DIY map

after days and days of compiling logos and map icons, and observing landmarks whenever I go to the church, I finally got the mind-set to finish our maps...


i created two routes (whichever is preferred by the guests)... :)


and here are the finished products, ready for printing!

route 1: via Marcos Hi-way

route 2: via Barangka

Wedding updates on a work day...

Earlier today at work, we finished off with our daily load on time so no OT needed today! - mind you, this is pretty unusual coz for me, everyday is OT day...

so this means, I had time to meet up with my bridal bouquet designer :D finally! my bouquet and other wedding paraphernalia were already finished since the 1st week of the month....

so I met up with her messenger at the LRT Santolan Station and received and paid for my bouquet! It was prettier in real life than in the pictures posted by my designer... I soooo love it! I also love the female entourage's bracelets! im sure they'll love it as much as I do.....

because i am happy with my transaction with my bouquet designer, imma promote her here in my post...
I found out about her at the most recent wedding fair that me and the fiance attended to... upon getting her business card and flyer, I sent her an inquiry that night via email.... and she replied soon enough and I was very happy with her price quotations! So there, we closed the deal!


Here's her site: Headbands & Headbands (H&H) by Mikee Palmera


It was really easy transacting with Mikee... she's open to suggestions and alterations and she keeps me updated on the progress of my order.... and more, her rates are truly amazing! (especially for a thrifty bride like me!)
I truly love you Mikee!!! :D too bad, I wasn't able to meet you personally.... :(


Here's a pic of the bouquet...

then, there's one more thing that we accomplished today (wedding-related), we bought our male entourage's tie! :D it was a great find! As the fiance was paying the utility bills at the customer service counter of Robinson's Department Store, me and my ever-restless feet went to the hanky and tie racks which were near-by.... and lo and behold, the perfect-colored blush pink tie was in front of me! then when I looked at the price tag, I can't believe my eyes coz it was waaaaaay cheaper than the divisoria ties.... (which we were planning to buy/order). So when the fiance was done paying his bills, I dragged him to the rack and showed him the tie. He said, "the perfect color!" and "the quality's not bad either..." so I immediately asked the saleslady, "Miss, may 8 pieces ba kayo nito?" and as I was crossing my fingers, she brought me 8 pieces!!! Yey!!! :D and just a side-kwento.... while we were paying for the ties, the bagger ask me, "Maam para saan po to?" then I replied "para sa wedding namin, para sa mga male entourage..." and she said "aahhhh, kala ko po pang 1 week ni sir..." LOL...

the perfect blush pink color! :D i am truly happy with our great-find! (sorry for the bad quality of the photo)

and to cap off my day, here's our panganay... being ever so kulit!

Cooper!

the kicks! :D

after a loooong and strenuous 24-hour stay at work, i went home super happy! :D

my cousin and her hubby arrived today from Dubai for a vacation... and she brought me my kicks! - my wedding shoes

john and i first saw these shoes when we were malling at megamall.... i just had an impulse of checking the Nine West store and then i saw this pair and i fell in love at first sight.... the ruffled flower accent complements my gown... it was perfect! i had the this is it moment... so even though it was still severeal months before the wedding day, john asked me to try it on... and that's what i did... but as expected, being the big-footed me, their biggest size on stock didn't fit me... the saleslady said that it was the biggest size that was distributed in Philippines... i took note of the model and style of that pair.... and when i got home, I searched their website and found out that there are other sizes available in other regions...

then one day, while me and my cousin were chatting, I asked her a huge favor to check out the Nine West stores in Dubai and check if they have that particular style... and after a few weeks, she said that she found The One.

and today, I have finally laid my eyes on them. and although i just guessed the size, it was a perfect fit! :D

UPDATES: barely 2 months to go...

Today is the 4th of July and this marks the less-than-two months preparation for our big day...


But so far, here are some of our accomplishments....

