Signing Off

I began this blog almost three years ago to document our wedding preps, and hopefully tell tales about married life in the future. I am so touched to find out that so many brides-to-be found my blog to be so helpful and informative during their own wedding preps. But sadly, I have to bid this blog goodbye as I have devastating news.

On November 24, 2014, my dear husband Mox lost his three-month battle to cancer and passed away. It was just two days before his 32nd birthday, and two days before our seventh monthsary as a married couple.

It's so heartbreaking to think that we would never do things that other married couples do, such as spend our first Christmas and New Year together, which was something we were really looking forward to as it would be my first time to go with him to his hometown in La Union and finally sleep together in one bed. Legal na kami eh! We didn't even get a chance to have a honeymoon, as we postponed our trip to Kota Kinabalu when we learned that I was pregnant. We thought we would still have time to do those things. We'd never imagined it would end up this way.

But what's even more heartbreaking is the thought that my daughter will never meet her father. She will never see how great of a father Mox can be. I know he'll be one of the best dads out there; I've seen him interact with kids and it really warms my heart because they all love him. Heck, I LOVE HIM.

But despite the pain of losing him, I know he is in a better place now, free of all the pain and suffering. I may have lost a husband and my daughter may have lost a father, but we both gained something special: our very own guardian angel who is always watching over us.

Rest in peace Mox. I love you.

Neil Rainier Manalo Balicha
November 26, 1982-November 24, 2014

I may no longer update this blog but I plan to keep this online as a remembrance of our wedding misadventures. Don't worry, I will still entertain questions about my suppliers so don't hesitate to ask me anything. :)

In the meantime, I decided to put up another blog, which could help me cope with my grief on losing my husband. I haven't posted anything nor designed the site yet, but feel free to visit it from time to time: http://loveletterstoanangel.blogspot.com/

And so the Missus is now signing off.

Positive!

I am currently writing my supplier reviews, but I first want to pause for a moment to share this wonderful news: Mox and I are expecting a baby! :)

Yes, you heard it right. I just learned that I am pregnant two days ago. Mox and I are so excited about this news because we've always wanted to start our own family as soon as we get married, and we couldn't believe that we got our wish!

I have been experiencing "pregnancy" symptoms for the past two weeks, yet I didn't plan to do a pregnancy test at first because I was too scared to get a negative result. I already experienced a lot of false alarms before so I thought this time, it would still be the same. But Mox convinced me to do a test one more time, and lo and behold, we finally got the two lines that we have always prayed for. :)

We did two more tests after that and we still got the positive result. Of course, I still have to go to my OB to confirm this, but I know in my heart, we finally received the blessing of a lifetime.  And so after my wedding preps journey, it's time to prepare for another chapter in my life: the journey towards motherhood. :)

Two Days to Go!

I'm sorry for not writing here these past few weeks, but I'm just so excited! We only have two days left before our wedding. Honestly, I'm not nervous about the day.... well, okay, maybe a little. I'm more nervous about tripping during my entrance and our first dance than the whole day itself. Haha!

Still, no matter what will happen, good or bad, I just can't wait to get married. After two years of preparing, we are finally down to two days! Bring it on!

The Art of Letting Go

People say that no matter how OC you are or how long you have been preparing for your big day, there is no such thing as having the perfect wedding. Thus, the only way to get through the prospect of having glitches during your wedding is to just laugh it off and let it go.

I know the art of letting go is easier said than done, especially for those who spent a lot of time and money planning out their dream wedding. Take me for example. We spent more than two years planning out this whole event, and I have specific ideas on how I wanted our wedding to happen. And with only one month to go before our big day, I was starting to get stressed out over the various problems that suddenly came into our way

First was with our caterer. There were a lot of raves about them when we first booked them, so we were pretty confident that they will deliver on our wedding day. There were a few bad reviews in between, but we thought that since our wedding is still far away, they would have enough time to improve on their weaknesses. But in January this year, there were a lot of bad feedback about them. Since it was already close to our wedding, these negative reviews worried me.

Then we had another problem with our venue, Christ the King Parish Hall. Remember how much I raved about this one? I really thought I found the perfect venue because it is so close to our church, it is reasonably priced, and it allows live bands to play inside. Apparently, I was wrong on that last count. Just last week, I learned that the management does not allow full bands to play inside the hall! I was outraged when I heard this news because I had confirmed this detail with Ms. Aileen, who was the former officer-in-charge of the parish hall, before booking the hall, and she did say that full bands were allowed. Now, the new OIC is telling us that Ms. Aileen was wrong; we aren't allowed to have a  full band play in our reception. Ano ba talaga?! What's even more frustrating is that we already paid Composed Band in full so it's too late to back out now. Nakakainis!

