Baby's First Picture

Last Friday, I went to my OB for my first prenatal checkup.  Since this is my first pregnancy, I really didn't know which questions to ask, so I asked Mox to come along with me. Ever since we learned that I'm pregnant, Mox became more watchful and protective than ever. So I know that he would have a lot of questions to ask my OB.

Sure enough, my OB gave me a long list of do's and dont's to follow. Since I have a history of diabetes in my family, I must follow a low-carb, low-salt, and low-fat diet. Grabe ano na lang kaya ang kakainin ko? Haha! I am allowed to eat three cups of rice, but these must be divided into six small servings. Also, I can only eat one slice of fruit per meal. So goodbye eating bowls of siniguelas. Huhuhu. Lastly, I must also avoid going to hot and crowded places, as well as any kinds of stress because these may cause contractions.

I was also given folic acid, which I must take once a day. I must also take a progesterone suppository to probably help the growth of the baby inside me. My OB recommended me to take it vaginally to avoid any side effects. Yes, you heard it right. I have to insert it DOWN THERE. I'm gonna spare you the gory details, but it was just pretty weird. Haha!

Then I was scheduled to for my ultrasound. Now I was pretty excited about this because this would be the first time that I would get to see my baby's heartbeat! But more than that, this ultrasound would confirm that I am indeed pregnant! Haha! I've been so paranoid, reading all these stories about miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, that I just wanted a confirmation that I'm carrying a healthy baby.

Thank God my ultrasound turned out okay. They showed me the gestational sac, which holds the yolk sac, and a tiny blip, which was the embryo. I even saw something pulsating, which was the embryo's heartbeat. So it's confirmed: I am officially pregnant! Based on the ultrasound, they pegged my baby to be at exactly 6 weeks, while I thought I was already 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant based on my last menstrual period. But my friends say that doctors usually base the baby's age on the ultrasound (fetal age) instead on the last menstrual cycle (gestational age), so in reality, I am just six weeks pregnant.  

Hi there little blip! :)

But while there is already a fetal heartbeat, my OB said that it is within the lower end of the normal range. She wanted me to take another ultrasound next week to see if there will be any improvement to the heartbeat. Let's pray that everything will be all right next week.

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. :)

Supplier Rating: Christ the King Church

After being married for a month now, I'm slowly starting to get the hang of married life. But I'm still on a wedding high, it's time to give thanks to our suppliers for a job well done. Hopefully, my ratings will be helpful to other brides-to-be out there. :)

I'll be doing my supplier ratings differently today. I'll separate the hits and misses for each supplier so that it would be easier to see how each of them fared before, during, and after our wedding day. :)

Now, let's begin with our chosen church, Christ the King Church in Greenmeadows, Quezon City.

CHURCH: Christ the King Church
Peso Power: P25,000
Package Inclusions: flowers, use of aircondition units, soloist/organist

MY EXPERIENCE:

At first, Christ the King was not part of our choices because I felt that the church would be too big for us. We plan to only have 150 guests, and because of the church's structure, baka magmukhang aalog-alog mga tao dun. But since we plan to book their function hall anyway, booking the church was the most practical thing to do.

HITS

• The church is so bright and, for the lack of a better term, maaliwalas. I'm not a fan of old churches because they give me the creeps. Feeling ko may multo sa bawat sulok. Haha! So the modern architecture of Christ the King was a big plus for us.
• I like how spacious the altar is. It's perfect for big family pictures. :)
• It's airconditioned! This is a must because ours was a summer wedding, so just imagine how hot it was during the day.
• It's aisle is just right, not so short and not so long. I didn't want to walk down a very long aisle because I'm too scared that I'll trip. At least pag maikli ang aisle, mas mababawasan ang chances na madapa ako.
• There are a lot of parking spaces available.
• They have a  garden where you can have your postnup pictures taken. It was a bit of a climb, but at least we were able to go to a picturesque location without having to travel so far away.

Here are some pictures of the church during our wedding. :)

 

MISSES

• Our officiating priest didn't follow our misalette. There were some parts where he added words and phrases so we had a difficult time following the flow of the mass. Even our commentator missed some of her cues because of the priest's different wordings.
• I liked our priest's homily, but then I learned that he gave a similar homily during one of my friend's wedding. It may not be a big deal, but I just wanted our homily to be a little more personalized. Kaya siguro, it's really better to bring your own priest so that you have an idea how he conducts homilies before your wedding.
• No wooden doors for a dramatic entrance. You can cover up their glass doors with curtains for a fee, but it's just not the same.
• Mox finds Ms. Dodo a bit strict and masungit. Hehe.

