For British Nationals planning to get married in Philippines

Marriage license is the most important requirement to have for you to get married and without it, wedding preparations even how lavish or simple it is will be useless.

Okay, since we got engaged last November 2013, the rule for British Nationals who will be getting married in Philippines and based overseas was to apply for certificate of no impediment in UK Embassy where he is residing (which for us is UAE) and they will send it to UK Embassy in Philippines where we can collect it but as of 23rd June 2014, they changed the rules/ requirements to below:

From UK Embassy site:

The Consular Section now administers affirmations or affidavits to marry. Local authorities have confirmed that they will accept this document. This replaces the old-style Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)

You must prepare a type written affirmation of affidavit of marital status, following below template before you attend the Consular Section. British applicants are required to personally appear at teh embassy. Document must follow this template- Font size 12, Times New Roman, 1.5cm margin all around.

Note: An affidavit is an applicant's written statement confirmed by taking his/ her religious oath (e.g. oath on a Bible or Koran), whereas an affirmation is an applicant's solemn, non-religious declaration of his/her facts. You should bring supporting documents relating to the facts indicated on your affirmation/ affidavit. 

You may set an appointment with the Consular Section via the British Embassy Manila online appointment system www.britishembassymanila.clickbook.net or send them an email with three (3) prefered dates/ schedule at Manila.ConsAppointment@fco.gov.uk Consular staff will not process applications of customers who come to the Embassy without a prepared affirmation or affidavit or without complete supporting documents. You will be asked to book another appointment once all documents are ready

Supporting Documents (Provide originals and corresponding photocopies)

-  Original UK passport and original UK birth certificate

-  If widow/ widower, present original death certificate of deceased spouse, or a certified copy

     -  If spouse died in the Philippines, present:

              -  Original death certificate of deceased spouse

              -  Advisory on marriage (CRS Form 5) in lieu of a CENOMAR from the National Statistics                    Office

              -  Marriage Certificate with proper annotation declaring, if applicable, the presumptive death                  of spouse

-  If divorced/ annulled, present original divorce decree absolute/ annulment papers, or a certified          copy.

     -  If annulled in the Philippines, please present the following documents:

              -  Advisory of Marriage Records (CRS Form 5) in lieu of a CENOMAR from the National                      Statistics Office

              -  certificate of Finality and full court documents, including decision

              -  marriage certificate, with proper annotation declaring the marriage null and void

Due to the new rules, we sent them an email to set an appointment. We gave 3 preferred dates and they confirmed the first date but early morning so even though it will be an additional expense on our part, we flew back to Philippines and booked a hotel nearby the embassy to avoid peak hour traffic and miss our appointment. Please note that nothing mentioned that "I" (Bride) MUST be there but Steve said that it will be handy for both of us to be present incase they have questions.

Our appointment is at 0845hrs and reached the embassy at 0820hrs but upon approaching the guards and informing them about our appointment, we were asked to stay outside while trying to contact the staff inside the embassy so we stayed there with the rest of the people with appointments. It's already passed 0900hrs when they started calling people to enter the vicinity which is quite disappointing. 

On a positive side, we're second on the appointment list so it didnt take long for us to go inside and stayed in an air-conditioned room. Please make sure that you have all the requirements needed for your Affirmation/ Affidavit following above guidelines. The 1st couple before us who came all the way from Cebu wasn't able to process his authenticated Affirmation due to missing type-written form and they have to go back and set another appointment. 

Roughly, it only took 30 minutes for Steve to finish the whole process from submission of the requirements to the Consular up to receiving the authenticated Affirmation Certificate. The Consular asked Steve some details about where we met, how long we've been together and wedding details. 

UK Embassy Manila Address:

120 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hills, Taguig City 1634

Tel: 00632 8582200

(Behind Korean Embassy) 

Website for the complete instructions for application, including payment and requirements: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marriage-in-the-philippines.  

For the Consular rates/fees, please refer to the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/philippines-consular-fees

IMPORTANT REMINDERS (from UK Embassy, Manila):

-  Under the perjury Act (1911) it is a criminal offence to knowingly make a false declaration.                Offenders face the possibility of a fine and/ or a jail sentence.

-  You should apply for a marriage license from the Philippine local icvil registrar once the                    affirmation/ affidavit has been completed. The process normally takes 10 working days.

-  Please fulfill other requirements set by the Philippine authorities. If your fiancee/ fiance was                previously married, you must ensure to submit their complete divorce/ annulment documents. 

-  You may wish to seek legal advice to ensure the validity of your fiancee/ finace's foreign divorce in    the Philippines. Certain restrictions may apply to Philippine nationals who were divorced overseas.

-  An affidavit/ affirmation does not make your marriage valid under UK or foreign law, or guarantee    to the local authorities that you are free to marry. You may wish to seek legal advice on this.

