Planning our Personalized Wedding on a (Tight) Budget

Online Diary,

Boo! It’s Hallow’s Eve everyone! It’s time to talk about spooky things. *grin*

Now, there are two things that I wanted to talk about – our wedding budget and some of our suppliers who turned out to be a disappointment (unfortunately, some of them did not measure up). These are two of the most horrifying things that brides do not ever want to encounter. Do you agree?

Since staging an elaborate (read: personalized) yet budgeted wedding is generally what brides fear the most, let’s start with that matter. We will talk about the other concern later during the supplier’s rating.

While it’s true that holding a church wedding is not inexpensive, you can control your budget by following one or all of the following tips based only on my own experience:

Honeymoon Part I

Dear Online Diary,

We just got back home last night from our fab honeymoon at Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Everything was amazingly great, we're still on Cloud 9. We want to thank all the people of Shangri-la for making us feel at home (more about this later). While waiting for the official wedding photos, let me share some honeymoon photos we took. We love every bit of it :))

{The clouds are completely magical.}

{Approaching Kota Kinabalu International Airport}

Honeymoon Preps

Dear Online Diary,

It never occur to me that I can pack light for an out-of-the-country vacation. Admittedly, it was a challenge before we had this:

{one baggage and a carrier: Impressive}

Angelo ♥ Eyzel: We Did It!

Dear Online Diary,

Yes, We are now officially married! Before the whole kwento and blow by blow account of The Wedding, here's an awesome AVP created by Atty. Raymond Fortun.

{Onsite AVP that was shown during the reception dinner}

This Is The Day!

Dear Online Diary,

This is the day that the Lord has made.
Today, my family, friends and our Holy Almighty
will witness our love for each other.
Today, I am going to marry the man I can’t live without.
The man I am in love for six years.
The one man I plan to live, serve and love for the rest of my life.

Angelo, I will marry you today. Umulan o Umaraw.
Today is the day! :))

X.O.X.O.,

Bridal Fair Escapade: Kasalan 2010: Ikalimang Yugto

Dear Online Diary,

Kasalan 2010 is definitely the last bridal fair that we attended before the Big day but it proved to be one of the most memorable bridal fairs.

{Kasalan 2010 Bridal Fair Registration Area}

An Early Wedding Present

Dear Online Diary,

It’s a busy Saturday for both H2B and I. What can we expect? It’s just a week before our Big Day *kilig*.

People say the amount of time and wedding details are enough to make one go crazy, thanks to numerous great people around me (and in cyberspace), I kept my sanity (at least that’s what I think. hehehe).

Speaking of great people and new found friends, we met Sir Alex and Ms. Michelle earlier today as part of our Saturday itinerary (and various meetings, including the last bridal fair that we attended before the wedding. Read more about it here). They are the husband and wife tandem behind the heavenly yet sinfully tasteful Belgian chocolates, better known as Sophia’s Chocolat. We have received our order and we can only thank them for making beautifully packaged chocolate goodies for us and our guests. BUT let me hold my horses as this post is about an awesome early wedding gift that we received today...

DIY Home Stretch Projects

Dear Online Diary,

Here’s my chance of sharing some of the latest DIY projects I’ve been doing even when I was under the weather. These candies served as my stress reliever and helped me get back on tip top shape. :))

{DIY Gift tags}

Our Movie Poster errr… Tarp Photo Layout

Dear Online Diary,

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted something here but I’m sure you’ll understand why. We’re on the homestretch of our wedding preps and I only have good praises to all our wedding suppliers for being oh so cooperative and helpful. The reception details and program draft are doing great. I can’t ask for more.

As a freebie, Ms. Anj of Ma Del’s will give us a welcome tarpaulin to be displayed at our reception venue. We’re going to set it up at the registration area so guests wouldn’t miss it. Here’s the exact design I’ve sent to Ms. Anj just moments ago.

DIY Escort Cards & Table Numbers

Dear Online Diary,

I can't believe that I’m at the last leg of my DIY projects for our wedding. So today, I’d like to share our DIY Escort Cards and Table numbers*.

{DIY Table Numbers: Printed and framed. Ready for the Big day.}

{DIY Escort Cards for the guests to bring home a piece of something special from us}

Update: Documents and DIY Fascinators

Dear Online Diary,

Alright, it’s 19 days to go before the Big day. Should I panic? Am I feeling giddy?

Maybe. I'm not too sure exactly how to describe it but when I think about my husband-to-be *kilig* and all the details of our wedding, I feel happy and light as a feather. Let me share some of the things that we’ve acquired and achieved for the past two weeks...