i am sooo married!

hi everyone!

it was a wonderful wedding. i still cannot believe it that it all happened. pictures and wedding kwentos to come soon! :)

have a merry christmas!

The Epistolas

not another nightmare!

today i woke up from a dream that was so vivid that i thought it was real. i tell you, these wedding jitters are starting to get to me now. the dream was terrible, and like the previous nightmare i mentioned a few months ago in this blog, it was one of frustration and hopelessness. i'm glad i finally woke up to realize that it wasn't at all true.

unlike my last nightmare, this time, though, i was wearing a gown. it was not made of piña but rather, it was fully beaded with gold sequins. the gown was short and it came only up to my knees with no train. i was not wearing any veil. the worst part though was that i was just wearing my bedroom slippers and for some reason, could not find my shoes. i was in full panic, that i kept running around in my gown!

in my wandering, i also noticed that my OTD coordinators were not present. i was especially looking for Jody, but to no avail. and with that, the reception program couldn't start. furthermore, it somehow dawned uon me that i was not able to make my bridal march. that was the worst part for me! :(

when i woke up, i just ran down to the breakfast table to tell my family about it. my mom just reassured me that probably, all things will be positive on the big day and that usually, it's the opposite that happens. i hope there's some truth to it.

-o0o-
my maternal grandparents, Lolo Nene and Lola Meter, just flew in from Cebu yesterday. we were afraid that they wouldn't be able to make it because of my lola's condition. (TRIVIA: she suffered a hip fracture last year. since then, she has not been in the best of spirits to go back and socialize.) i'm just happy because our family's complete and my grandparents are here to witness my marriage to Joseph.

-o0o-
four more days to go. we've finally worked out our guest list and even come up with a really organized system to assign our guests to specific tables. thanks to hubby, Joseph, and his cool database program. this helped us generate reports and categorize guests. one last major thing we need to tackle today is our music CD for our reception. i never realized it'd be so hard picking out songs.

tomorrow, we are back to see Father Dennis, our officiating priest, for more counselling. we've already accomplished the required seminars at Saint James, but he insists that we do another two rounds with him. we had our first session last Friday and it was very enlightening. he was very effective in explaining all these symbolism in the Gospel readings. we found it to be quite interesting. tomorrow's session will tackle on human sexuality. uy, more interesting, methinks! LOL! ;)

hopefully, by tuesday, we can finally relax. by this, i mean, no more running errands. all remains to be seen though. :P

i'm still alive!

it has been a pretty hectic week for Joseph and I as we had to attend to last-minute meetings with major suppliers. right now, we are in the process of zoning and grouping guests to organize our seating arrangements. i knew from the start that this was going to be a major headache, but there seems to be no other easy way around it.

-o0o-
we attended my cousin Kate's wedding last Saturday. for us, it was a little preview na rin as to what might happen on our big day. it was a good way for us to note what parts of the program might or might not work for us. needless to say, we learned a lot. :)

-o0o-
i got my wedding gown already from Veluz yesterday. everything was placed in one enormous box as i also got the other accessories na rin that came with Veluz' bridal package.

my gown is just lovely. sometimes, i still cannot believe that it's done already and i'd find myself taking a peek into the box once in a while. oh and i couldn't help also but take a photo of the hemline (with beads now) and the two pillows for the bearers.



as usual, sneak preview lang. you can view the rest of the photos here.

-o0o-
after our meeting with Anne Zablan of the Palms, we were able to get all the food items that we requested for the same price. here's our final menu. prepare to drool! :)

COLD ITEMS
Thai style siomai
Marinated and grilled vegetable medley
Tomato caprese
Angel hair pasta with smoked salmon
Pinzimonio with extra virgin olive oil dip

SALADS
Penne pasta tossed in macadamia nuts and baby shrimps
Assorted garden greens

SHOW COOKING
Caesar salad with smoked chicken breast

CONDIMENTS
Thousand island, French, Caesar, Balsalmic, Vinaigrette
Garlic croutons, chopped egg, bacon bits, roasted nuts and grated parmesan cheese

BREAD & ROLLS
Freshly baked selection served with butter

SOUP
Clam Chowder

CARVING
Herb crusted slow roasted beef strip loin with red wine shallot reduction