M7 Bespoke- Groom and Groomsmen's Attire

December was really a tough month for Steve and I, both wedding preparation and work wise but life must go on and since it's only 4 months before the wedding and he still doesn't have a suit, Steve has to focus and work double time to find a suit for him and for the men entourage.

Since it is a beach wedding and peak summer season in Philippines, wearing a suit is totally not advisable. Steve decided to have beige waistcoat and trouser for him and for his entourage.

When he had time to fly back to UK for a week, he had an opportunity to have a bonding with his best man, Nick and his wife Rachel in finding a wedding suit but to his dismay, the color he preferred is not available during winter in UK and when he returned home, we tried to look around but either no waistcoat or color available then I remembered M7 Bespoke. I used to check their FB page and website as I really like their work!

I tried contacting Moni, the owner of M7 Bespoke and to my surprise, she was very accommodating! I requested for an earliest weekend appointment since we're both not available during weekdays and we are an hour away from her not to mention that we're already running out of time as Steve's groomsmen we're all over the globe lol! She managed to squeeze her schedule to meet us.

First impressions last... I love the style of her jacket that time! How unique, tastefully designed and how bespoke it was and I know we're on the right track! She's the one we are looking for!

Steve told her what he wants; from style, to color, to type of fabric and the quality. In an instant, she pulled out a sample of the type of the fabric Steve's looking for and start discussing the details. She really nailed it! Steve, knowing how picky he is, was convinced that Moni of M7 Bespoke will be the one to make his and his groomsmen's suit!

Confirmed Ysabela Florist

Since we will be having a beach wedding, we will be needing a great stylist and florist to transform an open beach to the style we envision for our ceremony and reception dinner... we all know that it will really be a hard work and only few can only really pull it off.

With the concept, Steve opted to leave it up to me and Revianne... I already have a vision but really can't find images or how to express exactly what that vision is but I do know the  following:

• I don't like one color/ style look and roses...
• My over all wedding color scheme is grapefruit, tangerine and lemon 
• I don’t want fake flowers
• I hate tear drop or ball bouquets
• I want some unique elements and designs present but shouldn't be taken away the romantic scenic view of the beach especially during sunset and love the hanging lanterns/ lights to have a romantic feeling or atmosphere during night time. 

I discussed it with Revianne and with that in mind, she knew exactly which supplier to contact... Ysabela florist!

When we went back to Philippines for a short holiday, we had a chance to meet Ms. Weng to finalize everything and we're personally convinced that we made a right choice of having them as our florist/ stylist. She is so nice and very soft spoken. She knows what I envision and she already have a layout design which i really love! I also requested some additional accessories for the Junior Brides' bouquets and she was very generous to do it... free of charge!

I really enjoyed that meeting and while her discussing the details, I can no longer absorb what she's saying due to excitement! This is it... We are really getting married soon! After more than a year of preparation, it's all coming into place and by talking to Ms. Weng and Revianne... this is really a wedding dream come true to both of us!!!

Well, there's nothing wrong (I think!) to be a Bridezilla once in a while... Ms. Weng asked me some details/ ideas we like to make it more personalized and according to our taste and my response is...

"SURPRISE US MS. WENG!" hahaha! and she gladly accepted the challenge!!!

Well, I am not worried... with the design layout and how they presented it plus seeing some photos of their work and not to forget the help and assistance of Revianne (She knows our taste!) I know that they can pull it off!!!

Ohhh can't wait to see the result!

Confirmed Fireworks: Dragon Fireworks by Hans Ong

During the Surprise Birthday and Engagement Party a year ago, Steve surprised me with some firework displays. Our neighbors and even the people nearby our area were amazed how pretty it was... Of course, you cannot blame them as we're only used to seeing fireworks during New Year's Eve and or Government Elections... lol :) If Steve managed to have it during my birthday then definitely he will have more than enough budget for the fireworks to our wedding!

Its already last week of our holiday in Philippines and we no longer have time to book for an appointment so we tried our luck and went to Dragon Fireworks office in Ortigas to meet Hans Ong. Unfortunately, he was out of the office for a meeting and not planning of coming back that day. We asked the assistant if we could have at least talk to him over the phone and to our surprise, he still remembered Steve and will be coming back to the office to meet us!

We waited for couple of hours but it is really worth the wait knowing that we don't even have an appointment but still, he accommodated us. It was my first time to meet him but you will instantly feel comfortable talking to him (actually to all the staff).

After the brainstorming and finalizing the details, Steve paid them cash... that is for the great assistance and Steve's love for fireworks!

To contact them:

DFX Professional Systems Inc.

