If there's one word to describe how I feel... It's amazing. Yes, this comes from a song, but really, all I feel now is amazed. After a year of planning,of almost not happening (!), of frentic calls, back-and-forth drives to Tagaytay, desperate fund juggling, coordinator griping, the wedding not only is over, it was two weeks ago. My beloved is currently on a plane to meet me in Singapore, and 3.5 hours from now we will be on a plane to Kolkata to visit Deepa's family. Then in about 4 days we will then be in Rajasthan; perhaps India's most magical region.
It's amazing how fast time flies. It's amazing how much energy two people in love can have. And it's amazing that in all the hussle and bussle, both Deepa and I are overwhelmed by a sense of peace, calm, and joy.
What is most amazing however is not the beautiful wedding that has passed, nor the expected gloriousness of an exotic honeymoon deep in historical India, but the life that Deepa and I are promising to create for each other after. What is most amazing is the anticipation of living our wedding vows every single day for the rest of our lives.
Tuesday, January 8
Friday, December 14
Today my mind is 100% focused on getting ready for the wedding. Work is officially over for me (at least for another 1.5 months) ; my xmas bonus is in; I completed the discovery weekend course's last assignment (which made me realize just how much I know I am about to make the best decision of my life) and I found the perfect pics for the AVP. My barong is being refitted (I lost an inch!) ; Therese is about to go for the final fitting tomorrow; Deepa and I filled the next few days with 'to do lists." It's a calm Friday night - but things are about to get downright long, dirty, and busy.
Ok.
15 more days. It will happen no matter what.
in the meantime a sneak peek at what I found for the AVPs. ( proves I was always fat and I always had weird hair)
Ok.
15 more days. It will happen no matter what.
in the meantime a sneak peek at what I found for the AVPs. ( proves I was always fat and I always had weird hair)
Color me pissed
so after weeks of looking at/re-editing/sending/following up/choosing pantone chips for/double-checking invites that looked like this, in (reddish-purple) plum and (teal-ish) turquoise...
my printer sends me these horrid chocolate brown and grass-green invites. one hundred fricking twenty of them.
at first i am stunned. then i flashback to the meticulous process (see above) i went through just to idiot-proof the design. then i whine about it to all the art directors at work, who, while deploring the color job, say it's a kick-ass piece of work. this is why i love working in an office full of kick-ass creatives -- my seatmate cecil did the layout for me for free. "maganda naman siya eh," volunteers jl. "itapon mo na lang yung original file."
then i get online and, with almost eerie calm, proceed to inform the owner of the print shop of the matter. after checking the damn things, he promptly offers me a free reprint, which is just as well. dahil kung hindi, aba pucha, one email to the phalanx of bridezillas in my egroup can potentially derail his business for at least a few months. you have no idea how seriously brides take supplier reviews. really.
since he vows to personally take responsibility for the outcome of the reprints, i am placated. really, if not for the service given me by the owner, i would be bashing this place to kingdom come. which is a shame, actually, because i was pretty happy with them until all this happened.
the reprints are done in a week, which is still too long a delay for me but what can you do. the print shop's peace offering arrives -- the colors are still not true to the original file. at this point, i am still not happy, but not willing to put off delivering the invites for another week. so i simply choose not to feel bad about anything i'm going to give my nearest and dearest, and accept the prints. i tell the owner as much. he feels bad about the whole thing and offers me free thank-you cards -- a very gracious offer, which i am gracious (and penny-pinched) enough to consider.
now most of the invites are out, the guests are informed -- and on the whole, pleased and wowed by them (except for one major drama). and that is that.
my printer sends me these horrid chocolate brown and grass-green invites. one hundred fricking twenty of them.
at first i am stunned. then i flashback to the meticulous process (see above) i went through just to idiot-proof the design. then i whine about it to all the art directors at work, who, while deploring the color job, say it's a kick-ass piece of work. this is why i love working in an office full of kick-ass creatives -- my seatmate cecil did the layout for me for free. "maganda naman siya eh," volunteers jl. "itapon mo na lang yung original file."
