Supplier Checklist: Invitation

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Dear Online Diary,

Today is very memorable.

President Noynoy Aquino was inaugurated as the country’s 15th president.

Twilight fanatics trooped to the cinemas to watch Eclipse.

We, on the other hand, got our invitation supplier.

Yes, it’s true. With only 116 days to go, we booked our invites supplier!

At first, we considered to do our invites by ourselves. We did our invites design months ago and it’s ready for printing. The problem started when we realized how hard it was to print the invites. We were just not happy with how the color’s coming up. That’s when we decided to let the professionals do the job.

We then started to look for invites suppliers several bridal fairs ago. It was, well, a bit overwhelming. We saw loads of pretty, original, thematic and what-have-you invites. They’re all amazing but only one supplier caught our attention – Written in Ink (Wink).

We intended to book Wink during one of the bridal fairs that we attended last month because they offer affordable but amazing invitation packages. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to go back. I was browsing through the W@W e-community when I got the idea of sending an email to Wink asking if they could extend the bridal fair discount. I knew it’s going to be a long shot and I was afraid it would just be ignored but we got Faith.

A couple of days ago, I got a message from Ms. Noky, owner of Wink. We exchanged several messages until we came into an agreement. To seal the deal, we went to their main office in Makati today and talked to our AE, Ms. Jo. She nicely presented a whole bunch of pretty invites samples. Browsing through the samples was a breeze. It really helps when you know what you wanted from the very start. You’ll bound to feel the “this-is-it” feeling. And so we did.

{Smile for the camera: Ms. Jo (right) and yours truly while selecting the perfect invites}

{We just Winked! :)}

Several minutes later, I found ourselves selecting the color combination, the type of paper and the style/theme of our invites. We then signed the contract and we’re off to get our mock-up in a few days. Yey! As for the wedding checklist, INVITES = CHECKED!

Thank you, Ms. Noky and Ms. Jo. You're the best! :))

Contact Details:

Ms. Noky Gatmaitan

Unit 1 Southway Condominium Mayapis Corner

Bakawan Streets, San Antonio Village Makati City

Telephone No. 894.1500

Email: info@wink.com.ph

X.O.X.O.,

Documents: Church Requirements

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Dear Online Diary,

H2B and I visited the Bamboo Organ Church registrar’s office to submit our document requirements and to finalize our payment as well as to clear some things related to church ceremony.

Here are the documents required by the church (may vary depending on your parish church):
1. Recent Baptismal and Confirmation Certificate with notation for Marriage purposes.
2. Certificate of No Marriage from NSO.
3. Marriage License.
4. Birth Certificate and 1x1 ID picture.
5. Marriage Banns and permission
6. Barangay certificate

{All about documents and church requirements}

Since I was baptized and confirmed at the same church, it was a breeze requesting for the documents. They just printed my baptism and confirmation certificates and I’m done. H2B, on the other hand, had to request his baptismal certificate from the province (he was born and baptized in Ilocos Sur). We requested for the documents and we’re just waiting for their feedback. We have to complete these requirements so they can schedule us for an interview and pre-cana seminar.

As for the CENOMAR, I read that it’s SUPPOSEDLY not a requirement but I don’t know why they were insisting that it’s required by LAW. Just to stress it, anyway:

A CENOMAR however, contrary to what many of us thought is not a requirement for marriage but instead, it is only necessary for couples who were to wed to know and be certain that their partner's civil status is still single and unattached to or uncommitted to anyone by laws of the civil registry and the catholic church require. (source)

We’ve known each other for almost a decade now and we’re both sure that both of us aren’t married. It’s just unnecessary and additional expense. We could have save the moola and time. But because we are good followers of the church, we have to get a CENOMAR, anyway. I’ll go and visit their Pasay branch this Friday.

X.O.X.O.,

We RSVP on Wedding Congress Asia!

Dear Online Diary,

I’m so excited to attend the Wedding Congress Asia on July 31-August 1, 2010. Not only because it might be the last bridal fair that we are going to attend but also because I’m excited to attend the seminars that they are going to put up.

