It's been months ago since I last wrote an entry in this blog. Sorry. :-(
Since our wedding anniversary is only a month away, I've decided to post a group picture of my wedding paraphernalia.
Okey, let's have a quick run-through of all the items (from bottom). 1. Butterfly wings for my Flower Girls - we bought them in Divisoria 2. Secondary Veil (bottom left) - c/o Emil Ocampo 3. Bridal Car Flowers - I specifically requested yellow button mums shaped in letters S and F c/o Vatel Manila 4. Secondary Candles - decoration c/o Hubby Stan 5. Matches - got them from Rustans, decoration c/o Hubby Stan 6. Gift Stickers - layout and printing c/o Hubby Stan 7. Personalized Chocolates - from Rachebeli, layout c/o Hubby Stan 8. Escort Cards / Chinese Boxes - from Paperflair, Hubby's family filled them with chocolates 9. Female Sponsors' Feather Fans - as replacement for PS bouquet. All raw materials are from Divisoria 10. Invitation - c/o Paperflair, concept c/o Fei 11. Tossing Bouquet - DIY c/o Fei, all raw materials are from Divisoria 12. Garter - c/o Emil Ocampo 13. Rosary Cord - a gift from Janice (ni Jake), a fellow W@Wie and now my kumare 14. Purple Shoes - from CMG 15. Purple Unity Candle - lavender scent from Robinsons 16. Lavender Bible - from PCBS 17. Arrhae Holder - small Baul from Divisoria 18. Unity Coins - courtesy of Beej (ni Benj), a fellow W@Wie turned friend 19. Treasure Box - medium sized Baul from Divisoria where we placed our wedding vows for the Ceremony 20. Wedding Rings - c/o Goldenhills (love them, we drop by SM Megamall branch last October 15 and they still remember us!) 21. Perfume - Burberry (i just bought it because its gold, it matches our motif hahah!) 22. Pouch - I requested Emil to make a big pouch for me and I want it in fur. Love it! 23. Gifts (Lavender Wrap) - for our Entourage 24. Wines - c/o Rachebeli, layout c/o Hubby Stan 25. Couple Bears - bears from Bear Cuddler, clothes hand-sewn by my Mom and me 26. Pillows - I don't want the traditional white pillow for the rings and arrhae so I drew a sketch of what I wanted and showed it to Emil. I am so happy with the final output. 27. Flowers - c/o Vatel Manila
There are other DIYs not included in the picture, especially those for the reception. I still feel giddy whenever I remember our Big Day. I can't believe we're turning 1year next month! Weeeh! :-)
Instead of having our (Stan and I) childhood photos, I asked John Marvi of Cinemaworks to make an AVP for my dad. He celebrated his 90th birthday exactly on our wedding day. My decade long prayer has been answered - dad walked me down the aisle and we had the father-and-daughter dance.
Thank you for being my dad. I love you so much.
Note: The persons in the video were my nephew and niece based abroad . We asked them to send a video greeting since they're the only Apos not present that day.
Ours was not a grand wedding or even glitch free. But as we looked back, it still turned out as the wedding we've been dreaming of.
And what made it extra special?
1. My Dad turned 90years old that day. My decade long prayer has been answered - my dad was able to walk with me down the aisle. We even had the father-and-daughter dance that I have been dreaming of for years!
Daddy
Father-and-Daughter Dance
2. My sisters and my brothers-in-law agreed to be our Secondary Sponsors. At first they are were a bit hesitant since they thought they were too old for the role. Good thing they changed their minds.
Our Veil Sponsor (2nd from the eldest sister and her hubby)
3. Stan's buddies agreed to be our bearers. Yeah, they walked down the aisle carrying that purple pillow in their hands :-)
Coin Bearer
4. The ceremony decorations were taken care of by my family and family friends. The whole set-up was finished by 1PM (2hours before the wedding). My sister even called me saying "Hay sa wakas, pwede na ako maligo at magpamake-up. Okey na church mo". I was so excited to see what they did. And I really appreciate this labor of love.
family and friend's labor of love
5. Two (2) of my nephews alternately played the piano for the whole ceremony, and two of my friends offered to sing.
nephew playing piano at the back, my 2 friends singing
6. Our pastor from Victory Alabang officiated the ceremony. He even include in his sermon our love story, hobbies and other things he knew about us which made the sermon more meaningful to us.
