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Friday, August 31, 2012

Traditionally, if you want to see the newlywed kissing, the guests need to tap their glasses. Now, in modern time you can use a kissing bell instead. Ian and I decided to have kissing bells on our reception, this makes our wedding reception livelier and unique plus it can be taken home by our guests as token.

Wedding bells symbolizes of a couple's new life together. Historically, the church bells would ring to announce a new union to the world. Superstition also held that wedding bells brought luck and that their ringing would ward off evil spirits intent on ruining the new couple's joy.

Seven months before our big day, I asked my mom to buy us small bells at Divisoria (which is cheaper compare to our prospect suppliers).  Together with my dad, they went to 168 mall and purchase 150 pcs of medium bells and ribbon that fits our color motif. Since I have a very supportive family and friends, I requested them to help me in our DIY kissing bell. I printed our official logo and the “Ring for a Kiss” signage and cut the ribbons into pieces.

I asked our wedding coordinator to place it per table per person and I’m so happy upon seeing our guests used the wedding bells and yell “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss” 






Note: This is our 2nd souvenir for our guests.

We also provided our guests a personalized tissue paper. Yes! Tissue paper or table napkin! If you are my consistent reader, you will agree to me that Ian and I really love to eat. We are not just a travel buddies but we are also a food lovers, we collected all the tissue papers from the different restaurant that we ate. 

I asked my sister-in law who lives abroad to order me at least 200 pcs of customized table napkin. But surprisingly, when the package arrived last year I received 3 boxes of table napkin (100 pcs/box) wow! So now, presenting to you our customized tissue paper courtesy of Ian’s sister. Super thank you Nikka!



Our customized tissue paper with guest name holder and candies

Note: This is our 3rd souvenir for our guests.


Will post for the other souvenirs we provided for our invitees. Masyadong love namin lahat ng guests kaya super dami nilang take-home souvenirs from us. Hihi.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Ian is a silent-type man. He will not talk to you not unless you talk to him first. Haha. I remember the first time we met, he just smile at me and no words came out from his lips. Haha. Being married is one of the happiest moment in my life; I wake up every day with a good morning kiss from my husband, every time I finished preparing our breakfast I received another kiss from him, after he took a bath another kiss, while I’m arranging my stuff he always kiss me etc.. etc.. etc.. In other words, he always want to kiss my lips.. Ako na ang in-love.. Haha.

These past few weeks we’re so busy not because of work but in preparing our stuffs because we’re moving to our new home.. Yes! Finally, we will be on our own! Will post this next month! Anyway, back to our topic today I’m a hands-on wife; I prepare our breakfast and baon for lunch during weekdays, I wash and iron our clothes every weekends, I cook for our meals and of course, prepare my husband clothes every day. Last night, we got home late since we purchased our brand new refrigerator for our new home then we drop by in our house (My parent's house) to get our pasalubongs from my family (they had a day trip in Davao last Monday) and our favorite pomelo. Sayang di ako nakasama sa trip nila..  Around 11:15pm to be exact when we got home in Manila, we were both tired and want to sleep early but we need to finish our assigned task, Ian packed our things while I prepare our baon for the following day. (Request ng asawa ko na magluto ako ng Lumpiang Shanghai). I'm done in preparing his special request by 12:30am and I’m soooo tired as in pagoda na ang beauty ko, that's the time when my husband gave me a good back massage.. Ang sweeettt!!!

Our daily routines during weekdays are the following:
  1.        I wake up by 6:30am to cook our breakfast and baon
  2.        By 7:30am I wake up my husband
  3.        8:00am, My husband take a bath while I am washing our plates and prepare our baon and put in our lunch box
  4.        8:15am, It’s my turn to take a bath
  5.        8:35am, we left our home
Yes! This is our daily routines but today I got frighten when I open the door, I saw my husband facing the wall I though he was just thinking if he turned off the aircon but I was wrong. Look, this is how my husband surprised me this morning!

Surprise! 
Ikaw talaga honey, kaya lalo akong ginaganahan ipagluto ka eh! :) 
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Monday, August 27, 2012
We called all our wedding stuffs as “Labor of Love” since we give our 110% love, patience and of course diligence and perseverance (sipag and tyaga) #DIY

Last April, we received a soft copy of our nuptial mass or misalette from NSSH and as per Sister Josie (our contact person) instructions we need to change the names, cover, etc plus we need to provide at least 6 copies to be distributed during the ceremony (priest, couple, commentator and the readers). NSSH also allowed us to design our own misallete cover, yahoo!!! DIY na naman!

