We set this up the night before.

with the boys at the 4th floor office loft...

with the tiny house as the backdrop...

I knew from the start I wanted a nice house to be my prep venue. I don't want to do it in a hotel since it will just be me for make-up (the girls did their own), and I wanted to have a great backdrop. I asked  if I could use my uncle's house for prep and they generously obliged. So thrilled since they have a big beautiful house with a nice garden area. 

My girls...

I just realized that I haven't touched this blog in 6 weeks. Life does get in the way sometime, but I mean that in a good way. I was thinking on what to post next, about the Tiny house? About the wedding prep? But I do not have a lot of photos to back-up my stories yet. So I'm just dropping in to give some updates...

The Tiny House is receiving a lot of guests. We've hosted my college and high school friends, my siblings, Bf's friends... Just a couple of nights ago, 16 people were here. I feel such fulfilment knowing that we have a place that's ours, a place where we can have people over, and a place where we can just be ourselves and relax. Before you jump into wild conclusions on how we're done with the space, no we're not. Yes we can accommodate people, but we're faaaar from being done. We just want to use it and enjoy it now, and slowly finish the space. Creating a home takes time. I have so much to share about our progress over here, I'll be back in regular programming after this life-altering event takes place.

Speaking of, as for the wedding preps, did you know that in two weeks it will be the big day? Where did the four months prep went? I didn't notice. I feel like that I'm forgetting something, and that I'll be forgetting something really important. Is this normal?? Haha... We've booked all suppliers, and we're just finishing up some DIYs and other minor things. I'll be sharing all the details once we've got the official photos. But for now, OHMYGAWD I'm getting married. HAHA... Oh and from my last post, a lot of changes took place. Instead of having the ceremony and reception in a different area, we'll be having them in the same room. So our suppliers gotta be good and fast in flipping the space. And as far as my dress, instead of having one made, I bought one. Still not expensive, but I sooo love it. :) The Bf has no idea on what my dress is, he wanted it to be a surprise. So even though I think I've got a thousand of photos of the dress (yes, I'm obsessed), I won't be sharing it until everything's said and done. 

I know, such a tease. Sorry. I'm just hoping and praying that we have a good weather, all our suppliers shows up and deliver, and that it will just be happy day for both of us. I'm not expecting perfect, happy is more than fine for me. :)

While driving home a few minutes ago from the seamstress who'll make me my wedding outfit, I thought I should write a post about all this wedding stuff. So here I am in front of my laptop thinking of what to share. Haha.. I have a lot of thoughts and I'm not sure how to put it into words.

Here we go...

I'm not the typical girl who wants a grand fairytale wedding. I wanted everything to be simple, intimate, and heartfelt. I don't want a ball gown or big long trains, I wanted a flowy simple lacey bohemian separates. I don't want a veil, I wanted a small pretty floral crown. I don't want a strictly formal event, I wanted the guests to be comfortable, but of course still look nice and polished. I don't want the grand crystals and white ceiling drapes with all the purple / blue / pink mood lighting, I wanted the place to just feel cozy and festive with buntings and fabric patterns. I don't want to spend all our remaining savings on the wedding (we did just built a house and a bought a car), I wanted to spend just the reasonable amount without sacrificing the mood and the food. :) Simply put, I'm not the typical bride. Though I'm not sure what typical is, but from most people I know, I'm not taking the typical route for all this wedding plans.

DATE

People were surprised to learn of our 4-month prep period since most of them prepared for one year or more. I, on the other hand, I don't want to have a long engagement, I don't want the stress and anticipation prolonged, I wanted to be done with it asap. One even asked me if I am pregnant.. HAHA... (I'm not). We just wanted the date to be on our 11th year anniversary. So I think the proposal just came in on the perfect time giving us some time to do prep without having the long engagement.

VENUE

To be honest, I've been googling venues even before the proposal. (I'm not the only girl who did this right?!?! HAHA) In my defense, we've been together for 10 years, and I don't want to be caught off-guard just in case. Hehe.. But we didn't end up with any venues we had researched. We'll be doing the ceremony and reception in one venue so I want to take that into consideration. We don't want to spend so much on a place, so it basically cuts our options more than half. I don't want a grand ballroom, or too formal looking space, I just wanted a neutral space we can easily dress up.