Pastor Chico
7. I sang during my bridal march. The real plan was me walking down the aisle to the tune of Shania Twain's From This Moment On. Morning of the Big Day, I kept on singing Ikaw Ang Aking Pangarap. My mom, Ate Chi and my maid-of-honor encouraged me to sing. I gave in. hahaha!
Ikaw ang aking Pangarap
8. We were allowed to make our own vows. I love everything Stan said, and I was emotional when it was already my turn. I kept on controlling myself not to cry so I can deliver the vows well. Sayang naman di ba kundi maiintindihan ni Stan kasi iyak ako ng iyak hahah!
9. We don't usually dance, but we decided to make fun of ourselves (hahah) so we danced during our grand entrance. The original choreography wasn't executed due to limited space (sayang lahat ng hilo ko kakaikot during practice for that So Close waltz!), so Eric (my HMUA) made an impromptu choreography while my gown was having it's 2nd look.
oh di ba, magkaiba kami ng step :-)
10. During the honoring of parents, we surprised my dad with a Birthday AVP made by John of Cinemaworks.
Birthday AVP
11. We removed the Garter and Bouquet Toss, and just had a Trivia Game where guests can participate.
Guests participating on the trivia game
12. We had a cellphone raffle draw before the reception ended.
the winner
13. Stan did most of our DIYs - kissing bells, souvenir Katsa Bags (including the printing of the design), Table Numbers, Menu Cards, Menu Lists, Guest Escort Boxes, PS Escort Cards, PS Tokens for Bayong, Wine and Chocolate Layout, Matches and many more. I feel so kilig that he really took time to make all those.
Guests' Escort Boxes - Stan finished them the night before the wedding
Katsa Bags and Kissng Bells
Wine Sticker Layout
Chocolate Wrapper Layout
So, what's my DIY contribution? I gave him the idea of what to do. Hahaha! I did a few also - feather pen for contract signing, feather fans for the female principal sponsors and the clothes of the couple's bear.
Contract Signing Pen (thanks Sis Ayeth for the feather)
Couple Bears - Handsewn the Bear's Clothes
14. Our suppliers who prove themselves to be flexible experts. They did their best to make our dream wedding come to reality. I even had a super long thank you speech so I can thank them all.
Even though it rained and plans for the reception didn't happen according to plan, we were still pleased and really did enjoy our wedding. The ceremony, which we believed to be the most important part of that day, was perfect - solemn, intimate and personalized through the help of family and friends. The whole celebration was so "us" - funny, relaxed and a bit emotional.
Photographers – We are blessed to have 3 teams of photographers on our wedding day. But then, ang hirap din pala. Hindi ko alam kung san ako titingin, at nakakapagod magpose hahah! What makes me just sad is we don’t have any picture of the setup (table setup, buffet setup and others related to the caterer’s setup). Maybe because of the rain, everything went so fast. Still, I’m happy with the photos and the relationship we have with our photographers.
Main Photographer: Raymond Fortun Photography
Package Inclusions:Service on the day, Fusion AVP, DVD of raw pictures
Pre-Wedding: At first, we thought that the photographer Raymond Fortun is a different person from the famous lawyer. Stan and I really love his works, but he’s already booked on our original date (12-12-09). Good thing some things didn’t fall according to plan (almost all suppliers that we want we’re already booked since we started the preps late), we moved the wedding date to November 20, 2010 and he’s still free for the event. He was so down to earth considering his status that made us even more excited working with him.
On-the-Day Performance:Fun, fun, fun shoot! He even talk to the butterflies asking them to pose for him. Even my family and relatives had fun posing for him. We love the shots and the fusion AVP. Zye was also there on our wedding day to assist RF. She was a darling! Our guests love her. And some even had a crush on her J We received the DVDs 2 weeks after the event. All the photos were beautiful. Now, we have a big problem on how to choose 150 photos from 6DVDs.
our wedding rings
RF in Action
Zye in Action
Back-up Photographer 1: Jayjay Lucas for Imaginenation
Package Inclusions:Service on the day, DVD of raw pictures
Pre-Wedding:This is God’s blessing for us. We initially plan on having coffee, especially after finding out that he knows my nephew, but it didn’t happen due to our busy schedules. All our communications were mostly through FB. He was accommodating, and even asked me if I have any special requests.
