My Fairy Tale Wedding.....

It was the wedding of my dreams.... so surreal...

It was like a true fairy tale unfolding before my eyes... A very happy day for both Leih and me. I was the ever- relaxed bride. I 9didn't feel any nervous bone in my body. I was in good spirits all day long.


Today, the wedding coordinator herself walks down the aisle...  How awesome, right?

 Since everything had been well-prepared, I left no space for worry.  A minor glitch with my late main photographer was all that I could remember, but then, even that didn't bother me much. Today was my day and I wasn't going to spoil it for the world.

DIY candle holders

Most  brides feel nervous on their special day and could not hold anything to eat, but I am an exception. Leih and I, (upon arriving at the hotel early in the morning) had a wonderful breakfast at the Sky Bar buffet, a few floors above our rooms.

Since everything was properly prepared, everything went like clockwork.  My do-it-yourself paraphernalias have all been brought early on at the hotel. My misalletes, candle holders & feathery kissing bells  had been neatly arranged and prepared for turnover.

my very own bridal bouquet &  flower girl's buckets...

The flowers which we personally picked up on our way to the hotel were all so gorgeously done by my florist-friend, Martha Manalili... I felt so overjoyed seeing my flowergirl's buckets filled with gorgeous flowers, Martha even improvised by putting purple pearl handles to give off that perfect finish... Of course, my bridal bouquet was a winner... It was a lush combination of lavender Ecuadorian roses & tulips.

Ate Cita & Eric Locton attending to me...

I got another team to supervise my event & follow my "blow by blow" reminders. Thankfully, they were dependable as the rest of my suppliers...Everyone in the room were in a light mood.
My hair & make up artist, Princess Misa Hernandez & Eric Locton started working on me and my mom as soon as they arrived.

my Renaissance - inspired wedding ball gown by Edward Teng..

 My coordinators came in next, followed by my back up photographer "Marco Malaca" of BlackTie Project who eagerly started snapping photos to their liking.  
    Ate Cita along with another staff from Edward Teng's shop arrived next to press my gown and arrange my very long train... And then, Jason Magbanua's team followed next. I had to call my friend Hycinth  abroad & email her a quick picture of Jason as she was a big fan herself. She was actually the one who first showed me Jason's work online.

I had the suppliers' foods prepared even before they arrived at the hotel and everyone had a hearty"Contis"  lunch. Everything went well according to plan.

our rings..

my DIY candle holders..

As my dream team were buzzing around the room, Kaye, Love & and Beth started loading my boxes of DIY items onto the van  which they will personally deliver to the venue.  Our rings, arrhae & flower baskets were carefully photographed by  Marco. I felt more excited knowing how beautiful these would look in the pictures..

When the time came for us to leave the hotel, I met a fellow Fernbrook Bride, Carisa Alparaque - Castro, who was also getting married today... Here's our picture...

December 5 Brides of Fernbrook...

my gorgeous entourage...

Emotions were racing as we approached Fernbrook. The parking lot was starting to fill up, I knew my guests have arrived, and my aunts and cousins were already waiting for me at the bridal suite. Our gorgeous entourage, ~ (my girls) were all radiant in their Edward Teng gowns.. Everyone dear to me came, anticipating our  "special moment"....

My excitement grew as I stepped out of the van. I then saw my beautiful fairytale horse-drawn carriage waiting for me outside the bridal suite, man was I blown away.. It was just as I imagined.

my fairytale horse-drawn carriage ....

I felt like a real princess on this day...

on our way to the church...

smoke swirls came out as the door opened for me...

My short "trip" to the church was another fairytale. I was indeed a princess for a day. SO THIS WAS HOW CINDERELLA MUST HAVE FELT. All eyes were on me, waiting for the carriage to arrive... and just as I waited inside the carriage, I heard the faint sound of the orchestra playing "Canon in D", the cue for my entourage's march.

I started feeling nervous when I got off the carriage. Mommy kissed me goodbye and was ushered inside the church to be with my Dad... My knees instantly felt week...I knew this was my moment, different emotions washed over me... Just when I was about to do the "longest & most meaningful walk" of my life, the church's doors opened  and the song "The Prayer" played softly... Swirls of smoke came out as I started to walk slowly, (one, two, one, two, just as Eric instructed) (For everyone's information, I walk three times the average walk of a normal person so this was the slowest walk of my life.)

the slowest walk of my life....

the most emotional moment in our wedding...

