on post-wedding jitters

It's just barely 4 months to go before our Big day! But there are still tons of things to cross off from my checklist but I am just procrastinating each day during my free time. Tomorrow, I'll be part of the labor force again after several months of soul-searching. (yeah, right!) Let's face the fact, weddings are expensive! No matter how simple you want your wedding to be, it's still expensive nowadays! I got a few DIY projects in mind just to save some big bucks but I just can't manage to start them or even think on how to start them. So I'm just browsing my wedding files and accomplishing nothing. And even if I want to just do some rakets so I own my time instead of doing an 8-hour office job, I prefer to do the latter coz I don't want to waste time of not earning enough to help spend for our wedding. So starting tomorrow, it's lesser time for me to plan the wedding.

One thing more, John and I have been searching for a new place which will be our First Home after the wedding and that's where my biggest jitter comes from! I think I'm more excited for the post-wedding events than the wedding day itself. Is that bad? Shall I panic now? That's the major factor that affects my lack of "interest" in planning our wedding. There's a part of me that just wants to get over and through with it. Seriously.

Here are some thoughts that are occupying my head when I'm not thinking about the wedding:

• furniture for our own place. I already have a folder in my laptop featuring all the nice-to-have furniture. And that includes the crystal chandelier.
• to honeymoon or not. There have been a lot of offers from coupon-selling and group-buying websites offering tempting hotel packages where we want to have our honeymoon. but since a lot of our loved ones are flying in just for the wedding, especially John's mom, of course we also want to spend time with them while they're here so maybe we would postpone the honeymoon until we really have free time.
• the Dragon Baby. YES, with God's grace, we claim that the Dragon Baby shall be given to us at His perfect time. may s/he be a honeymoon baby or not, we are already excited for him/her. and that's one more factor that's keeping us from having an extensive honeymoon getaway at the end of the year or the beginning of next year, coz we might be 3 when we ought to be honeymooning...
• Phoebe or Tex. no, that's not in relation with the bullet above... Phoebe or Tex is our future micro-mini pinscher. must be black. we had a previous heart-breaking experience when we almost had Phoebe but the seller (John's so-called friend) didn't meet us up. Everything was set, her collar, her leash, her food bowl, her toys, her treats and dog food but most especially, her place in our heart. but we promised that one day, we'll have her.
• not just our new condo unit but more especially our New Home. John and I hate the time of the day/night when he needs to take me home or we have to go on separate ways. We really really hate that part. So we are so much looking forward to the day when we no longer need to part ways coz we know that we are just beside each other anywhere we go.

so there, I guess those things I mentioned above give justice on why I am having post-wedding jitters. As I read on FB a few months back, it goes "Wedding is just a day, look forward to marriage coz it lasts a lifetime." (it goes something like that, I forgot the words in verbatim).

But ok, i'm taking back what I said earlier that I just want to get over and through with it (wedding). Of course, there's no bride in this world who's not having wedding jitters. I do too. And I'm very much excited to be united with the man whom I'm happiest with - non-other than my bestfriend. :)

Post-Wedding Home: Check! :)

Today, I just came back from paying the reservation fee for the Studio Condo Unit that John and I have been searching for the last couple of months.

Actually, this may not be The One, or I must say, we just settled for what's available and what's within our budget. We lost The One a few days ago.

Here's the story of The One.

A few months back, sometime late February, my friend told me that a unit at their condo building is being leased out. So I asked for the contact number, and I was able to talk to the owner. We were scheduled for an ocular visit that weekend and we liked the place immediately. You know, there's a "this is it!" feel to it. But since John's contract with his current apartment in QC is not expiring til 2nd week of May, we didn't do any payments yet. We just told the owner to just be in touch with us in case someone shows interest with the unit, then maybe we can do something about the payment when the need arises.

So I did a follow-up with him weeks after. And he said the unit is still available but someone's inquiring but haven't done any ocular yet. A week after that, I had a chat with my friend and she mentioned that the "for rent" sign is no longer posted at the door. Then I told her, no, it can't be, coz the owner agreed to contact us in case someone's really interested with the unit so we can settle the payment. And I contacted the owner to confirm about the condition of the unit, and he was very apologetic and told me that he forgot about us! I was really really really pissed that day. Make that super pissed that I was fuming at John - but was sorry afterward coz it was not his fault anyway. Oh well, there's no one to blame. The unit is all gone. We got nothing to do but to look for another one.

