And I'm Back in the Game!

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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.