Ian didn’t think of a DIY style of misallete, for him a simple print out would do until I volunteered to create our misalette. I saw some sample of DIY misallete from the internet and this makes me inspire to do our own version. My goal is to have a simple and cheaper one, so I started creating a design in PowerPoint and MS word. A simple, 10 pages booklet style printed colored in A4 size bond paper.My officemates helped me to print a couple of samples and to get the correct paper feed from our printer to print on both sides, and after getting the correct sequence, we printed several copies for our guest.

Two weeks before our wedding day, Sister Josie emailed me about the revision. What???!!! Revision? We already printed 50 copies.. Huhu. Thank God, it’s only minor revision. From “And also with you” to “And with your spirit”, this revision came from Rome (Memo from our Santo Papa). As soon as I read her email, I printed the word “And with your spirit”, cut it and put over in the revised phrase.  

Presenting you our simple DIY Misallete.



♥♥♥


Estimated Cost: More or less Php 300.00 (cost of the papers / board).  Thank you sa printer namin.. ^_^
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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Initially our plan is to have a separate guestbook where our guests can write their special wishes and message for us since the guestbook that CD Worx gave to us is soooo beautiful, nanghihinayang kami kung susulatan lang db? that’s why we finally decided to have a “Questionnaire’s notebook”.

I saw this cool stuff at BridalBook.ph which inspires me to do our own version. Yun nga lang talagang need ng sipag and tyaga. I’m so thankful that I have a very supportive husband and mother-in-law who help me in doing this lovely stuff. Ako na ang swerte! :)

Materials:

Cartolina (purple and pink)
Plastic Cover
12 pcs of small notebook
Scotch Tape
Print-out notes
Box (from National Book Store)
Ribbon
Glue

Presenting to you our DIY Guestbook. J


Excited?
Question and Answer Portion :).




Our notebooks at Couple's Gallery (Ibarra's Garden)


See, I told you I'm so meticulous bride.. Kahit mahirap, oks lang basta our wedding will be PERFECT!
But sad to say, out of 12 questionnaires notebook, only 9 pieces returned to us.. So I am begging all our guests who picked up our notebook to please return it to us.. Please!!! (**sad face**)


Saturday, August 25, 2012
Presenting to you our guestbook from CD Worx. Photos taken during our pre-nup last March 16, 2012.
We didn't allowed our guest to write on it since we have a customized questionnaire's notebook.. :p
(Tamang pakita lang sa kanila.. Hehe..)


Page 1 and 10

Page 2 and 3

Page 4 and 5

Page 6 and 7

Page 8 and 9


Our Guestbook

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Friday, August 24, 2012 37
Today, we celebrate our 1st wedding monthsary! Whoooaa! I still can’t believe that we’ve tied the knot 1 month ago; it feels like yesterday when we give our best smile in front of cameras and videos. It also feels like we’re still a normal couple (bf/gf) who just fell in love yesterday and then got engaged. I can’t believe how fast this day has gone by. I could still remember how happy I am wearing my wedding gown while walking down the aisle looking at my very good-looking husband. I smile with teary eyes whenever I watched our onsite video (Glam.Ph and CD-Worx), AVP and our travel photos/video. Now, I’m so excited to our simple yet romantic wedding monthsary celebration tonight.


Mr and Mrs. Ian Villareal


Happy 1st Wedding Monthsary Honey! 

Monday, August 20, 2012 31
So now, it's my turn. Sharing with you my personal vow to Ian. Again, I finished my message 2 days before our wedding day. This is what I feel that time, I know if you read my vow you will notice that this is familiar with other bride who used to write a personal vow to her groom, meaning some words are "gasgas na" or "gamit na gamit na". Hhhmm.. maybe because pare-parehas kami ng nararamdaman. If you already married, you will understand what I am trying to say. I know Ian's vow is much sweeter than mine, dahil syempre tagalog yung kanya mas ramdam ang sinasabi, but for me my personal vow is perfect for him.

Ready???

 "I prayed to God for a companion who could understand me and accept me as I am and for a special friend who would share laughter and tears.. And he sent you.

When we first met 6 years ago, I knew you were the one and I thank God each day that I am so blessed to be the one that you love. I had no idea how you would change my life, but I’m so thankful that you came into my life and completely change it. You are my biggest supporter, my very loyal best friend, you are my comfort, you make me laugh, shower me with unconditional love and caring, understand my mood swings, you believe that I can do anything I set my mind to.