If my memory serves me right, this bridal fair was one of those that we enjoyed the most (next to Martha Stewart, if I may add) because there’s a lot (read: hundreds) of suppliers and the seminars and speakers are just amazing. All of the speakers made H2B and I realized that the wedding industry is a wonderland. I’m actually open to idea of joining the industry after we tied the knot.

Oh well, so much for that. I’m just so excited about the bridal fair. I can’t wait to meet our booked suppliers and learn so much more through the seminars that they are going to hold. I’d like to share the bridal fair’s website. It’s so cute. It’ll ask you if you’d like to announce your wedding day during online registration. I said yes and here’s ours:

{Wedding Congress Asia Website: Really nice website and that's our mini wedding announcement. I enclosed it in a heart :)}

As a bonus, we will be meeting some of our W@W sisses. Can’t wait for that either. :))

X.O.X.O.,

DIY: Save-the-Date Fridge Magnet

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Dear Online Diary,

Home run. Rush hour. Deadline. Accomplishment. Sweet.

It’s exactly four months to go today before the Big Day (whew! Still gives me jitters when I think about it). It’s been a bliss browsing wedding ideas and creating DIY projects (more to come) and we started on completing document requirements including suppliers meet-up.

For this post, I wanted to share our latest accomplishment, DIY Save-the-Date (StD). It’s one of our e-session RAW photos. Editing it using Photoshop was fun. I think we had four revisions before we finally got what we wanted. The more challenging part of it was looking for magnetic sheets. It took us several weeks before we found the materials but it’s worth it.

{StD: Ready for distribution}

{StD: Got it's own sweet spot on our fridge}

H2B and I are going to distribute the fridge magnet at the end of this month in time for our PS visit. In addition, we are going to meet our entourage for their gown measurements soon. It’s like we are (or should I say I am) on oblivion. All I can think about is our wedding. It’s like a movie playing on my head as I envisioned how it’s going to be on our Big day (complete with background music, mind you). If this is not wedding jitters, what is this?

As for the wedding checklist, STD == CHECKED!

X.O.X.O.,

Supplier Checklist: Fondant Cakes by Mavic

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Dear Online Diary,

About 2 weeks ago, I was in search for a cake supplier. I was spending half of my sleeping time searching online and browsing through wedding magazines just to find the cake artist.

We want someone who takes his/her profession seriously and easy to talk to. We want someone who can work around our budget. We want someone who can make our dream cake possible.

Until I came across the multiply page of Ms. Mavic Selim. Without hesitation, I sent her a personal message to inquire about her cake packages. Luckily, she responded in a heartbeat. I then found myself exchanging YM with her for almost an hour (or two. Honestly, I lose track of the time. teehee). We talked about our wedding, her passion about baking and designing cakes, our cake design and what-have-you. I like her plan on how she’s going to execute our cake based on the pegs I sent her for inspiration. She then sent me a similar design she did for her previous client. She got me at that very moment. I believe that she’s going to execute the design beautifully. I just knew then that she's the cake artist for us.

{Few of Ms. Mavic's creation}

Before booking, I told H2B about my convo with Ms. Mavic and how flexible she is. I let him browse through the websites of Ms. Mavic (you can find her in Facebook, too) and the pegs she sent that’s not online. With his approval, we booked her. Not only does he likes our wedding cake inspiration, he also likes the sample photos of the cakes that Ms. Mavic sent to me.

{Ms. Mavic with one of her recent creations}

To make it official, we deposited the down payment yesterday. It’s final. Ms. Mavic will create our dream cake. Cheers! :))


Contact Details:

Mavic Selim
Cellphone Number: 0908-189870
Email Address: mavic_selim@yahoo.com
http://fondantcakes.multiply.com/

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Having completed a couple of things off our wedding checklist – passport application, ocular and detailing with Ms. Anj of Ma Del’s (related story coming soon) and finally booking our cake supplier – it’s been a very busy yet fruitful rest day. Thank you, Lord. Everything’s coming together. :))

X.O.X.O.,

Document: Passport Application

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Dear Online Diary,

Yesterday was a very long day for both H2B and I. We had an appointment for passport application so we headed to the new building of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) along Macapagal Blvd. in Pasay City.

