Practical Pinay Bride

Pen and Ink Stationery Studio

2009-12-03T21:09:00.005+08:00

Notecards and notepads perfect for gifts and for personal use. If you're interested to order, contact Pen and Ink Stationery Studio at 0917-8735583 or penandink2008@gmail.com. Pen and Ink can also customize designs for you and your girlfriends! Order now!

My Wedding Day Post, Part 3

2009-06-19T11:47:00.020+08:00

We held our dinner reception at Sonya's Garden. Love the place, love the food. Look how beautiful the place is! No need for production design at all!

My girls - Nina, Sam, Sofia and Alyssa

Old world charm

My (other) best friend, Sofia

We had a photo booth and guests were asked to leave a copy of their photo together with their messages for us.

All photos by Terry Uy

Reception teaser

2009-06-18T17:56:00.002+08:00

My Wedding Day Post, Part 2

2009-06-18T16:48:00.018+08:00

The ceremony was held at the lovely Chapel on the Hill. We were able to keep it brief and solemn.

I wanted the flower arrangements to be simple and understated

My best friend :)

Happiness!

My Mom-in-Law

My Dad-in-Law

My Brother-in-law

My Mom and my brother walked me down the aisle.

My new family

Check out the crucifix on the altar - it's off center. Perfect for pictures!

My VVVIP's: Lolo and Mama (my paternal grandparents)

Just married!

All photos by Terry Uy

My Wedding Day Post, Part 1

2009-06-18T15:39:00.017+08:00

Contrary to what I've witnessed in other weddings, my wedding day was relaxed and easy going. The wedding was at 5pm but we were done with hair amd makeup and photo op by 3:30. And the best part, I was able to eat full meals during breakfast and lunch!

The no makeup makeup. Cool! Thanks to my hair and makeup team, Renan and Dens (google The Makeup Den to find their multiply site)

My beautiful bouquet by Ridge Blooms. They're very good. I highly recommend them!

My Maid of Honor - my eldest sister, Concep.

My bridesmaids/flower girls - my baby sisters, Petite and Bubbles

My brother, Jamie

My yaya (nanny) who has been taking care of me since I was 5 months old (young)!

My dress is by Ferdi Abuel. I've no words to describe how beautiful it is and how happy I am! Thank you my dear Ferdi!

My beautiful family. I MISS YOU!!!

My Mommy :)

My 3rd bridesmaid/flower girl - my baby sister, Nina

All photos are by Terry Uy. (Thanks Terry! I love all the photos!)

And I'm Back in the Game!

2009-06-05T20:10:00.002+08:00

There can only be one good reason/excuse for my long absence. ;)

And I'm back with so much to share! I'll be writing about everything from the good and bad side of DIYs to how to get each item in the long list of requirements for a Catholic wedding in the Philippines!

See you around!

The Bride Was Beautiful

2009-05-02T19:22:00.009+08:00

I've been stressing myself out lately on wedding preparations and work. I was about to go bonkers until I stumbled upon this story.

Katie Kirkpatrick, 21, held off cancer to celebrate the happiest day of her life. Katie had chased away cancer once, only to have it return - to clog her lungs and grab hold of her heart. Breathing was difficult now, she had to use oxygen. The pain in her back was so intense it broke through the morphine that was supposed to act as a shield. Her organs were shutting down but it would not stop her from marrying Nick Godwin, 23, who was in love with Katie since 11th grade. Five days later, Katie died. --- Romain Blanquart
Photo essay from: http://www.romainblanquart.com/Roro/Bride_0.html

The Wedding Boutique

2009-04-14T09:36:00.005+08:00

One of my favorite websites of all time is http://www.net-a-porter.com/

I recently learned about their Wedding Boutique. It's beautiful! The selections are not as wide as the ones in wedding websites (like brides.com, The Knot, Martha Stewart, etc.) but every item is drool-worthy. Definitely for the stylish, non-traditional bride. Aside from the gorgeousVivienne Westwood dress on the "store window", here are a few more picks I've gathered.

Balmain! I dream of Balmain

Delicious details of the Balmain dress

This is for the "astig" bride. ;)

Dixon silk skirt by Chris Benz

Corsage embellished gown by

Roksanda Ilincic

What I like best about the Wedding Boutique is the fact that the dress on their cover webpage is in the same silhouette and length as my wedding dress. I've been getting criticisms about my dress and seeing the webpage of the Wedding Boutique made me feel a lot better. :)

Nice, Easy, Fuss-Free

2009-04-10T15:53:00.008+08:00

While most brides want their weddings to be a show, I want ours to be nice, easy and fuss-free. I totally respect extravagant, full-production weddings. But my exposure to big parties and events (from my job) made me sick and tired of big parties. And in the world of weddings, it all boils down to priorities. And our priorities are to get married and to build our new home at the same time.

