Now that we're officially engaged, it seems that I couldn't move forward in terms of planning our wedding. it feels like im stuck in the middle of nowhere. of course there's only one direction that i couldn't take, and wouldn't even consider taking.. and that is BACK.
here are the things i learned about wedding preps:
1. MONEY MATTERS - budget-wise, you really have to be WISE and i guess with that said, you also have to be practical. list down your priorities. list down the must-have's and the nice-to-have's. have a budget. and really try hard to stick with it.
2. creativity, imagination, ideas - you have to be rich in these! there are only two sides of the coin with this factor. first, you have such great ideas, nice concept, things in mind to make your wedding truly magical. but since everything in this world has a price tag, please review number 1. so you want that fireworks display to cap off the night, or you want that vintage bridal car, or maybe hire the country's well-known symphony orchestra to play your bridal march just to complete that magical feel? so then please refer to number 1. the other side of the coin is to be resourceful and creative. there comes in the DIY or DO IT YOURSELF projects. this may be your invitation, souvenir, table numbers, table centerpiece.. no matter how small the project is, it will still save you a tad of pesosesoses.
3. do your homework: research! - just recently, i joined a wedding forum and i am truly amazed on how b2b's (bride to be's) can really be resourceful in finding the best (in terms of quality and price) wedding suppliers. there you could find the more famous and the bit more pricey suppliers.. or maybe discover some budding but really talented (and a little more affordable) suppliers like make-up artists, cake designer, couturier, etc. there are instances that you might need not actually attend a food tasting event and just read the b2b's blogs about their experience. you wouldn't believe how much adjectives there are in the dictionary to describe an appetizer that is so delicious. also, when you research, you will find out that there are hundreds of shades to one color... red is not only red. there you have the wine red, fire truck red, christmassy red, santa red, mongol pencil eraser's red and what-have-you! just type in a search keyword on your search engine, and you'll discover wonders!
4. attend bridal fairs or wedding expos - usually, most of the well-known suppliers of the wedding industry are present during fairs. and also, the budding but talented ones (as mentioned in number 3) can also be spotted there. collect as much brochures and leaflets as you can! and when you reach home, evaluate them with your h2b (hubby to be). so when the time you go to another event, you can just book them on the spot and get a lots of freebies and avail of their discounts!!! what's nice about fairs is that you can really interact with the owners, usually. this goes for the mid-level suppliers. but for big and well-known supplier, expect to just talk to one of their AE's (account executive).
OFF THE TOPIC: cool things you can find/experience in bridal fairs:
6. church requirements - and if you're planning to get married in church, be ready to travel! why is that so? because if you're planning to get married in some other town and not in your hometown, be ready to trace your roots and say hello to your childhood friends! coz you'll be needing to go back to the church where you were baptized and had your confirmation at to get your certificates and have them stamped: for marriage purposes! and if you haven't been confirmed, then get ready to be slapped! (that's part of the confirmation rites, or is it still?) as for us, Bacolod City, here we come!!!
7. remember the saying, "blood is thicker than water" and "be careful in choosing your friends" - coz at one point or another, you will have to trace your family roots, draw a family tree.. or get your highschool and college yearbook from your attic and find your old friends! you might need to do all these in making your guest list!!! unless you can manage to have unlimited guests, please refer to NUMBER 1 again. and to find your more recent friends, just try one of fb's apps: "who viewed me the most"! :)
there goes my list... for now. i know as months pass by, i'll discover some more new and interesting things about wedding preps.. but as for now, imma focus on NUMBER 1 and that is: how to reach and save up for our BIG B - BUDGET!
John and I have been very creative in trying to save as much as we can... or find rakets to earn extra... here are some on our list:
here are the things i learned about wedding preps:
1. MONEY MATTERS - budget-wise, you really have to be WISE and i guess with that said, you also have to be practical. list down your priorities. list down the must-have's and the nice-to-have's. have a budget. and really try hard to stick with it.
2. creativity, imagination, ideas - you have to be rich in these! there are only two sides of the coin with this factor. first, you have such great ideas, nice concept, things in mind to make your wedding truly magical. but since everything in this world has a price tag, please review number 1. so you want that fireworks display to cap off the night, or you want that vintage bridal car, or maybe hire the country's well-known symphony orchestra to play your bridal march just to complete that magical feel? so then please refer to number 1. the other side of the coin is to be resourceful and creative. there comes in the DIY or DO IT YOURSELF projects. this may be your invitation, souvenir, table numbers, table centerpiece.. no matter how small the project is, it will still save you a tad of pesosesoses.
