Supplier Review

1.) Religioso 4/5

My gown was worth 60K, I felt that I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere. I decided to go for sisters Choc and Yvette Religioso because of its location. They're at Greenbelt 5, which means fitting is no hassle. I liked the gown. It gives that whole conservative but not manang vibe. Although I didn't like the idea that I only got to see Choc twice. Her assistants were nice and very accomodating. Her mananahi even helped altering my Dad's pants during prep time. 

2.) Giordino de Manila Events Styling 5/5

I met them at a bridal fair and decided to book them right away. After a few meetings, I was kinda skeptical about April. I think it's because she's one of the suppliers who asked for a huge downpayment, and I have to pay her the full amount a month before the wedding. After the wedding, I felt bad for feeling that. She did an awesome job! She was also our florist and she's the first supplier to arrive. I also got my mood lights from her. I'm so happy with her quality of work! 

3.) Kusina ni Kambal 2/5

Worst caterer ever! The visitors have arrived and they have no idea where to sit because table numbers weren't placed yet. The screen projector arrived late, and Sally, the AE assigned to us is just purely annoying! Plus I didn't like their cake and couple's backdrop! 

4.) Pixelfish Concept 4.5/5 

I wouldn't give them a perfect score only because there are times that I felt that I was working for them than the other way around. But boooy, when I saw the onsite photo and same day edit video, I wanted to give them a hug. Paulo doesn't really comment on this but he was really happy.  They might seem mando at some point, but when you see their finished product, it's pure awesome. Plus the team is really young, so you're sure to get that creative directing that some teams can't offer. 

5.) Bernie Pasamba 5/5

I have nothing to say against Bernie Pasamba, his team, and his vocalist. Galing! If you're planning to get a quartet, go for them. 

6.) JP Montilla 2/5

I liked him at first, he made sure that everything is planned and that there was a program to follow. I just didn't like that on the wedding day itself, his team was nowhere to be found, my MUA was the one assisting me, I had to carry my own trail, and he's just a diva to my entourage! 

7.) JR Lucban HMUA 5/5

Given that they came all the way from Sta. Cruz, they were at the hotel on time. They were able to put on make up to 4 of my bridesmaids, my two sisters, my Mom, Paulo, and his bestman by 10am. Also, JR (teamlead) assisted me almost the whole time because JP Montilla and his team has failed to do so! I didn't have anything to put on my hair, good thing they had one. So voila! I love how I looked! 

8.) Entourage Limousine Service 2/5

It rained on our wedding day. So from the church going to the reception, it was raining really hard, the benz had no effin wiper! 

9.) San Agustin Church 3/5

I always wanted to get married in San Agustin, it's an old church with nice ceilings. For 25K, you don't have to pay for a singer, flowers, and priest. Their chandeliers are to die for. I just didn't like that fact that I had to pay additional 1K for the close door effect. Plus it felt like it was a wedding factory. Di pa kami tapos, nakapila na ung susunod! 

10.) Pearl Print 2/5

They were fast, cheap, and neat. The only problem was, they forgot to put Livy's name! I hated them for that! 

11.) Vince Golangco 4/5

He's ok. Easy to talk to. No reklamo. Good in english, no slip of the tongue or what not. 

12. Rosann Burdahan 4/5 

I almost forgot about Paulo's barong! Haha. Anyway, what he wore was a coat barong and we had it made in Lumban, Laguna. It's very nice and reasonably priced. 

So that's it for the mean time. I am not sure if I'm forgetting any suppliers. Almost all photos were by pixelfish concept, except for the wedding invite photo. 

9.7.2013

Finally, the big day. 

I can't explain how happy and stressed I was that day. 

Review of suppliers will be done once the official photos are out. Anyway, here are some of the pictures I grabbed from friends. 

Styling by April Samson of Giordino de Manila. She's one of my favorite suppliers. 

Photobooth by iclickz 😊

Anyway. Yeah. I'll try my best to post entries as much as I used to. Ciao! 

What you need to know when invited as a guest at someone's wedding

Q & A for Wedding Guests

by: John & Benz Rana

article originally appeared in print: 12.03.05

(my opinion in blue)

Q. I got an invite but have no plans of attending; should I still send a gift?

A. First thing's first. If you won't be able to attend for whatever reason, please RSVP. A big chunk of the wedding budget goes to the reception and it will be utterly inconsiderate to just give up a reserved seat without letting the couple know. Give them the chance to assign that seat to another guest in their "waitlist." Having that out of the way, let's get to your question: YES, it is customary to still send a gift.