I love you more than I can ever say. You are the best man I have ever met; a hard worker software engineer, a very generous and responsible son and a sweet man with the biggest heart. You are strong when I am weak, and I am strong when you are weak, it’s such a cheesy move line but honey, you do complete me.

Today, I stand here with you at the beginning of our new life together. It is the moment I have dreamed of my entire life. We will no longer be lone individuals in the world because now we join to become you and I, to become US – one loving pair who can face the world together and hand in hand go anywhere and do anything together. I know as long as I am by your side, my world is right.

Honey, I want to wake up every morning seeing your face and I want you to hug me tightly every night. I want to take care of you for the rest of my life. When I look into your eyes and every time I feel your hand in mine, I know that being here with you is the only life I could ever imagine, with you I am at peace, I am complete.

I know it will not always be a bed of roses or a fairytale, there may be hard times in the future but I promise to dedicate my whole heart and spirit to you. Ours is not a perfect love story, it has its ups and dows but it is the type of love story to be proud of. It deserves a monument, a standing ovation, a round of applause and make it a movie or teleserye at Kapamilya network.

I promised not to let the sun go down on our anger and treat each morning as a new day to love you, the gift I have been given. Thank you honey for loving me without end, I hope I can continue to make you as happy as you have made me over the past 6 years. My love for you is a journey, starting at forever and ending at never.

Happy 6th year anniversary honey.

Mahal na mahal na mahal kita."

Sweetness

After reading my personal vow, Ian hug me tightly and whispered "Mahal na mahal na mahal kita".. ♥♥♥

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Sunday, August 19, 2012 2
We love to travel, that’s why we decided to have a Travel-Themed Wedding. It’s so easy for us to execute what we want on our wedding day and as I told you on my previous post I’m so meticulous bride, I want everything in detailed. As much as possible I want to do it by myself but of course with the help of my very supportive husband.

For the give aways, I saw in the internet a cute luggage bag which actually suits for our theme, unfortunately it was only available at the US, Oh noh! As I mentioned it to Ian he told me that we buy it as our souvenirs, hhmmm.. pano kaya? Napaisip ako bigla. Then, he said “Paorder natin kay Nikka” (Nikka is his younger sister based in US) Oh Thank God! So I leave a message to Nikka and ask if she can order it for us and we will pay her upon their arrival before Christmas 2011. (Syempre promise ko babayaran namin sa kanya yun, nakakahiya naman db?) But she refused to accept our payment; instead she told us that we consider it as her gift to us. Wow! Instant sponsor kaagad db..

Now, our next problem is what we are going to put inside the suitcase that fits our personalities. Hhhmm.. Again, with the help of my bestfriend Google, I found personalized candies that can be order wholesale. I asked Ian if we could buy for us, but he declined and say “E di gawa nalang tayo nyan, tutal masipag naman tayo sa DIY eh.” Hhhmm.. may point nga naman. So after discussing about our souvenirs we finally decided to use Mentos and Choco Nut. I was assigned for the background pictures to be use in our customized candies while Ian created the layout for the candies cover. 

Cover for Mentos (layout created by Hubby)

Cover for Choco Nut  (layout created by Hubby)

This DIY is one of my favorite tasks since it give us more time to talk about our future. Anyway, we called it a “labor of love”, why? Because we put all our efforts, hard work and lot of patience just to make our souvenirs more creative, unique and one of a kind.

Choc-Love

Mint to Be


Our wedding rings and my engagement ring



After our wedding, I heard some of our guest reactions:

“Ang ganda naman ng souvenirs, napaka creative!”

“Pwede pa bang kumuha ng 1 pa? Kakaiba kasi eh, pwede pang magamit”

“Galing! San kaya nila nabili to? Para gawin ko sa birthday ng APO ko.”

“Ang tyaga naman nila RN and Ian sa pag gawa nitong candies, pero in fairness ang galing.”

Hearing those comments and feedback's from friends and relatives makes our heart super happy. All our sleepless night is all worth it. 

Note: This is our 1st souvenir for our guests. 
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Saturday, August 18, 2012
Saying personal vows during wedding is the most awaited part by all of the guest. 2 months before our wedding I asked Ian to write down our personal vows to be read at the church, however upon asking NSSH if we could include it during the wedding rites but sister Josie informed us that they don't allowed it instead she suggested to include it at the reception program. Very strict ha. ^_^

I finished my vow one week before our wedding day, because during that time we had a very serious misunderstanding and God tested our relationship. Thank God, we resolved it. Ian just finished his vow by 2am on July 24, yes on our wedding day. O db sya na ang puyat! Haha. My personal vow was printed on a A4 size bond paper while Ian's vow was written on a small piece of paper provided by the hotel. Very resourceful talaga ng mister ko. Haha. 




