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.

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.

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

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: