Counting the Days til the BIG DAY!

New Home

2005-01-01T11:09:00.001+08:00

The Newlywed has a new home... please do visit me there! =)

http://yaxcdoodles.blogspot.com

yax

THE DAY has finally arrived...

2004-12-09T23:59:00.001+08:00

...i'm finally married with my one true love and i couldn't be happier...

*****watch out for wedding kwentos, pics, supplier ratings and my NEW blog!*****

My Last Day as a Miss...

2004-12-08T14:36:00.000+08:00

I went to SM again (alone - It's been ages since I did that!) this morning to look for my "dressing" outfit and to shop for more clothes...

Spent the entire morning just enjoying the company of myself... but got bored too soon... =D

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...Jon n I agreed not to see each other or even just talk to each other (we text naman -- hirap eh!) 'til our wedding... (For 8 years, we have been together for almost everyday, that i don't even remember the last time when we didn't see each other in a day... )

I'll definitely miss him... but it will be worth it... =)

1...

2004-12-07T23:49:00.000+08:00

Woke up early for the 2nd consecutive day (whoa, that's a feat! :D) for more wedding preps...

printed and made more placecards
made butterfly confetti from orange and aqua blue japanese paper
we're finally through packing the souvenirs!

...got a call from San Agustin if i wanted a garden aisle... Miss Belen informed me that there are 3 couples (including us) who are to be married on Thursday and we could just chip in for its cost. Jon n I went there after lunch to pay for our share.

Then we went straight to Bess' shop to pick up my gown! :) I can't wait to wear it!!! He gave me a free pouch but it was just too simple for me so we decided to look for another one na lang since we're headed to SM Southmall after.

...And i found the perfect bag which would go well with my gown and shoes! =)

And these other things:

belt for Jon
pins for the prosperity dance
white hankies ;)
oil control films
hairpiece for my 'do

Before we went home, I told Jon that i wanted to buy him a watch for our 8th year anniversary... fortunately, his search was not long... we found this...

And i'm starting to pack my things for the hotel... and the hunnymoon... which was a very nice surprise he told me days ago... So excited!!! =D

2...

2004-12-06T23:33:00.000+08:00

Although I already slept at 2am last night( or is it this morning?), I woke up early today coz i feel there's still a lot of work to be done...

made ALL placecards...

vip placecards

placecards for all the guests

made the list of single ladies and bachelors for the bouquet and garter games
followed-up on RSVP (again and again!) and made the seating arrangement plan (madugo ito!)...
printed VIP guest cards...

sample vip guestcard

3...

2004-12-05T23:22:00.000+08:00

went to the salon to have Jon's haircut while I had mani/ped plus foot spaaah...
bought bottles of wine
helped in packing souvenirs

It's Jon's bachelor party (again!) tonight... Inggit ako!!! :D

4...

2004-12-04T20:12:00.000+08:00

Done with the souvenir tags...

Started doing the placecards... I'm still contemplating if i should make all 200 or just for the VIPs...

5...

2004-12-03T14:45:00.000+08:00

The sun is shining! Yipee! (I hope it will continue to shine til next week...)

We're meeting with the two hosts again later today to discuss the flow of the program.

And then, we'll rush off to our badminton game which is scheduled at 8pm.

6...

2004-12-02T21:42:00.000+08:00

...Stayed at Jon's place the entire stormy day just browsing the net, managing our finances, and doing these... We're halfway through already (we're making 100 pieces)!

Oh..., and btw, I got teary-eyed when Jon showed me his cabinet... he already cleared a lot of his things and made space for my clothes and stuff... Even his dresser was ready too... Upon seeing it, all i could do was just hold and hug him tightly...

...In a few days, I will be "HOME".

7...

2004-12-01T22:31:00.000+08:00

One week to go!

- Pre-production meeting with Miss Tess of Realtime and gave permits.
- Dropped by WingsofDreams to pick up butterfly cages/centerpieces and discussed the extent of their full-service coordination
- Dropped off the cages to Angelic Blooms and gave swatches of cloth for their guide
- Met with Alex Franco and gave swatches of cloth for their guide
- Met with Chito Cleofas and gave permits for the pictorial at the choir loft and at the ruins
- Started decorating the misalettes

8...

2004-11-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

- scheduled pre-production meeting with Realtime, and Chito Cleofas
- followed up on RSVP and started making the seating arrangement
- bought items needed for the garter game... *wink*
- bought wines for toasting

9...

2004-11-29T17:22:00.000+08:00

Bleak day today... It has been raining all day... I hope it doesn't rain on the 9th... (Please God!)

Anyway, it was a productive day for me... Printed the remaining number of misalettes we need, plus the wedding reception programme i made a couple of days back. I was also able to redecorate the butterfly wings for my 3 flower girls, and i'm quite pleased with the results.

At 9pm tonight, we're going to the airport to fetch Jeff, one of Jon's bestmen, who's coming in from San Jose, Cali... And although i'm already a bit tired, i'm still looking forward to getting together with the boys and girls and, of course, seeing JEff.

10...

2004-11-28T22:02:00.000+08:00

accomplishments for the day:

had Jon's new pants dry-cleaned ( i know, i know... i promised Jon i would hand-wash it for him --- but i saw the tag "dry clean only" before i could do it eh... )
had hair spa and my eyebrows threaded at the salon
found THE shoes for my hunny (after days of searching!)
scanned more pictures for our AVP

2nd gown fitting

2004-11-27T19:45:00.000+08:00

I had the final fitting of my gown today... I went to Bess' shop with my mom, my sister (who's also fitting her gown) n Jon (who stayed inside the car coz I didn't want him to see me in my gown ;) ) ...What else can I say but I SOOOOO love my gown! It was already embroidered and fully-beaded (athough the swarovski crystals I gave them weren't placed yet), but still needed more alterations (which means i lost weight again??? - yipee yipee!)... Here's another peek at my wedding gown...

Went straight to Makati and picked up Jon's barong at Silk Cocoon. My mom had only one comment when he fitted it...

"Wow, pogi ni Jon ah..."(heheheh =D)

Next was my mom's fitting at her designer's shop at Makati. After that, we ate merienda at Market! Market!, bought plants for my lola and ate (who's celebrating their natal days today and tomorrow, respectively), bought 2 slippers at Banana Peel (they're super cute!), and headed home for our badminton session with friends...

Friday Night Out

2004-11-26T23:39:00.000+08:00

Right after work, we went to Italianni's Glorietta for dinner with my MIL and FIL to-be. We had salad, beef linguine and pepper-crusted pork. Really great food! We separated after...

We chanced on getting Jon's pants at King Philip (we were supposed to pick it up Sunday pa) and fortunately, it's ready na... And it fitted him nicely so there was no ned for repairs. His only complaint was that it was a little itchy. So i offered to bring it home and wash it for him (hey, i will be his wife in a few days so this is sort of a practice already! heheh)...

And then I saw it... the perfect shoes for me!!! It had the right color, the right height (about 3 inches), and even had the right butterfly detail (see below)... Really, it was PERFECT!

We watched The Incredibles afterwards... The movie was okay, but (pardon the pun) not as incredible as we expected it to be... It was still a little early (for us, anyway) so we decided to have coffee at Gloria Jeans before heading home. We also bought Wetzels Pretzels (which name reminds me of Gonuts Donuts - rhymes eh! =D ) to go with our coffee...

Last Working Day for the Year... =D

2004-11-26T16:09:00.000+08:00

Yay! 1 more hour and i'm off work already! I'll be on leave 'til next year! Yipee!!! So Xcited!!!

Our First Wedding Gift

2004-11-23T22:19:00.000+08:00

We received our very first wedding gift from an officemate today... Last week, she generously offered to give us the bible which we would be using on our wedding day. Thanks again, Irish n hubby!

"To Mr. and Mrs. Cuy... Congratulations! ..."

I should be used to this... being called "Mrs. Cuy"... I'm still uncomfortable with it, i guess... I love my family name and I don't want to drop it after the marriage... (I'm contemplating of using a hyphenated surname)... Don't get me wrong, I mean... nothing's wrong with Cuy... maybe it's just... i don't know... too short???

Another Divi Trip

2004-11-21T14:35:00.000+08:00

Jon n I had to wake up early again today for another Divi trip with my mom, 2 sisters and K8's bf.

bought the piña jusi barong for the little groom
ordered special pillows for the bearers - to pick up next week
ordered special cord - to pick up next week
bought illusion tulle veil and lace(for the secondary veil)
bought colored sinamay cloth for the souvenir's packaging
bought fake small flowers for the souvenir's packaging

So tired and so sleepy!!!

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...Btw, finally uploaded some of the pics during the surprise shower n stag party in one... do check them out!

Preps, Preps, Preps!!!

2004-11-20T23:40:00.000+08:00

Distributed more invites this morning... Traffic in LP's gone terrible!!! I'm not sure if it's because of the rains or the upcoming Christmas season?

We proceeded to New World after to pick up Jon's barong at Silk Cocoon... but we were told it wasn't delivered yet. It was due today but they explained that they have some sort of a shoot last night so they were a little behind with their deliveries... Cathy was very apologetic naman so we let it go na lang...

We then went to Glorietta (we didn't realize it was SALE pala) to SHOP for more wedding paraphernalias... These are some of my finds:

I'll be wearing these...

got this jewelry box from Oceanic (as recommended by the wawies) for our unity coins

I was looking for my bridal shoes but somehow, I was sidetracked by the big sale at Janilyn and got these sandals instead...

P299 and P499 only!

Jon had his measurements taken at King Philip for his pants. We'll be picking it up after a week. Then to National Bookstore for more of our paper requirements...

Ate dinner at Friday's after and hurriedly headed home for our 10pm badminton schedule... whew!

Table Names

2004-11-19T16:32:00.000+08:00

Instead of table numbers, we're placing table names... I've done some research a couple of months back (different types of butterfly) and finally finished its layout... Here's a sample...

TSG Demo

2004-11-18T22:53:00.000+08:00

Jon n I wanted to hear TSG's version of the song we're supposed to dance to on our wedding so I requested Kay to have it played tonight on their demo session at 8pm...

After office, we had dinner at Stars and Stripes at Blue Wave before we proceeded to TSG's studio/office at Mandaluyong... We came in too early and we had to sit there and wait. There was a couple - with their emcee, i presume, who were having their production meeting with Ian and Jojo (the leader and the production manager whom we also met a few weeks back) and Ian would often strum a few notes on his guitar and play a sample of the song they're laying out...

At 8:30 pm, the "show" started... they played most of the songs in our line-up... and though this is the second time we've attended their session, we were still very much entertained... (although we both felt they didn't give their 100% tonight)... We headed home after we've accomplished our task for the night (recorded some 'important' songs)... Went to a friend's house to give our invitation and arrived home at past 10pm... We would have gone to Alabang for burgers and tambay with friends but we were just too tired already...

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WISHIN' AND HOPIN'...

THIS STRESS is getting the better of me... we've been fighting over small (silly or not-so-silly) things for almost every day now... I promised myself i would try to contain these bursts of emotions but this resolve just goes down the drain every single fuckin time!

...In 20 days, all these would be over... no wedding preps to do, no supplier to meet with, no wedding detail to think about... nothing... zilch... nada... I've heard of other couples who got married already who often said they miss the preps... maybe so... but right now, i just want it over and done with... and not be this mean grouch that i'm becoming...

...And be happily married with my one true love... (So hun, if ur reading this... know that you're truly, madly, and deeply loved... and i miss spending quality moments with you alone... ...can't wait to be your wife! )

4th day "vacation"

2004-11-16T21:49:00.000+08:00

I just had to extend (again!) the 3-day vacation coz i realized we still haven't given out all our invitations and yet the due date for RSVP stated in there is already on Friday!!! Jon also received a call from Silk Cocoon yesterday telling him that he could already fit his barong. So, i included it in our itinerary for the day...

We first went to one of our ninong in QC (my late father's brother) and requested him to prepare a speech for us on the reception. Then to my mom's office at Dep Ed coz one of her officemate is also one of our ninang...

Proceeded to Silk Cocoon after and Jon fitted his barong already. There were just little adjustments plus they will put in the mother of pearls on the barong na lang and it will be ready for pick up on Saturday! Galing!

We had dinner at Jon's place (it's my MIL2b's bday today and we got her flowers and cake)... and we printed some more misalettes after.

3 more weeks!!!! aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Surprise Bridal Shower and Bachelor Party in One!

2004-11-14T13:26:00.000+08:00

Just got back from a blastin PARTEIII! ...Rarin to make kwento, but i have to catch up on my ZZZZ's first... =)

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(posting this 4days after... that was a looong slumber!... mwehehehe)

side kwento...Alvin txted Jon inviting him for a business proposal meeting (that was a week ago). He told him he's inviting only the TC boys first and the rest of the tropa after... Since we didn't have anything scheduled that day, he got interested and so we blocked the day off...

