The only unfortunate thing about this day is that we were not able to hear mass. It's Sunday raba :-(
Our first agenda is to drop off the package Ate Dul has for her balikbayan Ninang in Private. As she was not there, we just left the box with the person who answered their door. And we went to Marlon's place na to prepare the stuffs we have to leave w/ Kaye's - candle stands, ribbons, etc.
After dropping off these stuffs at Kaye's, we again went back to SM. Had a hearty lunch at Barrio Fiesta and continued to buy the stuffs that we needed.
Bought the sweatshirt I need at Kamiseta & the white jogging pants @ USA Sports. Now I can make na my "Bride" get-up while being made up. Was able to buy cufflinks for Marlon too.
Then at around 2:30pm, we met w/ X-Jay at Bo's for the icing needs. I gave him a check for the rest of the cake materials. Now all I have to do is place the order for the gumpaste icing & I will have na my dream castle cake. Yahoo!
When we finished w/ the meeting w/ X-Jay, we checked out the plastic flowers at SM Dept Store but the ones we needed were no longer sold there. We transferred to Ayala to purchase JCA's pizza for pasalubong & at the same time check on the plastic flowers there too. Unfortunately, wa gihapon. Haay, I just hope I can buy it here in CDO.
That's all I have accomplished during the past week-end in Cebu. I am giving myself around 7-10 days more to get everything done & I'll be ready to take my much-needed relaxation na. Cant wait for the spa sessions. I already had David's session on my agenda this Sunday.
It's getting near!!!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
all set & ready to wed... well, almost :-)
When we reached Cebu last Sat., the first thing we did was to see Father Chuang at Sacred Heart for our canonical interview. It lasted barely 20 mins. We were made to answer a few questions related to our religion & family background. As he is pure Chinese, he speaks in an oh so familiar Chinese accent. He counseled us about being missionaries of the faith & being good examples as citizens of God. He urged us to touch peoples lives & to try to preach the gospel wherever we may be. I can sense that he is a very dedicated priest.
Next stop, we dropped the pastels at Ryan's shop, which we contributed to the DW party. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend it as meetings with suppliers became a priority. While we were there, we had the CD of instrumental songs burned so we can give a sample to our hired string performers. From there, we walked to the stall of Dragon Fireworks. But the owner was not there. Also, the one tending the store coudn't give us a sample of what we need - the remote controlled indoor fireworks. *Sigh* sayang ang time.
So we proceeded to SM nalang. By now, we are both very hungry na. The time being past 11am na. Luckily, we were escorted immediately to an empty table in our fave Chinese resto-Harbour City. After a fast lunch break, we then roamed the mall for our wedding needs. I was able to buy a lovely tiara for myself at the Italina's stall. And the other hair accessories for my Siobe Grace (my Matron of Honor), my cousin Chen (my Maid of Honor), Gianne (my Angel of Honor), bridesmaids & Jr. bridesmaids at Carolina's. But I failed to look for appropriate ribbons for the entourage's flowers. I desperately tried on a 34B & 34A Maidenform bodysuit. Hah! it's no use, i was not able to fit into any of the 3 or 4 designs I have chosen. The salelady informed me that I may be a size 32A. Eow! But that didn't dampen my spirits, I transferred to Ayala (all by myself as Marlon is too tired by this time to accompany me)& got the perfect Maidenform bodysuit ON SALE!!! Whoa! God's great... A few body shop purchases later, I am ready to go na.
Jude still has some clients when we walked in. In fact, he attended to my Tita Alice first (& 1 more client) before he made me fit my gown. But the wait is well worth it. After all, Tita Alice was there for a dress she's gonna wear to my wedding. hehe And the other client he had before me was a former officemate at Metrobank. I really love Cebu, I know everyone. hehe. Now, when I got into my altar date dress, I coudn't help but feel happy! It's very beautifully done. The beadwork on the lace was very dainty that Jude decided (& I agreed) that we wont cover the lace fabric with gazar cloth anymore bec. it's sayang. My only regret is that I wont be able to wear the exact dress he sketched. Though I know this will be a better one.
