Engagement Shoot

One of the many wedding related activities we did during my last vacation was our engagement shoot. So on the dark, dim and showery afternoon of December 10 we headed off to Sofitel Manila to have our session with Ms. Pilar Tuason.

Out of all the pictures she took (a couple of hundred of them) we have to choose only 15 that she will be using for the wedding guestbook. These are the last 45 raw  we've picked from which we will choosing the final 15 from. Hirap pala, any suggestions?

    

  

I Didn't Realize Grey Shoes Were So Difficult to Find

Grey dress shoes, specifically wing tip oxfords, are like the proverbial needle in a hay stack. I didn't find any in any shop in Metro Manila. Not Bally, Zara, Cole Haan, nor Florsheim. Alberto and Pedro were of no use either.

But here in Doha, in a country were 99.9% of men preferred sandals over shoes, I found a pair exactly my size at Zara.  It was actually Yeng who found it oline and told me about it. So finally, just a little more than a month before the wedding...

Probably the fact that men here prefer not to wear shoes helped. I guess grey sandals would be impossible to find here though.

Of Necks and Ties

This afternoon, I got a small package waiting for me in my letter box. A quick scan showed it was from the US, so I already knew what it had inside.

It was the orange gingham ties for boys I ordered from Etsy's. Here is the boy's tie together with the ties to be used by the groomsmen and secondary sponsors.

DIY Project #2: Wine Glass Charms

After more than almost 2 months of inactivity...

Here is another DIY project that Yeng and I are making in preparation for our wedding: Wine glass charms!

They're really easy to make, all we needed were beads (we used assorted orange, blue and white glass beads, and alphabet beads), memory wire, and super glue. For tools, a wire cutter was needed to cut the memory wire.

We wouldn't think of doing this for 200 guests, but having only 60 guests made it manageable.

Hopefully, these personalized charms can take the place of the usual escort cards for guests to locate their seats (if they are readable enough) and they can double as souvenirs as well. But more than just being ornamental, we hope that they're functional as well. How many times have you asked the person seating beside you to check which of the drinks in between the two of you belonged to you and which one was his? If you're as absent minded as me, then the answer is EVERYTIME.

1 month and 2 weeks and 6 days to go!

100 Days!

I can't believe how fast time flies. 100 days til ze wedding day! Ang bilis bilis!!!

Wedding Errands Minus the Groom

When Dale and I got engaged, I never thought I'd be running wedding errands by myself. I'm used to having him to drive us around, to decide with me or to argue with me in determining details for the wedding. But now that he's in Qatar, I can't just sit back and wait for him to come home to do these things with me.

So a few weeks ago, I drove myself to Makati for my first trial makeup. The feedback was relatively good. I attended a wedding that day and I can say that the makeup lasted the whole day. My friends saw the pictures and they have a common feedback - it looked too natural, like it's for everyday makeup. I'm not yet decided whether to get her or not. I'm actually getting stressed out on who to get as makeup artist. Someone please decide for me? I'm so close to leaving this detail behind. Yes, I'm that stressed out!

My bridesmaids and I also went to Salsatrends last September 18 for their measurement. We were able to finalize the designs for the female entourage and pick the swatch for their gowns. I can't wait to see them all dolled up in these beautiful gowns. We'll be visiting Salsatrends again some time in October for the rest of the female entourage.

Finally, I went to my designer to fit the base of the top of my gown. It wasn't anything fancy yet. Martin is making sure that he gets the right fit before stitching up the rest of the details. I also got to pick the swatch for my gown. Right now though, I can't seem to picture how it will turn out - especially the color, since the swatch is just a small piece of cloth. But I trust my dear talented designer. I'm sure he'll make one gorgeous gown and I can't wait for my next fitting!

Gifts for Primary Sponsors

Just when Yeng and I thought our wedding preps were almost complete, we were faced with the question on what gifts to give our ninongs and ninangs. I know that this is a small detail relative to the big wedding picture, but when you're running a tight ship with regards to budget, everything needs to be carefully planned and thought of.

