Five Months to Go

We have about five months to go and it's causing a riot of emotions to shuffle through our minds. Nakaka-excite na makita yung mga pinag-hirapan namin during the past months and at the same time, nakaka-pressure tapusin yung mga natitira pang kulang. Hindi din maiwasan mag-alala sa kung ano-anong bagay. I guess the OC in us can never be sated until the wedding itself happens already.

Anyway, here are some of the things that we were able to work on within the past month.

Wedding Fair

We attended a wedding fair organized by Themes and Motifs last June. We are able to check out yung mga natitirang bagay na wala pa kami, which is mostly for my barong and the invitations. It's amazing that of all the wedding fairs we've attended during the last year and a half, sa wedding fairs lang ng T&M kami nakapag-book ng suppliers. Both are impulse bookings pa. Read on to see what we got booked under T&M.

Wedding Ring and More

We finally got our rings from La Real Jewelry and from the fitting up to the details, they're perfect! We met with Katrina of La Real on the T&M wedding fair to get the rings and the freebies (arrhae, cord, and ring replicas). The cord is personally crafted by Katrina, herself, and it looks very elegant. Sakto sa vintage theme namin.

lower photo is the bottom part ('habambuhay' engraved in Baybayin script)
we designed it that way so we can switch between designs
(believe us, it's a safety feature... LOL)

We can't express how much satisfied we are on this package. Given that it is one of the earliest item that we booked for the wedding (June 2012) - and the first one we booked at a T&M event - nakakagaan ng pakiramdam makitang unti-unti nang nabubuo yung mga sinimulan namin since last year for the wedding.

i can see the rosy tinge from up here

Gifts from the Couple

One of the other impulse booking we've had on a T&M event just came recently as we chanced upon Robert and his Red Clay Factory booth. They are selling custom-made clay lamps crafted from a town in Albay. Matagal na kaming naghahanap ng maganda ipang-regalo during the wedding kaya sobrang "lightbulb" moment nung nakita namin yung produkto nila. It seemed a bit off for our vintage theme but the unique designs appealed to the whimsical side of it. 

let there be light

We immediately booked them that day for a very affordable reservation fee. We are continuously in touch with them up to this day to discuss how we want our clay lamps to look like before they start their production.

Kuya Robert of Red Clay Factory

D.I.Y. Crafts

Lately, we've been increasing our "craft nights" together (with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Glorietta 2 and Starbucks in 6750 as the usual hangout) to push the production of more DIY items. As of today, we've created enough felt flowers to decorate the following projects:

• bouquets for the secondary sponsors, our moms, and the bride herself
• colored tin pails for the flower girls
• wooden containers as table ornaments

lagi yang nagkakalat sa coffee shop! tsk tsk!

Here are our other pending DIY projects:

• ornamental board with our monogram crafted in interlaced thread
• wishing tree and tags
• pillow for the rings
• boutonniere for the groom

(work in progress) tin pails for the flower girls... isa sa mga mastercraft ni Kath [obi]

wag masyadong makyutan... baka lumaki ulo ni Kath [obi]

Lights and Sounds

We originally planned on getting musicians but it being low in priority budget-wise, we settled on getting a packaged lights and sounds deal instead. Kat personally initiated an extensive research to land a good deal and we eventually decided to go with C1 Discotech Lights and Sounds. 

They gave us a list of the machines and devices they can provide and it's just the right things required to make the venue extra appealing visually and to support our audio needs. Nothing fancy is necessary. Hindi naman kami magpapa-disco so the basic setup will do. Nakapag-ayos na sila sa North Greenhills Clubhouse in the past so it's a plus na alam na nila ang layout ng venue.

a sample of their work (taken from their FB page)

We meet with Sir Bobby of C1 just a couple of weeks ago to discuss the particulars and to give our down payment. Isa sa mga mahalagang napag-usapan namin yung kung anong mga kulay at klase ng ilaw ang gagamitin at kung saan itatayo ang mga ito. He has been very accommodating kahit noong nag-uumpisa pa lang kami makipag correspond sa kanila for initial inquiries.