The lenght of the dress was adjusted after I've put on my shoes. Jude then told me that he doesn't like to finish my dress yet bec. I am still travelling & he has some superstitions. So the next time I'll see it will be on the 14th of Dec. na. Whew! I can hardly wait!!!
Marlon was also made to fit his suit. The coat is a bit too tight but the pants waist is big. Necessary adjustments were made also for the lenght of the coat.
Chen met us there bec she also fitted the lining of her dress.
After which, all 3 of us went to Abellana to get the suggested repertoire from the teacher who will be performing at my wedding. And we also gave our 1st dance music.
We then met Yoyong at Waterfront. While waiting for him, we had our room bookings confirmed and was able to roam through Duty Free pa to check on appropriate perfumes to wear on the big day. When Yoyong came, I left him a check for the bridal car & the invites for a relative & their family. We invited him to dinner at Grand Con but he declined saying he has to attend to some matters as most of the Ad Congress delegates checked in at Waterfront.
As part of the package, Ms. Edna allowed us food tasting at Grand Con. Mama Grace, Papa Bito, Chen & Ryan joined us. We were able to sample the dish we will be serving on our wedding banquet. The cold prawn salad is mouth-watering. Marlon enjoyed the lechon de leche, as expected. Only the steamed fish fillet with ham & vegetable did not pass his palate. He finds it not suitable to his taste so we decided to have it changed to fried fish fillet in soy sauce. After discussing a few more concerns such as dance floor, ice carving & a few more, we were able to close the deal at around 10pm.
I had been texting Arlene (of Kaye's Flower Shop) earlier to confirm our meeting but she didn't reply so I thought it's too late na to drop by her place. Sayang, she was there pa diay ta til 11pm.
Because Nolvin had not been feeling well the past few days & Gianne had cough also, Grace was not able to meet us at all so we decided to visit her in her place instead of attending the DW party. Any time with Gianne is always bliss. I cant get over how adorable this niece of mine is turning out to be. She's really a sweetheart! I got her a red Oshkosh dress & a Guess maong wear which I hope will fit her. We didn't stay long at their place coz by this time we are all sooo tired after a very long day.
Next stop, we dropped the pastels at Ryan's shop, which we contributed to the DW party. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend it as meetings with suppliers became a priority. While we were there, we had the CD of instrumental songs burned so we can give a sample to our hired string performers. From there, we walked to the stall of Dragon Fireworks. But the owner was not there. Also, the one tending the store coudn't give us a sample of what we need - the remote controlled indoor fireworks. *Sigh* sayang ang time.
So we proceeded to SM nalang. By now, we are both very hungry na. The time being past 11am na. Luckily, we were escorted immediately to an empty table in our fave Chinese resto-Harbour City. After a fast lunch break, we then roamed the mall for our wedding needs. I was able to buy a lovely tiara for myself at the Italina's stall. And the other hair accessories for my Siobe Grace (my Matron of Honor), my cousin Chen (my Maid of Honor), Gianne (my Angel of Honor), bridesmaids & Jr. bridesmaids at Carolina's. But I failed to look for appropriate ribbons for the entourage's flowers. I desperately tried on a 34B & 34A Maidenform bodysuit. Hah! it's no use, i was not able to fit into any of the 3 or 4 designs I have chosen. The salelady informed me that I may be a size 32A. Eow! But that didn't dampen my spirits, I transferred to Ayala (all by myself as Marlon is too tired by this time to accompany me)& got the perfect Maidenform bodysuit ON SALE!!! Whoa! God's great... A few body shop purchases later, I am ready to go na.
Jude still has some clients when we walked in. In fact, he attended to my Tita Alice first (& 1 more client) before he made me fit my gown. But the wait is well worth it. After all, Tita Alice was there for a dress she's gonna wear to my wedding. hehe And the other client he had before me was a former officemate at Metrobank. I really love Cebu, I know everyone. hehe. Now, when I got into my altar date dress, I coudn't help but feel happy! It's very beautifully done. The beadwork on the lace was very dainty that Jude decided (& I agreed) that we wont cover the lace fabric with gazar cloth anymore bec. it's sayang. My only regret is that I wont be able to wear the exact dress he sketched. Though I know this will be a better one.
