The Honeymoon

by: Bryan and Karen

After the long wedding preparation, the couple was off to their much awaited honeymoon. They took advantage of the complementary 60 minute Swedish massage provided by the hotel which was so relaxing. Then they went for the fine dining at Dusit's Italian restaurant Tosca with their specialty salads, warm chicken dish, and their margaruita pizza which they ended with an awesome sampler sweet dessert of pannacota, vanilla ice cream and tiramisu in one big plate. After some strolling around the hotel, the couple was off to the sheets and the rest is history..... ;-)

Second honeymoon to follow on Chinese New Year! Malaysia... Here we come...!!!

Wedding Day Mishaps

by: Bryan and Karen

As they say, no wedding is ultimately perfect and really it is true. As expected and warned by our priest, there would be some minor or major issues that will creep in come wedding day. So what are they?

First, the supposedly flower girl was not able to make it due to her mother's confinement in the hospital. It was a good thing that they had 2 flower girls so it was not noticeable.

Second, the church song was not followed the supposedly prelude songs became the entourage and bridal march songs. Thankfully, the songs chosen still fitted perfectly with the wedding and only the couple noticed this minor error.

Third, the Best Man's car was hit by a truck on the bumper side; thankfully he was not hurt. But the sad side of it was he wasn't able to come on the reception due to some police reports that needs to be filled. So the best man's toast transformed into the maid of honor's toast! Great impromptu speech Jules!

Fourth, since the reception started around 1:30PM guests were already very hungry; some even came from Batangas so you could imagine stomaches growling by that time. The couple assumed that even some dinner rolls and appetizers will be served prior to the couple's grand entrance but probably this was forgotten so some already complained of hunger pangs.

Fifth, the couple thought that wedding photographer crashers came only in open spaced churches and reception. But even they were not spared from this. They were surprised that during the reception, the groom's sister was waving a picture of her that costs 50 pesos! These crashers were already shooed away prior to the start of the reception but it was not noticed that even during the church they were already taking these photos! To those who bought these pictures please be reminded that it was NOT taken by Redefine Weddings nor Melvin Castrence but by some other photographers not known by the couple.

Sixth, after the wedding, the groom's grandmother was brought to Makati Medical Center due to stomach pains and was confined there for 3 days. It was a very unforeseen event and thankfully she is now okay and is just awaiting operation.

Despite this mishaps, the wedding is still a success since what is essential is that everyone had come to celebrate the couple's love and unity and that all the preparations done was all well worth it! No wedding is the same each one is unique, special and grand!

December 27, 2008 - The Big Day Part 2

by: Bryan and Karen

At the Reception

After the church pictorial, the newly wed couple made their way to Dusit Thani Hotel for more pictures specifically in the grand staircase and the lobby garden. Final retouch was done to the bride and they were ushered in by their coordinator to wait at the entrance while the flashback avp was being played. After which, the couple went for their grand entrance queued by their emcee, May Ramos.

The first part was the introduction of the couple, then the cake cutting and wine toast. Since it was already 1:30PM, the lunch proper was quickly started and to facilitate organization of the line, each table must take picture first with the newly weds at presidential table prior to lining up the buffet. After the guests, the newly wed couple took pictures with each principle sponsors and parent at their table. The couple didn't had the chance to eat much aside from the soup and appetizers as their coordinator wanted to start with the rest of the program before guests start leaving.

The couple was then seated at the ballroom facing the projector screen for the start of the prenuptial AVP which was done by Melvin Castrence. After which, was the well wishers started off by the mother of the groom, then the bride's father and representatives of Ninong and Ninangs. The bride shed some tears because of the heartfelt messages and blessings received.

The next part was to watch the Tribute to Parents AVP dedicated to the couple's parents and then the mother-son dance then father-daugther dance went right after. Soon after that, the couple had their first dance as husband and wife and we can say that was the highlight of the program as the couple did away with the traditional dance in the tune of You and Me by LifeHouse, but then remixed with The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson and finally, Low by Florida. Guests jumped to their seats and everyone was applauding and cheering on this groovy dance which ended with a sweet and long kiss. Here is the video of the first dance. The first part was not included as this was a surprise number.

Then came the presentation of the onsite AVP by Jayson, which showcased the preparation and church ceremony. It was astounding and touchy!