Days passed by from searching the net, contacting numbers and emails here and there, doing ocular visits until we found the 2nd best. Oh actually, that was the 3rd best yet.

On the same condo building, we went straight to the broker and they got a few more units available. We went to the first one, a one-bedroom unit - semi-furnished. The size was very promising! We were already talking about the payment arrangements when John had to check his phone and use the calculator application to compute our payables and lo and behold: NO SIGNAL! as in nada! nothing! waley! ZERO! we checked the nearby corners of the unit (which by the way is just a few steps away), but there was still: NOTHING! and the agent finally butted in (maybe after being awa to us during our raising-our-arms-up-high-holding-our-phone moment in search for the most-sought for SIGNAL), "ay wala talagang signal dito kasi inner unit". Oh okay. I wish she just mentioned earlier so as not to fill our hearts with hope that this will be our new home. So we asked her if we could see the other units. And so she went back to their office to get the keys and we headed back to the elevator and went to the 7th floor. We viewed 2 studio units. One is fully furnished (which I didn't really like because of the too-big bed that occupied the entire room! - im exaggerating, but yeah, it was too big! It looks like this:

 

and at the foot of the bed is a 29-inch old school tv. (exactly looks like this)

so I told John that it's too furnished that we won't be able to move freely anymore. So we asked her to see the other studio unit. She said instantly, "ay, inner unit din yun. Walang signal dun." I appreciate her honesty but since she brought the key with her anyway, then why don't we just give it a try. So we walked a few more steps and we were already at the other unit.

It was all blue. The room looked small because of the dark color and there was an adjacent condo building next to our window. So we took out our phones and to our surprise, we had signal! Yey! :) There was a bed, but a smaller one. There was a slot for the A/C so we need not sell John's A/C. It comes with a few appliances like electric fan, rice cooker, electric stove for a much cheaper price than the fully-furnished studio unit.

So we said, this is it! This is finally IT! We made it The One even it was originally not. 

I'm still in the process of letting go and moving on from not the getting the original The One but with John with me, filling our future home with love, affection, peace and joy - the 3rd best will eventually be Our First Home and we will love it as if it was our first find.

PS. I just want to mention that they allow small dogs in the condo building! :) and that makes us soooo happy! :)

happiness - OVERLOAD!

What a great way to cap off the night and begin the day with good news! :)

Last night, when I was about to sleep, I had a brief chat with my former FA and kumare, and she told me about our friend's pregnancy... So I went to our friend's FB page, and there it was! Baby news all over! :) So I said a short thank you prayer for her. And changed my FB status as: "Thank you Lord for the gift of life. I am in awe of your powers and grace. Thank you for another baby in the barkada. :)"

And just a second or two before I started this post, my college friend (and thesismate), just changed her status from in a relationship to engaged! :) And I'm super happy for them! (the girl and the boy are my college buddies and they've been together since forever!) and she replied to my comment with this: thank you. looks like sunud-sunod tayo gragraduate ah. :D like old days. 

*deep sigh* life is indeed full of surprises - happy surprises, that is! this year and the next will be filled with love, warm friendships, and happiness! :) Congratulations to the future Mom and Dad, as well as to the future Mr. & Mrs. :)

one thing is for sure though, with all these wedding bells all around me - BABY BOOM on 2012! and God willing, including our Dragon Baby... :)

5 more months...

On this day, it's officially 5 months away from our Big Day... :)

So just for some updates: we haven't done anything yet in relation to the paperworks... but should i panic? i don't think so... :)

John doesn't have a copy of his baptismal certificate. But his mom knows the town in Bacolod where he got baptized. So with the help of a very good friend who's based in Bacolod City, he went to the only big Church in that town and requested for John's records. And just at the end of March, we heard from the church, finally, and John's records were there! yey! Thank God! and thank you Archie for all the hassle you went through, and for saving us the plane fares in going to Bacolod ourselves. :) This FB shoutout was for you: "True friends are actually angels in disguise... they are blessings sent from above... :)" we are just waiting for the papers sent through the courier and we can finally get back in action!