Unit C-24, Bldg. B, Ortigas Home Depot, 

Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig City

Tel. 7065789 / 92, 5713871

http://www.dragonfireworks.com

Choosing Your Bridal Party

Agonizing over which friends and/or relatives will be your bridesmaids and/or maid/matron of honor? Choosing the bridal party can be difficult for even the most blunt and straight forward bride-to be. Consider the below factors before making your choices:

How Many?

Are you a bride with few close friends, or a social butterfly? Do you have a large family unit of female cousins and sisters? Will your wedding be a grand affair, or a small and intimate event? All these points need to be considered when choosing how many people you will have in your bridal party.

Bear in mind, the more bridesmaids you choose, the more complications could arise, too many opinions can spoil the fun. Remember, if you are on a tight budget, YOU are the one who pays for the bouquets, the gifts and sometimes the bridal party attire, so choosing a few close friends/family members may be the better choice. However if budget is not an issue to you and you simply can’t choose between your close ones, there is no rule of thumb these days as to how many bridesmaids you can choose, although do consider the amount of groomsmen your groom will have, you don’t want a completely uneven number..

Where do they live?

If you're an expat bride like me, which means you are likely to have close female friends on both sides of the pond. What do you expect from your bridesmaids? Will simple moral support suffice, or do you expect hands on assistance with D.I.Y projects, décor, etc? If it’s the latter, think twice about asking friends who live far away, firstly they won’t be on hand to help you 24/7, secondly, they may not be able to afford the expense of travelling to be at your wedding. You don’t want to find yourself getting frustrated with a friend you knew wouldn't be able to give you all the help you wanted or even be able to make to your wedding. However, if your only care is to have those closest to you on the day, then asking someone back home could be an option, they are more likely to be life time friends who know you better than anyone.

I personally asked my sister to be my Matron of Honor, two of my of my closest female friends, two of Steve's family friend and the rest are my cousins staying in Philippines. 

Other Honors

If you feel as you have had a hard time making your bridal party decision, bear in mind that there are plenty of other roles good friends can play in your wedding if they have not been chosen, such as handing out programs, performing a song or reading a poem. For us, we will be having a Secondary sponsor to light the candle, to put the veil and cord.

Proposing:

Lastly, asking your bridal party to be your bridal party can be fun! Why not send them all a special handmade card entitled ‘Will you be my………? or invite them for lunch and surprise them all with your question, or you can do what I did, giving my chosen ladies (within reach) a gift with a question answerable by yes or no!

They all loved the attention to detail and gladly accepted.

Confirmed Wedding Cake: Judy Uson, The Cake Artist

Time flies... it is already our last week of holiday in Philippines yet, we still have couple of things to finalize and that includes the cake.

Since the detailing is already finished and personally confident that they can do it... it's now time for the cake tasting. They have eight or nine flavors of the cake. First flavor was the Carrot Walnut, I do admit that I don't like carrot cake but when I tasted this carrot walnut, it is super nice! Steve and my brother-in-law also liked it! Unfortunately, I really had a bad cough that time and it worsen that I can hardly breathe after having a small portion of the cake sample (but it's not their fault) so I just let them do the cake tasting and the rest is history.

They all liked the flavors but when we asked them which flavors we will be having for our cake, they said that they already forgot and Steve jokingly requesting for another batch of cake sample! Means that he liked the cakes! Since I wasn't able to taste the rest of the cakes, Steve and Raymond decided to have four flavors: Carrot Walnut which I tasted and liked, Red Velvet, Lemon Butter and the last is the Tropical Pineapple. Looking forward to taste all those three flavors on the wedding!

Steve, surprisingly liked all the flavors except for the chocolate which he said too sweet for him (though my sister liked it), we decided to upfront confirm with Judy Uson and inform Revianne to cancel the other appointment. Somehow, I felt bad for not giving the other supplier a chance to amaze us but with the positive reviews of Steve, my brother-in-law and my sister... No regrets!

Cake Tasting #1

While Revianne is trying to set an appointment with her trust-worthy cake suppliers for the cake tasting, one of the suppliers I knew from Girltalk brides' referrals confirmed that he can make our cake exactly as I draw it and in a cheaper price, so to our excitement and "This is it" feeling, Revianne set a meeting with him in Gateway, Cubao.

Steve and I we're also with my sister and brother-in-law who knows baking & love cakes. Though the meeting is at 3pm, we all decided to go there earlier due since we're quite far and my brother-in-law's car is coding. Good thing that we went there ahead of time as the place is packed due to UAAP (Lasalle-Ateneo Juniors) game and raining hard as well so many people we're stocked in the traffic including Revianne who wasn't able to join us and the cake supplier who was 30-45 minutes late.

When he arrived, we started the discussion. He is a nice bloke. He can also communicate with us well but when I mentioned about the TV series I am watching, he didn't say something about it so maybe he is not familiar. Well, it doesn't matter anyway... To be honest,  his rate is cheaper compared to some suppliers we were talking with based on the design and details. He showed us some photos of his work and confirmed that he can make it so the deciding point will be the taste.

