Supplier 10: Hair and Make up By Jeanne Lu

Hair and Make-up

Peso Power = Php 8, 500 (plus Php 2, 000 OOT fee) for Airbrush Make-up for the Bride, and 2 Traditional Make-up for 2 Adults
                       Php 4, 000 for the Whole Day Pre-nuptials Shoot's Traditional Make up (3 Looks for Bride and Groom)

Rating: 10

Ms. Jeanne Lu has got to be the most reliable supplier of our wedding. So to make this review as unbiased as possible (I hope), I will try to make this as detailed as possible based on our experiences with her.

Save-The-Date Video Is Out

Hi there! Just sharing our Save The Date video courtesy of CGM Studios. :)

Kilig lang talaga and it shows how funny and goofy we are as a couple. Hope it'll always feel like this even at times that we are stressed out.

Seems the STD video came out in time to remind me of this wondeful trait we have as a couple. This is because things are just getting stressful for me, and most of the times vent I it out on Ron... I know, I know. Poor guy! :(

Anyways.. Hope you enjoy our STD! :))

Kilig still,

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!

Divisoria Experience: Shop Though You Won't Drop!

We've been planning to go to Divisoria to shop for a while now, though it used to be just for Christmas presents, now there is a new agenda in mind - to shop for Pre-Nuptial Photoshoot clothes. Since, we did not get a stylist for the said photoshoot, we decided to buy the clothes ourselves, and hope that it would stylish enough to be captured in photos.

My Mama and Papa were kind enough to accompany us, including my brother, since we haven't tried going there by commute. So, since they were buying store supplies, they scheduled it on the same day we were able to take a leave from work. Thus, becoming a family affair. Haha! ;)

My Mama looked around with me for some bridal gowns, and to my surprise I did try on one particular dress. When I was wearing it, I did not know what to feel. But when I looked myself in the mirror, with Ron on the background, I simply smiled, and felt giddy inside. Did not realize I could feel that way, or maybe because I saw Ron's reaction - priceless! Now, I wonder what he will look like when he sees me walk down the aisle.. Hmmmm.. Haha! I did like parts of the gown, but did not reserve or book it. I still feel the need to talk to the designer I had in mind. :) (Sorry, no pictures as it was not allowed) So my parents went to buy the supplies they needed for the store, leaving me Ron and my brother to shop for our clothes.

There were only 2 sets of clothes we needed to buy - clothes for the garden setting. Since the below photo is one of our garden photo pegs, I initially wanted light colored dresses for me and a preppy look for Ron.

Prenup Photo Peg - We found this in the internet.. Sorry dunno whose this is. 

Going around was really exciting - coming from a self-confessed shopaholic! Haha! They are not designer labels, but the quality is still there - though for some stores you still have to check. Brighter side, and I really mean bright - there were tons of shoes, dresses, clothes, accessories, etc. at really affordable prices, and we're still able to negotiate (makatawad). Talk about a shopper's dream. And after 2 - 3 hours of looking around, I was able to buy 2 sets for myself (I wanted options, and who's the girl who never wanted options? - defensive much) and 1 set for Ron at half the price we expected- Yey!!! Though I forgot to buy myself some sandals/slippers - Booo!!!

The 1st ser I bought for myself

My 2nd set to add to my options list

Ron's preppy look

Mission accomplished,

W@W Auction: An Experience I'll Never Forget

So it's time for the yearly W@W Auction. Since this is my first year as a W@Wie, this is also the first and only auction I have the privilege of joining prior to our wedding. So you may assume I was really excited about this, which by the way - I WAS! :)

A week before the auction opened, Ms. Benz (co-founder of W@W) sent us a list of the items being auctioned. Immediately, I searched the list and took note of the ones I'm willing to bid on. Naturally, I checked our ever growing list of wedding expenses, but nonetheless, I decided to join. Haha! :))

The week of the auction was thrilling to say the least! And I had only placed bids to the ones I really wanted, and kept checking if I was already outbid or not. Came Saturday, the last night of auction, and the game was getting serious. By the time my first 2 bids were about to close, I lost both items. Sad, but I kept on fighting for my last item - which was to end at 7am the following day. A couple of hours before I decided to sleep, I was actually outbid. So immediately, I asked Ron if I could raise my bid and help me get some sleep. Good thing he said yes! :)

Come Sunday morning, I was up really early - earlier than my alarm clock that was set at 6am. Yes, this is how addicted I was! No movements were being done. No one is bidding for my last item, but I was praying really hard to get it. But alas! 2 minutes before the close, someone outbid me! And so, without Ron's approval, I bid and bid till my limit was exhausted and I had no choice but to fold and accept defeat. Needless to say, it was a sad morning. But as any game I had played, it was fun and very challenging I may add - you'll need to know how far you could go with your budget! Haha!

At the end of the auction, I did lost all 3 items, but kept a smile and learned that I could actually discipline myself at some point. Hahaha!

