

Wedding Rings Galore

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Dear Online Diary,

Last week, we went to Golden Hills Robinson’s Galleria branch to “visit” our babies (read: wedding rings). All three sets are equally gorgeous so up to now, we’re having a hard time in choosing what we like best.

Currently, we both like a two-toned diamond ring. What we have in mind is a white gold ring with yellow gold lining. The ring got to have at least one diamond stone and a maximum of five stones, preferably, princess cut diamond stone. Here are the short-listed rings:

{Ring A}

White Gold rough finish and white gold lining with round-cut diamond stone. If we're going to get this, we will request to customize the ring and change the lining to yellow gold.

{ Ring B}

White gold rough finish and yellow gold lining. What we like about this is that it has a princess cut diamond stone.

{Ring C}

White gold rough finish and yellow gold line in the center with small round cut diamond stone. We like the round finish and it is so light as if you're not wearing a wedding ring.

X.O.X.O.,

Bridal Fair Escapade: Martha Stewart Bridal Fair

Dear Online Diary,

We attended the recently concluded Martha Stewart Bridal Fair conducted on March 28-29, 2009 at the World Trade Center. I must say that it was an experience to remember because of two reasons:

1. It was the first bridal fair that we attended; and
2. We won a special prize!


If there’s one word to describe the event, I would have to say that it’s magical. There were flowers of every kind, towering cakes in different colors and sizes, and unusual themed banquets by the participating caterers and hotels on the center of the fair.

Although the registration process on the first day was not as organized as I hope it would be, I quickly forgot the boredom as soon as I entered the proper. Shangri-la Hotel’s booth welcomed us with their gorgeous set up. The booth has the feel of a palace. The receptionist attended to us and gave us pointers and advantages should we get their services. After the talk, they gave us free sampaguita soaps as a complement. On one side was a madam in pink gown playing a lovely song with a gorgeous harp just beside the towering white cake with a pink lily motif.

As we go through the exhibit, we found a couple of other hotels offering their services while giving freebies. The rings from Golden Hills were all sweet and exceptional so we had a hard time selecting what we like best. Beside that they give 20% discount and a free arrhae, they also offer a lay away plan which will allow the buyers to pay the rings on x times installment.

The highlight of the event was the wedding gown fashion show by Frederick Peralta. It’s a great collection of conservative, rock, minis, modern and vintage take of a bridal gown.

Who would have thought that we will walk away as winners of free accommodation for two at the Shangri-la RIA resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia? I got all anxious when they called my name. The bride-to-be who won a honeymoon package from Shangri-la. I still cannot believe it.

To Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine and Summit Media, thank you very much and more power! =D

X.O.X.O.,