The removal of garter came in next and surprisingly they also did away with the traditional by sneaking in some half slips, stockings and undies before the actual garter was removed. And as if the laughter for this was not enough, the garter game came in next wherein guys will be wearing the small and big garters and whoever the two garter met will be the one to get the garter. Marked by excitement, the small garter on the second round snapped and so the person who snapped the garter became the "it" guy which was one of the groomsmen, Jayson Aytona. So who will be the lucky girl who gets to wear the garter? The trip to Jerusalem with a twist was another non-traditional game wherein the guy would seat on the chair blindfolded while single ladies dance around him and when the music stops whoever is able to sit on the guy's lap will be out of the game. The lady who won the game was no other than the Maid of Honor, Julieth Doroja. Then traditionally, the guy would put the garter on the lady's leg inch by inch as long as the bride would want.



Midway, the bride gave a request to swap the guy with another guy who had a major crush on the Maid of Honor which heightened the excitement of the game. After the titillating game came in the synchronized kissing. Which by that time everyone was all screaming with "kilig". The synchronized kissing is wherever the groom will kiss the bride (5 body parts except the lips); the guy will do the same with his partner. The groom chose the forehead, ears, cheeks, neck and hand. It was a very hot, sweet and fun game!

Before the reception came to a close, the couple bid their thank yous to their parents, sponsors, guests and suppliers. More pictorial came as one by one the photographer took pictures of all of the entourage, guests, everyone! Even the small cameras the guests brought in had their share of pictures of the newlyweds.

Finally, one by one the guests left; leftover foods packed and distributed and the couple remained there to have a chitcat with the photographers before finally saying their goodbyes and thank yous.

December 27, 2008 - The Big Day

by: Bryan and Karen

At the Hotel

Around 4:45AM, Karen texted Bryan a good morning message, telling that she already woke up. By the way, they were already checked in at Dusit Thani Hotel with their parents. Bryan's room was 1516 while Karen's was 1515.

At 6:00AM, Karen and her father went down for the buffet breakfast. Bryan had to wait awhile due to customary beliefs that the bride and groom should not see each other prior to the wedding. Their On the Day coordinator, Liza and her team arrived as well ready to organize the wedding preparation.

At 7:00AM, Mang Boy's flowers came in; all the bridesmaids are already present, Jayson Arquiza and his team has arrived as well including Irene Manigo (hair and make up artist). Melvin Castrence, our second photographer was also present. On the groom's side, his relatives from Batangas has also arrived inclusive of which are the best man and groomsmen. Everything is set, now everybody was really busy doing their job and at the same time eating McDonald's sponsored breakfast.

At 8:00AM, after taking pictures of the wedding paraphernalia; Jayson and his team went first to the groom's room to take the preparation pictures with him, his family, relatives, bestman and groomsmen. Wacky, formal, and candid that was how it all went. The air became much gleeful upon them knowing that Jayson is their kababayan. He is also from Batangas and lived near the house of one of their primary sponsors.

At 9:00AM, Jayson with his team and Melvin ushered in to the bride's room to take the preparation pictures as well. As usual, the bride had to wear a robe/any light clothing for this while her hair and make up has already been made up. Then she would wear her bridal gown and that's were a lot of the pictures were taken which are funny, candid, traditional, and enlightening with her parents, her Maid of Honor and bridesmaid.

At 10:00AM, the groom, his family and the groomsmen already started leaving for the church. While the bride and the photographers are still busy taking pictures; this time on the elevator and on the grand staircase in the lobby. After which, they followed through to the church for the wedding rites.

At the Church

At 10:30AM, the groom with his family and groomsmen has already arrived in the church. All of the guests were already there; flowers already laid out and cameras clicking prior to the start.

At 10:45AM, the march line up has been prepared and guests where ushered in on their respective seats. So by 11:00AM, the march has started. One minor thing that was noticed by the couple was that the song they listed for the march was not followed; the choir played Two Words by Lea Salonga whereas it was supposed to be the classical Cannon 'n D. The bridal march was supposed to be Moments of Love by Jennelyn Mercado but they played To Have and To Hold by Sitti and Christian Bautista. But it was hardly noticeable by the guests anyway and the songs were surprisingly still matched with the march. Slowly but surely, the bride made her way towards the aisle with her parents while camera's started clicking endlessly. Upon reaching the altar, there was a slight confusion if the groom would 'mano' or 'beso' with the bride's parents while the Manang's of the church was coaching on the side. So after mixing of hands and beso/mano here in there. They were ready to start the wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was solemn but happy. The priest, Fr. Arroco gave a very enlightening homily for the couple and some impromptu questions for them on rearing their soon to be children. Then the peak of the ceremony was next when the priest gave his blessing and the couple exchanged vows and was pronounced husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!

After the ceremony, pictorials was next from the couple, to their parents, to their entourage, their sponsors, and their relatives. While for the recessional a thunderous applause and wonderful kiss was made while poppers and petals showered everywhere. Doves were released; the other one didn't flew not sure if it had broken wings or the bride squeezed it too hard. But anyway, they were released and the guests went ahead to the reception while the couple stayed for more pictorials.