The lenght of the dress was adjusted after I've put on my shoes. Jude then told me that he doesn't like to finish my dress yet bec. I am still travelling & he has some superstitions. So the next time I'll see it will be on the 14th of Dec. na. Whew! I can hardly wait!!!
Marlon was also made to fit his suit. The coat is a bit too tight but the pants waist is big. Necessary adjustments were made also for the lenght of the coat.
Chen met us there bec she also fitted the lining of her dress.
After which, all 3 of us went to Abellana to get the suggested repertoire from the teacher who will be performing at my wedding. And we also gave our 1st dance music.
We then met Yoyong at Waterfront. While waiting for him, we had our room bookings confirmed and was able to roam through Duty Free pa to check on appropriate perfumes to wear on the big day. When Yoyong came, I left him a check for the bridal car & the invites for a relative & their family. We invited him to dinner at Grand Con but he declined saying he has to attend to some matters as most of the Ad Congress delegates checked in at Waterfront.
As part of the package, Ms. Edna allowed us food tasting at Grand Con. Mama Grace, Papa Bito, Chen & Ryan joined us. We were able to sample the dish we will be serving on our wedding banquet. The cold prawn salad is mouth-watering. Marlon enjoyed the lechon de leche, as expected. Only the steamed fish fillet with ham & vegetable did not pass his palate. He finds it not suitable to his taste so we decided to have it changed to fried fish fillet in soy sauce. After discussing a few more concerns such as dance floor, ice carving & a few more, we were able to close the deal at around 10pm.
I had been texting Arlene (of Kaye's Flower Shop) earlier to confirm our meeting but she didn't reply so I thought it's too late na to drop by her place. Sayang, she was there pa diay ta til 11pm.
Because Nolvin had not been feeling well the past few days & Gianne had cough also, Grace was not able to meet us at all so we decided to visit her in her place instead of attending the DW party. Any time with Gianne is always bliss. I cant get over how adorable this niece of mine is turning out to be. She's really a sweetheart! I got her a red Oshkosh dress & a Guess maong wear which I hope will fit her. We didn't stay long at their place coz by this time we are all sooo tired after a very long day.
stranded in a boat
To conclude our very hectic wedding preps trip in Cebu, the boat which we boarded on the way home to CDO got stranded somewhere near the vicinity of Bohol. While it was declared by the crew as engine trouble, Marlon & I couldn't help but fear. As there is an old belief that couples about to be wed are prone to accidents or dangers. We couldn't do anything about the situation so what we did is we prayed. We asked for Papa God's guidance & trusted that He will see us through. I guess I must have put my whole trust in Him as I just slept throughout the entire wait. (We waited for the engine to be fixed). At some point, we contemplated on boarding the boat Asia China & go back to Cebu & board another boat to CDO tonight, but decided against it when we saw how difficult it is to transfer from one boat to another without a gangplank. Our fear was pronounced when a baggage disappeared into the dark waters when a man almost fell. Scary! Nevertheless, it was quite an experience! We were still not convinced about the "pamahiin" but we were somewhat cautious. Maybe Papa God is trying to call our attention too. He may not want us to believe in superstitions but maybe He wants us to take necessary precautions. The entire experience made us believe in His power all the more. And believe that He gets us through anything & will still continue to do so in the coming days of our marriage. Now that thought puts a smile into our lips. We're getting more excited! ;-)
Friday, November 11, 2005
rhinestones on my pants
Currently, I am busy doing a million stuffs. Aside from the fact that it's a month & a week from our big day. Geez, it's that close already??!! I am enjoying still the solitude of evenings I spend doing a few more stuffs for the wedding. Dont believe me, It's actually more worrying than accomplishing things. For instance I still dont have a tiara & wasn't able to buy a Maidenform too :-( No unity candle still & the rest of the candles has no design yet, which reminds me that I have to purchase the taper candles soon. Too bad I cant find that cake slicer in a supposedly one-stop local wedding shop. Though I've eyed a cute match box which has a wedding theme to it. I can certainly make a better one myself, thank you very much. Hmm, speeches that are supposed to be done by now has not been started even, along with presentations & guest sheets. You may very well guess that guest tags are not done also. I guess judging from the way I am babbling, you can see that I am feeling a million mixed emotions.. what else is new? hehe. Well, I am all at once, excited, exasperated, scared, anticipating... It's exhilarating, scary & yet I cant wait for the big day. A week (or maybe two) from the big day, I will rest. That means I'll leave all else for everyone to worry. hehe, I'm the bride, remember?