We can then proceed to John's confirmation and finally file our requirements for the church. I don't even have copies yet of my baptismal certificates stamped with "for marriage purposes" as well as my confirmation certificates... oh, and we can still procrastinate with the filing for our marriage license since it will just be valid for 120 days prior to the wedding date... so for that, maybe we can do that on June... :)

As for the other details, I think we got most of the major stuff covered. We have church and reception venue reservations, my wedding gown and John's suit are already making some progress. My female entourage have already finalized their dress designs, they are scheduled for measurement-taking on one weekend this month, we will be having our prenup photoshoot next month, and the rest of the minor suppliers are already booked. So I think, we are good to go! :)

I am planning on going back to work to help save up for our new-found place! I'm more excited now in shopping for our own home... :) lately we've been searching for sofa-beds for our tiny but very cozy unit... :) but after watching the late news last night, i have a heavy heart in leaving my parents (especially my mom) alone here in our own house... all I've seen in the news were about crimes! robbery, kidnapping -- aaaargh! very horrible indeed! but I trust in God's mercy, He will keep my family and loved-ones safe and healthy at all times.

Indeed I am sooo much looking forward to MARRIAGE -- not just the wedding. :)

Vesta + John + Tala

Again, the bestfriend and I are chatting this lazy afternoon about W. weddings! and i just realized, just this second that both of us are marrying John! yep! yep! I'll be marrying Khister John while she's marrying John Paolo... :) nice thought... :) cheers to the John's of our lives! and here's the John who I'll be marrying in exactly 5 months and a day from now:

My Bestfriend's Wedding

Just at this moment, my bestfriend my entire life, (for 2 decades and a year to be exact), just asked me to be her bridesmaid!!! :)

This is too exciting for me!!! A month ago, I asked her to be my bridesmaid on my wedding, and this time, she's asking me the same question!!! :) I can't contain the happiness for both of us!

As we were evaluating the events in our lives, we just realized that we're discussing a once-strange topic but now have-to-embrace-soon: MARRIAGE! it was kinda odd in the beginning as we exchange notes about wedding suppliers... "ibang level na to!"

i'm excited to be finally going to wedding fairs with my bestfriend!

CHEERS to a new life for both us! :) love you, Tala! :) I'm perfectly sure that you'll have the wedding of your dreams coz you deserve it! :)

today's a very significant day....

Today is a very special day not only because it's my dad's birthday, but also because it marks the 1st year since John's serious motorbike accident. that mishap lead to something beautiful - for us to become friends and to become what we are now and what shall we become 178 days from now :) this makes me realize that blessings do not always come in pretty, shiny, glistening packages... they can also be disguised as something not so appealing... we just need to unwrap it and embrace it in order to appreciate it and to know it's real worth.

PS and it's also supposed to be a year away from our original wedding date - just had to mention it! there's a part of me that cannot get over it :P hahhaha!

6 months to go... :)

today, March 3, is exactly 6 months to go before our BIG DAY! :)

like what i told my cousin earlier, "hindi ko maramdamang malapit na.. hindi ko makita yung wedding preps... wala kong makitang something tangible... puro resibo lang!" :p hahaha!

that's why im so excited with the measurement-taking this coming Saturday... :) at least, I know, somewhere, someone is doing something tangible for our wedding... hehehe! :)

I am no longer a 2012 bride!

Alas, tis another weekend! I've been badly waiting for this week to end!... Coz i've had the most stressful week yet! and the most stressful wedding preparations phase.

Yes, you read the title right. I am no longer a 2012 bride. Our wedding was moved to a much earlier date, Sept 3, 2011. uh-huh, barely 6 months from now... i never imagined that this will happen, that we'll change our wedding date.. coz the original wedding date was so meaningful to us... to our relationship... to our lives.

But that Tuesday morning, I wasn't able to do anything but to heed to my father's request: to make our wedding happen this year. let's just make the whole issue simpler and let's just conclude that he doesn't want a long engagement.