{DFA Building along Macapagal Blvd.}

Nowadays, it’s supposedly by appointment. An individual who wish to apply for a passport should set an appointment by going to the DFA website. All the requirements are listed on their website so there should be no reason to stay all day just to finish the application. The website was promising. The service was, unfortunately, unsatisfactory and inefficient.

We arrived at 11:00AM (early for our 11:30AM appointment) hoping that we could finish it in no more than 2 hours. Oh boy, how we were wrong. The building was full of people by that time. All of them were engaged in a conversation either with the guards, the government employees or other applicants.

{They were serving the holder of ticket number 4430 when we arrived...}

{... and here's our ticket numbers}

While waiting for our turn, we had the chance to talk to one of our co-applicants. She arrived at 8:30AM (that was 11:00AM) because her appointment was at 9:00AM. Gosh, she’s been waiting and sitting there for more than 2 hours. Looking at the situation, she suggested that we go out to have our lunch because most likely than not, it’ll take 2 hours before our turn. She’s not the only one. A lot of people were also not happy about waiting for more than an hour just to have their documents checked (Note: this is for step 1 and the whole process will take 3 steps to finish).

So, to cut the story short, we had our turn around 3:00PM (after 4 hours of waiting). I was assigned to Window 15. The girl was nice. While checking my requirements, she asked if I’m a wedding coordinator. I told her no and in fact, I’m a bride. She said she only asked because of my email address. From there, she asked a lot of wedding stuff, which I gladly answered.

H2B, on the other hand, had a different faith. There’s a problem with his Birth Certificate so he was advised to fix the problem to the registrar where the Birth Certificate was issued (and it was in Ilocos Sur!) then they asked him to go back to finish his application. He was not the only one, though. A lot of applicants were turned down because of insufficient documents or wrong information. Not so nice especially since you have to wait for more than 2 hours (and mind you, this is in spite of you setting an appointment online).

Here's a handful of lessons learned based on our experience:

1. Set an appointment on the DFA website but do not go to their office at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment (as what they implied to everyone). Go to their office as early as you can (7:00AM if you like to be among the first to arrive) to avoid hustle.

2. Make sure you have sufficient requirements (listed on their website). Double (or triple) check your Birth Certificate. If anything is missing, you’ll be asked to go back. Even when you were waiting for 3 hours or if you came from Bulacan or what have you. They (the people behind the windows on Step 1) just don’t care and sometimes, harsh and rude if you do not have sufficient requirements.

3. Don’t worry if you missed your appointment. As per their supervisor (whom we talked to after we encountered a problem with H2B’s Birth Certificate), your scheduled date is valid within 5 working days. See, they don’t really care about the time so don't trouble yourself to set another appointment (the next available slot may be in 2 more months) if you could go to their office 4 days after your scheduled appointment.

4. As much as possible, don’t set your appointment on a Friday. People tend to flock the office during Fridays. It’s better to go there on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

5. Regular processing (charge is P950.00) takes 20 working days while Express processing (P1,200.00 fee) takes 10 working days. Bring an extra P120 if you want your passport to be delivered at your doorstep. It’s much more practical than going back and waiting (read: stressing yourself) for 3 hours.

X.O.X.O.,

Hello… Goodbye!

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Dear Online Diary,

Barely four months to go and I’m listening to the Beatle’s Hello, Goodbye version of Glee (while researching for good music we could use for our wedding). Turns out, it helped me remember that a lot of changes happened with our wedding details over the past few weeks. Primarily, because I am fickle-minded and the ideas are just, you know, overflowing.