MO: If you're not attending, I won't expect a gift from you. But please, for the love of God, inform me 3 weeks before if you can make it or not. Unless of course you're an inconsiderate *$$

Q. The envelope bears only my name. May I ask if I can bring a date?

A. Don't bring a date unless your invitation specifically says "and Guest." Bringing unexpected guests is very impolite. Neither should you ask the couple's permission if you may bring one or not. Don't put your friends on the spot. We Filipinos don't really like turning down people. So how would you know if their "Yes" means yes or not? Spare them that trouble.

MO: I have nothing to add. This is 100% accurate.  

Q. The invite says "Mr. & Mrs." Could we bring our kids?

A. Never bring the kids unless "& Family" is indicated. Soon-to-weds don't usually invite children for a good reason. Kids get bored or cranky during hour-long masses. Their tantrums might disrupt the solemnity of the ceremony. Weddings are usually formal events typically not appropriate for the little ones. To be blunt about it, inviting a child at the reception means added two mouths to feed - the kid's and the yaya's.

MO: I am very specific when it comes to the people that I am inviting. There are kids who I want to be there. I will indicate and inform the family that their kids/yaya are included in my guest list

Q. I don't have a clue what gift to give them. Any ideas?

A. The average Pinoy soon-to-wed would always prefer monetary gifts more than any other gift. It is the unspoken fact. We're telling you now to make it easier for them to let you know what they REALLY want; unless they indicated that already in their invites.

If you're not comfortable giving cash, you may ask the couple where they are registered (Gift / Bridal Registry) and choose from what's listed under their names in the store. You can also ask them where they're residing after the wedding and take the cue from there. If you know that they'll be migrating abroad or living with their parents for the time being, a ref or another oven toaster may not be the most practical and logical gift, unless they indicated that already in their invites which, by the way, is a very tacky thing to do.

MO: I think that note that says in lieu of gift we prefer and enveloped one blah blah might sound tacky but there's no other way to do it. For me, I guess there should be two types of invitation; (1) in lieu of gifts invitation for the principal sponsors and the older guests; (2) bridal registry invitation for friends. There are times that people can't read between the lines, being subtle doesn't help in voicing out what you really want and need. 

Q. I'm convinced. So how much cash should I give them? I don't want to give too little or too much.

A. That's a hard thing to answer. It's really a case-to-case thing. Try to put yourself in the couple's shoes. How much should a guest of your stature give you without being branded a cheapskate? Also consider your relationship with the couple. If you're good friends of the couple's parents, you'll probably shell-out more than if you were simply the bride's Girl Friday.

MO: Things to consider when giving cash gift: (1) your stature; (2) the amount and effort exerted by the couple for the wedding; and (3) your relationship to the couple

Q. Could I skip the ceremony and head straight to the reception?

A. You can. BUT you shouldn't! You are invited to THE wedding -- that's the part where they exchange their "I dos." The reception is where the Receiving Line is. You can't be 'received' if you are already seated in the hall, right? "Patay-gutom" is too harsh a word and we assure you that it's by no means what anyone would think if indeed you decide to go straight to the reception. But admit that it struck a nerve just mentioning the word in that context, isn't it?

MO: I actually don't mind if you don't go to the church as long you're not part of the entourage, principal and secondary sponsors, readings, parents of the flower girls and bearers. If you're a close relative, it would be nice if you'll be there. Of course I expect my immediate family to be there. 

Q. Speaking of the Receiving Line, what should be the proper greeting?

A. Here's the rule: Say "Congratulations" to the groom and "Best Wishes" to the bride. The reason behind is that "congrats" implies that someone has caught something or won a prize, and it is rather improper to imply that the bride "caught" the man who married her. If this rule gets mixed-up in your head come wedding day, just say the two phrases together and look at both of them. That usually works!

Likewise, saying "Good Luck!" no matter how pure your wishes are will also sound very inappropriate for obvious reasons.

MO: I am not very particular about this. 

Q. But what if the couple makes a Grand Entrance and left the Receiving Line to their parents? What then should I tell them? Note that I don't even know which sets of parents are whose.

