Musings of a former Bratinella

I was inspired by other brides who have the talent to do the artsy wedding stuff themselves. Admittedly, I’m not as talented and the only wedding thing I do myself is to balance the checkbook (ha! not artsy at all!), everything is outsourced which is kinda hurting our pockets as of the moment (plus the ouch-y impact of my bum lifestyle). So in an effort to save more shopping money, I attempted the impossible, and surprisingly I think I outdid myself!

Here’s our Save the Date cards, I’ll have them digitally printed in heavy card stock (I’ll use my past corporate connections for this one) plus I’m still game for more arts and crafts in making the envelopes. Here’s the first installment, I promise to post printed finish products, hopefully SOON

I’m a self confessed jewelry monger! (who isn’t?) So even with so much time still in my hands, I’ve already managed to get hold of our wedding bands. We’ve had them since May coz I took advantage of our HK trip, jewelry there is miles cheaper than here in Manila, plus it even comes with a certification that makes shopping a lot safer. We didn’t have much of a choice in terms of design, we couldn’t do uniform bands since my size and venz’ are of the extremes (mine very small, his very big), besides its hard to achieve compromise in terms of our personal styles and of course everyday practicality. Venz is a golfer which means out under the sun, holding a steel shaft every tick tock of the clock, while I’m a working mall rat guilty of being caught in groceries, restos, nail spas and salons 90% of the time (well the other 10% is spent in the golf course and sleeping!). To cut the long story short he got what he wanted in his sporty style and convenience while I got something that suits my everyday retail adventures! Not uniform like most but it serves its purpose.

This is mine (obviously! bwaha) worn over my engagement ring. Looks kinda heavy I know but sooner or later I’ll wake up being an old lady and cutesy stuff won’t look nice anyway. It’s 18K white gold with diamonds with total weight of 1ct. (you wouldn’t believe how cheap I got this band for!)

Here’s venz’ (sorry pic blurred), he chose it and wonderfully, I like it, it’s a comfort fit, 18k white gold ring with one 0.1 ct. diamond (feng shui told him that he should have diamonds for luck!).

To all those planning to buy wedding bands in HK, I strongly suggest that you buy the rings earlier in your trip to allow for adjustments and engravings, we bought ours a day before we departed for Manila and time didn’t allow us to engrave anything in the rings. Also, if you want rings that are uniform and your sizes are like ours, I’d be the first to burst your bubble and tell you it’s impossible, they can resize but time time time would often be your enemy. On a financial standpoint, don’t be intimidated by the mandarin speaking sales agents who would often be more than willing to give you the real last price, but only if you ask for it, there’s always the trusty calculator where you can type in your tawad if your chinese language skills are non existent (like mine!). Last but more importantly, don’t force the issue of uniform rings, you are female and your fiance is male (at least in most cases!) mars and venus they say, hence don’t force your beloved to wear that intricate vintage inspired ring you’ve been eyeing for years. You’d see like to see him much happier with something that he’d be proud and happy to wear not just during the big day but also in the many years to come.

We’re finally done with the design and layout of our invites! As with other wedding details, Venz and I made sure that our personalities are equally reflected even we are leaning towards the vintage / art deco theme.

Here’s the main invite

It will be printed in 350 gsm ecru cotton stock, thermograved in black ink and the icons on top will be both embossed and thermograved.

Here are the possible envelope liners, please don’t mind the colors for these are just pegs. Just like the main invite, the envelope liners will be printed on ecru paper with black ink.

Option A

Option B

Option C

Option D

Your comments, suggestions and what-nots are anticipated! Thanks!

Call me paranoid, but since Day 1 my dreams about my upcoming wedding always turn out to be nightmares, something is always wrong with my dream, from being uber late, wearing a ugly gown to having unexpected guests. Is this normal? Or is it a premonition of things to come? (Oh no! Lord help me!) I admit that I’m sort of taking a backseat from all the wedding preps, but only because I have so much in my plate right now, the business, family matters and hunting for that perfect nest. I’m so however taken aback by my unsolicited thoughts that I plan to smoothen everything wedding related that is still pending ASAP. I’m scheduled to meet JP my coordinator on Friday, I hope I can find time to write down my agenda / still to do list by then.

Contrary to my bad dreams my preps for our Pre-nup pictorial is nothing but dreamy… I trust Mangored’s eye for telling shots, our attire lovingly created by Puey Quinones is slowly revealing its glamor (the pre-nup dress could pass as a wedding dress, and mind you it’s suppose to be a 20s inspired costume!). Puey will also be styling our shoot, and he’ll get the HMU artist as well. I’m so excited that I don’t mind doing boxing day in and out! Venj is equally excited too, only a guy who practically grew up on a golf course will be happy to do such a meticulous pictorial, never mind the fact that he’ll be wearing a really funny costume. As mentioned, our pre-nup is 20s inspired, not just plain 20s but fashions will reflect the golf lifestyle of the era (flapper era, four-alls, wing tip shoes, etc.). I’ll go accessory / props shopping with PQ on Wednesday. Hay, small accomplishments such as this assure me that I’m on track, and there’s still a long way to go (9 months!!). More on our pre-nup in the days to come…

I went on leave last Wednesday, actually it’s more of trying out the bum life kind of a thing. But more on the bumhood later, that’s a totally different issue that’s more proper to blog about after the umm… the whole period. Anyhoo, I spent the afternoon with Mama Oh, Stressa & Puey in Peninsula. Candy, Puey’s friend happens to have jewelry shop there so the 3 lakwatseras tagged along. Her creations are really eye popping, most of them colored stones with unique settings, you wouldn’t believe you’d find those in Manila. I forgot to take pics but Mama Oh and myself spotted some pieces that could be part of the whole wedding trosseu.