On-the-Day Performance: They worked quietly during the preps but the photos were great. Jayjay was with me behind the close doors and cheered me up when I was a bit nervous and panicky. He was also able to capture my emotions during the father and daughter dance, which I really, really love!
this pic is one in a million as we accidentally released the doves on the practice count
one of my fave shot
Back-up Photographer 2: Myphotato
Package Inclusions:Service on the day, DVD of raw pictures
Pre-Wedding:We booked them 2 weeks before the wedding. Our meeting with them ended up with chikahan. Very cool and talented guys.
On-the-Day Performance:The photos were great. I love their shots especially on our wedding details.
Me and my Gown
Videographer: Cinemaworks
Package Inclusions:
Same Day Edit, Film Version, Documentary Version
Pre-Wedding:I’ve been eyeing them since 2009. After a lot of thinking and budget consideration, we booked them 2 months before our big day. John and Wellen were one of our nicest suppliers. They answer our inquiries whether text or email.
On-the-Day Performance:I’m super excited when they arrived, for I know I will have a great SDE. Their team worked quietly, pero natulala ako sa output when shown during the reception. Our friends and officemates love our SDE and even said that they feel like their watching a film. Para daw may kwento. Even my sisters who were picky were satisfied.
Pre-Wedding: We booked him on the last stretch of our preparations. He works fast and the barong turned out perfect.
Output: Stan looked good on our wedding day. My mom and sisters like hubby's barong a lot. They thought it was super expensive considering it was made of pure pina cloth.
Pre-Wedding: Tita Princess is a sweet person. I want her from the start so we booked her immediately. There had been a minor problem with the schedule since she has a double booking on our day (and the 2nd bride was in Tagaytay) but we were able to come up with a solution.
On-the-Day Performance: She does my airbrush make-up while Eric did my hair and the retouch. Tita Princess left early during the preps so it was Eric who was with me the entire day. Our room was full of laughter! He would joke around with the suppliers, teach me how to pose and even make chikka with my mom. I love what he did to my hair (1st and 2nd look) and he was always there to do my retouch until the reception.
Laugh Trip during Preps
Wines and Chocolates for Principal Sponsors: Rachebeli Wines
Package Inclusions: Mango/Plum Wines with Mango Cream / Cappuccino Chocolates, Sticker Seals and Boxes
Pre-Wedding: Chelo handles our account. She responds fast on our queries. We just had a problem with the layout so Stan ended up doing it.
Output: We received the items 3days before the wedding. My mom loved the chocolates and even suggested that we keep it na lang hahaha!
Wines
Chocolates
Invitations: Paperflair by Adworks
Package Inclusions: Main Invite, Entourage Sheet, Map, Customized Envelope, Sticker Seal
Pre-Wedding: I’ve read so many bad feedbacks regarding their services but I really thank God that we didn’t experience any. I love Paperflair. They were able to execute the design we wanted.
Package Inclusions: Bride's Bouquet, 2 Mom's Bouquet, 2 MOH Bouquet, 4 Flower Girls (Tin Pails were provided by the Bride), Bridal Car Flowers, Loose Petals
Pre-Wedding: Just like what Dylan mentioned in his blog, I was discussing my flowers with him for such a long time. We had several revisions on the arrangements to fit the budget that I have set. My supposed-to-be-bouquet was lavender ecuadorian roses but we decided to change it 2 weeks before the wedding because of my bridal gown color. Dealing with him is such a breeze. And sometimes, we're not talking about my flowers. We're just making chika until 1AM :)
On the Day Performance: He was known as Mr. Early Bird. He sent me an SMS around 7:30AM telling me that my flowers were already in La Huerta (I'm still home and having breakfast hahaha!). Too bad I wasn't able to have a picture with him! Upon my arrival at La Huerta, I immediately checked the flowers in the room. I love them. Even the other suppliers were raving on how beautiful the bouquet was. They're asking who was my florist and when I replied, "Si Dylan", they will say "Ah kaya pala maganda!"
