2-Week Wedding Preps Marathon (part 1)

They said planning a wedding is already a pre-trial for the couple before taking the deep plunge, this is a time where misunderstanding is a frequent behavior and patience is being tested. Here's our wedding preps challenge lap 1.

September 11 = Arrival at NAIA. After months without seeing each other, we've been put to a test. A  little story of confusion & wrong assumption. Usually I'm using PAL but this time due to price increase I used JAL. A week before my flight I texted Jhomsz informing him of my arrival @ 1PM  JAL. Upon arrival I'm expecting to see him already waiting (excited me). This is NAIA airport, the manunudos are all waiting behind a semi-bar. I'm near sighted looking for him was quite a challenge. It's already been after 30 mins. no sign of him. I'm beginning to worry, worst I can't make a call I don't have peso coin with me! I walked back and fort still there's no sign of him, a guard approached me, I asked him if this is the only arrival area, and he said yes. I walked again another man approached me asking if I'm okay?  I said not actually and have to make a call out of awe he gave me P5.Ah bless you kuya. I called our house no one is answering.What is going on?!Seriously!Does no one care I'm coming today?!  I dialled again finally my aunt answered then she told me Jhomsz is waiting at Centennial Airport! What!!!!! I said JAL not PAL. So my aunt called him and after 15 minutes he arrived no hug nor kiss for him!hmmp!Silence.....I told him  JAL not PAL! He said I always use PAL and he assumed when I texted JAL he thought it was PAL "typo error" dahil madalas ka naman mag text ng may miss and besides same time din ang dating mo. I'm guilty on this, most of the time there are typo error with the letters. A couple of minutes more, we missed a turn on the way to Duty Free then we`re already smiling. Bati na kami :)

September 12 = Morning general cleaning in preparation for AVP interview on Thursday....By afternoon apply for Marriage License, another challenge here, there's a conflict in Jhomsz's document, a discrepancy on his father's name, good thing affidavit was acceptable. Then after 10 days and we can get our license.

September 13 = Canonical Interview and ocular visit to 3 different hotels in Ortigas. First stop was at Richmonde Hotel. Staff was very courteous and helpful. Rate is reasonable, over all it was okay but the room space is quite small than we expected.

                      Junior Suite                          

receiving area at Junior suite

Superior Suite

After Richmonde we proceed to Linden Suites this time taking pictures is not allowed. Best way to describe it, spacious. Hotel staff was also friendly and accommodating. Rate is also reasonable :) Last stop was at Discovery Suites among the three hotels I like this one. The lobby is big right for some pictorial, rooms are not as big as Linden but I like their furnishing better. The best part Podium is only a stone away perfect for our guests who will come from abroad. As expected rate is much higher than the two. No decision was been reached. Then we're off to see Valle Verde 6 Clubhouse (check on Valle Verde 6 Clubhouse post).

September 14 = Final Food Tasting, another hurdle. We were all looking forward on this day only to find out that I sent a wrong file instead of list of menu I sent list of entourage :( Our AE gave us a dead line to submit our chosen menu so they can prepare it before hand but it was already too late when I checked my mail. I called our AE first thing in the morning to checked if she can accomodate us and she said SURE!Yey!Though not all food that they served is in our menu, still we left fully charge. We all just have one request NO WANSUY (taste & smells like celery) Here are some pics to feast your eyes ;)

hors d'oeuvres: spinach and feta cheese triangles, blinis w/ smoked salmon & dill, hoisin chicken wrap

barbecue chicken salad in martini glass

Honey nut prawns, spicy tuyo in angel hair pasta, beef & pork (i forgot the names), carrot rice & grilled red snapper w/ mango salsa & coconut cream

Panna cotta w/ kiwi, creme brulee & flambeed mangoes w/ vanilla ice cream

September 15 = AVP interview @ our place..A freebie for booking NicePrint during bridal fair :) Interview for both parents and at least 1 friend from each of us. What was the interview all about? We have no idea, we just have to wait until our big day.

Tito Louie, Papa, Tita Nilda & Tita Grace

with bridesmaid Clem

wacky raw?

Jhomsz's friend Syo left early he has other appoinment (in demand hehe..thanks Syo ;)

September 16 = Pre-nup @ El Kabayo Ranch, Pampanga courtesy of Raymund Fortun. I won in w@w auction last November 2009 to get his service. It took us almost 2 years to finally have our pre-nup due to the not-so-cooperative weather condition but this time mother nature gave us 3 hours to pose before heavy rain poured down.

September 17 = Measurements of the entourage (my side) then off to Megamall for the ring

Apple our Maid of Honor

 Julie Ann our Secondary Sponsor

September 18 = Free day from wedding preps, finally! We spend it with his family at Manila Ocean Park.

Color Palette Generator

Since I`m no artist, I`m having a hard time to imagine color combination which is out of the box but thanks to Color Scheme Designer, Colors on the Web, and Colour Lovers this links comforted me but in return I`m still confuse which & what colors. Dang! There`s plenty of it!