I've called a few venues and most are still available. There is one venue that I thought we'll be having our wedding in, Industriya. It's a resto in Marikina with a separate events venue and I fell in love with the space when I saw the photos, and loved it more when we went there. As a decorator, I'm particular with the look of the space and this venue looks great. BUT, a big BUT. They don't have a proper events personnel, they never call back when they say they will, everything has corkage, even basic L/S. But since I'm blinded with the look of the space, I'm still set on getting them. I searched and searched for reviews, there's a few not so nice one but I'm willing to disregard that. Then, I happen to chance upon photos of a wedding reception held there, and found the instagram account of the bride herself, and as pathetic as it may sound, I left a comment asking for her feedback. And she was so kind to reply in detail. She does not recommend them, I'll just leave it at that. As much as I love love the venue, I don't want to be stressed so I decided to just let it go. More than a month passed and they still hasn't called back. To think I'm already pencil-booked..Haha... But to be fair, they are just new (less than a year), so hopefully they can improve their service so people can truly enjoy and appreciate the beautiful space they created.

Back to the drawing board. The sister of the bf has a close friend who owns a catering business (Royalty Catering). She's the one who catered to all birthday celebrations of bf's niece and nephews, and we love the food! We wanted to get them since I know that they'll be more hands-on since we know them personally, and the food is great! But since some venues have accredited caterers, we didn't booked them right away. After letting go of Industriya, I wanted to find a venue that's open to any suppliers, doesn't have corkage on everything, and doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

I thought of village clubhouses --they fit our requirements. I'm only hesitant at first because well... children's party. That's the first thing I think off when you say clubhouse venue. Then I realized, I don't care. Haha.. We're not really big on being concern or affected on what everyone will think of or say. If it's a nice place then I'll get it. Our first option is the greenmeadows clubhouse, it's huge and super nice! (They also don't require sponsorship) Unfortunately, they are already booked on our date. After a lengthy group chat with my friends, one of whom does events styling, I came up to the conclusion that Ayala Hillside Social Hall fits the bill. My friend said that it suits our personality, and theme well. I didn't consider this venue at first because a friend used to live there, and my aunt and her family are currently living there. I feel like I'll be having a wedding at their backyard. Haha.. But it turns out, it's more of a blessing since I got the homeowner's rate since she booked the place for us. :) So, it's settled, we're having our wedding at Ayala Hillside Estate Social Hall. 

This is the main hall where the reception will be held.

ENTOURAGE

We're having 5 pairs. One maid of honor / best man, and 4 bridesmaids / groomsmen. That's it. At first I wanted to have only 3 pairs, but the bf insisted on having more since he has a lot of very close friends. So we compromised at 5. We'll not be having the veils, candles, cord, nor are we having Ninongs or Ninangs. Everyone was shocked about the Ninong/ Ninang thing because its the norm, and as some may say, sayang ang gift. Hehe..But both of us agreed that this is the most comfortable set-up for us. 

FEMALE ENTOURAGE ATTIRE

At first I just wanted a long chiffon skirt in different colors, but I was shopping the other day and found mid-length floral skirts (different color for each). We'll have them wear those and any ivory top. Relaxed and simple. Something like these.

BF'S / MALE ENTOURAGE ATTIRE

We already bought the bf's ensemble at a store that will never be named. Haha.. It's not the typical store you'll buy a wedding attire, but I love the look on him. I'm still not sure about the boys' attire since it's the bf's assignment, we'll probably have them wear khaki or dark jeans, long sleeves and vest. Here's the inspiration for their look.

MY ATTIRE

I knew from the start that I don't want to spend a ton for something I'll wear once. I even told my friends that 5k (Php) is my max budget. haha..The original plan was to have Yaya Tas, our yaya for 30 years, driver, cook, mananahi all in one, do it. She's a great mananahi and I know that with a little guidance, she can achieve the look I wanted, which is just simple. She already retired, but came back for a visit. But, as all the floods our house experienced, one of the casualties is our sewing machine. It will be much more expensive and more hassle to have it fixed for something so simple and something I'll only use for one time. So, as much as I love for Yaya Tas to sew my outfit, I decided to just have a seamstress do it. I bought fabrics from Tutuban, and brought them to Kamuning earlier. I can't comment on the quality or outcome until next week when I get it. If it turns out great, my total cost would be P3290. Fabric and labor included. :) The bf wanted to spend more on my attire, but I insisted otherwise. My cousin even commented on why am I so practical, how will she raise her future child to be like me?? Haha.. I really don't know why. I know that getting married is once in a lifetime experience, and a lot of people spends on their gown to be their most beautiful, I get that. It's not just who I am. I'll rather buy a fridge, or a nice upholstered bed that I get to enjoy for years to come. And besides, sa nagdadala lang yan. HAHA

As for the look of the outfit itself, I just wanted to have separates so I can still use them both in the future. I don't want to waste closet space. HAHA... I wanted something lacey and bohemian. I won't share the actual design I had made here not to take the risk of the bf seeing it, but here are some of my pegs and inspiration. It will be a little dressier than this, but that's the feel and look i wanted to achieve, including the messy waves. 