I want to wear a short dress. One that will allow me to run around and dance around. I've seen a lot of brides nailed down by their heavy gowns. I can't let that happen. I'm the host of the party (well one of the 2 hosts) and I need to be able to entertain our guests well.

I want my hair and makeup to be simple. I want to look like me, only better.

We're not getting a coordinator. I have more siblings than the fingers on my hands. We're working out everything with them.

No secondary sposors, no flower girls and ring bearers. Just the best man who will carry the ring and the maid of honor and bridesmaids who will be helping us with everything.

When we started planning our wedding, my fiancé and I decided we both want a simple wedding. I said it's like we'll hear mass with all our loved ones, then we'll treat them all to dinner in our favorite restaurant - but we're all dressed to the nines. :)

We're only inviting family and our closest friends.
At the end of the day, it's not about your dream dress or your dream videographer and photographer. It's about 2 people living their dream and sharing it with the most important people in their lives.

All photos from the wedding of Nancy and Adam as featured in The Bride's Cafe, and shot by Bloom Photography.

Decadence

2009-04-10T15:35:00.012+08:00

No I'm not blogging about cakes. Dresses can be decadent too! If you like these details...

...you'll fall in love with this collection...

Log on to http://www.catherinedeane.com/ to learn more about this collection and the designer.

My Dream Wedding Reception Venue

2009-04-08T09:18:00.011+08:00

If we had all the resources in the world (by resources I mean money, time and energy), I would love to have our wedding reception in my grandparents' house. Instead of bringing in a caterer, I will have my aunts and cousins bring in their respective specialty dishes and desserts. It will be a whole day fiesta - just like how we hold parties in my grandparents' house.

I'm in love with wedding receptions that feel like, or are actually hosted in the home of the bride's family.

Wedding of Ana and Kevin as featured in Style Me Pretty, shot by Docuvitae

Wedding of Angie and Brett as featured in Style Me Pretty, shot by Meg Perotti

The following photos are from the wedding of Kacie and Brandon, as featured in Snippet and Ink, shot by Lisa Dick.

Pardon the cliché but really, there's no place like home.

Bright Idea

2009-04-07T15:31:00.005+08:00

Snippet and Ink featured this wedding last year that showed how bright ideas can: save you time, money and energy, and how something people would ignore can turn into the center of attention.

April and Mitch's wedding took place in the winery of April's family. Part of the winery was under construction when they were planning the wedding. They made do with what was accomplished when the day of the wedding came. An unfinished wall was converted into a gorgeous backdrop by trimming wooden frames with inexpensive materials like old jars, votives and some greens.

All photos from Snippet and Ink, shot by Mulberry Photography

It's details like these that make your wedding unique and special.

Sealed With A Kiss

2009-04-07T14:01:00.004+08:00

I've been knacking my brains trying to find a way how to put the addressees' names on our invitations. And then I saw this invitation/envelope which I've previously blogged about.

Then I had to find a way to do this baroque-way, since our invitations are baroque-inspired. Look what I found in The Fussy Designer (http://thefussydesigner.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/black-damask-envelope-wraps/)

A template for black damask envelope wraps. Woohoo! Thank you Fussy Designer!

Whimsical

2009-04-02T08:46:00.002+08:00

THIS dress is for the whimsical bride. And you have to be shot this way too. Teehee!

Dress by threeASFOUR.

Origami

2009-04-02T08:11:00.003+08:00

Origami is one of the biggest trends for Spring-Summer 2009. I had to do a little research for my Creative Director on origami yesterday. Look what I stumbled upon.

I had the privilege of meeting Inno Sotto through work. During one meeting, we talked about how brides are so tied down on the off-shoulder silhouette. I totally agree with him. Here's something that can make your dress more exciting.

Dresses by SteveJ & YoniP. Photos from forwardforward.com.

For The Beach Bride

2009-04-02T07:59:00.004+08:00

I find it interesting to be a beach bride but I'm really not a beach bride. So I'll just help you beach brides find ideas once in a while. Here's one. I don't know what this detail is exactly but it's gorgeous! It's light and easy enough to be worn at the beach but stunning enough to make a statement. Love it!

This top is by SteveJ & YoniP. Photos from forwardforward.com

Frothy

2009-03-31T09:58:00.003+08:00

Somebody had fun making petticoats. They're a lovely and fun detail you can have in your wedding dress. Warning: if you're a little heavy on the bottom, go easy on the petticoat. ;)

Photo by Tara Whittaker as featured in http://www.thebridescafe.com/

Calligraphy

2009-03-31T09:22:00.002+08:00

I fell in love with calligraphy in college. I must've taken up at least 12 units of it in art school. I handwrote my invitations for my 18th birthday. I had black ink on my fingers all the time - just like Wynona Ryder in Little Women. Now I'm excited to do the calligraphy of our wedding invites. I found this in Hello Handmade and iloveit!!!