Golden Yellow Cymbidium with a base of Green Limonium
Lace Applique and Brooch on the handle
Flower Girls' Pails
Maid and Matron of Honor's Bouquet
Bridal Car's Flowers
Dylan is one of the best florist that I have met. He really knows his craft. His rates are reasonable for those very lovely creations.
Package Inclusion: use of the Hummer Limo for 3 hours
Pre-Wedding: We first saw this hummer limo in a bridal fair in PICC and we immediately fell inlove with it. I really wanted it but have to check our budget first since it is a bit expensive. Good thing hubby Stan gave me the go signal to book it because he wanted me to be seated comfortably on our way to church (how sweet). He also consider my dad (who was 90years old) so he could extend his legs on our way to church. We have our transactions mostly through email and sms. It was only 1 week before the wedding when Stan scheduled a meeting with him to pay for our balance.
On the Day Performance: The limo was late. Our call time is 1:30PM for a 3PM wedding. We asked them to arrive early so we can still have pictorials with the car, but it arrived around 3PM already. I arrived at the church around 3:30PM. I found out that the car had some problems on its way to Antipolo and has to be fixed. Anyhow, I am still satisfied with the car. My parents (dad and mom), HMUA, PA-Coordinator, MOH+Boyfriend were with me in the car on our way to church. It helped me feel calm as I was beginning to get nervous and cold. On our way back to La Huerta, 1 photographer and 1 videographer plus Stan joined us in the car but still, we're not crowded. After the reception, I was surprised to see Jappy and his girlfriend outside waiting for us and give us a ride to our hotel. It was so nice of them.
Hummer Limo
If I remember it correctly, it's 27feet long
It was expensive for a bridal car and for 3hours use, but hey, I want it. I felt like a princess while riding in it. And the moments I have spent with my parents and bestfriends inside the car on our way to church is priceless.
Gown Designer: Emil Ocampo (E. Ocampo Fashion House)
Package Inclusions: Bridal Gown, Prep Dress, Hair Accessory, Ring Pillow, Coin Pillow, Arrhae, Cord, 2 Candles, Veil, 2nd Veil, Pouch, Fur Bolero, Fitting Form and Assistance on the Day
Pre-Wedding:
I know the bride should look her best on her wedding day so finding the right designer is very crucial. I happen to meet Emil in one of the bridal fairs in Megamall early this year. He was a very nice person - soft spoken and easy to talk to. Stan and I visited him in his office to discuss more about my gown. I showed him my gown inspirations and he quickly drew a sketch for me, including the 2nd look. Though I really love the initial design he made for me, my gown design was a work-in-progress. Every visit in his shop, we'll have some revisions on the design so the gown can be more "ME". He was kind enough to listen to my suggestions and was willing to execute the the things that I want (eventhough some of those things would be his first). He also changed my veil and petticoat 1 week before the wedding because I changed my mind. :D
He also helped me find a supplier for Live Butterflies. I informed him 2 days before the wedding and he was able to find one for me.
The Output and On the Day Performance:
I love my gown. I was worried that I will not look good in it because I didn't go on a diet (sarap kumain eh!), but most of my guests said that it was so "ME". I even heard one of my officemate during my bridal walk saying "I like your gown!". My MOH who will be be getting married 2012 was convinced and will have Emil do her gown as well. And yeah, I also love my 2nd look - that furry bolero and bustled train.
Matte Gold Mikado Silk Gown with Beaded French Lace Bodice
Back of the Dress
Accented with a Belt and Swarovski Brooch
Emil Ocampo is one great alternative for those who want a beautiful gown without hurting your pockets.
All our suppliers performed well that's why we decided not to rate them. Instead, we want to share our stories of what happened before and on-the-day itself.