"Why, why, why, why, why, why
Do you say good bye
Goodbye, bye, bye, bye, bye"

So now, may I present to you, the “Goodbye” inspirations/ideas/items:

{Prep dress: Short white dress}

{Hairstyle: Clean up do with a headband full of Swarovski crystals}

{Long Veil}{Shoes: Blue suede stilettos}

{Bouquet: Local white roses}

{Cake: Mini cake tower}

{Flower Girl Basket: Bear and fresh flowers}

{Stress buster: Farmville}

"You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello"

Say “Hello” to these inspirations/ideas/items:

{Prep Dress: Blue Maxi dress with crochet shrug}

{Hairstyle: Messy glam in ponytail}

{Birdcage (no, not a pillbox)}

{Shoes: Blue floral Wedges}

{Bouquet: Yellow Ecuadorian Roses}

{Cake: Minimalist thematic cake}

{Flower Girl Basket: Bear and rose pastillas}

{Stress Buster: Re-run of Glee Episodes}

"Hela, heba helloa
Hela, heba helloa"

So far, I like it. :))

X.O.X.O.,

OT: 112th Philippine Independence Day

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Dear Online Diary,

"A nation is born into freedom on the day when such a people, moulded into a nation by a process of cultural evolution and sense of oneness born of common struggle and suffering, announces to the world that it asserts its natural right to liberty and is ready to defend it with blood, life, and honor."

- Diosdado Macapagal, Former President of the Philippines

Incidentally, today marks the 112th Independence celebration of the Philippines and the last Independence Day celebration of Macapagal’s daughter as the country’s president, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, before President-elect Noynoy Aquino assumes office by the end of the month.

The government arranged a day of re-discovering the Philippine Independence at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. As part of the program, there’s going to be a float parade depicting the things Mrs. Arroyo did for the country. In addition, there’s going to be a film showing, cultural shows, job fair, fireworks display and free entrance to the National Museum.

As the Philippines marks another milestone, I’m digging Google’s icon today:

{Google's icon today, June 12, 2010, to mark our country's Independence Day}

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Mabuhay!

X.O.X.O.,

Sharing: Trial Airbrush Make-Up by Val Villarin

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Dear Online Diary,

Val Villarin is one of the most recommended suppliers that W@Wies were raving for simply because Val made them radiant and glamorous on their wedding day. He has been receiving excellent feedbacks from every W@Wie who got his services. It was a long shot but thanks to W@W Auction last year, I got his Wedding and Airbrush trial make up services. I figured it’s best to hold the trial make-up during our e-session so I could test how it’s going to be on our big day.

I was a bit fidgety before the scheduled e-session and trial make-up. I was nervous to meet him. All the brides he’d worked with are radiant and beautiful. What if he does not like me? What if I don’t meet his expectations? Oh believe me, there’s a lot of what if’s…

Until, the day has come. I love his studio. It was cute and neat. He has a full-size tarpaulin of the brides he prettified on their day. Somehow, it distracted me from feeling nervous as it’s my first airbrush trial make-up. It’s hard to explain how I felt but all I know is that it was cold. Val works quietly but he asked me a couple of questions as to what I wanted on the big day and some other stuff.

After an hour and a half, this is me (with the help of H2B's lenses):

{Trial Make-Up with Val}

Cool, right? H2B was speechless when he saw me and I felt like I was melting as he stared at me. I had to pinch him to stop him from gawking at me. hihihihi. The guards at Val’s building even commented that I looked like a celebrity.

We also met his adorable shih tzu, Mac. We’re a big fan of playful dogs. H2B took a lot of photos of Mac while Val prettifies me.

{Adorable Mac: 6-mo old Shih Tzu}

We’re going straight to our e-session so Val groomed H2B, too. H2B was hesitant to go in front of the "magic mirror" but what can he do? It's 2 (Val and I) against 1 :))

{H2B gets his 10 mins fame}

Thanks, Val, for making us radiant and pretty. It’s such a nice and memorable experience. See you in 4 months time. :))

{Smile for the Camera: Val Villarin and yours truly}

X.O.X.O.,

What a Wonderful Surprise!

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Dear Online Diary,

I was browsing the internet for more wedding inspiration when I came across this awesome blog:

{Hint: Please click on the photo for the link. Then, scroll down towards the end of the blog post to see the surprise.}

Huge Virtual Hug for featuring our Offbeat wedding cord, Rachel! Cheers! :))

X.O.X.O.,

Detailing: All About the Flowers!