HOT DISHES
Chicken cordon bleu with mushroom gravy
Braised pork neck with tomato and garlic sauce
Snapper fillet "alla fiorentina"
Potato and mushroom gratin
Sauteed prawns with garlic and pepper
Olive oil sauteed spring vegetables with a sprinkle of parmesan
Emilia-Romagna style meat lasagna
Steamed rice

DESSERTS
Assorted fresh fruit platter
Panna cotta with cappucino sauce
Marble cheese cake
Tiramisu
Crepe Samurai
Ice cream station with toppings

yum! nagutom tuloy ako! :)

-o0o-
after sleepless nights of surfing on the net, we now have a place to stay after the wedding. it's a little apartelle and it's near our parents' house so it's very convenient for both of us. we will only be staying there for two weeks, until Joseph leaves for Oz in January.

I have yet to receive my spouse visa from the Australian Embassy. hopefully, by next week, we'll hear from them na. i need the papers so i can avail of the first-time immigrant free additional baggage allowance of 20 kilos.

-o0o-
only 8 days left til the wedding. we are keen on finishing all the details this week so that next week medyo relaxed na. i wish! :P

Lucky Number Nine

prenup picture by Fotogra.ph

yes, we are in the papers! :)

as part of the w@w community, we get the chance to announce our wedding in the Manila Bulletin free of charge. we were lucky to get picked and be included in their About Weddings issue for the month of December.

i was hesitant at first to submit our picture. but what the heck! you only get married once in your life to the person who matters most to you and it's a rarity that you'll see your face in the papers (unless you're the president or a fugitive). it was a chance i just couldn't miss.

-o0o-
i was watching The Oprah Show the other night and saw Josh Groban singing to Oprah's bestfriend Gail. i am not really a Josh Groban fan at heart, but when i listened closely to the lyrics, the song just captured my heart. it was so beautiful. thanks to Ann who sent me the mp3 version. :)

When You Say You Love Me
by Josh Groban

Like the sound of silence calling,
I hear your voice and suddenly
I'm falling, lost in a dream.
Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,
You say those words and my heart stops beating.
I wonder what it means.
What could it be that comes over me?
At times I can't move.
At times I can hardly breath.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment, there's no one else alive

You're the one I've always thought of.
I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in your love.
You're where I belong.
And when you're with me if I close my eyes,
There are times I swear I feel like I can fly
For a moment in time.
Somewhere between the Heavens and Earth ,
And frozen in time, Oh when you say those words.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment, there's no one else alive

[bridge:]
And this journey that we're on.
How far we've come and I celebrate every moment.
And when you say you love me,
That's all you have to say.
I'll always feel this way.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
In that moment,I know why I'm alive

When you say you love me.
When you say you love me.
Do you know how I love you?

This is where I was...

Ten years ago, i was in my third year in college, trying to survive all those major subjects in Gross Anatomy, Physiology, Histology and Neuroanatomy. It was also my first time to go on a blind date that my friends had set me up. :)

Five years ago, i was just new at my first job as an Occupational Therapist. What you do in the clinic is not exactly what they taught us in college and i was still trying to feel my way. i think, groping is a more appropriate word. It was also at this time that I met my first OT volunteer, Vanessa, who has been a good friend since then.

Today is my first day of no work. I resigned effective yesterday. after waking up this morning, i signed some papers for my insurance policy. Later, i'm going to the bank to do some transactions, pay some bills, and then visit my in-laws to deliver their barongs. maybe i'll check out some scents that a few w@wies have suggested that i wear on our wedding day. i'll probably drop by the salon too if i can manage it.

Tomorrow, i'll be meeting with Joseph's good friend, Ruel, to hand him their barongs. The rest of my day is practically free so i'd just probably be online then. :)

simple living for me! :)

*I read this in Theresa's blog. If you're reading this, i tag YOU! :)

wedding updates

December na pala and the BIG day is drawing near! as part of tradition, here is our final leg of wedding updates.

Church: Parish of Saint James the Great
Fully paid.
Will be upgrading to avail airconditioning.*
Officiating Priest - we're having a kababata of my brother-in-law celebrate the mass for us. fortunately, he came home last September from Sydney and will be here 'til after the New Year. He will be calling the parish priest of St. James to determine the requirements that is asked of him.
Clearance from Chancery - done
Canonical Interview - done
Marriage Banns - will be picking up my banns from our parish on the 7th.
Pre-Cana - done
Document Requirements - submitted all except my marriage bann

Reception: The Palms Country Club
Confirmed reservations.
Paid 50% downpayment last September.
Food tasting - done.
Menu has been approved at the same price that we wanted.
To review booking confirmation with Jody of Events Experts and Anne of The Palms next week.
Balance of total bill to be paid 10 days before the event.

