The 2013 W@W Christmas Party

Last Friday, Mox and I were among the lucky W@Wies to attend the the annual W@W Christmas party. You can just imagine how many would kill for chance to attend the party, and for good reason too! Not only would we meet our fellow W@Wies and some of the best wedding suppliers, but we would also get a chance to win awesome prizes! This event is so highly anticipated that slots would get filled up almost as soon as registration opens. Last year, I was unfortunately waitlisted, so I was so happy to finally get a slot to this year's party! Whee!

This year's party was held at the new Blue Leaf Filipinas near the Macapagal area. The theme for the party was backyard, so we had to wear pastel clothes. No dark clothes were allowed, but luckily, Mox had one light blue polo. See, problem solved!

There were a lot of suppliers involved in the event. During the cocktail hour, we had fun having our picture taken by the photo studio set up by Mezarc Buslon Fotografie.

Photo by Mezarc Buslon Fotografie

Guests can also have their Instagram photos printed by Nice Print's Instagram Booth! They just had to tag their photos with the hashtag #waw2013xmas and then viola! Instant photo souvenirs! Too bad we weren't able to try this one ourselves.

Instagram Booth!

While waiting for the program proper to start, we had a lot of fun going around the candy corner of Bonbon Taffy and the numerous dessert buffets of Purpledish Catering, Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko, and Box of Sweet by Punky Porca.  Sugar overload na ito! 

Bonbon Taffy

Purpledish Catering

Box of Sweets by Punky Porca

Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko

We also got tipsy from all the free-flowing drinks of Marga Rush and GQ Mobile Bar. I love Marga Rush's strawberry margarita slushie, but the mango daiquiri that I drank from GQ was the bomb! Our favorite GQ bartender, Kuya Lloyd, was the one overseeing the booth, and it was so cute that he still remembers me from all the times that I visited their booth during bridal fairs. Now I'm even more excited to see what alcoholic concoctions he will serve on our wedding.

Enjoying our lime and strawberry margarita slushies from Marga Rush

Kuya Lloyd (middle) and his band of bartenders

The official caterer for the event was Josiah's Caterer. The food was super yummy, and I especially love their styling! The tables' centerpieces were so simple yet elegant that Mox wanted it to be our peg for our own wedding. And the lily chairs were so beautiful, although I'm not sure who was the supplier for them.

Not all tables were styled by Josiah's though. This year, the party had a table-decorating contest so all W@Wies must group themselves by 12 and then create their own table centerpiece. The table with the best centerpiece would win a prize! Our table decided to have a picnic-inspired centerpiece so we got our picnic basket and filled it with fruits and bread. Special thanks to Kim ni Cris who thought of the design! Ikaw na Ser!

Team Chill!

Our picnic-inspired centerpiece

And of course, let's not forget about the games and the raffles! A lot of home appliances were given out, as well as tickets to honeymoon destinations such as Boracay and Cebu. And for the minor prizes? Everyone was tickled pink by the sex toys and sexy lingerie courtesy of the Wedding Library. Nakakaloka!

But you know what made this party even more special? There was an impromptu raffle, where the prizes were free services of the suppliers! All the guests had to do was to go on stage and to participate on simple children's games, like coin toss, pompyang and bato-bato-pick. Lucky W@Wies were able to win free gowns from Gretchen Pichay and Boy Kastner Santos, photo coverage from Pictratto Photography, video coverage from Sequel by Threelogy, makeup services from Madge Lejano, and so much more! Ang swerte diba?

I wasn't able to win anything from the raffles, but I was among the lucky few who won customized Jazel Sy shoes from the Cinderella game. The Cinderella game is where the girls would try to fit shoes that were on the chairs, and whoever was the first to wear the shoe that fits perfectly will win the pair. I was a size 6, so I was looking for the shoe with that size. My friends directed me to one chair, where no one was lining up. So I just sat down and tried on the shoe, and what do you know? It was a perfect fit! Walang kahirap-hirap. Haha! And the shoe is so cute; it is a nude pump with an ankle strap. I'll probably wear it for our reception so that I could dance the night away without worrying that it will get lost. Hehe.