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Dear Online Diary,

Last Sunday, H2B and I went to the Bridal de Manila Book 2 bridal fair (Oh, yes. We love bridal fairs!) at SM Megatrade Hall to meet with our flower supplier, Rocky Blooms Flowershop. It was nice talking to Ms. Rona and Sir Marlon after about 7 months. They’re so nice. When we approached their booth, they warmly greeted us as if we’re their long lost friends. Hahaha. Don’t you love suppliers who treat you like friends and not just clients?

Anyway, it was such a brief and serious (?!) meeting. I showed them some pegs of flower inspiration that I gathered from different websites. They were urging me to adjust our flower budget but I kept my faith that they are going to meet our expectations given the budget that we have. In the end, they gave in to my whim without adjusting the contract price. Hurray!

Here are some of the flower inspirations that we showed them.

{Rocky Blooms Flowershop: Flower Inspirations}

Cheers to Ms. Rona and Sir Marlon! Thanks for dealing with my kakulitan. Talk to you soon and more power! :))

X.O.X.O.,

Supplier Checklist: Excellent Audio

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Dear Online Diary,

Last Saturday, H2B and I attended the Bridal Expo at the World Trade Center in search for the remaining suppliers that we need to book – Lights and Sounds, Invites and Cakes. We found one.

Lights and sounds aren’t on our top list. We just wanted to have good lights, quality sound system and LCD projector. It doesn’t have to be extreme. We just wanted to have a decent service for the money that we’re going to pay.

That’s exactly what Excellent Audio offers -- quality service for a very affordable price. Ms. Gigi and Sir Marlo are really nice to talk to. They were able to explain what each equipment does and how it works. After making a single round among the L&SS suppliers present at the fair, we went and booked them. The package that we got includes:

AUDIO
2 units 500 watts self powered speakers
1 unit P.A. mixer (4 channels)
1 set processor
2 units pioneer DVD player
2 units wired microphone
50,000 mp3 records
1 unit headphone

LIGHTS & EFFECTS
2 units LED par 64
2 units intelligent lights

FREEBIES
1 unit LCD Projector (2700 lumens) (with laptop for AVP presentation)
1 unit 6x7 tripod screen
1 unit wireless microphone
1 unit laser show
1 unit smoke machine

It's just right for a small wedding of a hundred people. The price? Let’s make it private. PM me if you want to know. :))


Contact Details:
Marlo Montoya
62 Colt St. Rancho 1 Marikina City
Tel. No.: 408-6746 / 996-2688
Mobile No.: 0928-9935401
www.soundsexcellent.multiply.com

X.O.X.O.,

One Wish (and more)… Granted: An E-session Preview

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Dear Online Diary,

TGIF.

I’m Thankful to Val Villarin for making me radiant today.

H2B and I are both Grateful to Sir Mel Cortez, Ian, Jerome, Ken as well as Ms. Jane of Little Dreams by Decisive Moments for the labor of love.

We’re In love to each other. More than ever.

We’re Faithful to our one and Only God. We believed that HE’ll never let us down and so HE didn’t.

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It has been raining non-stop for two days but we can’t afford to cancel the scheduled engagement shoot today. Our suppliers are both fully booked and the only available date they have is today. We kept our faith. We kept on praying and hoping that it’ll not rain today and that the sun will shine brighter than ever.

I wished that I’d be radiant today. Thanks to Val, this is me:

{Smile for the camera: Val Villarin and yours truly}

We both hoped that it’s not going to rain so we can shoot our engagement session. And so it didn’t:

{One of the first frames of the photo shoot}

{Little Dreams by Decisive Moments at work (from left): Jerome, Sir Mel, Ian, and Ken}

Thanks, Oh Lord for the best weather this month. It could never be more perfect.

{This is how colorful our e-session was.}

More detailed kwento and sharing coming soon To see some of our engagement photos, you may click here :))

X.O.X.O.,