Friday... I was out having lunch with Jon at Blue Wave when he received a call from Nhina... I heard him saying, "yup. andito siya..." , and then they put down the phone... What was that? I had to laugh my head off coz it dawned on me that they're cooking up something... At first, I thought Jon was also a part of it but he later on revealed (coz of my constant pangungulit) that Nhina called because she wanted Jon to set-up a 'meeting' between me and Nique- my 2nd MOH who i'm having a falling-out with... Turns out Nique wanted to have a talk with me... that Saturday also... She had a live-in seminar at Makati (near Greenbelt) so she wanted to meet up with us after their session at Greenbelt also...

Saturday... Jon, Ronald, and I left Makati at 2:30pm. The plan was to meet Alvin at GB3 at around 3:30pm (I'll go to Glorietta to accomplish some things for the wedding while they're discussing the business) but when we got there, he had just left his office and won't be there for another hour and a half. The three of us just went around the mall. Unfortunately, Jon n I had a little disagreement about something... and I walked out and disappeared for an hour or so. What's a surefire way to calm the nerves??? SHOPPING!!!

Jon had been looking around for me and calling my phone the whole time pala... When he finally got through me, he asked where i was and went to get me. We went to GB after and met the boys... Since i was there already, Alvin just decided to let me in na lang den... or so I thought... We went to Krokodile Grill and there, Alvin CONVINCINGLY discussed the business proposal... After a few minutes, Jon received a text from Nique and after a few minutes, she arrived. Alvin told me that they're just going to the condo unit of his friend who was the owner of the business supposedly to show them some documents and left the two of us to talk... We walked around the GB park and she told me she prepared a 5-page letter but that she left it at the seminar place. She asked me if it's okay if we go there and get it... The "seminar place" was at the BSA Tower at Makati, just a walk away from Greenbelt...

...A few steps away from "her room", I heard a familiar laugh... Jun's. And I laughed so hard I had to sit at the corridor... This was it! This was the surprise!!! When I walked in, they were all there... my tropa and even my sister... and the boys..(Jon was even more surprised when he walked in just a few minutes ago, I was told..)!!!

They prepared food (kaya pala Alvin n Ronald's not eating when we went to Krokodile Grill) and we even had a kink cake (pic above)! After our dinner, we had some games (lick the cream off the doughnut, wedding gown made of tissue papers, and rated R charades)... After that, some of the tropa went out and came back 1 and a half hour later with a male and female stripper in tow... And then the FUN started... We gurls with the male stripper in one room, and the boys with their stripper in another...

When the strippers left, we had inuman til 3am...

(Pictures to be uploaded soon...)

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Badminton Night Ulit...

After hearing mass, Jon n I played badminton with his tropa... Afterwards, tambay lang til 3am (Alex n Joi followed us) and we started shooting the interviews for the AVP...

Preps From Sun Up til Sun Down

2004-11-11T22:33:00.000+08:00

On leave again from work... I woke up feeling a little excited bout today's events... Started my day by printing and addressing envelopes for the invites, and printed the misalette to give to Jody whom we were to meet at 10 am at PanPac (with Annie P).

At the meeting, we were able to accomplish the following:

paid the remaining balance for the reception
converted loose flowers to appetizers (nuts and chips) per table
booked room requirements (bridal suite and 3 additional regular rooms) - requested for early check-in
gave the exact number for the crew meals
decided on the layout
Jody provided me with the list of the remaining balances for the different suppliers and the call-time for each.

After everything had been settled with the venue, Annie left us (there was a function ongoing) and Jody gave us some valuable pointers for the wedding... how i should walk during the bridal march, how we should place the rings, etc etc. While she was explaining to me these things, i felt hundreds of butterflies in my stomach and i almost cried. I was imagining the proceedings so vividly already... and I'm sure Jon felt the same way... ooohhhh... 27 more days!!!

We went straight to Makati to deliver some invites. And then we dropped by the new office of Wings of Dreams in Prince Plaza II and got the sample centerpieces to show the florist which we were to meet later in the afternoon. I got to meet Marielle (the owner) and she asked me if i was the bride... Before I left, she asked me if it was okay if she drop by and take some shots of me with the butterflies on our wedding to post in their website or to use for their brochures ... of course i said OKAY!!! ...I didn't know i was model material! hahaha!

We had a quick lunch and proceeded to the flower shop of Angelic Blooms at the Manila Seedling at QC ... Joana had a flight today so we met with her partner, Biyen. Our original contract was only for the entourage flowers but since we were already there and I had with me the butterfly centerpieces, I asked for a quotation for the flower arrangements at the reception venue. We even had a mock setup of the arrangement and it's real pretty! So we finalized the contract and we're getting them for all our flower requirements already.

We went to Megamall after and looked for wedding paraphernalias (bible, cord, veil, etc.) at the Wedding Library. There were a variety of choices there but some were really expensive. We'd just have to look somewhere else.

I wanted to buy the gift for my emcee(at the store where i bought the entou gifts) but there was no available butterfly brooch anymore.

So as not to make our trip to Mega unrewarding, we just stuffed our faces at Tong Yang shabu shabu...

Before going home, we dropped by Wax's place to give the invitation and also borrowed a polo of JD (the little groom) so we won't have a hard time looking for his barong...

...off to now!

And It's Down To One...

2004-11-09T08:45:00.000+08:00

This is sooo exciting!!! One month to go!!!

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Updates...

Church: SAN AGUSTIN
- Fully paid (church, flowers, priest, additional principal sponsors fee, electrical charge)
- Canonical inerview - OK
- Passed all documents needed (marriage license, baptismal and confirmation certificates)
- Paid pictorial fee for the use of the choir loft and the Ruins (Father Blanco's)
- Marriage Preparation (pre-cana): DISCOVERY WEEKEND - OK -last August 13-15

Wedding Paraphernalia (church)
*CANDLES - to decorate
*MATCHES - to buy and decorate
*CORD - beads? – to buy
*VEIL - to buy
*BIBLE - to buy
*UNITY COINS - got it. to make pouch
*PILLOWS (2) - to buy
*CONFETTI - bought 5 small tubes already / to buy more
*BUTTERFLY RELEASE - c/o Wings of Dreams
*DOVES - to decide if we still need this...

Wedding Rings: GOLDENAS
- got it! (with Jon for safekeeping...)

Reception Venue: PAN PACIFIC MANILA (Pacific Grand Ballroom)
- to be paid in full on Th (11Nov)
- same day meeting with coordinator and AE to decide on layout
- finalize details (rooms, flower arrangements, crew meals, etc)

Programme Paraphernalia
*CAGE CENTERPIECE - to pick-up at Wings of Dreams one week before
*FLOWERS - c/o Ara (?)
*GUESTSHEETS - printed - to finalize!!!
*WINE FOR TOASTING - to buy
*CHAMPAGNE FLUTES - to decorate
*2 PENTEL PENS (EE) - to buy
*4 PENS (EE) - to buy
*REGISTRATION SHEET - to make after RSVP
*SEAT PLAN - to make after RSVP
*WRAPPED FLOWERS - c/o Angelic BLOOMS
*GARTER - ask Nanay to make one
*ITEMS NEEDED FOR THE GARTER GAME
*LIST OF NAMES OF SINGLE LADIES AND BACHELORS
*TABLE NUMBERS/NAMES, PLACECARDS, GIFT TAGS - to print!

OTD Coordinator: EVENTS EXPERTS (Jody Liwanag)
- Paid 50% DP
- To be paid in full 1 week before
-MEETINGS!!!

Hair and Make-up: EDDIE BRUAN
- Trial MU - done
- paid DP - balance to be paid on the day
- decide on hairstyle!

Hairpiece: NONE YET!!!

Photographer: CHITO CLEOFAS PHOTOGRAPHY
- Pre-nups done
- paid 50% -> 25% balance on the day and 25% upon delivery of album
- Meet at least 1-2 weeks before to give list of shots we want
- Give permit (choir loft, ruins)

Videographer: REAL TIME VIDEO PRODUCTIONS
- Paid 50% DP -> 25% balance on the day and 25% upon delivery of DVD
- Production meeting (give list of songs/CD)
- Give permits (choir loft, ruins, San Agustin)

Projector and Widescreen: NONE YET!
- to decide if getting from Pan Pac or from Real Time's contact

AVP: (Jon's twin)
- discussed with Jon the flow of the presentation already
- pics scanned already
- TO DO: interviews

Lights and Sounds: SOUND SYNDROME (Elfren Uy)
- Paid DP - balance on the day
- meet with Elfren to discuss requirements

Bridal Gown: M. YUMUL BRIDAL - BESSEMER GARCIA
- Paid 50% DP - balance upon delivery
- first fitting done
- to give swarovski crystals for beading

Barong for H2B: SILK COCCOON (Kate Goulborn)
- Paid 50% DP
- fitting on 20 Nov

Undergarments:
*BRIDE - to decide if getting from Betty's
*GROOM - got it free from Silk Coccoon

Shoes: NONE YET!

Entourage Gowns: LENA SMITH (my lola)
- measurements taken already
- designs finalized

Entourage Flowers: ANGELIC BLOOMS
- finalize contract on meeting scheduled on 11Nov 3pm
- pay 50% DP
- give swatches of cloth

Cake: ALEX FRANCO CAKES
- met with him already - decided on the 'design'
- payment on wedding day
- give swatch of cloth at least two weeks before

Choir/Entertainment: THE SENTIMENTAL GROOVE
- Production Meeting OK
- Song list - OK
- Record Song for first dance (to practice - ?)

Bridal Car: AdEB BRIDAL CARS
- Paid 50% DP -> balance two weeks before
- text room number on the day

Butterflies: WINGS OF DREAMS
- Paid DP - balance on the day
- decide when to release
- pick up centerpieces one week before

Butterfly Wings: ACCLAIM
- got them already - to decorate!

Invitations: AMIS PRINTS
- started distributing them already...

Misalettes: DIY (Jon and Yax)
- started printing already...

Bridal Registry: RUSTAN'S
- selected items already. Got the list.

Souvenirs: SUDS & SCENTS (Landmark Makati)
- ordered already
- to decide on the packaging

Thank you gifts:
*for the PS - Regalong Pambahay - 14 pcs. ok ->wrapped already
*for the gurls - OK! - to wrap

HONEYMOON:
- paid in full!
- got the itinerary already
- still awaiting confirmation ;)
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Still a LOT of work to be done... don't ya think?

At Makati again...

2004-11-07T21:53:00.000+08:00

Went to Rustan's bridal registry Makati to get our list of our selection of gifts... Not really happy with it... Oh well...

Placed our orders for the souvenirs. Will wait for 2 more weeks to pick them up...

Heard mass afterwards...

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Gosh. Look at my posts. I'm this busy...

San Agustin... CHECK!

2004-11-06T22:34:00.000+08:00

We went to San Agustin after lunch to have our misalette checked... got it after just 5 minutes. We were also "briefed" by one of their priests... Paid the church in full already...

We had family bonding afterwards (with Mommy, Kate Peng and Jon) and went to Market! Market! at The Fort Bonifacio Global City. 'Twas really a LOT of FUN!

Busy busy days!!!

2004-11-04T10:21:00.000+08:00

I so missed blogging!!! A lot had happened during the supposedly 3 day vacation (which I extended to 5 days)...

**SATURDAY, 30 October **

Went to Silk Cocoon at the New World Renaissance Hotel to check out the barong which we saw at a bridal mag (Bride and Home)... They showed us samples of the piña silk and the rafia embroidery they exclusively design although there was no available tela of our preferred color that day... nevertheless, Jon loved it! But we'll have to decide on this pa coz it was out of our alloted budget na...

Passed by Landmark Makati and saw our possible souvenir-to-be... whatchutink?

scented glycerin soaps

**SUNDAY, 31 October **

The scheduled measurement taking for my gurls... All but 2 arrived...

Because my granma (Nanay to me) is back home, the Villegas clan had some sort of a reunion at our place... The house was bursting with people!!! And half of them were kids! Wow!

**MONDAY, 1 November **

Mommy wanted to see for herself the glycerin soaps at Landmark (she offered to take care of the souvenirs... yipee!) so we went there after lunch with my sister (one of my MOH) and Jon... She was able to make tawad pa! Galing! =) She will just place our order thru phone pending the exact number of souvenirs we need. We'll just DIY the packaging... we're thinking of putting it in a small sinamay bag or somethin like this...

**TUESDAY, 2 November **

Started doing our misalette... I was able to print out 100 misalette covers... Addressed more invites...

Got the 4 butterfly wings from Acclaim... They didn't get the colors right! I didn't want to get it at first but another two weeks is such a long wait so I relented. We'll just put some beads and some gold dust maybe to make it look nicer.

Badminton wid Aion, Alex, Marlon and Mauie. Tambay til 12mn.

**WEDNESDAY, 3 November **

Appointment at Rustans Makati (bridal registry) at 11am to choose our gifts... We went there early to look around and pre-select the items... An assistant joined us at 11 and the selection took over an hour. Quite dissatisfied with our choices but i figured that is really not important...

We've decided on Jon's barong already! We're getting it from Silk Cocoon! Jon had his measurements taken already. Pazette's right (tnx again, Pazette! ;) ), Kate Gouldborn was such a sweetie... We'll be back on Nov 20 for fitting...

Went to RED BOX after. Availed of their lunch promo again and sang our hearts out til 3pm.

Distributed our invites to some of our ninongs and ninangs around the Makati area...