But one of my most unforgettable moments of the party was the W@Wies' dance number. And you know why? Because I was one of the dancers! Haha! I am not a good dancer so it took a lot of guts to go on stage and dance in front of all those people! Oh diba, dinaan na lang sa kapal ng mukha. Nevertheless, it was a really fun experience and I would love to join another dance number next year! Pero papractice muna ako ng aking dancing moves. Haha.

Sige, sayaw lang!

All in all, it was a spectacular night. I will forever be thankful to be part of the W@W community. Because of W@W, I was able to meet new friends, both W@Wies and suppliers alike, who have made a great impact on my life. This is truly W@W love! :)

P.S. Most of these photos are from Pictratto Photography, the official photographers of the event. :)

W@Wie Quote 2013-2014

I received a package last Friday, and guess what, it's another W@W wedding primer! I was quoted again in this year's edition so I got another free copy. Yey! :)

Unlike last year, where I had several quotes in the primer, I only had one quote in this edition. But who cares? Buti nakapasok pa ako. Haha!

To all soon-to-weds out there, be sure to grab a copy of this year's W@W Wedding Primer, and I'm not just saying that because I am included in the book. This primer contains lots of helpful articles that can definitely make wedding preparations much easier. :)

W@W Love: Grand EB 2013

July 7, 2013 was a very memorable date for all W@Wies because we finally had a chance to meet and greet all those faces behind the emails and Facebook accounts at the W@W Grand EB! Finally, makikita ko na kayong lahat sa personal! Haha. :)

Layout by The Pretty Palette by OJ

What made this event special is that this was organized by W@Wies for the W@Wies! Yes, from the program to the prizes and decors; the W@Wies were in charge of all of that. Kulang na lang siguro, kami na yung nagluto para sa event. Haha!

Can I just say that I love the photo walls! Kudos to the Decor Committee! We know how much hard work you've put into creating the decors, and we really appreciated how it beautified the place. See how much fun we had taking photos at the photo walls? Uhhm, pwedeng mahiram talent niyo sa wedding ko? Hahaha!

Circular Pinwheels Wall

Kusudama Flowers Wall

My Little Red Riding Hood at Moki Gray's setup

The Message Booth

There were a lot of suppliers also involved in the event. There was Manny and April, Camzar and She & Him for the photography, Aisle 1401 and For You are Mine for the videography, Margarush for the drinks, and lots more!

And of course, the event was overflowing with food. Richgold provided us with some heavy cocktails for merienda, and we enjoyed the desserts/candies of Punky Porca's Box of Sweets and the cakes of Purpledish. I don't have any pictures of the food though, just their setups. Masyado siguro akong gutom. Haha!

Richgold's setup

Purpledish's dessert bar

Punky Porca's candy buffet

Some of Punky's mini cupcakes (na hindi ko nakain dahil may kumuha. Huhu)

Just a happy note, I saw a lot of our suppliers there (Manny and April, Chef Velmor, Anna of Aisle 1401), and it's so nice to see that they still recognize me. As in first-name basis talaga! In fact, even our former AE from Richgold recognized us! Sabi pa nga niya, miss na daw niya kakulitan namin ni Mox dahil lagi kami nag-aaway sa tuwing minemeet namin sila. Haha! Come to think of it, maybe that's not really a good thing because we did cancel our contract with them. Haha! Just kidding. But seriously, it's really heartwarming to learn that our suppliers still remember us from the brief meetings that we had with them, even though they have probably met so many different couples already. :)

We had a blast during the event! We love the bridal shower games, especially the pop the balloon challenge. And of course, the highlight was the impromptu "Gentleman" dance by the W@Wies with none other than Boy Kastner Santos, the W@Wie Supplier of the Year for 2011. Check out their super-fun dance here!

And yes, winners of the W@W Peer Awards were announced. Sadly, I didn't win the Blogerista award, but I am still very happy and honored to be nominated. Congratulations to the winners by the way! :)

And of course, who doesn't love freebies? I wasn't able to win in the raffle (sabi ko na nga ba malas talaga ako eh), but I was still able to bring home a bag full of goodies. The lootbag includes beauty products from Pond's, a cupcake from Chef Kiko, chocolates from Knotville Favors, yema balls by Hearts and Bells, and the W@W Commemorative Coin. We also had our photobooth picture from iFlick Photobooth. Syempre, di pwedeng mawala yun. Hehe.