• John had his confirmation last June 26 at the San Miguel Church in Malacanang (that's a big thing coz that's the only thing lacking with our Church requirements)
• we booked our strings at a wedding fair in Megamall
• I now have my bridal bouquet - not your traditional fresh flowers - mine will be fabric and feathers... (i also found this designer at the wedding fair)
• We were able to book our Preps Hotel - Linden Suites... we booked an executive room for John during his preps, then 3-bedroom suite for me and my entourage... and another 3-bedroom suite for post reception. I got all these from a group buying site and I must say, it really was a superb deal! My mom and aunt made an ocular visit to the hotel, and my mom said it was a great choice coz the room is really spacious...
• I had some trinkets made for my lovely female entourage and a surprise treat for them :)
• Last but not the least, we got our invitations today! :D John was the one who picked out the design and we both collaborated for the layout..

Two months to go and there's a lot yet needed to do............ haaaaaaaaaay!!! I can't wait to take my leave from work so I can deal with all these, hands-on......


here are some pics....

John's boutonniere

My fabric and feather bouquet

for my female entourage

John's confirmation

our black and white invitation

Food Feast!

For the catering services, we booked Patio de Tata Roque, our neighborhood caterer from Marikina. I am from Marikina but I don't usually hear their name on the weddings that I attend to not until I went to a wedding fair in Megamall last October. Their setup caught my attention since they featured a black and white themed table setup that time. Then when I found out that they're also from Marikina, they already imprinted a mark on my memory (although John and I weren't really having concrete plans yet for a wedding). So I got their card, and come February when John proposed, then we really needed to search for a caterer. We had a food tasting with them last. We tried even the more famous caterers but nobody really had the "this is it!" factor. And i tried to really shy away from my "top on my list" caterers since we are on a strict budget because of our numerous guests. We want our guests to feast on excellent food but really, budget becomes an issue. I also have a thing with decors and venue styling because art is my passion. But the more creative and not so standard caterers are again on the pricey side. So me and John attended their food tasting event held at the Riverbanks Convention Center in Marikina. We were quite satisfied with their menu but more especially with the treats they are offering. I won't elaborate on this any further because I still want it to be a surprise for our guests. I hope they feel how grateful we are for them to celebrate this wonderful occasion with us by how we carefully and tastefully prepared our wedding.

Also, talking to them about the reception setup is just a breeze! I so love our AE, Ivy. I met her first in Megamall last October and she's been very approachable and helpful to us since then. She's open to suggestions, she also refers other suppliers and gives constructive comments about my ideas. Also, they are not very restrictive when it comes to me adding up some things to personalize our wedding reception. So in the process, we are proactive in styling our reception venue. And because they are close to where I live, transport of materials as well as meetings won't be a hassle at all!

So as early as now, I can say it was worth waiting for the last because surely they are not the least ideal supplier.

VIP table mock setup

Dessert Bar

female entourage dresses

my wedding dress is already a work in progress and i'll be doing the first fitting on the last week of july... so my current road block right now, are the bridesmaids' dresses... im stuck with the color! HELP!

as mentioned in one of the pages in this blog, our color motif is black and white with pink as accent color... with that said, i wanted to achieve a black and white combination with the entourage's ensemble... but i've already decided that there will be no blacks on my female ento's dresses... so let the men be the black, and the ladies be the "white".

initially, i thought of letting them wear white... but i read in one article that it's a no-no to wear white to a wedding unless you're the bride. but, hey, I'll be the bride anyway, and I definitely won't mind even if we are all wearing white. for a while, i brushed that idea off... and decided to choose a very light shade of pink so it's close enough to white but NOT white. so there, i printed the gown designs and headed to my couturier.. but i got a little bit disappointed when they didnt have the right shade of pink that i want. their lightest was baby pink. you know, the typical, baby's pink... the color you see on baby girls' clothes and toys... i wanted something lighter than that... something like, blush pink...

yes i know for some, this is still and just pink... what's the big fuss! but for me, it's a whole lot different shade! and the couturier's fabric swatches don't have this shade. :(

so, last night, i kept on researching about colors of bridesmaids dresses, and stumbled across a very enlightening website....
bridesmaid dresses trends for 2011
and surprise! surprise! there is a feature about white bridesmaid dresses... and i really loved how they presented it...

