DIY # 3: Bead Works

Finally it's done! :)

It's been weeks since we bought these beads from Quiapo, and after a few nights of doing them one segment at a time, it was only last night did I get the chance to finally finish. :)

Here are a few steps into making them:

(1) Lay out the beads and bead caps according to the design you have in mind.

Arrange your beads and bead caps

(2) Place each bead and bead caps into an eye pin according to your design.

Start placing your first set of beads

(3) Place another eye pin for the next set of beads.

Be ready for the next set

(4) Create a loop to close the pin and secure the beads in place. If the pin is too long to create a loop, carefully cut it to create just the right length.

Close them tight!

(5) Holding your second eye pin, place the next set of beads same as process (2), and repeat the same process (3) and (4).

After a few hours, or nights like me, you will have your own wedding cord done! :)

So, here are our wedding pillow charms (to be sewn into each pillows) and our wedding cord.

Wedding pillow charms

Our Yin-and-Yang Inspired Rosary Wedding Cord

Note: Pillow charms are still missing a few dangling charms, and wedding cord is still missing our initials. But nonetheless, I am happy to have finished them - partially! :)

Easy process, right?! :) Note to first timers, like myself: Your hands and fingers will hurt and that's normal! It's part of the whole experience. No pain, no gain, right?! Haha! :)

Proud to accomplish,

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's that time of the year again... Christmas naaaaa!!!

This year was very stressful when it came down to buying gifts. You ask why? Well, we're on a very tight budet for a long list of families and friends to give gifts to. Most of our income goes to our wedding savings, but nonetheless, we succesfully overcame this challenge! :)

We had to look for budget gifts for everyone. And kept telling ourselves, as the saying goes, "it's the thought that counts." Haha!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! :)))

Cheers!

Models for a Day: Our Prenuptials Shoot

For months, I have planned for this day - from the concept, clothes to wear, venue to use, down to yesterday's itinerary.. And now, IT'S A WRAP! :))

So where to begin our story? Hmmm.. This one's going to be very looonnggg... Mahaba-habang usapan... ;)

Okay, game.

I had made an itinerary for yesterday's shoot as mentioned, since I wanted everything to be well organized and because we do not have a stylist nor a coordinator on site, and sent this to everyone. I even had to make sure everyone to stick to this. Okay, so I'm a bit OC! :P

First thing in the morning, I woke up at 5am and right away texted Ron if they are already going to pick up Sir Cris and his team in Taguig. Next, I checked the things we needed to bring which I already prepared last night, had a small bite of bread, and hit the showers. At 6.20am, my cousin, who is my designated driver, came and we headed to my uncle's place to get his car since we are borrowing it for the day. All is well, and right on schedule! :)

Unfortunately, this is where the first hassle came as a surprise. We couldn't find their caretaker, from whom we'll get the keys, nor the keys! We ended up waking up my aunt for her to find it. It took about almost an hour or so to be given to us. :/

7.30am, we were able to drive back from his place to ours to get our things, so I had to hurry up since we were already running late. Call time was 8-8.30am for everyone, and we arrive at DLSU-D at 8.45! Boooo!!! So, instead of stressing myself up, I just "let go and let God"! (Special thanks to w@w for this life-chaging lesson.)

Good thing Ms. Jeanne, who was 10mins earlier than the call time, started with Ron's look and they were just finishing up when we arrived! :) Needless to say, we were still on schedule when we were done with mine. Wohooo!

Our first venue - Uganayang La Salle. Since we have a sporty concept, to tie up with our wedding theme, this was the place to be! The shoot was really fun and brought out our sporty side. At the end of the morning's schedule - we were in sweat! Hahaha!

Oh by the way, did I mention that our package with Ms. Jeanne includes a free prenup photoshoot as well? But due to our busy schedule, we had Sir Jing Gungon as a back up for yesterday's. And he was fun to work with! :)



BTS: Our team and us at work :)

 

BTS: Playtime while waiting, and also for video's (STD) sake. :)



We then had lunch and rested a bit, then started off again with our wardrobe change to which we realized that our outfits do not match. Mine seemed to be more formal than Ron. It was only a minor hassle since I had worn maong shorts on the way, and it looked fine with my top. So no biggie there! ;) Before driving off to the second location, we had our HMU retouch and changes as well.