When Mox heard about these problems, he immediately wanted to find a new caterer and a new venue. Again, easier said than done. Since we only have one month left before our wedding, it would be nearly impossible to find a venue that is open on our date. Plus, it would mean letting our full payment of the parish hall go down the drain and shelling out more cash to book a new venue. Honestly, we just couldn't afford it anymore.

I was really feeling so sad and stressed out over these issues that I was not excited about our wedding anymore. Imagine, more than two years of planning and yet everything was a mess. I was not so sure about our caterer anymore, and now our band couldn't even play with drums during our reception. I was ready to give up then.

But then I realized, why am I stressing over these things? Why am I putting so much focus on just one day? I was missing the big picture, the real reason why I am getting married. Yes, it would be definitely embarrassing to feed our guests with substandard food, and it would be boring not to have any band play in our reception, but in the end, who cares about that? We will forget about these details eventually, but we will not forget the happiness and the love that we will feel during that our wedding. In the end, that's what matters the most.

And with that, I began to let go of all the stress in dealing with all the nitty-gritty details of the wedding. We were able to find backup plans for our problems with the caterer and venue, but even if we didn't have any solutions for these, I wouldn't care anymore. I'll still be the happiest girl in the world because I will finally marry the love of my life on that special day.

Wedding Docs 101: Correcting Discrepancies in Church Documents

One of the usual headaches that soon-to-weds encounter during wedding preps is when there is a discrepancy in their required wedding documents, whether it's in their birth certificate or their baptismal and confirmation certificates. I swear, ang hirap mag-asikaso ng mga papeles para sa kasal.

I also had some problems regarding my church documents.. You see, I do not have a "Ma." in my birth certificate, but in my baptismal and confirmation certificates, they affixed a "Ma." before my name. Apparently, there is a rule that every girl must be baptized with a "Ma." in her name, which will serve as her Christian name. Unfortunately, Christ the King would not accept my baptismal and confirmation certificates because of this discrepancy. Sobrang strict nila sa totoo lang.

And so, I had to request for a partial change of my parish records. I tried searching for blogs that would give me an idea on how to do this, but I couldn't find one. And so, by writing this post, I hope that I can help other soon-to-weds in fixing any discrepancy in their church documents... or at least those couples who were baptized/confirmed in churches under the Diocese of Cubao. Hehe.

Here is the step-by-step process in requesting partial changes of my baptismal certificate. I also followed these same steps to fix the discrepancy in my confirmation certificate.
 

1. I went to the church where I was baptized—St. Joseph Shrine in Anonas, Cubao—to ask for a letter from the parish priest requesting for an amendment on my baptismal record. The church required a clear copy of my NSO birth certificate and Form 137, which is the transcript of my school records. Since I didn't have my Form 137, I was asked to bring copies of three valid IDs as reference. I also had to write an affidavit stating the corrections and the purpose of my request.
   
   
2. I then brought the request letter, my baptismal certificate, affidavit and  other documents to the Chancery Department for approval. It is the building in front of the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Cubao.
   
   
3. Once my application for partial changes was approved, I was given a written decree issued by His Eminence, authorizing the parish priest of St. Joseph to correct my baptismal record.
   
   
4. I then brought the written decree and the related documents to St. Joseph. After a few minutes, my baptismal certificate already had the necessary changes made. Yey! :)

Actually, the Chancery decreed that they could not delete the "Ma." in my baptismal and confirmation certificates because it is my Christian name. However, they added in the "Observada" column that despite the "Ma." in my church certificates, they still pertain to the same person. Luckily, Christ the King still accepted my certificates even though my name was not officially changed. Yey again!

Of course, there were some fees involved in the changing of parish records, although I really couldn't remember how much I paid for them. So just to be safe, be sure to prepare at least P1,000 for the documents.

