Honesty
You flinch when I try to hold youYou turn away and make an excuse when I try to kiss you
I can't even hold your hands whenever I want to
Just tell me if you want out
I want honesty than rejection
You turn away and make an excuse when I try to kiss you
I can't even hold your hands whenever I want to
Just tell me if you want out
I want honesty than rejection
Things Die
The eyes can see beyond the soul
I only get to see what you want me to see
Things are starting to change
Soon you and I will walk away
Life is not what we thought it would be
And maybe that's why I lost you
Breathing, listening, talking
Nothing can change the life we once knew
Every day you're at my side
And every day I am without you
Slowly I'm losing you
Slowly I'm losing myself too
I'm done trying
I'm done fighting
Can you let me be?
If so, please do tell me.
Up on our list are the suppliers for photo, video, and invites. Good thing that hubby proposed before June because Themes and Motif's Wedding Fair for 2014 was scheduled last June 28 to 29.
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| Wedding Fair Ticket |
A lot of our friends really recommended that we attend wedding fairs since that is where we can get good deals, and so we did. In just one day we got to book three important parts of our prep. We got Studio 1 Photography for our photo and video coverage. Their booth that day was packed with couples, and so I knew we had to check them out. It figures as I was very pleased to know that their packages are budget friendly. We availed the 30k package which includes engagement photoshoot, same day edit (SDE) video, four photo books, one framed 10x11 portrait, guest book photo book, and digital frame for the reception.
Another very budget friendly and reliable supplier we got was from Urbanista Invites. We opted for a matte cream gate-fold layout. The deal was 54/pc and we get to have 55 pieces. That's enough for us since our guest count was around 80 pax only.
Here are some of our engagement photos. The theme that we were going for was buzzed picnic in the afternoon. I had to get James Patterson books as one of the props, just because he's my all time fave author. And we made sure to add bottles of our fave drinks, vodka, to the shoot. We had to actually look for a picnic basket online. I searched for a month and luckily I found one in olx. The couple was selling it since no one is using it anymore. It's never been used and the price was reasonable, I had to get it. Viola! Our props are complete, add to it the coconut that our friend bought for us. Lol.
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| Our wedding invitation layout |
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| Yay! |
As I mentioned on my previous posts, I will be documenting our wedding preparation here as well. The second question mark on our list of priorities was the "Where?" or should I say, church. Since we live far from each other – Paulo in Cavite and I in Malabon City. We need to take into consideration the travel time of our relatives. Therefore, to meet half way we decided to have the wedding in Manila City.
At first we're undecided if we are going to have a church wedding since our initial plan was a simple civil wedding ceremony only. This was of course because of our limited budget. However, unexpected turn of events, such as my parents, specifically my very conservative father wanted us to have a church wedding. And so, afraid that he might not support our decision we push through with having the all out church wedding. Come to think of it, it was a good decision. It's really more solemn and unforgettable to have a church wedding since we get to have the blessing not just from our parents and relatives, but also from God.
We booked Malate Church last July 2014, we paid the 50% down payment to secure the date and time. The rate for a Friday wedding at 2:30pm that time was 12k. It includes the flowers on the isle, ushers, priest, and soloist. It was a good deal for us. Anyway, our original plan was to get married when I'm 27 y.o. and him 28 y.o., and so the date we really wanted was January 16, 2015, a day before his 29th birthday, but since it falls on the Pope's visit to the Philippines, we had to move the date.
I initially booked our honeymoon trip to Palawan for February 2, 2015, needless to say we cannot get married any later than January. Yes, it was a promo fare so I don't have any other choice. The good thing is, Malate Church wasn't really packed for January that time, and so we got the last Friday of January, the 30th.
Having a church wedding can be tiresome especially if you don't have a wedding planner to help you. I know this because we didn't hire a wedding planner, anyhow I surprisingly managed to do all the preparations by myself (whew!). One of the hardest tasks for me was choosing the right church because you have a lot to consider before you can finally say "Yes! We found the right one!."