Arriving at the second venue, second hassle of the day knocked me off my feet! I was about to change my footwear when I checked my shoebox and found the wrong set of sandals I have brought! I was already thinking of options, but luckily, Ate (my cousin's wife and our PA for the day.. btw, super thank you is not enough) was wearing her red sandals which was my size! FYI, she's a 7 and I'm an 8.5 - more luck cause this was her only size 8 and above sandals and she had wore them yesterday! Wohooo! With her red belt, my look was complete and matched Ron's casual look! Another wohooo! :))

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Side story: We paid for 5 venues (@ 500 pesos each) as I have mentioned in a previous blog, but we had requested for a revision to 3 venues (ULS, Botanical Garden and Centennial Hall), so we could use the Centennial Hall at night. Request was approved, unfortunately no refund was given.

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We made use of the Botanical Garden, and an unfinished building which was not part of the pre-approved venues. So that's a 500 peso take-back.. :P



Our surprising photo session :)



While resting and waiting for our snacks, our third and most nerve-wracking hassle placed us on halt! Ron asked some guard to have our final venue, the Centennial Hall, opened, as how he had requested to have the gym opened. To his surprise, he was declined! He immediately asked for our approved letter and copy of receipt, and I decided to come with him. It seemed that we have the wrong name for the place we wanted to use and requested- long story short, it is not named Centennial Hall, but rather CTHM COURTYARD! After showing the two letters we have and OR, the undeniable intent to use the place, the almost an hour of talking and waiting for their head of security, they finally let us use the place! Woohhh!

While snacking, they even turned on the fountain by the Church and told us that we might even want to take pictures there. Ron and I looked at each other and knew we had paid for it, so why not! Another 500 peso take-back! Haha!

Wardrobe changed, makeup was done, and it was almost sun down, so we proceeded first to the Church and had some memorable photos there. **kilig**



Kilig lang.. bow! :))



After the Church, we proceeded to the CTHM Courtyard. It is reaalllyyy pretty there! Oh and they allow the place to be rented for events and functions, just in case some will be interested. ;)

We had some of what I call "teleserye" photos here, and some of our continuing romantic shots. **kilig again**

More kilig moments... :))



At 6pm, we had finished our prenup shoot! Very tired, to say the least... But more than happy and excited for the copies as well! At the end of the day, I can say that I definitely would not change a bit of yesterday, including all of its hassles! :)

Disclaimer: All photos in this blog are courtesy of Erllen Leona (my cousin's wife).

And that's a wrap!

Uniformed to Match

We finally got our custom made uniforms for this Sunday's prenup! Yey! :))

Adding to my excitement was the surprising feeling when I saw our wedding seal embroidered to our uniforms.. Nakaka-kilig and definitely a pat on the back since the logo was DIY and it turned out to look really good. #Proud

Our embroidered seal

Matching Uniforms... Oh and did you get our message? :))

Fingers crossed, we could bring to life our visions and all our efforts will be rewarded by memorable photos. ;))

Wish us luck,

Tips: Prepping for Prenup

This Sunday, Dec 16th is our scheduled Pre-Nuptials Photo Shoot to be held in Dasmariñas, Cavite. All is set as planned. But, back when I was starting to prep for our wedding, I did not realize the time and effort needed for this one particular pre-wedding day.

It took me weeks before I was able to schedule the photographer and the venue. It was sort of a game of volleyball at times cause one party keeps throwing off the date. Until finally, I was able to find one common date - to which I instantly grabbed! :)

After which, the search for the hair and make up artist was needed to be done. And this did not come easily as well. Most of the artists I have asked had blocked off this date since December is the peak season for weddings, thus they entertain weddings more than prenups. Thankfully, after months of searching, I was able to book the HMUA that fits everything perfectly. :)

You might think it all ends there right? No, not at all!

We needed to look for clothes that will tie up the venue and the ideas we had. So we had to have a custom made pair of uniforms to bring our vision to life. And of course some styling was badly needed as well, thus the trip we had to Divisoria. ;)

All in all.. There are a few tips I could suggest future couples:

(1) Make sure to know, or at least have an idea of, when you would want to have your prenup, and what you want for it. This will be helpful in booking suppliers, as you could have the date blocked off at the same time that you are blocking off your wedding date. To top this, knowing what you want will help you set aside the needed budget for this particular day.