So right after the dreadful phone conversation with my dad, John came to the house after his shift was over. I showed him a calendar and asked him to PICK any date! I was totally clueless on what date to PICK! (i deliberately used the word "pick" since choosing involves emotions while picking just involves the sense of sight... LOL, visual impact of the calendar dates) We had two dates to choose from, Oct 8 and Sept 10 - so that when it's written, it is: 09-10-11! cute di ba? So we went to the church immediately to rebook our date but the Oct 8 was already taken. I didn't even bother asking about the 09-10-11 since I was thinking it is a desirable date (because of it's format) so i might have problems re-booking our suppliers... So i just simply popped the question to the clerk: "available pa po ba ang september 3?" and when she said yes, i said "o sige po, yun na lang, same time gaya ng March namin". but when we got home, I tried to search for a logical reason why we are having that wedding date. So with that said, at least there are some reasons that I can think of: John's birthday is Aug 31, his mom's is Sept 7 - so at least when his mom flies here from the US, she can celebrate both their birthdays together here! :) yey! and also, my brother died on Sept 2, so if the wedding's a day after that, then it's always a festive day after we celebrate his death anniversary. so we won't be too sad afterward. Well, it's just me trying to make some sense out of this date-changing event!

Now here are my updates about the suppliers that we already pre-booked. Niceprint - it was ok with them since maybe they have several teams. HMUA - still ok! thank God! coz the DP was quite big. but one thing that i was truly disappointed of was the lights and sounds supplier. after a few days of waiting for his reply, he txtd me one morning just to inform me that he won't be available for the new date. :( here's my side story: we booked them during the recent wedding fair in Megamall a weekend ago... but I've known about him since 2009. while i was organizing our company's Christmas party, one of my colleagues suggested that particular L&S since they were her supplier during their wedding. but unfortunately, we weren't able to get them because of the short-notice and after all, it was the peak month of December! but nevertheless, from that time on, I programmed my head that I will get them for my wedding after I viewed their portfolio at their website and also from my colleague's raves. Anyway, going back, I also felt sad coz I also booked them for my friend's wedding this April (I'm helping them out since they are based in the Middle East). And I know, my heart will sink when I see their setup on her wedding. But i'll just try to be happy for them coz they're getting a rather fantastic and affordable L&S supplier.

We also booked our reception venue this week since we know we already have the final date. (hopefully!)

At this moment, I have fully gotten over the change of date event. Now i'm working my arse out, double time to prepare for the wedding, hands-on. I'm trying my best to be organized, to be outspoken to suppliers coz i cannot afford to waste any second here since 6 months of preparation is no joke! I'm also trying my best to be extra considerate to the people around me, whom i know are just equally excited for this big event in our family.


With God's grace, I will be having the most beautiful wedding that I've been dreaming of! :) mainly because, I am marrying the most wonderful man on earth and i am surrounded by the most supportive and loving family and friends.

So it's official, I am NOW a September bride. :)

Time to Rest Our Pockets.

Earlier today, I went to a bridal fair in Megamall together with one of my girlfriends, Diana... (by the way, she's a bride to be too, that's why i'm so psyched to go there with her coz at least we're on the same wavelength) So anyway, when we got there past lunch time, the place was starting to get packed. And first things first.. I had to book the suppliers that were on my list... these are the ones whom I already wrote in my planner after reading tons and tons of reviews about them and after considering referrals from my fellow w@wies and former bride-friends.


So here's my accomplishment in terms of suppliers as of today... A year and 2 weeks away from our wedding day:

• Church - already booked the date and paid DP
• Photo/Video - Niceprint: booked the date and paid reservation fee
• HMUA - Val Villarin: booked the date and paid DP
• Lights and Sounds - Rejectkrew: booked the date and paid reservation fee
• Invitations - Printed Matter: paid DP

well, i think so far so good... we got some major stuff covered.. this weekend, we are scheduled to have 3 food tastings on our top 3 and most viable caterers who are accredited at our venue. so if that goes well, we'll book our choice on the same day! (God willing) and after that, i think our pockets need to do some loooooong rest! and needs to be replenished. by then, i'll move forward from being a "raketista" to a full-time employee once again to help my fiance in saving up for the more major expenses that will come soon towards the end of the year.... so there...

no more bridal fair bookings for us... but hello to DIY projects!!! :) and im super excited for this one...

PHASE 1 of Vesta's Wedding Jitters

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:

• 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)

5. superstitions/beliefs - even if you're the most rational and scientific person on earth, once you're a bride-to-be, you'll find yourself searching google and typing the words: auspicious wedding dates for 2012. :) you'll be getting a pen and a paper and try adding up your proposed wedding date's digits if it will total to 8! and when you're wedding day is close, you will be found in Sta. Clara Monastery, offering a tray of eggs and pray for a great weather on your big day!

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.

so there, my mind is blank right now when it comes to wedding ideas. i might need to unwind and empty out my head so that new things can fill it up once more...