Where's the honeymoon?

Looking for a honeymoon destination is the last on my list. Originally, I wanted to go to Seoul & Jeju but then it would be tiring for both of us because of its itinerary. I finally let go of my fantasy honeymoon destination (peejay comforted me by saying we can go there next year around October). So, I am now looking for the best place here in the Philippines. A lot of people suggested Palawan and Bellaroca. I made a little research but I know i need to do my homework properly so I can jot down the pros and cons. I'm open to suggestions too!

Wedding Preps Venue: The Hunt begins...

I never thought that looking for a venue that we'll use the day before and after the wedding would be difficult. Initially, we wanted to get Linden Suites but my future mother-in-law suggested that we get a place near Enderun. Marriot, Shangri-la Makati, Maxim, Dusit Thani and Manila Peninsula are out. They're out of the budget. So I turned to W@W community and talked to another bride-to-be who's also getting married at Enderun. She suggested The Luxe Residences which we visited last Saturday. Their 2-bedroom apartment costs P9,030 per night and their 1-bedroom apartment costs P4,830 per night. Not bad right? They have nice rooms and literally 10 minutes away from Enderun but then I am bit concerned that there's no AC unit at the living room of the 1-bedroom apartment. Suppliers and guests will be there and room temperature matters for sure. I also don't like the fact that they will call the rooms at 10pm just to ask us if we still have guests. It has a curfew. So dormitory-like. 

So, I considered another one, The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences which is in Salcedo Village, Makati. I like that Salcedo has a park and a lot of restaurants. It's also near Ayala Triangle and Landmark in case we need to buy stuff at the last minute. They don't charge corkage for take-out food and their rooms rates are reasonable too! Take a look at some of the pictures I got from their facebook account.

 I fell in love with The Picasso Suite instantly. I need big space for the suppliers who will be there during my preps. We'll be visiting the place one of these days. I hope!

Picasso facade

Madrid room

Malaga room

Barcelona suite

Montparnasse suite

Barcelona / Montparnasse bath tub

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

The Picasso Suite

Supplier Update.V2

I am so happy with the progress of our wedding preps because we booked all the major suppliers before the end of this year. During the Christmas break, I'm planning to do some DIY stuff at home with my mom (bonding moment narin). Can't wait!

1. Ceremony & Reception Venue: Enderun
2. Gown and Suit Designer: Boy Kastner Santos
3. On-the-Day Coordinator: Kredin of Events Engineer
4. Videographer: Stephen Prado
5. Photographer: Alex Ruelo
6. Hair & Make-Up (HMUA): Rae Venturanza
7. Mothers & Siblings' Dresses: Boy Kastner Santos
8. LCD & Projector: Norvin Gumayagay
9. Ceremony Emcee: Xernan Balancio
10. Reception Emcee: Marlon Cantero & Gracie Cruz
11. Lights & Sounds - Cybersound Pro
12. Singers - Team up with Josh Capule & Divine Bote
13. Rings - Titanium Jewelry
14. Tents - Tentworld

Pencil-booked suppliers:

• Bouquet & Boutonniere - Dylan of Vatel Manila
• Flowers for the bridal march - Full Blooms by Inah

Do It Yourself items:

1. Save The Date & Invitation
2. Guestbook
3. Ceremony and Reception Program
4. Place Cards / House Rules
5. Tokens for principal sponsors & suppliers
6. Boutonniere / corsages for principal sponsors and guys in the family
7. Centerpieces
8. Couple's Table
9. Ceremony Set-up

To do:

• Visit Purple Oven for the cakes
• Ocular inspection for the wedding preps venue
• Decide on what to do with the bridal car (whether to borrow or rent)
• Finalize honeymoon details

A Sumptuous Lunch @ Enderun

Last Saturday, we had our food-tasting at Enderun. Since it's going to be our 4th anniversary on December 17th and we barely have time to celebrate, we decided to schedule a sit-down lunch instead. We chose Banquet #1 menu (to those who are Enderun brides, you know what I'm talking about) Of course, I won't publish the inclusions to surprise the guests, but here's a teaser of the menu:

Rating:
5 stars - Excellent
4 stars - Very Good
3 stars - Good
2 stars - Needs Improvement
1 star - Not Good

(Photos by Peejay)

Verdict: 5 stars
Although I am not a fan of cold food, Peejay and I like it especially the bread -- it has a different, crunchy taste.

Penne Pasta with Artichoke and Red Pepper, Rocket Pesto

yummy bread (it came with the penne pasta appetizer)

Verdict: Peejay - 5 stars; Dei - 3 stars
Peejay eats pumpkin soup so he finished his bowl; while I didn't. I think it's the first time I ate pumpkin soup and I just find it weird, that's all.

Lemongrass-scented Pumpkin Cream Soup with Coconut Milk

Verdict: 5 stars
The chicken meat is soft and the mushrooms are well-cooked. The sauce is not too salty and not too sweet.

