wear this ring...

Oh how I love my non-matching rings... <3

The Mother and the FG Dresses

I just love my mother so much! Here is she doing the FG dresses. :)

So In Love

So In Love
by The Icarus Account

Your hand it fits
Perfect in mine
The world has stopped
And so has time

Cause we're so in love
We're so in love
We're so in love

I Can Feel Your Heartbeat

There's this song that I really want for one of our AVPs but I don't know how to get it! Hahaha

PJ tried to buy it in Amazon but it's only available for US customers. Ngarks. Ok, let's try iTunes. :P

I Can Feel Your Hearbeat - A New Normal feat. Jordan Frye

Read the Readings

I just got approval for our missalette today. Yey! It took me a long time to finalize the missalette because we had to choose the best reading that would reflect what we want our marriage to be.

For the first reading, we chose Ruth 1:16-17. The article from the Wedding Pickle helped us fully understand the meaning of it. :)

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your People will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Arrhae Holder

Finally, an arrhae holder! I've been searching for a nice arrhae holder for a long time. I was just looking for a small box that is just enough to hold the coins but I chanced upon a heart sinamay in Papemelroti then I had a light bulb moment. :P

Before and After

Rant: Bridal Car

Guestbook Bonding

When we were in the early stages of our wedding planning, I wanted a unique guestbook for the wedding (show me someone who doesn't. Haha) I may have done a couple of DIY projects but the guestbook is somewhat on the bottom of my list. And as you know, DIY-ing is not always budget friendly and cost-efficient so I had to say bye-bye to wedding trees, bird cages as card boxes, etcetera.

I let PJ handle this one since he's always on the lookout for deals in the internet. He used to make photo books for me as pasalubong a few times when he was in the US. So when he told me that there is a deal for a coffee table book for Php995.00, the guestbook medium has been decided.

Cover

Licensed to Wed

We got our Marriage License today and all I can say is, "Eto na yun?! Seryoso?"

I thought that the hand-written form will be transferred to a new form with the information type-written already. Talk about expectations... Haha

Nest Hunting

After the wedding, PJ and I decided that we rent first a condo unit/apartment. We have a small patch of land in the south. Until we magically grow 1.5 million in our bank accounts (the minimum value you need to spend building your home in our chosen village), our dream house remains only in dreams. Haha. Living in the far south is not a practical decision since we both work in the major business districts, PJ at the Fort and I in Makati. So think about the gasoline and toll fees!

Future address: B3 L14 Phase 3 Molave Loop, Verdana Homes Mamplasan, Binan, Laguna

Suit Up!

Last October, we bought suits for both our fathers and PJ's brothers because we took advantage of the Onesimus' sale. Even before that, I keep on bugging him about his suit. Sometimes, I feel a bit sad because it seems like he doesn't care that much about what he will wear on the big day.. considering it's a one time, special event for both of us.. and that I was expecting the same excitement from him like what I feel for my bridal gown.

Gone is the sad feeling when we visited Kingsmen sometime October, just not sure if it was before or after his birthday. Because according to the sales person, the suit will be finished in 10 days so there is no rush for my groom-to-be to have his suit made. Okaaaaaay...

That's my groom-to-be having his measurement taken. :)

Abbey + PJ Teaser by Aira Franco

Just sharing Aira Franco's post :)

I'm kilig!

http://airadeefranco.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/teaser-abbey-pj/

Engagement Session

I must admit, I super enjoyed the engagement shoot. Weeks before that, I felt nervous because I thought we cannot do the poses that J and Aira will let us do but whoa... Even PJ is so game with everything. Aylavvettt!!!

what's on my desk

Just had our engagement session yesterday... I am still tired but super happy (as in Cloud9 happy) and in so much awe. Getting J Lucas Reyes is one of the best decisions we've ever made. Ever!!!

the CD containing raw pictures given by JLR right after the shoot

Applying for Marriage License in Quezon City

We applied for our Marriage License in Quezon City City Hall this November 6, 2012 and it took us 2 hours to finish the filing process, more or less. Based from the official website of Quezon City, here are the requirements:

• Marriage License Application Form (Pre-dowload the form here) 
• Birth or Baptismal Certificates of both applicants. If widowed, death certificate of demise spouse, if previous marriage was annulled, copy of Court Decision and absolute Decree of Finality from the Court
• Community Tax Certificates of both applicants, male and female
• One ID photo (colored or black and white) of each applicant, male and female
• Certificate of Family Planning and Marriage Counseling
• CENOMAR

50

50 more days before the big day. Yiiiiiiii!

E-session Tidbits

In two weeks, we will have our engagement session with none other than J Lucas Reyes! We love J's non-vintage photography style because it exudes a different level of freshness. We will be working also with Aira Franco, who is one of the talk of the town suppliers in the wedding scene. Aside from her top notch styling prowess, she is a certified charmer and super fun to work with. Yes, we are so excited and at the same time super nervous on how we will do the required cutesy-mushy poses. Haha.