then i get online and, with almost eerie calm, proceed to inform the owner of the print shop of the matter. after checking the damn things, he promptly offers me a free reprint, which is just as well. dahil kung hindi, aba pucha, one email to the phalanx of bridezillas in my egroup can potentially derail his business for at least a few months. you have no idea how seriously brides take supplier reviews. really.
since he vows to personally take responsibility for the outcome of the reprints, i am placated. really, if not for the service given me by the owner, i would be bashing this place to kingdom come. which is a shame, actually, because i was pretty happy with them until all this happened.
the reprints are done in a week, which is still too long a delay for me but what can you do. the print shop's peace offering arrives -- the colors are still not true to the original file. at this point, i am still not happy, but not willing to put off delivering the invites for another week. so i simply choose not to feel bad about anything i'm going to give my nearest and dearest, and accept the prints. i tell the owner as much. he feels bad about the whole thing and offers me free thank-you cards -- a very gracious offer, which i am gracious (and penny-pinched) enough to consider.
now most of the invites are out, the guests are informed -- and on the whole, pleased and wowed by them (except for one major drama). and that is that.
so after weeks of looking at/re-editing/sending/following up/choosing pantone chips for/double-checking invites that looked like this, in (reddish-purple) plum and (teal-ish) turquoise...
my printer sends me these horrid chocolate brown and grass-green invites. one hundred fricking twenty of them.
at first i am stunned. then i flashback to the meticulous process (see above) i went through just to idiot-proof the design. then i whine about it to all the art directors at work, who, while deploring the color job, say it's a kick-ass piece of work. this is why i love working in an office full of kick-ass creatives -- my seatmate cecil did the layout for me for free. "maganda naman siya eh," volunteers jl. "itapon mo na lang yung original file."
then i get online and, with almost eerie calm, proceed to inform the owner of the print shop of the matter. after checking the damn things, he promptly offers me a free reprint, which is just as well. dahil kung hindi, aba pucha, one email to the phalanx of bridezillas in my egroup can potentially derail his business for at least a few months. you have no idea how seriously brides take supplier reviews. really.
since he vows to personally take responsibility for the outcome of the reprints, i am placated. really, if not for the service given me by the owner, i would be bashing this place to kingdom come. which is a shame, actually, because i was pretty happy with them until all this happened.
the reprints are done in a week, which is still too long a delay for me but what can you do. the print shop's peace offering arrives -- the colors are still not true to the original file. at this point, i am still not happy, but not willing to put off delivering the invites for another week. so i simply choose not to feel bad about anything i'm going to give my nearest and dearest, and accept the prints. i tell the owner as much. he feels bad about the whole thing and offers me free thank-you cards -- a very gracious offer, which i am gracious (and penny-pinched) enough to consider.
now most of the invites are out, the guests are informed -- and on the whole, pleased and wowed by them (except for one major drama). and that is that.
my printer sends me these horrid chocolate brown and grass-green invites. one hundred fricking twenty of them.
at first i am stunned. then i flashback to the meticulous process (see above) i went through just to idiot-proof the design. then i whine about it to all the art directors at work, who, while deploring the color job, say it's a kick-ass piece of work. this is why i love working in an office full of kick-ass creatives -- my seatmate cecil did the layout for me for free. "maganda naman siya eh," volunteers jl. "itapon mo na lang yung original file."
then i get online and, with almost eerie calm, proceed to inform the owner of the print shop of the matter. after checking the damn things, he promptly offers me a free reprint, which is just as well. dahil kung hindi, aba pucha, one email to the phalanx of bridezillas in my egroup can potentially derail his business for at least a few months. you have no idea how seriously brides take supplier reviews. really.
since he vows to personally take responsibility for the outcome of the reprints, i am placated. really, if not for the service given me by the owner, i would be bashing this place to kingdom come. which is a shame, actually, because i was pretty happy with them until all this happened.
the reprints are done in a week, which is still too long a delay for me but what can you do. the print shop's peace offering arrives -- the colors are still not true to the original file. at this point, i am still not happy, but not willing to put off delivering the invites for another week. so i simply choose not to feel bad about anything i'm going to give my nearest and dearest, and accept the prints. i tell the owner as much. he feels bad about the whole thing and offers me free thank-you cards -- a very gracious offer, which i am gracious (and penny-pinched) enough to consider.
now most of the invites are out, the guests are informed -- and on the whole, pleased and wowed by them (except for one major drama). and that is that.