He brought out his 3 cake flavors; chocolate ganache, banana walnut and red velvet. We all tasted the cake samples and we all agreed that it is not worth the long wait. Banana walnut icing is just ordinary, Chocolate ganache is too heavy and sweet, and the red velvet has really strong sour taste of the apple cider. To top it up, the cake itself was all dry... it's like it's been his stock for ages. Steve straight to the point told him "I don't like this, too dry, I don't like this too sweet and this as well, too sour do you have any other cake flavors to offer?" He said he only has those 3 flavors for the cake but willing to adjust the flavors according to our taste but we all 4 decided that he is not the right supplier for us...

The meeting only lasted for like 20 minutes. We called Revianne to inform her about what happened and to ask for another appointment with another supplier since we both want to finalize all the suppliers before we go back to UAE. Hope next one will be the last!

Wedding Cake

For some couple, wedding cake is not a top priority but for us... it is essential as wedding cakes were made to be shared by all and bring good luck to all guests and couple.

Like wedding dresses, I am fond of watching "The Cake Boss", "Amazing Wedding Cakes", "The Next Great Baker" and that made me think outside the box.

None in the wedding will be traditionally formal including the cake! Typical wedding cake with formal- flowery design is really not our style. We both want a cake design that is unique and will tell a story of "US".

Revianne referred some cake suppliers but when she founds out that my wedding cake design requires TLC, not to mention considering the outdoor venue and striking heat of the summer, she told me that she needs to check it first with the vendors. Some suppliers say they can manage to do it but I am not satisfied with the way they described the possible design so to make things easier for all of us... I will be the one to conceptualize and draw the design.

It will be a "West meets East" design... minor changes will be totally fine with me for as long as the concept will still be there. So now that the design is already done, all we have to do is to find a Cake artist that can truly make our cake design possible on a reasonable price. Take note, Steve is not a cake lover so for him to like a cake is really something...

Surprise Birthday and Engagement Party

He may not be a showy-type of boyfriend, never gave flowers nor chocolates, celebrates monthsaries or goes on a movie date like a typical bf/gf does but he makes it appoint that he will let me feel every single day how precious and lucky I am to have and be with him.

Before my birthday dinner, we already agreed that we will just have a family dinner exactly on my birthday and that we will just have a barbecue dinner on a weekend as 2nd part of my birthday celebration with some of close friends and relatives nearby our area. He even told me “Just invite your closest cousins and neighbors since it’s only bbq and I don’t want to have plenty of people around”. Though irritated, it was really not a big deal to have or not to have a birthday party so I just invited cousins near to our place and some few friends but when I asked them to confirm, they never contacted me at all… quite frustrated but that’s life, they might be busy and I do understand.

Early morning on the day of the barbecue party, Steve woke me up to go to a salon and pamper myself. I really refused since first, my hair is fine and secondly, it was my holiday and I didn’t want to wake up early. I kept on telling him that I didn’t want to go there and preferred to just stay at home and help them do the marinating but my mom and my sister Sharon told me that they would love to go and have their hair done. Even Rhyz and Shyne were interested so I had no choice but to go with them and stayed there all day from 930am- 6pm.

Everyone, once finished went home until only Mom and I we're left there. When mom finished her hair, we called the house and told them that they can now pick us up. To my surprise, my uncle, Diko Iking was the one who showed up saying that the guys were too busy for the barbecue party (his place is in Cavite which is approximately 3 hours’ drive from our area!) And not only that, at the gate of our subdivision, I even saw my cousin with her boyfriend waiting for a tricycle (3-wheeled motorcycle) so I told my mom and uncle that I saw Makki and asked mom to stop to get them but mom said that they might be going to a party elsewhere and kids were already waiting for us so we have to be in a hurry. While approaching the house, there were tents outside, elegant table arrangements, catering and almost all my relatives and friends were there... I was really stunned!  That was really a surprise!

Steve in connivance with my family, arranged everything including fireworks displays, catering services and invited everyone. I only asked for a dinner with my family but what he gave me was an experience I will truly treasure for the rest of my life. He told me that he’s about to propose on that day in front of my relatives and friends but since he already proposed… this is now my surprised birthday and our engagement party that ended up at 6am the following day! Take note, my Uncle Romy said that he got drunk twice that night! 

Best Birthday ever had!

Pre-nuptial Photoshoot: WAWA DAM

It was sunny and the humidity was high in the morning then suddenly be raining in the afternoon almost everyday during our holiday in Philippines and that made Steve suffered from cough and colds. I even considered cancelling the Pre-nup shoot Steve said that he will be fine and that we no longer have time as we still have lots of things to finalize before our holiday ends so...