Here is the Onsite AVP created by Jayson:

The video was shown during the reception together with other AVPs prepared by Mel and of course by the couple.

Wedding AVPs

by: Bryan

Here are the audio visual presentations shown in the wedding reception:

Flashbacks AVP

We created this video to show how our life was before we met and became US. The video has two background music: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz and Grow Old with You by Adam Sandler. This was shown at the start of the reception program before our grand entrance into the Dusit Ballroom.

PreNuptial AVP

Mel created this video to show some of his pictures taken last June 9, 2008 and December 21, 2008. Pictures were taken at La Mesa EcoPark and at Seawall at Mall of Asia. Backgound music is When God Made You by Newsong and Natalie Grant. This was shown after the dining proper.



Tribute to Parent AVP

We created this video to show our gratitude to our beloved parents who provided us love and tender loving care. Background music is Wind Beneath my Wings by Bette Midler. This was shown prior to parents dance.

10 Days Before the Wedding

by: Karen

Well, it's 10 days before the wedding and time is ticking so what is up with the couple during this time? Below are the details:

First, was to buy the undergarments, our shoes, belt (for the groom) for the wedding day; and not to mention the never ending search for the bridal prep dress which eventually fell back into the usual bathrobe but still cute!(special thanks to my cousins who sponsored my wonderful pink robe).

Then, dressed with the ordinary and no extra clothes; off we went with our friend/photographer Melvin to Mall of Asia for our 2nd prenup with him (hindi naman kami addict sa prenup diba?!). It was heart-racing and wonderful experience to have a prenup pictorial again without being too posy and just being relax and enjoying the groove of things. Pati sa gitna ng kalsada mega-pose pa din kami! Kudos to Mel for the superb shots! Take a look inside the picture galleries.

During the night, We also had to wrap the Ninong and Ninang gifts which; thanks to my Mother was beautifully and artfully wrapped and yes, due to my bad handwriting I confess I had her write the dedication for the card. tee hee!

After which, was the surprise joint shower party for me and Bryan which was rather thoughtful of my Maid Of Honor Jules, Rache and Melvin for coordinating it even in such a short period of time. Even my longtime college friends and nursery friend was present there and of course, my mom and Ninang Malou was invited. It was a night filled with laughter with Melvin as the wacky host and the peak of the party was our Q & A; which of course had dozens of mismatched answers and the consequence was to eat the mischievously iced cake. Example: What was Karen's reaction when you proposed? Karen's answer: Excited! Bryan's Answer: No reaction. Sino ba naman hindi matatawa dun diba? Hmm... maybe I need to look more obvious. Haha! We ended so late; but had so much fun I loved the cake filled with icing and shaped like ehem ehem..I love the gifts; wore all the nighties already I think... ahahah... Thanks to everyone you made us truly happy! Pictures are in our picture galleries.

Third, Off we went to the Church to finally meet our wedding priest Fr. Juanito Arroco not just because we want a more personalize homily but also we would like to get to know more the priest who will be presiding and celebrating with us this special day; Father Arroco was a kind, sincere and comic priest. He truly appreciated us coming to him prior to the wedding thus; making a point that we are really taking our marriage seriously. Two things I have learned from him that is essential in marriage: Faith and Forgiveness. Our meeting with him made us value more this marriage and realize more the things that are essential to a lasting marriage.

Fourth, I had my last fitting with Mia Barlaan; lo and behold my gown was too loose (lost a couple of pounds these past few weeks) but since there was still time alterations were made and we were able to pick up the gowns by December 24th in the afternoon; all Dry Cleaned and pressed.

Last but definitely not the least; we met with our coordinator, Liza to finalize all the necessary details for the wedding. I can't thank enough having gotten a coordinator for the wedding as they took care of the RSVPs and call time and all the nitty gritty details you don't want to stress yourself on your wedding day. We ran through the checklists and made sure everything will run smoothly.

As we speak, we are checked-in at Dusit Hotel after confession at Don Bosco Makati and hours are ticking before the wedding day. Right now, I'm still not really nervous just pure happy,energized and excited because tomorrow is our Big Day and I will be forever with the one I love. Can't Wait! God Bless us all!