A. That's another reason not to skip the ceremony? The bride and groom usually walk alongside their respective parents at the very start!

Anyway, make your pleasantries short and sweet. Shake their hands and say "Hello! I'm (your name) and I went to school with (name of bride/groom) in (school's name)/an officemate of (name of bride/groom) at (name of company)." They usually respond with "Nice meeting you." Just smile, nod politely, and move on to the next person. If one replies "Hi! I've heard so much about you!", simply smile and nod just the same. No lengthy conversation; just make small talk at most. If you can't find the words to say, just smile again, nod politely, and move.

MO: :| 

Q. During the banquet, is there anything I need to know?

A. Nowadays, the Reception Program usually have the guests on each table stand up and have their picture taken with the couple before being led to the buffet. This is done to resolve two issues of past weddings: (a) for the couple's convenience and skip the tiring Table-Hopping ritual just to have their picture taken with all their guests; and (b) for the guests' convenience so they won't have to wait very long for their turn in the buffet line.

Keep in mind that Buffet is NOT synonymous with "Eat-All-You-Can." Do not pile your plate full. Be courteous of those who have yet to be served. Don't worry. You can easily go for seconds.

MO: Please guests, cooperate.

Wedding Deets and Das

I feel that I am the most irresponsible bride. I have 6 months left to prepare for our wedding and I feel like I am cramming everything. The cramming mostly involves which supplier should I get. On the details of the wedding, I think I knew ever since what I wanted and what kind of wedding I wanted to have. All of this of course, I consult with my husband.

For those who don’t know, we’re already married since June 29 last year. We decided to get married civil so that when I give birth to Olivia, there will be no problems with her birth certificate.

The theme of the wedding is old traditions and the motif is yellow. I like yellow because it brightens up the facade of the venue. Also, my motif for my debut was yellow so let’s stick to the plan. J

The Church:

This view is love <3 except for the Korean tourists! 

The Reception Venue:

This is how it looks like when it's bare

The Bridal Gown inspiration:

Love Amanda  Seyfried's gown

photo courtesy of http://www.itsdoctorrecommended.com/2013/02/best-dressed-oscars-2013.html

Table centrepiece inspiration:

They used white roses for this centerpiece, we're going to use yellow :)

photo courtesy of http://www.weddingbycolor.com/mparrish/milestones/113378

For my bridal gown, I've researched and researched, read all the threads from Female Network, Weddings at Work, Pinoy Exchange, etc. Then one time, I was walking around GB5 decided to just buy an off the rack wedding gown. Being desperate, I went inside Religioso. Their store catched my attention because I feel that the clothes they made were for me. It's flowy but in a structured way. Conservative but trendy. I talked to one of their people there and he set me an appointment with Choc Religioso who is the designer. 

I love how spontaneous and accommodating Choc was, she's the type of designer who'd tell you what she can do with your budget. 

That's it for now, I'll keep you guys posted and updated. 

When Livy was born

So, I promised to update my blog on what happened since November. I gave birth and then there's the holidays. 

November 27, 2012

01:30am – contractions were getting stronger (15 minute interval)

03:30am – contractions almost unbearable, called Makati Med and asked if I should drop by. They said

                 the interval should be closer. Every 5 minutes will not do

05:00am – I can’t take it anymore. I got up, got ready. Woke up Paulo. He hailed a cab and we went to

                 Makati Med.

07:00am – The resident Gyne told me that I was 4 cm dilated and they will admit me

11:00am – The contractions are unbearable and they had to inject anaesthesia.

                  My Mom and sister are now in the hospital assisting Paulo with everything.

                  Paulo went back to our condo to get the 2 hospital bags.

03:00pm – I was 9cm dilated

04:00pm – I was brought to the delivery room

04:30pm – I think around this time I was doing  the whole PUSH thing!

04:57pm – She finally arrived, my beautiful Olivia Marie. Our baby. Our angel. Her eyes were open after

                 a few minutes. God she’s beautiful. I am in love.

My reason for living :) 

This is probably one of the most physically challenging things I've done so far. I'm still on emotional high. Now that she's 3 months old, I can't believe I was a part of bringing such beauty and wonder to this world. I am so happy :)

I haven't thanked my friends yet who went to visit us when we were in Makati Med. Thank you guys! 