Grow Old With You

2009-03-31T08:56:00.007+08:00

It's time to go mushy.

My grandparents are my couple-role-model. They've been married for almost 59 years and they are a picture of a simple, happy couple. My Lolo (Filipino for grandfather) once said, every night when he prays, he prays for my grandmother first, before everybody else. They're the best and I love them dearly.

This wedding invitation by SeeSaw Designs (http://seesawdesigns.blogspot.com/) reminds me of my grandparents.

This is indeed the cutest, most heart-warming wedding invitation I've ever seen. ;)

Graphics For Your Wedding Invitations

2009-03-31T08:35:00.006+08:00

Here's a refreshing take on wedding invitations. If you're intending a less formal wedding, this would be a perfect invitation. It can instantly give your guests an idea that you'll have a nice, fun and sweat-free wedding.

I found this invite in Erin Jang's site of design and illustration. Erin Jang is a NY-based graphic artist.
http://theindigobunting.blogspot.com/2009/03/cathy-and-noah_23.html

Can Your Bridesmaids Re-use Their Dresses?

2009-03-31T08:25:00.003+08:00

I want my bridesmaids to be happy and comfortable with their dresses. And being a practical bride, I want them to be able to wear their dresses even after my wedding. I'll post photos of their dresses in the future but for now, here's an example of bridesmaids' dresses you can recycle.

This photo is from the wedding of Annemie and Mitch as featured in http://www.oncewed.com/. This photo has a cute history. :)

"The bridal party prepared for the big day at the Beauclair Guest House in Stellenbosch. One of the funniest moments getting ready was when the photographer asked the three bridesmaids to pose for a picture perching on the edge of the ball-and-claw bathtub - just as the girls got comfortable, the bath started tipping over, causing shouts of panic and lots of giggles! "

--News Flash--

2009-03-25T09:36:00.002+08:00

Ok, I should be working at this point but I just need to share this. Reading lifestyle blogs is part of my job so I read chuvaness everyday. She has an entry about the 33rd HongKong International Film Festival and she posted this photo. Jackie Chan is the only person I recognize in this photo but it's the dress of this lady (must be an actress) that caught my eye. Isn't her dress beautiful?!

Hope we can find out more about this dress and the designer. Not that I can pull off this dress. Haha!

Bridesmaids

2009-03-25T09:01:00.005+08:00

My three younger sisters will be my bridesmaids and this is how I envision them. Froufrou skirts, froufrou hairbands, dreamy eyeshadows.

If these dresses made you drool, log on to http://www.marialuciahohan.com/

Miss Chelsea

2009-03-25T08:22:00.015+08:00

I've been fancying wearing a short veil to the wedding ceremony and a vintage hairpiece for the reception.

I research online for references on hairpieces. I'll make a set for myself, my maid of honor and my bridesmaids. Lately I've been zeroing in on this collection by ohmydeerhandmades.

Miss Doris

Miss Erma

Miss Florence

Miss Gwen

Miss June

Miss Lola

Miss Lula Rose

Miss Margo

Miss Marilyn

Miss Nanette

Miss Nina Lee

Miss Rosalie

Miss Viola

Miss Wanda

Miss Yvette

I started this blog because as a bride-to-be, I learn the most from blogging brides. http://ohmydeerhandmades.blogspot.com/ is one of those brides who inspire me. I hope I'm able to give back to my sources of inspiration by sounding off inspiration to other brides as well.

The Bride Is In The Details

2009-03-24T17:44:00.003+08:00

I love this photo. All the elements contribute to the beauty of the photo - the pose of the model, lighting, background, cropping. And most importantly, the dress has such decadent details.

Photo from http://www.katetowers.com/

Looking Through The Eyes Of Brides

2009-03-21T01:10:00.003+08:00

Is it just me or do all brides see every beautiful dress as a potential wedding dress? And it doesn't end there-the rest of the pieces from that collection can be part of the entourage. You can't just get enough!

This is one of my Brides

And this is the Maid of Honor

And the Bridesmaid

All images from www.lovenia.com

Teehee! This is fun!

Do I Have To Wear Satin Shoes To My Wedding?

2009-03-21T00:43:00.011+08:00

Maybe not. Your shoes can greatly tell what kind of bride you are. What kind of bride are you?