well, indulge me in my simple pleasures. As of the moment, I am just awaiting the last batch of the invites & I'm done. And just last night I was able to finish the pants part of the special project I am doing. It's rhinestones on my jogging pants which bears the word "BRIDE". It's one of those stuffs that I've seen in magz & I was thrilled when I found out that I can purchase it locally. Now, I just need to do the smaller ones which will be sticked to the sweater I will be using as I will prepare on my big day. Then all I need to do is buy myself a nice pair of sweatpants. Geez, I cant wait. will post picture soonest. Don't know how to tinker w/ blogger lately, my pictures can't get posted.
have to call it a night. Boy, am I getting tired! need to find a spa. remind me tomorrow ;-)
well, indulge me in my simple pleasures. As of the moment, I am just awaiting the last batch of the invites & I'm done. And just last night I was able to finish the pants part of the special project I am doing. It's rhinestones on my jogging pants which bears the word "BRIDE". It's one of those stuffs that I've seen in magz & I was thrilled when I found out that I can purchase it locally. Now, I just need to do the smaller ones which will be sticked to the sweater I will be using as I will prepare on my big day. Then all I need to do is buy myself a nice pair of sweatpants. Geez, I cant wait. will post picture soonest. Don't know how to tinker w/ blogger lately, my pictures can't get posted.
have to call it a night. Boy, am I getting tired! need to find a spa. remind me tomorrow ;-)
Saturday, November 05, 2005
same wedding gown design as my cousin's..NO MORE
hey there!
been a while, was quite detached from blogging & emails bec. most of my time was spent looking for an alternate design for the wedding gown of mine (which was literally copied by a cousin). Oh well, bridge under the water na sya, as her wedding had passed & she walked down the aisle with my design na :-( Talked with the designer already and agreed on a new design na. Actually, we came to a part where we both raised our voices na to each other to stress on a certain point. Well, his poor excuse is that he will be using different materials daw so it won't come out the same, but I'll post the pix below for everyone who will chance upon my blog to see if I am only imagining the resemblance.
Close friends & relatives who really knew me are taking my arguments & side, but I'm beyond that now. What's important to me is that I have already a new design (& I shall say it's far better that the old one). To top it off, there's a new guideline from my church which says that bridal gown & those of the entourage must ot show any bare back or shoulders. (oooppps! did I forget to mention that mine is a low-dipped back & a tube top?) to my surprise, when I bring this up w/ my designer, he readily agreed on making me a shrug (sort of like a tiny bolero) and my ento. a shawl, AT NO EXTRA COST.. God is really good!!!
As of the moment, I am awaiting the fax message of my designer for the new sketch of my bridal gown. I am actually hesitating if I post this here right now. You can bet the previous incident freaked me out that much to draw out this kind of feelings from me. I am almost always a rational, sensible person... but this has nearly driven me nuts. hehe. You won't believe the extent of stress this has brought me, I am awake til past midnight to almost 2am every single night since I knew of this unfortunate incident & was almost always behind my laptop, screwing my brains out of every juicy, creative ideas to incorporate into my gown, all the while bombarding my wedding e-groupmates with help! messages. Finally, after so many suggestions from them & friends (in flesh), there was this one link to a design sent by GLORIA (God bless this woman!) that I've fallen in love with. So there, I was furiously scribbling & sketching (did I mention that I do this on the side too, for me mostly & for some colleagues & friends who thinks that they are good enough to be worn, hehe) and was able to come up with what I thought is a good revision, which I will post here.
