First Booking: Deal or No Deal???

Okay. So we're engaged, and we just celebrated our First Anniversary yesterday. We haven't actually moved on from the bliss of the first year celebration and its cheesyness, but we're now going into full speed and focus for the upcoming wedding.

Automatically, I signed us up for different bridal fairs that will be held within the year, and first quarter of next year. After which, I quickly jumped into looking for photographers and videographers as they will definitely be one of the major suppliers and buys that we need to decide on. For weeks, I was able to research and choose a few photo/video suppliers that I thought would fit our budget, and our needs.

With us signed up for the Bridal Fair, and with only the Photo/Video Supplier in our checklist (aside from a little window shopping for other wedding essentials), we went to NBC Tent in hope to book one of the suppliers in my list - I wouldn't mention who it was anymore. Upon arriving at the venue, which by the way we were really at exactly 10 am, we immediately looked for that supplier's booth, and asked questions after questions. Since, the price was a bit high for us, we proceeded to the next one on our list, and so on.

First timers attending Bridal Fairs - and we're labeled as GUESTS! ;)

Until, while we were just going around the place, a certain gentleman, sales-talked his way into my attention, and I started paying attention to the package details and its price range. CGM Studios was the name of the supplier. I haven;t researched anything about them, so I was a bit hesiatant to pay attention, and after the much talk, I immediately walked after Ron and asked if we could go for lunch already to discuss all the offerings we heard. And during lunch that I realized that all the while I was listening to the gentleman offering their photo/video packages, he was looking into other suppliers in the venue. So I then discussed what I remember from the sales-talk and realized that their package fits our budget, and the needs as well.

So, right after lunch, we went back to NBC Tent, and he discussed a few items with CGM and looked over their albums and on-site which was available for viewing at the event. Ron was immediately convinced by them, but I was having second thoughts since I never heard of them, and because I wanted the other photo/video supplier.

We went outside for a while, and after a needed pros and cons discussion, Ron's pick won the debate. We then went back inside and instantly book them for our wedding. It was such a good feeling though I was really anxious having known nothing about them (I know, I'm a bit of a control-freak). It was truly a high to book a supplier for an event that we are really excited about! :)

So there. Coming out of the NBC Tent for the nth time, we now have a Photo/Video supplier - CGM Studios. :))

First Supplier Booked: CGM Studios

Cheers!

First Supplier Meeting: Island Cove

Weeks ago, I called Island Cove to ask for their wedding packages. During the same day, they were able to send us the wedding packages. We scanned the packages and realized that their rates are beyond our allotted budget for the reception. So earlier today, I called their Sales Office let them know that we will be coming and will be inquiring about the wedding. Also, I was able to talk to Mami Sharon on the phone, and I immediately told her of our concern. She then sent me a revised wedding package good for 100 persons - which is for Food and Venue alone. Again, we scanned the package quotation, computed it at 200 guests, and still it would exceed our budget, but only on a small margin.

Right after work hours, Ron and I immediately went to Kawit to talk with Mami Sharon. We got there just in time before they closed the Sales Office. Immediately, she entertained us and we told her again of the same concern we had. Being close to her (I used to work at Island Cove), she asked us about our budget, to which I showed her the excel file I made (Geeky!). She raised her concerns about the budget we had, as we will be having 200 guests at the minimum - yes, ,that's right... it's the minimum.

So, she went inside their office again, and recomputed the package for us, now set at a minimum of 200 guests. The price seemed reasonable, but the food inclusions in the package were very ordinary. She knew it was my concern (maybe I do not have a poker face after all), and told me that we could still be able to fix the menu as the wedding will still be a year from now. "That's just an estimate. Don't worry too much. We could talk about this next year, or end of this year for a more accurate rate." - this is her reassuring statement.

Island Cove's revised package for minimum of 200 guests

In addition to this, she pencil booked us for the Tejeros Grand Ballroom, and told us to take as much as time as we need. They will let us know if someone will try to book the venue, and only by then do we need to decide. I knew Mami Sharon will take good care of our wedding, and I believe that with all my heart. But I had my own worries about the food, and at the rate they gave us I knew we could find a good caterer. The only problem would be is the venue.

