DIY Invitations! :D

This is one of the wedding preparation activities I enjoyed the most because (1) I love publication design and layout, (2) the invitations got the most positive feedback out of all the wedding items we have and (3) I love the fact that I was able to personalize our wedding invitation, put just all the stuff that we want in exactly the way we want without compromising its quality. In fact, some of its recipients won't believe they were not professionally made. :) The bonus part is it cost very little! Believe me!

We did the invitations little by little, starting from a few weeks ago. Of course, the first step is to conceptualize the package, the content, the format, the look. After deciding on how it will look like, what materials to use and where to buy them, we bought the materials from Veco Paper Corporation (specialty boards and paper cutter), National Bookstore (stencil and printing materials) and some other merchandise stores.

We started by cutting the very large specialty boards into our invitation size + 0.5-inch allowance on all sides. This was made more difficult than I expected by our two paper cutters (one that has a very blunt blade, and one that is very small)

May 13, 2011

Then, I started drafting layouts, choosing between borders, backgrounds, font faces, color shades, etc. We even conducted a mini survey on the nicest background and border. After finalizing the design, we printed them out and then individually cut the area outside the crop marks. Next, I designed the print that will go in the stationery cover/envelope. And this is what I made.

Dear Daddy

Dear daddy,

It has been exactly ten years since you left us. Ten years since I and the whole family lost a father. It has been quite a long time during which I never stopped missing you, never stopped remembering you. But despite the years that have passed, I guess there will never be time long enough for us to forget you.

The daddy's girl that I am, I have always thought of you in all of my achievements. I dreamed and longed for your presence in the most important days of my life - my elementary, high school and college graduation ceremonies, my admission in UP and my membership in many organizations and a sorority, having great friends, campaigning for the Sanggunian Kabataan post and winning the Barangay Kagawad position - all those that I know you will be proud of.

I have always known how proud you are of me (even during my failures as a child) and I have always imagined your face, your encouragement and happiness during the happy days of my life. I regret that I will never be able to personally present to you my achievements that are your gifts and I hate the fact that they have outlived you.

For ten long years, I never got used to your absence. And now, more than ever, I badly want you back. I want to share with you the joys of my love, my emotions as I prepare for my wedding, and my worries for its fast approach. I will never know your reaction (to my decision to marry, my choice of partner and the wedding details) and I will never see you on our big day. And that is a mystery I will carry forever. Up until now, there are still some people who discourage me from marrying. Above anything else, I know and appreciate their good intentions. I know they love me; so daddy, bless and guide them. Bless and guide our decision, and for all the that matters, please give us your blessing.

You have made me, mommy and my siblings ten years stronger. And that's just one of the least of reasons why I will be forever grateful to you.

Hair and Make-up Trial

The trial hair and makeup was part of the package I availed from Raven of Ravenism Beauty Consultancy Services. It was a tedious but enjoyable process during which you will see how detailed and passionate Raven is about bringing out the bride's best wedding look.

I noticed she diligently practices the virtue "Less is more" when it comes to make-up, which is good. As per our cooperation in the trial, we opted for the fresh, radiant no-make-up look for the ceremony with a second lip and eye make-up for the evening reception. The following is a chronological collage of the trial from the application of base foundation up to the dry run of the haristyle.

Fittings

We only had one fitting of our wedding clothes. Why? Because Mandy and my mom suddenly turned conservative after a very casual incident when I wore the upper half of my gown. Initially, both Mandy and I rejected older beliefs regarding fitting our wedding clothes. We had to fit our coat and gown so that we can accommodate adjustments far from our wedding day. So he tried on his coat and I tried on the top part of my gown during the first fitting.

However, just when I wore my gown's top, the wind blew hard and all the doors of our house slammed close. Consequently, my mommy and Mandy thought it had meaning, a message from my departed daddy. Yes. And then immediately afterwards, they became paranoid like never before, forcing me to "take off that f***ing gown!!!" Okay, so after that, it became clear that I will only wear my gown on the wedding day even if it won't fit. The funniest of all is that Mandy thought the same for his coat, and so he refuses to try it on.

Wedding Checklist (Updated as of May 25)

The following is a list of all the wedding requirements and items to be accounted for:

• Wedding ceremony site - Reserved
• Officiating priest - Booked
• Church requirements - Waiting for appointment
• Reception venue - Reserved
• Prep area - 
• Hair and Makeup - Booked
• Photography - Booked
• Videography - Booked
• Bridal Gown - Final touches
• Entourage Gowns - Production
• Groom's suit - Delivered
• Wedding rings - Delivered
• Flowers and styling - Booked
• Sounds and lights - Booked
• Cake and desserts - Booked
• Invitation - For delivery
• OTD Coordination - Booked
• Wedding souvenirs - For pick up
• Guestbook and tarp- Pre-production
• Marriage license and other legal documents - Finished

Those that are left blank are not yet booked due to (1) difficulty in choosing supplier; (2) inability to talk to owner/supplier for booking; (3) procrastination; or (4) proximity or inaccessibility of supplier.
Please comment if I have missed anything and if you have suggestions. Thank you. :)

Monogram or Ambigram?

