Wednesday, September 29, 2010

100 Days!

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

Monday, September 27, 2010

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!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

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?

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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!

Monday, September 6, 2010

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
Ice Drop Date by Dadai Joaquin