Church - Iglesia ni Cristo locale not yet finalized(!)
· check on status of CENOMAR certificates on e-census

I need to submit a CENOMAR certificate prior to finalizing the venue. (I think this is sort of like wedding banns?)

Minister - tbd
· to be handled by Joel's parents

Reception Venue - The Conservatory, The Peninsula Manila



· Reservation Fee paid
· confirm some freebies I am asking for (corkage of 1 bottle per table, use of room for photo set-up)
· get details on sound system, supplier meals, room upgrade (October / November)
· finalise menu and set schedule for food tasting (October / November)
· make booking for rooms (October / November)

Photographer – Pilar Tuason
· Downpayment paid
· Schedule prenups by January

I really wanted to have good photographs of the wedding, and so early on we decided to spend a fair-sized chunk of our budget on this. Haha. It turns out that what I thought was a spendy amount was actually way lower than actual photography costs.

I saw Pilar's work at the Manila Pen Bridal Fair. I guess you could say photo style is a mix of traditional and photojournalistic. I found the photos very classy. I loved the composition. I liked that they were emotional but not cheesy. Even her albums were beautiful.

Pilar was a bit out of our budget, but from her work I feel she is definitely worth it. I showed Joel her website and we booked her. I'm a happy cookie now

2nd Photographer

I would like to have a 2nd photographer to take photos of Joel's preparations. I saw Pazette and Darwin's photographs and really love the photography and layout style.

I'll be contacting Mimi soon to ask about fees and schedules.

Videographer – tbd
Since we are spending quite a lot for the photographs we had initially decided to forgo getting a video of our wedding. Joel told me that Ka Helen (his mom) would like to have both photographss and a video, especially as not all his sisters will be in Manila for the wedding. I'm cool with that :) It's a really good idea.

So far I have seen work by Cre8tvt, Jason Magbanua, and Geronimo. I like Jason's work best, but he is also the priciest. Hey, no complaints about costs, I'm in the design field myself and appreciate how work needs to be valued...we're just trying to see if we can afford it. I hope he's still free by the time the Themes and Motifs Fair comes up in September.

Motif - Pink and Green



Mia’s & Entourage’s Gowns - Mila Dava
· Downpayment paid
· Need to schedule measurement of entourage members and finalize their dress design (September)
· Fitting of mock gown (September)

Tita Mila is part of what I call the "Tita Mafia". They're my mom's friends from way back highschool and college days. They are really like the Mafia - family ties, solutions, help when needed etc etc.

Tita Mila said that she needs to make a mock gown because, although my dress has no beads, its difficult to sew. It's a sleeveless V-neck gown with lots and lots of ruffles. It's made of silk chiffon, and really, despite how the ruffles sound, it is not girly.

Oh, BTW, my gown isnt white...it's PINK! You could call it Blush if you want, as that name seems more appropriate for a wedding gown. I've always worn what I want and I see no reason why I need to change that now.

Mia’s Shoes – Janylin
They're 4-inch stilleto mules and I need to start trying to walk with them. I'm sure they will kill my calves but gotta pay the price for vanity. Joel is 6'1" and I'm 5'3" so high heels are pretty much required.

Mia’s Makeup - Patrick Rosas
· call to confirm in November

What can I say, he's one of the best. Hopefully he can make me look pretty and girly instead of sullen and snooty.

Entourage Makeup - Bea
· call for trial makeup in November

Bea does makeup as a part time job, but she's done some makeup on me and my mom a few times and she's realllly good. Plus she's got a great collection of makeup...yummy brands that won't kill your skin. I haven't seen how she does hair though, so that's something to keep an eye on during the trial.

Joel’s Clothes – Hugo Boss suit / Borelli tie
· purchase shirt (off-white)

Joel bought his suit and tie at a men's store in SF and got an incredible price for it. They altered it a bit for him too. It turns out that Joel is really a 40 requiring some adjustment at the arms, and not a 42 requiring a lot of adjustment in the torso and waistband. He looked scrummy on the webcam. I got kilig hehe.

Invitations – undecided
· Finalise design by August
· Get prices from Ever Engraving and Amis before end August
· Start ordering in late September (just in case we get from Amis)

I'm leaning toward a calligraphy-style invitation using colored ink on nice thick white/off-white paper. Maybe deckled edges? Fabriano paper (asa pa)? I'd like the envelopes lined as well.

Something like this.



Joel on the other hand is thinking of someting more modern and stylized. We've got till August to present our designs and agree on a final one. :)

Wedding Rings – Tak King
Joel wanted to get platinum bands and I visited HEMM Hans Brumann and Tak King. HEMM was ok but it took them quite a while before they could get back to me on prices.

Tak King was a different story.

My mom and I set a meeting with Geny of Tak King and visited them one Saturday. It turns out that David, Geny's boss was at the office at that time as he flew in from HK to attend a wedding. They didn't have actual samples of the ring we wanted so I showed Geny a photo of a ring somewhat similar to what we liked. While Geny, my mom, and I were discussing, David entered the office and called me to sit near him. He asked for our wedding date, as well as Joel's and my birthdates. Then he gave me some feng-shui advice. He looked at me and asked Geny to show me a ring he had made for his niece. It was exactly what we wanted! I think David is a magician.



They're making the silver sample rings and as soon as I get them I'll send Joel his ring so he can check out the sizing.

Flowers – Boots Araneta
· need to speak to her about what to do (July / August – prior to meeting with Alex Franco)

Tita Boots is a very good friend of my mom from her highschool days. She is really talented and creative and I trust her to do a great job with the flowers.

Cake – Alex Franco
· set up meeting to discuss details (August)

Alex is highly regarded among members of W@W so I was pretty lucky to get a reservation with him. I will probably devote an entire post to his cakes and I can't wait to try his famous black and white cake (it's a combination prune and chocolate cake! yumm!)

Sound System – undecided
We may opt to use the sound system provided by the Pen instead. It's a lunch reception so I doubt if there will be much dancing.

Jay, my sister's boyfriend will probably play the keyboards

Car - undecided
· none pa, still hunting

Souvenirs – undecided
· some Ideas – chocolate decadent cake, plants, chocolates

Gifts for Entourage & Principal Sponsors – undecided

Marriage License
· visit Marikina City Hall to resolve the issue of applying for a license while Joel is abroad (this should be resolved by September so I can apply by November)

Coordinator – undecided
· still debating if it’s worth it and if we really need one

Emcees – Ling and Roy

Entourage List
· finalise sponsor list and ask them (August)
· finalise 1 groomsman (August)

Guest List
· streamline guest list to 120 guests (ideal), with 140 guests (maximum)

Health / Vanity
After being a potato for about a year and a half, I really need to step up on the fitness thing. I need to go to the gym at least 3 times a week and work out seriously.

I'm thinking of starting the Body for Life program in September. It' a pyramid system with the last set at max weight. It's a bit of a killer but I like that it keeps your workout to 45 minutes.

I need to see how the workout goes before attempting to diet. I don't want to faint at the gym (!)

This entry was posted on 7/11/2004 at 7/11/2004 08:20:00 pm. You can skip to the end and leave a response.