Suddenly feeling undecided about Island Cove, we left the place and decided to look for alternatives.

With hope and faith,

Our Whereabouts

After getting engaged just a couple of weeks ago and having decided on when the wedding will be, we immediately jumped into looking for venues and possible Church.

The Church was an easy pick - Holy Cross Parish Church in our home town of Tanza. Historical on its own, this is the Church where Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Philippines' first President took his oath of office. It also houses the famous and miraculous St. Augustine - Patron Saint of Tanza.

I also had my personal reasons for my picking this Church: This is located beside the school I went to, and so all my personal milestones were witnessed here - graduations, first communion, and others. But you know the major reason behind this pick? It is the same Church where my parents were married 26 years ago. ;) And next year, this is where we will vow, to love each other and be each other's partner, before God and our families and friends.

Holy Cross Parish Church

Next on our list is the venue. We only had one venue in mind - Island Cove Hotel & Leisure Park. This was a strategic choice for us. I used to work there for about 3 years, and I know the people and the services they offer. Thus, supplier relationship is a lot easier to build. The only thing that worries us is the time it takes to get from the Church to here. Since our wedding will be on a Saturday morning, and hoping that there will be no traffic, we estimated it to be at around a 20-30minute drive. We know it might take longer if there'll be traffic, but we're very much optimistic about it since we're not aware of other venues closer to the Church.

Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park

So there, the next thing to do is contact them to inquire and hopefully reserve our dates. :)

Fingers crossed,

So when it's gonna be?

Okay. So the proposal had been made. A couple of days ago, just coming back from our trip to Macau, we immediately told my parents and his sister of the proposal and the upcoming wedding. And naturally, this is the time when we think of when the wedding should take place.

 Initially, the only thing that hinders us from setting a wedding date is our budget for the wedding itself. We wanted to pay for the expenses ourselves, and not ask our families – unless they volunteer themselves. So this one was of major concern for the both us, as we wanted to make our dream wedding possible at the price tag we can actually afford. So the year 2012 was definitely out of the picture, and decided whether it would be 2013 or 2014.

Choosing between the years seemed so simple at first. But both had its own pros and cons. By 2014, we would definitely have the budget we’ll need to make the dream wedding a reality. But it somehow feels too long for an engagement, and too long of a preparation is too stressful to handle. Also, more time buys more things in its own sense, so by 2014 we might be having an extravagant wedding rather than the simple intimate wedding we want. Plus, Ron has his own personal life point: to be married when he is 30, and not 31.

2013 on the other hand, seems to be realistic and practical as well. By then, we would have enough savings to make the wedding happen at a reasonable cost. We have enough time to find suppliers, who will deliver quality service at the cost we could afford, and we will be able to save for our dream home right after the wedding – thus, having a home by 2014 will be more of reach. Another additional point for the 2013 wedding is that, he’ll only be at his 30s. Haha!

So there, the year was set. 2013 it is!

The date did not come easy as well. A lot of questions surfaced during the entire process of choosing the date. Should it fall on a weekend or a weekday? A weekend wedding means that most of the guests we would choose to invite will be available, and attending our wedding wouldn’t cause too much of a hassle for them. But, traffic would be inevitable as it is on a weekend. On the other hand, if we choose a weekday wedding, a few guests will be able to make it, and those that are of working class need to take time off from work to attend. Thus, hassle on their part is an obvious result – but fewer guests would mean less cost on our part. At the end, we decided to make it on a weekend – thus limiting our calendar choices to about 8 days out of a month.

Another thing we considered is my relatives coming from overseas. It had always been a dream to have my entire family at my wedding... so this one was something we needed to discuss. Having a relative who studies abroad means that they are only able to come home during holidays or school vacations. And since it is set on 2013, one of my relatives will be coming home by May, and intends to stay for a month or so. Again, this sets another limitation to our choice of wedding date – only the months of June, July and probably December as well.

Last point to consider was a pamahiin or cultural belief. My mom opened this concern when we were asking suggestions regarding the date. Accordingly, a wedding should take place when the moon is considered to be a New Moon, or nearing a New Moon. For some reason, I personally follow certain pamahiin, as I find no wrong in doing so. Wala naman mawawala kung susunod (There’s nothing to be lost if we follow) – that’s what I say. Fortunately, my husband-to-be doesn’t mind that I want to follow this particular pamahiin.