Pre-Nuptial Pictorial Part 3

by: Bryan

with Mel

Last June 9, 2008, when we had our first pre-nuptials pictorial at La Mesa Eco Park, Mel assisted us to go to the location and at the same time to take some shots for his hobby. After the pictorials, he scheduled us to have his own pictorials on September at Batangas, Caleruega to be specific but did not pursue it to happen due to our hectic schedule. So he insisted to have the pictorials days before the wedding. On December 21, around 5:30PM, he fetched us at SM Makati to go to Mall of Asia to take some sunset pictures. It was an impromptu pictorials, no costumes, not theme, just do what it takes... =)

Well, as time gone by and hundreds of pictures were taken. Some of the photos created by Mel are in his Multiply site:

Karen-Bry Prenup (June 9, 2008)

Karen+Bry Prenup Part 2 (Dec. 21, 2008)

Some of the photos are in our Photo Galleries.

We also asked him to create the Pre-Nup AVP to be shown in the wedding reception. I will post it once I uploaded the AVPs.

Pre-Nuptial Pictorial Part 2

by: Bryan

with Pio, Anson and Joseph Viquint

After so many times of convincing to take photos here in Singapore, Karen and I was convinced by Pio to have our pictorials. The location: Fort Canning Park and Singapore Botanical Gardens. The photographers: Pio, Anson and Joseph. They are not yet professionals but more on hobbyist, but their concept and styles... Satisfactory! Though they had lack of sleep during the pictorial, it still had good results. Here are links of some of the processed pictures in their multiply websites:

Pio's Multiply: bluefox96
Ans' Multiply: ans09

More photos are in our Photo Galleries.

Wedding Give Aways

by: Bryan

Last February 2008, we were thinking of a good wedding giveaways for our guests. Karen and I together with my mother-in-law to be, went to Divisoria to scout for good design for the souvenirs. Most of the figurines we saw were the typical wedding souvenirs being handcrafted by vendors in every stores across the streets of Divisoria.

Then, we saw this ceramic jewelry boxes with different shapes: round, square, heart, oblong. We liked it and we decided to have this as giveaways on the spot. This souvenir matched with our motiff; Shades of pink.

We bought 75 pieces and some pink wrapper and ribbon. After few months, we decided to add another 25 pieces just in case we need more buffer. I asked my mother, aunt, uncle, and cousin to have this giveaways wrapped and here are the pictures:



Here is the sample wrapped giveaway:



Simple but elegant.

Primary Sponsor's Gift Favors

by: Karen

For our Ninongs and Ninangs

Looking for the best gift favors for the wedding is actually not that easy to find. You're torn between being budget conscious and being lavish since the wedding is within the Christmas Spirit time (so it is the season to be jolly and generous). Amazingly, we hit the right balance of the two and found some good finds here in Singapore.

For the Ninangs, it's a pashmina and a Victoria's secret lotion. A pashmina will really be useful especially since the reception I imagined to be very cold (Dusit Ballroom) and the lotion (my Mom bought from Canada), well it's an added treat.

For the Ninongs, I can say was the hardest to find. I want to do away with the usual Wines, what have you; but would like to give them something they will be able to use and gives a somehow touch of Singapore. So there we decided for a desk pen holder found in some specialty souvenir shops here. :-) We're planning to wrap them once we get back to Manila since it's not worth the risk packing them now and cramming them in your luggage hoping for dear life it won't get smashed or crushed down along with the heap of baggages.

So here are the much awaited pictures:

Bride and Entourage Gowns

by: Karen

Since I am literally free nowadays, I've decided to post some updates. First, I finally saw my wedding gown with which I have provided Mia the sample design I wanted (simple yet stunning!). Second, I saw some pictures of my entourage fittings which the gowns are still yet to be fully completed. Well, here it is picture, picture, picture!!

Bride's Gown:
The Original Design..

The actual design..

Flower Girl's Gown:

Secondary Sponsor's and Maid Of Honor's Gown:

Mother's Gown:

As per the rave and rantings, I will save it after the wedding :-P We are all expecting the gowns to be finished by 2nd week of December (yikes! Wedding is fast approaching!).

Wedding Preparation Details and Mishaps

by: Karen

Weeks before the wedding...

Months before the wedding I was still calm and laid back on the preparation, but since it's DECEMBER you may have been wondering how does it feel to be nearing the days before my wedding? Well, it's a mix of excitement, anxiety, joy, fear... it's a mix of everything! Especially being here in overseas and not being able to personally talk to the suppliers, go to a certain place, buy this, buy that, it's a kind of frustrating sometimes.

Luckily, my Mom went back a week ago to finalize and fix other wedding details. Invitations were already sent and other important information disseminated. For the gowns, especially Aling Violy's entourage gowns, I can say has been from poor to satisfactory (she made this mistake of switching the accent cloth as the main base for the gown. sheesh!!) and still waiting for the final output as we speak. I have no problems at all with Mia's gowns and gave me one good reason to sleep well at night.