Moral of the story? Choose your support group quite well. Cousins, relatives as they may be, might really not know you at all to know that they are causing you hurt & sleepless nights. In the end, those who will bail you out will be those who had trully known you & love you to cause you any pain. My everlasting gratitude to the ONE up there and my guardian angels, coz they are trully the only ones who knew that I was about to let go, yet I hang on bec. of them. And of course, my fiance, whose unwaivering support I have most felt through this unfortunate test. What a way to test our relationship! And my close cousins, Chen & Ryan and my siblings, Garce & Jayr, for being angels on earth. It's true that we cant choose our families, but we do have a choice on who we keep contacts with. All that being said, I leave all else to HIM. DW indeed brings out the best in all of us. (",)
been a while, was quite detached from blogging & emails bec. most of my time was spent looking for an alternate design for the wedding gown of mine (which was literally copied by a cousin). Oh well, bridge under the water na sya, as her wedding had passed & she walked down the aisle with my design na :-( Talked with the designer already and agreed on a new design na. Actually, we came to a part where we both raised our voices na to each other to stress on a certain point. Well, his poor excuse is that he will be using different materials daw so it won't come out the same, but I'll post the pix below for everyone who will chance upon my blog to see if I am only imagining the resemblance.
Close friends & relatives who really knew me are taking my arguments & side, but I'm beyond that now. What's important to me is that I have already a new design (& I shall say it's far better that the old one). To top it off, there's a new guideline from my church which says that bridal gown & those of the entourage must ot show any bare back or shoulders. (oooppps! did I forget to mention that mine is a low-dipped back & a tube top?) to my surprise, when I bring this up w/ my designer, he readily agreed on making me a shrug (sort of like a tiny bolero) and my ento. a shawl, AT NO EXTRA COST.. God is really good!!!
As of the moment, I am awaiting the fax message of my designer for the new sketch of my bridal gown. I am actually hesitating if I post this here right now. You can bet the previous incident freaked me out that much to draw out this kind of feelings from me. I am almost always a rational, sensible person... but this has nearly driven me nuts. hehe. You won't believe the extent of stress this has brought me, I am awake til past midnight to almost 2am every single night since I knew of this unfortunate incident & was almost always behind my laptop, screwing my brains out of every juicy, creative ideas to incorporate into my gown, all the while bombarding my wedding e-groupmates with help! messages. Finally, after so many suggestions from them & friends (in flesh), there was this one link to a design sent by GLORIA (God bless this woman!) that I've fallen in love with. So there, I was furiously scribbling & sketching (did I mention that I do this on the side too, for me mostly & for some colleagues & friends who thinks that they are good enough to be worn, hehe) and was able to come up with what I thought is a good revision, which I will post here.
Moral of the story? Choose your support group quite well. Cousins, relatives as they may be, might really not know you at all to know that they are causing you hurt & sleepless nights. In the end, those who will bail you out will be those who had trully known you & love you to cause you any pain. My everlasting gratitude to the ONE up there and my guardian angels, coz they are trully the only ones who knew that I was about to let go, yet I hang on bec. of them. And of course, my fiance, whose unwaivering support I have most felt through this unfortunate test. What a way to test our relationship! And my close cousins, Chen & Ryan and my siblings, Garce & Jayr, for being angels on earth. It's true that we cant choose our families, but we do have a choice on who we keep contacts with. All that being said, I leave all else to HIM. DW indeed brings out the best in all of us. (",)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Discovery Week-end
Phew! What a long week-end I have had. Went on leave from work last Friday to attend the Discovery Week-end in Cebu. It was trully an amazing experience! Though it took most of our time coz it's for the entire week-end, it was trully worth it. We walked away from the venue not only with the invaluable skills we have learned for a week-end of being in touch with our "feelings", but also with gained friendships with couples we have attended the seminar with. There were 11 couples there who went through the week-end with their loved ones (me & Marlon included in the 11 pairs).