OTHER SUPPLIERS

I was once so immersed in reading forums a couple of weeks ago looking for recommended suppliers. I'm not overly obsessed but I wanted to hear what other people had experienced. But I usually just have one or two shortlist and easily decides on which so I can finalized on booking them.

HMU

For hair and make-up, I chose Berny Tia since she does the fresh no make-up look. I just wanted to look fresh and an improved version of myself, nothing like extreme makeover version. Haha.. Emailed a couple of people short-listed, but I find her to have the friendliest response. As for the reviews, they said she's super easy to deal with so I'm sold.

EMCEE / L/S

We got Joy Catubig as host because of all the good reviews on the forum I read. There are others with great reviews as well but we chose her because she seems fun and kalog. We're not keen on having a super formal event, so we wanted someone who could keep the guests entertained. The bf though doesn't want someone too funny ala comedy bar, and those who personally got her as an emcee said she's just entertaining and funny but not "comedy bar" funny, so I was sold. Her lights and sounds partner is JMI, so we got them to make sure that they'll work well together.

P/V

For photo / video, I got my friend's supplier (Wedding East) which is fairly affordable, plus I love the work they did for my friend so I didn't stress myself so much for doing comparative research and such. Haha.. Good price-point, great output, and well-recommended so I'm good with that.

OTD

We got Imbitado events based solely on good reviews. I wanted the day to be as stress-free as possible, and I wanted someone I can really rely on to take care of everything on the day. Hopefully, things will turn out great.

INVITATION

I'll do the design and have my friend (instagram @artistichic) print them. It will be a simple 2 page layout. She does invitation (her wedding invitation is superb), and I know we're in good hands.

So far, those are the booked suppliers. I can't give feedbacks yet since most of them I haven't personally met (I'm not doing trial make-up.. hehe), so I'll give review once we're done. Seems like we accomplished a lot but oh my gawd we have so much more to do!! 

DIY

We'll be doing a lot of DIY, like the center pieces and the bouquets. I'm planning to go to dangwa a day before the wedding and buy everything. I know I'm crazy. But I'm not planning on doing a very intricate design, just some flowers tied together. That's it. As for the center pieces, we're buying amber bottles and just put random flowers on them. I don't want anything big or grand since the star of the table would be the table cloth. Bought printed fabrics to be put on the tables. We're doing rectangular tables, and have 3 different fabric prints placed alternately. Something like this, but not all floral. :)

For the ceiling, we'll do buntings and fringe on the chandelier. We'll also have 2 different backdrops, one for the ceremony and the other for the reception. This I'll have our workers do. The perks of having access to construction people. Hehehe... My contractor will also be the one supervising the set-up of styling. I'll be giving/printing out all the instructions and hope and pray that they execute my vision. HAHA.. But I'll have my friend who lives very near check and see the set-up just to be sure.  I'll probably do the styling ideas on a separate posts because, wow, this is getting really long! I actually already did a moodboard, but I'm hesitant to post them because to be honest, I'm not really sure if we can pull it off.  The moodboards might look so much better than the actual, so I'll probably post the boards once the wedding is done, and adjust them based on the reality. Haha...

As much as I wanted to be OC on all styling details, or other details in general, I keep reminding myself that that day isn't about the ceiling decor, or the backdrop, or the flowers. It's about us finally getting married. I would love to execute all of my ideas but if we can't, I'm okay with that too. I don't want to be stressed out on minute details that no one would notice anyway. I'm actually far too relaxed considering we're a mere two months away and we still have so much to do. Avps, music, boys outfit, prizes (we're planning to give out home decor related stuff.. hehe), backdrops, buntings, or all decorative detail actually. We only have the printed table clothes since I bought those together with my dress fabric a few days ago. Next week, we'll start on those. The plan is to finish everything in the following month, and just enjoy the last month of prep. Hopefully, the only thing to do on the last month is the rsvp, and the flowers (day before!).