Venue: La Huerta Estates
Package Inclusions: Use of the whole venue up to 11pm, Free use of Bridal Suites for Wedding Preparations, Free use of Venue for Prenup Pictorials, Additional Charge for Electricity
Pre-Wedding: It was love at first sight. The moment I stepped outside Casa Vieja and have a beautiful view of the city, I know this is the perfect place for our wedding. Anton (the owner) was so accomodating. He answers all our queries both email and SMS. He even calls us to explain things regarding our concerns.The staff of La Huerta were also nice. They assisted us during occular visits and prenup pictorials.
On-the-Day Performance:The staff are so maalaga. They helped us carry our things when we arrived in the morning. They were also around to check if we need something like extension cords etc. When it rained, they helped Hizon's Catering transfer the setup from the garden to the main house. They even gave umbrellas to the guests from the parking.
The place was so big that even Stan and I stayed in the same house, we didn't see each other. I also have so many suppliers but we were able to move around freely. There are also a lot of places for photoshoot.
It rained on our wedding and our original plans didn't pushed through. The cocktail area that was supposed to be at the Tipolo Deck was transferred to San Isidro Pavilion. The reception area which was planned to be at San Jose Pavilion was moved to Casa Vieja. But still the place was perfect. Perfect for our dream wedding.
Casa Vieja
Caterer: Hizon's Catering
Package Inclusions: Menu, Menu Upgrades, Cake, Emcee, Doves with Cage, Signature Frame, Bottle of Wine, Torch Parade, Flowers and Setup, Fee for Sit-down Dinner
Pre-Wedding: Hubby and I were food lovers. We love eating and we eat a lot! So we decided to allocate a big amount of our budget to food. We even agreed to serve as many food as we can afford on our reception dinner. and we need a good and reputable caterer to handle our event. Hizon's was our top choice among all the other caterers. They were the first supplier we booked :) Our AE, Maia, was very accomodating. She took notes on all my concerns, especially on those items that we're not going to avail from the standard package. All documents were endorsed properly to the planner during turn over. Drew was the assigned planner to me. He was nice and very hands on. He knows his job well and will make you calm whenever you feel stressed. Our SMS exchanges sometimes last til 1AM. Our detailing was a breeze. He makes suggestions on linens, styles and even our menu.
On-the-Day Performance: I love them to pieces! I admit I am very hard to please but I know how to appreciate efforts. And I know they did their best to serve us and our guests.
Since we have our preparations in La Huerta, I was able to see the setup of San Jose Pavillion. Then before we left for the ceremony, it rained. So they have to remove the linens to avoid getting wet. Then after a few minutes, the sun shone brightly and they started putting back the linens. I was hoping for a good weather til rest of the evening, but i think rain is my twin (as it is present every important event in my life), it rained again during ceremony pictorials. So they decided to move the whole setup to Casa Vieja. If you knew how La Huerta looks like, Casa Vieja is 2-floors above San Jose Pavilion. Guests were starting to arrived and Hizon's crew were able to set up fast. The buffet tables remained in San Isidro Pavilion so we need to have a Sit-Down dinner for guests not to get wet in getting their food. I think there were only 20+ waiters that day, since our package is really for buffet. But they were able to serve food to all our guests.
Drew was very hands on, and super bilis kumilos as per W@Wie friends that attended our wedding. The rain didn't stop him from performing his duties, so he ended up as "basang basa sa ulan" that night.
The food was good, oh so good! Here's what we serve on our first dinner as Husband and Wife.
Appetizer: Olives/Tomato Bruchetta, Cheese and Tomato Crostini, Mushroom/Onion Caramelized Canapes, Smoked Fish Canapes
Soup: Cream of Pumpkin
Vegetables: Vegetable Au Gratin
Entrees: Barbecue Oriental Spareribs, Manhattan Grilled Chicken Breast in Marinara Sauce
Cooked on the Spot: Grilled Tuna with Teriyaki Sauce
Menu Upgrades:
Carving Station: US Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy
Salad Bar: Vegetable Salad with Bacon Bits, Croutons and Thousand Island/Caesar's Dressing, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad and Potato Salad
Pasta Bar: Penne and Fettuccine Noodles with Napolitana and Alfredo Sauces
Dessert Bar: Vanilla Mouse, Chocolate Mouse, Mango Panacotta, Creme Brulee with Blueberry, Coffee Jelly, Mango Supreme, Macapuno Flan, Buko Pandan
Chocolate Fountain: 1 Brown and 1 White Chocolate Fountain with Fresh Fruits and Mallow Dippings
Crepe Bar: Mango and Banana Crepes with choice of Strawberry and Chocolate Sauce
Quesadilla Bar: Variety of Quesadillas with choice of Salsa and Sour Cream Sauce
Most of my guests commented "soup palang, solve na kami!". Vegetarian guests appreciated that we have salad and there's a veggie dish as part of our menu. Even friends who have big appetite says "hindi namin maubos yung sinerve samin sa sobrang dami".