Video Projector

We are getting a 7x7 feet screen for our venue and rented a 5000 ANSI lumens projector from Projectors for Rent PH. We've inquired and researched a lot just to determine how much ANSI lumens to get. Nakasalalay kasi ito sa luwag ng venue (which will determine the number of audience) at amount ng ambient light dito (kung gaano kaliwanag ang lugar).

their setup for Handle Bar (Makati)

They are easy to talk with and answered all our questions clearly (si Miss Ellen ang kausap namin palagi over the phone). Their rate is fairly competitive with similar businesses we've found online or has been referred by friends kaya kinuha na namin sila agad. Here are some of the things we will or plan to project during the program:

• On-site video from photographer.
• On-site video from videographer.
• Save-the-Date animation.
• AVP of our photos.

* New items added on the Wedding Updates page.
* New items added on the Bookmarks section.
* New items added on the Resources section.

Hotel Hopping

Mahaba-habang lakaran at matagal-tagal na research ang ginawa namin para makahanap ng tamang hotel for the wedding preparations. Since we are on the final stages of our preps and the bulk of our budget is mostly allocated, medyo limited na kami sa mapagpipilian. Para mas madali, nag-brainstorm muna kami kung ano ba ang kailangan namin sa isang hotel.

Ito ang mga naging criteria sa pagpili ng lugar na angkop (wow, lalim) sa aming mga pangangailangan... in order of priority.

1. Malapit sa Camp Aguinaldo.
2. Kaya ng budget.
3. Pwedeng tumuloy ang pamilya namin (siyam na tao kay Obi at walong tao kay Kath).
4. Presentable ang itsura ng lugar para sa photo ops.
5. Kasya ang suppliers (HMUA, video and photo crew, at event organizer).
6. May connecting rooms OR kahit magkatabi/magkalapit lang sana OR at least, on the same floor yung kwarto na mapapa-book namin.

GAME!

Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center

17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center

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Nakapag ocular kami sa dalawang rooms dito (a one bedroom suite and a deluxe room). Willing kaming nag hintay ng ilang oras para magkaroon ng bakante for ocular. The rooms are modern in design and very neat. Kumpleto ang furnishings ng living room at kitchen area ng suite. May LCD screen pa sa bathroom! 

living room of the suite

A suite can accommodate four occupants while the deluxe room is two. Around 10 people can move comfortably inside the suite while five for the deluxe room so it's just enough for our suppliers. Wala silang connecting rooms.

panoramic shot of the lobby

Libre mag photo shoot sa lobby at corridors. Kapag sa pool area naman, kailangan na ng authorization from the management. Maganda ang register ng hotel sa camera dahil sapat ang ilaw nila at madaming magandang spots yung lugar.

Their rate is not too expensive (justifiable) so naging option namin ito.

Satisfaction Level: 5 out of 7

Holiday Inn Manila Galleria
1 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center

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Malapit lang ito sa Oakwood kaya dito kami pumunta right after it. Filipiniana ang ambiance ng lobby so perfect for the more traditional wedding (not for us though). Medyo maliit nga lang ang receiving area so medyo tricky mag photo shoot within the premise (pero wala din silang restriction for photos).

living room of the suite (the lady looking at the connecting room entrance)

We were able to do an ocular for a deluxe room. Wooden yung theme (from furniture to paneling) ng rooms. May connecting rooms sila. Medyo madilim nga lang ang lightings at amoy baul yung kwarto (not sure if kasama sa ambiance). Room size is pretty spacious. Mas malaki pa sa deluxe ng Oakwood.

the room

Walking distance lang to Robinsons Galleria so kung may last minute needs na kailangang bilihin, pwedeng ihabol conveniently. Mura ang mga rooms nila. Pero hindi namin nagustuhan dito.

Satisfaction Level: 3 out of 7

Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria
Ortigas Avenue corner ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center

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Walang available na rooms for ocular noong pumunta kami dito. 

The lobby was really nice and quite expansive. Madaming photo shoot opportunities. Yun nga lang, may bayad kada place kung saan magpapakuha (usually the lobby area, the staircase, and the pool area). So doon pa lang, tagilid na kami.

Room rates are on the expensive side so out of the question na ito.

Satisfaction Level: 4 out of 7

Richmonde Hotel Ortigas
21 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center

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Wala ding available na rooms for ocular noong pumunta kami dito.

Malaki din ang lobby dito at sobrang perfect for wedding photos dahil maganda ang facade. May mezzanine level overlooking the ground floor and it ends with a spiral staircase. Madami na agad creative images na pwedeng ma-formulate, doon pa lang.

pretty pillars

Libre magpakuha kahit saang public areas ng hotel. Pwede din magpasok ng food sa rooms without any corkage fee. Our coordinator actually recommended this place dahil hindi masyadong stickler sa rules when it comes to wedding preps.

