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?