For the church and reception, hmmm... everything seems to be going fine as we have already created the Misalette beforehand; but I am still waiting for the feedback on the song list. Kudos to my OTD, Liza Mendiola, who was there to answer my on the spot inquiries from reception games to photographer. Which leads me back to this supplier -- the photographer/videographer. Ultimately, we decided to make a change for reasons I don't want to tackle here (PM me if you want to know :-P ) but the good news is despite it being too soon we got a great find and a really really great one! Redefine Weddings! Their popular among the W@Wies and their ratings totally excellent! It was lucky their schedule was still open on that day (surprise! surprise) and Jayson was really heaven sent to be so accommodating and nice to us. It made me really happy that there's another reason I will be looking forward to on my wedding day. :-)

So what's the next step? Well, as they say no matter how ahead you plan there are still so many things to consider: Bible, Unity Candles (still to be decorated), matches (Yes! Even matches get to be popular come wedding day), pens (BIC would do right?), groom/bride's shoes, CDs for the songs, finalize the reception program, wrap sponsor's gift and souvenirs, and some more... There would be times I would wander and become too O.C. thinking of every bit of detail like who will give the ring to the bearer, who places what, where, how to know, who goes where... Well, you get the drift. But let things happen by themselves; nothing is perfect it's just how we view it that makes imperfect things perfect. The important thing is I will marry the one I love. Rain or shine, whether or not the matches is decorated or not (just can't get over with decorated matches) the wedding must go on.. :-) tan-tan-tanan! No wedding jitters here!

Will You still Love Me When I am 60?

by: Karen

I woke up this morning feeling achy and blue,
Saw wrinkles in my head and my eyes were blurry too,
The usual long black hair became short white thinning hair,
The usual big, gleeful voice became a hoarsely whisper in the air.

I'm afraid my dear I cannot go long walks with you anymore,
For my feet and legs are trembling and is starting to sore,
Today, I believe someone else would be cooking for your fave dish,
Because the recipe is no longer vivid in my memory.

I'm already 60 you see... old, haggard and weak,
Would you still please carry me in your arms and tuck me to sleep?
Would you still reach out for my hand and kiss me so sweet?
Would you still share your stories with me whether or not I hear it?
Would you still stay with me however difficult it may be?

I still remember when we were young and free,
When we were so in-love ans so sincere,
I remember the petty fights and endless quarrels,
Those sweet touches and those starry marvels.
I remember every gifts, every wish, every laughter we shared.

The vow we took and all the times we loved and cared,
I remember you, my love, my sweety, my life
I remember how you never fail to melt this heart of mine
I want you to know, that I will always love you
Whatever may happen, all of me is for you.
Time have changed, things have changed
But I hope your love for me still remains
So will you still love me when I am 60?
Do you still love me now despite all thing gone teary?

*** This is a poem dedicated to my one and only love, Sweety for our 46th Monthsary. I hope that when we turn 60, this letter will still be there and answers will be given. --Bhy

Our Look-Alike: Kanino Nagmana?

by: Bryan

Last year, I came across this website that measures up who will be your celebrity look-alike. The website is http://www.myheritage.com. Then, lately, I found out that it has a new feature which now measures who from your parents do you look-alike. Karen and I uploaded our pictures and our parents' to test whose DNA is stronger. Here is the result:

Bryan

Karen

The DIY Misalette

by: Bryan

Last March, we requested from NSSH a copy of our nuptial mass or misalette. NSSH sent us a soft copy of the template. Ate Tess, our contact with NSSH, informed us to atleast provide four copies to be distributed during the ceremony. The important thing is that the priest should have one.

At first, we didn't think of a DIY style of misalette, a simple print out would do, until Bhy saw a sample of a DIY misalette from a couple at http://www.weddingannouncer.com/. Well, we will not copy the idea though; We were thinking of a design that is simple and not costly. So I opened the laptop and created a design in MS Publisher, and for the final design:

A simple, 10-paged booklet style printed black and white in A4 bond paper. Here is the front page:

I printed a couple of samples to get the correct paper feed from our printer to print on both sides of the paper. After getting the correct sequence, I printed several copies.

Pre-Cana Seminar Experience @ CEFAM

by: Karen

CEFAM - Center for Family Ministries
(Address: Seminary Drive, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City)

We attended the CEFAM last September 20 and 21, 2008. At first, it was just to fulfill our Church requirement but eventually, became a very good and marveling experience for both of us.

