Dangwa Trip Part 2 and Divi Trip

After our first unsuccessful florist-hunt-trip to Dangwa last weekend, we're quite fulfilled today because we got a quotation from Tropical Blooms (thanks to wawies Leslie and Karla ni Lex) for our entourage and reception floral designs. We were handled by one of Mr. Penaroyo's assistant..showed us their portfolios ....and he was the one who quoted our floral requirements. For the reception, we're quite satisfied with his quotation..but for the entourage...naahhh! Quite costly..granting that my entourage is only few. Anyway, we'll try to set an appointment with Mr. Angel himself, we might be able to negotiate it further.

As for Mang Boy Mahusay, hay! i don't know what's with them. They pack up and close so early on Sundays. Anyway, we plan to come back on a saturday morning to be sure that they are there. Am really interested with them since I get raves about their rates and services from fellow w@wies.

I also tried asking a quotation from FlowerSpeak through email (got to know this through Andrea...hi andrea!). They are very prompt in answering queries considering I emailed them on a Black Saturday. Will consider them as their rates are pretty good and their arrangements are nice. Will email back as there are changes in my specifications of my requirements.

On Ria Madamba..until now haven't received any feedback from her.

Divisoria Trip: Our Tabora trip was fulfilling, we were able to buy heart-shaped bottles and ribbons for our gift favors. Will just post the pic if I get it done. As mentioned, we'll be doing these ourselves. We also bought sinamay basket cases for the male Principal Sponsors' wine gift favor.

dangwa trip and update on wedding band

We went to Dangwa yesterday (sunday) but we were not fortunate enough to meet Mang Boy Mahusay. We were there about 6 pm pero closed na sila at ala ng tao :( Baka sa sunday na lang ulit. Am pretty excited kasi the other w@wies who went there last saturday shared their Mang Boy's quotations and quite convincing talaga ang rates. I jst hope ganun din ka-reasonable enough yung i-quote niya samin.

Got to chat with my dad and my tita last night. Sabi nila ala sila makita yung gusto naming white gold na wedding band. I've sent them a pic kasi of our ideal ring. Sabi nila ang karamihan daw dun (sa saudi) is two-toned na yellow and white gold. Fine with us naman pero gusto ko sana talaga is pure white gold. Anyway, they'll try to scout na lang daw sa ibang stores kung meron yung gusto namin. * sana meron * :=)

Another weekend has passed, ala na namang achievement! :(

My wedding checklist as of posting time...

* Bridal Car - booked a MB E320 with ADeB
* Cake - booked Emily Uy Sugarbox (yet to set an appointment for cake details discussion)
* Church - booked Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish (PhilamHomes Subd, QC)
* Church Requirements - la pa kasi 6 months ang validity nun so by August or later pa kami kuha
* Coordinator - for now, Paul and I will handle everything..OTD Coordination by a dear friend
Jojo(labor of love yahoo!)
* Couturier - for my gown: met Tita Wing and showed already my 2 choices ( see pics )
- for ento: scouting pa lang
- paul's barong: bahala na siya dun (haha!)
* Emcee/s - hmmm...still thinking about having our 2 former HS classmates for this role.
* Florist (ento) - scouting pa but plans to get the ever-sikat-at-Weddingsatwork Mang Boy
Mahusay at Dangwa. Might drop by at his stall this coming sunday.
* Gift Favors - for the male PS: Chamdor wines
- for the female PS: no idea yet
- for the guests: la pa din
- for the entourage: secret..actually, di pa sure
- for our parents: hmm...di pa din sure
* Guestlist - still drafting (hirap nito ah..promise!)
* Hair and Make-Up: booked Clamar
* Hair Accessories: my tiara..wala pa..still looking for a very nice one
* Invitation: Do-It-Yourself (DIY) invites to be done by Paul
* Missalette: ala pa
* Musicians/Choir: ala pa din..really wish for senti groove (uy..nagpaparinig)
* Photo/Videographer (event): booked Uy Photography (kenneth and nelwin uy)
* Photo - AVP: si anna dayot! yahoo! labor of love din yan..thanks in advance!
* Reception Venue: booked the Grand Ballroom (Penthouse) of Hotel Rembrandt
* Reception Venue Styling and Decors: yet to meet rembrandt's in house stylist, Ria Madamba
* Rings - gift nina Papa (la pa as of this moment pero pinadala na namin yung pic ng gusto namin)
* Shoes - la pa
* Sound System - included sa package with rembrandt
* Special Effects - di ko pa alam kay jojo (whaterver her plans are)
* Wedding Accessories - unity coins pa lang (la pa cord, coins basket/pouch, unity candle)

did i miss anything? whew! still a long way of preps to go! wish us luck! :D

1st of 2 choices...parang i prefer this gown kasi simple lang siya..i dunno still undecided..ano sa tingin niyong mas bagay sakin?
 

One of my choices...pero i prefer to have it in spaghetti straps
 

Our event file organizer (template sent by my ever-reliable friend cum my OTD coordinator..jojo)..just seeing this again makes me a bit panicky waaahhh! Dami pang to do's! 

