Wow, two months nalang. That’s all we’ve had to tell ourselves as we look back at the overwhelming sort of voraciousness that defined our busiest June yet (if not, ever!). It explains why, despite our most earnest intentions, we haven’t followed up our
Pre-Nup teaser with a far more extravagant, if somewhat self-important, entry. It explains why, everyday, we are seeking medication for the occasional loss of memory, muscle fatigue, and the gradual obliteration of our bank savings. It explains why a full year of planning has already gone by without us even taking notice in its entirety!
60 days nalang, and, ayun. Joy.
An absolute and fittingly comforting joy
As our families, friends and followers are undeniably our closest witnesses, the demise of June marks a little over 8 weeks before the Wedding. And with the obvious toll and growing feeling of anticipation this last couple of months, Gab and I still wonder:
how do our last 8 weeks as bachelor and bachelorette play out? What are our remaining priorities? Will we have any last-week alterations, choices and changes? Will we punctuate our planning on a bang or on a whimper? Our excitement at the moment is equaled only by our anxiety; a kind of natural anxiety that comes with having accomplished and planned about so many details, and, having done so, expecting only the finest, truest and happiest returns. (Is it asking too much??) All the thankless days and nights we’ve spent wracking our brains, scrutinizing our to-do-lists, reshuffling our clutter and mess, and probing the shallow depths of our wallets hoping we’ve accomplished everything and not having left anything out– it’s a godsend that we’ve managed to find our equilibrium in each other amid lovely chaos. :)
But June was such a JOYRIDE. I’m mighty proud to claim just how effective and productive we were since our last and only June entry. I’m enumerating TEN accomplishments here in order to keep everyone abreast and to tag along kindred spirits in the swirling, heavenly caffeine of our
Choc-Frappe Wedding story
1. June definitely graced us with our proverbial 15-minutes-of-fame. Our pre-nup pictorial within the historic
Walls of Intramuros and inside a most rustic
Starbucks outlet was an inspired, appropriate and beautiful experience. We had anticipated gorgeous results, especially with our choice lensman
Rupert Ramos of NICEPRINT (
he, of Ogie-Regine and other celebrity nuptials’ fame) taking over – but even the resulting pictures surpassed our expectations! In a span of under 4 hours, we managed to generate over 500 pictures using 4 different sets of clothing, spread across 4 different venues – drawing oohs and aahhs from us and onlookers at every occasion. Our shoot wouldn’t have been as memorable without having been granted by
Starbucks Philippines the clearance and opportunity to use their unmistakable, classic interiors. Last but certainly not least, I also have to thank without end my ever-fabulous,
H&M stylist Cherry Pacheco for fleshing out the vintage and Hollywood-ready glamour in me, and for having Gab and I look fresh throughout the prenup activity even under the cruel, cruel noontime sun and irritation from tall wild grass. Ms. Cherry, we hope to see you again soon! Master Rupert and the generous people of Niceprint, see you in September!
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| Engagement Redux @ the ooolest Starbucks outlet in Manila |
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| Ol' country charm always works |
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| Celebrity moment: Paparazzi right behind our trail :) |
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| Chocfrappe with the NicePrint Ladies |
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| At Starbucks, with our idol Rupert (in green) -- see you in September! |
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| "Love & marriage..love & marriage.." |
2. Last June 4- Gab & I attended our whole-day
Pre Cana Seminar at Sanctuario de San Jose. We felt it was a much much more practical alternative to the popular but pricey Discovery Weekend paraded often by other wedding vendors. A “teacher-student” type classroom lecture, it was the first we’ve ever attended as an engaged couple. It was a warm feeling to see other couples – young and young-ish alike – be provided an avenue where we could be informed of, and openly discuss and be challenged by the rigors of married life. And who else better to expound on the up-and-down realities of marriage than our speakers/moderators Tito Jun and Tita Gina whose 30-year experience became a fountain of knowledge, insight, wisdom and humor? Their vignettes permeated with patience, graciousness and responsibility – the kind of motivating stories Gab and I would want to draft ourselves in the next chapters of life.
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| Refined tastes converge: with Jonathan of Sarto |
3. 2nd Saturday of June was
FULL. Finally met with Gab’s ever-articulate and jolly tailor Jonathan Te (or Jote) of
SARTO MANILA to decide on the fabric, design, and color of Gab’s tux. We all hit it off great, exchanging several laughs and insights in the process. Simply put, I can’t wait to see my groom wearing his bespoke tux while waiting for me at the altar; I’m sure he’ll look nothing short of ravishing and even more gentlemanly.
My Sarto man, as it were. After our meeting with Jote, we RUSHED to
JOSIAH’S CATERING for one final selection of dinner menu (food tasting), and to discuss with Josiah’s Maui our final table floral arrangement / other creative elements. The food tasting as usual, delighted our stomachs and taste buds – we even got to add an
appetizing Spanish dish for the guests to savor! Dear God, we’re thankful for so many things – but we just have to underscore the absolute win of free multi-course food tastes! :)
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| With the zany Purchasers of Digitel |
4. After extended bouts of heavy preparation and restlessness, Gab and I, together with the Purchasing group of Digitel, finally took some well-earned time off and enjoyed a one-day trek to the rocky but placid beach of
Punta Malabrigo in Lobo, Batangas. We tagged along young Cyril as he loves nature trips. It was a very tiring/long and unpredictable day trip – but the shore and calm seas, the grilled food, the company of friends, and the well-spent recharge, were all worth it. We stopped by
Starbucks SLEX with my boss and a few colleagues on the way home.