Monday, December 3
Quote of the day
"It's really hard to idiot-proof wedding preps."
-- Jolly Picache
Marlon's high school friend
husband of Shar
Weddings@Work egroup-mate
and new Yahoo chat buddy
also known as: the story of the wedding invitations that were delivered thirty minutes ago, eagerly opened, and caused an otherwise calm and coasting bride a near heart attack.
next up on deepa and marlon's wedding blog!
Sunday, December 2
Last look
this is all you're going to see of the dress until the big day.
it's just the lining, so don't flip out just yet. although, sabi ko nga kay kate, lining pa lang pwede nang ipang-marcha.
it's just the lining, so don't flip out just yet. although, sabi ko nga kay kate, lining pa lang pwede nang ipang-marcha.
much ado about lining
Twenty-six days to go
we're getting married within the month.
and getting interviewed by the bishop at canyon woods...
and picking out the wedding rings...
within less than four weeks.
whoa.
i read all the rants of frazzled brides on the weddings at work yahoogroup and wonder if something is wrong with me. because oddly enough, i feel like i'm not doing anything anymore! i honestly know i can not lift a finger from this point on (except to give fr. nebres a map to the church and turn in our documents to chapel on the hill), and the wedding will still happen. tatakbo na siyang mag-isa!
it's almost like all i have to do is choose how o.c. i want to be from now on, and that will pretty much decide my stress level.
i swear, giving up the "perfect" wedding is awesome. :-)
besides, with marlon coming home in five days, wedding preps are going to be so much more fun when we do them as a team. we kind of know we can do everything we need or want to do in the remaining two weeks. as marlon said, just give us a couple of days with nothing else to do except wedding stuff -- and be amazed! we quite surprised ourselves out with the number of things we managed to accomplish the last time he was here.
like getting the marriage license from quezon city hall...
and getting interviewed by the bishop at canyon woods...
and checking up on marlon's barong...
and picking out the wedding rings...
and fitting our lovely bridesmaids...
and cooking up a battle plan with kaye at balay, plus choosing songs for the reception (and a lovers' quarrel thrown in for good measure).
so. twenty-six days to go. bring it on!
Monday, November 19
Finding our love-nest- bara-bara couple style
Like with many things in our relationship, serendipity played a very big role in getting us our dream home.
It was Thursday evening, and, pleasantly tired from the evening's viewings, we were going to call it a night, when at a last minute whim, we decided to surf for pictures of Grande Vista Condo, which we were scheduled to visit the next day with an agent. Being an older development, it was next to impossible, when we finally chanced on two e-advertisements.
As we walked on the beautiful marble floor, my eye got drawn to the balcony - spacious enough for me to paint in (goodbye enclosed paint fumes!) and inspiring enough for Deepa to plan to surprise me with an herb garden. Alas the surprise was not meant to be a surprise, as we both had the same idea! Still - she gets to surprise me with the herb choice and arrangement - something I'm really looking forward to!
Saving the best for last -and it is the best personally because I am amused at how much this one item just bowled over my hon: a walk-in closet.
She was totally floored. So much that she forgot to pay attention to the rest of the house! (May banyo ba yung masters hon? A? Talaga, may washing machine pala? Phone line? Nasaan?) Needless to say, Imeldific fantasies must have trooped all around in her loveable brain. Me - I'm just glad she's that happy!