     As I entered the church, everything seemed to stop. All I could ever see were my loving parents, waiting for me halfway to the altar... Tears started welling up at the corner of my eyes as I saw Daddy's face, a gentle loving look with a hint of sadness in his eyes. There was no need for words. I knew that he was starting to cry just like me... I was trembling as I held on to my dad's arm with my mom on my other side. The feeling was indescribable..

the very solemn ceremony officiated by Fr. Sel Hernandez...

our first kiss as a couple...

I hugged and kissed my mom and dad, and my in-laws next, before I finally joined Leihson in front. And from there, Fr. Rosell Hernandez started the very solemn ceremony. Every word was meaningful, every moment was unforgettable..

his second kiss...

And just after  Fr. Sel announced "You May Kiss The Bride," my husband Leih gave me our first kiss as a newly-married couple... He then kissed me again, this time on my forehead. I would like to think it was his kiss of respect for me. It was unexpectedly sweet...

the grand celebration followed at Byzantine Garden

 A beautiful and bountiful celebration greeted us at Byzantine Garden after the ceremony. The venue was utterly grandiose, so magnificently beautiful, much much more than I expected.

our personalized table napkins...

The venue was well-lighted, with shades of pink and purple, the tiffany chairs were all adorned with purple silk, with elegantly gorgeous centerpieces, candelabras, apple-filled large vases and lavender paper roses.

our personalized wine bags...

My DIY candle holders & feather kissing bells added to the glorious design of each table. Even the personalized napkins looked wonderfully  in sync with our theme...

The food was great. Centertable did more than what was expected. They were fabulous.

The tower cake & cupcakes were also an added highlight. The cakes were moist and delicious, made of banana & chocolate...
We also provided all our principal sponsors a medium-sized cake each, along with our Papemelrotti box filled with yummy goods &  special coffee beans...

one of our beautiful centerpieces...

the couple's table...

yummy!!

It had been a great start for Leih and me. We had our first dance, funny thing that Leih had an instant bout of shyness, explaining the absence of ardor in his moves, but I give him due credit for trying.

our first dance... more known as "Leih's  terrible nightmare..". LOL

   And there was the bouquet toss and garter toss, which my good friend Jofer Tan won, together with Abigail Nolasco, a good friend who became more of a little sister to me, brought about by inconsequential circumstances of my past. (^_^) I was just as happy to have her and her mom on my special day.

my very good friend Jofer Tan & Abigail Nolasco, the winners of the game..

The party ended with lots of pictures and greetings... And before leaving Fernbrook, our photographer took more photos of us at the garden,  aboard the gondola, and at the connecting bridge... The place became more enchanting as night crept in... It was like being somewhere magical....

our romantic gondola ride...

sharing a kiss while on the gondola...

overlooking the river....

thankfully, the fairytale ceremony was a success...

We arrived home very late but still very much awake, we managed to open most of our gifts until the long day finally wore us out...

Another fun-filled week is ahead of us, as we are going to Hongkong for our honeymoon....

Thank God for today... Thank God for this awesome fairy tale...

Our Wedding Flowers

I've always been in love with flowers. Of course, on my wedding day, I wouldn't go for just any kind of arrangement. My flowers would have to be perfect, that of my choice & color... 

our church set up...

For this event, we hired two florists. My first florist, Scentaflora,  was in-charge with the church set-up and venue. Being accredited by Fernbrook, they came highly recommended. I had the chance to choose thru their arrangement selections and we opted to have the lamp-post design which I knew would give off the "moonlight in the park" effect once the sun sets in. They would be adorned with pink & lavender roses & gerberas....

My second florist, Martha Manalili, handled my whole entourage's bouquets & mine as well. I have complete trust in him so I just relayed my ideas and let him take charge. He also did our mothers' handheld bouquets & groomsmen's boutonnieres, and improved the overall look of our flowergirl's buckets.

I personally chose both florists for their distinctive and gorgeous arrangements. I would like to think that since they're already known in the floral business, that was a big bonus for me. In special occassions like these, you can't entrust your wedding flowers to just someone else. I should know 'coz I've been handling weddings for quite some time now.