Cajun-spiced Chicken Roulade with Forest Mushroom Ragout

Verdict: 5 stars
Being a fish lover, this is non-negotiable for me. I love this to bits! Peejay almost ate the "design veggie" he thought it was a side dish. LOL.

Steamed Whitefish Fillet Duglere-style

Verdict: 5 stars
We love cheesecake! And this dessert is not too sweet, which I LOVE. Peejay thought I ordered chocolate cake for dessert but I cannot eat the sweetest dessert yet. (been sick for a week now) but he finished his share.

Baked Mango Cheesecake

Overall, we are happy with Enderun's food. We booked the venue without food-tasting but it was all worth it. I'll be posting some pics of the venue when I get the pics from Peejay but we are already excited for the big day. I'm sure the guests will love the food! :)

SICK

I've been sick since Monday --- dry cough, clogged nose, and sore throat so I won't be posting stuff for the next coming days until I recover.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Random Thought: Summer Dresses

Since our wedding will happen in the summer, I'm thinking if I let the principal sponsors and the rest of the guests wear printed long dresses. Here are some of the pics grabbed from the internet.

What do you think? :)

Supplier Update.V1

Here are the major suppliers that we have booked so far:

1. Ceremony & Reception Venue: Enderun
2. Gown and Suit Designer: Boy Kastner Santos
3. On-the-Day Coordinator: Kredin of Events Engineer
4. Videographer: Stephen Prado
5. Photographer: Alex Ruelo
6. Hair & Make-Up (HMUA): Rae Venturanza
7. Mothers & Siblings' Dresses: Boy Kastner Santos
8. LCD & Projector: Norvin Gumayagay
9. Ceremony Emcee: Xernan Balancio
10. Reception Emcee: Marlon Cantero & Gracie Cruz


To Book:

1. Bouquet & Boutonniere - Dylan of Vatel Manila
2. Lights & Sounds - Rejectkrew or Cybersound Pro (?)
3. Rings - to order in the U.S.
4. Cake - Purple Oven
5. Bridal Car - (?)
6. Hotel Preps - The Luxe Residences (ocular muna)
7. Singers
8. Flowers for the bridal march - Full Blooms by Inah
9. Supplier Meals (for lunch)



Do It Yourself items:

1. Invitation
2. Guestbook
3. Ceremony and Reception Program
4. Place Cards / House Rules
5. Tokens
6. Boutonniere / corsages
7. Centerpieces
8. Couple's Table
9. Ceremony Set-up

Garden or Church?

Since yesterday, I have been worrying or thinking too much (?) about where to hold the ceremony. I've always wanted to have it in a garden, that's why we chose Enderun. Lately, I have been having problems in looking for tent and chair suppliers. Also, sound system is an additional cost. I looked at our budget tracker again and I realized that we are almost going over the budget.

One of the w@wies, Isa, suggested Fort Andres Bonifacio Evangelical Church (FABEC) for the ceremony. It is inside the Philippine Army base at The Fort and 5-10 minutes away from Enderun. I don't want to get married in a church simply because my dream wedding is at a beautiful garden. I also don't like the look of the white, shiny cloth at the altar. (although Isa reassured me that they are lenient in terms of decorating the aisle). But looking at the cost, I'm thinking , Is my dream wedding really worth it? It's true that not all your dreams come true. In my case, I'm trying to have a mind set that the most important thing is not the venue, but to get married with Peejay. 

So, I'm accepting the possibility that we might get married at FABEC. Peejay and I will visit the place sometime soon.

W@W Tag

Happy to receive our W@W tags today! Thanks Ms. Benz and Sir Abet for the smooth transaction. :)

So, What's the W@W tag? Got this information from WeddingsAtWork.com!

The W@W TAG is a bag-tag-&-membership-card-in-one!

No more second guessing. No more doubting. If you are a supplier who extends a certain discount or freebies to W@Wies, this will make your verification easier.

Though we do not expect all wedding suppliers to extend privileges to W@Wies, some actually do, and that is one reason why we decided to come up with a sytem and formalize the W@W membership through the W@W TAG.

In return of this goodwill, W@W will be listing all companies recognizing the W@W TAG in a Special Category in our online directory and in the Bride's Yellow Pages as well for added exposure. Their existing directory entry with us (online and in print) will also be preceeded with the W@W TAG icon ( ) so they will be easily identifiable by our members.

LSS: Marry Me

Been listening to this song today and I think I want it for our Same-Day-Edit or Concept Video.

A W@W Christmas Party

I was one of the last w@wies who registered for the Christmas Party because I never expected that I would have the guts to go to a party without knowing anyone and without Peejay, ofcourse. Days before the party, I started to become active in the group and so I decided to attend on my own. It was really a fun-filled night. Bigatin ang mga suppliers who attended and who worked that night.

