Six Months To Go!

And now we're down to our last six months! I can't believe that we're finally nearing the finish line, after almost two years of preparations. Nakakaexcite at nakakapressure na!

We're slowly getting back on track with our preps after being so relaxed about it for the past months. We haven't booked any new suppliers yet, although we made several changes on our lineup. Blame this on my being fickle-minded. Haha

• Church: Christ the King Church
• Reception Venue: Christ the King Parish Hall
• Photographer: Osep&Mimi
• Videographer: Aisle 1401
• OTD Coordinator: Events by Thoffy Consulta (formerly The One Exclusive)
• Caterer: Purpledish Catering
• Bridal Gown: Gretchen Pichay
• Mothers' Gowns: Paolo Blanco (to book for FMIL's gown)
• Groom's Suit: Emil Ocampo
• Wedding Shoes: Roweliza Shoes
• Bridal HMUA: Style Me Beautiful by Berny Tia
• Ento HMUA: Jen Gumban of Elitista Basement
• Florist: Cheri Handicrafts
• Wedding Rings: Suarez Wedding Rings
• Wedding Cake: Hearts and Bells Cake Artistry
• Photobooth: Clip Photobooth
• Lights and Sounds: Rejectkrew
• Musicians (Church and Reception): Composed Band
• Mobile Bar: GQ Mobile Bar
• Candy Buffet: Gracious Favors
• Prenup Stylist: Aira Franco
• Postnup Photographer: Manny and April Photography

Not only that, we were also able to do another freenup with Chasing Tales Photography, as well as shoot our prenup video with Aisle 1401. Plus, we also booked tickets to Kota Kinabalu for our honeymoon. Whee!

We still need to book some suppliers though:

• Fathers' Suit: We plan to rent made-to-order suits from Gardini for my and Mox's fathers.
• Flower Girls' Gowns: We might book Gina Bruce of Marikina Market Mall for the girls' gowns.
• Hotel for Preps: We have to visit the hotels first, but we're eyeing Astoria Plaza for our hotel.
• LCD Projector and Screen: Thoffy suggested a supplier for this, although I forgot his name. I'll just ask him about this again.

Right now, we are currently preparing for our prenup shoot with Osep&Mimi next month. We already had our pre-production meeting with Aira Franco, our prenup stylist, and conducted an ocular visit to Wawa Dam. We still have to shop for the required clothes for the shoot, but at least we already completed at least two looks in the lookboard that Aira sent.

After the prenup shoot, Mox will continue to do the layout for our invites. We plan to print and assemble the invites ourselves so we definitely need to finish the layout by November so we wouldn't be too pressed for time in case we need to make some changes to the invites.

And since we have six months left before our wedding, we can now get some of the required church documents. Most of these documents have a 120-day validity period, but there are others that can be ordered within six months before the wedding. These include:

• CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage)
• Baptismal Certificate (with annotation "for Marriage Purposes")
• Confirmation Certificate (with annotation "for Marriage Purposes")

Some say that other churches require the baptismal and confirmation certificates to be given three months before the wedding, so I suggest to check with your respective church if this is the case. For Christ the King, they allow the certificates to be ordered six months before the wedding, so that means I can get ours already. At least I can cross that off our list as early as now. Yey!

Anyway, I'll update you about our progress in the next coming days. Happy preps!

Shooting Our Own Mini-Movie

Sorry for not updating this blog as regularly as I would like to. It's now six months before our wedding, and we are now getting busier than ever!

The first on our list was our prenup video shoot with Aisle 1401. We scheduled our shoot last October 23, which was also our third anniversary as a couple. We are already familiar with prenup photo shoots, but shooting for our video was a whole different experience and I really didn't know what to expect. I am not that comfortable seeing myself on the screen, so I was worried that I would be awkward in front of the camera.

But luckily the shoot was a success! Despite being tired from all the acting and wardrobe changes, we really had fun, mostly because of our very supportive suppliers. :)

VIDEOGRAPHER: Aisle 1401
Peso Power: Included in our video package
Contact Details: aisle1401@gmail.com
Rating: 4 out of 5

We first met Anna and John during the pre-prod meeting, but we haven't met the other duo of Aisle 1401, Miko and Drei, until our prenup shoot itself. I thought it would be awkward at first to be acting in front of strangers, but luckily, Miko and Drei made us feel at ease immediately. Bonding agad sila ni Mox sa NBA and Clash of Clans! Haha!

They want our shoot to be true to our story as much as possible, but I also like how they were able to play around and improvise to make the video better. Of course, they still asked for our permission to make these changes, which showed that they value their client's opinion. They also directed us how we should act during each scenes, and in case we made a mistake, they would not hesitate to re-shoot again until we would finally get the scene right. Talk about dedication to their craft!

I only gave them a 4 because I haven't seen our finished video yet, but knowing them, I'm sure it would be great! I can't wait! :)

HMUA: Tippy Destacamento
Peso Power: P4,000 for on-site airbrush makeup and retouches
Contact Details: 0917-6630121
Rating: 5 out of 5

Tippy may not be my HMUA for my wedding, but I am happy that I was at least able to his magic hands! I love how he exactly knew what kind of color would look best on my face. He suggested to use fuchsia for my lips, which I thought would look baduy at first, but it actually made me look fresh and modern. Ang ganda ko lang. Haha!

And his makeup lasted for a long time! Imagine, our shoot lasted for the whole day, but I only had my makeup retouched at least three times only. Even Tippy said that he is not used to being at the prenup shoot itself because his makeup stays on practically forever! Parang tuloy nanghinayang ako sa P4,000 na binayad ko. Sana pala yung P2,500 na lang. Haha!

