Wedding Update: a continuation

Here's the continuation of my update on what we've been doing and have done so far:

Florist: Flowers Speak - I came across this supplier while browsing the weddings at work website. At that time they were the only ones in the list of florists that has a website which is a good thing for us since we don't have a lot of free time to go around flower shops or Dangwa. I filled up their information sheet and after a day or two, the owner, Cathy Gancenia gave me a call. I was so surprised... kasi unlike other suppliers, prompt ang reply nya ha! I got a good feeling about her while we talked on the phone. Also, ang ganda ng mga flowers nya! Magaling sya mag-arrange! She showed us more pictures of weddings that she did and we were convinced na hindi nya kami titipirin sa flowers. After the conversation, I had this feeling that God sent us another angel...

Videographer: Buddy Gancenia - He is Cathy's husband so naturally, she recommended him to us. When we first set a meeting with Cathy, she told us that she would be bringing Buddy and Rene (photographer, more on him later) so they can present their works to us. When we got to see Buddy's sample videos, I immediately fell in love with it! More than the usual wedding videos! They have the feel of an Amazing Race or Survivor episode! Iba talaga than the usual MTV style wedding videos...kaya nga Reality Video ang tawag niya. Ramil and I are suuupeeeer excited sa kakalabasan ng video namin!

Photographer: Rene Gaviola - Another superb artist we met through Cathy. He is Buddy's partner when covering weddings. Super ganda din ng photos nya. Very good at ambience shots - which we're after. And he's really good at catching those off-guarded moments. May mga funny shots, touching shots, romantic shots... at kung anu-ano pa. Plus he has this poetic side of him (visit his website and you'll know what I mean) which I think is a must for a good photographer.

More updates to follow...

More than just a wedding

Amidst the wedding preparations, I've often wondered...

ARE WE REALLY PREPARED FOR THIS?!?!

I'm not referring to the wedding but to the marriage. As I've mentioned in one of my previous posts, Ramil and I have had our share of fights and arguments. This fact would sometimes make me wonder how it would be like if we were married already. Although we trust ourselves and our love for each other to get us through any marital troubles, I knew it's still going to be different when we get there.

I came across Discovery Weekend while reading a local bridal magazine. I visited their website and received good feedbacks from my co-w@wies. I wanted Ramil and me to attend! I figured we're gonna need all the preparation and help we can get. So finally, we're booked for the May seminar! I hope it's as good as I'm expecting it to be...

I'm excited!

TMU pics

Had my trial make-up with Jessie Mendoza (not to be confused with Jessie Mendez) earlier today. He works for Fanny Serrano and also does 'sidelines' with Rene Salud. Dahil sa late na kami natapos, sa house na lang kami nag-picture. Hehe!

Only had my and Ramil's camera phone kaya most of the pics are poor in quality. I was able to take 2 pics with my digital camera before its battery died :( I'd appreciate comments! Although ok naman feedback ng family ko and ni Ramil. Sabi lang ni Ramil...'i suggest you lose the lashes...' Hehe! I wasn't also very comfortable with the lashes, parang ang weird ng feeling, mabigat. So I really don't plan on putting on fake lashes on our wedding day. Though I was wearing them sa pics (tinanggal ko din kasi agad!), parang 'di obvious.

Hmmm... still thinking maybe to have another trial with another HMU just for comparison. Or maybe not? :)

Practice... 

Smile! 

Contract signing and TMU tomorrow!

We're gonna be meeting with Cathy Gancenia (our florist), her husband Buddy (our videographer), and Rene (our photographer) tomorrow! We'll be signing the contracts already. These three are some of my favorite suppliers, very easy to talk to. And they really care about their clients.

I'll also be having a trial make-up with Jessie tomorrow. My cousin referred him to me and I really hope he's good. Plus, since they're friends, I get a reaaalllly nice price! Hehe!

Napapanahong balita...

Ano na nga ba ang nagawa namin? Kahit na may natitira pa kaming sampung buwan nung magdesisyon kami magpakasal ni Ramil, inumpisahan na namin ang mga paghahanda.

Una ay ang pagpili ng petsa. Napili namin ay Disyembre 17. Nung tinanong kami ng isang kaibigan kung bakit sa petsang un, ang sagot ko 'wala lang'. Kung ang iba ay namimili ng mga makabuluhang petsa, ako naman walang paki. Ngunit sabihin na nating may mga salik na nag-impluwensya sa petsang un. Si papa ay uuwi sa Nobyembre (isa syang seaman) at kadalasan pagkatapos ng 3-4 na buwan, sasakay na ulit sya. Kaya sakto lang ang Disyembre. Bakit naman 17? Dahil gusto ko Sabado ang kasal ko, para makapunta un mga taong gusto kong nandoon. At dahil malamang wala na ring pasok ang mga estudyante pagkatapos ng petsang un (para sa kanilang Christmas break), maganda para sa amin ni Ramil dahil isa syang titser (ako ay isang bagong titser ngayong darating na Hunyo).