So having all these considerations laid out for us, there was only one thing to do. See the 2013 calendar that shows the phases of the moon.

Source: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=2013

Looking at the calendar, there were only 3 dates to choose from: June 8, 2013, July 8, 2013 and December 3, 2013. One that fits everything so perfectly is JUNE 8, 2013. After checking and discussing our budget and our work schedules, we both agreed to stick to this date.

Funny because all the while, I was secretly smiling as I had been dreaming that if a wedding was to take place next year – it would be on this date.

So there you have it. The Saradpon – Dones Nuptials will be on the 8th of June 2013.

Wish us luck!

The Proposal

After a delayed and tiring flight, it was 23:00 when we finally reached our international vacation destination for the year – Macau!

So right after getting off the plane, we were greeted by our local “chauffer” and brought us to Regency Hotel Macao, where we stayed for the duration of the stay. Needless to say, nothing has topped our Disneyland adventure of 2009, including the hotel accommodations. Having spent half of my day at the office, and the other half at the airport and travelling, I was pretty darn tired and hit the sack at once! Good night Macau!

Saturday, 14th April 2012, was our first official day! Itinerary for the day was already booked as we arranged a city tour from morning till afternoon. We had breakfast at the hotel, and were picked up by the bus at the hotel lobby. Traffic was bad going to our first stop of the tour -- the Museum, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a very nice cathedral, too bad it was damaged by fire. We took lots and lots of pictures there as any normal tourists would.

At Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral

Pahinga mode lang... Credits to my Tita for the "feeling prenup photo" 

Again, traffic was inevitable as it was a Saturday and the place was filled with tourists. We passed by the City and the Senado Square on our way to the next destination. As we arrived in our second stop of the day – Koikei Bakery and the A-Ma Temple, we first went to the Koikei Bakery. It was filled with free tastes of their offerings such as almond biscuits, beef jerkies, egg rolls, etc. We took lots of the samples as we were already hungry for lunch! Also, we spent a lot buying pastries and specialties as pasalubong for people. The A-Ma Temple on the other hand, was filled with incense, lots and lots of incense in different sizes and shapes.

Third stop was the most exciting part of the tour – Free Lunch! Yes, free as it was already part of the package we had paid for. We had buffet lunch at the Riviera Hotel for about an hour before heading off to the City tour. I couldn’t say that it was the most indulging and tasteful meal I had ever had, as it was bland and not suited to my taste; except for a pastry dessert which was acceptable, and none the less delicious enough.

Last stop was the City tour. We had about a couple of hours to roam around the City, in which we spent window shopping. As we passed by jewellery store after jewellery store, I looked at the diamond rings in the display hoping that I would have one...Soon? I did hope so. When Ron would look at the rings with me, I would make it a point to make him look at the ones that stood out for me, secretly wishing he’d give me one as an engagement ring -- but the look on his face doesn’t show any interest, or gusto to buy me one. So I hoped, maybe not now, hopefully in the future.

Time flew by as it was already 4 o’clock... time to go back to the hotel. Tourists were dropped off by the Ferry, those going to Hongkong, and we were taken back to our hotel. Time for some needed rest as our feet were very tired from walking around for hours!

It was a few minutes past 5 in the afternoon when Ron and I decided to go around the hotel and find the swimming pool. We agreed to take a dip once we had the time to do so. When we got to the resort part of the hotel, we looked around and checked every facility they offered – game room, tennis courts, basketball courts and of course, the pool.

After looking around, we decided to settle at the little balcony placed between two small wooden doors that overlook the tennis courts. Since he had gone to Singapore three weeks prior to our trip to Macau, it was the first entire day we had spent together after being separated from some time. And having some alone time, we started catching up, topic after topic, people after people, we discussed things, laugh at happenings and such.

To the left of this picture, andun yung "little balcony" overlooking the basketball court and tennis courts.