You can DIY the bows and put them on plain peep-toes. Shoes by J. Crew, image from http://kenziekate.blogspot.com/

Printed matter. Shoes by J. Crew, image from http://kenziekate.blogspot.com/

I heart you! Shoes by Alexander McQueen, photo from www.notcot.org

For the beach bride. Thongs by Stella McCartney, image from www.net-a-porter.com

Froufrou! Aren't these Louboutins lovely?! Image from www.net-a-porter.com

Style = comfort. Stella Luna flats

Deadly deadly weapons! Stella Luna

I'm in love! Shoes by Omelle

The Effortlessly Beautiful Bride

2009-03-21T00:10:00.003+08:00

A woman looks more beautiful when she's comfortable in what she's wearing. What's even bettter is when she looks like she didn't put so much effort on how she looks.

That's how I want to be on my wedding day. I don't want to look like I was totally transformed into another person. No curly hair, no heavy makeup, no 50-lbs. dress that will hold every move I make. Just nice, easy and fabulous!

photo from www.lovenia.com

What Makes A Wedding Intimate

2009-03-17T22:23:00.009+08:00

One of the discussion threads we had in W@W asked us to define an intimate wedding. For an average Filipino family, having 200 guests IS intimate!

What makes a wedding intimate? Here's my take:

1. Primarily and technically, it's about the number of guests. A wedding with
50 guests (or even less!) is what you can call intimate. In our culture where we have huge
families, you can consider 100 guests intimate (read: impossible!).

2. The look and feel of the wedding. Having your wedding ceremony and
reception in a place where you commonly have family gatherings will give your
affair an intimate feel. This place can be your family's ancestral home or a
hotel or restaurant where your family would usually go for birthdays and
anniversaries.

3. Lastly, for me, the intimacy of the wedding greatly depends on how closely
the couple can interact with their guests during the party.

For our wedding, we are skipping all pictorials. The more time you allocate
for pictorials, the less chance you get to entertain your guests. My brief for
my photographer: capture images of emotions and connections and people. I
don’t want you art directing us the whole time. Just let things happen
naturally and let us enjoy our wedding and our guests.

We are also avoiding the big trend of having a grand entrance at the
reception and proceeding to the first dance. Instead, my fiancé and I, together with
our parents, will be at the entrance of the dinner hall to personally receive the
guests.

We won't have our own table at the reception - the one that separates the
couple from all the guests. I'm referring to the elevated table for the couple
that caterers/restaurants/hotels usually set-up. Para kayong nasa altar! Di ko talaga yun feel. My fiancé' and I want to sit with our family and friends.

What do you think?

Michelle and Oshine as featured in snippet and ink, Aregrayline Photography

Just the 2 of us: Their only guests were the photographers. Donna and Kevin as featured in snippet and ink

Amanda and Matt as featured in snippet and ink. Photo by Jessica Johnston

Hair and Makeup for the Recessionista Bride

2009-03-17T11:03:00.007+08:00

It's wonderful to find suppliers who genuinely understand brides. My makeup artist is one of those suppliers. What do I love about her - I'm at my most beautiful in her makeup. I look like myself, only better. She doesn't change me into her own definition of beautiful. And the best part, I can dance around, drink up and stay up late and my makeup still looks fresh and fabulous. I don't retouch when I'm wearing her makeup.

My job allows me to be made up by the different makeup artists. From all the looks I've had, my fiance picked the makeup/look he likes best. That's how I decided on who to get for my wedding makeup. :) Pretty cool.

Now I have great news for recessionista brides. The Makeup Den offers makeup for bride plus 2 for only P9,000! Check out other offerings below. Click on the link to learn more about The Makeup Den.

The Makeup Den uses products from MAC, Shu Uemura, Chanel, Krayolan, Dior, Makeup Forever, Lancome and Prestige for eyeliners.

http://makeupden.multiply.com/

Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines - March 2009

2009-03-16T09:45:00.002+08:00

Finally!

Do we really have to wait for 6 months for every issue of Martha? I'm supposed to get a free copy of this from the office. But I can't wait any longer so I bought my own copy. It's worth every penny. I found some ideas I can apply in my own wedding. I'll blog about them separately. Get your own copy now!

How Far Can Your Color Motif Go?

2009-03-13T08:45:00.007+08:00

Our initial peg for our color motif was the interiors of Stella Luna in Rockwell. We fell in love with the deep hue of plum combined with silver. But like any bride (or should I say woman?), my mind kept on changing. I couldn't pinpoint the exact shade of plum/aubergine that I wanted. I also realized plum would look well with gold too. I also didn't want my entourage to look like the cast of Barney. I wanted to stay away from the tradition of having your entourage look like they're wearing a uniform. Every person in your entourage has a distinct personality. You should let her wear something she'd feel good with.