Oh, and we have to at least make the Tiny House in decent order since this will be the bf's prep area! Would be nice to have photos of them all dressed up in the 3rd floor. Imagine the tufted sofa with navy walls and bricks as their backdrop! They can even shoot on the roof. hehe... I, on the other hand, will do prep at my uncle's house, which is already soooo nice. Yep, our deciding factor for the prep venues is the interior. 

Obviously, I'm still not comfortable as calling the bf, fiance. I find it weird. HAHA.. We're not the smoochy type, we don't even have a term of endearment. So all this wedding preps seems weird to me actually. Nice weird. I, obviously, do all the planning and booking as most girls do, and just ask for the bf's opinion/feedback/final decision. Oh, I forgot to mention our theme, it's south american/bohemian, whatever that is. We don't have a color motif, we just have a feel or vibe in mind. That's it for now. I'm not expecting a perfect day, nothing will be perfect anyway, I'm just hoping for a heartfelt, fun day, surrounded by people we love, and being beside the man I'll soon call my husband. NAKS!

That's what most people say when they hear the news. And what news is that you may ask? Well, I'm engaged. :D I never thought I'll ever say that phrase, yes we talk about getting married, we're even building a house together for crying out loud, but I don't know, maybe I'm just not the smoochy type, or I'm not expecting any grand gesture. But it felt so surreal the moment it finally did happen. I was bawling my eyes out! hahaha...

Disclaimer: If you're looking for house-related subject matter, then just wait for my next post. This is just me sharing that OMG moment, and even for just a day, be a girly girl. Haha

Okay. Here goes... As you may remember from my last post, I mentioned going to Boracay for the labor day weekend. I was with the bf (now fiance..WOW.. haha), friends, brothers, cousins, and the bf's brother and cousin as well. And all their respective partners. Everyone was there actually, people everywhere! But that's not the point.

On our last night, he suggested we have dinner alone since all the other nights were spent with the group mentioned above. Okay then. He ordered prawns and I ordered pizza. haha.. He was at first hesitant about the pizza and told me we won't be able to finish it. I was all puzzled since he CAN ALWAYS finish food and we can always bring the left-overs with us. We ordered anyway. After eating, he suggested we went to the restroom. Again, puzzled since we're heading to the hotel, why pee now? He told me we might go somewhere else. Okay then.

But we went to the hotel anyway. I didn't have a clue. AT ALL. I just thought it was just a change of plan since he was on the phone majority of the time, texting / calling.

As we reached the hotel, he let me went in first since he had to "buy" something. I went in the gate hearing a faint guitar playing. I didn't mind it at all. As I turn the corner, I saw a lot of people and for a split second, I thought they are just other hotel guests. Then I realized I knew everyone of them.

The guitar was being played by my brother. And everyone I knew in Boracay was there, in front of me, pointing cameras at me. "Oh my God, this is it." I didn't know where to go so I look back and saw the bf right behind me. He hugged me so tight and began singing.

Yes he made a song, just the day before. I was in tears, and he is too. :) (I learned later on that almost everyone were as well. hehe) After the song, he then delivered the best speech there is. HAHA.. Okay, it's not a speech, it's a very sweet heart-felt message. He'll hate me for using the word "sweet" but it seriously is. 

He then got me a bouquet, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. You all knew what I said. 

As it turns out, he didn't plan on doing it there. It was just a very spontaneous decision a few nights before. He just suddenly felt it's the right time. So he presented me with the guitar my brother was playing, with a diamond ring drawn on it and promised to get me a proper ring.

And thank you so much Yuseff for that amazing night. I never imagine it to happen that way, and it was perfect. :) :) :) Yes, he already gave me the ring a few days after we got back in Manila, in front of both our families. :)

Okay so I'll stop being a girly-girl now... we then all went out, celebrated, and got drunk. I will, of course, NOT share those photos with you. HAHA...

So that's the story of our one sweet day. We'll get married on our 11th year anniversary this September. Yes, less than four months of planning! That's why I haven't posted in a while. That is another story. I'll probably do share some of our wedding planning here and let you know of  my thoughts. I even did a moodboard for the ceremony and reception! HAHA...

As for the Tiny House, we're probably a week away from completion. A WEEK!!! I'll be sharing all the progress with you sometime very soon.