This and That

Everyday Aleq and I try to do something for the wedding, whether it's just to discuss an idea or go over the budget. We have work and bills and other things to think about, and we know we have so many months ahead of us, but we don't want to waste a single minute being unproductive. Time flies by so fast and we don't want to be left cramming. Here are a few things worth documenting wedding-wise as of late.


This is the Our Happy Day Google doc. It's an Excel file that my friend Geli sent to me that has been incredibly helpful to us. It's the one she and her fiance Pat are using, and she actually customized it for me and Aleq, which we thought was very sweet. It has tabs for the timeline, to-dos, guest list, sponsors, suppliers, on-going expenses, and a budget checklist! How cool is that? I am currently tweaking it further to indulge my obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

I recently dug out my keepsakes from the most recent weddings I attended. I made sure to keep things like invitations, photobooth pictures, thank you cards, and misalettes to serve as references for my own wedding. Seeing these actually helped me figure out what I wanted. 

Meetup with Aleq's friends

Aleq and I met up with his friends only a few days after the proposal. They just wanted to hear all about it. I met them all before but it was the first time I actually hung out with them. These guys - Dabs, Rein, Josh, and Ren Ren will make up part of our male entourage. They'll be sponsors and groomsmen. The rest of the pictures and story are over at my blog.

 Left to right: Dabs, Rein, Josh, Ren Ren, me, Aleq

Church Troubles

Our only church of choice is the Santisimo Rosario Church at UST. The University of Santo Tomas is the place where it all began, so it is the only place we want to get married in. My brother and sis-in-law, who both work there, tried to reserve the church for us, but they were told that UST doesn't have a calendar for 2013 yet, and that the couple to be married needs to make the reservation in person. So Aleq and I foolishly set out to book the church on May 1, Labor Day. We asked my sister-in-law if it was open on Tuesday, and she said yes. It probably slipped her mind that it was a holiday then.


So we went there bright and early to avoid the Labor Day rallies. When we got there, the parish office was closed, of course. Aleq and I just ended up having lunch at Coffee Indulgence in P. Noval St. - a place of nostalgia for me because I used to go there back in college with other girl classmates for a shake after P.E. classes.

Labor Day morning in Manila - activist flags, banners, rallyists, the beginnings of a traffic jam.

Our First Wedding Fair - The Before I Do Bridal Expo

We survived our first wedding fair! Aleq and I bravely ventured into the world of wedding suppliers earlier, when we attended the Before I Do Bridal Expo at the Megatrade Hall in Megamall. As it was our first time, we didn't know what to expect, so we just dived in.

   The entrance to the event - had to take a quick pic with my phone

On the fitness plan

I renewed my gym membership last week, so I got a new welcome kit today. My last one was blue. I got the black one this time. I'm starting next week. I have close to a year to get into shape. I gave myself an enormous head start, heh.

Engaged Girls Lunch

When my office friend Geli got engaged, we had lunch at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf so she could tell me all about it. Then when I got engaged, we had lunch at Pancake House last April 24 so I could tell her all about it. Though I posted a pic of our rings, I just realized that I never posted the picture from that particular lunch. So, here it is.

The Our Happy Day Journal

I knew there was a reason why I’ve been saving this Moleskine journal that my friend Leslie gave me for something important. This is going to be my engagement-wedding journal. I want to be able to remember every single detail of this time, and this is a good way to chronicle our private thoughts about everything.

And so it starts...

This magazine got us started on the brainstorming. Seeing stuff on print got my head straight there. Let the preparations begin!

I am so dreading this part.

"A great party is all about the guest list. The food, music, and venue are important, but no party is complete without your family and friends." - Designer Michael Kors in the December 2011 issue of Glamour UK

This is why I am procrastinating on writing up my wedding guest list. I want the entire world there, but of course that isn't even remotely possible.