Printed 100 pieces of the first page (the bridal entourage and liturgical entourage page) of our misalette.

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And i'm back to work today... TOXXIIIIICCCC!!!!

TGIF!

2004-10-29T23:33:00.000+08:00

...So glad that the week's finally over! I'm sooo lookin forward to the 3-day vacation although Jon n I have got nothing really special planned but just preps and more wedding preps...

After work, I wanted to go to Dampa at Parañaque coz i was reaallllly craving for seafoods but since we were both so famished already we found Dampa too far and we just ate at Marina at Roxas Boulevard (beside Pier 1). We feasted on prawns, ampalaya con carne, steamed lapu-lapu, and a bucket of steamed oysters!!! Yumeeehh!!!

---------------------------

My granma, who will be making the entourage gowns, arrived from England this afternoon and Jon n I went home for a while to see her. When she saw me, these are the first things that came out of her mouth... "wow, ang sexy na ng apo ko!!!"

...She definitely needs eyeglasses now.

Production Meeting with the Coordinator, Hosts and Band

2004-10-27T19:14:00.000+08:00

Got so stressed at the start of the week 'coz I had to make all 7 different schedules meet... me n hubby2B, Jody, the Sentimental Groove ( represented by Rjie and Jojo), and our two hosts, the soon-to-be doctor Aion, and the very much in-demand officemate/radio announcer Dulz. After countless phone calls, text messages and making kulit to everyone, we finally decided to meet at 130pm today at Greenbelt, Makati.

Me n Dulz had to take the half day off as we await for Jon n Aion to pick us up at the office. The two pasaway boys were late coz Aion had just gone off from his duty at the hospital... I kept on bugging Jon over the phone to hurry up... They arrived at the office ten minutes before our scheduled meeting at Makati. Needless to say, we were LATE. (I hate being late! - and that's because I don't have patience to wait for someone else either - I value other people's time and mine too!)...

Anyway... the production meeting went smoothly and lasted for only an hour... And it helped that I prepared and printed copies of the song list the day before (from the church ceremony til the dancing at the reception). Jody presided the meeting as we went through every sequence of the programme. The hosts had their first draft of the script already and we finalized the songs to be played by the band. So there! Next meeting to schedule... with Jody and Annie (Pan Pac)...

...And btw, i'm so glad that the two wacky hosts hit it off well! They seem to have the rapport already and we're confident they will make our wedding the "talk of the town" (oops, sorry, private joke...) hahah...

=======================

Jon got the wedding bann reply from our parish this morning. He was surprised that we had to pay *** just for that... Oh well, I just told him we're lucky it's not 1k+ just like what the other wowie couples paid for theirs...

Our Wedding Announcement

2004-10-24T21:39:00.000+08:00

Today is officially one and a half month before our wedding day!

I spent most of the day at home, just tying on orange ribbons (I finally figured how to make butterfly bows - by my own!) to attach to our invites. I still have about half of them to be done...

Jon n I heard mass early this evening... He was a bit surprised when i told him we're hearing mass at our parish. ( We rarely hear mass there - we often go to another church). You see, this was the third (and last) week since we submitted our wedding bann. He must have forgotten about it so i offered no explanation.

And even though i was anticipating it, my heart still skipped a beat and my knees felt weak upon hearing our names mentioned and our wedding announced at the end of the mass... I tell you, it's a different feeling!!!

===========================

I'm so glad i didn't leave behind my phone at Podium yesterday! When we went to the Smart Wireless Center at Southmall tonight, the customer care officer said i have two options: leave my phone and they'll have it repaired in two weeks OR i bring my phone at the repair center (SEMICON - also at Southmall) myself and have it done in a few minutes - they'll just issue a certification so that i don't pay a single cent. Guess what i chose?

Gifts for the PS, Guestsheets and BARONG!!!

2004-10-23T23:03:00.000+08:00

I got a phone call last Wednesday from Regalong Pambahay informing me that the 14 pieces lamps were ready for pick-up already. Those lamps were supposed to arrive 1st week of November pa and we were so pleased that it came in early. (I'm thinking we're lucky with our choice of suppliers! - I just hope it continues until our wedding day...)

We scheduled to pick-up the principal sponsors' gifts for today after we had our lunch. I brought the butterfly detail with me and put 2 pieces painstakingly at the bottom right of every lamp before the staff gift-wrapped them.

And since we were already at Quezon Ave., we proceded to Ibones at cor. Araneta Ave. to have our guestsheets printed (I made the guestsheets using Adobe Photoshop 7.0). This particular supplier was referred to us by our photographer, Chito Cleofas. The printing just took about an hour.

VIP guestsheet1 --- size 12" x 18"

sample guestsheet1 - size of a short bond paper

My mom told me she saw some butterfly-shaped candles at the Podium at Ortigas last week and since we still don't have souvenirs for the guests, we went there to take a look. Unfortunately, when we got to Living Well, there were no available stocks anymore... Kainis!

We just went to Megamall afterwards to look for Jon's barong. Yes, you read it right... he changed his mind yet again and decided to wear barong for our wedding. What changed his mind? Well, here are some of the reasons...

We don't know how he will stand out from the rest of his groomsmen who are ALL taller than him. Boutonnierre in his suit won't be enough, i think. (If he wears barong, he will wear a different colored one to make sure he stands out)
Papa Ding wants to wear barong... some ninong will wear barong... so why not just wear barong? (to have a uniform look, dabah?)
Chito Cleofas prefers barong rather than suit. He says barong looks good more in pictures. (and since our wedding's at night, i figured, mas "buhay" nga naman...)
It's more bagay with our church venue... which is SAN AGUSTIN in Intramuros...
He didn't want to blend in with the rest of the butlers/waiters at Pan Pac... (who are all wearing tux)

BTW, i saw one barong in a bridal mag early this year and i just know it would look really good with him. Just like with my gown, when i saw it, i just knew it was "the one"!!! I showed it to him this morning, and he absolutely loved it!

--------------

Oh, and adding to my stress right now is my phone. It's busted! I don't know what happened. One minute, i was trying to call Jon (who went to an ATM booth) and the next minute, i couldn't use it anymore. All i get is the message SYSTEM ERROR!!! We visited SMART Wireless Center at the Podium and they told me that the repair of the phone will take 2-3 weeks (they will just give a replacement phone for the meantime - a 3310) ...and most likely, all data (contacts, pics, applications) stored in my phone will be lost! AAARRRRGHHHH!!!! But since PODIUM is far from where i live, we didn't leave my phone there na lang. We'll just bring it to SM Southmall tom.

My old and trusty template

2004-10-22T09:49:00.000+08:00

I'm beginning to get tired of my blog template and I've been on the lookout for nice templates for quite a while already. And i just couldn't find a skin suitable to my liking. Oh, i've seen nice butterfly skins... but everytime I'm halfway through editing them, I realize I don't like it that much... and so I just keep going back to my old template...

Take yesterday... I spent the whole a.m. just looking for skins and half of the day just editing one template I thought I really liked.. And just before I was about to go home (and about 80% finished), I found the skin colors too plain, the design too cheesy, the layout too complicated... Oh, f*ck, why do i even bother!!! My precious, precious time!!! ;)

BUT, I promise to have a brand new, spanking blog... when the BIG DAY finally arrives! Now, what title will i give it???

Full Day Again...

2004-10-18T22:08:00.000+08:00

Today was another full day of wedding preps...

Started the day with a 10am meeting at Starbucks GB3 with our OTD coordinator, Jody. Gave her copies of the contracts with different wedding service providers plus the participants list. We also discussed the flow of the reception programme. She'll be providing the script for the hosts. Our next meeting (the production meeting) will be with The Sentimental Groove and our 2 emcees, to discuss with them the programme. And I also have to schedule a meeting with Jody and Annie of PAN PAC.

After the meeting, we went to National Bookstore at GB1 to buy outer envelopes for the invites which we used to mail to our friends/guests abroad.

Went home to have lunch at Jon's and afterwards, addressed our invites. Then to the post office to mail them already. Afterwards, set out to SM Southmall to order 4 butterfly wings at Acclaim which will be made in two weeks. We also saw candles with butterflies which is perfect for the candle sponsors. (picture to follow).

My h2b is still on the lookout for his suit. Jody mentioned Onesimus and I remembered they have a store at SouthMall too. Jon tried on some suits there...

========
After some snack, went straight to Shopwise at Festival Supermall for some grocery shopping... Jon saw some halloween masks and the kid had fun trying them on...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, everyone! Ü

The Divi Trip

2004-10-17T14:36:00.000+08:00

Jon n I had to forego our usual Saturday night til Sunday am gimmick to be able to wake up early for our Divi trip today. We went with my mom and two sisters (who each has their own things to buy)...

Although we were not able to see everything that we planned on buying, the 5 hours that we stayed there wasn't entirely fruitless (especially for me! ). For the wedding, we were able to buy:

ribbons for the misalette
ribbons for the souvenir baskets (but no souvenirs yet!)
confetti canons

We were looking all over for the butterfly wings for the flower girls but there was only this one shop which didn't have the colors that i wanted and were not of good quality pa... I'll just have to go to Acclaim tomorrow to have them made...

Next trip to Divi will be to buy tela for the whole entourage na... We're just awaiting for my super granma who will be arriving from England at the end of the month. She'll be the one who'll make the gurls' gowns. We can't wait!

===========

10:30pm

Gave out our very first wedding invite to Beng (she lives in FARview pa eh) after we attended a birthday party at a common friend's house...

My lovely lovely gown and our lovely lovely invites!

2004-10-16T22:24:00.000+08:00

Was supposed to have the first fitting of my gown (which was two weeks early!) last Thursday evening after I received a text from Bess, but something came up and we had to go to Makati after work. We could have went straight to his shop after but I felt time wasn't enough and they might rush my fitting so i decided to have it scheduled after lunch today. We just dropped by Blue Wave at Macapagal Ave to have snack/dinner at KFC for the third time that week. I am so addicted to their FUN SHOTS and their new salad delytes!

Anyway, back to my gown... Jon drove my mom, sis (my MOH) and me to their shop at around 130 pm and since I don't want him to see my gown, he offered to just go back to fetch us after. When I fitted my gown finally, I realized I lost weight!!! Yahoooo!!! The seamstress had to place pins all around the gown for alterations. I told her "What if i lose weight again? (hey, I'm still hopin to!)" to which she answered, "That's easy, just DON'T!" hahah!

I absolutely love my gown! When I saw it in a US bridal mag early this year, I just knew it was the one!!! Although my gown still had no beading and embroidery, it's already beeyootiful!!!. ..but i'm not putting pictures of the whole gown... it would be a surprise!!!

BTW, i saw my mom teary-eyed while i was fitting my gown... I had to keep my eyes away from her coz I would have started to cry too...

======================

After almost 2 hours of fitting (will go back at the end of the month again to provide them some swarovski beads), Jon n I went to AMIS PRINTS to pick up our finished invites! I'm so happy with this particular supplier coz not only we got value for our money, they didn't give us any problems whatsoever, they also "delivered" a few days early, plus they gave us additional copies pa! Galing.

Went straight to Glorietta, Makati to pick up the inserts for our bridal registry (Rustan's). After some snack at SPAM JAM, we excitedly went home (Jon's - which will be my home also in 2 months' time) to print the map inserts which Jon proudly made.

Yay!!! Our invites are now ready for distribution!!!

Free AVP!

2004-10-15T23:52:00.000+08:00

I received an email from a high school friend some time last week who is so generously offering to do an AVP for us to be shown at the wedding... for FREE! Although Alex (Jon's twin) would be doing the same, I figured one more AVP will be okay...

We met up with Gen and her loveydoves Harold at SBC at Greenbelt3 after work today to discuss details. She brought her laptop along with her and let us see a sample of her work (not a wedding AVP though). More or less, I already have an outline in mind of the flow. I will just have to email this to her plus pics and other materials she will be needing for the presentation. Ü

Nurture Spaaaaaahhhh!!!!

2004-10-11T21:43:00.000+08:00

Finally!!! ...Jon n I had been planning to go to Nurture Tropical Spa and Cafe for quite some time already but it's always either the spa was fully booked or WE were fully booked... hahah... Anyway, I took my birthday leave today and left at around 8 am. We had light breakfast at Mcdo ATC - I so missed their longganisa meal! The two-hour travel to Tagaytay City left us hungry again and so we proceeded to Josephine. There we had a hearty meal of bulalo (I got what i wanted! - yummeehh!!!) , shrimpcharon and veggies... yeah, stuffed again!

they had large serving of the bulalo!!!
shrimpcharon is very tasty!

We were early for our 1:30 pm reservation at Nurture Spa but nevertheless, the staff let us stay at our Serenity Cottage to wait for our scheduled whole body massage. At exactly 1:30, we were called by our two masseuse and we were led to our private treatment area just below our cottage... We were asked to strip down to our undies and lay face down on our beds. The 1 hour massage was heavenly. I regularly have my massages weekly (c/o our resident masseuse ;-) ) but this - this was just so relaxing. The pressure was just right, and Jon n I could have doze off to sleep if not only for the voice asking us to turn over... heheh... After the 1hour massage, we were given chamomile tea and minutes after, we were ready for our facial naman for another hour. I just feel so relaxed and so refreshed!!!