In the middle of our conversations, I turned my back against him and looked at the tennis courts and basketball court. After not seeing the baskets in the basketball court, I immediately asked him if it was the basketball court. After saying that it was, and pointing the baskets, he hugged me from behind, and to my surprise, placed a box in the balcony in front me. Instinctively, I asked him what it was. Then he opened the box, and there was a simple diamond sitting on top of a two-looped-topped white gold ring. Again, to my surprise, I asked him what it was. Then he said it, “Will you marry me?”. Hands shaking and eyes almost filled with tears, I asked him, “Seriously?”. He placed his head on the back of my neck and jokingly said, “Will I buy it if I wasn’t?”. Still, filled with shock and an overwhelming amount of emotions – joy, fear, gratefulness, excitement – again I asked him, “Promise?”. He looked me in the eye, nodded and said “Yes! Will you marry me?”. I smiled whole heartedly, trying so hard to hold back the tears, – as I didn’t want to cry at my proposal –nodded, and gave my “YES!”. We hugged and kissed. Then he asked me to put the ring on my finger – and that broke the ice! We both laughed and I insisted he did the honors. He then, took the ring out of its box, held my hand, and placed it on my ring finger. He then kissed it, and we smiled at each other, hugged and kissed.

Sorry... No pictures during the proposal itself... Too excited!

After all the wave of emotions surpassed, he then told me that he had planned to give it to me when ride the Gondola later that night. But the thought of having my aunt and brother with us might challenge his courage, and might not deliver the proposal as how he wants.

We decided to head back to the rooms, and decided to keep the proposal to ourselves as we haven’t told my parents yet. Needless to say, though it wasn’t the most romantic proposal, it was perfect in its own little way. It was just us, deciding on our future. No crowd nor audience to pressure my answer. Just us. Ron and I, AND the ring.

At a few minutes past 6 o’clock, we went to the Venetian and rode the Gondola. We were so excited, as this would give us a sense of the Italian romance. During the ride, before passing by the first bridge, Portia – the Gondolier – asked me who Ron was, and I simply answered “My boyfriend.” Then she smiled, and asked my Aunt’s permission as she would ask us to do something in a few minutes. Remembering an Italian belief so popular, I couldn’t imagine how I could forget, I simply smiled. Then minutes away from the next bridge, she told us a story of her parents and how their 40-year marriage lasted with so much love. She said, “You see, me parents when they were boyfriend and girlfriend, zey kissed under ze bridge.” I don’t know if it was pure coincidence or well-thought of, but the Italians say that when couples kiss under the bridge, it brings joy, love, and luck to their relationship. As we were nearing the bridge, I felt myself turning red, as I have never kissed Ron in front of anyone! Then comes the bridge, Ron and I looked at each other and kissed. Then my Aunt didn’t get it on camera, so we had to kiss again, this time longer, as we were waiting for the shutters to go off.

Kiss under the Bridge

And so the ride, continued. Portia sang, and there were lots of people taking pictures of her. Then nearing the end of the ride, she sang another song. This time, it was a Tagalog song... Dahil Sa’yo. I smiled again, as this was a song that tells the story of a person who is happy to have found someone who means the world and gives meaning to the world. 

Again, I don’t know if it was coincidence, or well-thought of, but at that time, I was really grateful for having Ron in my life... that now, we are starting a new chapter in our lives – a life lived together. Then the ride ended, and the happiness did not pass. We headed off to dinner, had pizza and pasta, but still the cloud nine feeling was still there and couldn’t be brushed off!

We ended our night at the Venetian, having a go in the Casinos. With no luck, we didn’t win any. Too bad, we could have gain our wedding fund there. After a string of losses, we all decided to go back to the hotel and have a good night’s sleep.

Arriving at the hotel, I was still hyped by the proposal that happened. I wanted to take a picture of my ring, and how it looked on my finger. Then I waited for my Aunt to hit the showers, so I will have my opportunity. I took pictures of the ring – in the box, me holding it, and on my finger. I was so excited I took a lot of pictures, and was almost caught by my Aunt. I quickly hid it in my bag, and decided to sleep off the excitement.

I'm engaged!

So there... It was definitely.. Good night Macau! :)

Still "kinikilig",