Pre-nup day, I woke up at 5am, took a shower, dry my hair and wait for Khite at home for the HMU and when she arrived, we started the preparation right away. As what I have said on my previous blog, the hair and make up is truly loved!

There are lots of nice ideas for the pre-nup but for Steve, Pre-nup should be how "We" are as a couple in our daily lives... no drama... no fancy clothing... and everyone agreed to that point of view so we will just get something from the 2 luggage of clothes we brought with us to Philippines.

We're done with HMU when Steve woke up and started getting ready. To be honest, we're really not prepared. Steve is not feeling well, busy attending wedding appointments, we also have other things to do that we forgot to make sure that we will be ready for the Pre-nup. No confirmed clothes to wear, no accessories, we don't even know which shoes to be used but when Revianne arrived, she suggested some clothes we can wear so we just grabbed it from the hanger and that's it... Ready to go! Good thing that Revianne was there to guide us... she is our Wedding Planner, Yes! But it's not part of her service to join us in our Pre-nup session... she just wants to make sure that everything is okay and she's doing it for free... Bless her! Russel and his team said that they will just go straight to the venue so everything was set and we're on our way to Wawa Dam.

Wawa Dam is located in San Rafael, Rodriguez Rizal and one of the eco-tourism sites in Southern Tagalog Region. There's a District office in charged for the peace & order and Tourism office to preserve the beauty of the place based in the area. It is free to go and visit but if you're going to have a photo shoot regardless if it is a Pre-nup or for commercial purposes, both offices have fees. We we're able to meet (Ms) Guy, a very humble yet very accommodating head from the District office who assisted us with the permits and getting us tour guides. Please be aware that the tour guide's fee is not included on the fees you paid to the District and Tourism. They are volunteers but it is expected to give them any fare amount for their time and it will be great to be generous enough to include them in your food budget.

Entrance to Wawa Dam is somehow a residential area and you have to walk few kilometers to reach the target location.

Since it is between 2 mountains, be prepared to have inclined walks, cross some metal bridges over looking the river and since it is rainy season, make sure to use a non-slippery shoes. Warning: This place is not for people with Acrophobia or afraid of heights!

Due to long walk, we we're all sweating when we reached the destination. We rented a nipa hut for Php100/day and waited for Russel and his team to arrive to start the photo shoot. My nephew almost regret coming with us and my sister who's pregnant was surprised (as well as myself!) as this is not the Wawa Dam we knew decades ago... it is still beautiful (don't get me wrong) just with more houses being built near the dam so it looks like populated and visible signs of vandalism but it also has improvements like bridges and fences.

Since not prepared, my sister and brother-in-law went back to the town to buy food and drinks. It's almost lunch time when Russel and his team arrived so we decided to just wait for the food and have lunch before we start. Expect loitering dogs, cats and chickens in the area especially while eating, they're after your leftover food.

Okay! Pre-nup... It feels awkward to pose in front of the camera because we are not used to it specially Steve. We don't know what to do but Russel and Ial made us feel comfortable and tell to just be ourselves... So photo shoot begins!

There's also an area where Steve was quite hesitant to go because he doesn't know what's under the water but they we're able to persuade Steve to try... and it turned out really nice!

and not to forget about below breathtaking view... Only in Wawa Dam

After the 1st session, it started to rain so we have to go back to the nipa hut and wait for the rain to stop. But when? what time? we're running out of day light so Russel and team decided to just do some random shots while sitting and another lovely photos have been taken!

The tour guides said that there are still some nice spots on the other side of the mountain but we have to cross by boat for Php10/head and since due to almost everyday raining, the water current is quite strong so we opted not to take risk. One of the tour guides also mentioned that there is one more nice location near the residential area so when the rain almost stopped, we decided to pack our things and head up to the last location near the parking area while Jeffrey, the videographer capture some video footage for our Wedding teaser (this is to follow... I still don't have a copy yet).

Everyone is knackered but it's all worth it! Steve despite of not feeling well, still enjoyed and admired the place. He even asked me why we never been in that area before lol :)

For the people who made this photo shoot possible... Thank you so much! To Ms. Guy of Wawa District and to our tour guides, Richard and Ronald for assisting us. To my Sister, Brother-in-Law and my Nephew who woke up early to help and support us all through out the day (Rain or Shine). To Revianne who's always been with us the whole photo sessions regardless if she's already sweating just to assist us. Giving us tissue, asking if we need water, doing everything possible just to make sure that we're both fine. To Khite, for making me gorgeous all day long, making sure that my HMU are still okay and for conquering your fear of heights just to be with us... lol :) and to Russel, Ial and Jeffrey for the fun, experience and lovely photos... See you all soon!

HMUA: Christine "Khite" Bautista

I love make-up a lot! I even wanted to enroll myself in a professional make up classes but due to limited available time, it's been put on hold.

