Yet Another Countdown

Flying back home in two weeks. And these are the reasons why I'm so excited:

Warm Wishes from Colleagues

That amazing feeling when your colleagues send their warm wishes and offer you a token as soon as you report back to work from your honeymoon.

Bride and Groom stoppers, which came with white flowers and red wine from my colleagues in Singapore

10 Things To Do After "I Do"

The stress of planning a wedding is finally over. No more enquiries and urgent calls from suppliers, no more friends or relatives asking for details. It's just you and the new spouse. Oh, how glorious!

My Perfect Heels

The initial intro to this blog was all about searching for the perfect wedding heels. The pair I had in mind was red so I searched for months in Singapore and visited every boutique I could think of.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

A priceless moment

A picture is worth a thousand words. And it serves as a priceless reminder of memories gone by. This picture is captured by my cousin while hubby and I were posing in front of our photo booth at the reception. I was playing with my iPhone yesterday and downloaded an app that, like Instagram, has several filters. So this is the finished product.

"Us"

A collection of pictures I made into a presentation, showed during the reception. For a couple of hours, just literally hours before our wedding, I rushed this so we have a video capturing "us" when we were still dating.

One Month Since I Walked Down The Aisle

It's been a month since I walked down the aisle to this song, to my nervous groom. This is the perfect song as it summarises how I feel about him. 

Here's to Our First Month!

It's been a month since we exchanged "I Do's" and I've nothing but love. Love for my wonderful husband.

Yes, I'm Now A Missus!

It's been exactly 11 days since I got hitched. And I have a gazillion of stories to share. Problem is, I don't know where to start.

Prenup Shoot: Raymond Fortun Photography at Heirloom Manila

The recent weekend was packed. I flew to Manila to do a final fitting, meet with my coordinator, emcee and choir, and then fitting again for my best friend's wedding in December. The following day was spent for final food tasting and detailing with our caterer and the next day, a prenup shoot with one of our favourite suppliers: Raymond Fortun Photography.

I initially saw Atty RF's portfolio from a friend's Facebook page some years back and I was impressed. My fiance and I told ourselves we'd get him on our wedding. True enough, he was the first member of our dream team that we booked in a heartbeat.

The man we met at Heirloom Manila was not a high-powered lawyer in coat and tie with briefcase, but a cool wedding photographer in casual get-up and rubber shoes. He makes funny faces and imitates the Smurf, and is armed with two cameras. Don't ask me about the camera models. They just look high-tech to me.

Yep, it's Atty RF the photographer. Who would've thought that this funny man, the one who's covering our wedding, is one of the country's most sought after lawyers? When we met for the first time, we shook hands and he briefed us on some basic rules about prenup photo sessions. He shared a few tricks about looking slim and natural on cam. How groovy is that? The next few minutes just breezed through. It wasn't difficult posing for him and Zye de Guzman, one of his talented photographers. We felt right at ease.

We shot in this highly creative and "artsy" residence in Quezon City, owned by the renowed Engr Alex Juco and his wife, Paz. The house is filled with lots of memories from yesteryears with trinkets belonging to family members and kids. Mr Juco gladly gave me a tour while waiting for Atty RF and I was amazed by how well kept and creative he has turned the place into. It's like a museum. I love the place. It has so many corners that are picture perfect. The house is like a huge treasure chest!

These are some of the pictures I grabbed from Atty's Facebook page - straight from the camera, no Photoshop or any editing, for that matter. He will be preparing our prenup AVP and will be covering our wedding.

Office attire for me, chef's uniform for him

Sweet moments in the gorgeous living room

Elegant vintage

Supplier Ratings: 

Raymond Fortun Photography - ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (5/5)

The Heirloom Manila - ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (4/5)

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Raymond Fortun Photography
Official site

raymond42n@mac.com

Heirloom Manila
Quezon City, Philippines
Official site
theheirloomphilippines@gmail.com

10 Things to Really Do Before "I Do"

In my previous entry, "10 Things to Do Before 'I Do'", I enumerated 10 things I'd like to do before getting hitched. Now, I came up with another 10 must-do things before I tie the knot next month.

It's more of a realistic, attainable list that I know I must do and shouldn't get out of.

1) Make more room in my closet.
I have started cleaning out my closet, disposing of clothes, magazines and what-not, to make way for his stuff. I have way too many stuff that I had forgotten I have them. Finally letting go of those knick knacks I've had all these years. Yes, I have accumulated stuff I don't need over the years and most of them still look new. They're all in my drawers and closet.

2) Laptop spring cleaning.
I've been meaning to organise my files here in my laptop for as long as I could remember. Yes, I should do that. I need to separate my work files from my personal ones. Until now, last year's travel photos (Europe, Bali, Boracay, Manila) are still in this SD card, and this year's (Europe, Manila, Baguio) are in another. I know, I know. I should back them up. I should also clean up my external drive and save my valuable photos in my external drive.

In need of cleaning

3) Eat healthy.
I know I should avoid sodas, sweets, fastfood, chips and chocolates as well as anything fried but so far, I am successful at only one thing: chocolates. I don't indulge everyday but I promised myself I'd go easy on the unhealthy stuff before the wedding. Okay, I will try harder.

NO to unhealthy food
Image courtesy of Core & More Health & Fitness

4) Stick to my workout regimen.
I follow a strict workout calendar that consists of intense cardio with yoga. Thing is, when I feel so sore the following day, I tend to miss an exercise and try to make it up the next day. I'm a bit behind the calendar. I should motivate myself more not only during weekends if I want to rock that wedding gown.