As we walked out the sala we muttered- 'Ano, kunin ba natin to? Aba oo! Mag ne-nego ba tayo? Wag na! Anong hihingin natin? Wala!' I tossed my bargaining skills and caution to the wind. We decided to play it straight. 'We loved it, we can't afford 2.8, can we go to 2.6, and ask for nothing in addition?' Somehow, I think they were surprised, we were so honest and so non-fussy. We closed that night at 2.7 by the poolside. Our first home!!!!!!
It was Thursday evening, and, pleasantly tired from the evening's viewings, we were going to call it a night, when at a last minute whim, we decided to surf for pictures of Grande Vista Condo, which we were scheduled to visit the next day with an agent. Being an older development, it was next to impossible, when we finally chanced on two e-advertisements.
The first was for someone who had newly renovated a 2 story flat in Grande-Vista, and the second was for someone who was also renting out a newly renovated 3 bedroom unit on the 8th floor. Apparently the place was a mix of high and low rise units. The low rise unit was going for about 3.5K - way beyond our budget, but the second unit was going for 2.8K - slightly higher than what our agent was quoting at 2.4K - but hey the former was 'newly renovated'. Jotting down the owner's number, I resolved to call the next day to book an additional appointment.
Yes- true to form, I almost forgot to call the owner. If not for my random flipping of my notebook on a relatively slow Friday, I could have missed making the call entirely. Michelle (the owner) actually had an appointment later in the evening, but on the goodness of her heart decided to squeeze us in for a 730 drop.
We made it just in time, coming from a previous viewing at Orchid Plaza. This had definite potential and in fact we were about 70-30 % convinced on signing it up. The estate was relatively old, but the unit was clean, breezily designed, and had absolutely brilliant facilities. Still, we thought we'd give Grande Vista a shot before deciding.
7:29. Yes, we were early. Us. We eagerly awaited Michelle and Julian. They turned out to be positively charming. Michelle was Singaporean, but had a distinct British twang; Julian was a quiet unassuming fellow from New-Zealand, and in-tow, they had an absolutely adorable little mestiso. Charmed by the couple, our spirits picked up as we were about to enter the unit. As soon as the door opened, our spirits soared. It wasn't just renovated - the couple knew detail and taste - a rare trait on this island so far.
What we first saw however, and really loved, was the open kitchen, that had a bar top set dividing the kitchen and dining room.
Yes- true to form, I almost forgot to call the owner. If not for my random flipping of my notebook on a relatively slow Friday, I could have missed making the call entirely. Michelle (the owner) actually had an appointment later in the evening, but on the goodness of her heart decided to squeeze us in for a 730 drop.
We made it just in time, coming from a previous viewing at Orchid Plaza. This had definite potential and in fact we were about 70-30 % convinced on signing it up. The estate was relatively old, but the unit was clean, breezily designed, and had absolutely brilliant facilities. Still, we thought we'd give Grande Vista a shot before deciding.
7:29. Yes, we were early. Us. We eagerly awaited Michelle and Julian. They turned out to be positively charming. Michelle was Singaporean, but had a distinct British twang; Julian was a quiet unassuming fellow from New-Zealand, and in-tow, they had an absolutely adorable little mestiso. Charmed by the couple, our spirits picked up as we were about to enter the unit. As soon as the door opened, our spirits soared. It wasn't just renovated - the couple knew detail and taste - a rare trait on this island so far.
What we first saw however, and really loved, was the open kitchen, that had a bar top set dividing the kitchen and dining room.
The kitchen had ample storage and !God bless! an oven- which both Deeps and I were personally craving for.
The dining room was no slouch either. The one piece of furniture was this beautiful classic glass and hard wood 6 piece set. Over it was a built in display nook, perfect for our knick-knacks.
As we walked on the beautiful marble floor, my eye got drawn to the balcony - spacious enough for me to paint in (goodbye enclosed paint fumes!) and inspiring enough for Deepa to plan to surprise me with an herb garden. Alas the surprise was not meant to be a surprise, as we both had the same idea! Still - she gets to surprise me with the herb choice and arrangement - something I'm really looking forward to!