The whole place was just beautiful... We had fun taking pictures all around...

more pictures here...

To cap it all off, we had our dinner by candlelight at the most romantic spot (I think) at Nurture.

At check-out, the staff gave me a gift (wind chime) and greeted me a happy birthday...

yep.. so happy happy happy!

The Birthday Gurl is 25... Ü

2004-10-10T23:12:00.000+08:00

i know, i know... i look 16 years old... but, really, i'm 25...

..for years now, i've been celebrating my natal day with my tropa... We'd often eat out, or stay for a night at Discovery Suites in Ortigas and have a blastin' birthday bash... This year, since i'll be leavin' my family very soon (senti mode here...), I chose to spend the day with them (and my hunny, of course!)...

We were choosin between Sonya's Garden or Vivere Skyline at the Vivere Suites but decided on the latter since it's nearer our place. Before having lunch, we heard mass at the Nature Church in Moonwalk and "visited" my dad at the Ossuary Garden there. After the mass, we went straight to the hotel and we were met by my sister and her family.

We had reservations for 8 (+2 kids) and our table was ready the minute we got up the 31st floor. The smell of delicious food greeted us and I was happy coz I wanted to bring them somewhere they haven't been before and here they were, who all seem so impressed by the view... and they haven't eaten yet!Ü

We had the Skyline's buffet lunch and the food choices were plenty! I just couldn't say no to the different kinds of maki although i wasn't allowed any of it. And the desserts were oh so sinful! Needless to say, we were all so full...

Just before we finished eating, we heard someone playing the notes of the "Happy Birthday" song on the piano... I told Mommy jokingly, "Wow, that's for me! hahah"... and then, Jon arrived at the table smiling sheepishly... following him were the staff and the waiters of Vivere carrying cake for the birthday celebrant... I had no idea that it really was for me! I can feel all eyes on our table and me. It was a happy moment... Jon surprised me YET AGAIN... (A little backgrounder: months before, in a resto- i forgot where na, i casually mentioned to him that i've never been sung to before - upon seeing the waiters sing a joyful happy birthday to a celebrant with her friends)... He remembered!!! - and I was so touched. Even my family, I know, was touched by that gesture of his... Tnx hun! ur so thoughtful!

my birthday cake from Vivere

My sister and her family went ahead becoz she had to attend a meeting and we stayed behind for more picture-taking. Mr. Mike Enriquez was dining there also and we had the chance to corner him for a picture when he went to the restroom and we were there waiting for the elevator... I think it was his son who took this picture... Jon even shook hands with him after...Ü

After taking a nap at our house, we went straight ahead to SM Southmall to buy new contacts and eyeglasses for me... We were supposed to go to Greenhills to shop but my contact lens got lost! kainis. We had dinner at Max's (I was craving for bulalo but got karekare instead...) upon waiting for my new eyeglasses to be done...

lyn ching?

...and then there were TWO...

2004-10-09T23:57:00.000+08:00

TWO MONTHS that is..! Woohoo!!! (...and it's our 94th monthsary today )

...woke up early this morning for my usual saturday morning routine (--i make ballooooons! )... I had to finish it early for our appointment at PAN PAC for the 50% downpayment and the contract signing... My hun n I went there right after lunch and discussed some more details with our BSE. We were also able to see a wedding function at the Pacific Ballroom (we were alerted by my tito, thanks to him!) and I was able to visualize na our own wedding... it will be 10x more beautiful, of course!!!

We visited Wings of Dreams right after to take pictures of the butterfly holders (globes and cages) for our butterfly centerpieces which my florist requested so she will already have an idea how to decorate them with flowers...

for the guest tables for the VIP tables

...Then to Megamall afterwards... I bought some butterfly accessories at one store there months ago and i remembered there were lots of butterfly stuff there and I was kinda hoping to find gifts for my gurls... When we got there, not only did i find the perfect gift for them, i was overwhelmed with choices that i couldn't decide what to pick!!! I kept on going round and round the store to compare the items but in the end, i chose these...

jeweled brooches for the gurls

...It was another tiring yet super fulfilling day! ...and it wasn't over yet!

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ALICIA KEYS ROCKS!!!

The first time I heard that Alicia Keys is having a concert here in Manila (see my previous blog abt this), i just knew we had to watch it... but because we were saving for something big, i wasn't sure if watching it would be practical... Nway, to make the long story short, Jon didn't disappoint me... This is one of his birthday gift for me... and SHE is AMAZING!!! She definitely is a first-class talent!!!

I heard that tickets were sold-out days before the concert... And boy, was the Big Dome jampacked! ..Security was pretty tight, but pasaway that I am, I was able to sneak in our digicam. Marshalls and security men were all over the place on the lookout for those makulit people who would still use their cellphones (yes, even cellphones were asked to turned off!)... But, my hunny n I have our ways... hahah! We even have videoS of her (although they're mostly Alicia singing...)

that's Alicia Keys... pramis! :D

BTW, Luke Mijares and Kyla fronted Alicia Keys... I've seen Luke and heard him sing countless times already but Kyla, whoa, KYLA is VERY VERY GOOD!!! She hits the high notes with ease and without sounding like she's shouting or anything like that. She's really great! Another world-class Filipino talent, I must say!

The concert started at part 8pm, but Alicia Keys went out at 9. It lasted for another two hours. And we were treated by her amazing performance... she sung, danced, played the piano, conducted her band, laid on top of her grand piano and teased and flirted with the crowd. Everytime MANILA comes out of her mouth, the crowd just go crazy!!! Her hit songs FALLIN, A WOMAN's WORTH, U DON'T KNOW MY NAME, IF I AIN'T GOT U and the new hit DIARY was so well-applauded. I LOVE ALICIA KEYS!!! I'm so glad we didn't miss this...

Next on the concert scene... USHER RAYMOND??? ;)

Jinky of Freestyle, Jay of South Border and Jon n Yax (teka, who r they? hahah) ---all fans alike

The Canonical Interview

2004-10-01T23:42:00.000+08:00

Today we were scheduled at 9am at San Agustin for our Canonical Interview. I was feeling just a bit nervous on our way there (coz as I learned, we will be "interviewed" one person at a time), but as it turned out, it was just a breeze...

We were the first couple to arrive and we were asked to fill out forms for the wedding banns which we were supposed to submit at our parish church for announcement and publication for 3 weeks. We were then asked to answer the 4page-questionnaire separately... After we finished, we were asked to wait inside the parish priest's office for the actual "interview"... 2.., 5.., 10 minutes passed, the secretary went inside to inform us apologetically that the priest had a mass wedding and if we could just come back whenever we are available, even two weeks before the scheduled wedding just for the briefing na lang... I felt relieved! Yay!!!

INVITATION PROOF

We went to AMIS Print after that to pick up our invitation proof... We just had to settle on some adjustments and we OKd the printing already... We're getting the invites two weeks from now (or earlier)! Can't wait!!!

see our embossed initials?

main invite

entou and RSVP card

Cancelling on Play and Display Gift Registry

After we had our lunch, we proceeded to the main branch of Play and Display at Quezon Ave to choose items for our registry. We were disappointed with the choices presented to us so we decided to just cancel it and just register at Rustan's.

GIFTS for the PRINCIPAL SPONSORS

I spotted an outlet store of Regalong Pambahay just across the street so Jon n I decided to take a look since we're on our search for the principal sponsors' gifts and other souvenirs. And we were lucky!!!

for the ladies

and the gentlemen...

LAMPS = LIGHT (The principal sponsors will serve as light/guide in our married life)

We found these really cute lamps in our color motif and ordered 14 pcs for our ninongs and ninangs... We will just add some butterfly detail somewhere below para swak pa ren with our theme... Yay! One more wedding detail done!

RUSTAN'S Bridal Registry

We proceeded to Glorietta Makati afterwards to register at Rustan's. We're going back on November 3, 11am. We were told that somebody will assist us and will list all our choices on that day...

Since we were already there, Jon and I looked around and pre-selected some items already... Saya!!!

WheW!!! Whattaday!!! ...and then we were off for some R&R...

Pre-nups Pics

2004-09-29T21:28:00.000+08:00

Princess slash Artista for a day...

Right after I ate breakfast and took a bath, I immediately ran to have my mani-ped at the nearby salon. I was running a little late and when i got back home, Jon was already waiting for me... Jon n I then took off to have my scheduled trial MU with Eddie Bruan at his salon at Rockwell. The trial lasted for about 3 hours, which went by in a flash.

before...

after...

And in no time at all, it was time for our pre-nups photo shoot!!! We picked up our photographer, Chito Cleofas at his studio and proceeded to the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion. We were informed that Korina Sanchez and some ABS-CBN crew were having a shooting there so we were not allowed in some places. I was a bit disappointed since we've planned to maximize our stay there (there's a pictorial fee kase) but since time was running out (and there was a hint of rain pa) we just paid the fee already and posed away... After about only 20 minutes... rain started to pour...

I wanted to cry then but tried very hard not to coz i know it would just ruin my make-up. We just stayed inside their office and waited for the rain to stop... While inside, i talked to the person-in-charge and asked if we could have 50% of the fee refunded... luckily, my request was granted (naawa saken)...

The rain stopped after about 30 minutes (oh, the wasted time!)... And even though we couldn't take pictures around the butterflies anymore (which is precisely why we chose the Orchidarium -- we had butterfly theme ) --- we would get really wet coz there are low hanging vines to get to where they are and despite the light drizzle, we still managed to make best use of the place...

Chito also took some shots at the National Museum just beside the Orchidarium before our next stop at Baywalk.

I thought Chito was just keeping my spirits up when he told me that we could still have the sunset pics we were hoping for... He even said that the best sunsets are the ones after rain... I wasn't so sure about that... But when we got there at Baywalk, I saw what he was talking about... It was unbelievable! I just LOOOOOVE our sunset pics!

Whew!!! We were so tired after the photo shoot (ang hirap maging artista!!!) but it was a very good experience... Chito Cleofas was absolutely the best! We got the CD copy of our 265++ pictures just after we dropped him off tonight also...!

I realized just now that this could actually be a preview of our "big day"! And we're sooo excited!!!

Food tasting at Pan Pac

2004-09-25T23:58:00.000+08:00

Jon n I together with Jon's parents went to Pan Pacific for our food tasting today. We were scheduled at 2 pm (but arrived a little late ), met by Annie (our banquet sales exec), and we were led to the Pacific Lounge at the 21st floor (where the view is spectacular - if only the place was bigger, we would have booked our reception there)...

just some of the dishes we were able to "taste-test"

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The Little Groom's Birthday...

JD (Jon's friend, Wax's son) celebrated his 4th birthday today... Nope, he didn't have the usual children's party, rather, he had the "adults" as his guests... and i think, the star of the night didn't mind...not one bit!!! It's so much fun being (and acting like) a kid!!!

We're registered!

2004-09-20T22:06:00.000+08:00

Jon n I, together with his mom trooped to Shangri-La Plaza after work today to attend a one-man art show at the Art Gallery (saw the famous Malang there).

Malang wid Jon's ma

After dinner, Jon n I went around the mall, visited Happy at the Urban Spa (she told us she'd give us both a treat there pag malapit na ang wedding - yay!), looked around for Jon's suit, and saw Play and Display. We went in, asked about their bridal registry, and SIGNED UP already! We're planning to go to their main branch at Quezon Ave. this Sunday to choose our items. It'd be like shopping without spending a cent! Can't wait!

Our Preciousss!

2004-09-18T23:59:00.000+08:00

We got our rings already!!!

We went to pick up the rings at Greenhills after lunch today... But before that, Jon was able to try on a suit at Van Heusen (where he spotted and bought a black jacket which he has been looking for for so long already!). So whaddya think?

lookin good!-----------

------------tryin on some ties

---look at his (rubber)shoes! :D ---

We then went to the Golden Hills shop at to get our rings... It was more beautiful than what i remembered!! Ours were matching semi-round 18k white gold wedding bands with 7 tiny diamonds at the center. The engraving was perfect also, even more nicer than the engraving in my engagement ring, as Jon noticed. I SO LOOOVE OUR RINGS!!!

our rings - up close!

We walked around and saw Gloria Jean's coffeehouse... I told Jon that i've heard a lot of reviews which say that their coffees are tops. And so, coffee addict that he is, Jon couldn't resist buying a cup. Since it was a hot day, he chose a Moccaretto chiller. (my diet doesn't allow me to drink coffee but I just had to taste it - it was far better than Starbucks or SBC!)

I could shop at Greenhills all day! But we have a badminton game at 8pm, so we had to hurry home after eating early dinner.

===================================

This is becoming a HABIT...!!!Ü

Our 3 hours badminton game was again followed by pizza at Yellow Cab,

Jon, Yax, Mauie, Marlon, Weng, Wax, Wax's bro, Alex, Joi, Aion at YC

and then, tambay at my hun's place. The girls had a little bonding when i showed Weng and Joi our WEDSITE...

Layout of our Invites + Reel and Real Scare!