Rembrandt's Stylist - Ria Madamba / Sentimental Groove

Finally, I got to talk with Ria Madamba (in-house stylist of Hotel Rembrandt) after hunting her for two days. Seems she's quiet busy coz everytime I call her in her office she's out for an appointment. Buti na lang, I left my mobile number with her staff this morning and yun nga, Ria called me around lunch time. Hmm...first impression, quite good. Mukhang madali siya kausap. Yun nga lang, she didn't send me her quotation through email as requested. I hope she could send me soon para mapag-aralan na namin ni Paul if we'll consider her services or not. We'd like to review muna sana yung packages niya before we go to Dangwa and meet Mang Boy (florist).

Sentimental Groove emailed me their quotation..hmm..am excited to show this to Paul...it's nice to know that they have groups that can cater to your music requirements. Meaning, pede mamili kung ilan lang ang group members and instruments at siyempre depende din dun ang price. Yey! akala ko kasi fix ng 20K (25 K for Dec 2005 weddings) yun..pero ok din sana kung yung all in one band na lang.. hay! we'll see...

Paul's bday gifts to me!!! When he asked what I want for my birthday, I only asked for Nina's new cd (because of "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways" revival..sobrang fave ko siya ngayon). To my surprise, he gave me pa a 256 MB USB MP3 Player Flash Disk. Lahat ng favorite mp3s ni-store ko siya dito. * thanks labs! *  

On Getting A Year Older (AGAIN..)

Yey! Just turned 24..hmmm..about 20 minutes ago. Woohoo! Happy Birthday to me! * blows an imaginary candle on a cake * I've just hung up the phone. Of course, kausap ko baby labs ko as I turned a year older. Definitely, he was the first one to greet me officially on the day of my birthday. Dami na kasing nakakaalala (and I'm thankful for that really..touched naman ako) na mga friends at binati na nila ako sa Friendster like leslie, tindoc, lorraine, rudy, jade g, fides, annie, ryan, donneil, jillbert. Then sa WeddingsatWork naman si MK...at siyempre sa text: my 2 sisters. Sa YM: Edi, Jacque (co-w@ wie) and my dad. Sa Work kanina halos lahat pero ang makukulit sina myra, jade, chanda and mel. O well, it really feels great pag may nakakaalala sayo on your special day...you're made to feel special talaga. hay! (",)

Reflection: Twenty-four years na pala akong nag-e-exist and it's overwhelming to know that I'm blessed with a lot of things..supportive and happy family, rewarding career, found my soulmate who loves me even more than I love him...and most importantly, loved by many! It's just sad sometimes (well, actually, nakakaguilty as I ponder now) I "feel" ignored, worthless, deprived and lahat na ng negative feelings...and yet I'm just closing my eyes pala and refuse to see how I am being loved by God. When I'm left alone and there's no one to talk to, I feel like am so bad na feeling ko it's my fault kung bakit wala sila..hay! It's just me lang pala who inflicts in myself the depression. Just my thoughts...purely my thoughts.

As I turn 24 today (btw, this will be my last birthday as a single gal), there are lots of things that I really look forward to this year...and one of those is to be hitched with the man I love most. If I'll be asked who among my blessings are the most precious ones, no doubt and without hesitation, paul's definitely one of them. For five years, he has seen the real me..my ways, my thoughts, my moods especially...he may even know me better than my family does (honest..). And with the way he shows how he loves me, I know he has accepted me for what I am. And for that baby, no words can equate how thankful I am. Can't really wait 'til I will walk down the aisle to be with you. Pero nine months pa yun. For now, will just enjoy first doing all these preps.

Wedding-related topic: Just had a chat with a fellow W @ wie Jacque, yipee! she'll help me daw scout musicians. She's referring Wedding Symphony..12K ang rate halos same with String Minstrels. Anyway, will wait ate's friends' rates and other info. Sana ok yun. If not, I jst hope may mahanap na kaming iba or better yet, sana available pa ang sentimental groove on 12.17.05. BTW, my dad told me via chat na they might buy na our wedding rings soon! Yahoo!

Gotta doze off muna..pretty late na...
happy birthday to meeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (",)

Chat with my OTD (on-the-day) Coordinator..

Feels: Relieved! Just had a chat with Jojo and Angie..my former colleagues at Contactpoint. Haven't seen them for quiet a while since december. I miss our bonding times during lunch breaks, our eat-all-you-can chow times, gym sessions at Discovery Spa, our yahoo chat conferences while working. I just miss them sobra. Have known them for only a year (we've all resigned from Contactpoint last year and we've found our own working niches - away from that hell) but felt drawn so close to these girls..sobra! Para bang they're all my bestfriends lalo na si Jojo. Para bang she's my elder sister at my workplace. Kakambal ko din sa hapag-kainan! Anyway, as i've said, felt relieved kasi they confirmed that she'll be my On-The-Day Coordinator for my wedding along with Angie, Bel, and Chi. Jojo does part time wedding coordination at siyempre labor-of-love yan. Hahaha! Am really blessed with such friends. She has confirmed na and ayan..excited na talaga ako. I'm sure I'll have a worry-free wedding day. Expert diyan mga friends ko.