Upon seeing our flowers this morning, I knew right then that I made a great deal. I had the best and most gorgeous flowers on my special day..

Checking In Early

 We just got home from the hotel.  It had been a pretty busy day for me and Leih. Today,  we decided to  check in at Vivere Suites.   Leih and I got two separate rooms where we'll be having our bridal preps..


 Though I won't be sleeping here tonight, I thought it would be best if we brought  all our things & boxes early ~ souvenirs, DIY paraperhnalias, changing clothes, wedding gown & Leih's barong, to rid us of  all the stress. Bur for tonight, I will stay with my family at home.

bubble bath? anyone?

Good thing I brought Jates along with  us. Initially, the plan was to let Jates stay in the hotel for the night so she could enjoy the room service that have  already been paid for, but at the last minute, she changed her mind.  The hotel was pretty cozy, so after arranging our things, Jates & I lazily lounged inside and snapped some silly pictures while Leih fixed his things in his room, we even thought of taking a quick bubble bath in  the tub but we had to head home in a few hours.

look at those boxes behind me..

We headed to West Gate to have a quick late lunch at Red Kimono and  then dropped by the mall to get two more items for our games.  Upon heading home, we went to Martha's place and took a quick peek at the flowers which were already being arranged . I didn't bring a good camera with me so these were all I could post. But the flowers were all soooooo amazing!! I  can't stop raving about it! Martha did a great job!!

Statement Shirts

I thought of wearing something customized on the morning of our bridal preparations. Hence, our customized statement t-shirts, one for Leih & one for me, courtesy of my friend Mela. 

Leih's shirt... hehehe

I am definitely done....

They make a cute pair. We can even use it when we go malling. Catchy, right?

My Fairytale-Inspired Bridal Gown...

Last Saturday, we picked up my bridal gown at Edward Teng's shop in Sta. Mesa. It was a busy Saturday for both Leih and me. Busy yet excitingly happy. Edward and his staff were all very nice to us.  Edward's assistant, Jojo, showed me the improvements and additional embellishments on my gown and even gave me beautiful  accessories to match it.  Before we left, we arranged the details of who will be coming over to the hotel to look after my gown. After settling everything, we drove home with my wedding gown in hand.

my  fairytale wedding gown...

I can say I am a very satisfied client. Seeing how intricate my gown is, I knew it was another great choice.

the accessories that came with the gown

In a few days, I will be walking down the aisle in this fairytale-inspired wedding gown. Eight more days to go!!!

Our La Luz Prenup Pictorial

August 24, 2009. Our long drive to San Juan, Batangas took us more than 4 hours from Cavite. I never thought it would be that far. Thankfully enough, our photographer from Eros Portrait agreed despite the travel time. We left Cavite at around  12 and arrived at La Luz Beach Resort just in time for the beautiful sunset. The place was  typically provincial, still unspoiled where life seemed  slow-paced.. It was a breath of fresh air, literally. Now I know why people opt to travel hours from Manila to Batangas to get that well-deserved solace from their  busy lives in the city.


I had my hair done by my future sister-in-law Sherlyn. I loved what she did to my hair, it was a casual laid back look with a few curls dangling at the back. It was very "beach -  appropriate".. But the long drive probably wore out some of my curls, nevertheless, it still looked nice..

           I didn't bother to get a make up artist as I did my own, all I needed was  some loose face powder, a mild blusher on the cheeks, a little lip gloss and I was all set. I have always kept my look simple, I was never one to put heavey make up on myself anyway so I thought  to have the usual me look.

a solo shot from Jernin

Leih and I on the hammock...

As soon as we arrived at La Luz, we prepped up for 20 minutes and we began shooting. The staff at the resort has already prepared some merienda and late lunch for us when we got there but we opted to have the shoot first so as not to waste the beautiful sunset that we were blessed to have on that day.

just lounging on the shores of La Luz...

The beach was beautiful. The waters very pristine and clear... The sand was a light Though it's a far cry from the white sands of Boracay, but it's good enough for a photoshoot. It was a private resort so there were only a few guests that day.

The shoot had been fun, really. Jernin & his brother clicked on their cameras as we were asked to pose here and there. Yeah it was a bit tiring, imagine smiling at the camera for an hour is no joke. But I knew the shots would be worth it.

