pre-cana and wedding registry

Last Saturday, Ivan and I went to Guadalupe Viejo and had our pre-cana seminar. We arrived there 30 minutes later, due to confusion with the time. Originally, it was set at 8:30am. Instead, they started at around 8:00am.

For P500, we sat through approximately 8 hours of "lecture" on family planning, genogram, and examination of marriage expectations, etc. I liked the last part of the seminar when we were asked to answer questions about our expectations about marriage, money, kids, sex, and in-laws. The girls and the boys were separated from each other and were asked to answer a questionnaire. After which, when the couple finished answering their own papers, a counselor sits down with them.

Ivan and I finished pretty early and compared to the other couples, our counseling did not take more than 30 minutes. I think it's because we talked about this before and we really have the same views on the topic mentioned above.

The few differences that we had in the answers were due to the interpretation of the question. After all, the questions were all in Tagalog and I have to admit, it isn't one of my forte.

We spent the next three hours waiting for other people to finish their talks. I guess, the long and short of it is, they have more different answers than same ones.

After we got our certificate, half a bond paper, with printed words saying we completed the requirement, we went to Rustan's in Makati. We submitted our bridal registry forms (not the registry list yet) and we got our registry cards for the wedding invitation.

I got a free tote bag, discount coupons, calculator and wedding binder as freebies, too. =) Now, my wedding stuff stuff has it's own bag! Yipee!

(Ok, I admit... I'm a sucker for freebies!)

engagement gift

I learned the hard way that giving my boyfriend perfume or clothes (except maybe for basketball shoes) will not exactly merit a certain heartfelt response of thanks. Not that he's not grateful... Let's just say he isn't into it.

Knowing full well his love for electronics, I gave him a cd/mp3 player (which he never had) for our anniversary last year (albeit it was a couple of months early.)

For months now, I've been planning to give him an engagement/wedding gift. I've been trying to look for the best buy here (preferably in installment) for the latest version of a PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Last week, I found out that his boss is going to Singapore and I knew that it would be cheaper there. I managed to communicate my request to him, unbeknown to Ivan, asking him if ever he would find one, can he buy it for me (or him, from whichever perspective)?

It took his boss 3 hours scouting the malls in Lucky Plaza and four phone calls to me to buy what my baby calls as his new "baby". In between the calls, I had to tell Ivan to ask for his input. I didn't realize then that this thing had so many versions.

Yesterday, the wait was finally over for me (and him). When I handed him the precious cargo, words cannot express what he felt when he looked at me and gave me a hug. In truth, he was a little bit shy when he was looking at his brand new PSP and me. He was like a little boy, who shyly asked for a toy on Christmas and actually got one.

I love my baby. He's so cute!

love that vintage car

Last Saturday, future hubby and I picked up our Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Fully Booked (Promenade). On the way to his cousin's birthday lunch in Las Pinas, we dropped by this garage in Boni, where it hid our bridal car.

Thanks to Citibank Concierge, I found an unlikely supplier last January 2007. All I requested for was a quotation of different Mercedes Benz suppliers and they gave me one for a 1952 Mercedes Benz.

For months, I've been talking with National Car, regarding renting the vintage for the wedding. Lucky for us, we booked early and it was still available for December 8, 2007. But then again, we started talking last January!

For P8,000, we get to rent the car with chauffeur for 6 hours! I tried asking around and nobody can beat that price.


Don't you just love the look of it. Can't wait till our wedding day where will definitely spend a couple of hundred shots with that beauty.

five months to go

Five months today, I will be walking down the aisle.

To be honest with you, I'm stressing myself out because I haven't been doing anything the past few months.

After Ivan's cousin's wedding, I had my trial make-up and I saw the trial works of my photographers and florist. Minus the make-up, everything is as wonderful as the vendors promised they would be. The make-up looked natural for an evening affair but it wasn't a bride make-up as it should be.



The stress of the whole wedding fell on my shoulders because I was their coordinator. For my wedding, I'm resolved to really get my coordinator so that she will do the worrying and stressing for me.

I definitely learned a lot of things that could help me make the most out of the most important day of my life.

I just hope I don't forget anything.

weekends on the road

A little over five months and we are tying the knot.

The last 4 weekends are a blur. Traveling back and forth from my parents' house to his parents' house, we have a preview of how our married weekends are likely to be. Quite frankly, I'm having a difficult time adjusting to the 40km distance, considering the traffic in Metro Manila to Cavite.

Mondays, I feel so tired as if I can't get enough sleep. Hence, this post.

But no matter how bad the traffic is or how my weekends are getting shorter, I'm taking it all in. My future in-laws and I are doing quite well, spending quality time baking and cooking. My parents and Ivan are pretty good, too. Just that they won't let us sleep in the same room -- they are too conservative for our age.

The irony about all this is that I don't even drive. Not because I chose not to drive, but the fact that I can't drive because I don't know how to. I'm complaining and all but I'm just a passenger in all these trips. I should actually be more concerned for Ivan.

The difference is, Ivan has been doing this since he was in college. The travel is as much a part of his life like his computer. In my case, I've never studied or work far from my house. Anything over 20minutes traveling time (excluding traffic) is far already. My concept of traveling more than an hour involves outings or plane trips.