2012 Predictions and what actually happened

Predictions for 2012 in black, what actually happened in 2012 in blue.

Allan:

Ø Pass the CFA

-         He did pass Level 1, now reviewing for Level 2

Ø Will go clubbing once a month

-         Fail :/

Ø Will be drunk on his sister’s wedding

-         Umasa pa kaming mangyayari to

Ø Win in the casino

-         No

Ø  Buy stocks in mining (Philex or Lepanto)

-         I was so sure that this was going to happen! L

Leigh:

Ø  Will be a guest in Showtime

-         Didn’t happen

Ø  Will have a full time work by February

-         She’s now in law school

Ø  Will achieve her weight loss goal by April (150lbs)

-         I think she did lose weight

Ø  Will have significant savings by the end of 2012. (50K)

-         I think she was able to achieve this given she wants to open a UITF account

Paulo:

Ø  Will propose by 2012

-         He got married (civil)

Ø  Will have a car by 2012

-         A second hand 2003 Ford Lynx Ghia

Ø  Will continue studies

-         No time for it

Ø  Will gain muscles

-         Hahahaha

Ø  Will hug Leo while drunk

-         We rarely went out to drink that much for 2012

Ø Get drunk and dance bad romance or hairspray

-         Na ah

Marianne:

Ø  Invest in the stock market

-         Fail :/

Ø  Stay in First Philec

-         Yes I did. Even received performance and salary appraisal. Btw, I’m still here

Ø  Participate in a CosPlay

-         The closest thing I did to achieve it was to attend the 2012 ToyCon where cosplayers are everywhere

Ø Start planning for a wedding

-         San Agustin in Intramuros is already reserved, timeline has been plotted, list of suppliers. Pau and I got married (civil)

What's in the bag?

I haven’t blogged for a long time and right now I am having problems on how to start blogging again. When my colleague brought up that she and her sisters are starting a blog, I realized how much I miss it. I’ve been on hiatus for almost 4 months I have a lot of stories to tell. But for now, let’s just take it easy. I’ll just share you what I have in my everyday make-up kit.

MAC Studio Fix NC40

Missha Perfect Cover B.B Cream No. 23

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer

The B.B Cream was a pasalubong from S. Korea by my friend Cheska. I swear by it, it’s the best! Better than Smashbox, Faceshop, and Etude. I found out recently that they already have here. They’re selling it in Landmark, it costs roughly around Php1600. I’ve been loyal to my MAC NC40 ever since I tried it; I think I’ll do the same for Missha. The Benefit Concealer is ok. I still plan to try other brands.

Marionnaud N30 Powder Brush

Marionnaud N32 Blush Brush

MAC 266 Small Angle Brush

For its quality, Marionnaud brushes are really cheap and I love it! I use the MAC 266 angle brush with the Nichido eye shadow for my eyebrows.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Charcoal Bad Gal Liner by Benefit

HyperSharp Liner by Maybelline

EyeStudio Lasting Drame Gel Liner by Maybelline

Nichido Eyeshadow

My eyelash curler has a sentimental value that’s why I haven’t replaced it for almost 6 years (I replace the rubber though), that was the first gift I received from my then-boyfriend-now-husband Paulo’s grandmother. Such a sweet lady. More on that next time. Anyway, ever since I got busy at work, I decided that I should let go of using eye shadow every day. I got lazier applying it when I got pregnant, hence the 3 different eyeliners. That’s basically my everyday eye make-up. I also apply mascara if I feel like it. Btw, I focus more on my eyebrows because when it’s maayos, I feel that I’m good to go.

Cover Girl Contouring Blush

I rarely use the blush because for some strange reason, I like focusing on my lips nowadays.

MAC Viva Glam III A51

Clinique All Heart

NYX LSS 623 Heather

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (Stockholm)

I think the NYX Heather and the Clinique All Heart are my 2 over-used lipsticks. It fits well for everyday work and activities. I love NYX! Especially their lipsticks! There are many shades to choose from. My first NYX was from my friend Cheska. That girl should have an entry about her make-up.

Anyway, that’s it. I’ll blog about what I did for the past 4 months that I haven’t been blogging.

On my next blog, it’s all about the following:

·         Olivia Marie

·         Giving birth and being a Mom

·         Why I love my husband even more; and

·         Work

Till next post J Ciao!