Then one magical day (yeah that's really how it seemed to me: magical!), I saw these color palettes in Perfect Bound (http://perfectbound.blogspot.com/2009/02/reem-acra-fall-2009.html). So I emailed my designer:

Is it possible to have a color scheme this wide and this rich?! Sigh… Ignore me. I’m just dreaming. ;)

Color palettes from http://perfectbound.blogspot.com/

He didn't ignore me! Watch for my post on the dresses of my entourage. ;)

Do You Really Have to Spend on Event Styling for Your Wedding?

2009-03-11T08:53:00.005+08:00

The answer is NO! I think the most practical move we made for our wedding is to pick a reception venue that, aside from offering a very friendly package, is so beautiful you won’t need an event stylist/production designer. (With all due respect to event stylists/production designers. I'm an artist myself, and a marketing professional. But for now, I'm speaking from the perspective of a bride on a budget. Peace!)

From the moment I heard about Sonya’s Garden in early 2000, I’ve grown curious and interested about it. The moment I set foot on it, I fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve gone there a number of times with my fiancé and my family. What made it even more beautiful for me is that all my memories of the place are memories of the most important people in my life.

Wedding Photography

2009-03-05T20:18:00.003+08:00

This, for me, is the ultimate wedding photograph. Beautiful, candid, heart-felt.

DIY Queen

2009-03-02T09:25:00.005+08:00

I've been DIY-ing cards, stationery, toys, gifts, clothes from the moment I can hold a crayon. As a bride-to-be, I'm now on my biggest DIY project (to date)! Having Martha Stewart Weddings in the Philippines is one of the best things that happened in my wedding preps. And now they're holding a bridal fair!

March 28 - 29, 2009 at the World Trade Center, Tent Pavillion. Register at www.summitmedia.com.ph/mswbridalfair

To my W@W sisters, another great thing that wedding preps brought me, see you at Martha's!

Low-Budget Flowers

2009-03-02T07:49:00.006+08:00

I’ve always read in wedding magazines and websites/blogs that engaged couples should set their priorities for the wedding. Our top 3 priorities do not include flowers. We’ve decided to keep flowers simple and reasonable. We’ll only need flowers for the church/ceremony. For the reception, we picked a venue that wouldn’t require production design/event styling (this would be another blog entry).

I discovered from different wedding sites that baby’s breath is the best option for simple and reasonably-priced floral arrangements. Ok, they’re not just reasonably-priced, they’re cheap! A bundle of these costs P60 in Dangwa. Imagine how low you can go if you buy in bulk!

from The Bride's Cafe, photographed by Leigh Miller

But for my bouquet, I’ll have hydrangeas decked in feathers! I got the feather inspiration from Martha Stewart Weddings. As for the hydrangeas, I’ve always been a fan of hydrangeas and they’ve always reminded me of Tagaytay. I was delighted when my [wedding dress] designer recommended that hydrangeas would go very well with my dress. The paper-cut-out texture will compliment the texture of my skirt (again, this will be another blog entry).

Photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

Photo from http://perfectbound.blogspot.com/

Lovely!

I Want to Wear Cocktail Rings to My Wedding

2009-02-24T17:39:00.009+08:00

I’m in love with cocktail rings and they’ve become one of my favorite accessories for the past 3 or 4 years. I’m definitely wearing 2 to my wedding.

Photo from Vogue Sept. 2007

Love J Crew!

J Crew

Christopher Baker rings

Photo from net-a-porter

Photo from net-a-porter

Photo from net-a-porter

"Have a cocktail!"

Low-Budget Wedding Cake

2009-02-20T08:59:00.011+08:00

In 2004, I organnized my cousin's wedding. I got the shock of my life when we found out their wedding cake cost P40,000!!! The cake was made by one of the top/most popular pastry chefs in teh country. It was a 3-tiered fondant, carrot cake trimmed with real roses. Like many of the wedding cakes I've encountered, only the bottom layer was edible. I told myself then that when my turn comes, there's no way I'll be spending P40,000 on a cake that isn't entirely edible.

So now my turn comes and it's time to look for a wedding cake. I'm actually not a wedding cake fan. I love dessert buffets! I'm a sweet tooth and so is my fiance. We want to be able to serve good dessert without breaking the bank. We listed down our favorite cakes. We will buy 1 or 2 of each cake and serve them in a cake buffet. Fabulous! And yummy!

