Some Rantings...

Hay naku, I never expected na sa lahat ng magiging problem nmin, sa simbahan pa. Una pa lang, medyo toxic na ang dating ng secretary ng parish office. We were trying to reserve our date, lagi nya sinasabi its still too early, hello nothing is too early for a w@wie! So we tried to explain to her na every now and then, umaalis kami that’s why we wanted to have our date secured. It took us a couple of visits to their office before niya kame nilista and even when we had our pre-cana, she still continues to comment na ang aga daw ng wedding preps.

This is by far the extreme-- super delay sila sa approval ng misalette, tapos sila ang sobrang higpit sa mga pasahan ng requir I don’t know if I was expecting too much but considering the fact that I gave the copy to them last July 26, expected ko after a week or two ok na. We went back last August 16 to follow it up, di pa din na-check at sabi ng Parish Office secretary na natabunan daw kasi tapos biglang tinanong kanino daw namin iniwan, eh hello sa kanya kaya! This afternoon wedding coordinator volunteered to call them and do the follow up since our coordinator will do the misalette design for us. Aba, hello ganun din ang sabi sa kanya, di pa din daw na check kasi naiwan daw yun sa mesa at baka di napansin. Wala na bang mas logical excuse aside from that? Buti na lang at kakilala ko ang priest at pinahiram pa kami g sample misalette.
I just hope that parishes will know what their employees are doing as this reflects the efficiency of the entire parish office.
I hope they will understand the feelings of soon to wed couples who are trying their best to manage their schedules and juggle their time between work and wedding preparations. Can somebody try to put an end to this?

Our Wedding Reception Venue:

The Aguinaldo Hall of Island Cove Hotel & Leisure Park

TALES FROM OUR PRE CANA

Taken from our Pre Cana Seminar: July 26, 2008

I thought our day was doomed. Kasi medyo nagkatampuhan pa kami on the way to our pre cana. Kasi ayaw ko talaga ma-late sa kahit saan…early bird nga eh….hehe. Eh dahil nga we are supposed to get our pre cana next year pa kasi May 16 pa ang wedding naming pero dahil pinanganak talaga yata akong persistent, kaya napapayag ko din ang mga taga simbahan na ma-schedule kami, siyempre hiya ko na lang na after kaming pagbigyan eh late pa. So ayun, usapan naming7am ang alis namin, ayun medyo nagka hassle at nasundo niya ako ng 7:30 kahit na ang Pre cana ay 8am. Ayun paspas siya talagang mag-drive…natakot nga me kasi careful yun sa driving pero siguro na-pressure ko kaya ayun medyo careless.
Thank God naman at umabot kami at hindi lang yun, early birds kami. Pero at least while waiting napaliwanag ko sa mga taga parish office yung reasons why kami on the rush to fix the requirements and documents. Being a mentor is a vocation. It’s not the type of job that gives you the freedom to leave your work behind once you are home and my dedication to being a mentor is the primary reason why we wanted to arrange the requirements early. Imagine every month may activity in school, gawaan ng grades, meeting, field trip, sportsfest, speechfest, Christmas Party and JS prom etc.
Ok ang Pre Cana namin. It was very enlightening but it was fun. We were very comfortable all throughout the seminar even during the topics na medyo sensitive. We would like to thank the Couples of Christ speakers Bro. Sam, Bro. Boy and Bro. Mario who really took the time to share to us their experiences as married men. We thought boring ang Pre Cana kasi knowing na simbahan at akala naming sermon ang format. I had a friend kasi na nung nag pre-nup sila exam format pa, they were asked what is the definition of sacraments and what are the 7 sacraments. Pero super enjoy talaga. It made us realize about a lot of things in our relationship and what just happened that morning. Kaya yun, super sorry mode after that.
What hit me the most is the discussion that “Marriage is God’s Plan”…it’s true that there had been so many people whom we have met, so many trials that had come between us…but despite it all, we are still here. Being a mentor, it’s my nature to take down notes. Mas gusto ko kasi yung we have something to look afterwards and we can ponder over it again and again, and even share.

Inside our church venue: St. Michael the Archangel

THE WEDDING BUG BIT & STUNG ME

Ever since the question was popped, I have been stung hard by this wedding bug. I just can’t get enough of the planning the details for our Big Day. Every time I sit in front of my laptop, I just can’t keep myself from going through the details and planning. We’ve been to three bridal expos already: Celebrations (SMX), The Bridal Fair (World Trade) where I booked my supplier for wines and The Wedding Congress (Megamall).I am now eyeing the Themes and Motifs Wedding Expo 2008 at the PICC Forum to book the suppliers for our unity candles. Alonside those bridal fairs that we attended, I am maintaining two wedding websites- www.abygailandedison.ourweddingday.com and www.mywedding.com/edulovesaby. I have had two (2) W@W wedding primers with me (2006 & 2008), two (2) bridal magazines- Metro Weddings and Wedding Digest and numerous articles on tips about wedding planning and marriage and finally- I am a member of an e-Group which I will always be proud to be a member pre-wedding and post wedding…my W@WIE family.

