Trial Make-up: Paul & Joe

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Dear Online Diary,

It’s sharing time once again. I had my third trial make-up session with Ms. Cathy, one of the make-up artists of Paul & Joe, during the Crowne Plaza Bridal Show. You’ve read how H2B and I enjoyed the event – what with the overflowing cocktail drinks and food as well as the stress-free transactions from the exhibitors.

Paul & Joe has a great line of organic make-up and impressive list of patrons such as Lucy Torres, Heart Evangelista and Sam Milby to name a few. These personalities aren’t their endorsers but they are frequent consumers of their products.

Ms. Cathy was bubbly and she’s a joy to work with. She’s from Las Pinas, which is our common denominator. She shared that she’s just started in the business and she’ll do her friend’s make-up and styling on her wedding, where in, she’s also a bridesmaid.

What about the make-up and her work?

Hmm... I'll answer that later. First, let's take a look at their set-up.

{Paul & Joe booth = Mall set-up}

{They do not have a make-up box}

Well… I can’t say anything about it beside that we didn’t like it. I can’t remember if I asked her that I like my make-up to be natural and if she can redefine my eyes because I like it to popped.

During the session, it so happened that an exhibitor was scheduled to present on the stage. It’s understandable that they need to dim the lights. Paul & Joe didn’t bring their own make-up light and equipment. That may be one of the reasons why, for us, it’s a bit tragic. Sorry but it’s just too thick and I never liked a red cheek. To make my point, here's the after trial shot:

{This is me with Ms. Cathy of Paul & Joe}

It's a good thing that the trial was free. I would have not paid for it because I was not satisfied with the result. Imagine my horror when I saw my face on a quick trip to the loo. A few dab of tissues fixed the problem (Well, yeah. Maybe more than what's needed actually).

Nevertheless, I still believe that Ms. Cathy has a bright future in this industry. Some of the best HMUAs took 5-7 years of training before they were recognized. So for you, Ms. Cathy, don’t dwell with what you know right now and continue to learn. Good luck!

X.O.X.O.,

Bridal Fair Escapade: Crowne Plaza Bridal Show

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Dear Online Diary,

"It’s elegant and cozy."

That’s how H2B and I describe the bridal fair that we attended yesterday, October 24, 2009 sponsored and held at the Crowne Plaza Grand ballroom.

The bridal fair has carefully chosen suppliers such as Imagine Nation, Paul & Joe, L’Oreal and Z Mobile Bar to name a few. Teddy Manuel did a great job in styling the event inspired by Victorian era. Lots of freebies and gift packs were given away to lucky couples (we got two!) while free cocktail drinks from Z Mobile Bar and food from Intercontinental Hotel and Crowne Plaza were served throughout the event. The highlight of the fair was a bridal fashion show featuring the creation of noted young designers.

{Beside a Victorian-inspired table set-up styled by Teddy Manuel}

{A close-up look: It's all in the details}

{An elegant tower of Swiss wine glasses}

{Yummy cocktail delight from Crowne Plaza}

{Event stylist Teddy Manuel demonstrates how to DIY a bridal bouquet}

{The Victorian-inspired stage styled by Teddy Manuel}

{Young designers showcase their bridal gown creation during the fashion show}

{Classic Act: Carrying a glass of champagne while strolling around the venue & suppliers}

We're lucky we did not go home empty-handed. We won some of the prizes at stake during the event. Thank you very much to the sponsors.

{A snap for documentation: Carolina Herera Gift Pack}

{Carolina Herrera Gift Pack: eau de toilette natural spray and roll-on with leather pouch}

{L'Oreal Paris Gift Pack: Made for Me Naturals Brow & Eye Shadow, Color Riche Lipstick, True Match make-up base, & Double Extension waterproof mascara}

The night ended with a great cocktail party after the fashion show. Kudos to Crowne Plaza for a very successful event. It's by far the most organized bridal fair that we have attended.