Here’s Candy’s contact details:

Jul B. Dizon Jewellery
The Peninsula Manila
(632) 8864638
info@juldizon.com

After feeding our eyes, we headed to play in Puey’s place. Stressa gave Puey and authentic Korean costume and I was entertained by the BIG gold Motorola phone.

Wanting to make the most of bumhood, and still hungry for more blings Stressa and myself went to Sunjewel in Edsa Shang, JP my wedding coordinator (and hopefully Stressa’s too) recommended that alajera. If Candy’s blings were a statement on the edgy side Raquel’s (owner, of Sunjewel) blings were the “small but expensive type”. The very first set they showed me was a 6 carat diamond set, ganda I was scared out of my wits, I had it kept right away. coz no way on earth can I buy that at least for now 🙂 hehe. Since I didn’t afford those earrings, I searched for pieces sans the million pesos price tag, way less expensive yet can do. I resent the thought of wearing fancy jewelry on my day hence Im planning long before the day so I can manage finances (say brainwash my parentals into buying me a pair… kidding!!). Here are the selections that caught my eye. Oh if you’re wondering why the obsessions with earrings and not with neck pieces, my gown’s design wouldn’t work with a neck piece (i’ll post the sketch soon), so let the earring hunt begin!!!

Diamond Chandelier Earrings setting is Vintage style

Flower type studs (white gold with Diamonds)

JP talked me into getting an eternity ring for myself and a heavy white gold band with a single stone inside the band (have to be sure it’s golf friendly!) for our wedding bands still thinking about it, but who could resist eh?

More pics of the afternoon to follow, can’t upload pics from Stressa’s iphone. 🙂

Since the day I watched JLo in her movie “The Wedding Planner”, I was amazed and mystified by these people who make dreams come true (at least for most part of it…). They seem to have solutions to all wedding problems expected or unexpected, they appear to me as though they’ve seen a preview of what’s to happen in my BIG day. So when it was my turn to look for my Wedding Planner I only considered talking to the best people around, forgive my arrogance but weddings do happen only once in a lifetime and I won’t let any pseudo-planner run my show, hence my list was down to two, Rita Neri and JP Montilla. Rita Neri is like the Chanel of wedding planners, she’s well known yet most soon to wed couples decide not to get her probably because they are intimidated or simply thrown off by her price tag. My boss who hired RN for his wedding has nothing but praises for her. Armed with my boss’ referral I met RN and had a pleasant chat with her. She’s nice in a motherly kind of way plus her cute dog walking around her office made conversation a lot easier. Her outfit can only accommodate 2 weddings in a day, one team (Team A) includes her and a cheaper team (Team B) which excludes her on the actual day but she’ll still be part of the whole preps. Her rates are way higher than an average wedding planner (say 20K higher at an average) but she gave me a discount which kinda sold the deal to me.

I had to give my fiance a  blow by blow report of my meeting with RN, he knows RN to be the mother of all wedding planners, during one of my bratty moments he had to search for the RN book that I was bratting about. I don’t know if it was my bratting that gave him the impression that RN is a  teacher who will impose homework deadlines but anywhoo he wasn’t very much sold into RN. To his request my search continued.

I don’t exactly remember how I got to know JP Montilla, sure he’s President of the PAWP (Philippine Association of Wedding Planners) but I only knew about that after our meeting. He doesn’t participate in any wedding fairs nor does he feature himself in wedding mags.  This gave me the impression that it’s not tactical marketing that sells him but much better his track record and word of mouth from satisfied clients. If RN was a Chanel, JP is the Goyard of wedding planners. He’s glamor is concealed and never shouting, and like an actual Goyard bag only the ones in the know would appreciate. My first meeting with him was way back in 2007, from the moment I saw him carrying a LV bag I knew he was the one, he had to be the one, aside from his commanding presence that make suppliers nod and just say yes, his sophisticated taste in beautiful things (bags and fab fab jewelry to be exact) is sure to make my wedding, again like a Goyard bag, glamorous yet not shouting. His rates are near RN’s discounted rates and he only does 1 wedding a day (2 at the most in those very extreme cases).

To cut the long story short I got the Goyard, and happy eversince. Sure a Chanel is also beautiful but its fit doesn’t quite mesh with me and fiance. Besides, JP being gay and proud makes things easier for me, I was gay in my past life and having gay presence near me makes me giddy! My advice to soon to wed couples is simple, if you can spare cash, 1) get a reliable wedding planner, and please save your families the hassle of planning (besides it should be their day too!) 2) get a established planner and you’ll be surprised on how you can have easy access if not discounts to snotty suppliers 3) and most important, get someone who you are comfortable with, someone who you can be totally honest with and vice versa, say someone who can tell you, how ugly your pear shape body will look in your dream serpentine gown yet still sound sweet and concerned. Got the point?