September 20, 2008 7:30AM
Still sleepy and haggard, we arrived early (via taxi) in the CEFAM seminar place. As we waited for the seminar to start (8:00am), we were given handouts that would be our guide for the entire seminar as well as our name tags. The seminar room was very cold (so those planning to attend please bring your sweaters, jackets with you!. I won't bore you with the details and also to provide the element of surprise to those who are planning to attend. But basically, the first day was mostly knowing the basics of the relationship and each one's readines/compatibility. The MEI (Marriage Expectation Inventory) was the real deal for the day. Believe me there is such a thing as knowing that you are not ready for the marriage or even for the relationship! I love the one-on-one session with our coordinator Amy Muga; it opened alot about us, our differences and our relationship. The seminar ended at 5:00pm with a homework to check on family history. And yes, we are still a perfect match!

September 21, 2008 8:00AM
The seminar started at 8:30am. For me, this day was the highlight of the entire seminar since it tackled deeply on the roots of the relationship (family history, love language, family planning, etc) and it basically discussed the husband-wife roles. It was funny at times, since some of the girls in the seminar would comment out that the husband should "make patay the ipis" and that chores is "what yaya is for". Oh well, different strokes for different folks indeed! The sharing provided by older couples was really touching and at the same time was an eye-opener on what to expect after years of married life. A mass was celebrated and the seminar ended at 5:00pm and we all received 2 certificates (Completion of Pre-Cana Seminar and Family Planning). My Sweety and I left the seminar feeling so in love again and refreshed. We were so happy to know that coupled with the right tools we are really ready for marriage. I would recommend CEFAM to anyone, if you thought that you already knew what they will say and that its corny.. then think again! It's a totally different experience and a definite must have prior to Marriage.

Ratings
(1 as lowest - 5 as highest)

Seminar Place - 4
Although the seminar place was a bit hard to find, it was very peaceful, solemn and clean. The room was very cold though (but its better than very hot right?).

Seminar Food - 5
Seminar Food was surprisingly great! Lunch, a.m. and p.m. snacks were provided. They served an ample amount of food (buffet style) and I cannot complain about the food as it was delicious!

Contents - 4.5
The contents of the seminar was very thorough and it hit the right spot for couples like us. The only thing I wished was that they should slightly touch on the home economics part. Let's face it, most of the marital problems also comes from household stuff like the wife doesn't know how to cook, husband cannot provide for the family, etc. which I believe should be talked about especially for the couple so they would know how to gauge their capability not only as couples but "parents" and set expectations early. Mahirap yun iniaasa na lang sa kasambahay ang pag-aasikaso ng pamilya. Mas maganda ang bunga kung ang couple mismo, may hands-on experiences sa pamilya at sa mga anak. Normally, nagiging materialistic ng isang pamilya kung hindi prepared sa ganito.

All in all, I would higly recommend that couples do take the pre-cana seminar; it worked for us and gave us a better outlook as well as understood more each other. It will open the venue for positive communication and tools for marriage. The seminar may be a bit pricey (Php4,000 per couple) but the experience I can say is priceless.

The DIY Invitation

by: Bryan

After we finalized the design of the invitation and Bern, our photographer, gave us a good profile picture to be included in our invitation, we started to print our invitations. We scheduled to print at least 10 invitations per day. Even though there were some technical problems we encountered in our Lexmark Printer; we managed to finish all our 80+ invitations with minor problems.

From my previous post about our invitation, we slightly changed the outline by removing the location map of the church and reception at the back of the invitation. Instead, we just printed it in separate paper which will be included inside the envelope.

The Tools

Using the Photoshop, I designed the layout based on the draft I used. Here is the picture of the plan:
The picture is not good in quality, it just showed the dimensions, how the layout will be designed in photoshop, including the canvas size, the margin settings, the colors to be used and how to print the image.

Here are some of the tools we bought and used in the invitation:

Papers:

• Elite Nature Prints specialty paper available in National Bookstore. Paper specifications are:
• 10 sheets - 180 gsm
  
• Size: 8.5 x 13 inches
  
• Color: Blue
• Design: Big Flower

• Best Buy Tracing Paper available at National Bookstore. Specifications are:
• 10 sheets - 70 gsm
  
• Size: 8.5 x 13

• Paperpoint specialty paper available in bookstores in Singapore. Specifications are:
• 35 sheets - 160 gsm
• Size: A4 - 210 x 297 mm
• Color: Flamingo pink

Different kinds of punchers, including border, corner and hole punchers:
Different ribbons:
Glue, scissors, cutter, ruler and clips:
I bought an embosser with two swans as design. When I was in Manila, I have it created as dry seal in Makati. I'm not able to bring it to Singapore for baggage problem reason, so we will just apply the embossed design to the invitation when we return to Manila by September. Here is the embosser plate: The embosser is somewhat similar to this one but not that elegant... =):


I taught Karen how to set the printer in printing out the invitations. I also taught her how to punch the border using the puncher I bought here in SG. She did the punching of border every afternoon after she cooked our dinner while I was on my way home. I was the one who folded the invitations based on the designs, cut tracing papers for covers, fix the large ribbon wrapping the invitations. While Karen was the one who attached the inside ply, the tracing papers and the ribbon inside. I also taught her how to punch hole for the inside ribbon.