{Cocktail Party after the fashion show: Drinks provided by Z Mobile Bar}

As a bonus to this great experience, we received nothing but superb customer service from the Crowne Plaza staff. We commend all of them for being nice and attentive.


PS:
Snapshots courtesy of H2B who undoubtedly went trigger-happy. =)

X.O.X.O.,

A Year & A Lifetime

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Dear Online Diary,

Yes, H2B and I have a year to complete every little details-- from suppliers to DIYs to people who will complete our entourage and most importantly, to prepare ourselves to married life.

Some may think that we have plenty of time to do everything but for us, it seems like it's not enough. I still feel that we've just started.

It's only a year to go before we exchange promises and spend the rest of our lives together. Here's the real countdown:

PS:

You finally found out when's our wedding! *wink

X.O.X.O.,

Special Trivia: The Wedding Ring & Ring Finger Connection

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Dear Online Diary,

According to ancient Chinese excerpt, our fingers represent certain people in our lives:

The THUMB represents our parents.
The INDEX (second) finger represents our siblings.
The MIDDLE (third) finger represents ourselves.
The RING (fourth) finger represents our life partner; and
The PINKIE (fifth) finger represents our (future) children.

Now, do you want to know why wedding ring should be worn on the fourth finger, thus, calling it the Ring finger? Let’s discover the answer by simply following the activity below. This should be fun and interesting.

Starting Position:
Open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together – back to back. Once achieved, open and hold the remaining fingers – tip to tip, as shown on the image below:

{The correct position of the fingers as shown by H2B}

Trial#1:
Try to separate your Thumbs (representing our parents). Can we separate the fingers?

Yes. This symbolizes that our parents will somehow leave us, one way or another, because they are not destined to stay with us forever.

Trial#2:
Join the Thumbs just like on the starting position and separate your Index fingers (representing our siblings). Can we separate the fingers?

Yes, we can separate the fingers because our brothers and sisters will build their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Trial#3:
Join the Index fingers and separate your Pinkies (representing our future children). Can we separate the fingers?

Yes, they can be separated, too. It’s because our future children will get married, leave us and settle down someday.

Final Trial:
Join your little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse). Can you do it? Can you separate the fingers?

It maybe a little surprising but we just CANNOT separate the two fingers. It’s because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick or thin, for better or for worst, in good times and bad.

-- o0o --
It's fun, isn't it? In addition, let this be a reminder (specially to those who are a little lost) that our friends can bring us happiness today. It's true, but what about tomorrow, or the next day, or when we were seasoned and old? Can our friends and acquaintances stay with us?

Well, not everyone. Let’s not forget that in the end, only our spouse can stick with us, just because REAL, BLESSED LOVE will stick together, forever and ever.

I can only hope that everyone will realize this very important lesson before it can be too late. Seriously.

May God touch your heart, your mind and your life not only today but forever and ever . Amen. =)



X.O.X.O.,

Nice-To-Have: Papal Blessing

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Dear Online Diary,

I first heard about Papal Blessing from my w@wie sisses. Papal Blessing ("Benediction Papalis") is a privilege in a form of a certificate given to Catholics for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, ordinations, religious profession, first communions, confirmations or anniversaries. It is a hand-painted parchment with papal seal and signature bearing the person’s name. As the certificate will be coming straight from Vatican, the blessing itself is invisible to the eye but the certificate is a beautiful keepsake and reminder of it.

{Papal Blessing: photo courtesy of w@wie sis Gen}

Let’s not forget, though, that any baptized Catholic can receive the blessing but it will not be given to non-Catholics, to the dead, inanimated objects and to animals. It will not be issued to those wanting them on the occasions of birth (simply because until we are baptized, we are not Catholic), death or anniversaries of death and for past events.