And it's definitely true what his brides say, you will definitely find a friend in him. I haven't met him personally before our shoot, but as soon as I entered his house for our makeup session, it's as if we have been friends for a long time! There was no awkward moment between us. Chikahan to the max talaga! And since he's friends with Anna and the rest of the Aisle 1401 guys, everyone was happy during that day.

VENUE: East Ortigas Mansions
Peso Power: Free
Rating: 5 out of 5

This is where Mox lives, so it was a breeze getting a permit to shoot our prenup there. There were also a lot of places where we could shoot our scenes. And best thing of all, the venue is free! :)

But before I end this blog post, here's another supplier that I want to thank for that day.

ANNIVERSARY CAKE: Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko
Peso Power: P1,500 for eight-inch fondant cake
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Since this was our last anniversary as boyfriend/girlfriend, I decided to order a cake from Chef Kiko to celebrate. Transaction with him was a breeze! I just sent my peg and some instructions, and he assured me that he would have it ready for pickup first thing in the morning! And when I saw the cake that he made for us, I felt giddy inside! It was exactly what I wanted. He was able to capture the details of the cake perfectly.

Ang cute diba?! Our cake was made of dark chocolate and you would definitely get a mouthful of chocolate at every bite. The -0.5 was because I thought the cake was too sweet though. Nevertheless, I love it! Thanks Chef! :)

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. :)

Pre-Prod Meeting with Aira Franco

Last Monday, I took a half-day leave from work to meet with Aira Franco, our prenup stylist. Our prenup is drawing near so we had to finalize our concept and think of possible outfits for our theme. I didn't have any concrete concept in mind, so I really needed Aira's help to think of something that suits our chosen venue.

It will be Aira's first time to shoot in Wawa Dam, so she's very excited about it. She kept on asking us specific questions like whether the venue has proper changing rooms or if there are other notable places in the area where we could shoot. This is so she can already envision the layouts that she would do in each spot.

Luckily I still had the pictures that I took of Wawa Dam, and as soon as she saw the big rock formations, she immediately thought of a concept that is unlike her usual bohemian layouts. And no, it's also not her "diwata/diyosa" looks either. It's something different, which is why both she and I are very excited to do the shoot. She's so excited that she sent our lookboards the same night after our meeting! Ang bilis lang! Haha!

I won't share the lookboards here yet because I want to keep an element of surprise for our prenup shoot, but here's a sneak peek of a peg that she has shown me. This may give you an idea on the overall feel of our shoot.

Can you guess our theme now? Haha! Sorry, that's the only clue that I can give you for now.

Despite the added expense, I'm really glad that we booked Aira for our prenup. She was able to think of a concept that is unique, but it also catches the overall vibe that I wanted our prenup shoot to have. While the outfits that Aira chose are not the usual outfits that  Mox and I wear every day, they still showcase our personalities somehow.  Plus, I just love how hot Mox would look in his clothes! Haha!

Now, time to go shopping! :)

Prenup Venue Ocular: Wawa Dam

Our prenup with our official photographer is scheduled for November and as early as now, we wanted to prepare for it. And so our search for the perfect prenup venue begins.

At first I wanted a beach prenup since it complements our wedding theme, but due to budget constraints, we had to scrap that plan. However, I still wanted to do something outdoorsy for our prenup shoot. I really couldn't let go of the idea of having our prenup shoot in a place where there are big rocks and water. Sort of like a river fairy of some sorts. Haha.

And so I tried to find a venue that is a). near the city to avoid out-of-town charges; b). has no/minimal entrance fees; and c). has big rock formations, and a river if possible. I thought that a venue with these criteria would be impossible to find, but a bride in GirlTalk recommended Wawa Dam in Montalban, Rizal.

I searched some pictures of Wawa Dam and I fell in love with the place instantly! And so, Mox and I went to Wawa Dam yesterday to inquire how to get a permit for the prenup and also to see if the place is really as beautiful as it is in the photos.

Guess what? It's even better in person! I especially love the big rock formations and the flowing river; it's exactly how I pictured my perfect prenup venue to be. We could even rent a raft at the upper lake, which would give us another great angle for pictures. :)

I also liked how nice the locals are. We were about to park in one area of the dam, which has a parking fee of around P100! I know, expensive right? But then, one of the officials in the barangay hall talked to the "parking attendant" and allowed us to move our car to the front of the barangay hall, which is free of charge. That same official even accompanied us to the tourism office to inquire on how to get a permit and toured us around the dams so we can take note of the possible locations where we can have our pictures taken. Ang bait noh?

Now how to get a permit to shoot in Wawa Dam? From our conversation with the tourism officer, we can pay P500 for the permit immediately in their office if the pictorial is set on the day. However, since we still have over a month to prepare for our shoot, the office advised us to coordinate with the main municipal office in town so that we would at least negotiate for a discount. We could even shoot there for free, depending on our negotiations.

But I am still confused on the exact process on how to get a permit. You see, Wawa Dam has a tourism office and a barangay hall in its vicinity, and both offices have different permit fees. The barangay hall charges P500 for the prenup fee, while the tourism office charges P800. Ang labo diba? I'll probably just go to the main municipal office to see whether or not I could get a permit from there.

Tomorrow, I will meet with Aira Franco, our stylist, to discuss our possible looks for our prenup. Our prenup preparations are now in full swing! :)