Julian then showed me what every guy wants - a TV room - with hard wood panels installed for perfect darkness, a built in stand, and console storage. I was already planning the perfect TV for this; but this is another story.
Saving the best for last -and it is the best personally because I am amused at how much this one item just bowled over my hon: a walk-in closet.
She was totally floored. So much that she forgot to pay attention to the rest of the house! (May banyo ba yung masters hon? A? Talaga, may washing machine pala? Phone line? Nasaan?) Needless to say, Imeldific fantasies must have trooped all around in her loveable brain. Me - I'm just glad she's that happy!
As we walked out the sala we muttered- 'Ano, kunin ba natin to? Aba oo! Mag ne-nego ba tayo? Wag na! Anong hihingin natin? Wala!' I tossed my bargaining skills and caution to the wind. We decided to play it straight. 'We loved it, we can't afford 2.8, can we go to 2.6, and ask for nothing in addition?' Somehow, I think they were surprised, we were so honest and so non-fussy. We closed that night at 2.7 by the poolside. Our first home!!!!!!
Sunday, November 18
Searching for the perfect nest
Two weeks ago, Deepa flew in for what promised to be a hectic weekend of flurried activity. Apart from the customary first dinner at Jumbo, this weekend promised to be different from all the other weekends we shared here in Singapore. That weekend we were going to look for our first house (to rent, unfortunately and not to own, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.)
Not only was it our first home, but we both loved looking at house and interior decorating magazines. Needless to say, we were stoked. The weekend was set- I had a little army of Singaporean brokers scouring the land for the perfect Condo - within 2-2.5K /month, at least 2 bedrooms, must have pool, no more than 40 minute commute from central, relatively decent finishings. (2.5 sounds like a lot, but in today's housing shortage, having a budget of 2.5 means that we get sent to what counts for boonies in lala land. Central housing costs about 5-7K!)
The first night was busy -we had 2 condo's lined up (a third cancelled) , on opposite sides of the island.The first sounded promising - by the beach, 2 bedrooms. 2.2 K, with facilities. Then we learned just how broad a spectrum of apartments that description can fit. It fit the specifications, but the place was so tiny, and so confusingly built, that all we could mutter was 'parang crystal maze ang theme nito a!'
Not only was it our first home, but we both loved looking at house and interior decorating magazines. Needless to say, we were stoked. The weekend was set- I had a little army of Singaporean brokers scouring the land for the perfect Condo - within 2-2.5K /month, at least 2 bedrooms, must have pool, no more than 40 minute commute from central, relatively decent finishings. (2.5 sounds like a lot, but in today's housing shortage, having a budget of 2.5 means that we get sent to what counts for boonies in lala land. Central housing costs about 5-7K!)
The first night was busy -we had 2 condo's lined up (a third cancelled) , on opposite sides of the island.The first sounded promising - by the beach, 2 bedrooms. 2.2 K, with facilities. Then we learned just how broad a spectrum of apartments that description can fit. It fit the specifications, but the place was so tiny, and so confusingly built, that all we could mutter was 'parang crystal maze ang theme nito a!'
Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse - we entered the master's bedroom, and got screamed at by the ultra loud jungle-boogie themed room. WHO in their right mind covers a bathroom with ZEBRA prints?
To make matters worse, a LIFE SIZE faded print of two jungle cats snarled over the bed.
Not even the modelesque agent could charm the the shocked looks off from our faces.
First place condo (Escada!) was a bust.
Not to be discouraged - we went off to the second apointment of the day: Chiltern Park just off serangoon road. The place had exactly the same specs we asked for, but the agents comments of "resort-style living!" seemed more promising. Truth be told, as we pulled into the lobby, we began to feel the possibilities.
Not to be discouraged - we went off to the second apointment of the day: Chiltern Park just off serangoon road. The place had exactly the same specs we asked for, but the agents comments of "resort-style living!" seemed more promising. Truth be told, as we pulled into the lobby, we began to feel the possibilities.
