Designer Meeting # 1: Garrey Garduque of Jose Domingo Bride

I have already booked my wedding gown couturier, but being a fickle-minded bride, I still toyed with the idea of having a designer-made gown. So I set up some meetings with other designers to see whether a custom-made creation would fit my bduget. This was also a good way to get a designer's point of view on my gown pegs. Baka nagmamaganda ako sa gown, yun pala chaka-ness siya. Haha.

My first meeting was with Garrey Garduque of Jose Domingo Bride. He has just started his own clothing line after working with Religioso for about 10 years (if I heard him right). So his rates are still pretty affordable. He initially quoted me P30,000 for my peg, but agreed to lower it to P25,000. Hurray for my haggling skills! Haha. :)

His shop is located in David Building along Shaw Boulevard. The building is a bit scary, parang abandoned building ang drama. Once you enter Garrey's shop, you can see his sewers making some of the dresses. There are also some finished gowns hanging on the side and even some barongs too. I particularly liked the flower girl dresses. They were all so cute! :)

Garrey's style was all about the bride's back. He loves showing it off in his designs, leaving it bare or sometimes covering it up with illusion tulle with embroidery as seen below:

Photo from his website

Photo from his website

This was a plus point for me because this is what I wanted for my wedding gown. During our meeting, he showed me a gown top with tulle overlay and lace appliqués. In fairness, ang ganda nung damit!

I then showed him my chosen peg to get his inputs about it. He liked the design, but he said that a  gown with a drop waist would not look good on me. A natural waist would look better on my frame since it would give me longer legs. He also didn’t like the corset back because he said it was appropriate for a debutante dress, not for my wedding gown. Instead, he suggested a zipper back and pearl buttons. I'll take a note of that. Hehe.

The meeting lasted only about 20 minutes because he was busy finishing all the gowns, especially since it is already the peak season for weddings. He wasn't able to sketch a design though, so I really couldn’t visualize what he wanted for my gown. Sayang!

JOSE DOMINGO BRIDE
Rm 106 David Building, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong
josedomingobride@gmail.com

Wedding Gown Pegs Part 2: Maggie Sotero

When I started searching for gown pegs, I fell in love with chiffon gowns because I love how flowy and soft they are—perfect for my beach-themed wedding. But when I fitted one chiffon gown in Ivory and White, I didn't like how the gown made me looked like a frumpy little bride. :( It turned out that gowns with a fitted bodice and a slim A-line or semi-serpentine silhouette look better on my body. Ruchings and pleats on the bodice are a plus because they would hide my flabby tummy. Hehe.

And so I had to search for new gown pegs with that design in mind. Here are some of the gown pegs that I found, which are all from Maggie Sotero's collections.

Debbie

Belize

Melissa Brooch

Coco

 

Kailani

Bianca

Dixie

These are all strapless gowns, but I'll ask my couturier to create a tulle or lace illusion neckline to cover up my pimply back. I'm so excited. I can definitely imagine myself wearing one of these gowns! :)

The Road to 25

I'm feeling a bit sentimental right now because today's my 25th birthday. Wow, I can't believe that I'm already part of the mid-20's group. Ang tanda ko na! Simula na ba ito ng quarter-life crisis?

When I was younger, I thought that by the time I turn 25, I would already: 1) marry my high school crush; 2) live in a mansion in Forbes Park; 3) be a famous TV reporter; and 4) travel around the world. Oh diba, ang taas ng pangarap ko! But come to think of it, none of my childish dreams came true. My life is practically the same, only I have more responsibilities and less money. Haha!

But still, there were a lot of unforgettable moments during my 25 years here on Earth. While I didn't travel all around the world, I was still able to visit countries in Southeast Asia, and even the Middle East!

Family bonding in Hong Kong

With the giant Buddha in Thailand

Pictorial at the Angkor Wat in Cambodia

Hanging out at Sentosa in Singapore

Visited Burj al Arab in Dubai

I was also fortunate enough to tour some of the provinces in the Philippines. Iba talaga ang ganda ng Pinas. 

Shopping in Vigan, Ilocos Sur

At the Bangui Windmills in Ilocos Norte

Jump shot on the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte

Camwhoring in Cal-lao Cave in Cagayan

Emo moment in Siquijor

With the BIG fishies in Gen San

Wearing a native costume in Saranggani

Zipline in Lake Sebu

The city hall of Sultan Kudarat

Swimming in Samal Island, Davao

Skywalk in Cebu

Soul searching at the Chocolate Hills in Bohol

Sunbathing in Bantayan Island, Cebu

There were also a lots of firsts, which were things that I thought I would never do.

First time to go white water rafting

First time to swim with the dolphins

First time to eat something that is alive

First time to sleep in an airport

First time to go rappeling

First time to watch hot, naked men model

First time to ski (in artificial snow)

Best of all, I met the two new loves of my life.

My dog, Bacon

My fiance, Mox

Thank you Lord for 25 wonderful years! :) I look forward to the new adventures that the next 25 years would bring!

I'm an Auction Winner! :)

I've been monitoring the W@W auction for the past week because I had some prospect suppliers there that I wanted to bid on. After a few tense minutes of continuously pushing the refresh button, I finally won the item that I really wanted. Yey! :)

I won!

Good thing I'm in Dubai during the duration of the auction so I didn't have to stay up so late to bid on my chosen item. Honestly, the item that I won wasn't really my original choice, but the bid on it has reached the item's original price so I had to let it go. Luckily, I was able to won the cheaper option. Hehe.

Thank you Ms. Benz and W@W for this very wonderful experience. I was actually so tempted to go back and to bid for another item, but I had to control myself lest I want to go over our budget. Hopefully, we'll have another auction next year! :)

P.S. This is my 100th blog post. Wala lang. Haha!

Two Week Hiatus

Hello friends, forgive me for being out of touch for the past two weeks. I'm currently here in Dubai for training so I really couldn't update my blog because I haven't done anything wedding-related recently. Plus, I'm still trying to get used to the time difference here.

Just a quick update, I schedule two meetings with two designers for the next couple of weeks. Okay, I know I already booked my wedding gown couturier, but I guess at the back of my mind, I wanted to experience having my dream wedding gown sketched in front of me. If I really liked their sketches, then maybe I could haggle a bit so that we could afford the gown. Sorry, my romantic girly side is overpowering my practical side right now. Haha.

Dreaming about wearing my perfect gown

In other news, I'm also participating in the W@W auction. I saw an item there that I really, really wanted. Hopefully, I'd still be the highest bidder until tomorrow, when the auction ends. Cross your fingers guys! :)