Tools for Graphic Artist Wannabes (like me haha)

When we were doing the layout for the invites, we relied heavily on GIMP. According to Wikipedia,

"GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an image retouching and editing tool and is released under the GPLv3 (or later) license as free and open-source software. There are versions of GIMP tailored for most operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux."

Yes you read it right, it's an open source tool! It's a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop if you are working on projects for personal use only and if you don't have the moolah to buy a licensed software. (I'm implicitly saying no to pirated software. Get that? Haha)

The Dress

It was sometime October of 2011 that I visited Cecilio Abad. He let me wear a tube-like dress to see my figure but I am not sure if he found some curves on my body. Ha! So he looked at me and told me to do some quarter turns. After the hideous episode on the tube dress, he started to sketch. He asks me from time to time what I want. I just said, no to very long train, I want illusion tulle to cover my back and I don't intend to have a second look. I watched closely as he draw on his pad. I was telling myself silently, "How does he know what I want? The sketch is just amazing."

Sketch

Only later that he asked if I have a peg. Showing it to him is not anymore necessary because the gown in the sketch is what I want and nothing more... Then he told me about the assortment of fabric he is going to use and all that.. I did not understand everything Tito Cecil is telling me because my mind was already in a frenzy.

The confirmation that I will avail his magical services did not happen on the same day.. Not because I have doubts, but because I don't have the moolah! Haha

Now I am done with my third fitting. I can't help but look at the progress of my gown over and over again. I love, love, love the embroidery pattern.. It reminds me of mermaids. Haha. Can't get enough of it, super.

1st, 2nd, 3rd

2nd fitting

3rd fitting

Close-up (back)

I can't wait for the next fitting. But sure I'm going to miss the excitement because the next means the last.

Church-hopping Weekend

• Saturday

We went to Ayala Westgrove Heights clubhouse for the required Pre-Cana seminar hosted by the St. Benedict Church and surprisingly, we had a blast. I never expected that PJ and I would learn a lot from each other on this seminar.

The Shoe

To be honest, I don't have flawless feet. So to hide the imperfection, this is the IT shoe for my big day. :)

Nina Ulina: http://ninashoes.com/ulina-black-luster-satin--14500

It was a perfect timing when I bought this shoe because I got it for half the price and yeah, I was drooling over these beauties since last year. Yey!

But if I have the moolah, I really like, like, like these sparkles by Givenchy:

Style Me Pretty Gallery: http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/gallery/9657

Wand-erful or Not?

I've already grown weary blogging about this flower wand. It has been many weeks since I have started this project and it took so looooong to complete. Numerous times, I have felt frustrated because I am not pleased with the progress of my work. But thanks to my readers, my friends in this cyberspace, who willingly give suggestions and opinions. I am truly grateful especially for the times that you appreciated my work, it inspires me. So again, thank you.

The whole day in the office yesterday, I was thinking of what else should I add to the bouquet because I want it finished sooner so I can move on to other projects. Then before I went home, I decided to have a short trip in Carolina's Glorietta 5 to buy some silver metallic ribbon. I have also been planning to put the mesh ribbon for days and last night, I finally had the time to execute all those hanging ideas in my head.

Again, I am all eyes and ears open for your comments. :)

Ate version

Felt Flowers Pt III

I made a little progress with the flower wands. Yes, you heard it right! Wand it is!

My mother doesn't know that I got the blue fabric from her stash. She has a lot! I don't think she's going to make dresses from all the excess fabrics stocked in the house. Haha. I am just not sure how will she react if she finds out that I am scavenging materials from her stash under her nose. :P

I am getting frustrated with this project. I added a few purple rosettes to the bouquet. Whatdyatink?

Added a funnel-like thing to the base to hide the Styrofoam

Felt Flowers Pt II

Like any other human do-it-yourselfers, I also have my share of epic fail projects. There are DIY projects that will challenge you and drive you at wit's end. My plan for having flower wands/cones might lead to (I don't want to say this, promise) failure. Nooooooooooo!

I already created the base layer for this project and the same steps are used for the smaller flowers. We'll start off on how I managed to put the stems of the felt flower. I think it took about a week for me to figure out how I am going to do it.

Assembling Invites - WIP 70%

Well, we have finished a few invitation suites for our wedding last weekend. Hooray! So while the groom-to-be is still doing the rest of the ribbons, I am happy to share our finished DIY invites. We don't have the part where we will put the names of the invitees yet but I believe the suites are in a state where we can hand them out already to some family members so we can get initial reactions. Haha

When opened

I am now in love with the paper cutter! If it wasn't for it, we are still cutting the sheets manually up to now.

When closed

The suite is so sweet!