Instead of the usual monogram of our names' initials, we are thinking of using an ambigram for all stationeries to be used on the wedding day. I remember making an ambigram more than three years ago, as I was inspired by the art in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons:

But for the conventional us, we also made this monogram design:

Prenup Photos (Set 3)

This last installment, the vintage-themed set, is the highlight of the prenup pictorial. This was the easiest one to make because the venue, costume and props alone can do the work. And the post-processing of the photos! They made all the elements jive and produce the desired effect. Yey!

Prenup Photos (Set 2)

The second of the three parts has a romantic lambingan sa damuhan theme. :)) Though maraming ka-kengkoyan at failed attempts to "capture romance" (may buhat-buhat at pikit-pikit pa ;p), I believe we were able to pull it off. Or, did we? I like the color and contrast of the photos in this set. Magandang pang-poster and album! :D Don't hesitate to post comments and suggestions. It will help us a lot.

Prenup Photos (Set 1)

The first theme of the prenup shoot is a casual street-scene love story. I requested the photographers to take sequence shots of the "love story" so I can use them in making a time-lapse video. This set is a very kengkoy one. We had so much fun doing this. Sabi nga, sulit ang pagod, especially with the teaser I was able to make out of David Garmsen's photos. Yay! Enjoy! :)

Prenuptial Shoot

We had our prenuptial shoot a month ago in UP Diliman. It was a whole-day activity which was both fun and tiring. Thankfully, it did not rain hard despite the continuous downpour in the last few days. Well, it was drizzling and the sky remained cloudy. But even this worked to our advantage; the natural light was warm and perfect -- not too dark because there was sunlight, but not so bright because there were clouds. God is really great! Three themes were shot in three locations, with different looks and concepts, courtesy of our dream team of suppliers. Thanks, guys! :)

Here are the behind-the-scene photos:

Prenup Video

The very tiring shoot was compensated by the really beautiful output from David Garmsen, Fritz Dalida and the whole crew. As if those were not enough, the prenup shoot is highlighted by this wonderful video made by the very talented Francis Monfort (okay, sipsip na). But so true! Watch this to find out.

BTS Kima and Mandy PreNup Photo Shoot from Francis Monfort on Vimeo.

If you're interested to get his services, don't hesitate to email me, Francis' manager. Hehe

Bridesmaids Dress

Choosing the design for the bridesmaids' dress is the second most difficult thing next to the bridal gown. Firstly, many of the bride's wedding photos will be with her bridesmaids. Also, the bridesmaids are expected to be ones of the best dressed.

Initially, I chose the following designs for the initially four bridesmaids: four different necklines with the same skirt for the four special ladies.

The initial plan was that the bridesmaids will wear tea-length dresses so that they can still use them after the wedding. However, later on, as I browsed through wedding photos, I found these and realized that it will be more formal and prettier for their dresses to be as long as mine:

It's Officially Official

Wish I could post a video recording of fiance's and lolo's speeches, but we didn't have a good camera (Boo!). Pamamanhikan is a really very fun event, not only because the family is complete, but also because it is a right time to turn emo. :))

Pamamanhikan, which officially marks the start of the wedding preparations, involves the husband-to-be asking for the hands of his wife-to-be from none other than her whole (as in whole) family. The guy's family brings food for everyone to share for the most important part of the ritual: dinner! :D

The following are some photos (sorry, phone cam lang) of the happy family gathering that happened just a few hours ago:

Prudence and Dignity

These two magic words make me not need a motto. They make a summary of what a person I am, and they practically make my life easier. They reinforced what I already believed in and they made my values stronger. They're the number one reason why I will be forever grateful to our sorority, my recruiter and all my great teachers there.

Whenever I feel unsure about anything -- from approaching a person to making a lifetime commitment with him -- I consider prudence and dignity as both a life guide and criteria for my every decision.

Though part of the sorority's code is secrecy, I know that it will also think it prudent to share these wealth to everyone: Prudence is doing the right thing at the right time in the right place to the right person. While every person has his or her own concept of what is right, there should be a consideration of what is good for most people. But since righteousness is subjective, there will be objections and criticisms of whatever your decision is. That's where dignity comes in. Dignity is standing up for what you believe is right. No matter how bad people think about your decision, your job is to stand by it and prove that you made the right thing.

When I decided to study Journalism in UP, I faced many objections, encountered many of my fears and frustrations. Same as when I decided to get into a relationship at the start of college, when I decided to join the Sorority despite the many prejudices, when I decided to stay in a relationship with someone 12 years older than me and who has a lot of burden behind him. I believe I was prudent in all of those decisions. And I will forever stand by them.

Now, I decide to settle down, bind myself to a lifetime commitment and risk my happiness, my and my children's future to a man whose own future is uncertain. The only question now is dignity.