The head waiter assigned to us (i forgot his name, sorry) was very maalaga. He makes sure that we get to have each dish on our plate. Then when he noticed that we're not able to eat well, they packed the food so we can take them home.
After the event, I thank the Head Waiter and the Food Head (i forgot the exact position title, basta she's the one assigned in managing the food) and they were so happy that we appreciate their efforts eventhough we encounter some problems because of the weather. Then they asked us to answer an evaluation form on how they performed that day. They even showed me another sheet of paper for the endorsement of left overs. Then they handed us the left over food - one pack for my family, another pack for hubby's family and another pack for us. And when I say pack, its around 4-5 big styros of food. :)
Hizon's Setup at San Isidro Pavillion
We'll definitely get Hizon's for future events.
Cake: Top Cakes c/o Hizon's Pre-Wedding: Drew did all the coordination. I just gave him the specs during our detailing. On-the-Day Performance: The cake was good. We love the fondant icing, it was chewy. We even brought the cake to Boracay :)
Wedding Cake
Emcee: Marj Dizon c/o Hizon's * plus Out-of-Town Fee
Pre-Wedding: I specifically asked for Marj to be our emcee when I booked Hizon's. Good thing she was still available on our date. We only met her 1 week before the wedding. Eventhough our meeting was brief (because it happened 15minutes before one of her event), she gave suggestions and improve our program flow. On-the-Day Performance: She did a great job. Nice voice, good diction. My friends and officemates even told me after the wedding that our emcee was great.
Marj during the Reception
Photobooth Souvenir: Partypics Package Inclusions: Good for 3 hours, unlimited printing, layout and tarpaulin Pre-Wedding: Our communication were mostly through emails and SMS. We submitted the requirements for the layout 2 weeks before the event, and everything turned out perfectly. On-the-Day Performance: Guests enjoyed it, especially those from the province wherein photobooth is not yet that "hit".
Photobooth Pic by Partypics
Lights and Sounds: Rejectkrew Package Inclusions: Lights and Sounds Equipment (don't ask me about the technicalities hahaha!) Pre-Wedding: He was one busy and super humble guy. During those time, he doesn't accept pencil booking. So when we're able to set a meeting with him, we're on Team B now. But that doesn't stop us from getting their services. We know Elmer trained them well. A week before the wedding, we met Elmer to discuss what we wanted for our reception, including the music to be played. We let him share his ideas and how he envisioned our wedding reception. We know their team has been doing this for years and they know what would look best for our event. So we gave our approval on his concept. On-the-Day Performance: Elmer wasn't able to come during our event (bantay sarado daw kasi yung coordinator nung Team A nya) but I trust his crew that they will deliver. And yes they did. They had the setup early at the San Jose Pavilion, but have to move everything upstairs when it rained. We love the lights as well as the music played during the program.
stars :-)
Projector: I-tech Package Inclusions: 3500 Lumens Projector, 8x8ft Screen and 56" LCD TV Pre-Wedding: The owners were nice and very accomodating. I didn't even remind them of our wedding. On-the-Day Performance: It was a good thing that we decided to get LCD TV aside from the projector screen. We didn't encounter any problems on the day. The crew were nice and polite also.
Dad's Bday AVP shown during the Honoring of Parents
--------------------------------- Up Next: Suppliers' Ratings -- PV, HMUA, Attire, Invitation and Flowers
All we want is to be married that day, but God gave us the provision to have the wedding we dreamed of. Some of the plans changed, had some weather-related-glitches. Almost two months after the wedding, it feels so good to see our wedding being featured in trusted wedding websites.