(2) Have a concrete vision.. Planning is easier when you know what you want to achieve in the end. Plus, this will help your suppliers to be prepared for your shoot, and be able to provide the services you need or more.

(3) Stick to your plan. It's nice to have Plan B, just be sure that this is not too far from your Plan A unless you have all the liberty in the world to change everything. Otherwise, changes could lead to additional costs, and of course stress for you and your fiance.

(4) Communicate. This is not just limited to you and your fiance. Have an open communication with your suppliers, especially your photographers, on how you envision your shoot. Throw ideas back and forth to know their limitations, and their capabilities, as well as yours. This will help both parties to have a better working relationship.

Lastly...

(5) Enjoy! This is hard to do when you are stressed - I know! But please do so. This will definitely help the way you perceive your prenup, and all the preparations you have done. And of course, stress makes us ugly - so who wants to be ugly on photos, right? So... No matter how stressful it gets, SMILE! :)

Just thinking,

Looking Back - DIY # 2: Photobook Album

Back in August, I decided to purchase 3 vouchers from an online store, Ensogo, to redeem Photobook albums that I intend to use for the wedding. Initially, I thought to use this for the following photos to be compiled into an album:

(1) Our Love Story - something that I figured could be my gift to my future husband. And since I used to make scrap books of sorts, I figured this could show him another side of myself.

(2) Our Prenuptial Photo Shoot - Since the prenup album will serve as our Guestbook, I figured this could be a way to have a prenup album without the writings of other people - just a clean photo album.

(3) Our Wedding Album - Since the wedding album that we'll be having will only contain the photos from our official photographer, I figured this to be a way to capture and collect our favorite photos that would be coming from unexpected people and guests. 'Cause let's face it, not all unforgettable moment will be captured by our official ones, and maybe a simple funny photo from a friend will capture the essence of one moment in our wedding.

Unfortunately, like all promos and offers, the vouchers have expiration period and it will end prior to our wedding. So before I purchased the other 2 vouchers, I knew change of plan was necessary. To my surprise, I thought of the most wonderful way to make use of the other 2 vouchers I plan to buy. Before I changed my mind, I hit the "Buy" button, and smiled to my excitement.

Now, to what purpose will I use the other two, right? It will be our "honoring gifts" to my parents and to Ron's sister and her husband. I figured that since they are the people that matters to us most, I would love for them to feel the same amount of love as we feel for each other during our wedding day. I hope that when they receive these albums of their own "Love Stories", that they will have their own feeling of being loved and lucky to have found someone - the same way we do. :)

Now... Having all these planned out, I started to do the first project lined up - Our Love Story. And due to our busy work schedules, and the demand of the upcoming wedding, I only get to do this during my spare time, or my me-time. :) Needless to say, it's been months already since I started doing this, and only now have I actually finished ours. And I promise to make no more revisions to this. Haha!

Sneak Peek of our Love Story Photobook

Next will be the other two "projects" that I'll be needing to finish before my vouchers expire... Crunch time - I know! Let's just hope that I could work on this secretly, without the two couples knowing. Hehehe!

Cheers!

Tuesday Shopping: Quiapo and Divisoria in One Day

Despite our busy work schedules, I was able to convince Ron to take a leave today and go to Quiapo for a quick shopping for materials for our wedding cord. As you may have read, we now decided to have this DIY-ed instead to capture the idea I had in mind and to save a few pesos.

Another item adding to the list of things we needed to buy is our souvenir material since this is a semi-DIY - but for this one, we knew we needed to go to Divisoria instead.

Now, itinerary for the day: Morning in Quiapo and after lunch in Divisoria. Fingers crossed, we hoped it wouldn't rain as there was an incoming typhoon.

Getting to Quiapo, we were able to catch the 10.00 mass then headed to Jollibee for a quick snack. After which, we headed straight to Wellmanson and wasted no time looking for the materials we needed. I spent an hour or so inside the store as I carefully looked through each materials, and I think Ron was getting impatient as it took me more than 10 minutes to choose a bead cap. Well, I had to choose carefully! Hihihi.