Looking back, here's also the anatomy of our invites:
http://diyinday.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-pocketfolds.html
http://diyinday.blogspot.com/2012/08/invite-layouts.html 

I know it's far from perfect and we can't compare it to the professionally done invites but PJ and I are really pleased with the outcome of this DIY. I hope the invitees will feel the same way too! :)

Nothing beats labor of love. Hahaha

My Groom's Boutonniere

For PJ's boutonniere, there are less elements than the bouts for the principal/secondary sponsors. Why is that so? I don't know.. Haha. Maybe because I know that he doesn't like fancy stuff too much and I want him to want to wear it. I'm dead serious about my last statement. Haha.

Materials:

1. Feathers 
• Ostrich feather - 35Php from Michelle's in Divisoria
2. Silver leaves
3. Rhinestones
4. Flower wire
5. Horsehair ribbon
6. Blue velvet ribbon

Tools:

1. Glue and glue gun
2. Scissors

 

Close-up of the elements

PJ's finished boutonniere

Do you think he will wear it on big day? Crossing my fingers.

Save-the-Date

Last month, PJ was very excited to show me a number of save-the-date invites. When I saw the images, I already knew where it came from but I did not tell him right away. His eyes are full of pride, the same eyes that melt my heart everytime. I'm kilig much. Haha. I feel lucky and am just too happy that he's willing to help with the DIY wedding stuff.

Going back to the save-the-date.. Drumroll, please... He got it from Wedding Chicks! Haha. So the template I picked from the downloaded images he showed me is this one but it's missing a vital information so I tweaked it a bit and here it is:

 

I used Rockwell Font for the church information.
You can find the font here: http://www.eaglefonts.com/rockwell-ttf-130959.htm

Wedding Chicks Save-the-Date template: http://www.weddingchicks.com/2012/07/13/free-printable-save-the-date/

Pon, Zi and the Phantom

11 more days 'til we see the Phantom of the Opera. I feel ecstatic and am so exzoited! Haha

PJ already saw it when he was in the US and he's going to see it again for me. Awwww...

Official Site: http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com

Assembling Invites - WIP 50%

We're done cutting! We'll do the ribbons next. Yey!!

Felt Flowers, Experimental Stage

I am thinking of DIY-ing the flower baskets for the flower girls but instead of having baskets, I want it to be different like wands or cones. This project is still in the experimental stage, so I am in the process of creating felt flowers to be used as an alternative to fresh flowers.

The pattern I used can be found here. I am still undecided on what I am going to put in the center. I am thinking of either pearls or rhinestones. The images shown below will be used as the base layer of the felt flower. If you have visited the link, you can see there that there are at least two layers for the camelia. So far, I have created five of this and I'll continue making the smaller layers hopefully this evening provided that my fingers have healed from the needle pinches. Haha.

Materials:

1. Felt

Tools: 

1. Needle & thread
2. Scissors
3. Pen or anything to draw the pattern on the felt

Abbey's Headband: Adding More Bling

All our DIYs are all on installment mode. I can't finish a single project! Aside from cutting invites, the felt flowers, I made a little progress on my headband last weekend. There's improvement, at least. :)

Sewing the rhinetones

Seal the ends of the thread with glue

More bling! :)

Assembling Invites - WIP 20%

We are done cutting all main invite sheets but there are still 174 more sheets and 60 monograms to cut. So far, we have mounted 30 sheets on the pocket fold. It's far from done. I think the ribbons for our invites are now collecting dust.

Bridesmaid Pouches

This project was completed last June 2012. I will not take credit for everything. My mother made all the pouches. So sweet of her. Haha. For this project, I was the one who attached the straps and I did all embellishment tasks.

Materials:

1. Georgette fabric
2. Felt
3. Zipper
4. D rings
5. Rhinestones
6. Lace
7. Trimmings
8. Tulle

 

MOH's

Mission accomplished!

Wedding Cord

My mother instructed me not to have a beaded wedding cord. Take note, instructed. An order from my mother. No choice but to obey it. Haha. She has a meaningful explanation indeed. She said that the wedding cord binds the couple together and having a beaded cord would mean that it is much easier to break than the traditional cord. I understood the meaning of it and I am happy to oblige.

Materials:

1. Cord (5 yards) - 65PhP per yard from Carolina's
2. Felt
3. Magic Tape
4. Glue
5. Keychain (Letter Initials) - 60PhP each from 168 Mall in Divisoria
6. Connector
7. O rings
8. Crucifix - 30PhP per pack (2 pieces) from Wellmanson

Tools:

1. Glue gun
2. Scissors

I used the triple crown knot to knot the cord. Instructions can be found here.

Knot the cord

Front view of the knot

Back view of the knot

Before cutting the excess cord, seal with Magic Tape first. Cut the excess then seal again using a piece of felt and glue gun.

Attach the connector to the ends of the cord then remove the Magic Tape. Attach the silver initials to the loop with O rings.

Mission Accomplished