So now, all we have to do is wait for our wedding banns to be released and our church documents are done! Yey! :)

Models For A Day: Our Official Prenup Shoot

Last Friday, Mox and I finally had our prenup with our official wedding photographers, Osep&Mimi. We were supposed to have our prenup in November, but we had to reschedule because it was exactly the day when Yolanda hit the Philippines. Kainis, ang malas ng timing namin. It was also the peak season for weddings, so the earliest possible date that both our stylist and photographers were available was in January. That's another two months of waiting, but at least we had more time to prepare. Hehe.

The day before the shoot, I took a day off from the office to buy the food that we would bring to the shoot. I didn't want our suppliers to be hungry, but I also didn't want to buy too much food since I knew that we would be hiking, and it would be difficult to bring all the food and drinks with us. With that in mind, I decided to just buy:

• Two packs of Regent cakes (Chocolate and Custard flavors)
• One pack of Nagaraya (Barbecue)
• One pack of Pica-Pica (Cheese)
• One jar of Stik-O
• One six-liter container of  water

These were also my favorite snacks because I was thinking that in case our suppliers wouldn't be able to finish the food, at least I would be able to take them home and eat them myself. Haha!

On the day of the prenup, I woke up very early to prepare our things. Mox was supposed to be at our house at 7:30am, but I learned that he woke up at around 8:00am,  and our call-time at Aira's house was at 9:00am! Luckily, there was no traffic on that day, so we met halfway and was at Aira's house a few minutes past our call-time. Pasalamat si Mox na maaga pa rin kami or else, gyera na ito! Haha!

As soon as we got there, we met with Aira and Boombee, her makeup artist for the day. I was expecting to see Fritz, her usual HMUA, but Aira said that she's currently rotating her team members so it was Boombee's turn to do my hair and makeup. While she's busy prepping me up for the shoot, Aira was fixing our clothes and preparing the accessories needed. Then, we just ordered lunch and ate at her house. Afterwards, we were on our way to Wawa Dam! :)

The travel to Wawa Dam took about an hour because of the traffic, but luckily, we still arrived there on time based on Aira's schedule. Osep was already there, along with his teammate Chris. Boombee retouched my makeup while Mox was busy fixing the permits needed for the shoot. As soon as our tour guide arrived, we were off to our first location for the day.

Our overall look for the prenup was bohemian hipster, so our wardrobe for the first layout were shorts and boots for me, and a flannel shirt and boots for Mox. We shot around the bridge and the abandoned building overlooking the dam. Very ghetto. Hehe.

Photo by Aira Franco

We then hiked some more and found this rocky, open space, with the mountains as a background. We changed into our wardrobe for the second layout: a floral dress and boots again for me, and a military jacket and black shirt for Mox. We had to rent a cottage so that we would have some place to put our things. We then crossed a shaky, wooden bridge to get to the other side. Luckily, my clumsy side was not present so I was spared the humiliation of falling off the bridge. Haha.

Photo by Aira Franco

For our third layout, we decided to shoot near the dam itself. We changed into our last set of clothes for the day: a long printed dress for me and a denim jacket and white shirt for Mox. We decided to take a side trip first because I requested Osep for some photos on a raft, so our tour guide served as our boatman as we went to the middle of the reservoir. I was a bit nervous because the raft was shaky and I didn't want to fall into the lake, but the boatman was able to steer us into safety. And judging by Aira's photo, the experience was worth it.

Photo by Aira Franco

Finally, we went off to our last location for the day: the rocks along the dam. This was actually the reason why I chose Wawa Dam as our prenup location; I love the big rocks! Dyosang-dyosa lang ang peg! It was a bit difficult navigating around the rocks because I wore a long dress and sandals, but Aira and Osep were there to help me get there safely. We had to move fast because it was almost six and the sun was about to set, but a few minutes after starting the shoot, the sky suddenly cleared up, and there was sunlight everywhere! Imagine that, we were given extra time to shoot by God! Naawa siguro sa amin kasi nagcancel nga kami dahil kay Yolanda. Haha.

Photo by Aira Franco

All in all, it was a tiring yet fun shoot. I'm so thankful for our suppliers who were game enough to hike through the dam to capture the perfect shot. They also kept on saying how beautiful the place is! It was the perfect location for our prenup. :) Now I can't wait to see our pictures!

Meet the Parents!

Last Christmas Day, Mox and his whole family went to our home for the traditional "pamamanhikan". It was actually a last-minute event because it was so difficult to coordinate their whole schedule as his parents live in the province and one of his brothers works in Malaysia. But luckily, all of them were here in Manila for the holidays, so before they leave for La Union, they stopped by our house to do the pamamanhikan. Parang stopover lang ng Partas. Haha!