Well lighted, spacious, built around an inner courtyard, the place was a much welcome breather.
What fully took our breath away however was how gorgeous the layout of the unit was. Spacious and well designed, it was painted in a warm and rich sea-aqua that I knew Deepa was loving.
The living room ceiling was even slightly elevated to allow for a chandelier!
We were giving each other knowing side looks. Was this our paradise?
Then the owner dropped the bomb. All -ALL the furniture had to stay. Our side looks turned to horror. The padded white master's bed na mukhang pang Victoria Court sabi ng officemate ni Deepa. ("It's good bed lah! no sharp corners" said the owner as he saw our doubtful faces )...
Then the owner dropped the bomb. All -ALL the furniture had to stay. Our side looks turned to horror. The padded white master's bed na mukhang pang Victoria Court sabi ng officemate ni Deepa. ("It's good bed lah! no sharp corners" said the owner as he saw our doubtful faces )...
the flea bitten sofa bed in the guest room in the confused print... (Very relaxing lah!)
... the black office lobby pleather couch? (No need to buy sofa set lah!) The owner was irritatingly lazy as he refused to get back his 80's red-light district furniture. Can't he get his crap back rather than push them on his hapless tenants? (Look bonus! I give you the bull horn I bought from texas!) Great. Just what we wanted.
We shuffled out to the courtyard.
We shuffled out to the courtyard.
The overall place was gorgeous...
... but the furniture! We can't even sell and replace them! Even the olympic sized pool, the well stocked gym couldnt get the nagging feeling out of our minds. It was a good start - but it wasn't perfect. Needless to say, the agent's annoyingly insistent cajoling to put a downpayment to 'reserve' the place fell on deaf ears.
We walked away- Our dream home was still out there.
Next- finding the perfect nest.
Next- finding the perfect nest.
Thursday, November 1
Back to Balay
when marlon and i chose balay indang as our reception venue last december, it was mostly marlon's call. balay, a bed and breakfast in indang, cavite (about 15 to 20 minutes from aguinaldo highway in tagaytay) was the last place we visited after a long day sussing out possible reception venues in tagaytay.
i was tired, feverish, and barely remembered the place. the drive seemed overlong and the pictures (taken at night) were not too great. but marlon really liked it, and didn't seem too bothered about the drive. plus, marge tan, who owned and operated the place, was a total sweetheart. so we took it.
almost a year later, we went back to balay for an ocular inspection of the venue with our caterer, kaye. marlon was actually a little anxious about it. "what if we go back there in the daytime and realize na pangit pala siya?" he fretted.
thank goodness, it turned out to be even better than he or i remembered.
the main house, where cocktails will be held
the cocktail area (for hot tsokolate and kapeng barako! yum!)
the poolside pavilion where the reception will be held
main reception area (love the vigan tiles)
where marlon and i will be seated (totally hate the couples-table-with-backdrop idea)
more balay details
we had fun planning the reception floor layouts with kaye, who's great to work with and full of ideas. more than that, we fell in love with balay all over again and were reminded of why it stood out from the other venues in the first place.
it really is a homey, eclectic and warm place -- somewhere where our guests can really kick back and enjoy an intimate evening with friends and family. as you can probably tell, "grand", "opulent", or "formal" are not among our key words.
it was great to be back at balay. and the next time i'll be back, it'll be to get married! yahoo!
i was tired, feverish, and barely remembered the place. the drive seemed overlong and the pictures (taken at night) were not too great. but marlon really liked it, and didn't seem too bothered about the drive. plus, marge tan, who owned and operated the place, was a total sweetheart. so we took it.
almost a year later, we went back to balay for an ocular inspection of the venue with our caterer, kaye. marlon was actually a little anxious about it. "what if we go back there in the daytime and realize na pangit pala siya?" he fretted.
thank goodness, it turned out to be even better than he or i remembered.