The first factor you must consider is the availability of your preferred date/s. You need to at least have two planned dates so that if your first preferred date is no longer available, then you have a back up date. Also, if you have at least six months to prepare, like us, then you may have a bigger chance of booking your first preferred date. Or maybe because the month we chose is not the wedding season month. Harhar.
Second is the proximity of the church to your reception and hotel. Yes, you have to take into consideration how far the church is to your reception. Mainly because if it's too far and your wedding let's say is at 2:30pm and will end by 4:00pm, then there's a big possibility that by the end of the ceremony your guests' stomachs are growling like Jamir Garcia of Slapshock. And so, I highly advise that the church must be close to your reception with at least 10-15 minutes travel time.
Having your hotel closer to the church is better just in case you run out of time doing your hair and makeup. It's just an added assurance that your man won't go stiff standing at the altar waiting for you. You will never know what will happen on your big day, and so it's better to be prepared.
Lastly, you must know the guidelines that every church implements and if these ties in with their rates. For example, some churches offer 20k for just the church rental fee, it doesn't include the fee for electricity, red carpet for the isle, flowers to decorate the church, etc. For me, the only downside for choosing Malate Church is they don't allow a singer to sing during the bridal march. They will give you a list of songs to choose from then that's it, that's all you've got. It was a little bit disappointing because I really wanted someone to sing Adele's "To make you feel my love" as my bridal march song. I specifically like the version of Lea Michele. Anyway, I didn't know about this rule not until we have already paid the down payment and all plans for the hotel and reception is already done. So yeah, it sucks I know.
The bottom line is as long as you are comfortable with the guidelines, location, rate, and time availability then it won't be hard to book a church. I was told once that when a couple decide to get married, blessings will come along their way when they least expect it. And I totally agree with that! There were a lot of times during our prep that I can attest to that. Harhar. We're just happy because we're so blessed and I'm so thankful to God because I know he's behind all that "miracles."
We booked Malate Church last July 2014, we paid the 50% down payment to secure the date and time. The rate for a Friday wedding at 2:30pm that time was 12k. It includes the flowers on the isle, ushers, priest, and soloist. It was a good deal for us. Anyway, our original plan was to get married when I'm 27 y.o. and him 28 y.o., and so the date we really wanted was January 16, 2015, a day before his 29th birthday, but since it falls on the Pope's visit to the Philippines, we had to move the date.
I initially booked our honeymoon trip to Palawan for February 2, 2015, needless to say we cannot get married any later than January. Yes, it was a promo fare so I don't have any other choice. The good thing is, Malate Church wasn't really packed for January that time, and so we got the last Friday of January, the 30th.
Having a church wedding can be tiresome especially if you don't have a wedding planner to help you. I know this because we didn't hire a wedding planner, anyhow I surprisingly managed to do all the preparations by myself (whew!). One of the hardest tasks for me was choosing the right church because you have a lot to consider before you can finally say "Yes! We found the right one!."
The first factor you must consider is the availability of your preferred date/s. You need to at least have two planned dates so that if your first preferred date is no longer available, then you have a back up date. Also, if you have at least six months to prepare, like us, then you may have a bigger chance of booking your first preferred date. Or maybe because the month we chose is not the wedding season month. Harhar.
Second is the proximity of the church to your reception and hotel. Yes, you have to take into consideration how far the church is to your reception. Mainly because if it's too far and your wedding let's say is at 2:30pm and will end by 4:00pm, then there's a big possibility that by the end of the ceremony your guests' stomachs are growling like Jamir Garcia of Slapshock. And so, I highly advise that the church must be close to your reception with at least 10-15 minutes travel time.
Having your hotel closer to the church is better just in case you run out of time doing your hair and makeup. It's just an added assurance that your man won't go stiff standing at the altar waiting for you. You will never know what will happen on your big day, and so it's better to be prepared.