3. do your homework: research! - just recently, i joined a wedding forum and i am truly amazed on how b2b's (bride to be's) can really be resourceful in finding the best (in terms of quality and price) wedding suppliers. there you could find the more famous and the bit more pricey suppliers.. or maybe discover some budding but really talented (and a little more affordable) suppliers like make-up artists, cake designer, couturier, etc. there are instances that you might need not actually attend a food tasting event and just read the b2b's blogs about their experience. you wouldn't believe how much adjectives there are in the dictionary to describe an appetizer that is so delicious. also, when you research, you will find out that there are hundreds of shades to one color... red is not only red. there you have the wine red, fire truck red, christmassy red, santa red, mongol pencil eraser's red and what-have-you! just type in a search keyword on your search engine, and you'll discover wonders!
4. attend bridal fairs or wedding expos - usually, most of the well-known suppliers of the wedding industry are present during fairs. and also, the budding but talented ones (as mentioned in number 3) can also be spotted there. collect as much brochures and leaflets as you can! and when you reach home, evaluate them with your h2b (hubby to be). so when the time you go to another event, you can just book them on the spot and get a lots of freebies and avail of their discounts!!! what's nice about fairs is that you can really interact with the owners, usually. this goes for the mid-level suppliers. but for big and well-known supplier, expect to just talk to one of their AE's (account executive).
OFF THE TOPIC: cool things you can find/experience in bridal fairs:
- free taste - cocktails, appetizers, coffee, cake, chocolates, sometimes food tasting of a catering company
- photo booth shots - no need to elaborate further
- trial make-up - but this can be rather risky especially for those with sensitive skin
- raffle draws
- watch same day edit / avp of celebrities or some random couples
- view coffee table wedding albums of celebrities or some random couples
- free magazines
- free vouchers to spa, derma, salon
- free wedding suppliers directory (similar to the yellow pages)
6. church requirements - and if you're planning to get married in church, be ready to travel! why is that so? because if you're planning to get married in some other town and not in your hometown, be ready to trace your roots and say hello to your childhood friends! coz you'll be needing to go back to the church where you were baptized and had your confirmation at to get your certificates and have them stamped: for marriage purposes! and if you haven't been confirmed, then get ready to be slapped! (that's part of the confirmation rites, or is it still?) as for us, Bacolod City, here we come!!!
7. remember the saying, "blood is thicker than water" and "be careful in choosing your friends" - coz at one point or another, you will have to trace your family roots, draw a family tree.. or get your highschool and college yearbook from your attic and find your old friends! you might need to do all these in making your guest list!!! unless you can manage to have unlimited guests, please refer to NUMBER 1 again. and to find your more recent friends, just try one of fb's apps: "who viewed me the most"! :)
there goes my list... for now. i know as months pass by, i'll discover some more new and interesting things about wedding preps.. but as for now, imma focus on NUMBER 1 and that is: how to reach and save up for our BIG B - BUDGET!
John and I have been very creative in trying to save as much as we can... or find rakets to earn extra... here are some on our list:
- no more movie dates - dvd-watching is a lot more fun! more comfortable, we can eat as much as we can and we can repeat the movie, or pause it whenever we want! :)
- no more taxi rides - i can say, this is torture to john! but he appreciates how much he saves from riding the various public transport than taking a cab ride. but just last night, he was amazed with the newly callibrated taxis. coz the receipt shows a lot of info about the ride like the taxi company's name, how much distance traveled, how long the stop time is and so on...
- no more fancy gift giving - so our christmas and birthday gifts to each other have been overly delayed...
- lessen our dine-out - we cut down dining out at high-end restos. maybe just once every two months, or just when there is a special occasion.
- no more unnecessary shopping - we have enough clothes that would last a month without doing the laundry so we need not shop for any more clothes. good thing coz we're not really fans of newly released gadgets and toys so this part is not really hard for both of us.
- i do graphics layout and basic makeup as a sideline just to earn a little extra.
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