Bridal Gown

I think, I've searched the whole world-wide-webb and bridal magazines finding for a perfect design for my bridal gown and the gowns for my wedding entourage plus the gowns for our Mother. After taking at least 6 months looking for the gowns, I finally found the perfect gown for me and for my whole entourage...and looking for my Fairy Godmother who can make my bridal gown turn into reality is the next step.

Oh by the way, I have this BIG dilemma about my wedding color motif!!! I want my color motif to be unique and I have soooo many choices of colors that I like but I admit that I'm a bummer in color coordination...yikes! I even asked my cousin Ju-ann (my Maid of Honor) to choose a good color combination but in the end it's still my decision to make, right? And that is the hardest part because I really cannot decide what I like. For example: My 1st choice is apple green and fuschia pink, then it became aqua blue and yellow, then turquoise blue and fuschia pink...and many more color combinations. And finally...at last!!! Eureka! I have decided to have a Turquoise blue (my birthstone) as my primary color and chocolate brown for my secondary color and with a touch of fuschia pink. Whew what a relief!

Looking for a good and credible yet less expensive bridal gown is a challenge for me... We have read the bridal/wedding magazines we bought for a credible couturier (expensive!) and we also went to Divisoria and Baclaran to look for a less expensive wedding couturier. Good to know that one of Jeff's friend from college Mark and Ellen are also planning to get married this December and they know a credible couturier in Baclaran... We decided to go there together so we can ask for a big discount since we are two couples they have more gowns to make we have more discounts to get. We took the Wedding Package inclusive of the Bridal gown; Groom's Barong-Tagalog (Pina-Silk), pants and kamisa-chino; Entourage gowns; Mother's Gowns; all the Male entourage's barong and kamisa-chino; and my accessories for the wedding. Very good package for an affordable price... Mary's Embroidery Shop is a good choice, they are professional to talked to and they really know what they are doing so we're in good hands! I finally found my Fairy Godmother, yipee! :) Anyway, we still need to go back to them at least 2-1month before the wedding day to discuss about our final gown designs, the color motif and the measurements... I think I need to have a diet...argh!

Can't wait to see the final outcome of my Bridal gown...

Tying-The-Knot

Last year of December 2006, Jeff and I (for 6 years) talked about when are we going to tie-the-knot??? We decided to celebrate it on January 2, 2008. After that, we told to everyone especially to our parents and relatives about the soon-to-be-wedding-day! Medyo BIG deal ito on our parents and relatives because I'm the eldest and 1st girl na apo to get married (kaya excited silang lahat) while on Jeff's side he's the youngest (kaya medyo emotional naman ang parents niya). But everything worked out alright, but the pressure and stress of planning the wedding sinked in. Anyway, planning a wedding is exciting and fun, right?! We decided not to get a wedding planner/coordinator because we know that we can do it by ourselves!

First thing we do, we bought lots of wedding magazines, attended bridal/wedding fair, searched from the internet, asked our friends ideas on how much money do we need for a simple yet elegant wedding. Second, we started to find a place for our wedding ceremony and reception venue. First choice namin ay yung church beside sa Mall of Asia (Shrine of Jesus, The Truth, The Way and The Life), the altar is nice the facade is beautiful, we inquire and have a temporary reservation. Then we look for a reception venue, kaso walang magandang venue na malapit lang sa church. So we went to Paco Park (St. Pancratius Chapel), maganda rin yung chapel with airconditioned..the fountain outside and the trees are beautiful, yet we don't like the idea that there's a cementery surrounds the chapel. Next pit stop, Malate Church (Our Lady of Remedies Parish), simple in and out but there's an impact (simple pero may dating). And I like the long aisle...it means a very long march to the altar, the baywalk is just upfront (minus the bars and resto)...I love it! So we made a final decision to have our Wedding Ceremony in Malate Church at M.H del Pilar, Malate Manila, we reserved a date and paid a downpayment, January 2,2008 at 4:00pm. We like an afternoon wedding and have the famous Manila Bay sunset in the background. After we settled the church, we went to Ibarra's Garden in Padre Faura, Ermita Manila. The place is nice , just like in Malate church, Ibarra's Garden has a Hispanic ambiance...just like we did in Malate church, we reserved a date and time and made a downpayment. Ibarra's Garden is a good choice because they have a Wedding Package where almost everything we need are already included. We don't need to look for a separate wedding suppliers because everything are there in short hassle-free. We just need to upgrade some other things like the photo and video, look for a wedding couturier for my bridal gown and for the whole entourage, the Ring, wedding invitations and florist, hair and make-up artist...the rest it's up to Ibarra's!

It's been a long tiring yet fun day for us looking for the right and perfect church and reception venue... Still, more to come! Good luck for the both of us!