Rate ranges from 6K to 10K. This has been another close competitor sa mga pinagpipilian namin.

Satisfaction Level: 5 out of 7

Pero ang nagwagi... *drum roll please*

Astoria Plaza

15 J. Escriba Drive, Ortigas Business District

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This is the last hotel we visited at hindi namin inaasahan na we'll end up booking it. We didn't get to do an ocular on their rooms but we have friends who have been there and can vouch for its looks and if the virtual tour on their website is accurate, that too should suffice.

the lobby

First thing that caught our attention, the price! Ang twin-room suites nila ay katumbas lang ng isang single-room suite sa Oakwood. May friend pa kami na member ng Club Astoria who can book for us on a discounted rate... woot! Super thanks Pammy!

The lobby area doesn't look too opulent but it's attractive enough for photo shoots. It's free of charge and no glaring restrictions. Same thing goes for the pool area, though I'm not even sure if we really need to use it for our photos.

With that, our plan now is to get two twin-room suites and extend one of the rooms for one more day. Para may mapagtambakan kami ng mga gamit during the wedding day without worrying to immediately vacate the rooms to check out (morning wedding kasi kami). Mas masaya that way dahil kasama namin ang family namin in a room.

Satisfaction Level: 6 out of 7 

This is it!


* New items on the Wedding Updates page.
* New items on the Bookmarks section.

Half-Year Update

In exactly one day, we have half a year to go before the big day! Here be the things that happened so far...

Felt Bouquet

Still undecided on what to do for the handle but we definitely need to decorate it to look vintage-y. Maybe wrap it on a burlap or a lace. Kath's bouquet will have add-ons to make it look slightly different than the entourage's. By the way, reworks has been done to arrange the felt flowers ala umbrella instead of how it looks before na tightly clumped together. Nakakagawa na kami ng apat na bouquet so far.

planning how the handle-wrap should look [kat]

Boutonniere

Most of the time, we craft our boutonniere during our tambay-nights after work. As of now, we already created 22 pieces in all. Halos tapos na yun. Kailangan na lang subukang lagyan ng magnet para hindi masira yung mga barong ng magsusuot if in case we use saftey pins. Also, we plan to have Obi's boutonniere unique by adding a DIY heart plushy.

button-air

Other Pending DIY Projects

• Flowers for the colored tin pails (for Flower Girls)
• Pillow (for Cord and Arrhae)
• Additional decor for the giveaways

Wedding Rings

Miss Katrina of La Real Jewelry had a meeting with us to have a sample fitting. Replica pa lang ng singsing namin, ang ganda na! And she has been really accommodating to us throughout the time that we are paying for the rings. This month, fully paid na kami. Woot!

top and bottom (with the Baybayin script)

Catering Service

We downgraded our package to exclude some of the items that we will not need due to us getting a dedicated event stylist. It lessened our overall cost significantly without affecting the choices of food so good job!

Hotel Accommodation

Pumunta kami ng Eastwood Richmonde Hotel a couple of weeks ago to have an ocular and inquire about the room rates. In summary, maganda yung lugar at walang masyadong restrictions para sa wedding photo shoot kaso alanganin pa din sa budget. We will try to inquire in Astoria Plaza - Ortigas next.

Presiding Priest
We went to the Malolos Cathedral two weeks ago to visit one of their parish priest, Father RJ Brion. Family friend siya nila Kath at ayaw niyang magpatawag na "Father" RJ sa kanila since they saw him grew as a kid to an ordained priest. Bata pa siya, matanda lang ng kaunti sa akin. He agreed to officiate our wedding kahit ang date ng kasal namin ay bisperas ng fiesta ng parish nila (Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion which is on December 8). Yahoow! Di na kami kakaba-kaba na baka biglang mag homily ng RH Bill or Gay Marriage ang pari sa kasal namin. LOL.

Moki and Me

Unlike some of the more popular wedding venues in the Metro, our venue (North Greenhills Clubhouse) is the typical bare box type created for multi-purpose use. So aside from the wooden finish and a moveable platform for a stage, wala na itong masyadong amenities at decor na pinasadya para sa isang kasal. Dahil dito, naisipan namin na kailangan talaga ng event stylist para mag-decorate ng lugar and tie it up with our vintage-whimsical theme.