We were hoping to get something that was not consumable, something that will remind them of us and our wedding, and something that will not end up in the bin. From what we have seen in the weddings we have attended, the gift usually given to the ninongs and ninangs are fine wine, whiskey or liquor. Though I can appreciate a good bottle of red wine and the occasional good whiskey (especially of the single malt variety), this didn't match our non-consumable requirement. So we went for a quick google search and it showed us less desirable selections such as souvenir keepsakes, which if not carefully chosen will probably just end up in the bin.

This was turning out to be more difficult than what it initially seemed.

I tried to remember the nicer gifts that my mom has received as a Ninang. I can remember a gold plated Flora/Fauna 2 peso coin (the one with the tamaraw and Andres Bonifacio) that she received once. Hmmm too expensive and not really reflective of Yeng and I, or our wedding.

I also remember reading in one of the forums I'm a member of about a couple that gave a Ramon Orlina glass scuplture to each sponsor. Wow! That couple must be loaded because an Orlina would cost anywhere from PhP180k and up. Nice idea though, but we're not kids of congressmen or Manny Pacquiao (Oh wait the Pac-Man is a congressman!).

Anyway, to cut the long story short, we decided that something that we saw during our trip to Davao would be a good gift idea. No it's not durian, pomelo or mangosteen. It's also not a Philippine eagle feather or egg. Pearls would have been a good idea, but I dont think it's fair to the Ninongs. Bottomline is, we think it's worth keeping, it's personal, and can be be a good reminder of our wedding. Only question is would it be qithin budget?

After a quick check and some negotiations with the potential "supplier", it was within our budget! Perfect!

Of course we can't divulge what it is. But we are hoping that our Ninongs and Ninangs would like it,as much as we do.

What about you? What gift did you give your Ninong/Ninangs? Or what was the best gift you received as a Ninong or Ninang?

Wedding Preparation Signal No. 1

My two week break was a flurry of out of town visits and wedding related activities.

Of course I already wrote about our trip to Davao, but I have not yet mentioned that we also went to Bohol to attend the wedding of a couple who we count as very good friends. This probably deserves a post on its own, so Ill come back to that later.

Now, as for wedding preparations, it was a flurry of activities! In less than two weeks we managed to do the following activities.

• I met up with Aquatico owner, Monet Gusi, and make the down payment for the venue and advance payment for the rooms.
• We met up with Yeng's gown designer Martin Bautista for Yeng's initial measurements. Payment was made too
• We met up with Salsa trends designer and discuss the designs for the female entourage
• I  went to QC city hall to get the wedding license requirements and certification for the family planning/marriage counseling seminars
• I went to two churches in Laguna, one in Bay and another one in Los Banos to get a copy of my confirmation certificate. Turns out I'm not yet confirmed, so I got a copy of my baptismal certificate instead.
• Made the payment to Chiro and Bizu

Hmm now that I'm writing it the list doesn't seem that long, but it did seem like a lot of work was done and a lot of bills were paid too! Ok maybe it was not a full blown storm, but it was a signal number 1 typhoon. Next time I'm home, I think it's going to be signa number two!

Got Our House Our First Piece of Davao Art!

While lounging at Cafe Kangaroo in Davao, Yeng and I noticed these nice small pastel drawings and sketches displayed all through out the cafe. we found out that a locat artist Dadai Joaquin was having a small exhibit at the cafe.

Unfortunately, the barista didn't know which pieces were available. We left the cafe only with our stomachs full, but alas no art work.

That's before the artist hereself contacted me! To make the long story short, we went back to Manila with our very own piece of Davao art.

Ice Drop Date by Dadai Joaquin

Our Davao Vacation- Pearl Farm

Hey Folks, I'm again back in the hot and humid country of Qatar after spending 17 days back home in the Philippines. One of the places Yeng and I visited during my vacation was Davao. If you'e not yet been here before, now is the best time to go, since Philippine tourism really needs a lift after that tragic incident in Manila.