I know Ian's vow is amazing and very heartwarming, knowing Ian he's not outspoken and not that "sweet" kaya nga madalas yun ang pinag aawayan namin eh.. I remember telling him "kumain ka kaya ng asukal, para maging sweet ka naman.." but Ian really surprised me when he started to say his personal vow.

"Sa 6 na taon natin na magkasama, ngayon ang buhay natin ay pinagbuklod ng Maykapal. Hindi lang bilang mag asawa, kung hindi pati narin bilang magkaibigan, mag sing irog, karamay sa lungkot at ligaya, kasama pang habang buhay. Ito ang pangarap natin mula sa simula't simula, ang sarap isipin na nagkatotoo lahat ng pangarap natin. Ang sarap balik-balikan kung paano tayo nagsimula bilang estranghero, ngayon bilang mag-asawa. Sa isang simpleng "chat" sa skype na message mo sakin nabuo ang ating pag-iibigan. Salamat at nahanap mo ko, salamat at pinapasok mo ako sa puso mo, hinayaan mo ako na mahalin kita. 


Crying Bride

Hindi naging madali ang 6 na taon, pero nlagpasan at kinaya ntin ito na magkasama. Wala  tayong problema na di inaayos bago matapos ang araw. Salamat sa pag unawa at pagtya-tyaga mo sa akin. Ang dami mong isinakripisyo para sa akin. Lagi ko ngang sinasabi na "mas" ka sa akin sa lahat ng bagay, mas ka pag dating sa pagmamahal, pero na pagtanto ko na hindi nasusukat ang pagmamahal. Hindi gaya ng distansya na kayang sukatin ng metro, hindi gaya ng bigat na kayang sukatin ng gramo, hindi gaya ng oras na pwedeng sukatin ng segundo. Ang kailangan ko lang ay patuloy kang mahalin nang habang buhay, kaya ang pagmamahal ko sayo ay parang "Revicon" may lakas na di umaayaw. Kaya nga dalawang beses lang naman kita gusto makasama, ngayon at magpakailanman.



From this day on, I choose you to be my wife. To live with you and laugh with you, to stand by your side and sleep in your arms, to be joy to your heart and food for your soul, to bring out the best in you always, and for you to be the most that I can. I promise to laugh with you in good times, to struggle with you in bad, to wipe your tears with my hands, to comfort you with my body, to mirror you with my soul, to share with you all my riches and honors, to play with you as much as I can until we grow old, and still loving each sweetly and gladly until to my last breath. I love you so much honey. You're my one and only Honey. Mahal na Mahal na Mahal kita. Happy 6th year anniversary."

By the way, our wedding day is the most PERFECT date for us. Kasi para sa amin 7.24.2012 means FOREVER. 

7 days of laughters and happiness
24 hours of fruitful life
12 months of intimate love

Newly Wed.. :)
While stating his personal vow, my eyes keeps on crying. Sobrang feel ko yung love nya, I don't know what to say. I saw some guests also cries and some gives their biggest smile. Kita naman sa picture db.. :)









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Friday, August 17, 2012 13
WHY WE CHOSE IT: 


(post from our wed site before..)   

Wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Honestly, this is one of the hardest tasks that Ian and I encountered. Ian is also meticulous when it comes to our wedding details, he make sure that everything is in order and worthy. We promised that we will book all our suppliers at Bridal Fair to avail discounts and freebies, so last January after our scrumptious lunch with our principal sponsors we went to a bridal fair at SMX. Some people told us to try scouting at Ongpin in Manila since they are much cheaper than other branded stores, but we decided not to take the risk for we are not familiar whether the rings are authentic or not.

Finding a perfect wedding ring is not easy; I remember one time when Ian told me not to rush in picking our wedding rings since we'll be wearing our rings for the rest of our lives. So after we explored the area, we opted to inquire to the sales person of Golden Hills. As soon as we arrived at their stall, Ian chose 3 different styles of rings from the wide array of their designs; all of them have a cut diamond stone in front.

First - White Gold Rough Finish with White Gold Lining plus round-cut diamond stones.

Second - White Gold Rough Finish with Yellow Gold Lining plus round-cut diamond stones.

Third - White Gold Rough Finish with Yellow Gold Lining on upper and lower plus round-cut diamond stones with 1 piece diamond inside the ring.