What exactly is a pamamanhikan? Well, it's when the groom and his family goes to the house of the bride to ask for her hand in marriage. Traditionally, the pamamanhikan should be done right after the engagement to discuss the details of the wedding, like the date, the budget, possible ninongs and ninangs, etc.

But now the pamamanhikan is not as formal as it used to be. Since Mox and I held our pamamanhikan late in our engagement, all of our wedding preps are almost done so it was quite useless to discuss these details with our parents. Instead, our pamamanhikan was just a way for our parents to meet with each other for the first time. We were actually thinking of holding it in a restaurant, but we decided to just do it the old-fashioned way. That way, we would be able to please my mother—who always want to stick to the traditions—and we won't have to spend so much for the meal itself. Si Mox na lang bahala magluto ng pagkain. Diba, tipid moves lang.
 
I really didn't know what to expect during the pamamanhikan. Mox's parents are simple, laid-back folks, while my parents—or rather just my mother—can be quite intimidating. So I was worried on how things will turn out between them. Will they like each other or will there be tension between the mag-balaes? But Mox was even more nervous than I was! He kept on asking the do's and dont's of a pamamanhikan. He even researched tips on how to do his opening spiel. It was so cute! Haha!

Mox's family arrived at around 1pm that day, and they brought pans filled with delicious adobo, sinigang, pinakbet and tahong. They even brought a pot filled with rice, and some paper plates and plastic spoons so we didn't have to wash the dishes afterwards. Prepared na prepared ang lolo mo. Haha! Meanwhile,  my mother prepared her famous buko pandan for dessert. Yummy!

After eating, we then got down to business.  I kept on teasing Mox to get on with his "opening speech" and because of his nervousness, he just blurted out: "Tito, Tita, ikakasal na po kami." We just kept on laughing after that. Di naman obvious na ikakasal tayo beh diba? Kalokang opening speech!

Our parents didn't ask anymore for details about our wedding since we're almost done with the preparations. As my mother said, the pamamanhikan was just for formality's sake. Meet and greet nga lang yun eh. But they did suggest some names for our principal sponsors and also suggested barongs for our male entourage instead of vests. That way, we won't have to worry about finding a couturier for our entourage since they can easily buy their barongs on their own. We will also save money because my father and brothers can use their barongs that they wore for my kuya's wedding. Tipid moves again!

After an hour of chitchat, Mox and his family had to leave for their trip to La Union. Overall, the pamamanhikan was a success! Sure, it was quite nerve-wracking, and there were moments of awkward silence, but I'm happy that everything went on without a hitch. Good job Mox! :)

P.S. Sadly, no pictures were taken during the pamamanhikan as Mox's family have this weird aversion to cameras. Basta oras ng picturan, nawawala sila. Haha.

My Kuya's Wedding!

I apologize for not updating my blog lately. We just got so busy with work, Christmas parties and wedding preps that I barely have time to write here.

Last October, my eldest brother got married to his girlfriend of four years. But unlike me, who have at least two years to prepare for my own wedding, they only had roughly two months to prepare for theirs. They're doctors, so they didn't have the luxury to take leaves for their wedding preps. So everything had to be done at the last minute! Can you just imagine the stress diba?

They got me as a secondary sponsor, and as my gift to them, I decided to shoulder my own gown and hair and makeup. I got Paolo Blanco to do my gown, as well as my mother's gown, and Diane Coles to do our hair and makeup. :)

The ceremony was held at Ermita Church and the reception was at Midas Hotel. It was a very intimate wedding, with only 100 guests, but I'm happy that everything went smoothly. Despite having limited time to prepare, I know my brother and sister-in-law got their dream wedding! :)

The official photos haven't arrived yet, so here are some photos that Mox took of the ceremony. :)

 

 

 

We didn't have any photos of the reception because we were too busy eating that we forgot to take pictures. Sorry naman, gutom na kami talaga nun eh. Haha!

Of course, I want to give props to Paolo Blanco and Diane Coles for a job well done! Even though I wasn't the bride, they still gave superb service, so I definitely feel that they deserve the kudos. :)

GOWN: Paolo Blanco

Peso Power: P3,000
Contact Details: 0917-9693773
Rating: 5 out of 5

As I said before during our first fitting, the gown fit perfectly! I really felt like a Grecian goddess while wearing the gown because it was so flowy and soft. The color also looked good on me, making me look fairer. Basta ang ganda niya!