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| SLEX frappes with my Boss (cap), and my partner |
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| two souls strolling along a shore strewn with a million pebbles @ Malabrigo |
5. We concede that we always look forward to each and every public Holiday – especially considering the minute number of weekends left before D-Day. But as much as we want to rest on precious holidays, any proactive couple like us would use them to make progress on a host of details and commitments. On Rizal’s 150th, for instance, Gab & I drove around Ortigas and Quezon City for our first ocular and attempt at the BRIDAL REGISTRY. Our visit to the bridal register elicited opposing emotions: the exuberant rush of excitement over selecting some very neat items for our condo, and a distinct feeling of restraint for needing to be very prudent and mindful of our guests who’d be competing over a limited number of gift choices. It’s not merely a free-of-charge window shopping coupon that we ladies dream about every time!! Going through the potential gift items, in fact, Gab and I faced a constant battle of “want” vs “need,” “what’s affordable” vs “what’s impractical,” and “what can fit our place,” vs “what can’t.” This July, we’re already scheduled to choose our items so we only hope our beloved guests would agree to our exceptions and decisions! We even sought my Mommy’s advise in choosing the items :)
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| Licensed to Wed. :) |
6. Finally – got our
Marriage License! Since Gab & I are both unavailable during weekdays, I had to ask my mom to pick it up at
Quezon City Cityhall. Very fortunately, she got it without any hitch and needless drama. Government efficiency was something we did not expect! Haha! Thank you Lord!!! :)
7. Our earlier due diligence for the Church has did us a good turn as we’ve managed to accomplish most of the SSJ’s requirements way ahead of schedule! A few more things to work on though, which includes the wedding banns and canonical interview. We’re also planning on reeling in our favored priest based in QC for an appointment and formal encounter.
Bless us this chance, father!
8. Yey! After a few weeks of indecisiveness, we’ve finally booked our florist slash stylist!
15-58 FLOWERS & STYLES is a well-known and sought-after florist and event stylist that boasts an excellent affiliation and history with
Fernwood Gardens. The moment we went over their elegant floral designs and proposals together with proprietor Rommel one time at Coffee Bean, we instantly fell in love with them! We already discussed and finalized with 15-58 the subtle, classy garden look we wanted for the Church, for the reception, for the entourage, and my bouquet of course. Rommel’s group has such an intimate feel for Fernwood –
from every parcel of land, vine and foliage – that it will surely accentuate its
earth, luster and
magic.
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| are YOU invited? |
9. The last weekend of June elevated our level of excitement as we finally met with
PAPER FLAIR in Ortigas to trigger the process of customizing our wedding invitations. First order of business was to submit several selected pictures to add personality to the invites. But since we really wanted our ChocFrappe theme to stand out, we had to upgrade and enlist the graphic design prowess of affiliated
Adworks. The best part of which, my fiancé, my ever-capable writer, will be providing prose and other texts.
10. As if we needed another truckload of monetary and time commitments in our hectic schedules, our entire wedding planning/doing in June had been counter-balanced by heavier responsibilities and decision-making as regards our very own condominium unit. While I’ve been spreading myself thin across different wedding details, Gab has been doing his part being super proactive ensuring the livability, value and aesthetics of our modest first residence. :-) Apart from weekly visits to the site to inspect progress and discuss any design or cost revisions with our contractor, majority of our condo-related activities went into canvassing goods and ready-made works at
Wilcon and
Home Depot, and pouring in hard-earned money on bathwares, wood tiles and wood variants, accents and other furnishings. Gab’s also out of his wits trying to find a perfect balance between imported, top-of-the-line wood floorings and pretty albeit cheaper alternatives. (i.e., vinyl). Still, we’re doubly happy that our “
contemporary café and country” motif for the condo is literally taking shape, color, and within our budget :)
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| Gab's quirky love for louver |
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| non-expandable WOOD TILES! |
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| fyi, I helped handpick these gorgeous wood vinyls :) |
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| our first lavatory :) [not included, rustic washbasin] |
Our JOYRIDE is blazing on at full speed, taking away every breath and peso imaginable! And because Gabby remains adamant about his
DIY items despite needing to cram these into his furious wedding, work and condo schedules, we have to labor twice or thrice as hard to achieve our targets and deadlines before August arrives.
And August, ladies and gentlemen, is when we de-stress. Or intend to, at the very least, stress and fuss less over the many details that tend to drive each and every couple crazy days before their D-day!
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| Will Gabby ever pull it off?? :) |
Oh and my Dad arrived three weeks ago hence the traditional meeting/ dinner of our families will be move earlier than scheduled. :) Can anyone say,
“Meet the Fockers?”
The 2-month countdown is already on, and my office-mates, friends and family have already been doing the counting ahead of us. So we use their cute reminders as motivation to push us forward with a smile, even as the mounting pressure of a million plans and promises weighs us down.
So thank you June –
you were a helluva ride! We enjoyed the cool gust of sea and wind on an otherwise tepid solstice, the sweet cups of coffee that got us through merciless days and nights, and the community of old and new friends alike,
who’ve inspired and continue to inspire us to dream and live ON for another day.
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| Post-prenup shoot nightcap and Tito's birthday buffet @ 7 CORNERS! :) |
It may seem for others that our joint dinner might have come a tad too late as so much progress has already took place the past 12 months!! But first and foremost we didn’t want any parent to miss this particular tradition, for whatever reason. Alas, it was only July 2011 in which the stars and schedules aligned for a perfect, joyous, laughter-filled evening. (we did miss Gab's kuya Paul who's overseas) And anyway, this dinner was not set up for Gab to bare his intentions of marrying me before my family -- because he had done already won them over a year ago, all on his own. :)