We both like a two-toned ring with a diamond stone; of course I want our wedding ring to look the same. What we have in mind is a white gold ring with yellow gold lining plus a diamond stone in the middle more or less 4 stones.

Finally, after 30 minutes of discussing with Ian (with matching picture taking of the 3 chosen rings), we chose the third option. According to the sales person, we had the right decision, since having a diamond stone inside the ring is unique and lucky. Wow!

The sales lady asked us what should be engraved on our rings, we only 1 concept in our mind to put our nickname with our wedding date in the inner rod.

As part of our agreement, Golden Hills offers lifetime free cleaning service and resizing plus we got a free arrhae. Wow! I'm so excited to see and fit our lifetime band! woohhoo!!!!



Golden Hills Jewelry

Address: Trinoma, Robinson's Place
Telephone Number:
Contact Person:  -
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Friday, August 17, 2012

WHY WE CHOSE IT: 





(post from our wed site before..) 

3 months left before our wedding and about 90% of the needed suppliers are booked but still I really feel that I'll need some extra help especially with our "little things" / "DIY" stuffs. I'm so blessed for having a very supportive friends and officemates who helped me in preparing our big day, actually I have friends who offered to act as our coordinator but I refused not because I don't trust them but I want them to enjoy that special day. With 150-200 guests, I'm definitely going to need a lot of help from the professionals on that day of our wedding.

I'm very meticulous bride; so hiring a coordinator is one of the priorities for having a happy, organized and stress-free wedding day. Well, I want everything to be perfect. Honestly, I was really hands-on in preparing our wedding because I want to make sure that Ian and I will experience the wedding that we've dreaming of.

So after discussing this issue, Ian and I thought that we really need to hire an on-the day wedding coordinator. I began to do my task to search for the BEST coordinator and checking on the feedback given at the forum. I'm scared when I read some horror and terrible stories about their coordinator, they have the power to make or break your wedding. So just to be safe, I was really picky in choosing our OTD coordinator.

I called a lot of the coordinators on our list, some of them offer additional packages that include planning assistance, and some of them are pricey which is out of our budget. I even called my friend's OTD during their wedding but I really disappointed with them. (**sigh**)

I was able to meet and booked for my HMUA at Somerset in Makati when Rookie approaches me, He is Mitch's loving husband who entertains me during my booking with her wife (Mitch is currently busy with her upcoming make-up classes). After I settled the payment, Rookie ask me if we already have OTD, I told him about what happened to our prospect coordinators, after hearing our stories he immediately offered their service. At first, I was hesitant to avail their service because I was alone that day and I need to confirm with Ian first before saying "YES" to them.

I like Rookie, we have a good rapport and I instinctively feel at ease with him. He is frank and he is easy to talk with. So after discussing with Ian about his offer, we decided to book for their team to be part of our special day.

Here are the reasons why we chose Glam.Ph:

1. They only accepts one event per day.
2. Glam.Ph package is within our budget plus extra service of emceeing.
3. They are easy to reach by phone, email as well as in Facebook (they are my friends now!). Rookie try to make himself available and he respond promptly to all our queries.
4. They are very organized group since Glam.Ph is a fab-fusion company dedicated to deliver excellent service in the field of publication, events and fashion. I know Rookie with his team will assured their clients of their personal sincerity, flexibility and professional service. I also trust that his support team are selected and very well trained individuals who commit themselves to brighten and lighten up the loads of our preparation until the last minute of the wedding.

Well, I can tell that he's very organized, professional and I believe that he loves and truly knows what he's doing. I'm so excited for our first official meeting this coming June.


 Glam.Ph
Address: Somerset Makati
Telephone Number: (0922) 885-8108
Contact Person: Rookie Camaclang
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Friday, August 17, 2012
WHY I CHOSE HER: 


(post from our wed site before..)

After I booked for my wedding gown designer, I promise myself to give extra effort and careful in searching for HMUA; so as early as June 2011, I started to canvass and research for the BEST HMUA. Of course, I want to be the most beautiful girl / bride on our special day. I sent emails as well as text messages to a lot of HMUA and to tell you the truth, I was surprised to their rates. Ian and I even checked the booth section in the bridal fair and check their portfolio, but one friend told me that pictures can be very deceiving since make-up artist can now use photoshop to makes photos more eye-catching.

Until I received an email from glam.ph, informing me if I want to check the "TIME TO GIVE BACK" promo of Michelle Camaclang. Without any hesitation, I immediately check the link and surprisingly about her promo. (taken from her website)

"Thank you everyone for being a part of this successful journey-- as a wedding hair and makeup artist, with the count of 126th bride, as of June 20th (my anniversary date) and counting my "bride-to-be" listed in my calendar it is so heartwarming to see that you girls have been part of the color artistry by mitch camaclang diary.."