Here are some of the pics that were taken last Friday:
More pics here! :)




Charm and I at Starbucks Pearl Drive




Gladys and Charm




w@wies Ortigas group: (L-R) Ching, Gladys and Charm




Centerpiece by Dylan of Vatel Manila



The Veluz shoe-fitting "stampede" game

 

W@W Top 10 Suppliers




Supplier of the Year, Tito Boy Kastner Santos





BKS brides with Sir Abet and Ms. Benz




with my HMUA, Rae Venturanza




with Ms. Benz and Laya



W@W Exchange Gift

Wrapped and made these ribbons all by myself! :) super effort!

HMUA: Rae Venturanza

It's funny that since Peejay and I got engaged, I was already eyeing on Rae Venturanza to do my make-up. Although when I joined W@W, there were a lot of suggestions and ratings on different Hair and Make-Up Artists (HMUA) and it was really a challenge sticking to one decision. So, I inquired with a few HMUA, some are good but expensive and some are just okay but affordable.I could say that Rae is also affordable at her high-end level . She is really good! I sent her another email after 4 months and amazingly, she's still available on our wedding date! Without hesitation, I booked her right away. I am so excited coz I know that I am in good hands! :)

Here are the sample works from her portfolio:

OTD Coordinator: Kredin of Events Engineer

I thought that hiring a coordinator was just an unnecessary expense. Initially, I asked my friend, BR to be my coordinator (coz he does it for friends). But looking at the things that I want to be executed on the wedding day, I need a pool of coordinators to help me. I inquired with 3 coordinators thru email, met with 2, and Kredin of Events Engineer stood out.

Reasons why I chose Kredin:
1. The crucial part in any conversation is the first 30 seconds. I have short-attention span and can only endure more than an hour of conversation by selectively listening. I like that she's a no-nonsense speaker.

2. She's very organized. She presented 10 trackers --- in Excel and Word that Peejay and I will use for our preparation and wedding itself.

3. She's not trying hard. She's bubbly and confident and didn't sound like "pa-close agad." Whether I was getting her services or not, she impressed me with her professionalism.

It was the first time that I booked a supplier without any receipt and contract. Like I told her, di mo naman sisirain ang business mo sa halagang P_____. :)) She even gave the address where she's working. The next day, she sent the contract and the 10 trackers. She also created a facebook group for all her clients so that she can touch-base with everyone.


Visit her website! Events Engineer :D

Stop The Bride Bullying

I came across this article from The Rebellious Brides and I really could not stop laughing. Thankfully, I have not experienced any of these and I'm hoping that I won't. In any case, this serves as a reminder to all of us --- to me as well...to respect the couple's decisions and what they want to happen on their wedding day. It's their day and they deserve to be happy. Read on... baka maka-relate kayo,  haha.

STOP THE BRIDE BULLYING

NO TO BRIDE BULLYING!
Photo lifted from http://en.paperblog.com/

WE. ARE. SICK. OF. THIS. If you are a bride who is being BULLIED by the people around you, then think of a scheming way for your momzilla or your insensitive best friend, or your manipulative mother-in-law, or your bitter relatives to "accidentally" read this blog post. Because THEY NEED TO BE PUT IN THEIR PLACE. 

Here in Rebellious Brides, we receive personal messages from ex-brides and bride-to-bes on the bullying that they have gone though over the course of their wedding preps. Here are just some of the messages that really upset us the most:


"Dear Rebellious Brides, I am so sad. No matter how much we try to bring down the cost of our wedding without compromising quality or do what we really want...everyone still has something to say..."why don't you do it like this?", "why can't you just make it as simple as this?". I am seriously losing my appetite for my own wedding" 


"Dear Rebellious Brides, I want to do what I want for my own wedding. But I am not the type to be vocal about it. Everyone has an idea for my wedding. I am losing control over it. Now, I am no longer excited. It's not my wedding after all." 

"Dear Rebellious Brides, I really love your article about not having a traditional reception. I love it!! I am a number one non-reception person but my mother-in-law interfered with all my ideas for my wedding! But I just gave-in to everything my mother-in-law wanted because I was pre-occupied with exams here in the US so I just let her do whatever she wanted! I was so irritated because SHE EVEN DICTATED MY GOWN FOR ME! Every time I would try to inject my own ideas she would say that it would be embarrassing ---blahblahblah! I just surrendered because I was already in that stage where I wanted to get it over and done with so that I can get married already.

The most memorable part of my wedding was when my best friend said something about how my husband and I are just a simple couple with simple dreams and that she hopes for me to come home to Manila. Every time I remember that speech, it makes me emotional because that was the only "ME' part of our wedding. That was the only thing that I felt had a personal touch…through my friend..sorry if I’m opening so much cuz when I read your blog I really felt happy and inspired."