Moki and her work for a "Weddings at Work" booth

We did the intro on our options from a previous blog post. Among the choices, we ended up with Moki Gray. Based kasi sa mga sample works na nakita namin, forte niya talaga yung theme ng aming wedding so andun na kaagad yung peace of mind na kaya nyang ma-execute yung dapat na general look and feel ng lugar. Sa totoo lang, ang tanong na lang na nasa isip namin noon ay kung afford ba namin si Moki. LOL. Luckily, she agreed to work on our budget. Yahoow!  

Nag set agad kami ng meetup to check the venue. The clubhouse is only open for ocular on weekdays so kinailangan namin gumamit ng mahiwagang SL ("sick leave") to set the date. We meet Moki on Starbucks - 6750 the day after the local elections and after mag-usap about some of the basic setup and decorations na gagawin, we headed to North Greenhills.

kissing booth by MG

Once there, Moki took photos and inspected the area. Pinag-usapan namin yung mga plans niya for the styling of the place at sa totoo lang, nakaka-excite yung mga ideas na gusto nyang gawin. Isa sa mga nagustuhan namin ay yung idea niya for our photo booth. It won't be the usual tarp-at-the-back, photo-unit-in-front thing. Instead, she will setup a mini studio na vintage-whimsical yung itsura tapos doon kukuhaan ng litrato yung mga guests (manually). Isa pa sa mga exciting pieces na gagawin ni Moki for us ay yung memory lane. Bale one corner of the venue will be decorated with bits and pieces relevant sa history namin as a couple. 

Just thinking about them makes us want to get married already para makita na namin!

malabong litrato ni Moki at Kat

We had lunch afterwards and discussed more wedding styling stuff, inspirations and random ideas to incorporate on our venue design. We learned a lot about her personally as well. She really knows her craft and she loves what she's doing. Cool siyang kausap at mukang ganun yung nagiging pattern sa mga suppliers na nakukuha namin so far, most of them parang tropa lang. Actually, malaking blessing na ganun sila. Mas madali kasi mag-usap ng walang masyadong pormalan. Haha.

You can see more of Moki's work on her blog and Facebook page.

* New items on the Wedding Updates page.

* All photos are stolen off the web. Patawad na.

All-Purpose Flower

One of the remaining tasks we need to complete for our wedding is to look for a florist para sa simbahan. Kat literally scoured the net for a good deal and we attended at least two wedding fairs with that in mind. Nakapag tanong-tanong na din kami sa ever-referred na flower place, ang Dangwa, pero hindi kami satisfied sa mga packages na binigay sa amin. Buti na lang na-refer sa amin ang Fullblooms Flower Shop! 

with Miss Inah of Fullblooms

But before we talk about them, konting history muna about our preferences.

We originally wanted 10 topiary-type flower arrangements sa aisle (for 5 rows of pews) and 3 flower arrangements sa altar with inclusions for 2 candle arrangements. Tapos sooobrang sold kami sa bulaklak na Baby's Breath. As in almost all our inquiries for flower packages are quoted for Baby's Breath lang. It looks out of ordinary ("IN" sa theme namin) and a bunch of it is an eye-candy.

Ang problema lang talaga mas mahal than the usual roses and mums ang Baby's Breath. It also did not help that our wedding falls on a peak season so hindi din talaga kami makakamura kahit sa Dangwa pa kami pumunta. One of the florists we discussed with even joked about it on us. Sabi nya, "Congratulations! You're wedding falls on a peak season!". Bading sya, so imagine hearing it na parang nanalo kami ng living room showcase. LOL.

hininga ng sanggol

We almost opted for the usual flowers na lang para bumalik sa budget yung cost. That's when Fullblooms is referred to us by our wedding coordinator. Fullblooms Flower Shop is owned and managed by Miss Inah Anupol. We first talked over Facebook (click the links) for inquiries pero dahil madaming beses nang nakapag-trabaho ng magkasama si Miss Inah at yung grupo ni Ayie (Imbitado Events, our coordinator), confident na agad kami na okay ang service nila.

When we decided to book them, we went directly to their shop sa Makati so we can finalize all the details up front. We were welcomed by Miss Inah, herself, and she showed us their past flower arrangements. Her works are very elegant and captures the general motif of the event. She tries her best daw talaga para mabigay ang gusto ng mga couples while keeping it within reasonable budget. Na-appreciate niya din na pumunta kami personally to see her. 