The cost of the cakes ranges from P600 to P1,5000 each. We have a budget of P10,000 to P15,000. Here's my initial list:

Estrel's Caramel Cake

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes from Dasmarinas Village, Mkti (photo from ourawesomeplanet)

Langka (Jackfruit) Sans Rival from M Cafe (photo from clickthecity)

Crepe Millefoglie from Pepato (no photo available)

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cheesecake from Chelsea/M Cafe (photo from Inquirer.net)

Straberry Shortcake by Mrs. Yulo (both photos from chuvaness)

Mango Bravo from Conti's

Choco Overloar from Contis (photo from ourawesomeplanet.com)

DIY Save-the-date Stationery

2009-02-20T08:53:00.003+08:00

I made it! Finally!

I’ve been working on our save-the-date stationery for a while now. I wanted it to be perfect because all our stationery will be based on it. I wanted to have a baroque design that incorporates our monogram. I also wanted it to be straightforward and simple. The final touch was our names in handwritten font. I love handwritten fonts!

I Told My Fiancé Not To Give Me An Engagement Ring

2009-02-05T18:40:00.000+08:00

In May 14, 2007, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We have been talking about getting married for quite some time [then] and on that evening we made the decision to get married. He started talking about setting the date, how much money he had and where we would be settling down.

And just like that, I told myself, this is it! We’re seriously deciding to tie the knot, to settle down. There was no ring, no kneeling down on one knee to propose, no drama. Just like what Carrie Bradshaw said, it was just 2 adults deciding to spend the rest of their lives together.

I’ve always told him he need not get me a ring when he proposes—we’ve been together forever and I was sure he’d propose at one point. Up to that night of our 8th anniversary and after that, I’d still tell him the same thing. I’m not a big fan of bling, I didn’t need a ring to be assured of his commitment and most importantly, I didn’t want to worry and bother him with such a big expense! He offered to shoulder all the expenses—the wedding and the renovation of the house [owned by his family] that we were moving in to.

We’ve informed family and friends, we’ve booked the church and reception venue—a year and seven months have passed. Some people were looking for THE ring. I explained to them what I told my fiancé. My guy friends LOVED me! They said every girl should be like me. Hahaha! I got mixed reactions from girls. Some said, “he HAS to get you a ring.” While some [the ones closest to me] totally admired what I did and told me I’m marrying such a wonderful person, who needs a ring.

On January 1, 2009, 4 months before our wedding, I turned 30. He took me to Lolo Dad’s for a nice dinner—may I say it wasn’t just nice, it was divine! While waiting for the appetizer,

Dondon: Let’s go out and hang out in the patio while waiting for appetizer.
Ichi: I want to stay here [inside]. (I was pretty sure he wanted to smoke) You can smoke when we have dessert. Let’s just stay here for now.

Appetizers were served, then the main course. It was time for dessert.

Dondon: Can we go to the patio now? Let’s finish our wine there and come back in for dessert and coffee.
Ichi: Cool! Let’s go!

As soon as we sat down [at the patio], he handed me out a giftbag and greeted me a happy birthday. I opened the gift and inside was a box of Samsung mobile phone. The phone was exactly like his.

Dondon: I know your phone’s busted so I decided to get you a new phone. And it’s exactly like mine!
Ichi: Wow! Thank you! (Thought balloon: A phone? For my 30th birthday? He already gave me a phone before. What’s so special about this?!)

I opened the box with little enthusiasm but lo and behold, there was no phone inside the Samsung box. There was a tiny red box! I shrieked at the sight of the box! I opened it with all excitement, and there it was, the most beautiful diamond ring in the world!

Again, just like on the night of our 8th anniversary, there was no cheesy proposal or kneeling down. He just reaffirmed his commitment of loving and taking care of me for the rest of my life.

Lessons About Marriage

2008-10-30T18:33:00.002+08:00

As brides, we get overwhelmed and preoccupied with wedding preparations. Let's keep in mind that more than the wedding, it's the marriage we have to prepare ourselves for. Here's a good read I wish to share with all brides. It was written by Conchita Razon for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

LESSONS FROM MY MARRIAGE
By Conchita Razon

Raise your glasses and drink a toast to all thecourageous souls who bravely step out and defy the sad and coldstatistics of marriages that burn up or burn out. God bless them. Onthe verge of a dark and uncertain future, they hold their lights upand dare to believe in forever.In the US, the figures are staggering.. Roughly 50 percent ofmarriages end in divorce. Of these, a good 59 percent are couples whohave lived in, before marriage.And yet, I read somewhere that mostwomen dream of, at least once in their lifetimes, walking down theaisle "all dressed in white."

Are we giving more thought to the wedding and less to the marriage?

It takes courage to say "I do." Samuel Johnson said it well:"Marriageis the triumph of hope over experience."Asked to impart some words (of wisdom?) to hopeful couples, I can onlycall on my own battle scars and bruises. After two attempts at"happily ever after," these are some of the lessons I have learned.

I would not try to win every argument. There are no prizes after all.Being right is not really important. Issues do not get resolved if oneparty retreats into a corner.