For our wedding, I am also particular with the HMUA. Since we will be having a beach wedding and the place is quite in a secluded area, the package we will be getting is HMU for the couple plus the entourage. HMUA and his/ her team must be talented enough to enhance our beauty.

I started searching online, asking referrals from friends & relatives and finally short-listed 3 HMUAs; 2 in Manila area and 1 in Batangas area but since we only need 1, based on the quality of the make-up they are using, the before and after photos of their previous clients and how professional they are, we came up to a final decision of choosing Christine "Khite" Bautista from Manila area. Trial session will be on the day of our Pre-nup.

After couple of months, Pre-nup day finally arrived. Since we only have 1 venue, Khite and I set our call time to 6am in our place in Rodriguez, Rizal. Maybe due to excitement and since that time, Steve is not feeling well, I wasn't able to sleep. The result: Eye bags!

In-fairness to Khite, she lost her way to the house but still managed to be on time. Upon reaching home, she immediately set-up her mobile make-up table and started fixing my hair. I did offer breakfast but she said she's fine so we continued with the preparation. For me, It was a very early call time since my body clock was still 4 hours behind and I'm still adjusting but I never felt sleepy or bored while doing my hair and make-up as Khite and I were talking like we already knew each other for long time. She's really nice and sweet! After more than an hour, we're done and that's the only time she had her breakfast.

My make-up... Superb! I even once asked her why I do looks like Pokwang when she applied the foundation but she told me that she's not yet done and when she finished... it's really a transformation and can't help reminiscing my younger years when I used to join beauty contests and always one of the representatives of Flores de Mayo in my hometown.

During the Pre-nup, I had 2 HMU looks and both loved it. I only had a traditional make-up but still lasted the whole day so what more for an air brush make-up she will be using on our wedding day?

Really excited and looking forward to that big day! 

All about Wedding Theme, Invitations and Color Palette

We told Revianne that we wanted to have a beach wedding and since we already have a venue, next thing to do is finalize the color palette: We cannot start with the planning and conceptualizing till we find the right color for the wedding.

After checking all options, we short-listed 3 color palettes and asked our family and friends to choose which they think is the best color to describe the wedding and us as a couple and we came up to a final decision of choosing the Lemon-Tangerine-Grapefruit color palette. 

After finalizing the color palette, Revianne start conceptualizing everything and even generous enough to create a monogram for us. Since almost half of the guests will be from other countries and other half needs to drive approximately 4 hours to reach the venue, we came up with an idea of having a Passport type invitation. Revianne was very helpful to do the layout and design from the invitation cover to the packaging... feel blessed to have a Wedding Coordinator like her!

Bridal Gown & Entourage Gowns: Carla Ignacio

It is important for me as a Bride to look (almost) perfect on my wedding day and for it to happen, there are things to consider and one of those are the Bridal Gown.

When I got engaged, I spent a lot of time watching Bridal TV series and it includes all about bridal gowns like "Say Yes To The Dress", "Perfect Wedding Dress" and "Something Borrowed, Something New" to have an idea which style will complement my body type.

I already have this style in mind... but I'm not sure if it fits in our budget. 

Somehow, we felt the pain of planning our wedding (in Philippines) while we're both here in the Middle East. We don't know which to purchase here and which to purchase in Philippines and one of the issues is the gown. Initially, we decided to purchase the bridal gown here in UAE so as early as beginning of year 2014, with the help of my bridesmaids and friends, we started looking for a bridal couturier and the best style I've seen is the work of Michael Cinco but it is way too beyond our budget so unfortunately, we cannot get his service. Also, there's an issue, I have a chubby figure and I do tend to gain weight fast (especially if I'm stressed!). We will go back to Philippines 3 weeks before the wedding and no one can guarantee that my size in 3 weeks of staying in Philippines will still be the same size as what I will be having on the big day. What if I gained weight? who will be the one to alter the gown? what if there will be minor adjustment/s on the day itself? Lots of questions bothering me so we decided to consider looking for some options in Philippines.

It's already given that Filipinos are naturally born talented. There are lots of well-known designers/ couturiers in Philippines but expensive as well. Personally, I don't want to spend beyond hundreds for my wedding gown knowing that somehow, there will still be talented Filipino designers who can create a gown within budget. It doesn't mean that expensive is equivalent to stunning or gorgeous... it still depends on how you carry yourself as a bride and how happy/ inspired you are as your inner self will definitely reflect. Also, it depends on the designer on how she can visualize yourself in your dream bridal gown to check if that certain style will complement your body, give ideas and opinion without maximizing your budget... that kind of couturier is the one we are looking for.

While browsing the internet, I saw an FB bridal page named Carla Ignacio Bridal Collection and Beyond which one of my friends liked. I checked it and started liking her collection. She also deals with overseas brides like me so I decided to contact her and she really does respond promptly. After several emails and phone calls, I know that she is the one! Her very accommodating approach, the cheerful voice and her being herself every time we we're talking made me decide to confirm and signed the contract. She will be the one to do my Bridal gown and the Entourage as well.