2004-09-15T22:30:00.000+08:00

Received a call from Amis on my way home telling me that the layout of our invites is finished already. We had it faxed to us immediately when we got home. Two options were given to us but I was relieved that it wasn’t that hard to choose. Everyone who saw the layouts chose the one we liked. Whew!

I was glad that there were only few corrections and minor adjustments. I will have to fax these tomorrow for them to print the final proof! Woohoo!

========================
(16 Sept, Th 9am)

…Went to ATC last night with Jon, Alex, Mauie, Marlon, Weng, Wax, Gina and Aion to watch a movie… Well, at least THEY did! Initially kase, I thought we would be watching Dodgeball (watched it already but I didn’t want to miss some fun… heheh) but anyway, what THEY ended up watching was EXORCIST: The Beginning.

Oh, I was there with them. But I didn’t watch it. At first, I thought I could just play-Mario Bros-on-my-fone those two hours away, but after about ten long minutes, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Not only did I close my eyes, I kept my eyes TIGHTLY shut the whole time (ay hindi pala, there was one time I had to open it for a split second coz my eyes were hurting already – asus!), wore my shades (hehehe), placed tissue balls (where are those cotton balls when u need them?!) in my ears (which didn’t seem to work – bwiset!), gathered my hair in front of my face, and talked about anything to Jon (hehehe – I’m so lucky Jon understands…tnx hun!)… Those two hours were the longest! I felt so relieved when it was finally over!!! (Luckily, no one saw me looking like a freak… but I just had to write all of that here.., wise, huh?! …heheh ).. I’ve NEVER liked watching scary movies. The last scary movie I watched was The Blair Witch Project – unwillingly. And Jon got all bruised up after those two hours.

On our way home, we witnessed a VA (vehicular accident --- Aion, lemme borrow the term, ), that left me weak in the knees. Luckily, I was at the back seat of the car when it happened so I didn’t exactly see how the scooter in front of us lost balance when it tried to keep from hitting a dog and how the two men got knocked down. When I turned to look, I only saw the dog frantically running away and the man driving was trying to carry the other who was already unconscious. All I could say was “Oh my God, Oh my God!”

They decided to drop two of our friends off muna (since they were just blocks away) and returned to help. They were talking about bringing the man to the hospital and so I transferred to the other car while they went to check up on the men. ( I couldn’t bear looking.. )… After about ten minutes Jon returned to fetch me saying that “OK na”… I didn’t have the guts to ask what happened but as it turned out, the man was conscious already (although not yet coherent ata)… but Aion (the future doctor) was afraid of internal hemorrhage or something… I just hope that man is truly OK now…

Updates

2004-09-13T18:51:00.000+08:00

...We have our marriage license already!!!Ü Jon got them this morning at the City Hall...

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...Jon deposited the downpayment for SOUND SYNDROME for our lights and sounds requirements... Received contract by fax...

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...Placed our orders for our invites today!!!Ü Made takas from work at around 2:30 to go to AMIS Print with Jon. Submitted names for the bridal entourage (we have 7 pairs of principal sponsors na - SAC allows only up to 6 so we have to pay for the extra pair, can u believe that?!) and the wordings for the invites. Paid 50% downpayment. So excited to see the finished product!...

A Little Breather

2004-09-11T23:34:00.000+08:00

We decided to take a break from the wedding preps and went to Sonya's Garden at Tagaytay. We arrived there at half past five in the afternoon, just in time for a quick tour of the garden and the sumptuous 'eat-all-u-can' dinner (they serve dinner from 4 til 7 pm only).

We started with the salad - which was our favorite! The greens were grown in the garden itself, the dressing was perfect for my taste, and the different toppings of cheese, corn, egg, crunchy nuts, jackfruit and sweet mangoes were just delicious!!! Jon had three servings while i had two... =) The salad alone made us full already! But there was more..!

Bread followed with several spreads - and while my diet doesn't allow bread, I couldn't help but sink my teeth into one slice and sample the spreads of kesong puti, liver pate', sundried tomatoes, and yes, even bagoong(?) - i'm not so sure of this, though.

Pasta was next which came with two sauces - tomato-based and white thick cream sauce. Toppings were plenty too - shrimps, mushroom, olives, and cheese. We had freshly-squeezed orange juice for our drinks.

I felt there was no room for more but dessert came after awhile - turon and camote coated with honey. To finally end the meal, hot water with mint tea leaves is served. Whew!!! The entire meal was DEE-LISH!!!

We took a walk after and went to look inside a cottage at the "Bed and Breakfast". The whole place was so peaceful and very relaxing...

Just bee-yoo- tiful!!!

Invitation Hunt's Over!

2004-09-10T22:34:00.000+08:00

We found the perfect invites for us!!! Yay!!!

I've been meaning to go to AMIS Prints for quite some time already but because of our tight schedule, we could only get an appointment today at 11am (since they don't accept walk-in clients). We've seen samples of their invites at local bridal magazines and most of them were really good so we decided to give them a try... We got there ten minutes before our scheduled time. The owner was still in a meeting so we were asked to wait.

I was committed at the very first invite that we saw... We just had to decide on a few details, and we're set! We're going back there on Monday to pay the DP and submit names. So excited!

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We were set to visit another invitation supplier (we saw them at the Expo) this afternoon but since we're already set on getting Amis, we had some free time and decided to watch a movie at Greenbelt 3 - Dodgeball (Jon is a big fan of Ben Stiller). It was hilarious!

It was only 3pm when the movie ended and my Mom texted me that her flight was delayed and that she'll be coming home from Davao at around 8pm pa (we were to fetch her at the airport at 4:30 pm) so since the butterfly supplier was also within the Makati area, we decided to go there muna. When we got in the car, IT WON'T START!!! ...Jon remembered that the car battery should have been replaced weeks before. I was getting irritated by the minute. He was apologetic although it really wasn't his fault. Anyway, to make the long story short, nagtulak ako ng kotse sa parking ng Greenbelt!!! I don't drive so that was the task left to me! *rolls eyes* Luckily, there were very few people there. hehehe!!!

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We had the battery replaced at an auto shop and proceeded to Wings of Dreams. I paid the DP for their full-service coordination of live butterfly release.

Three SHORT months to go!!!

2004-09-09T09:19:00.000+08:00

..and it's our 7th year 9 mos anniv today! =) ...yun lang!

Wedding Expo Day 2!

2004-09-05T20:34:00.000+08:00

Before going to the Expo, we went to Powerplant Mall at Rockwell first to (again) look for wedding rings. Unluckily, there was no display at the Themes n Motifs at the Lifestyle Section of the mall... so we proceeded to go back to the NBC Tent. Anyway, our trip there wasn't in vain naman coz i found some really nice thank-you gifts for the girls...(or at least have an idea already) ..

***

We went back to look at the wedding rings we were looking at yesterday at the Goldenas (Golden Hills) booth... At first, i thought the rings were already bought coz Jon couldn't find it (i got scared for a while there!) ... but we saw it naman coz it was partially hidden in a corner. After trying it for the nth time, Jon finally decided that this was IT!!! Honestly, my heart was set into it already - I was just waiting for my hun to agree with me... Ü - I didn't want to pressure him kse into liking it - just because i do. Ü After all, we will be wearing those rings for the rest of our lives... And i was just so happy he agreed with me... Yay!!! We have our wedding rings na!Ü We just had it resized and our names engraved on it. Will pick up the rings after 2 weeks... Can't wait to see it!!!

I saw and got to talk to Eddie Bruan (HMU)... Will schedule trial very soon...

After saying our hi's and goodbye's to our different suppliers (saw Jody but wasn't able to talk to her - she was with a client ata), we said goodbye na ren to the last bridal fair (probably ) we would attend before our BIG DAY...

Shopping for Suppliers Day! (The Wedding Expo)

2004-09-04T23:09:00.000+08:00

We arrived at the NBC Tent at the Fort at around 10 am today for the much awaited Wedding Expo. Upon getting our name tags at the registration table, we wasted no time and excitedly looked around the place. We were instantly swarmed with suppliers handing out their respective fliers!Ü

After our first "ikot" around the tent, we dropped by WaW booth for our first purchase of the day... the Unity Coins. In place of the traditional arrhae, which symbolizes material wealth, the Unity Coins represents the 13 universal tenets of marriage: LOVE, TRUST, COMMITMENT, RESPECT, JOY, HAPPINESS, HARMONY, WISDOM, WHOLENESS, NURTURING, CARING, COOPERATION, PEACE. We opted for the silver finish and got it with the leatherette box.

The Unity Coins

We went to have lunch at a Japanese resto at the Fort Strip muna and afterwards, watched the cd sampler of RealTime (and yes, a little bit of Jason's too!Ü) at our van. We were happy with what we saw and decided to get them na. But before we went in, we booked our bridal car na ren at Adeb...

Benz E-Series --> Bug Eye

RealTime's promo for the Expo was the free on-site video edit - which was a priority for me!Yay! We booked them already and had the contract signing right then and there.

I was choosing between Dino Lara or Chito Cleofas for our photographers. But in the end, Chito won (becoz of the freebies (?) )... Ü We tentatively scheduled our pre-nups pictorial on October 1.

I got disappointed on one thing... I was counting on the discount which i hoped Socialite Printing would give today for our invitations... i searched for them everywhere but.., they were not an exhibitor daw... :(

Anyway, we found very nice wedding rings at the fair... but Jon couldn't decide yet so he insisted we go to Glorietta again to help him decide... We left NBC tent at around 5pm (not after we got Go Nuts Donuts for pasalubong! :D ) and went to Glorietta. We scoured the whole place and went in every jewelry store there... (We were in a hurry pa coz we had badminton at 7pm) ...but we still couldn't find the perfect wedding rings for us... I just bought jogging pants at People are People for the game - ang hirap ng pumapayat! uyyyyy! :D heheh :D

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ONE of the BOYS

I had a wonderful time spending time with Jon's tropa! My head hurt for laughing too hard!!! :D Our badminton game was scheduled 7 to 9pm but we extended 'til 11pm. Even though Jon n I still haven't had dinner that time, (and the fact that we were tired already from walking around since morning), i was surprised that we were still full of energy! Maybe the company we had made all the difference... Ü

(Taken from Marlon's fone)

(Jon took this shot Ü)

Since most of us haven't eaten dinner yet, we went to the nearby Yellow Cab for pizza after the game. Out of the blue, Alex (Jon's twin) asked if we have an emcee already... I told them i still need a guy to co-host with my officemate Dulce... and, we were all surprised when Aion (the one in gray above) just volunteered himself! Well, why not?!Ü

We went tambay at Jon's place afterwards... and stayed there til 2am. I had the best time in months!Ü

The Parental Advice

2004-09-02T20:34:00.000+08:00

We fetched my mom at the airport this morning (she came from Tacloban) and we proceeded to the Civil Registry at the City Hall for the parental advice which was required for the application of our marriage license. We had no idea what my mom will be doing but as it turned out, she just had to affix her signature in one paper signifying the "advice". We'll be getting our marriage license after 10 days..!Ü

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The family planning seminar (cancelled last week because of the storm) which was scheduled at 1:00 - 4:00 pm today started an hour late and ended an hour early... In fairness, the seminar was not as boring as the DSWD seminar... in fact, it was interesting ;) ...but it was TOO SHORT (just about an hour)... Anyway, i was glad about the extra time naman so we proceeded to the Chancery in Parañaque (St. Andrews') for the revision of my baptismal certificate.

Enter the "BER" months...

2004-09-01T15:52:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! :D ..how time flies, noh?!

...anyway... this post has nothing to do with our wedding preps... although this will affect it greatly... (the budget in particular... heheh)... Just when we're trying to save for something BIG pa naman (which is still a secret for now - but i promise to divulge it when we're sure na... m so EXCITED!!!)Ü

ALICIA KEYS will be having a concert at the Araneta Coliseum on October 9 (a great birthday gift for myself, if i may say so... :D )!!!!! I've been a fan (not really a die-hard, though) of hers since she came up with her first album. I just love her songs and her singing style! I immediately checked out ticket prices at TicketNet. I wanted to reserve right then and there but i had to stop myself coz we promised ourselves nga to save muna... I guess Jon and I will have to talk this over muna... Come to think of it, i won't really die if i won't be able to watch her but i would really regret it, i think... The last concert we watched was Mandy Moore's - which we chose over the Mariah Carey concert - i so regret not having been able to watch her :( ...

Panic Mode Activated...

2004-08-30T09:17:00.000+08:00

My stress level has officially gone up (way way way UP)... It's 100 more days 'til the wedding!!!

There are still lots (and i mean, LOTS!!!) of things to do... suppliers to book, details to think about and discuss, paraphernalias to look for and buy, meetings and seminars to attend to, documents to prepare... AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I can go on and on!!!!

Luckily, my hun's such a "hands-on" groom... and i'm just so thankful for that... and with all the stress around, the thought of him being my husband in just a hundred days is so worth all these...Ü

2 full days of wedding preps

2004-08-26T20:15:00.000+08:00

These are the steps for the application of marriage license which Jon got from the City Hall last Monday...