the main house, where cocktails will be heldthe cocktail area (for hot tsokolate and kapeng barako! yum!)the poolside pavilion where the reception will be heldmain reception area (love the vigan tiles)where marlon and i will be seated (totally hate the couples-table-with-backdrop idea)
more balay detailswe had fun planning the reception floor layouts with kaye, who's great to work with and full of ideas. more than that, we fell in love with balay all over again and were reminded of why it stood out from the other venues in the first place.
it really is a homey, eclectic and warm place -- somewhere where our guests can really kick back and enjoy an intimate evening with friends and family. as you can probably tell, "grand", "opulent", or "formal" are not among our key words.
it was great to be back at balay. and the next time i'll be back, it'll be to get married! yahoo!
Monday, October 22
The canonical (non-) interview
one of the requirements to be able to marry at our church, chapel on the hill, is a canonical interview with msgr. arturo boonggaling, bishop of lipa. thankfully, he holds office on saturdays, so marlon and i decided to show up at his doorshep -- or viewdeck, since he holds office at the viewdeck of canyon woods in tagaytay. the "appointment" marlon made was for 9:00 a.m. sharp. we couldn't be late, warned the bishop, because he had to say mass at 11:00 a.m.
but really, what else can you expect from the infamous "bara-bara couple"? if you sit me down for coffee, i can tell you about all the plan-less vacations, expired passports, wrong-date-booked tickets, barely-made it boat rides, and missed flights that have characterized our relationship.
and so, after vowing to wake up at five and be off to tagaytay at six (after picking up marlon's baptismal and confirmation certificates at his house in qc), what did we do? wake up at seven! yay! that was a record drive to tagaytay, i must say. less than two and a half hours, with a two-way trip to quezon city squelched in for good measure!we made it to canyon woods, breathless and sheepish, at around 10:30 a.m.
breathless and sheepish
fortunately, what we thought was an appointment at 9:00 a.m. was actually just the start of the bishop's office hours. so we queued up with other couples who were getting interviewed, enjoyed the breeze and the sunshine at the viewdeck, and filled up a couple of forms while waiting.
now, the interview... was kind of a non-interview. we were all ready to chat up a storm with the bishop about how we met, why we decided to get married, and all the other sundry questions we thought a bishop might like to know about two people getting hitched.
but he barely asked us anything about ourselves! he went over the questionnaire we filled up about marriage impediments -- no, i am not being kidnapped or coerced; no, we have not been married to other people; no, we are not related even if we kind of look alike.
then he filled out a couple of forms to give our parishes -- wedding banns, which notify people in our parish of our intent to marry and allow them to bring up impediments they might know of, and a request letter for my parish to let us marry at chapel on the hill.
the bishop meticulously addressed and folded each of these forms by hand, handed them over to us, murmured about a donation for his parish church. that was that.
we felt both strangely let down and hugely relieved -- nothing that cinnamon rolls (for me) and an extra-large omelette (for marlon) couldn't fix though. and with that, we were off to a late brunch at one of our favorite tagaytay roadside stops: bag of beans!
but that's another story. ;-)
Sunday, October 21
From the comments section :-)
At this point I admit to two things ...
1.) How very proud I am of how much my beloved is doing; I can't beleive that I, a guy, am actually excited by our flowers.
2.) How of all the years I spent abroad, these past few months have been absolute torture - and how I wish I could be more physically present at home these past month.
To all the lucky guys out there who are physically present with your fiancees as you plan and prepare for your big day, you have no idea how lucky you are.
The Groom
1.) How very proud I am of how much my beloved is doing; I can't beleive that I, a guy, am actually excited by our flowers.
2.) How of all the years I spent abroad, these past few months have been absolute torture - and how I wish I could be more physically present at home these past month.
To all the lucky guys out there who are physically present with your fiancees as you plan and prepare for your big day, you have no idea how lucky you are.