To my surprise, Ms. Benz announced a fast and furious round 2 for everyone that night! So, of course, I did join again and tried my luck. I proxy-bid my entire budget for each item and hoped that I'll get it a lower bid. Fingers crossed! :)

Two days of pure anticipation as I did bid for another 3 items, 2 of which were the same as the 1st round, and the 3rd item being one that I really wanted. Come this day, I was at work with a lot of reports to do, that I knew I had to strategically plan my time as all of it will close while I was working. Good thing as well, that I had proxy-bid all of them. But I did made use of Ron's spare time, as I had asked him to carefully watch the items I had place a bid on. So come judgment time, I did won the first 2 items - the Silver Unity Coins and the Php 3000 GC from Hearts & Bells. The 3rd item was very tricky, and I was scared to lose it. So I tried to finish my report, but unfortunately, I wasn't finished yet when Ron said I was already outbid. So, I knew I needed to set aside something, and checked it myself. 10 minutes before closing time, I asked Ron for approval and how much more I could bid - and when he gave the approval... you may have guessed already, I did placed my bid 5 minutes before it closed! And voila, I won Purple Dish's Dessert Bar Buffet for 150 guests! :))

Silver Unity Coins

Php 3, 000 Hearts & Bells Gift Certificate

Purple Dish for our Dessert Bar

By the end of the 2nd round, I won all 3 items and felt really really happy and excited!

Again, thank you to Ms. Benz and Sir Abet for creating W@W! This is really an unforgettable place to be - maybe virtual at most times, but definitely a family in support of one another. Being a part of it is really an unforgettable experience on its own - with the likes of this auction and the upcoming xmas party as cherries on top! ;)


Very grateful,

Setting Foot in my Alma Mater: Pre-nup Booked

With the Pre-nuptials photoshoot scheduled with both the photo/video and HMUA, there is one more thing to accomplish to get things all planned out - book the venue!

I only had one venue in mind, my alma mater - De La Salle University - Dasmarinas. This is because this choice was very strategic for me as we want a sports-themed wedding and pre-nup with the addition of a laid back garden setting and classic formal affair.

The school ground houses the gymnasium and a track and field oval and grandstand as well. To top that, there is also a Church, Botanical Garden, and the recently built Centennial Hall. So, of course I knew there was nothing that could beat this. ;)

And today, we did book the place, all those I have mentioned at a minimal fee. Actually it is not a fee, but rather a donation to the school's educational fund. :) Now, we just have to plan an itinerary to make use of all places and properly allocate our time. Exciting times in deed! Haha! :))

Below are some photos of the mentioned places in DLSU - Dasma. Photos courtesy of DLSU - Dasma's website and multiply account.

De La Salle University Grandstand

De La Salle University Ugnayang La Salle

Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden

Centennial Hall

Centennial Hall at Night - I wish we could extend till night time :D

School Church

Excited for our Prenup,

Face Paint # 2: HMUA Booked

Early in the week, I have scheduled a trial makeup session with Mhec Gado, my leading HMUA in my shortlist. I am really excited and looked forward to this as she was the choice I had from the time I was able to inquire and see her works. But, unfortunately she had to cancel today's session late last night. She was in the hospital yesterday - I won't mention why, so I felt really bad and agreed to reschedule. So last night, Ron and I agreed to a change in our plans for tomorrow. Since our 10 o'clock was already cancelled, we planned to leave a bit late and go straight to the Bridal Fair in PICC after lunch, then proceed to Ron's dream date in the evening.

So, come today we headed to PICC after lunch. Upon arriving at the venue, I was surprised to know that I forgot to register Ron for the fair. I kept going over it in my mind, and couldn't believe my shortcoming. We ended up having to pay for the registration fee for him. Haha! :)

Going around the place, we only had HMUA in mind. We are looking for one to have for our prenup as Mhec is already booked during our prenup date. So the budget, wasn't that much and it seems that we will go over budget yet again. After some time, Ron and I decided to go out for a while to talk and look at our options. We consulted our budget, and the needs that we have. We looked at all the flyers in our hands and we were able to trim down our choices of the day to 3 HMUAs: Mic Alava, CJ Jimenez, and Jeanne Lu. We chose these 3 simply because, aside from me liking their portfolios, they were the ones I felt comfortable talking to. :)

Back inside, I was so undecided on whom to choose and have my trial makeup as all 3 were offering free TMs during the fair. CJ and Mic were both a close call, as CJ is a Cavitena and offered to waive the OOT fees for the wedding, but unfortunately the prenup will only be done once in the morning in her studio in QC. As for Mic, she was open that she won't be staying as well for the prenup and will only be there for about an hour or so. Having an HMUA during the prenup was something I personally prefer, simply because I have no idea how to retouch myself if needed, and I have an oily skin to top that.

At Jeanne's booth, the discussion we had showed that she was flexible with our arrangements, and that the rates are affordable and will not be affected by our "special arrangements". So, setting aside my growing bias for Mhec, I decided to reconsider her wedding package, and had my trial makeup.

Surprisingly, I loved the look I had after the trial. It was very natural, just the way I want it. Simple, and not overly done. Adding to my new found favorite HMUA - bonus point was that the prenup makeup will be given as free if I booked her then! :)

Taking one look at Ron, I knew he already knew what was going through my mind - as I kept looking in the mirror feeling really pretty! So vain - I know! Hahaha! He agreed to my decision, and we booked her and paid the reservation fee. We had our prenup and wedding dates blocked, so as to avoid anymore conflict. :)

Sixth Supplier Booked: Hair and Makeup by Jeanne Lu

After the Trial Makeup on the way to MOA Arena

Ron's dream date! <3

Go PETRON! :))

PS: Hours after the TM we had, my makeup was still looking good and I only needed to powder my nose ONCE, to think that Jeanne only used traditional makeup! I think I was so excited with the PBA game we were watching that night (Ron's dream date, by the way) that my face started to oil. But, to my surprise yet again, it didn't smudge or fade until I got home! :)

Still feeling pretty,