Worries: about my musicians and rembrandt's in-house stylist pa rin...waah! la pa rin akong musicians. Ano kaya? Shall we have plain string ensembles like SJT Strings (they texted me a while ago and offering a discounted package) or all-in-one band with the likes of Sentimental Groove and Free Size Band. SJT Strings offers a quartet package for their church and reception services at 11K but then they'll only play for maximum of 3 hours at the reception. Sentimental Groove at 20K and Free Size Band at 17K for the church ceremony AND UNLIMITED hours during the reception. Personally, parang I prefer the all-in-one bands kasi parang mas buhay ang reception party. Yun nga lang medyo costly. Besides, I dunno if h2b (hubby-to-be) approves this one. Oo nga pala, when we'll meet kaya Ria Madamba (in-house stylist of Rembrandt)? Waahhh! Will set a meeting with her some time next week. Hay! Ang florist pa pala! at ang Coutourier pa! Waahhh!

Birthday Greetings from Jobsdb..o di ba? kaaliw naman..it really feels great when someone sends you a b-day greeting 

Our Unity Coins (arrhae) bought at WeddingsAtWork during the NBC Tent March 2005 Bridal Fair

Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish (Philam Homes Subd. QC). This is where we'll wed on the 17th of December 2005. 

NBC Tent Bridal Fair

Paul and I attended the two-day bridal fair at the NBC Tent (Mar. 5-6) organized by Themes & Motifs. Super thumbs up ang fair na ito. They pooled almost all topnotch wedding suppliers that brides/grooms-to-be are seeking for a one-stop-bridal-shop setup. (better than the fair organized by Wedding LIbrary last Feb).

We dropped by yesterday morning just to roam around first and scout as to who will be in the fair and at the same time get all flyers as we could for our perusal and comparison na rin. (Sobrang dami ko ng flyers as in..) Then this afternoon, we booked some of them who we consider suitable sa taste and of course sa budget namin. And yes..am just so happy na dami naming achievements today as we've booked 4 suppliers:

1. First, we already bought our Unity Coins from WeddingsatWork. Quite costly for an arrhae but it would really be a nice memento of your marriage.
Each coin not only signifies financial prosperity but also each piece signifies a vital ingredient for a succesful marriage. Because of the fair, we got a 6% discount off the regular price.

2. We booked Emily Uy of Sugarbox for a 3-layer chocolate-walnut flavored fondant cake. We added 1K for the package we chose since we prefer to have the bottom layer be the edible one instead of the middle layer. We tasted samples of her cakes yesterday and Paul and I agreed it's so yummy! We'll be meeting some time soon to draft the contract and to discuss the other details (design, color, etc) of the cake. Emily's so friendly and I know superb service niya (as she's highly recommended sa Weddings at Work by former W@wies).

3. We booked Clamar for my hair and make-up. I already saw some of their sample works at Weddings at Work and nagustuhan ko style nila. So simple yet so stunning ang beauty ng bride because of the make-up. We close a very nice deal with them: a package for 5 heads at 8300+. (For some this will cost about 15K up na). We got a 15% discount because of the fair din. The package comes with a free trial make up (will avail this when we'll have our prenups with Kenneth and Nelwin Uy some time on July siguro), free make-up for the flower girls and free bride's manicure and pedicure before the wedding date. Their salon is near rembrandt where I will do my preps kaya kahit morning ang wedding, they agreed to waive the additional 500 additional service charge for their morning services.

4. We also booked AdeB for my bridal car. We'll have a Benz E-Class (E320). Siyempre, discounted siya for a few hundreds din kaya ok deal na din yun.

Thank God! May progress na..aside from the Church (Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish, Philam Homes, QC), Reception Venue (The Grand Ballroom of Hotel Rembrandt), and photographer/videographer (Kenneth and Nelwin Uy of UY Photography)...nadagdagan na ang booked suppliers. But still, there's plenty of scouting and booking pa to do: florist, events stylist for the reception, musicians, souvenirs, etc). We'll be meeting some time soon the coutourier who'll do my gown. For the invites, hehehe DIY (Do It Yourself) of course, Paul will do this one.

Off-topic Current Thoughts: So happy for Paul's computer business..he'll be having 8 PCs for rentals na. (",)

Friday..

Feeling: Tired! Just got home (9:30pm)..went to Landmark supposedly just to buy a clearbook where I could compile our wedding preps files. And guess what, the innate uncontrollable shop-maniac in me struck again! Sa sobrang pagpipigil at pagtitipid for these past few weeks, hehe..was not able (though I tried) to control myself from buying a new pair of comfy shoes. hehe kaaliw! cutie ng colors! I will wear that tom on the expo..speaking of wedding expo..yahoo! saturday na..paul and I will be going to NBC tent tom for the Bridal Fair..am so excited!

Current Thoughts: I'm thinking of having a beach wedding theme since our motif is mainly sky or aqua (?) blue and yellow. Summer theme for a december wedding? hehehe! not bad! shells, sand centerpieces..message in a bottle guest sheets..*isip-isip pa*

Will: shut down na...am really tired..ZZZzzzzzzzzzz