All the beads I bought... I can do this! Aja! :)

Right after Wellmanson, we went straight to Divisoria as it started to drizzle - I was so worried that it'll rain more towards the afternoon.

Arriving at Divisoria, we scoured the entire street and had no luck finding the one we needed for the souvenirs. Feeling hopeless and starting to get wet due to the rain, we decided to have a late lunch. We did not realize that it already took us a couple of hours roaming around Divisoria, and it was only after eating we felt really tired and feet aching. After a bit of rest, it was time to go home - but we'll be sure to go back, hopefully during a better weather. :)

At the end of today, I'm just happy that my mood was not dampened by the weather, nor the fact that we did not find any materials for our souvenirs, as I am really excited to start with our DIY wedding cord, and others. :)

As always, I'll keep you posted on its progress.

Cheers,

I Have THE DRESS! :)

It's been months since I first started emailing the only designer I had in mind - Paul Rex Mateo for my wedding gown designs. He made my Senior Prom Dress and my Debutant's Ball Gown, both of which I really loved! So of course, choosing him was a no brainer. :)

But as any bride-to-be, I also scouted for other options, though I never had any meet ups with other designers, I was able to check others' works and rates. In the end of every inquiry, I somehow feel that Paul wins over the others - by design, workmanship or rates. Hehe.

Today, we were able to set an appointment with him even with his busy schedule. By the time we got to his shop, there was a bride-to-be fitting her gown and it was really pretty! I hope she won't mind that I had this photo attached to my blog, as it gave me a first-hand preview of what a wedding gown from Paul would be like. Also, honestly, I was so envious of how thin she is! Haha! Wish I could be like that in 6 months time - fingers and toes crossed. Haha! Looking at her fitting her gown and seeing how happy she is and how excited she is - I imagined myself in her shoes, and felt really really excited - super!

One of Paul's many creations

Right after they left, Paul and I started discussing my wedding pegs. He showed me a couple of designs he had sketched which were lovely, and both had its own ups and downs for my taste.

The first one is a v-neck haltered top, and the second one is a tube top with a bolero, both of which I liked, but somehow did not suite my wedding gown preference because I'm not comfortable to wear such necklines. I feel a bit short on the "upper" area, so I may not be able to do it justice.

First sketch

Second sketch

The third sketch he made was the one I fell in love with. It is simple and has the neckline that I wanted, and would feel comfortable wearing which was important since I did not ask for a second gown/look design. I'm really excited to discuss swatches for this, attend to the fittings (if my mom would allow), and of course, wear THE DRESS! But for now, all I can do is look at the photo of the sketch and dream away.. Hehe.. Oh, but sorry folks, I won't be showing this yet, and will keep this a surprise. So you'll have to patiently wait with me. ;)

PS: My mom had hers sketched and we had already picked swatches for her. My dad was also able to have his measurements taken and choose the design for his barong suit. Next in line will be fiance's side. :)

Eight Supplier Booked: The Wedding Day by Paul Rex Mateo

Happy bride-to-be,

Bridal Accessories Quest

It's been weeks since the end of the W@W auction, and just recently found out that we will have to pay an additional amount for a complete set of bridal accessories from my wedding gown designer. The amount is not really minimal since the included items will only be the two pillows, second veil, cord, pouch, garter and head piece.

Unfortunately, I did not bid for an item in the auction with the same amount since I initially assumed these to be included in the wedding gown package. I could have gone these at a cheaper rate. However, I did not. So advise to future W@Wies, please check all items you'll need prior to auction time, and be able grab such opportunity. ;)

Thus, the past weeks we've been searching the net and all other resources for suppliers to have these provided, complete with candles and Bible to match that, within our budget. We were able to narrow these to two suppliers. And of course emails are now being exchanged to have a feel as well of how they entertain our inquiries.

Also, I have toyed with the idea as well of doing things ourselves, but keeps setting this idea aside as I'm not sure I have the time to do these. Hehe.

As of today, we are still undecided, except for one item - wedding cord. So maybe, this one we could do and the rest we'll order, but we'll need to confirm first with the designer if we could bargain the bridal accessories. Hihi.