READY…SET…GO!

Both of us considered our guest’s convenience when we were on the process of choosing our venue for both the reception and the church. I immediately discounted the idea of having a Manila wedding since Manila is too congested with numerous other weddings and receptions. We considered Cipriano’s Garden (PROBLEM: Nearest Church), Ysabel Garden (PROBLEM: Accomodations), Paradiso Terreste (which is the nearest of all), Island Cove Hotel & Leisure Park and Josephine’s Watercamp and Restaurant. Honestly, I was biased towards Island Cove Hotel since I had been personally to that place for a company seminar and I have nothings but the best recommendations for its amenities and services ( I even got myself a brochure for their wedding packages when I had a seminar…ESP stuff?). I talked to several friends who have held an event in Paradiso Terrestre and learned of several glitches. A lot of friends told me they have encountered frequent changing of package stipulations. After such, I decided that Paradiso was not among my option. We went Eds. She fell in love at Island Cove instantly to Island Cove and Josephine’s with my mom andand I felt that even though she agreed to visit Josephne’s, right there and then, she had made her choice. Ms. Sharon Dueñas of Island Cove was very courteous and accommodating especially during my numerous inquiries. We were able to block the date of May 16, 2009 one year before.If you think that’s where the problem stops, think again. Second in the list was the venue for the ceremony. Among our choices were St. Mary Magdalene which is a century old, red-bricked church in Kawit, Nature’s Church in Las Piñas (famous for its Anahaw ceiling), Our Lady of Lourdes in Covelandia Rd. with its open air altar and finally St. Michael the Archangel, an old red-bricked church built in 1752 and from where Padre Mariano Gomez (GOMBURZA) used to be a parish priest (that’s a plus point for historical value). We zeroed in for St. Michael the Archangel which we got for only Php3,500.00 inclusive of the use of red carpet, the choir, the electricity and the parish priest (who happens to be our former parish priest!) stipend. They have a credited flower shop for the flower arrangements which is just near the area so it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Thank You's

It took us eleven long years to make the decision and finally join our lives in matrimony; not because we were unsure of each other but because we wanted to build the foundation of our relationship sturdy and strong. The biggest blessing for us is that our life's journey has been blessed not just with our enduring love and commitment for each other but also with God's unending fondness and affection for us, and the loving support of our families and friends.

To all of you who shared in the triumphs of our individual lives and of our life together during the past 11 years, we now share with you the joy and anticipation as we count the day until in our union as man and wife..
-Edu & Aby

Into Digi-Scrapping

Some digi-scrapbook I made...

Digital Scrapbooking is everything that traditional paper scrapping is - photos, elements, papers, journaling - but instead of using paper and stickers and glue, everything you place on a "page" is in digital format. You create the layout on your computer with software that allows you to work with digital elements, papers and your photos.If you are new to digital scrapbooking, prepare to be amazed at what is out there for you to use for a digital layout.

If you use it in the paper world, there is a very good chance that it has been re-created for digital.

A Taste of Happiness

As soon as I was asked the question, thoughts and details of intricate planning started to stream down my mind. I kept it to myself for almost two weeks before telling my brother about it. Our respective families were just as excited as we are (both being the first apo and the first born) when we broke the news to them. We are both so thankful for having such wonderful families who had, ever since, shown their support for the two of us.And so just as expected, the planning and the anticipation began. We talked to my parents last Mother’s Day, his parents were both based in Abu Dhabi that’s why they just made a phone call and talked to my mom and dad. Eds and I have been together for 11 years now, so both families are well acquainted with one another.We originally planned for May 2 of 2009 but then again after looking through a lot of auspicious dates for marriage via the internet, we found May 2 to be unfavorable and opted for May 16 instead. For the reception, it took us quite some time to make up our mind since it needs to be near to where we wanted the ceremony to be. We wanted to have a garden wedding but my friend (a seminarian at that) told me that the archdiocese of Cavite n longer allows garden weddings for Catholics, we just chose to have a Church wedding.

All About Weddings

This are my bridal gown designs. My inspirations: David's Bridal, Eden's bridal (both are online shops) , designed by Ms. Mia Barlaan.