Greenmeadows Clubhouse

 Hacienda Isabella, nice place, nice ambiance, nice rooms, nice venue. I can go on and on to think how really nice this place is but it will remain a NICE TO HAVE thing for me. Dream wedding don`t come in cheap if we`re going to have this as our venue we have to give up so many things for the wedding (including our plans in the future) not to mention the number of guests and a lot of explaining to do with Jhomsz to save myself before I even let him know about my nice to have thing I convinced myself that there are things that have to let go before I loose my sanity.hehe.

So where will it be? When i came home last October we went to Greenmeadows Clubhouse i heard from the w@w community that it was newly renovated. When we saw the place it didn`t disappoint  :) Now here comes the rate...P25,000 have to be paid in full to reserve the date and additional P 10,000 for deposit just in case something happen during the event, refundable. Aside from 25K & 10K they will also ask for electricity expense if consumption will exceed the limit.

Bride: Approve! Want to reserve right away but they only accept reservation exactly 1 year before the event.bummer.
Groom: Good points: Nice place, enough for 150 guests, with fountain, near the church
             Bad points: Expensive (i also agree but there`s fountain..wink..wink) limited parking space, the staff not so friendly (maybe having a bad hair day), extension for using the venue after 12MN is P5,000/hour!
Verdict: Possible but it wouldn`t hurt if we look for other venues.

7th Heaven..er Anniversary :p

Three days ago marks our 7th year! wohooo! more to go!

Color Me Blue and ?????

Among many things to decide while planning a wedding, i should say that choosing a color motif is the simplest and the most uncomplicated thing to decide. Well usually couples already have their favorite colors in mind right?
BUT I WAS WRONG! Very wrong! After some researched, comparing color palettes from different wedding blogs it is overwhelming to see all those palettes :D When i talked  to Jhomsz  about this palette i love, "we`ll see" was his only reaction. Oh can`t blame him anymore, I became a palette whore jumping from one palette to another!  Can no longer decide, they look all pretty to me! But we only have to pick one despite the confusion one thing that i do know i don`t want our wedding to be bombarded with random colors that would be an eye sore.

Jhomsz gave me his choice to trim down my selection, he wants Blue.

SHAY: what blue?
JHOMSZ: what blue what? 
SHAY: light, navy, royal, midnight, teal, pool, azure, turquoise or just blue?
JHOMSZ:  baby why you always make things complicated? you decide, as long as it is shade of blue i`m okay with it
SHAY: it`s not making things complicated but being specific..hehe :p

Now what Blue? Blue and__________?Decisions..Decisions..

Wedding Gown

A bride is wearing a either a ball gown for a princess-y look, mermaid style to define a svelte figure, and of course it won`t be a wedding without a train. Oh Crap! Of course i want to experience the whole "bridal effect" walking down the aisle, but thinking i have to wear a gown on a high heels, i`m a flat footed by the way and a train.Gulp! I hope and i`ll pray (hard) that i can manage to walk gracefully without tripping over. I want my groom beaming proud at me not frowning.

If only i can wear something like this?Easy...Breezy...Bridal walk would be :p

                                           super like the feather touch against the organza fabric

                                                             love the layering effect

short gown that will show off fabulous gams ;)

Sample from Pronovias 2011 City Collection

There something about US

Between the two of us, Jhomsz is the laid back one who doesn't fret easily. He teases me on the first sign that i become agitated when comes to our wedding preparations. I can't blame myself, i'm a bit paranoid  that things might not go the way we want it. He usually reminds me that it is still pre-mature and our wedding is still months away, i just have to relax and breathe.There were times that i had tantrums, accused him that he doesn't care at all. Well that`s the estrogen talking. After my moodswing he will just laugh, brag at me that he is at his best when he is cramming or being pressured. However , for the past months he is now singing a different tune. He is anxious, impulsive, loosing weight ( i thought bride is the one  expected to loose weight) asking me to send our caterers' package which i send for the nth times and this one was a shocker, he told me that he can already feel the pressure of planning a wedding! I didn`t expect that he will crack up this soon (baby i told you planning a wedding ain`t that easy).

While me on the other hand seems i lost my "mojo". No longer have the juice to check on our wedding preps. not even to browse the net since a 9.0 magnitude struck Japan on March 11 which also happened to be Jhomsz's birthday. Where we live we only experienced  (approx.) 5 magnitude  it was strong but still consider ourselves lucky, it pales in comparison to what happened in Sendai. Fear.Panic.The aftermath of it was really frustrating. For weeks we have regular earthquakes, our day won't pass without at least 3 earthquakes either with 2, 3, or 4 magnitude.

Now it's been a month, i lost track counting the aftershocks that still continues. Despite the hurdle of being separated  we're still going to get married and we're only 9 months before the big day. There are still many things to be done, i have to help Jhomsz in any way i can so i have to pull myself together. For starter i have to force myself  to write something in our blog to condition myself  `coz i really need my "mojo" back.

* this was what my aunt saw when she arrived @ our home after the poweful quake

@ the "Genkan" or the main entrance..surprisingly the vase manage to keep its position

                  

@ our kitchen