And the final product:

The location map for the church and reception will be printed to ordinary A4 size bond paper and will be included inside the envelope.

Pre-Nuptial at La Mesa Ecopark

by: Karen

We had our pre-nuptial pictorial at the La Mesa EcoPark last June 9; which surprisingly came in on a holiday (we thought the holiday will just push through as it is on June 12).

Lo and behold there were lots of people when we came in there not to mention lots of couples doing their prenup take, too.

So what is a pre-nuptial shoot? Quoting our photographer, Bern Mejias, it is the most "korny" part of the wedding preparations. You would actually pose or be candid showing your ease with each other, trust, and love. It is usually done a couple of months before the wedding and is also a good practice in front of the camera before the wedding day itself because it would help you be at ease with your photographer and in front of the camera.

After I had my hair and make-up done by Irene Manigo's team; Melvin (our friend and second photographer and driver at the same time.. :)), Bryan and his sister, Tracy went our way to Jollibee-Philcoa to meet Bern and his team at 230pm.

When we arrived, they were already there so hurriedly we went to La Mesa Ecopark. Like I've said earlier it was a holiday so there were lots of people and the weather looked like it was going to rain.

At first, we had a hard time to shoot because of the lack of natural lighting; but thanks to the light props and occasional burst of sun we were able to get a good shot. Did i mention I was nursing a terrible headache during the shoot? But I just kept on moving forward because we didn't want to disappoint our two photographers.

It was kind-a-awkward at first, we didn't know how to pose. I, myself thought it would be more like a serious not all smiles kinda pictorial. But I guess I was wrong because we had to smile all the way till the end. Ang sakit ng panga ko!!

The shooting ended at around 5:30pm. Our sincerest thanks to Bern Mejias as well as to his two assistants for their patience and professionalism. Our dear friend, Melvin Castrence who assisted us all the way, made us laugh and made every shot worth it. Despite him being the second photographer he still managed to get a very good and professional shot! Lastly, to Bryan's sister, Tracy who also took some pictures, assisted us and made us both feel comfortable during our prenup shoot.

For few pictures that our photographers already processed, kindly check our photo galleries. We will post more as the remaining photos are delivered to us. Enjoy!

Sample Make-up and Hairstyle

by: Karen

The trial make-up and hair style for our pre-nuptial pictorial was done by, Irene Manigo. They came on time 12:00 o'clock noon last June 9 to fix my hair and makeup for our 2:30pm Pre-nup pictorial at La Mesa Ecopark. Irene's hairstylist was Ava who was very good in hairstyling my hair. I really loved the way she styled my hair. It's not the typical updo; as you can see in the back side it has layers of curls and pins.

Irene Manigo was very professional. She used Laura Mercier products for my face and it gave me the feeling of "no-make-up-on". She emphasized my long eyelashes, cheekbones and the blending of colors just matched my skin tone. She said she will deepen more my eyes and the colors on the day of the wedding. Surprisingly, during the Prenup the make-up stayed on and the more it was there despite us being sweaty and all, I still looked radiant and not tired/haggard at all.

I'm so glad we made the right choice for our hair and make-up artist. I can't wait for the wedding day itself.

Here are some of the pictures during the trial make-up and hairstyling:

The Wedding Invitation

by: Bryan

After we decided what would be our wedding motif and listed our principal sponsors and entourage, we plan for our wedding invitation.

We decided to have our wedding invitations be custom-made by us instead of having it created by vendor. At this setup, we can customized it the way we want. Karen did some research of the proper wordings being used in wedding invitations, some wedding invitation samples and designs. I did some trials of invitation styles using softwares like Microsoft Publishing and Adobe Photoshop. After comparing the styles, we come up with a design we created in Photoshop.

It is a three-fold design invitation. We bought specialty papers that would match with our motif, embossing template, punchers and ribbons. First, we printed a sample design in A4 size bond paper and have it showed to our families in Philippines. They were impressed with the style we created. We saw an elegant but simple specialty paper at National Bookstore so we decided to change the paper size so have a lot of space for the designs. Here is initial draft of invitation we showed to our relatives back in the Philippines.

We are still looking for best tool we can use to create the invitation. Here is the Photoshop images of the content of the invitation.

The design is already finalized.