Fill up application for marriage license interview sheet.
If the contracting parties are: a) 18-20 - Parent's Consent (personal appearance) b) 21-24 - Parental Advice (personal appearance)
Certified copies of birth certificates
Contracting parties aged 18-24 will undergo: a) Family Planning (Health Center) b) Marriage Counselling (DSWD)
Fill up and sign application forms in triplicate.
Pay P100.00 - application fee P52.00 - marriage license

I woke Jon up yesterday morning with a phone call. I myself have just woken up and i got so lazy to get up from my bed coz it felt so damn good to just snuggle under the covers (it was raining hard outside)... I dialled my hun's number from my mobile phone beside me and asked him if he wanted to apply for our marriage license na... he was still half-asleep when i spoke to him so it wasn't that hard to convince him to take a leave... After our short (but sweet)conversation, we both got back to taking our ZZZZZs...Ü

I was lucky that government employees got the half-day off yesterday and the whole day today (because of the storm)... so I got to save leave credits. We first went to the Civil Registry in our City Hall yesterday morning and submitted the filled-up interview sheet. I then appealed to them re requirement #2b since i will be 25 years old already on the day of the wedding naman... but to no avail. :( ..i still have to bring my mom with me... oh, well... I got a certified true copy of my birth certificate na ren there... (Our City Hall's the best!Ü - sayang lang coz Jon had to get his pa at NSO since he was born at Pasay and not at Las Piñas)... We were then advised to go the DSWD and Health Center (still inside the City Hall) to be scheduled for our family planning and marriage counselling seminars... And we found out that we had to take another leave coz we were scheduled the next day (that's today - they only had seminars every Thursdays)... 8am to 12 noon at DSWD/1 to 4pm at the Health Center... We then went to our Parish Church to get our confirmation certificates. We were told to go back that afternoon because they still had to find mine (I didn't know WHEN i had my confirmation kase)... We had our lunch at Jon's place and afterwards, headed off to NSO at Pasay City to get Jon's birth certificate. Afterwards, off we went to the parish where Jon was baptized to get his (naturally) baptismal certificate... He was able to get it immediately, thank goodness, so we headed back to Las Piñas and went naman to the church where i was baptized. I was told to go back the following day... haaaayyy.... Before we went back home, we went back to our parish (for our confirmation certificates) but we were informed that the parish priest had a meeting pala that afternoon so the certificates were not yet signed... haaaayyyy.... but anyway, the staff was apologetic naman and we have nothing to do but just go back so we just went home na.

There were many couples already at the DSWD when we got there minutes before our scheduled marriage counselling this morning. I was a bit surprised coz some couples don't look 24-below to me (we later on learned that the marriage counselling was a requirement to every marrying couple regardless of age na pala)... Anyway, the seminar started almost an hour late. The topics were not new to us since most of them were already discussed at the Discovery Weekend. Needless to say, I felt it was just a waste of our precious time... :( We just drew funny faces and doodled our monograms and names on our pieces of paper... We even played games from my phone lang!! (We're like little kids there... heheheh!!Ü)... Fortunately, the seminar ended an hour early. We expected to get the certificates afterwards but since there's no work for government offices today, the boss wasn't around to sign them... The family planning seminar was also rescheduled for next Thursday (2 Sept)... We had lunch and a couple of hours rest before we went off to get my baptismal certificate...

When I got hold of my baptismal certificate, i knew there was a slight problem. My name was misspelled. There was an E in my "Ann"... And to correct it, the parish office still has to make an affidavit (yes, which we can have the next day ulit) and i have to bring this affidavit to the chancery at Parañaque pa (they can't just make another one with the correct spelling on it coz that's the name that is actually written on the book)... that's the only time they can make the correct baptismal certificate... Wala naman kameng magagawa so I did not complain anymore... :( After that, we both got na our confirmation certificates with the annotation "for marriage purpose only"...

After 2 wedding preps-filled day, we capped it off at the nearby Pizza Hut. We had their salad bar (which i love to make!!! - yet we never finish off - heheh)... fetuccine and their new cream-cheese stuffed pizza. Needless to say, we were stuffed too...Ü

Can't wait for the Wedding Expo!

2004-08-23T21:08:00.000+08:00

I've finally mustered enough courage and called up Marie (of Buencamino Photography) this afternoon to tell them we won't be getting them for our photo-video (plus on-site) anymore... and while i know that the deposit we made is non-refundable, i still asked whether we could just have pre-nups pictorial (at their studio) instead... but i got disappointed... but understandably, di raw pwede... :( Anyway, i still need to make a letter saying that i'm cancelling the contract i have with them. There... I can't wait for the Wedding Expo na!
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Scheduled (tentatively) our food-tasting at Pan Pac on September 11. Annie (our banquet executive), was not around when i called (coz it's her off pala on Mondays) but i was able to talk to another BE and told her our preferred date... They will be preparing food for two persons only but they allow up to 4 persons to share... I'd still have to wait for their confirmation, though.

Glorietta again...(the wedding rings search Ü)

2004-08-21T23:48:00.000+08:00

We started looking for our wedding rings this afternoon at Glorietta... We visited ACME (where Jon bought my engagement ring Ü) and i must say that they really handle their customers quite well... We stayed there for almost an hour trying on rings and asking countless questions! The staff was really accommodating. She even offered to customize our rings... We liked kase this one particular ring but the stones are even-numbered (i read somewhere na dapat odd... Although she said we may or may not buy the custom-made rings, i decided to decline the offer muna since might find better design/deals elsewhere. But definitely, we're going to consider ACME.

***
I think i'm beginning to convince Jon to get white gold wedding rings na(instead of yellow gold - he's an LOTR fan kase... heheh :D )... When (not IF- hahaha!) that happens, papa-DIP ko na lang my engagement ring for them to match. Yay! =)

The Surprise Visit... ;-)

2004-08-19T19:55:00.001+08:00

I couldn't sleep well last night because of Bess... I was really irritated yet I didn't have the guts to tell him off thru text yesterday (for fear na he'll ruin my gown - heheh!).. so I went home early from work today and went straight right to his shop...

I knew he was a little surprised when he saw me. :D And, wonder of wonders! he knew me right away! *rolls eyes* ...I didn't mention na lang the incident yesterday (although i'm sure he felt i was a little cold to him) and proceeded to discuss the details of my gown. I don't know if it's just me, but i felt that he was extra nicer to me kanina... HAH!!! That's showing to him WHO'S BOSS!ÜÜÜ

Rest day aka wedding preps day

2004-08-18T18:20:00.000+08:00

After the tiring (but fruitful!) weekend, I finally had my much-needed rest today.... but that rest, of course, just means/includes MORE wedding preps!Ü
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Talked to Elfren Uy of Sound Syndrome for our lights and sounds requirements at the reception venue... He seems nice and I was able to get their bank details for the downpayment (I forgot pala to ask him if he will be at the Wedding Expo... - maybe i'll just text him...).
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Got the confirmation from Eddie Bruan for my HMU. I still have to schedule the trial. After the EXPO na, para sabay with the pre-nups ;) ...
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I got a little irked with Bess (my designer) kanina... i texted him this pm telling him that i might be visiting his shop again this Saturday because i was having second thoughts (hehe!Ü) about the design of my gown. I didn't put my name anymore coz i figured he'll have already saved my number (I textd him before na) by now... I was wrong... and I got this as a reply...
"HUS DIS PLS? - Bess"
Kainis lang... >:

A visit to my boss

2004-08-17T21:10:00.000+08:00

For the longest time, i've put off the task of asking my boss to be one of the principal sponsor... Jody (our day-coordinator) has reminded me twice already about it. She e-mailed me a list of URGENT things to accomplish... and it was at the TOP of the list!

...I guess I'm just too shy, that's why... add to that was the fact (which i discovered just months before) that she's IGLESIA (so i'm not sure if it was allowed in her religion), and that our wedding falls on the exact same day our office celebrates its anniversary.

But I figured I wouldn't have the answers to these uncertainties I have if i didn't just ask her already. So, Jon n I decided to visit her this morning. We went to work together (It's been months since we did this pala...) and brought with us the NIRVANA mini-cake we bought at BIZU (we really had a hard time last night thinking of what to give her!).

Okay, I will not bore you with the details anymore.. :D To make the story short, SHE ACCEPTED. Yay!!! ÜÜÜ

A Weekend to Remember...

2004-08-15T20:38:00.000+08:00

The Discovery Weekend was an unforgettable experience for both of us... It reaffirmed our love for each other and brought us even more closer to God... (u just can't imagine how much!)...

...I won't be making kwento as to what exactly happened there (for the benefit of those who plan to attend)... but it's SO worth your time and I would really recommend it to couples who plan to marry.

...and since it was aptly named the DISCOVERY WEEKEND, this is what i "discovered" about our relationship... that ours may not be perfect, but we're PERFECT for each other...Ü

and... what better way to cap the weekend off! YELLOW CAB pizza (walang diet-diet! heehee:D ) before we went home (which has just opened the day before)! Mmmmmm!!!

Four Months to go!!! --- Presenting... our WEDDING WEBSITE!!!

2004-08-09T09:09:00.000+08:00

A labor of love... OUR WEDDING WEBSITE!Ü

http://jonyax1209.tripod.com

All the hard work and long hours spent in building this WEDSITE won't be in vain if you visit it and leave your mark (sign the guestbook!Ü)... thanks! So happy to finally unveil it!

the homepage!

Research on Butterflies/Photographer Dilemma

2004-08-05T19:35:00.000+08:00

Started doing some research on butterflies today... which we will be using on some details on the reception venue (Pan Pac) ;)...
_________________________

Texted Chito Cleofas if they are still available December 9... the answer is YES!Ü
...Jon and I decided to just let Emil B go... :( (I still don't have an idea how i'm going to tell them... :( ) ..In fairness to them, I really liked their photos.., it's just that i got really scared of the outcome of our video... particularly the on-site which they haven't done yet! And Marie and their other staff are really very accommodating and friendly... Oh, well... :(
_________________________

the last of the b.u. left my hands already... one less to think about!

Change of Photographers/Videographers???

2004-08-04T20:30:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been having second thoughts bout our choice of photographers/videographers... Last night, I even had a bad dream bout it!!! :( ...I couldn't just ignore my instincts so I texted Tess of RealTime Videos (one of the videographers we had a meeting with before we booked Emil Buencamino Photog) last nyt and asked if they are still available on our wedding day... luckily, they still are!

Initially, I just wanted them to do the on-site video edit since that was my primary concern but after i've spoken with Tess today (and it was a LOOOOONG talk! Ü), i'm totally convinced to get them for our video...

My only problem now is how to tell Marie (of Buencamino Photog)... Should i still get them for our photos? Or should i now try looking for another???

____________________________

Started distributing the bridesmaids' update... :)

The Bridesmaids' Update...

2004-08-01T21:08:00.000+08:00

Finally finished the bridesmaids' update! We were supposed to give it to my girls after we heard mass tonight but it rained hard and we got lazy to drive around na... But we plan to give them within this week.. =)

..It contains all the wedding details, their respective roles, the swatch of cloth for their gowns, the schedule of measurement takings, and of course, the links to our website and blogs!!! YAY!!!

working on it...

finished products! :)

Finalized Guest List! / Details for the DW

2004-07-30T15:57:00.000+08:00

Our guest list ballooned to 250++!!! It gives me the headache, grabe!!! And i'm SO sure we've forgotten some people pa... I need to show the list to Jon and we'll find some ways to cut it short... :(

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I received a call from Lala (contact person for the DW) today... (I didn't need to follow it up na, thank goodness!Ü)

...She faxed to me the application form to accomplish, the map to the retreat house and all the details that we should know about. So nervous and excited at the same time! =)

Free Day Again!

2004-07-28T10:50:00.000+08:00

It's a work day, i know... but i just woke up... My mom, Jon n I went to Casino Filipino last night while waiting for my mom's flight to Masbate, and we played there til 1am! It was the second time for Jon n I and we just tried our luck at the slot machines... I was lucky at first, coz i was winning (Jon wasn't as fortunate... hehe - guess he's really malas with sugal...) but in the end, i still lost... (it's my mom's money pala... -- so, SHE lost)...

So now, I've got time in my hands again to do some preps - (since we're really behind some things now...) :( And i'm starting with the guest list..!

***BTW.. on AUGUST 9... Please watch out for... the unveiling!!! *wink*

Finishing touches for our website...

2004-07-21T10:35:00.000+08:00

I was wrong... I thought i wouldn't be able to make time for wedding preps... but guess what? i'm sick today (i hope i'm not getting the flu)! :(

This unexpected free day will be spent in finalizing our website! We hope to unveil it in a few days' time... Please watch out for it!Ü

logging off for now... a lot of work ahead! ;)

Discovery Weekend... Paid in Full

2004-07-19T19:18:00.000+08:00

Paid the full amount for the Discovery Weekend scheduled on August 13-15... Faxed the receipt to Lala... (though i haven't followed it up yet --- *note to self!!!*)

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Got no time for wedding preps this week :( siguro pasingit singit lang... practice sessions for our performance in the office (sa Friday na!!! --- nyay!!!) will take up a lot of my time... ;)

A trip to Glorietta...