Lootbag goodies :)

Ganda ng printing, in fairness

But what made this day special, aside from the loot bag and the free food, was being with all my W@Wie sisters and brothers. After months of just talking through emails and FB chats, we were able to bring our friendship to the next level. :) I want to thank Ms. Benz and Sir Abet for creating W@W, because not only were we able to prepare our dream wedding with the help of this community, but we were also able to find new friends that will surely make the next chapter of our lives more memorable. I love you my W@Wie friends! Here's to more EB's and chikahan moments with you :)

Photo from CamZar Photography

I'm A W@W Peer Awards Nominee! :)

Before I proceed with my post about our foodtasting with Purpledish, I just want to thank all those W@Wies who have nominated me for the W@W Peer Awards, under the Blogerista category. Whee! Nakakakilig! Parang FAMAS lang! Haha!

When I started writing this blog, my only intention was to keep track of my wedding preparations. I only wanted to have an online diary so that whenever I would feel nostalgic, I could just read my blog and reminisce about our wedding and the happiness and stress that came with the preparations.

I still couldn't believe that my blog actually attracts readers. I never really thought of myself as a writer, so I'm quite shy to let the world know about my blog. Baka mapagtawanan lang ako dahil trying hard akong mag-English, mali-mali pala ang grammar. Haha! That's why I'm always surprised and kilig whenever I would receive emails from brides- and grooms-to-be asking me questions about wedding preparations or telling me that they have learned so much from my blog. I'm not a wedding expert, so it's really nice to know that I was able to help them in the best way that I can. Biruin niyo, may natutunan pa pala sila sa mga pinagsasabi ko dito. Haha!

Now my blog has 93,000 hits and counting, and I am nominated for the Blogerista award. I already feel like a winner because I have never really expected any of these to happen. Again, I want to say thank you to all those who have nominated for me, and to all those who have been following my blog since Day 1. Alay ko sa inyo ang tagumpay ko. Haha, akala mo nanalo na eh! But seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And to all the W@Wies out there.... please vote for me! Hahaha! :)

Brunch at Maja's Home Cafe

I have been waiting for the opening of Maja's Home Cafe ever since I've heard that Ms. Maja plans to open a cafe that will serve the food that Passion Cooks is famous for. And since we couldn't afford to have Passion Cooks as our caterer, the only way for us to taste their uber-delicious dishes again is by visiting their cafe.

And so, Mox and I decided to travel to Paranaque (and pay all those toll fees) just to have brunch at Maja's Home Cafe. I was so excited that I even reserved a table for two in advance! Haha.

Albeit small, the cafe offers a quaint and homey atmosphere. After the long drive, we felt relaxed sitting at their booths with the red plush pillows while waiting for our orders. Mox even wanted to lie down and sleep! Haha! There are some cute DIY details in the restaurant, including the red paper roses on the table and the wall full of paper Star Wars troops.

The Star Wars wall :P

Red paper roses <3

And here were the food that we ordered. Prepare to drool, people.

Stark Juice (Tropical fruit juice for me; Pink lemonade for Mox)

Oriental Salad with Crispy Catfish and Tomato-Mango Salsa

Baked Prawns Thermidor

Roasted Herbed Pork with Marble Potatoes

R2D2 Cake (Chocolate Lazy Cake)

Ewok's Mango Tango (Mango Cream Pie)

Solo Panna Cotta

We were definitely satisfied with our experience at Maja's home cafe. The servings are good for one, but everything is just so rich and satisfying, that you would still be full afterwards. Plus, the prices are very affordable! Meals range from P150 to P290, with the exception of the Wagyu Rib-Eye Steak, which probably costs around P1,000. Still, sulit na sulit pa rin.

Still not convinced? Check out our smiling faces below! *This is just an excuse to post our vain pics in this blog. Hahaha*

And since we loved Maja's food so much, we even went back for the second time, but now we were with some of our W@Wie friends. Photos were taken from Cris and Tine. :)

MAJA'S HOME CAFE
111 A. Adela Building, Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque
506-2454