The Groom
Thursday, October 18
Flower power
call me an an anti-flower bride.
at the beginning of the year, i professed my utter detest (and i kind of still do) for the idea of spending gajillions of money on things that will just wilt and die at the end of the day. i skulked around the weddings at work yahoogroup, incredulous at brides who blew as much as a hundred thousand pesos on flowers for the church, entourage and reception. a hundred grand!!! on flowers!!!! (then, of course, i vowed i would never do something so ridiculous.)
i scoffed at "event stylists" who were really just florists in disguise. and i toyed with the tempting idea of eschewing flowers altogether, except for the bride's bouquet.
maybe i was different. or maybe i was just cheap. after all, i did get a handful of quotations that, while not as outre as a hundred grand, were whoppers in their own right. and so i hemmed, i hawed, i avoided, i footdragged my way to booking a florist.
until my partner at work recommended his florist, mr. hardinero, to me. a guy raving about a florist pointed to a florist worth checking out, i reasoned. plus, the package rates on their website were just about as much as i was willing to spend on things that were doomed to be forgotten, stolen, or tossed out the next day. so, having done a little homework (pegs from brides.com and martha stewart weddings), i stole away from the office one afternoono to meet pam of mr. hardinero at starbucks tomas morato.
pam is such a sweetheart. her simple and straightforward attitude, heaps of patience, huge portfolio of sample bouquets, never-ending list of suggestions and willingness to customize totally won this anti-flower bride over. so much so, in fact, that i actually found myself getting excited about the flowers for my wedding... and kilig at the thought of my all-purple, all-orchid bridal bouquet.
never underestimate the power of flowers.
the peg for my bouquet: an assortment of purple orchids...
at the beginning of the year, i professed my utter detest (and i kind of still do) for the idea of spending gajillions of money on things that will just wilt and die at the end of the day. i skulked around the weddings at work yahoogroup, incredulous at brides who blew as much as a hundred thousand pesos on flowers for the church, entourage and reception. a hundred grand!!! on flowers!!!! (then, of course, i vowed i would never do something so ridiculous.)
i scoffed at "event stylists" who were really just florists in disguise. and i toyed with the tempting idea of eschewing flowers altogether, except for the bride's bouquet.
maybe i was different. or maybe i was just cheap. after all, i did get a handful of quotations that, while not as outre as a hundred grand, were whoppers in their own right. and so i hemmed, i hawed, i avoided, i footdragged my way to booking a florist.
until my partner at work recommended his florist, mr. hardinero, to me. a guy raving about a florist pointed to a florist worth checking out, i reasoned. plus, the package rates on their website were just about as much as i was willing to spend on things that were doomed to be forgotten, stolen, or tossed out the next day. so, having done a little homework (pegs from brides.com and martha stewart weddings), i stole away from the office one afternoono to meet pam of mr. hardinero at starbucks tomas morato.
pam is such a sweetheart. her simple and straightforward attitude, heaps of patience, huge portfolio of sample bouquets, never-ending list of suggestions and willingness to customize totally won this anti-flower bride over. so much so, in fact, that i actually found myself getting excited about the flowers for my wedding... and kilig at the thought of my all-purple, all-orchid bridal bouquet.
never underestimate the power of flowers.
the peg for my bouquet: an assortment of purple orchids...
the entourage bouquets will be mostly made up of hydrangeas...
agapanthus or african lilies...
and sea lavender for fillers.
our mothers will be special! they get lovely white casablanca (or stargazer) lilies in their bouquets...
and the ninangs get these big-ass cabbage roses!
i asked pam to do away with the traditional church arrangements, which are flowers in stands at each pew. choosing an arrangement like this helped me get more bang for my buck.
and she agreed to do them with these button mums in purple.
i'm actually excited to see what the mockup arrangements look like. i guess i'm an anti-flower bride no longer!
Wednesday, October 17
Sneak peek
a snip of our entourage insert for the invitation... with almost all the wrong middle initials! haha! but at least you can check out the colors, fonts and passport stamp watermarks.
trivia: the date on the "india" stamp is the date we fly off for our honeymoon.
trivia: the date on the "india" stamp is the date we fly off for our honeymoon.
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