2004-07-18T20:44:00.000+08:00

We've been looking for tela since Friday and i didn't realize that it would be SO HARD to find shantung which is exactly the same shade as the swatch of cloth Bess gave me... I was supposed to go with my Mom to Divi this morning but she left very early. So, after lunch, Jon n I just went to Glorietta (there were about 10 stores there), hunted tela and fortunately, found a match (at last)!

...And of course, what's a trip to Glorietta without stopping for bread at... where else?! BREAD TALK!!! We're such FIRE FLOSSSSSS addicts!!!Ü (goodbye, Atkins!!! -heheh!)

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Scanned for more pics for our AVP and website afterwards at Jon's place... Started working on the "bridesmaids' update"... *wink*

The hunt for the "perfect" invitation is on...

2004-07-17T21:27:00.000+08:00

We went to Socialite Printing Press at P. Noval St., Sampaloc Manila this morning... I got their flyer from the March Wedding Expo and i remembered liking one invitation there and add to that, I saw their samples at the current issue of METRO WEDDINGS (more about this below...), and they were great!

When we got there, I saw the same person (a pretty Chinese) who was manning the booth that time. Anyway, we picked one particular invite which would really fit our theme; and the person we talked to quoted us a very reasonable price *wink*... We tried to ask for additional discount (they gave 10% disc at the Expo) but unfortunately, they give discounts only to orders 200pcs and above... Oh well, we'll just wait for the Wedding Expo then!

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speaking about the mag METRO WEDDINGS current issue.., our PICTURE is there (at the last page --- approx 1cm x 1cm) HAHAH!!! ÜÜÜ

...of course u can't see us!!! :P ...U can view the larger pic here!

Discovery Weekend - RESKED!!!

2004-07-15T20:45:00.000+08:00

I remembered that the scheduled Wedding Expo will be on the same date as our scheduled Discovery Weekend... i called up Lala today and rescheduled it...

We're now scheduled onAugust 13-15, 2004.

A Full Day of Preps

2004-07-14T19:39:00.000+08:00

It had been a super busy day... but, finally, i booked the designer for my bridal gown already! yay!Ü I've decided on Bess Garcia of M. Yumul bridal. Together with my mom and sis, Jon n I went there and paid the 50% downpayment. Bess also designed a gown for my sister - my MOH (who, "luckily", liked the second one he drew). We also discussed the type of fabric he will use on my gown (duchesse satin with illusion tulle veil) and my MOH (shantung), the color (mine will be ivory), the embroidery and the beadings. The contract will be given to me next week.

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Earlier, we went to Printsonalities (i received their quotation last Monday night only - after following it up! - kainis ha!!!), to check out the design that we chose last week... WE found out that the entourage insert is not yet included in the quoted price! --- WOW! It's really expensive! Imagine, almost *** for a single invite! ..And sadly, the design was not that beautiful and
doesn't really fit with our theme and motif... oh well... the hunt is on!!!
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i remembered that Merlene Marcelo's shop was just nearby and although we were scheduled to book Bess Garcia on that day also, we still dropped by the shop and ased for a quotation...

..Her shop was bigger than most designers i've met. I also noticed that it was clean, bright and very pleasant... I talked to one of the staff and she quoted me a higher price than Tito Franco and Bess... When i told her about it, she pointed out the difference... it's in their EMBROIDERY. When she showed me the samples, i was really convinced!!! They do very intricate embroidery! And it was really beautiful!!! All the time we were on our way home (to pick up my sister and mom), i coudn't stop thinking about it... I want her to do my gown!!! But in the end.., (i can't post it here --- it's a VERY LOOONG STORY) Bess won... haaaaayyy.... Oh well, i'm sure he'll DELIVER... (OR ELSE!!!! --- hehehe)

Meeting with the Florist

2004-07-13T22:17:00.000+08:00

After work today, Jon n I went to Figaro, Glorietta for our scheduled meeting with Joana Alberto of Angelic Blooms. We were fifteen minutes early and we bought coffee (decaf for me - Atkins nga eh!Ü) muna... A few minutes after, Joana arrived. She's young (late 20's, i guess), very friendly and animated! She asked me all sorts of questions regarding our wedding (some not even related to her service). We discussed in detail how i want my flowers to look... and since i don't know much about the subject (ang alam ko lang, roses, mums and tulips! - heheh), i pretty much relied on her big (and heavy!) album.

For more than an hour we discussed about the bridal bouquet and the entourage's flowers... I think Jon was a little bored coz unlike the previous meetings with other suppliers, he doesn't have any "say" on this particular detail of our wedding. Buti na lang, Joana bought us a pizza, kaya kumaen na lang cia...Ü And just like her partner Alex Franco (THE cake maker), she also drew for us so that more or less, we can picture na our flowers.

For our next meeting, i just have to give to her a swatch of cloth for the ribbons and tela she would be using...

BRIDAL BOUQUET: handtied tulips with fillers (1)
throw petals

MAIDS OF HONOR: bouquet similar to to the bridal bouquet using combination of flowers (2)

BRIDESMAIDS: bouquet - smaller version of the MOH's flowers (3)

SECONDARY SPONSORS: wristers using combinatin of flowers (3)

FLOWER GIRLS: circlets and pomander with stick (tama ba yun?). (3)

LITTLE BRIDE: little bouquet similar to the bridal bouquet (1)

MOTHERS: little bouquet (2)

PRINCIPAL SPONSORS: corsage (6)

More choices for our invites...

2004-07-05T16:52:00.000+08:00

I know... I know... I also thought we've already decided on our invites (c/o VCQ) but hey! we're allowed to change our minds every so often! As what many people say... The invitation is the first thing that the guest will see that will represent the wedding... and often, the impression that it will give will make them decide if they will attend or not. And since Jon and I both wanted a good impression on our guests, we decided to look for more elegant invitation suppliers...

We checked out PRINTSONALITIES, located at Kamagong St., Pasong Tamo, Makati and found really beautiful (simple yet elegant) invitations... We even saw samples with celebrity names on it (grooms, brides, sponsors). Out of the 5 big albums we browsed, we picked 5 and we were told that the quotation will either be emailed or faxed within the week. I was a bit surprised coz I had to wait that long... most of the invitation suppliers have fixed prices already, but anyway, we can't don anything bout it so, we'll just have to wait!

Off to Powerplant Rockwell we went and we checked out the the invitations at the Themes n Motifs store... I forgot the name but we learned that the invitations they have are all imported and were quoted in dollars. We didn't see anything to our liking but then again, i think it will be very impractical for us...

Discovery Weekend

2004-06-30T11:38:00.000+08:00

We're preparing for the wedding... but have we actually prepared for the marriage? This was a good question i've read somewhere... and it kinda struck me...

Having read about the positive feedbacks from w@w, I pre-registered in the net a week before for the Discovery Weekend. It's a weekend experience designed for couples (engaged or not) seriously considering marriage.

Feedbacks from fellow w@wies:

"It really gives your relationship a different perspective. It even makes you
understand your fiance better. Consequently, the relationship is given a
better meaning."

"it's the best wedding gift you can give to each other."

And so, i called up Lala (their contact person) today to follow-up on our registration. WE're tentatively scheduled on September 3 - 5 at the OMI Retreat House in Quezon City. I'm nervous and excited at the same time!

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Set up meeting with Joana (Angelic Blooms)thru text... scheduled on July 13, Tuesday at 6pm. She will just inform me of the meeting place (somewhere in Makati) before the date...

Meeting with the w@w Supplier of the Year...

2004-06-28T23:02:00.000+08:00

We arrived one hour early for the scheduled meeting with our cake maker Alex Franco... When i informed him that we were already at the venue, he said he'll be there in a few minutes... (turns out he lives just a trike away...)

When he arrived, he immediately took out his photo album filled with pictures of cakes he made... there was just one word to describe it... WOW!Ü

We then proceeded to discuss the details of our wedding and of course, the bridal cake... Ours will be a five-tiered cake - all edible!! Actually, the Pan Pacific Wedding Package we got already includes the bridal cake. But we were informed by Annie (our banquet executive) that the "5-layered" cake would have only one edible layer... and since we plan to share our cake with all our guests, we opted to get Alex Franco (especially since after we tasted his cake at the w@w bridal blowout)! Alex doesn't do fondants -- which is just fine with me...!Ü

Back to our cake - as i've mentioned, will be an all-edible 5 layer cake -with different flavors in each layer. The layer we will cut (similar to our free cake pictured below) is the black and white - this flavor was highly recommended by Alex since he said this will look good in pictures (notice the colors!) and not only that -the guests will be tasting 2 different flavors at the same time! Flavors for the other layers which we chose were: chocolate (2 layers), apple-cinnamon and carrot.

The wedding theme (butterflies) and our wedding colors will be incorporated with our cake. Fresh flowers (c/o his partner florist - Joana of Angelic Blooms - which we will be getting for our flowers) and fresh fruits will be added for a more festive look! He actually draw the cake and i could almost imagine how lovely our cake would look!!! And I'm sure it would be a big hit - not only because it would look good, but also taste good!!!

Alex even taught Jon how to cut the cake on our wedding... since he said the filling would be frozen and it would be a little hard to slice...Ü

After we've finalized the details, Alex gave us a free cake to take home... Now, i don't usually crave for sweets -- but there i was, harassing Jon to drive faster for us to eat it na!!! hehehe!Ü And boy, was it soooo YUMMY!!!

our free cake!Ü

dee-lishhh!!!!

uyyy... practice???!!!Ü

Dream Weddings at the World Trade Center

2004-06-25T16:34:00.000+08:00

..just got back from the Wedding Expo at the WTC... and because I pre-registered months before it, i received a gift from the organizers (C & C Creative Concepts) which was a cute little box which is now placed here at my office desk.Ü

Anyway... the fair was a little disappointing. First, it was small as compared to the Wedding Expo (which we atttended last March and looking forward to attending AGAIN on September) at the NBC Tent. Second, wedding suppliers were mostly photographers/videographers (which we already have). The only booths which were of interest (for us) were the Star Cruise booth (grabe!, gusto ko mag-CRUISE!!!), Wings of Dreams (butterfly release) and the butterfly souvenirs booth ( i forgot the name - i got their caling card somewhere, though). Ü And third, Charlie Villanueva was there... ÜÜÜ hahahaha!!! ÜÜÜ (sorry - private joke!)

Bess Garcia of M. Yumul Bridal

2004-06-24T21:33:00.000+08:00

After work, we went straight to M. Yumul showroom and met designer Bess Garcia...

I told him i watched the bridal fashion show (gowns he designed) last Saturday and asked him agad how much the last gown costs... surprisingly, it was at the margin of our budget!!!

But anyway, i showed him the design i wanted for my gown... He told me that duchesse satin or star gazaar (he showed me the diference between the two) would be the best cloth to use for it... he even drew the back view of the gown (since the pic that i brought showed only the front) and it was similar to the last gown in the show -- i liked it! I then asked him to quote the price for the gown and the amount was the same as that of Tito Franco's... although Bess said that the veil (no emboidery) and pouch are already included with it. Now, the problem is --- who to get??? Di pa nga ko nakakapagdecide kung anong motif, now di na ren ako sure kung sino kukunen kong designer --- waaaahhhh!!!
HELP!!!!

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Talked to Alex Franco today and we've set up a meeting on Monday, June 28 at 7 o'clock pm at Chowking, Pioneer Center, at Pasig. He's really fun to talk to and i'm looking forward to finally seeing him on Monday.

Meanwhile, his partner florist, Joana of Angelic Blooms replied to my text earlier to have our meeting within the next month... She will be texting me again before the end of the month for her available shedule.

New hair 'do!

2004-06-23T08:47:00.000+08:00

My hair was such a blah! these past few months (years even! --- hahah!!) that I decided to have my hair cut - a little over 5 months before our wedding. I decided to have bangs!Ü It was just one of those "spur-of-the-moment" thing.. Jon was the only one who was supposed to get a hair cut but he asked me if i wanted one, too... so, what the heck... I gave in! :D hahaha! :D

There... i'm not naman dissappointed and even took pics of myself (i'm soooo VAIN!!! Ü)...

cute ko noh? :D

isa pa! heheh!

new hairdo! =)

Btw, jon liked his hair cut too but was too shy to pose for pics... :P (he had one - but blinked... )

VCQ handmade papers

2004-06-21T19:39:00.000+08:00

After reading countless raves from fellow w@wies about Virgil Quiblat's "VCQ" Handmade papers, we visited his shop today for our invites and souvenirs... We found lots of stuff there.. fans, lamps, treasure boxes, picture frames, guestbooks, different bozes of all shapes, colors, and sizes. We got to see samples of their invitations which i found "swak" to my liking...Ü ...More importantly, he can customize items for us, for example, if we have a unique design for our invites, we can just tell him what to do and execute it with ease!! We also found nice "gifts" (i'm not telling what it is - para naman may element ng surprise... ;) ) for the principal sponsors... but of course it will be customized also for our butterfly inspired wedding!Ü

Busy Saturday...

2004-06-19T12:19:00.001+08:00

Second Meeting with Jody Liwanag

Jody texted me last Tuesday and asked to meet us today at 9:30 a.m, at Starbucks, Greenbelt 3. We arrived there early; we were already at Greenbelt at 9:00 am coz i didn't want to make her wait like the last time... but i received a text from her requesting to move the time to 11 o'clock. So, i texted her back and told her we were there already and could she please make it a little earlier as we still have to accomplish some things...