To sum up:

Bride and Groom plus 5 extra heads
Airbrush upgrade for the Bride
Grand EB to all Mitch's Bride
Basic Make-up / Personality Makeover
2 free flower girls (total of 9 heads in all)
for Php 10,000

After I read her blog, I immediately sent our wedding info and few minutes she replies right away. After exchanging lots of emails and some clarifications about her promo, I decided to book her. Mitch is very nice and vocal person when it comes to her work principle. I love the way she puts make-up with her brides, I appreciate the way she give information about make-up and I even read some reviews about her work and happy to see good comments from her previous clients. I add her in facebook and follow her fan page too. But what I really admire is her professionalism; she doesn't entertain other calls while at the peak of work which is not related to her current working client. But when she's done with what her doing, she immediately response and explain her work principle. Very professional right?! Now, believe me I made the right decision in booking her and super excited to see my look on our wedding day!

Mitch Cabillon - Camaclang
Address: Makati
Telephone Number: (0915) 173-0120
Contact Person: Mitch Cabillon - Camaclang
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Friday, August 17, 2012

WHY I CHOSE IT:




(post from our wed site before..)

As soon as we announced our engagement to our family, I immediately look and research for my couture that will make me look like a princess on our wedding day. Honestly, it was very hard task that every bride will encounter. I read some reviews and even started to post in the Weddings-at-Work forum asking for recommendations for designers and found out that there are brides who really spent thousands of money for their wedding gown but for me with my very tight budget, hiring a famous designer is out of my list and just stick to my budget.

I only have simple criteria for my dream wedding gown which I saw at Cosmopolitan Magazine (Model: Kristine Hermosa). I want it to be sweetheart neckline with princess style skirt and chapel train accentuated with beads in front and back.

I emailed 8 designers and all of them emailed me back with their proposal. All of their works are beautiful, but none of them fit my budget.. **sigh** Happily, one of them really stood out to me, Last May 31, 2011 I received a message from Concha España with her standard rates. As soon as I open her proposal, I feel that she is the "ONE" that I'm looking for. She told in her email that she can customized everything for me just send her my reference / prefer design. Wow! I search for her website and found out that her work spoke for herself. They were just plain GORGEOUS!

Concha accommodated my request, I even sent her some pictures of my desire gown and she immediately replied and gave her rates. What I really like with her is that she also explains to me the materials that she will going to use. After several emails, we decided to meet each other to discuss my dream gown. Ian and I went to their house and finally met her, Concha is very gracious lady and an easy person to talk to. She is very generous in giving us suggestions about my gown, she even suggested using detachable gathered / sheared tulle for me to have different design on reception. As soon as I got the sketch of my wedding gown, I am tempted to upload it but I really want it to be a surprise especially for my groom. Haha.. For me, the design is simple, sophisticated and beautiful which suit my personality as a woman.

I'm so happy that she will be designing my dream wedding gown as well as the dresses for my whole female entourage. And I promise that we're all going to look gorgeous on that day!

Now, we are schedule to meet by February for the measurements. I'm so excited to wear my simple, chic and glamorous wedding gown in seven months.


Concha España

Address: Blk. 1 Lot 12. Fortune St. , East Fairview Park Subd., Fairview, QC
Telephone Number: (0922) 840-3602
Contact Person: Concha España

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Thursday, August 16, 2012
WHY WE CHOSE IT:







I know some brides will agree to me that when it comes to musicians, there are lot of choices. There's Serenata Strings, Bernie Pasamba Group, String Minstrels, SJT Strings Ensemble and the famous Manila Philharmonic. I insist Ian that we need to hire musicians on our BIG day to make our wedding more romantic. To tell you the truth, I don't know where to start, who to choose among my list and how to decide.. **sigh**

I do lots of research as well as join the wedding group and asked them what their choices are. Some of them vote for Manila Philharmonic while some of them vote for Serenata Strings. Honestly, I want to book for the Manila Philharmonic but since they are too expensive and definitely way over our budget, we decided not to entertain the idea of booking them. Next is the SJT String Ensemble, their rates are cheaper than Manila Philharmonic but after several emails with them, I got no reply. Finally, I came across the site of Anima Strings (basically, I search for the best musicians in the Philippines), I listen to their performance specifically their version of "Umagang Kay Ganda", send an email to Roger and he immediate replied on my inquiry. Wow! He also includes their Repertoire in the proposal.

