Pre-nup / Engagement shoot

I have been praying for days that August 21 will be bright and sunny. I no longer contacted our backup indoor venue because I was feeling confident that it will not rain on our prenup shoot. There were rain showers and drizzles for the past few days but this morning, it was raining steadily. Me, my sister and my Dad left home past 6am to go to Ortigas and have my make-up and hair done. We will also be bringing my make-up artist and hair stylist to the photo shoot. Our agreement is for me to have 3 different make-up and hairstyle look that will complement my wardrobe. Since Val Villarin is not available today, I got Cel Sabile and Marvin as my prenup HMUA. I met Cel once at a bridal fair last year and I really liked her personality. We got along well from the very beginning. She's very prompt whenever I have queries and she also served as my events stylist.

We left Ortigas around 8:30am and arrived at UST past 9am. Richard and Bogs were already there. After my re-touch and change of attire, we proceeded with the photo shoot. It was raining on our way to UST and even during the re-touch but the rain stopped when Bogs started taking pictures. Thank you Lord! :-)

We had 3 changes of clothes - rustic/english countryside look (aka haciendero/haciendera), vintage (aka the godfather), and casual (ala PBB teens hehe). I could never have asked for a better team. Cel and Marvin devoted all attention to me, making sure I looked my best and really look the part. Bogs patiently gave us instructions on how to pose and basically directed the whole photo shoot. He showed us the pictures while we were having lunch. Boy he's really amazing! He really knows how to take good pictures. We were impressed with the infrared shots. Unlike other photographers, Bogs gave us the raw pictures to take home and he'll just provide us the edited versions before the wedding. The pictures looked fantastic that it doesn't need editing anymore.

I would also like to thank my sister who I insisted that she tag along. She was there to help me change into my clothes, pick up stuffs from the car, buy food/drinks for the suppliers and help take behind the scenes pictures. I wouldn't know what to do without her :-) And for Richard who gave his all when it comes to posing and acting in front of the camera. He's the comic/wacky one. He keeps on telling me to loosen up and just relax :-)

All in all, it was a really fun and successful e-session!

Meeting with Fr. Allen De Guzman

We are scheduled to meet with Fr. Allen at 9am today in Caleruega. Since we arrived early, we decided to check the rooms available for our guests. I wanted to look at the twin-sharing room again to see if it can serve as my "bridal suite". There was another group of people who are planning to have their seminar on the same day as my wedding and they have already booked most of the rooms. Good thing, they did not reserve 2 family rooms and 3 twin-sharing rooms. I made reservations so they can block the available rooms for me and Richard.

All along, I thought it was a personal encounter with Fr. Allen. There were 3 other couples also scheduled to meet with him at the same time. The seminar started around 10am and ended past 12 noon. Fr. Allen walked us through the nuptial mass, wedding rites, do's and don'ts etc. It was a really informative seminar. He gave us tips on how to make our wedding day a solemn and memorable one. He also had us rehearsed the wedding vows. Now I understand why Fr. Allen is such a big hit and why he's the number 1 choice as officiating priest. For a priest, he's really really funny and loves to laugh and crack jokes alongside inspiring stories. Me and Richard never stifled a yawn while he was talking and that says a lot. He got everyone's attention for the very beginning. I am so excited to hear his homily on our wedding day. I just know that all our guests are going to love him! :-)

Trip to Taal Batangas

My bestfriend asked me to accompany her to Taal to check out her gown. It was a long drive going there and weather hasn't changed for the past 3-4 weeks (translation: still raining). We arrived there after lunch time and saw her gown displayed on the mannequin. It was really beautiful! The gown had intricate designs and was embellished in the right places, not overly done. Color and length was just right. Since it's almost finished, my bestfriend did not try on the gown anymore.

After the discussion with Ate Rose, Madel and Miko showed me around the area. It was almost like the mecca for wedding gowns! There are so many stores to choose from. I even bought a gold arrhae case/holder for the unity coins. The gold coins I bought from Tito Boy. The coin holder is similar to the picture shown below (bell-shaped).

Fr. Allen De Guzman

Great news from Caleruega! They just confirmed that Fr. Allen De Guzman will be our officiating priest! I've read soo many good reviews on Fr. Allen. I heard he can make it appear to everyone that he has known the couple for a long time. He's good when it comes to personalizing the homily and not boring the guests. Yay! :-)

Pre-nup HMUA: Cel Sabile

Our engagement session was re-scheduled on August 21. Unfortunately, Mama Val Villarin is no longer available on this date. I had to get another HMUA just for the prenup. I contacted Cel Sabile and Irene Manigo and decided to go with Cel because she's willing to come with us on the actual day and even act as our stylist. She'll also help me conceptualize the theme/mood for the shoot.

All set now for the prenup session. Praying for good weather on that day :-)

QP Designs

We're less than 3 months away from the big day and we need to finalize the invitations. I went to QP Designs at Parksquare after work to confirm design and layout. I was told to email the details the following day and expect to receive the initial draft the following week.

Sent: DIY Will You Be Cards

Even though we've already informed our families/relatives that they'll be part of the entourage, I still created Will You Be Cards for formality :-) Also, I created WYB cards just so I could say that I have one hehe.