She arrived at a little past ten and apologized for being late (she said she had a visitor which she can't just leave)... She then gave me checklists for the wedding which Jon and I found very useful (some of which we haven't thought of pa! - nyaiiiks!!!)... After she explained the items in the different checklists, we updated her about our wedding (it wasn't really much :( -haaayyy! ) since we last met... She stressed on those things that we have to do ASAP! --- URGENT needs to move on with our wedding preps! ... and that includes our WEDDING MOTIF!!! Ack!!! It's so hard to decide when you have to consider things like the skin type of our attendants, the flowers, the design of the cake, what would look good on pictures, etc. etc!!! She suggested monochromatic orange which would complement our wedding theme (butteflies), or celadon green and pink... ayan, nadagdagan na naman ang choices ko!!! waaaahhhh!!! I need to decide na!!! Anyway, i told her i would be meeting with Tito Franco later today and hopefully, he can give some tips so as to finally reach a decision...

After the meeting, I was tempted to go to Red Box again for their lunch promo but thankfully, Jon decided against it (although i know mejo ma-tempt din cia... hehehe)...

Meeting with Tito Franco

I was able to show Tito Franco the design I wanted for my wedding gown and asked for his quotation.. The first figure he gave me was expensive and out of the budget but i think he sensed that and he immediately took it back and gave me a more reasonable price... Ü
We were able to ask him questions (which were suggested by Jody L. ---thank God for her! Ü). and found out that he schedules very well, delivers one to two weeks before the wedding date, doesn't go to the hotel preps rather, will arrange for his assistant to assist me in dressing up and will do the pressing of the gown themselves, etc etc... He even suggested to modify the design of the gown which he told me was more for the tall and lanky so that it would be more fit for the voluptuous me (I just love his choice of words! heheheÜ)!

Bridal Fashion Show by M. Yumul

One more designer/couturier i was eyeing was Bess Garia of M. Yumul, and lucky me, he had a bridal fashion show tonight at Star Mall at 7pm (which really started at 8... Pinoy talaga, oo!) Bess has been in the industry for only 3 years --- which goes to say that he is young, vibrant and has modern takes which i would love to see... I enjoyed watching the one-hour show, took some pictures on my phone (we forgot to bring the digicam :( ), and most importantly, noticed that aqua blue was really striking at night... waaaahhhh!!! balik aqua-blue na naman kame!!! It's so very very hard to decide... :( ... anyway, i really loved the scene-stealer of the show that night... the wedding gown with gold embroidery and cathedral train, and the mile-long veil with lace.. it was breath-taking! I can't wait to meet with Bess to ask him how much it would cost me... (which i'm not quite sure we can afford... hahaha!!!)Ü

Jon's confirmation

2004-06-12T23:15:00.000+08:00

As a requirement for the sacrament of matrimony, Jon had his confirmation today at our parish church together with his twin, Alex. He even had his confession this morning and he said he felt like a new man... ;) Looking at them during the ceremony and while i was taking their pics, they looked like two grinning little boys who had just received their very first kiss... hahah!ÜÜ

jon Ü

jon and alex

Exactly 6 months to go!!!

2004-06-09T10:09:00.000+08:00

wooohoooo!!! 6 more months!!!! ÜÜÜ

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it's our 90th monthsary today and we're celebrating it by taking a leave(again!)... We planned to collect our baby pics and start scanning them for our AVP (audio-visual presentation)... It's never too early to start!

...and since it's exactly 6 months to go til the big day, wedding preps will be in full blast now! Gosh!!! So much to do!!!

Events Experts - On-the-Day Coordination

2004-06-03T20:19:00.001+08:00

Jon n I took a leave of absence today to meet up with Ms. Jody Liwanag of Events Experts. We agreed to meet at Starbucks, Greenbelt 3, at 10 am this morning.

She was already at the meeting place when we got there. She somehow looked a little familiar and she later confirmed this when she told us that she was also at the w@w anniv dinner party at fernwood gardens where she awarded mr. alex franco (our cake maker!Ü) as the w@w supplier of the year. After jon got coffee for himself, jody proceeded to explain to us their on-the-day coordination package in detail that all the questions that i readied even before the meeting were already answered (jon had a few questions though...).

We didn't wanna waste time and energy (and not to mention leave credits!Ü) looking for other wedding coordinators anymore so since we felt that jody and her team "can deliver", plus she was well recommended by other w@wies, we got her na and paid the 50% DP already (she was even a little surprised kase ang bilis namen!)...

And since we finished our task for the day early, we spent the rest of the day just enjoying each other's company, walking around the mall and sang our hearts out for three hours at the Red Box (they had a promo from 12 til 3pm)! SARAP! =)

Tito Franco: Couturier

2004-05-30T20:19:00.000+08:00

We (My mommy, kate, jon n i) dropped by Tito Franco's shop at Zapote this morning... We were lucky coz we were able to meet him personally (he arrived moments after we did)... We got to see some of his creations and designs and we also saw some pictures with the "famous people" he had already worked with...

I liked him a lot. He was very warm and accommodating.. he even had nice suggestions for the wedding motif (which i still haven't decided 'til now!!!). Too bad i wasn't able to bring the copy of the design that i fell in love with at maggiesottero.com . And the 6th month mark is fast approaching!!! I need to book my couturier fast!!!

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Our meeting with Ms Jody Liwanag of Events Experts was postponed for next week...

more wedding suppliers...

2004-05-19T20:07:00.000+08:00

I finally got to talk to Ms. Jody Liwanag of Events Experts for our wedding day coordination and we agreed to meet on Sunday, May 30. She's nice to talk to, i just hope we click... ;)

I also texted Joana Alberto of Angelic Blooms and asked her to email me her quotation for my entourage.

Alex Franco for our cake...

2004-05-18T23:00:00.001+08:00

I finally confirmed our booking with Alex Franco. I texted him this afternoon and i got a reply at 10pm already asking me to call him up... and so i did... he was very warm, and kind, he even offered info about past weddings at the Pan Pac in which he was also the cake supplier... We're scheduled to meet on Saturday at Fr. Blanco's (another wedding!Ü)to discuss our wedding details...

Unveiling soon...

2004-05-03T19:21:00.000+08:00

Our wedsite is in the works already... ÜÜÜ I discovered where i'll be able to build our site...for FREE!!! yay!!!

An Affair to Remember II

2004-05-01T23:46:00.000+08:00

We went to Alabang Town Center (after going to Greenhills --- see story below) and attended the bridal fair "An Affair To Remember II" which was organized by Kasal.com. I registered for this event a month ago and fortunately, i remembered where i put the paper with our registration code.

In the fair, Jon spotted Charlie Villanueva again and we had a good laugh about it...Ü (there's something about him.... ;) )... Anyway, i really wanted to look for a designer/couturier since the 6th month mark is fast approaching!!! I saw in their teaser ad that Tito Franco will showcase some of his designs there but after looking around, I didn't find him... guess he backed out at the last minute??? Oh well.., we just have to visit his store na lang...

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Jon n I went to Greenhills today for a shopping spree (BONUS NA!)Ü I bought a white jelly bag for P600 (which i saw at Rockwell last night for P800!). I wanted sana yung with leather detail kaso lang no available one with the color i wanted. Now, what's that got to do with our wedding preps? Absolutely nothing! hehehe...Ü

Wedding Coordinators...

2004-04-28T18:59:00.000+08:00

I started canvassing today for other wedding planners/coordinators for their on-the-day coordination service/package. The 3rd party, Events Experts, and Events Manila more or less have the same price which is even lesser than our budgeted amount (yay!Ü)! (We changed our plans of getting Weddings by Victoria, btw becoz of practical reasons...). Jojit Dy of The 3rd Party even called me up in my cellphone perhaps to push their business even more. I told him I'll call him up to set a meeting soon...

Choir/Showband: CHECK!Ü

2004-04-23T20:50:00.000+08:00

We've already paid the 50% downpayment for the Sentimental Groove this morning... yay!!!Ü Our next meeting with them would be the production meeting na... We have to think of songs to include in their repertoire and make the necessary requests which are not included in the list that they gave us...

The Sentimental Groove!!!

2004-04-22T23:50:00.000+08:00

Jon n I had jus been to Mandaluyong to watch the performance/demo of the Sentimental Groove!!! Galing, grabe!!!

TSG is an all-in-one band... they can do acapella, choir, string quartet, jazz band, etc., etc! ...name it, they can do it!!! they're really so great that after just the 3rd or 4th song, jon whispered to me, "di pa tapos, ok na... SOLD na!"Ü I myself was teary-eyed (ako pah!) especially when they were performing some of the church songs... parang i can imagine na our wedding day...

after their performance, we talked to kate and jay-r and learned that their rate went up by 2k (just like alex franco) and that they require 50% downpayment to block off our date... We got their bank account no. and promised to pay the down tom. Mahirap na... baka maunahan pa..!

Pan Pacific Manila it is!!!

2004-04-17T23:15:00.000+08:00

Jon n I already booked Pan Pacific Manila this afternoon --- we've finally decided that it is the best place for our wedding reception.. and i'm happy with our choice!Ü

earlier, i've spoken wid kuya ariel about some details for the reception, he was telling me that the pacific lounge is a much better place rather than the pacific ballroom... i do agree on that.. but then, the lounge is too small for 180 - 200 guests... Also, they can't assure me that the management will be able to close the place exclusively for us that night... So, we'll have to settle with the ballroom then... which is still great!

we arrived at the hotel at around 2 pm and we were met by Ms. Annie Perez... but she said she still has a client and that she'll get back to us in a minute or so... but she was kind enough to call Kuya Ariel so that we won't get bored waiting for her... In just a few minutes, he was there na and started to tour us around... we went to the ballroom first which is being decorated for a debut party that evening... I started to imagine what it would look like come december 9... We then went to the pacific lounge... It was more beautiful than i remembered... the garden n gazebo would definitely be part of the pictorials...Ü After that, we viewed the different rooms in the hotel. Although we weren't able to see the bridal suite, we now more or less have an idea on what the rooms look like...

we then went down to meet annie at the lobby... kuya ariel ordered some drinks for us... we talked for a while and told her we're reserving the ballroom na... i asked her some quesions re some items in the package which we think we're not availing and she said that she will just convert those items to a room or other additional amenities... also, we were informed that butterfly releases are already allowed!!!Ü yay!!!

so there!!! reception venue: CHECK! Ü

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Events at the Pen --- Bridal Fair at the Peninsula Manila

We then went to the Manila Pen for the bridal fair and to pick-up our CD... the pre-nups pictures taken at the w@w five bridal blow out last march 27...

Manila Pen is so beautiful. I just LOVE their lobby!!! I so LOVE the place! Too bad it's in Makati and not somewhere near San Agustin... :(

We got a discount card (10% off) for QP designs (invitations) and more calling cards and brochures. We didn't stay long at the fair since we still have to go somewhere pa... It's a very busy day!!! Ü

I love our pre-nups pics!!! We just viewed it now and they were all great!!! (Feeling artista kame wid all those lovely pics!!!)

Happy Birthday, hunny!!!Ü

2004-04-11T16:42:00.001+08:00

Happy birdie, hunny! Happy birdie, hunny! Happy birdie, happy birdieeeeee!!!! Happy birdie, hunny!!! ÜÜÜ

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Today is Jon's 25th birthday!!! I gave him a Giordano cap n shirt... I also prepared baked penne for him! We're having a party tonight at their place! ...Ciempre I bought myself a Freeway blouse for the occasion!Ü Can't wait!Ü

A visit to San Agustin...

2004-04-08T23:45:00.000+08:00

After arriving from Subic (wid Jon's family), Jon n I hurried off for the Visita Iglesia... Niq, Nina and Ronald were supposed to go wid us (it's an annual thingie), but backed out at the last moment...

...The first church we visited was of course, "our church", San Agustin... It was the first time jon n i got inside the church after his proposal... The church was magnificent! Grandioso!!! ...and i fell in love all over again...Ü

Eddie Bruan for MU

2004-04-05T21:07:00.000+08:00

I txtd Eddie Bruan last Saturday and received a call from him today saying that he's still available on December 9!!! Yay!!! Ü i told him i'm availing of his w@wie promo. He said he'll call me again after his holy week vacation...

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Kate of TSG called me also today to tell me that they have a demo on April 15...

Boracay honeymoon c/o TC!!! Yahoo!!!

2004-04-04T23:06:00.000+08:00

Tropang Camella had dinner tonight at Congo Grille (Alabang) to talk about our annual summer outing... After our discussions, kwentuhan about our wedding preps and the like... And then, they decided then and there that their gift for us would be a Boracay honeymoon!!! Ang saya!!!!

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PHUKET honeymoon na lang ang kulang!!! ;) .. now, who will sponsor this one? heheh... ÜÜÜ

The Sentimental Groove

2004-04-02T23:47:00.000+08:00

I've heard (actually read Ü) great reviews about The Sentimental Groove... I texted Kate and fortunately, they're still available on my wedding date!!! We're gonna watch their demo sometime this month.