RATING: 9 out of 10

Despite the small booboo with our priest, Christ the King is still HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. :)
 

Our Onsite AVP by Project Happiness

I'm so excited because we just received our external hard drive, which contains our raw pictures and videos of our wedding day. I was almost late for work because I lost track of time; I was too busy looking at our pics and videos! :)

So before I get started with our supplier ratings, let me share to you our onsite AVP by Project Happiness. :)

Mox & Nat (04.26.2014)

After 29 months of engagement and 25 months of wedding preparations, Mox and I finally tied the knot last April 26. Everything that happened during that day was a blur, but I could clearly remember the happiness that I felt as I was walking down the aisle towards my husband. :)

I'll try my best to narrate what happened during our wedding day, and of course do my supplier reviews. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy watching our Same-Day-Edit video by Aisle 1401. :)


Mox and Nat from Aisle 1401 on Vimeo.

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!

Details, Details, Details!

Aside from our final food tasting, we also had our detailing with Purpledish. Since their office was not yet done, we had our detailing at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Greenbelt 5. I asked Thoffy, our coordinator, to join us on our meeting so he would be able to ask questions that we might have overlooked. However, he was feeling unwell during that day so he assigned his assistant to accompany us instead.

So what exactly happens during your final detailing with your caterer? Honestly, I had no idea, which is why I asked help from my newlywed friends. They were kind enough to send me powerpoint presentations of their own detailing, so I was able to get an idea on the important questions to ask the caterer.

1. What table centerpieces will be used for VIP tables? For guest tables?

During detailing, you must decide how you want your VIP tables and your guest tables to be styled. We had to choose the centerpieces for each table, from the flowers to the vases to be used. We also had to choose the linens (tablecloth, table runner, and table napkins) and even the plates! It's best to bring pegs here so that the caterer will have a better idea on the style that you want. Also, ask your caterer if the pegs you have are included in the basic setup or already considered upgrades.

2. What is the styling for the couple's area?

For the couple's area, we had to choose our wall backdrop, the couch that we will use, and the flowers on the little coffee table in front of us. Again, ask your caterer if your choice of backdrop is included in their basic package or if it is an upgrade.

3. How many tables should we need?

You must have at least an idea on how many guests you'll have on your wedding because you will submit your initial headcount during the detailing. This is so you can determine how many VIP tables and guest tables you will need for the reception. Also, make sure to ask if they will provide the registration table, gift table and cake table, as well as a table for the candy buffet, especially if you decide to get an external supplier for this or if you will DIY this.

4. What is the floor plan?

The floor plan shows the layout of your reception venue. It shows the placement of the couple's area, the buffet tables, the VIP and guest tables, and other elements of your reception. Our AE drew this on the spot, but we made some changes to it after our detailing and just sent the revised floor plan to them.

5. What is the final menu?

You will finalize your menu this time so it's recommended that you have your final food tasting before the detailing. Also, if you have other food items that you wish to endorse (i.e. lechon), then you must inform your caterer about this. Ask if there is any corkage/extra fees for this. Luckily, even though we plan to have Purpledish cut and serve our lechon, there is no additional fee for this, except if we will specifically get their lechon carving station.  

6. How many hours of ingress and egress does the caterer needs?

Purpledish requires five hours of ingress and two hours of egress. Since the rate of our venue only includes three hours of ingress, we had to pay for two extra hours.

7. Who is in charge of the leftover food?

Some caterers have their own containers for the leftovers, while others require you to bring your own, so clarify this with your caterer. Luckily, Purpledish has styro containers for the leftovers. They will just endorse a form to the coordinator and the coordinator will be in charge of distributing the leftovers.

8. What is the ratio of the waiters to guests?

Ask how many waiters will be in your wedding, and how many of them will solely serve your VIPs. The number of waiters is important to know because you need to have an idea how much you need to pay in case they need to extend their hours of service. For example, the duration of Purpledish's catering service is only for five hours, beginning during the cocktail hour. In case of overtime, we have to pay P700 per hour and P50 per waiter. So if we have 10 waiters, we must pay them P500 for the extension of hours. In addition, you can also discuss their uniforms. If your male entourage will wear vests, make sure the waiters do not wear them so that the guests won't mistake your entourage for waiters. Hehe.

9. Other requests

If you have any additional notes/requests, make sure to discuss this with your caterer. I specifically told them how I want our VIPs and guests to be served, especially during cocktail hour. Remember to be as specific as possible. :)

After our detailing, I also made a powerpoint presentation on all the things we discussed and sent them to our caterer and coordinator for reference. It might seem too OC for others, but it's better to be OC than to be sorry. Haha!