Photo credits: customwedding website

white everything, plus a bright accent color! there goes our pink! but this time, not the blush pink anymore, im changing it to honeysuckle pink!!! (and what the couturier calls the pomelo pink) so i'll just get my girls' opinion, comments and negative reactions, and if they all agree, white it is! :)

DIY Monograms :)

our new save the date card

WYB cards... :)

Our Official Wedsite is now Published! :)

Today, John and I viewed our wedsite together and with his go signal, we are now happy to publish our official wedsite...


John and Vesta's Wedsite

Please feel free to visit! :)

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...

Closing the First Month of 2011

Today is the 1st day of the month of February... my birthday month! :)

And as we close the first month of the Year 2011, i just want to summarize how far or close our wedding preps have gone to...

• John got the engagement ring, please read: about the engagement ring 
• Have chosen our church and reception venue
• Attended 2 food tastings (need to attend more, we weren't satisfied yet.) We haven't found The One yet :(
• Finalized our motif: black and white
• Paid the DP for NicePrint
• Finished our Save the Date Card
• Have a prospect for our emcee/hostess! :)
• John found his Suit design! - that's the highlight actually!!!

And we are looking forward to John's dialogue with my dad! *stress-level: EXTREMELY HIGH*

Our First Food Tasting

Yesterday, Jan. 23, John and I visited the CVJ Clubhouse and participated at their Food Tasting Event... we got the invitation from the recent Wedding Fair in SMX a few weekends back...

It was a different venue from the last time I had my debut at... twas a bigger building... I think three stories tall...

Anyway, we were asked to go to the third floor where the event was being held... But before we reached the 3rd floor, we took a peak at the 2nd floor hall (our target reception venue) where there was a wedding reception being set.

So there, we reached the event location... there were already several groups being entertained by their AE's... some of them still queuing for the buffet while others are waiting to have a sit-down discussion with the AE's...

John and I also made our way to the buffet table... since we were super full from our late lunch, we just took little servings of everything... a few dishes were already finished since it was already past 4. and the event started at 3pm. John pretty much liked everything he ate... (Since he has a thing for flavors, presentation... he is a self confessed food connoisseur) So I guess that's a good thing since he liked almost all the dishes... So we had our own discussion about each dish... That if ever we chose CVJ as our caterer which ones to keep and which ones to change or omit completely... He is not a pork person but he liked the pork dish that we ate... It's something like a pot roast... We both agreed that we will not have lechon on our reception... But let's wait and see what our families have to say about this....

It took us a while before an AE approached us. It was already 6:15 when one of the owners finally sat down with us. We were actually the last to be entertained. It was just a short discussion with her since basically I am aware of their service and amenities since I had my debut there 10 years ago! LOL We just asked for their packages and asked to view the 2nd floor hall. Incidentally, there was a wedding reception being held there at that time so pretty much we had a very visual idea on how a wedding reception looks like at their venue. We also asked her about the floating lanterns... And she said they already did that! Yey!!! My floating lantern concept will have a chance!!! Woohoo!!! :) I guess that's the best part of that night.. My lanterns are after all, feasible!!!

Afterwards, we went to OLA Church, heard the mass and walked across the street and took a look once again at our Number 1 Reception: Kapitan Moy. :) the sparks are still there... the oooomph factor is present... one day, we will make an official ocular visit there and we will find out if the interiors also got that ooomph! :)

We are looking forward to another food tasting event of a potential caterer: Hizon's. :)

Photo Credits: CVJ Website and google search

the unofficial save the date :) - UPDATED!!! 02/01/2011

the official STD :) ready to be posted on FB in due time and printed as photo prints and be distributed to friends who are beyond the reach of FB

After considering some of the suggestions and comments of my fellow w@wies, i experimented on the colors, fonts and photoshop brushes, and im quite satisfied with this edited version... :) same concept, just a little bit funkier... :)