Natuwa kami ng sobra dahil kaya pa din pala ng budget namin ang Baby's Breath after all. Fullblooms lang pala ang sagot. They even gave us a good deals to go along with the package. Kaya hindi na kami nagdalawang-isip mag-book that day.

Our package inclusion:

• 10 baby's breath topiary in sexy glass vase (pews)
• 3 flower arrangements for the altar
• 2 candle arrangements for the candle holders
• door styling (white cloth with crystal drapes)
• loose petals
• bridal car flower

Sobrang worth-it yung pag punta namin sa shop nila. May pag high-five pa kaming dalawa habang pauwi. Thank you very much Miss Inah!

some of the Fullblooms brides

* For inquiries, contact Miss Inah through their Facebook page.
* Added new items on our Wedding Updates page.
* Added a trivia item on the About Us portion of our page.
* Second photo stolen off the web. Hope the owner doesn't mind.

Somebody's Enjoying the Free Tasting

Following up on a previous post, we finally got to meet Chef Kiko of Toy Cakes and Pastries after we visited him in his place in Cubao to have our cake-tasting (yan ang favorite part ko sa wedding preps! [obi]). Sobrang accommodating niya as usual and right after talking us through the things we need to know about his cakes and konting kwento na din about himself, nilabas niya na yung choices for the flavor of our wedding cake (in cupcake form).

Nilantakan ko siya, in gentong order... [obi]

• vanilla with marshmallow and coconut
• chocolate ganache
• red velvet

Kahit busog pa kami (we just had lunch in Gateway), we pounced on the cupcakes like Cookie Monster when he sees cookies. Seriously. LOL. The cakes did not only look good but also very delectable! Tamang moist at tamang tamis lang. We (us and Kiko) share the same idea that a cake doesn't need to be too sweet to be delicious. Aprub!

ohm nom nom nom!

But wait, there's more! He also shared with us some of the desserts that he made (for an earlier wedding nga ba?). May tarts and some pastries on shot glasses. Nakalimutan na namin ang tawag sa kanila, basta masarap! Masarap tumambay sa kanila dahil ang daming pagkain. Haha! He even let us take away some of the pastries that we didn't get to finish. May sipon si Kat at that time so Obi gets to enjoy all the sampling while she only tasted with clearer taste buds the day after na.

After tasting them all, we ended up picking the chocolate ganache just because we're really biased with chocolates. Can't go wrong with that for sure. As for the design, pinag-iisipan pa namin. We want it cute and quirky. Matagal pa naman eh. Chef Kiko told us that he'll try his best to do whatever design we can come up with. Galing!

He will be there on the wedding to personally deliver and setup the wedding cake. We were so blessed to have stumbled upon him during our search for a cake chef. Ngayon pa lang feel na feel na namin na mapabilang ang wedding cake namin sa mga naggagandahang cakes na gawa niya. 

You can check those on his Facebook page.

About Us

This is a list of little known facts about HIM and HER! It is also posted at the end of our "LOVE STORY" page, and we will continue adding items to it as we recall more interesting stuff about US.

• THEY foster a huge teddy bear named "Hurhur". It's HIS first Valentine's Day gift for HER.





meet hurhur


• THEY love spicy food and has been given discounts in New Bombay - Glorietta 3 just by dining there so often.


• THEIR first "couple thing" are skate shoes from Zoo York.


• THEY are Guitar Hero freaks.


• THEY did food tripping for a year. See HIS blog for a list of food places THEY visited.


• As a pastime, THEY give names to each of HIS Lego minifigure collection.

sana may mag-regalo sa amin neto sa kasal

• At some point, THEY swapped hobbies for no reason at all. HE did cross-stitching. SHE did miniature painting.


• THEY frequent The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - Glorietta 2 for relaxed tambay moments. THEIR favorite - Pure Double Chocolate!


• Since becoming a couple, HE write daily happenings about THEM on a logbook. Yes, THEY refuse to call it a diary! 


• THEY did spelunking on three connecting caves in Sagada, Benguet. That's more than six hours of traveling underground. HE tricked HER into it.

several meters underground

• To celebrate an anniversary, THEY commuted to Tagaytay amidst a typhoon to have lunch and quality time over coffee. Then, went back to Manila on the same day!


• THEY have a collection of "Where's Wally?" books.


• THEIR first date was on Mister Kabab - West Avenue.