Our first destination was Pearl Farm where we planned to spend 3 days and 2 nights in one of the Balay Hill-Top rooms. The Pearl Farm is located in the southern part of the Philippines in the Samal group of Islands, an archipelago consisting of nine islands which stretch out over a land area of 28,000 hectares. According to their website this fourteen (14) hectare spread was once a pearl farm, where thousands of white-lipped oysters transported from the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white and gold pearls.

The resort was designed by Bobby Manosa who is famous for his bahay kubo inspired designs. And indeed the Pearl Farm is a place where the humble bahay kubo is transformed into modern, beautiful and functional structures that dot the face of the resort.

We took the first PAL flight out of Manila and landed in Davao city at around 6am. From the airport, it was a 20min cab ride to the Davao Marina where Pearl Farm has a receiving area/hotel where guests were asked to check in and where the boat transfer from the main land to the Pearl Farm was taken.

Here is the how the break water/boat dock of the marina looked like as Yeng gets ready to board the boat to Pearl Farm.


After about 40min on the boat, Pearl Farm came to view. The Samal Suites came to view first and of course the iconic Pearl Farm gazebo, the Parola Bar, was where the guests were first received (with fresh pineapple juice!). The other view of the Parola Bar was taken from our Hill Top Room.



Since we arrived a couple of hours too early to check in, we lounged beside the infinite pool and also walked around taking pictures of the other room types. Below you see the Samal Houses which were built over the water.


We checked in at 2pm after having lunch at the Maranao restaurant. After a quick cat nap, we hit the infinite pool which was just beside the Parola bar. The pool has a children's area, and an adults area, which wasn't deep enough. Nonetheless, the pool was quite refreshing as it was a freshwater pool. We also had some drinks at around 4pm, since all the drinks were 50% off between 4-6pm. I had a mojito with calamansi instead of lime - as the barman claimed that they have already ran out of it.

As the sun began to set, I took out my camera again as this was my favorite time to shoot. Here's Yeng modelling for me again hehe.



The following day, before having breakfast, we headed to the main beach to sun bathe a little and also for us to get some pictures while on the beach. The beach had a very gentle slope and was only waist deep even after some significant distance from the shore. Here is a now you see us, now you don't shots of the beach and Parola Bar.



After having breakfast, we headed off to the other Pearl Farm owned island, the Malipano Island. We first stayed on the beach facing the main Pearl Farm island, but at around 12nn, we headed off to the other side where the Malipano Island Villas were located. Unfortunately by this time, my SLR battery ran out on me and I had to rely on my P&S. Here are some pictures of the Malipano Island Villa and Yeng resting on one of the hammocks along the beach.

 

The breakwater was also a nice feature of the beach and though it was not allowed, we could not resist jumping off the end of the structure into the deep blue clear sea.



At around 2pm we headed back to the main island, sun burned hungry and thirsty. After getting some snacks and some drinks, I lounged on the poolside while Yeng made for the pool again. Just before the sunset we made for our room for a quick shower and change of clothes and we headed back outside where I again started snapping the sunset at Pearl Farm. Here by far is my favorite picture of the Parola.

The Samal Suites were quite difficult to shoot at night because of the strong lighting they had underneath them.


The next day, we just walked to the other parts of the resort that we haven't yet visited. We checked out at 12noon, had lunch and at 1pm took the boat to the city where the adventure continued as it was the start of the Kadayawan Festival in Davao.

Pearl Farm is a place that's very relaxing and where everything is within reach and prepared fpr you. It's definitely not the place if you want the diversity of islands that El Nido or a Bohol offers, or if you're looking for the nightlife of Boracay. But if you just want the solitude of a nice beach and great accommodations, and don't want the stress of planning where you will go to next or where you will eat next, then the Pearl Farm is the perfect resort for you.

Here are some other pictures mostly of me and Yeng, mostly Yeng in front of the camera and me, behind it.



Hope you enjoyed looking!