Transactions with Paolo was hassle-free. He's also so nice that even though we were usually late during our fittings, he would still attend to us cheerfully. I would definitely recommend him to budgeted brides out there. :)

HMUA: Diane Coles
Peso Power: P2,000 for two persons (including transpo fee)
Contact Details: 0917-8045848
Rating: 5 out of 5

Since we only had two months to prepare, I had to search for an affordable HMUA that was available on my brother's wedding date. Ivy then recommended Diane Coles, her entourage's HMUA, so I decided to give her a call. Luckily, she was available on that day, plus her rates are within our budget, so I immediately booked her.

My brother's wedding was at 9 in the morning so we had to have our hair and makeup done at the ungodly hour of 5am. Walang tulugan yun! But Diane arrived right on time. And she's so perky and cheerful even though it was so early in the morning! Even though it was the first time that I've met her, I immediately felt at ease with her. As in, chikahan na agad!

I also like that she respects her clients' requests, and she cares about their welfare. During that day, I had an eye injury so my right eye was so red and irritated. Diane didn't want to put false eyelashes and eyeliner, which could irritate my eye further, so she just made the rest of my face stand out more. She was also patient enough to put up with my mother's demands! Dun pa lang, saludo na ako sa kanya. Haha!

I don't have any close-up picture of my made-up face, but I assure you, I looked very, very pretty. Hehe. :)

Hair and make-up by Diane Coles

Happy Birthday Beh! ♥

Today is a very special day because not only have we reached the five-month mark of our wedding journey, but it's also the 31st birthday of my very wonderful fiance! :) Happy, happy birthday my love! Despite the fights, the tears and all those drama moments, I am still very lucky to have you as my fiance, and soon, as my husband. :)

Happy birthday Beh! (Photo by Pictratto Photography)

Beh, in just five months, I will soon be by your side to celebrate your birthday, Christmas, New Year, and other occasions that we could think of together. I can't wait! :)

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. :)

My Last Birthday As A Miss!

Today is my 26th birthday, but more importantly, it's my last birthday as a single lady. Next year, instead of spending it with my family and fiance, I'll be spending it with my family and HUSBAND. Haha! Nakakakilig lang isipin.

But as respect to the victims of typhoon Yolanda, we decided not to have a grand celebration. Instead, my family and I just had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Ortigas. We also didn't splurge on the gifts. My parents just gave me a simple chocolate cake, but instead of the chocolate roll that we'd usually buy, they got me a dedication cake! The last time I had a dedication cake was during my 18th birthday, and back then, my mom wrote a long, long dedication on my cake that she actually ran out of space to put in the rest of her message. Haha! Nagsulat ba naman ng mga bilin sa cake ko?!? Luckily, she didn't do the same thing this time. Haha.

My birthday cake :)

Meanwhile, Mox gave me his usual birthday card. But what made this card extra special was his heartfelt message inside. Before, he would just say his template dedication: "Mahal kita, mwah simple lang.", but now, he wrote how he looks forward to sleeping beside me every night once we get married. He even called me his wife. It was the sweetest thing that I have ever read. :)

It actually feels weird to be celebrating now especially since the people in Visayas are still suffering from the aftermath of not just typhoon Yolanda, but also from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake last month. But still, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have greeted me on this very special day. Thank you for making me feel loved! :) But most importantly, I want to thank God for the countless blessings that I have received for the past 26 years. Hoping to receive more blessings in the future! :)

Bangon Pilipinas!

Last weekend, the Philippines experienced what was said to be the strongest typhoon of 2013. Super typhoon Yolanda wrecked havoc in the Visayas region, which has already suffered so much from last month's 7.2 magnitude earthquake. In Metro Manila, we also experienced gusty winds and rain showers, which was why we decided to postpone our prenup pictorial in Wawa Dam.

The pictures of the devastating damage left by typhoon Yolanda are heartbreaking. Donations are very much appreciated. To learn how to help the typhoon victims, kindly visit Rappler's page for the list of the relief operation centers.

This is another tough challenge for us Filipinos, but I know that we will rise above this all. This Twitter image just sums up how resilient we are in the face of typhoons and other calamities.

Bangon Pilipinas! Kaya natin yan!

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. :)