5) Luxuriate in a facial mask.
The plan is to luxuriate in a facial mask 21 days before the big day. I plan to purchase SK II's facial treatment mask and put one on before bed. It's supposed to clear the skin and give that lustrous bridal glow. Good luck to my pocket. Each mask costs about SG$22.00!

Facial treatment mask for a radiant bride

6) Update my travel blog.
There's so much to say about the places I've been to over the years. I plan to document my adventures so that, whenever I feel like going back in time, I'd re-visit this blog and feel blessed.

Paris, je t'aime

7) Bond with my besties.
They say your life changes when you get married. Although I know that going out with friends is not going to be an issue when I get married, I'm certain that priorities will change. I would like to be able to enjoy my last few days as a single gal with my single friends.

8) Update my Starbucks journal.
I still keep a journal. That's the reason why I collect Starbuck's yearly journals. Thing is, I'd have entries for a few days and nada in the next couple of months. The pages are clean and are in dire need of entries. Let me do that soon.

Image courtesy of Cosmo PH

9) Meet with all my wedding suppliers.
This is top priority when I fly back home in the next few weeks. We've got to plan, plan and plan! Have to go through the details of the wedding, otherwise, I'd never be able to relax in the coming weeks.

10) Pamper myself.
I owe it to myself for working hard and stressing about the wedding. It's going to be a lot of fun, I know, but in the meantime, I'm going to have some quality "me time" and pamper myself.

Spa
Image courtesy of Sabi Sabi

***

For my previous entry, visit "10 Things to Do Before 'I Do'".

Wedding Favours: Sophie's Mom

This cute, little bakeshop along San Antonio Village in Makati City, called Sophie's Mom, makes one of the best red velvet cupcakes I have ever tasted.

Save the Date Cards: Vistaprint

Started sending out our "Save the Date" cards to our sponsors and family members. Ordered the cards online and I'm quite happy with the quality. I didn't like the plain white envelopes so I went to the bookstore last night to purchase maroon ones.

The Couturier: Tina Basa-Reyes Gown Salon

I feel productive today. A couple of days back, I sent out a "Notice for Fitting" to MY dream team on Facebook. Nope, they aren't suppliers. These are the ladies of my entourage, the women I can't live without. They are the members of my dream team.

Gifts for Our VIPs: The Russian Cookie House

As an overseas bride, I spend hours on the net, researching on what's new and what's available in town. That includes gifts for the VIPs - the parents, sponsors and the bridal party.

The Venue: The Pergola

My fiance found The Pergola one day as he was passing by the area. He suggested it to me and I quickly looked it up on the Internet. And I liked it!

My Online BFFs

There are so many online resources out there that a bride can turn to when doing initial research. We basically scour the net for worthy information like suppliers, schedules, list of requirements and wedding inspirations. 

The Church: Santuario de San Antonio

Santuario de San Antonio Parish (Makati City)
Photo courtesy of the church

When we first planned our wedding (which was supposed to happen in 2011), we chose Christ the King in Green Meadows and the reception to be in Sitio Elena, a venue with a garden ambience. We visited the place during one of my many trips to Manila but, in the end, things got a bit sidetracked.

Realisations of a Bride-to-Be

When my fiance and I finally agreed on the date of the wedding, I was making mental countdowns almost every other day and imagining what the Big Day would be like. Yes, I was researching on churches, venues and suppliers but didn't really feel the "pressure" until we started settling down payments and reservation fees. Told myself, "This is it! It's really happening!"

Wedding FAQs

I just started this blog today and I thought I'd come up with 10 frequently asked questions about my wedding. So, here goes:


1. When is the big day?
My wedding is going to be on 28 September 2012.


2. Will you be getting married in Singapore?
We are considering getting solemnised in Singapore but the wedding ceremony is in Manila, Philippines, so our loved ones will witness our union.


3. Why did you start this blog barely five months to your big day?
This isn't the first wedding blog that I started. There's one for our supposed wedding in 2011 but things got a bit sidetracked so, obviously, that 2011 wedding didn't happen. This year, it's the real thing. I made this blog to chronicle my journey as a bride-to-be and as an "online love letter" for my husband-to-be.


4. What have you confirmed so far?
We have already confirmed the church, reception, caterer, photographer, the number of guests, principal sponsors, some members of the entourage and the florist for my wedding bouquet, the bridal party and for the bridal car as well as my wedding couturier.

I'll blog about these suppliers soon.


5. When did you start planning for the wedding?
We've been talking about it since we got engaged (again) last year but it's only in February this year when we started nailing down details and contacting suppliers.


6. Where will you settle after the wedding?
We are planning to start a new life as Mr and Mrs in Singapore.


7. Have you started an exercise regimen to tone up before the wedding?
Yes, sort of. I do yoga from time to time and workout but not on a regular basis. It's time to drag my lazy ass and really stick to it. I do a lot of cardio, too!


8. Have you set a budget for your wedding?
Yes. Since my fiance and I are paying for the wedding, we have set a budget and we intend to stick to it. We have no plans of going overboard. 


9. How many guests are you inviting?
We agreed to have 100 guests, which will consist of family, relatives and really close friends. In short, these are people that we can't live without.


10. What's on your wishlist?
Honeymoon destinations: 
* Siem Reap in Cambodia to see the world-famous Angkor Wat
* Pearl Farm in Davao for ultimate relaxation and pampering
* Macau, China (although I'm not so hot about this place)
* Halong Bay in Vietnam (but the five-hour travel by land from Hanoi makes me think twice about this destination)

We were enjoying the Manila Bay sunset (April 2012)