Pangalawa ay ang simbahan at lugar ng reception. Gusto ko sa UP kasi UP kami pareho at marami kami magagandang karanasan doon. Naisip ko doon kaya sa amphitheater? Parang ang gandang ayusan, medyo gusto ko din kasi ng kasalan sa isang hardin. Pero syempre problema ang ulan. Kahit pa sabihin mong Disyembre un, minsan pa din biglang uulan. Ang sunod kong naisip ay sa UP Bahay ng Alumni. Aba, ok! Maganda sya kapag gabi lalo na sa pasko. Un nga lang, maluwang masyado. Dapat magaling ang mag-aayos.

Sunod naman si Aling Baby... ang lagi naming caterer kapag may mga okasyon sa pamilya. Gamay na namin ang lasa ng pagkain nya kaya ok sa amin ni Ramil nung minungkahi ni mama. Kaso may problema din, hindi sya sanay mag-ayos ng malalaking okasyon kagaya nito. E di ba, kailangan nga ng todo ayos ng Bahay? Doon pumasok ang Balay Kandila. Sobra gusto namin ni Ramil mga konsepto nila, hindi un mga kadalasan mong makikita.

Sabi ni Ronald at Tisha ng Balay, mas maganda kung may tema un kasal, para daw hindi sabog-sabog un mga disenyo. Dahil sa Disyembre nga, naisip namin na pasko na lang ang gagawin naming tema. Naaangkop sa panahon at malamang may mga decorasyon na un simbahan at ibang parte ng Bahay para sa pasko.

Itutuloy...

Hay, blog...

Iba na 'to...
Kaka-addict magblog!
Got me a tagboard!
Got me a countdown!
Another fixation...
Damn, this takes up time! Pero fun...hehe!

The story of us...

Before the wedding, there's the couple. Before any girl dreams of the perfect wedding, she dreams of finding THE ONE.

Finding the right person can be taxing, nerve-wracking, time-consuming, exhausting, and emotionally-draining. Especially if you have to go through deep shit mud before you hit gold. There are also lucky ones.

For Ramil and me, finding each other is like my mom looking for her eyeglasses when she was wearing them all along. We were classmates from grades 3 to 6. We played patintero, chinese garter, agawan base, and even piko! As fate would have it, we got accepted to the same high school and university. We were again classmates in 4th year HS and since I'm in the same barkada as his crush, we became better friends...hehe! It was inevitable that we continued to be friends in college. And in our 2nd year in UP, something beautiful crept its way between us.

Our time together as a couple hasn't always been smooth. We argued. We fought. He made me cry lots of times. I made him cry sometimes (i'm not sure i'm allowed to divulge that info). We were hostile. We dared each other with cool offs and breaks but neither has the guts to risk losing the other. Despite these, we are a perfect fit. We are inseparable. We are bestfriends. We are madly in love with each other. We are meant to be.

I learned that love is not about finding the perfect person because there is none. It's about seeing an imperfect person perfectly. Fights are as much a part of it as sweet nothings whispered in each other's ears. So how do I know he's THE ONE? I feel it deep in my gut. Because after more than 5 years of seeing each other almost every single day, there hasn't been a time when we got tired of each other. Funny, what sealed it for me was our biggest fight ever. After the fight, I felt so drained that I told God... "if he's not the one for me, it's ok. I'm letting go". That same night, lo and behold, he texted me the sweetest and most sincere message he ever made. Then I knew...

Finally...

We're getting married!

And the whole affair is the reason for this blog. To serve as my wedding diary. To rant about the wedding preparations when nobody is willing to listen to me...hehe! This wedding has been my fixation eversince Ramil and I has made THE DECISION.

I never thought getting married would be stressful, not to mention expensive. The details are simply overwhelming - the church, reception, gowns, food, decors, flowers, etc...- the list could go on and on. There are too many details you need to focus on and definitely too much for one person. Good thing though, Ramil is a very involved groom-to-be, willing to discuss even the minutest detail. I am my own coordinator, and this worries me. How the hell do I split myself up on the day itself? With our limited resources, hiring one is out of the question. Then God sent a thought to Jeng (our bestfriend) ... and it became a team of 3. My only regret is her relinquishing her role as the cord sponsor.

So now, we're dreaming of turning ourselves into real wedding coordinators. Although it has been stressful for us (or is it just me?!), it's also very fun, very exciting. Well, Ramil and I SHOULD be excited, we're getting married! But the preparations has also been very exciting. The hunt for the perfect church, perfect gown, perfect suppliers, and all the other perfect details that we want - perfect for us, that is. This wedding will be the guinea pig (ugly as that may sound), the sample of our skills in wedding coordination.