When we went back to Philippines last February 2014, we we're able to finally meet her personally in Eastwood, QC. She was with her supportive husband and I was really surprised to know that they are staying in Pampanga though her family has shops in Greenhills and Market Market. Driving couple of hours to meet us really touched my heart but when she showed us all the sample fabrics and different shade of colors to choose from, sample bead work for the bridal gown and sample fabric for the veil... Revianne, our Wedding Planner and I were amazed. She's really well prepared! She showed me some of her designs and I can confirm... never regret a thing in choosing her.

In September 2014, we went back again to Philippines to finalize everything and almost gave her a heart attack when we asked her if she can make the 2 entourage gowns and Mother of the Groom gown as we need to bring it with us to UK. We really didn't expect anything from her knowing that she only has less than 2 weeks to purchase the fabric and make it but once again, she amazed us when she contacted us a week later asking where we could meet to give the gowns. They have some meetings to attend so they might as well give us the gowns rather than them travelling again. We met them in Tiendecitas and we're really happy upon seeing the gowns. The color combination was amazing, the style is exactly the one we discussed and even if it is rush, still the quality of the work is well polished.

Now that I already saw the quality of her work and her attitude towards handling unavoidable circumstances or let's say demanding requests of difficult client/s (lol), I can no longer wait to see the outcome of my Bridal Gown/s! 

Our Wedding Planner: Revianne Sesante of Weddings by Revianne

So now, it's time for us to look for a Wedding Planner... Since we are overseas and this is our dream beach wedding, we are looking for a Wedding Planner that can make us feel important and priority, someone whom we really can 100% rely on, someone who's very much familiar with beach weddings in Batangas area and can effectively communicate well with us. Someone who can also keep her temper and patience dealing with us as a couple... I am not sure what kind of a "Soon to be Bride" I am and I cannot guarantee that I won't be a "Bridezilla" especially when it comes to our wedding preparation. lol :)

Due to limited sources/ knowledge, I asked my friends & relatives and even posted on my FB wall asking for Wedding Planner/ Coordinator recommendations but either we don't find them knowledgeable of what they are doing yet charging us a lot or some that cannot communicate well with Steve and for us, that is one of the most important things to consider in getting a Wedding Planner or some well-known suppliers that takes time to reply just for a simple inquiry which for us have a negative impact knowing that how can you deal with someone who responded to your inquiry 1- 2 weeks later and took couple of days again to respond to your follow- up inquiry? Is it because since the wedding is still more than a year to happen then they're not taking us seriously? Just can't imagine the feeling/ dilemma if you will get their service then few months or weeks before your wedding, they will suddenly not contact you or keep you hanging... I hate it!

I don't know if our standards are just way too high or we haven't find the right one... I almost give up looking and about to confirm the one who took time to respond when I called Acuatico Beach and asked for a Wedding Planner recommendation. One of the staff there mentioned that Revianne Sesante was the Event Coordinator during the owner's birthday recently but they don't have her contact details. I searched her name online and saw her FB page, Weddings by Revianne. The page is not updated but there's an email address so I tried and sent her an inquiry and to my surprise, she responded very quickly and that made us both excited to call her. To be honest, I easily felt comfortable talking to her plus the fact that she is familiar with our chosen venue since she had wedding events being held there. I also gave the phone to Steve to talk to her to let him explain what kind of wedding we both wanted and Revianne was very accommodating giving some of her ideas and letting us feel that she knows what we wanted and that she will help us make it happen. Steve also felt comfortable talking to her and I know... we finally found our Wedding Planner!

It was October 2013 when we first confirmed Revianne's service as a Wedding Planner. A year had past as it's now October 2014 but we never regret a thing. Not only we got a reliable Wedding Planner but we also gained a friend in her.  

Choosing Our Wedding Venue- Acuatico Beach, Laiya Batangas

We're officially engaged!

Once back from our holiday, we started talking about the wedding... the theme, the date and the venue.

Steve and I both wanted to have a beach wedding so we decided that we will definitely have one. We first planned of having it in Dubai since we're both residence here and near to his relatives in UK but thinking of the long procedures and expensive fees in getting visas plus the air ticket and accommodation for all my relatives just to attend our wedding made us decide to do it in Philippines and since it is an outdoor event, we chose to have it in Summer.