pictures will soon be posted here:
I won't be posting a blow-by-blow account for the benefit of those who might chance upon this blog of mine who are also interested in joining DW in the future. I don't want to pre-empt the speakers (Tito Jojo & Tita Ditsy & the rest of the Cebu team) & rob the couples who are yet to go through the said retreat of the very rich & meaningful time with each other & with God. Suffice to say, this stands as the most romantic week-end Marlon & I had spend with each other. even more romantic than the 1st time we were brought to Baguio & Manila by my Dad Alex, where Marlon proposed & asked me to marry him. Now, you're getting interested, right? It's a week-end of "discovery" actually. Hopefully, couples who will be going through it will have enough love & trust in each other to be able to gain the real meaning of the week-end activity.
Marlon & I are not the "talkative" kind of couple. We may be in this relationship for 9 yrs. now but there are times when we trully do not now what the other is saying & can even come close to thinking if I got in a relationship with an alien. hehe. True enough, DW helped us bridge the gap. Now, we are not only hopeful about the future but more in sync with each other too. Maybe it greatly helped that we now know where the other is coming from, bec. we were able to talk about very important issues in our relationship & future married life in the course of the week-end's activity.
Furthermore, to those couples who had been through the experience, I'm sure all will agree that it was a priceless moment. As Tita Ditsy had said, Cebu is the best venue by far bec. Taavera Retreat House is conducive to the romantic activity DW is offering. What with the city lights glistening beneath you & the stars twinkling directly above. But the most important thing in the picture is you are with the person you most love in this world. To relieve it, I'd want to share the DW theme song here:
YOU & I
(lyrics & music by: Leslie Bricusse)
You and I will travel far together
We'll pursue our little star together
We'll be happy as we are, together.
We may never get to heaven,
But it's heaven at least to try.
You and I are going on together,
Till the time we have is gone, forever,
Watch the evening drawing on, together.
Growing closer, growing older,
Mking mem'ries that light the sky
That only time can make,
That only love can make,
That only we can make,
You and I
pictures will soon be posted here:
I won't be posting a blow-by-blow account for the benefit of those who might chance upon this blog of mine who are also interested in joining DW in the future. I don't want to pre-empt the speakers (Tito Jojo & Tita Ditsy & the rest of the Cebu team) & rob the couples who are yet to go through the said retreat of the very rich & meaningful time with each other & with God. Suffice to say, this stands as the most romantic week-end Marlon & I had spend with each other. even more romantic than the 1st time we were brought to Baguio & Manila by my Dad Alex, where Marlon proposed & asked me to marry him. Now, you're getting interested, right? It's a week-end of "discovery" actually. Hopefully, couples who will be going through it will have enough love & trust in each other to be able to gain the real meaning of the week-end activity.
Marlon & I are not the "talkative" kind of couple. We may be in this relationship for 9 yrs. now but there are times when we trully do not now what the other is saying & can even come close to thinking if I got in a relationship with an alien. hehe. True enough, DW helped us bridge the gap. Now, we are not only hopeful about the future but more in sync with each other too. Maybe it greatly helped that we now know where the other is coming from, bec. we were able to talk about very important issues in our relationship & future married life in the course of the week-end's activity.
Furthermore, to those couples who had been through the experience, I'm sure all will agree that it was a priceless moment. As Tita Ditsy had said, Cebu is the best venue by far bec. Taavera Retreat House is conducive to the romantic activity DW is offering. What with the city lights glistening beneath you & the stars twinkling directly above. But the most important thing in the picture is you are with the person you most love in this world. To relieve it, I'd want to share the DW theme song here:
YOU & I
(lyrics & music by: Leslie Bricusse)
You and I will travel far together
We'll pursue our little star together
We'll be happy as we are, together.
We may never get to heaven,
But it's heaven at least to try.
You and I are going on together,
Till the time we have is gone, forever,
Watch the evening drawing on, together.
Growing closer, growing older,
Mking mem'ries that light the sky
That only time can make,
That only love can make,
That only we can make,
You and I
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