Other Documents
Marriage License: done
Family Planning seminar: done
Birth certificate for marriage purposes: done
Confirmation certificate for marriage purposes: done
Cenomar: done
CNI: done
Marriage Certificate: have already copies of our marriage certificate from NSO.

Photo: Karmina Abesamis Photography
Paid booking fee (25%).
Prenup pictorials - done
Paid second installment of 50% of total package last week. Have scheduled preproduction meeting scheduled on the 8th of December.

Videographer: Imagineer Digital
paid Frank booking fee of 20%.
Pre-production meeting on the 9th of December.

Bridal Gown and Barong and Pants for the Groom: Veluz Reyes
gown embroidery c/o Ate Beth de Leon - done.
had my final fitting last October 30 and paid third installment (25%). was able to fit my shoes too. perfect!
for pick-up on the 4th, but still need to confirm with Niko. Pay balance on the day of pick up.
Pants and Barong for the groom - done

Veil: Veluz Reyes
part of the bridal package

Shoes: Seeds
Shoe design agreed on
tried them on already and found them to be really comfy!

Hair accessories: bought some U-pins from divisoria.
Veluz will also give me a hairpiece, as their gift to all their w@wie clients. hairpiece is by Niko.

Cord and Pillows: part of bridal package

Secondary Veil and Garter: part of bridal package

Wedding arrhae: c/o Joseph
we will be using Australian coins for this. Joseph will be bringing them in when he comes back in December.

Female Entourage Gowns: Ate Emma
Gown fittings done, except for 3 bridesmaids. will be back on the 7th to pick up the gowns and pay balance.

Male Entourage Barongs: c/o male entourage members :)
They will all be wearing Piña Barong. We bought cloth though for the 2 little boys' Barong from LCM in Divisoria. their barongs were delivered to me yesterday. Beautiful!

Ento flowers: Flora@eleven_01
Reservation paid (20%)
pre-wedding meeting set next week to finalize the flowers.
Pay in full 2 weeks before the wedding date

Church Decor: Mother Butler Guild
fully paid.
have confirmed time and date of ceremony.

Cake: selected design already
part of wedding package of the PCC

Flutes for wine toasting and Cake Server Set
The PCC will probably provide, need to speak with them. If not, will bring our own.

Ceremony Music: String Minstrels
50% paid, balance remaining to be paid a week before.
Submitted song list last month.

Wedding Rings
Bought rings from Karat World.
Had rings engraved at Rustan's Makati last month.

Invitations: QP Designs
Done printing, have addressed 80%.
All invitations have been distributed.

Missalette: DIY
Done, approved already by the church.
Already photocopied and binded last week. To submit 6 copies to St James next week.

Guestbook: included in the wedding package by the PCC

Guestbook pens: included in PCC package

HMU: Anne Castaño/Tess of Tropicana
Paid Anne in full. Anne will be doing my make up.
Miss Tess will be doing our moms', my MOH and our BMs HMU. Paid her already the booking fee.

OTD Coordinator: Events Experts
Paid 50% booking fee last January.
met with Jody Liwanag last September for turn-over of contracts and discussion of program and other details.
still need to finalize on the program and other details of the event. will meet with Jody on the 8th of December.

Accomodations: Bellevue Hotel
I am glad this is okay na as we originally had a dilemma with their check-in time. all it took was Joseph emailing them about an early check-in and the reservations supervisor personally guaranteed us that we can check in at 10 am. :)

Gifts for the principal sponsors: Paintings c/o Joseph's brother
We have already chosen the theme, colors and strokes that we want.

Souvenirs/Give-aways for the guests: bought souvenirs in Divisoria already. will be wrapping them soon. (c/o my twin sisters)

Honeymoon: Australia
Have already booked our tickets. we couldn't get tickets so that we can go back together. Joseph will be leaving on the 7th of January. i follow suit on the 28th. gives me time to pack my stuff. good thing my travel agent was able to book me on a flight which allowed me to have an additional 20-kilo baggage allowance since i'm a first time immigrant. yipee! :)

ano pa ba?