Philippines is surrounded by water so definitely, there will be a lot of beaches to choose from. We started looking for a venue online and most of the nice venues for an intimate wedding are in Boracay like Discovery Shore, Shangri-la, Estacio Uno, Asya, Sea Wind Boracay and Fridays but logistics' wise, it's not a good option for us knowing that all my relatives are in Manila and Steve's relatives need to travel almost a day from UK to Manila then another couple of hours from Manila to Boracay and at the same time, not all the guests we wanted to be present in our wedding can afford to shoulder the expenses. Though we wanted to have a beach wedding, we also need to consider our loved ones so we looked again for other options then I remembered something... Batangas also has nice beach resorts so we searched online. There are couple of nice beach hotels in the area but the one really captured our attention is the Acuatico Beach Resort in San Juan, Laiya Batangas.

                                                   http://www.acuaticoresort.com.ph/

According to their website, they only have a total of 21 rooms and villas good for 62 pax. In that case, the hotel is not that big to be crowded and to have a lot of in-house guests so it is just perfect for our intimate wedding!

We sent them an inquiry right after we got their email address on the website. Izel, the Sales & Reservations Manager was very accommodating sending us their wedding packages. The package options include the basic set-up of the venue, dinner buffet and overnight accommodation with breakfast for 62 pax which makes the hotel EXCLUSIVE for us on the night of our wedding! That is the type of venue/ package we are looking for... an intimate and exclusive wedding for us and our loved ones.

Now, since we are overseas, next is to find a Wedding Planner.

The Proposal

June 2013, Steve asked me what I wanted for my birthday; a gift (that I've been longing for so long) or a holiday. Since it’s been 5 years that I haven’t celebrated my birthday in Philippines with my family (I usually go home during Christmas and kids’ birthdays), I told him that I wanted a holiday... but in Philippines; a simple dinner with family is more than enough for me so we flew back to Philippines to celebrate my birthday.

On the day of my birthday, we reserved couple of seats for the family at Vikings, SM Marikina. We’re already late for our reservation due to traffic and the mall was so busy, we decided to let my brother-in-law, Raymond drop us at the entrance before going to the parking area. While waiting for them, Steve and Shyne went missing for almost an hour.

Everybody was already starting their dinner when they came back. I was quite pissed as I was already hungry but Shyne handed me a gift though obviously Steve was the one who bought it so I just told to myself, “Ah okay… so this is why they went missing!”

We started our dinner; everyone was busy getting their food at the buffet station when my mom, Shyne and I were left on the table. I asked Shyne where they have been but I also thanked and told her that I really like the watch they gave me then she slightly slipped her tongue and said “Mom the ring is really nice! I helped daddy Steve in choosing that…” then mom said “Shyne, what are you talking about? Your Dad won’t buy it for you…” I was a bit curious and kept on asking Shyne but she didnt want to talk anymore… so I assumed she wanted to buy a fashion ring but Steve refused to buy it.

After Viking staff had sung a birthday song for me, Steve gave me a box with a ring inside and said “Marry me.” Take note: he didn’t ask me at first, he’s telling me to marry him! I was in a state of shock as I never expected it. My hands were shaking and perspiring, felt like I was floating in the air. I was trying to figure out if it was real or I was only dreaming… still can’t absorb what was happening… Ohh best feeling I ever imagined! Then he asked me, “YES or NO?” Ohh, wow… I wasn’t dreaming… He was really proposing!

All I did was nod my head as a sign of “YES!” I couldn’t talk coz I was avoiding my tears to fall but when I saw his teary eyes, happy tears fell down and that's it... we're already engaged! By the way, how can you say "No" in front of your family? lol! (Just kiddin)

Steve showed the ring to my Mom and even asked permission prior to the proposal.

Prenup: Meeting with the Photographer and HMUA

September 2014, It was rainy season in Philippines but since we are overseas, this is the only time we can go back home (before our BIG Day!) to finalize everything and do our prenup.

With the help of our very supportive wedding coordinator Revianne, we set a meeting with Russel of Topshot, our Wedding Photographer and Khite Bautista, our HMUA to finalize the venue and set-up for the pictorial. Since I was so excited, I even preferred to have 2 venues; 1st is Wawa Dam in Rodriguez Rizal since our place now is just approximately 5 mins drive and my family used to go there every year when we we're still kids (ages ago) so it will be a nice feeling to go back there again and the 2nd venue will be Pan de Amerikana in Marikina as I was a native of Marikina yet never been to that place. We also chose Pan de Amerikana as it has an indoor- outdoor area just incase it rains.

It will be our first time to meet Russel and Khite so we still don't know what to expect though among all the suppliers we have; I was  the one who personally chose both of them due to referral of friends. Upon seeing them both for the first time and seeing their work, we both know that we are in good hands.

We really had a productive day. Sharing ideas for the styling according to the chosen venue, mix and match of the clothes we brought back with us. We're about to finalize everything until Steve knew that the call time would be as early as 5am in Marikina. He really freaked out and told us that it won't be possible... so he won! We ended up choosing Wawa Dam as it is only 5-10 mins drive from our place.