Unsa pa akong kuwang oi?

Our wedding day is drawing ever oh so close. And I feel panicky because I'm not panicking!  I feel I should be running around and doing stuff for the wedding. But I-AM-NOT.

Something is so wrong with me. I am trying to recall all the things that are still  missing and I should be following up.

Church/Reception ? Check.
Coordinator and supplier endorsement/turnover ? Done. and Done.
Rings? Already have it.
Arrhae? still need to polish the darn things.
Offerings during mass --> how lah?
Misalette? Check.
Honeymoon booking? Finalized!
Cebu hotel bookings for before and after the wedding? Done too!
Invitations? Most of them sent out. The rest to be given to family this December.
Guest List? I have a rough draft.
Seating arrangement --> Ok this one I have to admit I am getting too lazy to do...
Songs? List is all done but I have to make Paui kulit to actually burn them (I don't know how, much to my utter and absolute shame)
Principal Sponsors gift? --> not yet. Thinking of buying fruit wines though. All 12 of them...
Entourage Gifts? --> bridesmaids are done. only for SS and the groomsmen (what do we really give guys?)
Car signage --> have asked Elni to do it for me
December schedules --> all mapped out for supplier meetings and food tasting etc
Program? Draft is done and all we need is meet up with emcee when we arrive home.

What else could I be missing? Please help....

the solemnity of the Church Ceremony

I know most of the time, this portion of the wedding is hurriedly planned, with no thought given to the details (except for the bridal walk and the aisle decoration). But as this is a sacrament conducted by Paui and me with God, and asking for God's blessing for the future of our marriage, I was very careful to retain the sincerity and solemnity of the ceremony.

We followed the church's (very) strict guidelines on how the ceremony is to be conducted, avoiding the fanfare of petal-throwing, commentating and (much to my coordinator's dismay) avoided spluttering the aisle with too much floral decorations. I've seen how my friends abroad got married in church and I kind of like the simplicity of it all.

And as part of the church preparations, my very talented and fellow bride-to-be friend Marf created for us our misalette cover too. I just asked her to make it simple with some shades of pink (to match our motif, duh!). She came up with a really gorgeous one! :)  Super Super Thanks Marf! :) 

Sonnet XVII

I  do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way than this:

where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep. "

— Pablo Neruda

Sonnet XVII

 

Less than 20 days to go but...

...I am not at all nervous or panicky --- well so far not yet. My mind is so far so consumed with thoughts of cleaning up our domicile (to ensure it stays clean in the three weeks we will be away) and missing Paui and finalizing the guest list that I haven't had time for the rush, panicky moments.

And at the back of my head, the priorities are starting to take shape. I have junked my "over-the-top" ideas of having customized table centerpieces, a wishing tree, and fireworks. Instead I have focused on reception food (lechon lechon lechon!), a solemn and hopefully hassle-free church ceremony and the program to ensure guests are well-entertained and part of the occasion.

I know how many times I have adamantly said that this is our wedding -- Paui's and mine. But in reality, our wedding day wouldn't be successful if our guests and family don't enjoy themselves.   For our party to turn out great, it has to be THEIR party too.

It is strange to have these realizations so close to our wedding date.  Maybe it is because Paui and I are married already that it allows me to focus on more than just the superficial in our wedding preparations lately. hehehe. Heck, I didn't even panic when our guest count reached 270 already! (including suppliers).

Pray with me please for good weather on our wedding day (December 29!). :) I am so excited. And I am happy and hopeful that most of our family and friends can make it. Weeeeeeeee....

Here is a pic of me and Paui during our pre-mag-on moments. hehehe. (friends lng po kami). Bata pa namin noh? hahhaaha.

Paui and I have a baby!

This is our Merry Christmas gift to each other.  ;) So merry pasko my baby. hehe

Our reasons for our purchase is three-fold:

1. to get nice December honeymoon and honeymoon period pictures (we do intent to travel a lot -- God-willing -- next year).

2. Paui needs a new hobby and I love having pictures taken of me (bwahahaha)

3. In preparation for the future cutie baby that God will bless us with in the future :) Syempre, we need to document all the "firsts".

Quickie Cebu Visit

I had a three day marathon Cebu trip where I mixed wedding preps with shopping and attending my cousin Neil's wedding. Perhaps it was the first time that I left Cebu without a heavy heart,because I knew I would be back two weeks later. hehehe.

Lunch with almost everyone before I left for the airport (Aunti Grace and Uncle Willie are not here as they are in Leyte already).

28 days to go!

My short trip to Cebu last weekend was dual purpose. First, I wanted to attend the wedding of my cousin Neil. Congratulations Neil and Karen. It was a wonderful wedding showcasing Karen's musically inclined family and our family's , er, rowdiness. hehe.

And second, I was supposed to have the grand fitting of all fittings. I use the word "supposed to" because it was only me and my flower girls who were able to have a fitting. My bridesmaids' dresses and mommy dress was not yet done! To be honest, I was a bit livid already at my designer. After all, I had planned this schedule with him way way in advance.

Anyhow, bearing in mind to not sweat the small stuff, I was able to successfully hide my bridezilla-ness and instead made use of our time there, by having the male members of our family be fitted for their barong sizes. Yes folks, I am having all my close uncles wear barong too. Syempre it is my wedding. Dapat my family looks good. nyahahahahahaha.

Perhaps the best thing that came out of this vacation was my meeting with my coordinator Elni. I was so pleased --- no, let me correct this-- I was extremely happy to find out that he was as organized and as attentive to details as I could have hoped.  We planned and discussed a lot of details, and even was able to finalize the program. (happy happy happy).

And during our meeting, we even chanced upon Jim and his crew having coffee, waiting for their next wedding to shoot. So it was good to reconnect with our photog. My dad even had a chat with them too.

Here are some pics from my fitting of me and my flower girls (I added in the previous fitting of bridesmaids just to make me feel better)

flower girls

three of my bridesmaids (from first fitting)

my train

me trying to look bride-y

The beadings on my gown will be done this December pa daw. So as not to lose its sheen and shine. Waaa. And I am panicking just thinking of this because I wanted everything done and finished before Christmas. *sigh*.

Anyway, what do you think?