    I especially loved the last part where Leih and I were told to play in the water, dipping in it and literally shaking as it was getting so cold that time. The water was crisp and very salty, it felt a little irritating to the skin.

like kids having fun ...

we had fun doing this..

one of our most favorite shots..

 Thankfully we finished shooting at 6:30PM. After a quick snack, we started on our way back as it was getting dark and we have a long drive ahead.

 

loving the waters of Batangas..

It was my first time at La Luz, Batangas and it had been a great experience. Surely it won't be my last. (^_^)

Our Misalette...

It was almost midnight when I finished printing 11 misalettes, 31 pages each, plus a personalized cover specially designed by my good college buddy, Erra Sanjorjo-Gomez who also happens to be a graphic artist and a former W@Wie herself.

I had no idea how to print the invites until  my good friend Wilsie (my w&w sis who also shares the wedding date, sent me this article on how to make bookfold documents. It was such a big help.


Anyhow, here are the sample covers of my misalette. I chose and printed two designs as I can't decice which of them is better. A huge thanks to my friend Erra for these beautiful fairytale desiged misalette covers.

Wine Cards and More...

the misalette

Finally, we are finished with the misalettes and cake & wine cards. Super big thanks to my good friend Erra Sanjorjo - Gomez  for helping me with the beautiful lay-outs.

They look so pretty, perfectly fitting for our theme. The colors are just lovely, and the designs are simply elegant.

the wine cards...

I will be sending the cards to our cake maker via LBC. It really pays off to have super talented girls for friends.



Thanks again Eya..

DIYing the Wine Bags

For our principal sponsors, we decided to get each of them a special red wine along with the box of goodies that we got from Marks & Spencer.

After the wines were delivered to us, I started DIYing the purple wine bags which I personally purchased in Divisoria. I wanted to put some personal touch to the bag so I busted my brains thinking what else I could do to beautify them. I got some craft-items like ribbons, beads and flowers of different colors. Since I am clueless in making pretty bows, I gave up on the idea and thought of some other ways to utilize the satin ribbons.

Thank god I finished all today... Hence my final  product.

Sealing the Invitations...

I felt so touched by Leih's gesture this afternoon. At first, I thought bridal preparations were solely done by the bride since we women are the more "meticulous" ones.

This afternoon, Leih helped me finish our final guest list and the invitations. It had been pretty tough choosing who to invite on your wedding day, considering Leih and I have a lot of friends and family. But we managed anyway.


It was fun sealing the invitations with the use of a candle wax and sealer. Leih bought the sealer in Vegas before coming home. We took turns in burning the sealing wax on the envelopes. We actually enjoyed this activity especially when we would get perfect round seals. It felt like no work at all.

Don't they just look so elegant?

Our Kissing Note-Cards

I'll say, we're pretty much ready with almost everything about the wedding, save for a few minor details. I've already completed my DIY crafts which I painstakingly did one by one, all by myself. The most tedious of all was the candle holders and kissing bells. Again, since not everyone is aware of what a kissing bell is, we decided  to put small notecards on our bells to let the guests know that they're supposed to ring it if they wish for the couple to kiss.

Honestly,  I think kissing bells are ingeniuos. Not only does it add flare to the table, but it also saves you from the hassle of breaking any glass. (nyahaha) It has been customary for guests to clink on their forks on the wine glasses to ask the newlyweds to kiss. Now, you'll have your own bells to ring,
Super thanks to my W@W sister Carmela Harder who designed our beautiful kissing notecards, table numbers & name cards. Now, let's hope  nobody clinks on their forks against the wine glasses. We'll see how effective these cards will be..

Save-The Date & Number Cards

From the start, I've already resolved the idea that we won't probably be having a "Save-The-Date Card" since I have no idea how to make on in Photoshop. But thanks to my W@Wie god-sent sister Mela (Carmela Harder), we are finally printing our very own tomorrow!!!

Yes, I am proud to present Mela's very own design of our "Save-The-Date Card".. Just like our table numbers and name cards which she made herself, all three were inspired by our fairytale theme and color.

one of our table number cards...

The table numbers and name cards have already been printed two days ago at PhotoLine. I may have to drop by there again tomorrow. (^_^)

Thanks again Mela for all these...