I sincerely hope my old body gets used to this. Because I sincerely want to grow old with the man beside me, currently playing Warhammer 40K in his laptop.

Honeymoon Plans

As of this post, future hubby, Ivan, and I are at Starbucks trying to book ourselves a flights for our honeymoon in December 2007.

Cebu Pacific offers another P1.00 promo (flights to anywhere.) Last year, we booked our first vacation together to Boracay through this promo. This vacation is two-fold. One is to have our honeymoon. The second is to go "home", or so my Dad says. Home is more of his hometown than mine, since I've only gone 4 times in my entire lifetime.

Just now, we booked for the following flights: Manila - Cebu - Iloilo - Manila.

Shangrila Mactan seems to be the perfect spot for a honeymoon. As I have always imagined our honeymoon to be more of R&R, rather than the bustle of sightseeing and shopping. Since neither one of us has ever been to Cebu, it seemed like the perfect place to visit here in the country.

I won't say anything on the plans we have for the four days we'll be in the hotel. I'll leave that to your imagination... and to his!

We'll be staying over night at Iloilo afterwards, staying at the numerous relatives I have at San Miguel.

This is something to really look forward to... We have given up all our vacations for the year just for December, celebrating our union and honeymoon, and the rest of our lives together.

filipiniana motif

We have decided that we will have a Filipiniana motif for our wedding.

There are three challenges we faced with this decision.

1. Filipino Misallettes for our Nuptial Ceremony. It took as a couple of days to get a copy. Luckily, our officemate had a priest for a future brother-in-law, who had one. We also inquired with the Church where we will be wed and they also had a copy.

2. Filipino Invitation. We decided to make our own, so that it will be more personal and intimate. Plus, I'd rather spend my invitation budget on a 1952 Mercedes Benz for a bridal car. Until now, we still have yet to find a template to follow with the wordings.

3. Souvenirs. Miniature abaniko fans that we will be making ourselves. We had to traverse stalls and stalls in Divisoria just to find cheap fans and accessories.

Oh yeah, not all the things in our wedding are strictly Filipiniana.

1. The 1952 Vintage Mercedes Benz will take place of the kalesa.


2. Our buffet will be composed of the ensaladang mangga, lechon, puto-bumbong, bibingka, chicken teriyaki, tempura, and chocolate fountain.

3. We will not be using a rondalla for our music, rather we opted for the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.

We hope to have a one of a kind wedding.

We definitely will, considering there's only one Ivan and one Cecil merging their lives together.

supplier hunt

I try not to be an impulsive shopper (although I fail more often than not.)

Over the past couple of years, I have curtailed my spending habits (mostly due to a debt to my mom for bailing me out on the credit card monster that's been with me since I started working.) Glad that I did, else I wouldn't be able to get my guy and get to this point of saying our "I do's".

For this momentous occasion, my future husband and I agreed on a wedding budget that will satisfy us both -- for me to have a wedding that he - ahem! - we can afford. Most people don't think we could make it at the original budget we set. To their credit, we have re-calibrated our budget... twice!

It's still half as what my friend's would have spent on their weddings. But we both agreed that our wedding is just the start of the rest of our lives together... So we need money in the days after.

I am now faced with greatest challenge in my life. How do I get the wedding of my dreams with limited funds?

Actually, I know that all women go through that challenge as our nature seems to never have enough. Unless you're in Forbes Top 100 riches folks.

So when it came down to shopping for my wedding suppliers, I use my bargaining chips well.

Firstly, I pretty much know what I want. I'm a bit stubborn when it comes to how I want my wedding. Primarily, it's because I spent 20+ years dreaming of a fairy tale wedding (minus a fairy godmother!)

Secondly, I scout for suppliers and I try to talk to them. If I don't like how they talk to me, rest assured, there's no call back.

Thirdly, I browse through magazines to get the effect that I want. If I can contact the supplier, and I feel that we "click", the next question is can I afford them? Else, I'd hear the perpetual "Where are you going to get it from our budget?" That meant, I had to give up something one way or the other.

Lastly, I bargain. Given that when I started looking for suppliers, we were a year away from the wedding. I know I have the luxury of asking for things, booking real earlier. I have to say that I always try to book when there's a bridal fair. They are generally more generous when they're trying to outbid each other.

Quite frankly, I surprise, amuse, and embarrass my fiancee with how I bargain. Primarily, it's cause we get better deals than anyone else and Ivan is empathizing with the supplier. At my end, I'm just trying to get the best value for my money.

One thing, though, that I instinctively learned, is to never book a supplier on the spot. Whenever I go to bridal fairs, I look at what they are offering and see their portfolio. Then I meet them elsewhere and check out their work. I would also need to talk to the point person and hope that I feel comfortable enough to entrust them with the most important day of my life (to date.)

There are actually occasions that I felt ok with them at the fair, but meeting up with them on another time, it's not the same. There's a lack of chemistry or understanding. Or maybe they have a tendency to prioritize someone else while they are talking to you. Small (and big) things that just turn me off -- well, they're impressions that last.

That's one supplier out of the window.