Lastly, you must know the guidelines that every church implements and if these ties in with their rates. For example, some churches offer 20k for just the church rental fee, it doesn't include the fee for electricity, red carpet for the isle, flowers to decorate the church, etc. For me, the only downside for choosing Malate Church is they don't allow a singer to sing during the bridal march. They will give you a list of songs to choose from then that's it, that's all you've got. It was a little bit disappointing because I really wanted someone to sing Adele's "To make you feel my love" as my bridal march song. I specifically like the version of Lea Michele. Anyway, I didn't know about this rule not until we have already paid the down payment and all plans for the hotel and reception is already done. So yeah, it sucks I know.
The bottom line is as long as you are comfortable with the guidelines, location, rate, and time availability then it won't be hard to book a church. I was told once that when a couple decide to get married, blessings will come along their way when they least expect it. And I totally agree with that! There were a lot of times during our prep that I can attest to that. Harhar. We're just happy because we're so blessed and I'm so thankful to God because I know he's behind all that "miracles."
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| The Notebook |
"I'm a self-confessed chick flick junkie." I may be a little boyish, but believe me from "Pretty Woman" to "The Notebook," I've watched them all. And yes, at times a little tear escapes from my being so engrossed on the plot.
I would describe my birthday celebration this year as "momentous." Supposed to be we're going on a hike in Mt. Pico De Loro, but Junni and his new girlfriend asked us to just go to their farm in Bataan. We were so excited since we saw the pictures of the farm that Junni sent us. It has a pool, mango trees (which means fresh air), comfy house to stay in, and most of all we had the entire farm to ourselves. April's folks is very hospitable. They made lunch for us and since it was mango season that time, they gave us a sack of mangoes to take home.
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| M Farm - Balanga, Bataan |
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| Where we stayed |
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| The Pool |
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| Chicken Kebab Ala Paulo |
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| Grilled Liempo and Eggplant |
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| Chicken Kebab Ala Paulo |
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| Crab |
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| Shrimps |
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| Ripe Mangoes |
A brief flashback, two or three years ago Paulo and I were already planning for our future. In fact, we've decided that on my 27th birthday we will get hitched. So now you know why I'm a bit elated to celebrate my birthday. Yes, I was expecting his proposal. All day I was thinking about it, how he would do it, where exactly he plan to do it, and the question that's been bugging me the most - if he's really planning to propose.
The day dragged on and still nothing. So that's when I thought to myself that maybe today's not "the day." I may have been a little disappointed that time and it showed when I tried to pick a fight with him. Harhar. He was acting a bit distant and so that's my cue to stir the pot. It's so petty, I know. After all that drama, I learned that he's acting all weird because he's jittery planning the proposal.
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| Time to himself |
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| Still a little teary |
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| Right after the surreal moment |
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| Engaged! |
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| We're getting married! |
As of today, we're almost done with the whole wedding preparation, from the Church reservation to the meeting of our parents or should I say "Pamamanhikan." I'm actually excited to share my wedding prep experience here. Believe me when I say that planning a wedding is not that hard as long as you have enough time to do all the work and patience to look for the cheapest suppliers, especially if you have a tight budget like us. It's fun and exciting, but with it comes the stress of budgeting and tedious work of searching for a reliable supplier.
Anyway, we're a month away from the big day. We've been receiving marriage advice from a lot of our married couple friends and relatives lately, and I think I agree with most of them. I specifically like Paulo's grandma's advise she said, "Kung anoman ang napagtalunan ng araw na iyon wag kayong matutulog sa gabi ng di naguusap at nagkakaayos, kung mainit ang ulo ng isa wag nang sabayan nung isa." I will try my best to always keep that in mind. The seminar conducted by the church was a good help too. It made us think more clearly about what we're getting into. Hopefully everything will work out fine, so we can start a happy "once upon a time" together with no uncertainties.
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