We first planned not to use an envelope, but we realized, it would be more formal if we use one. So we looked for envelope sizes that could fit to our invitation. A 6" by 9" Catalog envelope fits perfectly for the invitation but we are still looking for a Baronial type of envelope for more formal look. After our vacation in Philippines last week, we found light blue Baronial envelopes in National Bookstore Glorietta. We will post here the final invitation once completed.

The “Pamamanhikan”

by: Bryan

In Batangas, this Filipino marriage tradition/ritual is better known as “Bulungan”. I am not sure how this tradition originated but as name implies Bulungan comes from word “bulong” or “whisper”. Some say this was originated when the old people in the families of couple, which includes mainly of parents and grandparents meet personally in Bride’s house to plan the wedding. These old folks speak very soft to each other that is why it is called “Bulungan”.

www.weddingsatwork.com defined “Pamamanhikan” as a treasured Filipino heritage which, first and foremost, avoids the embarrassing situation of having the parents see each other as strangers come wedding day.

Since the wedding is already planned as early as January, there is nothing to talk and discuss during our “Pamamanhikan”. The main purpose of the celebration is just to have both party meet personally, mingle with each other and to formally seek our parents’ blessing for the wedding.

Traditionally, it is being held at Bride’s residence. Groom’s family brings food for the celebration. But since Karen’s house in Filinvest, Cainta were already sold; we just reserved a function room at Max’s Restaurant in Glorietta as our venue. We first planned to have it in Oriental Garden Function room but the rental fee was not practical for the said events. We also thought of having it at Cabalens in Glorietta but we think privacy would be an issue in that restaurant so we decided to have a private function room in a restaurant somewhere in Glorietta. I just asked my mother to bring some food for Karen’s Family such as leche plan, “gulaman”, “palairot/palarusdos” o “ginatan bilo bilo”, "sinugno" o “ginatan munggo”, “kalamay na mais”, fried fish such as “samaral” and shrimps. As you notice, most of the foods we brought are “kakanin” or desserts. They are requested by Karen. =) Some of these foods are native to Batangas province. We also brought Indian mango. It seems like these were our Dote/Bigay-kaya o dowry. hehehehe…

It was June 8, 2008, Sunday morning when we left Calatagan. We used Tito Oyette’s car. I was with my Father, Mother, Lola, Nanay (my Lola in mother’s side), Tito Oyette, EJ, Tiya Cora, Ninang Theling, and Tito Boy. We arrived at Makati around 10:30AM. We took rest at our residence in Estrella. Around 11:30AM when we arrived at Max’s Glorietta. Karen and her Mom arrived few minutes later. I introduced my family to them. Few minutes Karen’s Dad arrived also and I introduced him to my family. Karen’s relatives arrived few minutes later. These include her Tita Lita and her husband, Tito Popong with Lola Pilang, Karen’s Lola in mother side. Moments later, Tiyo Rusty and his family also arrived. Tiyo Oyoy and his family also arrived later. Tracy arrived last as she had class that day. All the boys were together in one table while all oldies, including Karen and I, were all together in one table while the rest of my cousins and Aunts were on the other table.

As you can see, we out-numbered Karen’s family. Well, it was expected since I came from a big family. hehehe…=)

We ordered food and ate. It was quite awkward to both parties since this is the first time they meet. My mother was speechless. Karen and I felt awkward as we also didn’t know what to do and how to make the celebration more comfortable to both parties. I asked my mother to sit beside me so that she can talk to Karen’s mom but she was totally speechless. hehehe… unlike the boys, they were totally bonded with each other. Lola Pilang and Lola Tindeng with Nanay and Tiya Cora were also bonded to each other as they were seatmates.

After lunch, I asked Karen’s Dad and my Father to join our table so that we can at least talked. I formally asked Karen’s parents permissions to marry Karen and they said, “OK lang s'min, walang problema.” I remembered Karen’s Dad asked me, “Bakit kamay lang hinihingi mo?” hehehe… I told them that all are already set the wedding including the church and reception, list of “Ninong” and “Ninang” and mga “Abay”. Budget is also being talked in this event but since I felt very awkward, I forgot to mention that Karen and I will be sharing for the budget. Well, maybe, they already knew it. =) As expected, tears fell from my mother’s eye. Mukhang baliktad ata, sa side ko pa yun umiyak.

After that, Karen’s Dad and my Father returned to their table and continue to drink Chivas Regal brought by Tiyo Oyoy. I told you, the boys were totally bonded.

It was past 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon when we left the restaurant. After that, Karen and I went shopping for our dress to be used in our pre-nuptial photography with Bern the following day at La Mesa Ecopark.

Here are some of the pictures of our pamamanhikan: