First Christmas as Husband and Wife

2005 is a special year for Ben and me.Its the year we start spending the rest of our lives together as husband and wife.Amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas,we forgot to have our pictures taken :-( No need to worry though,we can still celebrate New Year with a Bang!!! ;-)

Pre-marital counselling session;Emil Buencamino;fixing our landline

We already finished our pre-marital counselling session today.It was a very unique experience since we were able to complete it in a few hours.Pastor Abel evaluated us based on our spiritual,moral,intellectual background and based on his last words,our relationship is based on a very strong foundation--God :-) I will just claim the certificate this week from Ms.Marifel of the Admin Office at Word Of Hope. God is really showing us how powerful He is,no matter how big the obstacles were,we were able to overcome them.

I was able to inform Marie of Emil Buencamino that we will now have the traditional church ceremony at UECP.I also informed her of the change in time from 6pm to 5pm.I found out that they also have a morning wedding on October 22.I just hope they wont be late for my afternoon wedding.I will just fax a copy of the map later.

Tina of Manila Pavillion called and confirmed my cancellation request re:Bangkok trip.I just have to ask for additional nights in the Junior suite in replacement.I will also fax a copy of the map for the chauffeur of the bridal car.

I also emailed Christine,my coordinator a soft copy of the map to UECP.So far,everything is going as planned with God's help :-)

I got home and found out my phone is dead.Tinkered with it a little bit,(actually,I copied what the engineers in Chinabank used to do) and finally after a few minutes,it's in good running condition again. :-)

Spongebob Squarepants cake

Here's the birthday cake of Benjamin that we really loved. :-)

Benjamin's Thesis Defense and Church ocular inspection with Christine and Joseph

Sept 3 - I woke up early to accompany Ben to his Thesis Defense at UST (Masters in Management Engineering).I brought my share of "goods" like the seedless grapes and mooncakes which will be given as snacks to the panelists after the defense.We also had lunch delivered at UST.It started 15 minutes late and lasted for 2 hours but it was all worth it.He was given 9 balls which was equivalent to a Cum Laude rating.:-)We also met with Rev.Willy Cheng at UECP and discussed details with regards to our ceremony.We also visited BPI Isetann Branch to enroll Ben's credit card for easier payment.We celebrated with a dinner at Burgoo (Gateway Mall Branch)and even took some food home to Mama.At least now,we can focus on the wedding preparations.While we were out,Nette,my other Bridesmaid was able to have her measurements taken with Mrs.Chua so it was a really good day for both of us.Ben was even able to my mama's headset before going home.

Sept 4 - Woke up really late.Good thing our meeting with our coordinator Christine was in the afternoon but still because of the rain,I was 30 mins late.Tsk!Tsk! If only I was wise enough to bring my umbrella with me.Ben made additional payments at Manila Pavillion and discussed some more details with Christine while waiting for me.We were really pleased with the hotel's new lobby.We then went to UECP and exchanged ideas about how we want the ceremony to be.We also found out that our wedding was already posted at the church bulletin.Afterwards,Ben and I went to SM Centerpoint to try to look for good buys.We had dinner at home,watched some TV and discussed our schedule for the week.We are to meet with my church Pastor this coming tuesday re:pre-marital counselling.Meanwhile,I have to text Kix again about additional queries for our avp and call the other major suppliers regarding our sudden change of plans..that instead of just a civil ceremony,we are gearing up for
the traditional Church rites.

A new doctor in the family :-)

I'm very happy to announce that my cousin Ate Trixi, passed the recently concluded Physicians' Board exams given by the PRC last August 21-22 and 28-29.Ate, we are very proud of you and we know how deserving you are of this blessing. :-) To God be all the glory for He really makes everything ok.

I have found souvenirs for our Principal Sponsors and I'm really happy about the fact that it is unique and still within our budget. :-)

My mom was able to scout musicians for our church ceremony (1 pianist and 6-member choir) for 5k.Thank God for Moms!

I still dont know what design I want for my gown.I'm giving myself a few more weeks before I go back to my coutourier.

Need to buy grapes for the panelists at Benjamin's thesis defense,everything else is ready for Saturday. :-)

I hope Nette doesnt forget about her fitting this Saturday.

Invitation,Musicians,Caricature Artist

Went to Unifair to finalize the details of the invitations.They will br ready for pick-up by September 22.Submitted Ben's personal testimony at UECP.Yey! :-) All we have to do is finish the pre-marital counselling this September and we're all set.I'm still trying to find musicians within our budget for the Church ceremony.String Minstrels are good but honestly,I cant afford them.My coordinator will give me the contact details of the caricature artist by tomorrow.

Mini-reunion at Batangas City

We surprised my father,(actually,he prefers to be called Tatay) with a belated birthday celebration yesterday.He knew that Ben and I were coming but he didnt have a clue I was bringing his siblings and my other cousins as well.I cooked adobo for him,kaso medyo napaasim pero he liked it pa rin.We also brought ready-to-cook chicken cutlets.Lunch for that day was birthday noodles and lumpiang shanghai from Wanam,KFC,Red Ribbon birthday cake and Selecta ice cream.We stayed till 7pm and were very busy chatting the hours away.It's really fun to be with the people who matters most to you.Makes you thank God more everyday because of them. :-)

Got the proof for the invitations and the map for the church.I'll go back to the printer for last-minute changes and to church to submit Ben's testimony on Tuesday.

toying with pictures

I'm just trying to post one of my favorite pictures in our blog.I love this coz it shows our real emotion. No room for stiff smiles here. :-)

Church venue confirmed :-)

August 24 - Im having mixed emotions. Our church venue (UECP) is already confirmed. :-) Now we just need to attend to the minute details. Whew! All the hard work paid off!We just have to wait for Rev.Willy Cheng's arrival from abroad. It's my Father's birthday tomorrow but due to lack of funds,I may be able to visit him this weekend instead.
:-(

August 23 - Claimed my Baptismal Certificate and Endorsement Letter from my home-church Pastor at Word of Hope.The admin office was very helpful,I got the documents within 3 hours.(Normally,I would need to go back a few times to complete the documents)After lunch,I went to Unifair Printing to have the invitations made.They gave me a very good price and promised that by Sept.22,all the 180pcs. of invitations will be ready.Went to UECP to submit the required documents needed:
1.Baptismal certificate
2.Endorsement letter from my church
3.my personal testimony
4.Certified true copy of our Marriage Certificate
I also confirmed the price of our flowers (c/o Ang's flower shop) which is not bad at P4.5k.It was a really tiring day but it was all worth it since I have accomplished all these in one day. :-)

August 22 - Went to City Hall to request a certified true copy of our Marriage Certificate which will be submitted in lieu of a Marriage Licence.Was shocked to know that the fee for this service went up from P160.00 to P190.00 in one month.The document will be released by Thursday August 25.

Thank God for blessings! :-)

We're very happy! The pastor that we wanted to officiate our wedding agreed.The church is still free on our wedding date,we just have to submit some requirements.God really is blessing us.Barely 2 months to go before the wedding and so far,we have not encountered MAJOR problems.We just hope that we can handle any glitches that may occur.Talked to our invitation supplier too,they said they can still handle printing of invites to be sure that the sept22 deadline is met.I have a very busy week ahead,We'll be going back to Mrs.Chua to have the other entourage members' measurements taken,need to go back to church and retrieve my baptismal certificate.I'll try to get permission from my church this sunday.

So far, so good :-)

So far, here are our wedding updates: The list of Principal Sponsors/Entourage and all the contents for the invitations will be finalized by tomorrow,and we will order the invitations/guest sheets by wednesday.We will ask for a meeting with our wedding officiant hopefully by Sunday to discuss the wedding ceremony.The guestlist is on their way to completion.I have completed the outline for the reception program and have chosen the wedding ceremony that we'd love to have.

Sniff..sniff.. :-(

Woke up around 7:30 with a terrible headache.Checked my temperature,I have slight fever.(37.5) and I think Im going down with the cold.Informed my friend that I cant attend the baptismal party of her son but that doesnt mean I wont be a godparent.Emailed kyx the remaining pictures which was accidentally left with me.Hopefully the emailed version will be enough to be used for the avp.I ate my lunch late,drank my medicine and tried to review my to-do list.Ben is doing fine inspite of his lack of sleep.Hopefully he'll be able to finish his thesis by August 9.As soon as were assured that all the details of our wedding are well taken-cared of,I can now enrol at the gym. :-)

Updates and joining tnm's logo campaign :-)