Anima Choir and Strings is composed of professional choral singers and intrumentalists who have extensive backgrounds in solo and ensemble performance. The members come from the tradition of multi-awarded choral groups, orchestras and top conservatories in Manila. All were former members of Ryan Cayabyab's San Miguel Master Chorale and San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra (2001 - 2006). Individually, each member is a professional musicians, having performed here and abroad. All are into other music-related endeavors (teaching voice and instruments, performing solo or with other groups, conducting choirs) in their free time from ANIMA.

Their rates were not expensive as we thought! very competitive, and definitely affordable. Ian and I decided to book them right away. We've made the down payment and signed the contract and it is now official. Anima Strings will play for us at the church ceremony and at the reception.


Anima Choir and Strings
Telephone Number: (0917) 8876970
Contact Person: Roger Sigwa
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
 WHY WE CHOSE IT: 





Looking for photographer and videographer can be quiet overwhelming. There's just so many of them! On fact, we are very strict ion booking them since we are semi-photographer.. Nyahaha.. (Remember, we are both member of F21 Manila who already did photo exhibit in SM Novaliches which sponsored by Canon with the help of Mr. John Chua)

To be honest, Nice Print Photography was our first choice. Hiring a wedding photographer of some famous celebrities like Ogie - Regine and John - Pricilla, Kyla and Ritch is our dream. They gotten international acclaim for their work and from what I see on their facebook site, their photos have been consistently good. But upon looking at their price tag, it was just unreasonable. They were out of the question.

Every time we attend Bridal fair, we always scout for the BEST photo/videographer. We wanted to see their works before deciding, the actual wedding book, guestbook and even the On-site video we a lot 80% of our time watching those videos. We were carefully looking at aisles of both photo and videographers and their samples, some were good some weren’t all that bad but as I said, we are very strict and choosey, and for some reason or another, we just weren’t feeling that they are “THE ONE.” 

 Until we saw CD Worx Multimedia’s booth, their booth was simple decorated and classy, they put their sample blow up canvass and the video sample was displayed together with their sample wedding album and as we looked at each one, we really amazed how they capture photos. Fun, creative, magnificent and simply the BEST! Their staffs are very accommodating, every questions we asked they are confident to answer it. But before anything else, we wanted to know the persons behind the success of CD Worx, and we found out that it was established in 2002 by husband and wife Bernard and Iris Medina. They started off as freelancers who continuously honed their craft in wedding photography until they created a style that is unique to them. Wow! Nice couple like us, same interest in life! Ian and I know that being husband and wife, they understand what other couples want from their wedding photo-video. As such, their trained photographers and videographers know also what and how to capture the most important wedding moments.
We were both excited to work with Iris and Bernard on our special day, I know they will capture the most important moments during our wedding ceremony it is when Ian and I profess our love for each other and make a vow of commitment to share the rest of our lives together. I know that CD Worx will go an extra mile to make sure that every single second is well documented.

Well, we have thoroughly reviewed CD Worx website and have researched on what other couples had to say about him, gladly all of them agree with what I am saying with CD Worx. We met up with Iris twice and have exchanged numerous text messages with her. Actually, she also sends me and Ian inspirational text messages every day!

Now, the pressure is yours CD Worx! Haha..


 CD Worx Multmedia
Address: # 27 Shorthorn St., Project 8, Quezon City
Telephone Number: (632) 557-7222 / (0923) 300-1103 / (0915) 742-1328 / (0939) 590-0058
Contact Person: Bernard Medina / Iris Medina (cd_worx@yahoo.com)


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Thursday, August 16, 2012 4

WHY WE CHOSE IT: 

Deciding where to hold our reception is another challenging task for us. Our first option is to have a garden reception in Patio Victoria in Intramuros because it has Old World charm ambiance, cobblestones walkways with antique wooden gate plus old fashioned fountain that makes the place perfect venue for wedding. Patio Victoria has two gardens and air-conditioned banquet hall which can accommodate 150-200 guest, but since all of us know that we have unpredictable weather and July is still a rainy season month, we don't want to risk all our guest to be uncomfortable and being hassle during our wedding day and for this reason booking at Patio Victoria was removed from our list.

Next option is Ibarra's Garden in Padre Faura, Manila. This place is a classic antique house built in the 1920s inspired with American Art Deco and a quaint garden converted into an ideal place for special events    like wedding. With four locations all over Metro Manila, Ibarra's Venues are easily accessible and very convenient for guests. Each venue has its own distinct personality that suits your preference. Ibarra's Garden  is now air-conditioned meaning even when the rain falls our guest still comfortable and stress-free from being  soaked, not only that they offers complete packages, so when we found out that Ibarra's is joining in Bridal Fair at PICC, we decided to book right away.