LEARN TO SAY NO.
IT IS YOUR WEDDING, NOT THEIRS.
Photo lifted from http://www.thisnext.com/

In my own wedding, I knew that "bride bullying" was bound to happen. I grew up with the strictest dad you could ever find (I grew up not going to gimmicks and going home early 'till I was working), and I grew up with an imposing, nagging, bratty, momzilla. In fact, I was even diagnosed with depression  because of how I was brought up. So if there's a weak person who could have easily been bride bullied, it was me. And I could smell it a mile away. So what did I do? The day we told my parents that we were getting married, I prepared a POWERPOINT presentation that had the BASIC details of our wedding. I had anticipated all their possible questions and comments and laid it out for them already. And most importantly, I told them that we were paying for our own wedding. I literally did not give room for anyone to dictate anything in my wedding. During the actual wedding, I had specifically instructed my coordinator NOT to allow anyone near me during my wedding preps unless authorized. I stayed FAR away from everyone as I can and explained to my parents that I want to de-stress before the wedding. The result? I had the peace of mind that I wanted in my own wedding. And I was able to execute my wedding, my own way. When we got married again the second time around, my parents spent for it, so naturally, I had to compromise for the things they wanted to execute for the wedding. But I still managed to control the essential things that I wanted such as the main concept, my own brunch reception with my friends, my own non-white gown, among other things. And it was not just my parents who I had to deal with, mind you. In the end, I also learned of who my REAL friends are--because you will begin to see the true colors of your friends when you are planning your wedding. I know that some people will not agree with the unconventional ways I dealt with my parents or my friends---but the fact of the matter is, THIS IS YOUR WEDDING. This is the very reason why we created Rebellious Brides. To empower brides to create and decide for their own wedding. 

If someone is trying to take over your wedding, smile, be polite--but at the back of your head, say: 
 

"W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R! 

I'll say yes to you now, but come wedding day--

 I AM DOING IT MY WAY."
 
Photo lifted from http://anglicancontinuum.blogspot.com

This is not about being a bridezilla because that's very different and we don't like bridezillas. This is about standing up for your own rights as a bride. IT IS YOUR BIG DAY. DON'T LET OTHER PEOPLE DICTATE YOUR WEDDING---INSTEAD, PUT THEM IN THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE--WHICH IS BESIDE YOU TO SUPPORT YOU--AND NOT IN FRONT OF YOU TO LEAD YOU. 

If you are afraid that standing up for your own wedding will burn bridges, perhaps it will, and perhaps it won't. But YOU CANNOT PLEASE EVERYONE. You just simply can't. You should know that by now. Even presidents and celebrities, even God cannot please everyone in this world. Same with you. So since you cannot please everyone anyway, might as well just do what you want to do in your own wedding.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE TWO PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BE HAPPY DURING YOUR WEDDING IS YOU AND YOUR GROOM.ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. 

I will end this blog entry, with a scene that I remember when my brother was getting married. I was inside the car with my parents, and at the backseat, I was with my younger sister. My parents were ranting about how my brother is not considering their suggestions for his wedding. My sister and I were defending my brother but my dad had a rebuttal for each of our defense. Knowing that it was a lost cause, my sister rolled her eyes, and whispered to me: "When my time comes, I am just going to elope". Have we really come to this? Is this what we eventually want to happen in the future weddings?  Only because we are so blinded by the fact that we are not the couple and yet we act as if we are the ones getting married? 

So for those who are BRIDE BULLYING out there: JUST GET MARRIED AGAIN OR FIND YOUR OWN WEDDING OR SOMETHING. BECAUSE THE WEDDING AND THE BRIDE YOU ARE TRYING TO BULLY IS OFF LIMITS. 

Photo lifted from http://www.123rf.com/

And for the brides out there who are being bullied, COVER YOUR EARS. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. Stay positive, release the negative energy and don't let them bully you. When everyone is failing you, hold your groom's hand, close your eyes, and envision your dream wedding. That's what matters the most. This is about the two of you. 

YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB! 
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE
WE ARE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP
Photo lifted from: http://www.clipartguide.com/

THE REBELLIOUS BRIDES ARE HERE FOR YOU. If Mica and I can just ward off all the bride bullies for you and tell them to back off, we would. Email us if you need support. LET'S FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN DREAM WEDDING

Written by Kai, but Mica and I are one in this cause, and we dedicate this blog to you, our dear Rebellious Bride :)

*follow us on twitter! @RebelliousBride 

Read related article:

MOMZILLA

ARE YOU A REBELLIOUS BRIDE?

Plants vs. Flowers

Peejay and I have been brainstorming on the centerpieces that we want for the wedding. Initially, I didn't want flowers but was convinced to get minimal ones. But I'm leaning towards getting plants on a pot or wood box. What do you think? (Note: These pictures were grabbed from the internet)