For us not lucky enough to be able to meet the Pope, it is such a welcoming treat that it is still possible for us to receive a beautiful papal blessing certificate for ourselves on the occasion of our wedding. =)

X.O.X.O.,

The Countdown

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Dear Online Diary,

We're almost there. What's with me? Am I nervous? Is this the so-called bridezilla moment? I know I'm so excited but I'm a little freak out. This is more or less what's going on through my head at this moment:

{A thousand and one things... and still counting}

Ok. I'm so freaking out. Got to release the stress. Bye for now. =)

X.O.X.O.,

Bridal Fair Escapade: Kasalan 2009 Ika-apat na Yugto

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Dear Online Diary,

Last weekend, H2B and I got the chance to attend another bridal fair, which means it’s time to share my review once again.

Kasalan 2009 was held at the Mega Hall Trade 2 from October 09-11, 2009. It’s the first and only bridal fair with a Filipiniana theme. I was looking forward to a boost of Filipiniana paraphernalia especially that their website was very promising. Lo’ and behold, all we got is this:

{Their interpretation of Filipiniana: brown paper bag, red Couple sticker to serve as our ID & fliers}

There’s one thing we can say about this event: UNORGANIZED.

The registration queue was a mess. It’s the tiniest registration booth I’ve ever seen, to which H2B commented “parang pila lang sa lotto”. It’s on one corner, beside the man-made stage they've set up at the entrance where the music suppliers performed every hour. Because of this, the registration lady and the registrants have to shout at each other just so they could communicate.

The suppliers were not arranged according to their specialties. One bridal gown supplier is at the left side of the venue while the other is at the far right. Same goes to HMUAs, P/V, coordinators and photobooth suppliers.

We were looking for two HMUAs, Irene Verdida and Christine Bautista, as they both announced that they are going to join the fair. I was able to find Irene’s booth but no one was manning her booth when we passed by. We did not find Christine’s. Maybe because we’re overwhelmed or she did not join the fair after all.

As part of the bridal fair promo, we had the chance to pull a prize from their bouquet because we booked one supplier. We got this:

{The gift certificate that we've won from Events Unlimited}

From our understanding, we’re getting the Black package for free. We presented the gift certificate to Events Unlimited and they explained that the GC is just for a discount worth P5,000.00. Is it just me or the discount is not written on the GC? It’s not that I’m ungrateful but we’re not going to use this because mobile bar is not part of our plan. If anyone of you is interested to get the GC, just PM me. The black package includes: Social Events Coordination and shooters mobile party bar good for 150-200 pax worth P25,000.00.

To end this post, we want to feature two suppliers from the fair that we loved. Most of you know by now that our theme is Nature Photography. To incorporate the theme, we are looking for photo booth supplier that can offer affordable package, quality photos and good customer service.

It’s our first time to see Funli Pix Photo booth. They offer affordable package with 15% bridal fair discount and promised to capture the fun and excitement at our event. We then decided to try their machine. Their technician pushed the button once. The machine took 4 shots with 5 seconds interval. Just enough for us to change position. After about 30 seconds, here’s what we have:

{Funli pix sample: fast yet of high quality}

We liked that it's fast but the photo came out great. You can check their website here to see more snap shots taken at the fair (including our picture!) and their packages.

We have seen Ysabelle’s bridal gowns before but we did not notice their work until we saw this:

{Ysabelle Bridal Gown: elegant but affordable}

It’s made of duchess silk and illusion tulle with minimal bead work. It caught my attention just because I like simple gowns and I'm not a fan of beads. I was told that it’s just P16,000.00 complete with accessories such as primary and secondary veils, two pillows, arrhae, garter, cord and pouch bag. You can check their website here for other designs.

Overall, it was such an experience to remember. We learned a lot of lessons and we hope that the organizers of the next bridal fairs will be, well, a little more organized.

X.O.X.O.,

Is It Really Goodbye?!