It's 3:33am and Im still awake.Bone-dead tired but very happy that we have already finished our AVP shoot with Kyx Tavora at 1:00am.Contented because we feel it will really be fun to watch during the reception.Now I know how aspiring models feel during the time they're recording their first few VTR tapes to be submitted to various modelling agencies and the likes.Daming bloopers at medyo di sanay na may camera pero later on kumapal din ang mukha.I think we've done well accomplishing most of what is listed in my to-do list.Met with Boy Mahusay again to order additional flowers and to inform him of the change in motiff;Accompanied 2 members of my entourage to Mrs.Chua's shop to have their measurements taken and paid 50% of the package.The last 2 are scheduled this coming saturday.Informed MP of the necessary changes in the menu and in the motiff and made additional payments.Informed the famous Mr.Franco about the changes too.Were on our way to completing the final list of confirmed principal sponsors.We can now focus on the little details since were almost done with the major ones.Were trying our luck again and joining the themesnmotifs' Logo campaign.Were still keeping our fingers crossed.Were hoping to have more progress regarding our wedding preparations.

A very busy week

Discussed with Tina yesterday afternoon regarding the changes we are requesting for the menu.Pumayag naman sya na instead of shrimps,we'll be having Yang chow fried rice included in the menu. Informed her of the change in color-motiff,confirmed na rin that the chairs' ribbons will be light lime green.Pati yung souvenirs na kasama na ng package ng hotel will be in lime green too.Today I'll be with my Maid of Honor and 1 secondary sponsor to Mrs.Chua's shop to have their measurements taken and to finalize details regarding the gowns for my entourage.My fiance agreed for us to have 10 pairs of principal sponsors na rin.So far nobody refused to accept our invitations for them as Principal Sponsors so we're really happy about it.We really want people who can serve as role-models to us as we start a new and very challenging chapter of our lives together.Im still trying to look for acid-free paper I can transform into guests sheets,went to NBS but I cant find one that suits our theme and our budget.Sana mapa-print ko na rin ang pics na gagamitin for the guest sheets para masimulan ko na.Tomorrow,we'll be having a shoot for our AVP which will be shown at the reception,hopefully we'll finish everything in one day.This sunday,ninang naman ako ng firstborn ng kabarkada ko.Buti nalang I had my dress dry-cleaned na.

3 months to go before the BIG day

Saturday (July 23,2005) : nakapag-pakuha na ako ng measurement for bridal gown.since the color of my gown is buttery-yellow,parang hindi bagay ang red/gold na motiff ko. I'll think about it thoroughly,maybe there's a valid reason why I've been dreaming of baby pink hues these past few days..hmmm..

Sunday (July 24,2005) : met Mrs.Chua of Catalina gowns.Nagpunta kami ng coordinator ko sa bahay nya mismo.I was convinced na mas bagay sa bridal gown ang baby pink/apple green na color for my entourage.Got the designs I wanted too and for a very reasonable price kaya happy ako talaga. :-) this coming week na rin ang fitting ng entourage ko.I just need to inform Mang Boy of Dangwa na iba na ang color motiff ko and also Tina of Manila Pavillion para maiayos na ang changes.

Miscellaneous: nagsplurge na naman ako kanina sa megamall.bought an expensive bottle of cocoa butter lotion and my facial sunblock.I felt guilty after buying the lotion pero minsan lang naman ako mag-shopping so ok na rin.My reward for keeping the wedding preparations updated.Miss ko na fiance ko,buti na lang we'll see each other this coming sunday.

Finally our own blog

4 months to go before our altar date and I just started blogging just now. Oh well, I just need an outlet for a hundred and one thoughts that run through my mind each day.So far, here are our accomplishments:

• wedding officiant - under negotiations
• reception - paid 50%
• wedding rings - paid and delivered [cant wait to wear them :-)]
• OTD coordinator - booked,downpayment paid
• photography - booked,paid 50%
• videography - booked,paid downpayment
• cake - booked
• bridal gown - booked,fitting this july
• groom's attire - completed
• entourage gowns - still scouting for supplier that is within budget
• flowers - booked,paid downpayment
• AVP - paid downpayment,shooting scheduled on July 30
• gifts for Principal sponsors - still scouting for the right gifts
• invitations - will finalize details by July
• prenups - done,some pics will be used for the gallery at the reception
• miscellaneous details - to be finalized next month