I would bite my tongue and not let my anger speak out. Words have away of slipping out, doing irreparable damage and there's no way totake them back. Wit and sarcasm are first cousins. When let loose theycreate mortal wounds.

Learn to talk to one another. Learn to whisper. It brings you close.

Pray together. Let the third party in your marriage be no one else but God.

There is no wrong time to apologize. Hang your pride on the door post.It isn't true that love means never having to say you're sorry. Iwould not miss the sweet tender moments of making up, no matter thatthe pillow is still soaked with your tears.

I would be patient. Two pieces of wood, rubbed thoughtfully oneagainst the other, will produce a spark. And then, with a gentlebreath, it bursts into flame. In this day of instant and cybereverything, it is important not to expect love to blaze with a click.

You work at a marriage. There are no shortcuts. There are bumps on theroad. That's no reason to get out of the car. You learn to travel overthem, around them, if necessary take another route, but alwaystogether.

Tell each other secrets. Build on your trust for one another.

Love is important, but respect is even more so.

Share your dreams. Make plans. Help one another achieve your goals.In spite of a far from commendable track record, I would not give upon love. I would still love with all of me. I know no other way.

They say that a successful marriage begins when we marry the one welove… and blossoms when we love the one we marry. The secret is tofall in love, over and over again, with the same person.Pity. One learns that sometimes a little too late.

Remember: It is not important to think alike, but you must thinktogether. It is not so much the dance, but that you move together tothe same music.

Make a million memories.

Take it from me. When the sun starts setting, when friends are few andnights are long, those precious memories will keep you company. Theywill be your warm blanket on a cold and lonely night. No one andnothing can take them away from you. They are yours always.

Only then will you know that you have found forever.

Your Best-Dressed Moment

2008-10-03T07:26:00.014+08:00

My fiancé and I decided to get married on the celebration of our 8th anniversary. I’ve been thinking about my wedding gown since that evening. Sixteen months later, I still haven’t made my final decision for my wedding dress yet. This entry is a warning to all single women: IT’S SOOOOOOOO HARD TO DECIDE ON YOUR WEDDING DRESS! You won't believe it. I thought it was going to be simple because I knew what I want.

I had the following considerations for my wedding gown:
1. There’s no way I’m going to wear a strapless dress/gown because that’s what most brides wear! (I got the chance to meet Inno Sotto at work. He once said the Pinay brides always want the strapless silhouette and he wishes Pinays would explore other silhouttes. There are so many silhouettes that are more interesting and flattering than the strapless dress. I totally agree!)
2. I want a silhouette that will compliment my tall, pear-shape physique.
3. I want to be able to dance and run around in my wedding gown.
4. I want to be able to wear flats when my feet grow tired.

Let me just say, looking for the perfect dress was harder than looking for Mr. Right! Whew!

Initially, my idea was to order from Ferdi Abuel a white (or cream or ecru…whatever light shade we’ll end up with) version of this beautiful dress he made for me. I wore it to the Monique Lhuillier benefit gala here in Manila on November 2006. It’s a jersey dress that you can wear in so many ways—haltered, one-shoulder, strapless, V-neck, it’s all up to your styling.

Multi-way jersey gown by Ferdi Abuel. To order, call Ferdi at 0917-8288845

This dress perfectly meets my criteria. And it would only cost me about P10,000 – P12,000! This is my best fashion purchase ever. If you want to order, call Ferdi at 0917-8288845. (NOTE: my price reference was from 2006) It’s so beautiful I’ve already worn this to 2 parties and I’m going to wear it to 3 more. You see these 5 events are with different circles—1 from work, 1 with my Mom’s side of the family and 3 with different sets of friends. It’s classic and timeless, I can wear it in so many ways, it’s very very comfortable and you’ll really feel beautiful in it. So by the time my wedding day comes, I’d be wearing a dress I’ve worn several times and most of the guests have most likely seen me in it.

So now I had to look for a dress. I have this folder in my laptop where I save clothes/designs that catch my fancy. I was able to dig up these dresses:

From left: gown by Zac Posen, from www.style.com; gown by Zac Posen, from www.net-a-porter.com

Gown by Zac Posen

Both gowns by Halston, from www.style.com

From left: gown by Oscar dela Renta, gown by Elis Saab, gown by Jonathan Saunders, all from www.style.com

These are all exquisite dresses but I was looking for “that feeling” as I was looking for MY dress through my files and online. “The feeling” that will tell you it’s the ONE. Here’s another warning girls, there’s a big chance you’ll get “that feeling” more than once. You’ll find a dress that will make you say “I’ve finally found the ONE”, then you come across another dress that’ll make you say, “No, THIS is the ONE.”