There are four wedding packages that Ibarra's offers; the Standard, Deluxe, Superior, All Inclusive Wedding and International Gala Wedding Package, each packages has different varieties of food. We choose Superior Wedding Package which includes Buffet Meals for 150 Persons plus use of amenities as follows:


  •  - Three- Layered Fondant Wedding Cake
  •  - Well Designed Floral Centerpieces for Presidential, Buffet and Guest Tables
  •  - Table Setting and Physical Arrangement of the Area
  •  - Pair of Doves in a Decorated Cage
  •  - Bridal Car with Bouquet (3 hours use)
  •  - 75 pcs of Souvenirs for Guests
  •  - Guest Book and Pen
  •  - Full Bottle of Sparkling Wine for Ceremonial Toast
  •  - Free use of Tiffany Chairs
  •  - Complimentary Food Tasting for Two (2) persons
  •  - Photographic Tarpaulin
  •  - Basic Sound System for Public Address and Background Music
  •  - Use of Red Carpet
  •  - Cake, Gift and Registration Tables
  •  - Sword Parade during entrance,  Buffet Tags
  •  - Table Numbers
  •  - Wedding Reception Programme
  •  - Use of Courtesy Room (event proper only)
  •  - Plated service for the Couple and Principal Sponsor


Since we booked during bridal fair, they give us additional freebies as follows:

  • - Pre-cocktail & welcome drinks or Chocolate Fountain
  • - Gift Voucher on Trial Make-Up from Epic Salon and Day Spa
  •  - Php 500.00 Cash Voucher at HG Studio Make-up and Photography

Plus we get to choose 1 of the following freebies since we booked for 150 pax.

  •  - Mobile Sound System Package from Cybersound Professional
  •  - Fondant Cake Upgrade from Hearts & Bells
  •  - Mobile Bar - Coctail & Dreams by Ibarra's
  •  - LCD Projector with Wide Screen
  •  - Hosting / Emcee Service from Manila Mystic
  •  - Photobooth Add-Ons (Magnet / Double Prints / Bag Tag)

Ibarra's staffs are very nice and accommodating. They are also generous in giving us additinal FREEBIES, instead of one round of ice tea, they make it bottomless; they also waived the electricity for LCD Projector. Nice!

Booking at Ibarra;s Garden allow us to make our memorable moments - unforgettable milestones.




Ibarra's Garden
Address: 525 Padre Faura St., Ermita Manila
Telephone Number: (632) 522-9999, (632) 523-3788, (632) 524-7655
Contact Person: Angelica Cando - Sr. Banquet Sales Associate
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012 1

Oh noh! I'm not done with the review of our wedding suppliers because until now I'm still overwhelmed with our wedding event last month. (boooo…) Sorry busyness ang lola mo since I’m still on the adjustment stage of being a wife. (nagpapaliwanag pa eh!) Anyway, highway I just want to share with you or to give you an idea about our 7 days honeymoon outside the Philippines. We already booked our flight one year before our wedding (excited lang! but the truth is sale kc cebu pacific). Our initial plan is to stay at SG for 5 days but my hubby requested to extend our honeymoon that's why we decided to stretch our vacation for 1 week with a glimpse / side trip at KL.

Everybody is excited in our honeymoon, we received lots of text reminding us to have little Ian or little RN after our trip, some informing us the best places to visit and wishing us safe trip while others just remind us for their pasalubong. Haha.

Being married to Ian is like having an angel by your side 24/7. Now that I am married, it’s now easy for us to travel since he’s not required to pick me up and send me at our home after our date as we are now living together.

Here are some photos of our HONEY-moon. (More details to follow..)

1st Day - A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Honey-mooners off to Singapore!
Marina Bay


2nd Day - Not all those who wander are lost.

Temple + China Town + Little India + Singapore Flyer

3rd Day - Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.

Full House Restaurant + Gardens by the Bay

Happy 1st week as married couple! ♥

4th Day - Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.

Yahoo!!! Universal Studio!

5th Day - Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.

Welcome to Sentosa! + Clarke Quay

6th Day - There is great meaning in life for those who are willing to journey.

Petronas Tower - Kuala Lumpur

7th Day - Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Batu Caves - Kuala Lumpur

So that’s it for now! Yan napapasmile na naman ako everytime I see these pictures.. Haha. 
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