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Dear Online Diary,

I was working on our wedding checklist when I received a bad news about SJA Hall on the w@w e-group. A co-w@wie announced that she got a call from the parish secretary that they had to cancel their SJA hall reservation. I was in complete shock because—first, she has no choice but to cancel the reservation, second, she has no venue and lastly, her wedding is just a few months away.

Flabbergasted, I soon find myself dialing the phone number of the parish secretary, Ms. Miles. Sad to say, it’s true. According to her, Monsignor Albert, the parish priest, said that they would need to cancel all reservations made and not to accept any more reservations for 2010 events. This is mainly due to the planned construction of the buildings beside the hall. She added that the construction will start on January 2010 and as of today, has no estimated end day. This only means that we cannot reserve the venue for our own wedding. Sigh.

I called H2B to deliver the news and he, too, was shocked. He proposed to search for another venue but I just couldn’t let it go. I’m in love with the hall and the idea that all the guests need to do after the church ceremony is to leisurely walk and find their way to the hall for the reception program.

I can only hope that I can brush the sadness off. I wish the bridal fair this weekend would help. How I wish.

Am I ready to bid SJA Hall goodbye? Here's what we may miss...

{SJA Hall: Beautiful and Dressed-up. Photo courtesy of W@Wie sis Bhey}

... and for the record, no. I'm not ready. I'll pray hard and I know that God will do the rest.

X.O.X.O.,

Supplier Checklist: We Got RF!

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Dear Online Diary,

I’m referring to Atty. Raymond Fortun. Yes, he is the famous lawyer and not merely a name sake. I found him through W@W where he was named as one of the top suppliers for 2008.

{A comical...}

{... but serious photographer}

H2B and I were adamant to get another photographer but I became a fan of RF since seeing his works on his multiply site. Through our W@W e-group, some of his satisfied clients have been sharing their great experiences with RF during their pre-nuptial photo shoot or wedding. To this day, I have yet to find a negative feedback to his works or attitude.

All of these and more convinced us that we need him to capture the most important event of our lives. I sent him an email upon studying his rates. I was surprised that he’s easy to talk to. We signed the contract, gave the down payment and we’re booked. RF is now our main photographer. Yey! =)

He likes to take playful shots of the bridal shoes, wedding rings and other paraphernalia. To quote RF: “I just adore weddings. I love capturing those smiles that only two people in love can share. I love to preserve for eternity those details that were painstakingly organized for so many months -- that magnificent wedding gown, the ornately designed cakes and flowers, that gleaming bridal car, those sparkling rings.”

Amen. Here are some of the pictures he took from two of my w@wie sisses' wedding:

{Mirriam+Hubert: Wedding Rings}

{Mirriam+Hubert: Wedding shoes}

{Arlene+Rey: Wedding shoes}

{Arlene+Rey: Wedding Rings}

With him as our main photographer, our wedding photos and moments will be in good hands. View his amazing works here.

PS:
It’s so nice that we are once again moving on with our wedding preps despite the set back that I’ve gone through last weekend. It’s such a welcoming feeling. I’m so happy.

X.O.X.O.,

SUPER RANT: Back Up Your Files Please

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Dear Online Diary,

I never thought I am going to be as heart broken as I am now.

Our desktop computer has always been reliable when it comes to storing my wedding paraphernalia since April of this year. I’ve collected a total of 50 folders where I stored wedding inspiration, DIY project how-to’s, Wedding preps checklist, photos to be used for the invitations and reception table, finished e-cards and such. it hurts me more to recall all the items I’ve done…. and gone.

Gone. Puff. It took a simple click to format our desktop computer because of the stupid virus and all my hard works are floating somewhere in space.

My biggest regret is that I never had the chance to back up the files. Now, we’re back to zero. It will hurt me more to redo everything because I always believe that there’s nothing more special than your first try…

Here’s something I would never ever forget from now on: BACK UP THE IMPORTANT FILES.

I guess I learned it the hard way. Sigh.

X.O.X.O.,