I must’ve gone through thousands of dresses. I went through local and international magazines, www.brides.com, the knot, Martha Stewart Weddings (magazine and the website), Pronovias, and the list of bridal references goes on. I’ve reached a point where I was growing sick and tired of all the white dresses that I stopped looking at bridal sites. I realized if I can’t find anything in these sites, maybe I should look outside the bridal references.

Look what I found in style.com. My top 2 choices: (I had to tell my fiancé, “imagine these in white or cream.”)

From left: gown by Elie Saab, gown by Monique Lhuillier, both from www.style.com

I was more inclined to choosing the Monique Lhuillier dress. I had my seamstress cost it out for me—labor and materials. (This is a totally different story. I’ll have another blog entry about cost of custom-made wedding dresses). She met my budget. And then, my heart broke when my Associate Fashion & Beauty Editor told me that the Monique dress won’t look as good in white. Ugh!

And then I wanted ruffles… and then I wanted ruffles and one-shoulder neckline… and then I wanted a full skirt… and then I wanted lace…

Row 1: gown by Carolina Herrera, from Marthe Stewart Weddings; black gown by Monique Lhuillier, from www.style.com; from www.brides.com

Row 2: gown by Notte by Marchesa; gown byJ Crew; gown by Monique Lhuillier, from www.style.com

And then I stopped looking. I just got tired. And then on Sept. 9, I attended RAJORED—Rajo Laurel’s 15th anniversary gala show for the benefit of the Philippine National Red Cross. And then I found the ONE. :)

Rajo Laurel (image from www.stylebible.ph)

Amen.

Crowning Glory

2008-09-30T09:00:00.000+08:00

I’ve always thought of not wearing a veil to my wedding for 2 reasons: 1) I don’t think I’d be comfortable in one and 2) I don’t think I’d look good in one. These thoughts were brought about by the more popularly-used type of veil by Pinay brides.

Photo by Dino Lara, from wedding of Jon+Cathryn

I also have a friend who recommended to me not to wear a veil, based on her personal experience. She wore a veil on her wedding day and walking down the aisle became so difficult for her because the veil and her tears clouded her vision. You won’t believe what happened—she tripped!

As I was envisioning myself walking down the aisle, the picture didn’t seem complete without the veil. I realized the veil adds to the drama of the image of a bride. So NOW I want a veil. The search for THE veil started. It should give equal importance to beauty and comfort.

According to http://www.brides.com/, the following are the different types of veils:
1. Blusher – a single layer worn over the face during the procession.

Left photo from www.brides.com, veil by St. Pucchi; right photo from www.stylemepretty.com, veil by www.myweddingveil.com

2. Flyaway – a wispy, multi-layered veil that sweeps the shoulders.

Left photo from www.brides.com, veil by Elizabeth Filmore; right photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

3. Elbow – an A-line veil ending anywhere form the elbows to the fingertips.

Left photo, Grace Kelly; right photo is from www.brides.com, veil is by Oscar dela Renta

4. Fingertip – most versatile, this style is usually multilayered and touches the end of your fingers.

Left photo from www.brides.com, veil by Carolina Herrera; right photo by Cooper Carras, sourced from http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/

5. Sweep – a veil that brushes the ground, extending 8-12 inches beyond the gown
6. Chapel – a veil that extends to the floor, falling seven feet from the headpiece; may have multiple layers or a blusher veil
7. Cathedral – regal veiling that trails one to three yards behind the wedding dress.

Left photo from www.brides.com, veil by Anne Barge; right photo from www.brides.com, veil by Carolina Herrera

Talk about drama, this veil stood out among the hundreds of samples I’ve seen. It takes a lot to wear a black veil and this bride was able to pull it off. Cool huh?

Photo by Barnaby Draper, sourced from http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/

I also found these feather hairpices. This would be a good alternative for the veil. They can definitely add drama to my outfit without sacrificing comfort.

IMAGE 1 is from http://www.stylemepretty.com/, hair pieces by Sweets n Lo; IMAGE 2 is from http://www.stylemepretty.com/, hair piece is by Anna Be; IMAGE 3 is from Martha Stewart Weddings and snippet & ink, photgraphed by Lisa Lefkowitz; IMAGE 4 was sourced from http://www.notcot.org/

So what's your pick?

Where do we start?

2008-09-25T12:30:00.000+08:00

You're engaged! Congratulations!

What happens next? A thousand questions suddenly flood your mind.

I'm a bride-to-be and I'm starting this blog to share whatever I can to other brides-to-be. As I plan my wedding, I realize that you learn most from other brides. Thanks to all the websites and blogs out there who have been helping brides-to-be. Here's my 10cents' worth.